Conroe Family Doctor Spring 2018 is in Bloom!
May 18, 2018 in Blog
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May 11, 2018 in Blog
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Three Ways to Prepare for Lifelong Health
May 9, 2018 in Blog
Everyone wants to be healthy and lifelong health is a goal for many. Although being perfectly healthy all the time is an unattainable goal, there are things you can do to help decrease your risk of developing chronic or more serious illnesses. Compiled below is a list of three ways you can prepare yourself for lifelong health.
Making Smart Lifestyle Choices
A large part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is carefully considering the various lifestyle choices you face on a daily basis and knowing how to make choices that will benefit your health. A few healthy lifestyle choices are to keep a medical journal, get all recommended immunizations, and get annual physicals.
A medical journal is a great lifestyle choice because it keeps your health history in one place, allowing you to monitor your health as needed. Yes, doctors have medical records, but these records are less personal. By keeping track of your own medical needs, you can help your doctor to find the best course of action. In addition, a medical journal containing hereditary illnesses can help you establish what ailments you have the highest risk for and you can make adjustments accordingly.
You will also want to be sure to get all recommended vaccinations to ward off extra infections. Most of these vaccinations you have probably received when you were younger, but others, such as the pneumonia vaccine or yearly flu shot can be optional as you age.
Another healthy lifestyle choice is to get annual physicals. Seeing your doctor regularly can help make sure that any possible illness is caught early on and treated appropriately. Annual physicals should measure blood pressure, perform urinalysis, and take a complete blood work panel. This is to ensure that you are not developing hypertension, diabetes, elevated cholesterol, anemia, or liver/kidney problems.
Optimizing Your Physical Health
You will also want to optimize your physical health by doing things like eating right and exercising. Now, eating right does not mean constantly dieting and exercising does not necessarily mean running five miles a day. The key here is to find what works for you and go with it.
Ideally, you will want to eat a balanced diet with lean meats and plenty of vegetables. It is also important to eat breakfast everyday, since this is the most important meal and helps to set the pace for the rest of the day’s eating habits. You will want to avoid consistently eating foods that are high in fats, salts, or sugars as these can cause heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, and other problems.
Optimizing Your Mental Health
In addition to optimizing your physical health, you will also want to optimize your mental health. Several studies have shown that happier people, or people who smile more, generally live longer, more fulfilling lives. A big part of achieving happiness is constantly assessing your mental well-being and making changes as needed.
To promote positive health, you will want to maximize your personal relationships. Individuals with strong social bonds and who laugh more, generally have better mental health. Having a strong, support system is an essential part of establishing happiness and positive mental health. You will also want to take care to learn how to deal with stress and get plenty of sleep.
Get your sexy back-SculpSure helps you safely reduce stubborn fat in problem areas!
May 1, 2018 in Blog
Get your sexy back! SculpSure helps you safely reduce stubborn fat in problem areas such as the belly, love handles, back and thighs-with a treatment plan that is customized to the results you desire. Call Conroe Family Doctor to Schedule your FREE Consultation Today!(936) 657-4565
Two Ways to Protect the Brain
April 25, 2018 in Blog
As our bodies age, our brain ages also. Helping our brain remain healthy during this aging process is an important part of protecting our brain. Protecting our brain starts by paying attention to our mental well-being and striving to improve areas of our mental health. Specifically, there are two ways you can protect your brain, maintaining adequate mental stimulation and improving your mental well-being.
Maintaining Mental Stimulation
It is very important that you are constantly stimulating your brain. Like a muscle, your brain needs exercise to keep it healthy and in top shape. When you stop stimulating your brain, you risk it wearing out over time and becoming less effective.
One reason mental stimulation is so important is because the brain makes connections through brain cells when doing activities. These connections among brain cells result in more brain cell growth which can help to replenish areas that may be lacking. The constant creation of new connections yields more brain cells, which actively work against the effects of aging on the brain.
Some different things you can do to stimulate new brain connections are learn a new language, skill, or hobby. Learning a few new words a day, engaging with a new skill, or completing any new activity that requires concentration, repetition, and physical movement, are all easy ways that you can help your brain make more connections.
You can also take simple, everyday activities and start doing them with your non-dominant hand. New studies have shown that your brain makes new connections when your non-dominant hand is asked to do the same tasks as your dominant hand. This is because using your non-dominant hand to do these things is considered “new” to your brain. It also increases function in the non-dominant hand. This is a great alternative to starting a new activity if you don’t have much time to do so.
Improve Your Mental Well-Being
Much like diet and exercise help our bodies to be in better physical shape, improving your mental health can help your brain remain in better shape as well. This encompasses everything from simply getting enough sleep every night to making sure you have positive social relationships.
An easy way to improve your mental health is to make sure you are currently getting enough sleep every night. Sleep disorders and excessive exhaustion can cause cognitive impairment, which will negatively affect your brain and may even cause you to be predisposed to disease in the future. If you have trouble sleeping, you may want to change your pillow, change your sleeping habits, or see a doctor to determine the cause of this problem.
Another important thing to do to improve your mental well-being is to establish strong social relationships. People who are more social generally tend to have lower rates of dementia and a longer lifespan. They are also generally more happy that those who are not social. Furthermore, people who feel that they have a social network of trusted friends and loved ones usually feel more supported. This is especially important during times of stress or difficulty. Being able to talk to a social support system significantly reduces stress and improves one’s mental state.