I wrote these pages because I like to focus on my general health, feel I have learned a lot over the years, and would like to pass on this knowledge to others. But I wrote this page a long time ago and totally forgot about it. Click here for a more recent version of my general health pages.
I feel that so many people in the world live their lives thinking that their bodies are somehow expendable, eating whatever their desires tell them to, gorging out at any moment according to what their fancy inspires them. It is a fact that there are two things that kill us: oxygen and overeating. One of the only ways scientists have managed to extend a rat's life is to deny it of food. Although we need oxygen to survive, it is ironic that this element is a major cause of aging. That is why such things as green tea (the Chinese on average apparently drink two litres of it per day), which is an anti-oxidant, meaning it removes oxidants (which come from oxygen) from our system, helps extend one's life. Stretching, for example, releases oxidants from your muscles, which is why people who practice Yoga tend to look younger.
Overeating is also bad for you. It is estimated that as much as 60% of your body's energy is used to break down the food you consume. Especially or even more so if you are eating such things as a steak. Just imagine the energy your body must expend to break down that tough piece of meat into its little components so that it could eventually make it into your blood stream and feed your body. When your body uses that much energy (remember that you may often feel sleepy and out of energy after eating a steak or a big meal), it has that much less to focus on healing and revitalising your body. It is a known fact that animals automatically go into a fast after a major injury. When I catch a very nasty cold, I myself go into a short fast and manage to kill it with my common cold remedy within as short as a half a day. When I fast, I find I have much more energy than usual and can only sleep about 4 or 5 hours a day. While fasting, I don't/can't even take naps during the day, which is one of my favourite pastimes.
Basically my body has a lot more energy available than usual, and it uses it to focus on revitalising my body, or burning those elements within my body that do not belong there (such as the toxins and chemicals pumped into the food we eat, or the pollution that makes it into our bodies just from the environment we live in). It has been said many times that one can get rid of cancer by not eating for forty days < . But the average person living in the west, based on the food and garbage they stuff into their face at every possible moment, could die of an overdose of toxins before a lack of water when shocking their untrained system with such a feat.

Below are some links to pages I have written in certain areas, and a general guideline to what I consider healthy living.
The bible says that our bodies are God's temple [1CO 6:19]. For a balanced and happy life, it is therefore important that we respect our bodies, God's temple, and attain a balance between spirit, mind, body and soul.

So the first step is to sit down and think hard about the true, valuable priorities in your life. What is truly rewarding and important in your life. The bible say: "The best that man [people] can do is to eat [the Word of God], drink [from the Holy Spirit], and be glad with the work of his [/her] hands. This is a gift from God." [ECC 2:24, 3:13, 5:18] But so many people go to work thinking that work is their highest priority: to make money, spending at least 8 hours a day slaving over something they might not even enjoy, then perhaps at least two hours in traffic, some more hours doing certain chores, such as cooking food or cleaning, until they have at most a few hours a day to do what they want. And perhaps that alone is wasted sitting passively in front of the TV watching violence!!
So I believe the first step is to sit down and plan out a lifestyle that is balanced and truly beneficial to you (and your environment around you, I desire). Scale back your expectations of the mountain of toys you would like to shower yourself with, find some work that you enjoy, focus on removing stress from your life (a lot of which comes from our thirst for more goodies, and the pressure that inflicts on ourselves - especially if we take out loans to pay for them!!), and start planning for a rich (not monetarily) and rewarding life.
Just for an example: Why not take a blanket, some cheese and other food, and grab your family for a picnic somewhere in nature? Go for a pleasant walk, spend some pleasant time together, and when you get back from your day trip or weekend, come to your home, look at one of the many objects you have purchased over the years and compare the joy you received. I think just the memory of that weekend will give you more joy than that object ever will in your household.
So before you start focusing on what you eat and all the other things you can do to improve your general health, first evaluate your life and try to come up with some formula which removes your stress (which often leads to anger, hence unhappiness, and even more stress - eventually a heart attack) and improves the overall quality of your living.

