For well over 30 years I have focused upon the essentials for optimal health. In a recent column, I stated that 97% of Americans have one or more UN-healthy habits. Of that three percent with the minimum requirements for good health, I wonder how many have the rest of the essentials to optimize health:

  • Minimal or no sugar
  • No aspartame
  • No monosodium glutamate
  • No sodium lauryl sulfate
  • No more than 2 cups of coffee per day
  • No ”fast” food
  • Minimal white flour
  • NO anger, guilt, anxiety, depression
  • No ”processed” food
  • No artificially hydrogenated fat
  • No day without some physical exercise—preferably an hour or more daily
  • No fluoridated water; preferably not chlorinated either!
  • No Splenda
  • Minimal TV
  • Minimal use of cell phones

ADD THE POSITIVE ESSENTIALS:

  • Joy, happiness, a positive attitude
  • Relaxation a minimum of 20 minutes daily
  • A minimum of 7 or 8 hours of good sleep
  • A circle of friends and loved ones
  • Sunlight at least an hour a day
  • An excellent multivitamin/mineral
  • Adequate omega-3 fatty acids
  • Adequate antioxidants in food and/or supplements
  • Use only olive oil, butter or coconut oil as added fats
  • Work no more than forty hours a week
  • Find a job which is not work but fun/play
  • Keep your DHEA optimal: for women– above 450 ng/dl; for men above 600ng/dl; not with supplements but with the four natural restoration approaches in earlier newsletter
  • Keep your calcitonin optimal
  • Keep your free radicals at one or less
  • Keep your body temperature at normal—98.6 degrees Fahrenheit during the day
  • Minimize electromagnetic exposure, such as fluorescent lights, TV, computer printers, etc.
  • Love yourself!

Most of these concepts have been addressed in earlier newsletters. The archives can help you review details. In the long run, YOU are the most important key to your own health and well-being. No responsibility to anyone outside you is as important. If you do not take care of yourself, you cannot accomplish all that you wish for others. Health is worth the effort.

C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D. is the father of holistic medicine. Register to receive his book 90 Days To Self-Health free and learn more about optimal health.