Now that you have accomplished this very important and crucial step, we can proceed with some other ideas how to improve your general health.
Some basic tips:

• two glasses of beer a day (moderation mind you) reduces the possibility of getting a heart attack
• half a bottle of red wine a day helps rejuvenate your brain cells, much more the case with women
• meat is generally not good for you. Not only does it use up more of your body's energy to break it down for consumption, it is often laced with hormones and chemicals pumped into it for the sake of the breeder's profit, which inevitably makes its way into your system. Without fasting, these toxins accumulate and eventually and inevitably lead to some disease or sickness. But before deciding whether to become a full vegetarian < , determine your blood type to get an idea of the best dietary balance for your particular body. And if choosing to maintain some meat in your diet, try to keep it lean and mean, and healthy (like free range, for example). <mention environmental reasons?>
• if choosing to eat meat, note that beef, and even more so pork, tends to accumulate debris in your intestines. So it would be good to flush out your intestines once in a while <link to separate page - mention kerfir..>
• your body is a complex organism and needs to be maintained. Try to exercise as much as possible!! It is said that we should at MINIMUM exercise for half an hour three times a week. I know we are all busy, but do you really have to take the elevator? Why not double task it and run up the stairs? Walk or bike to work. When walking to work, take the longer way through the park. Smell some flowers, reduce your stress, enjoy the view, and start a great day! Exercising helps keep your bodily functions running and your juices flowing. Your heart healthier, pumping your blood through your veins, knocking off better any cholesterol which may be accumulating in your arteries, pumping oxygen into your brain and making you think better. I find that when I remain idle for a longer period of time, I start to get lazier. So the willpower that you pump into exercising will eventually translate into higher productivity, clearer and faster thinking, and subsequently even more willpower to help you sustain a higher level of physical activity. Don't push yourself too hard but start slow, focusing on it and slowly building up your shape so that you, in time, and comfortably, exercise daily or as frequently as possible, but enjoy it!
• if trying to lose weight, for obesity IS a disease which itself leads to all sorts of other sicknesses, shifting your diet away from carbohydrates can go a long way. Your body needs some carbohydrates, but apparently oil and carbs together produce fat (not to mention does lack of movement). I wouldn't go all out on an Atkins diet, for I've heard, and it naturally seems, that it is not the healthiest for you, but eating lots of vegetables, the occasional lean meat, and limit such things as rice, pasta and potatoes (to tell you the truth, I consume so much beer -I love it- that that is where I get most of my carbs from) can really go a looooong way. Or biking or walking, for example. Your thighs are your largest muscles and using them vigorously on such a diet can burn a lot of fat. Or eating lots of small meals during your day instead of fewer larger ones. Or try not to gorge out too soon before sleeping (they say your last meal should be around 5), else you sleep on a full tummy and lumber body, which will just produce more fat for storage in the future.
• try to fast. I now have gotten into a routine of fasting for ten days in the spring and ten days in the fall (20 days was mentally too exasperating), and once a week. You'd be surprised how your body gets used to it, getting ready and practically expecting it, until there is absolutely no pain! Honestly.
• when I do my weekly fast, I like to have a "diet" of certain teas < , to help compensate for all the beer I love to drink and replenish my body with the minerals it needs.
• when something goes wrong with your body, such as frequent muscle cramps, don't run to the doctor and prescribe to some chemical drug, making the pharmaceutical giants richer than they already and unnecessarily are, but go visit your local health food shop and ask them what they would prescribe. I did to mine and she said it was due to a lack of potassium or something, so she recommended pumpkin seeds. I now have pumpkin seeds by my side and occasionally nibble on them while working. They are full of all sorts of important nutrients, which for example help strengthen your hair follicles and help prevent hair loss. Or I also have beside me sesame seeds < , to help strengthen my teeth. So if something in your body goes wrong, always try to find a natural way to heal it and don't pump more chemicals into your body!!! At least only as a last resort. Sure, doctors are smart and science has shown that a certain chemical can invoke a certain response, but I can guarantee you that science does not know of all the other responses such a chemical can invoke, especially over time, and certainly not in combination with all the other chemicals that are pumped, either purposefully or by the environment we live in, into our bodies.

Well, that is all I can think of for now. Basically it is just a matter of focusing on your body, your life, and using a lot of common sense, combined with some research. Don't rush out of your home in the morning while pounding down that crappy cup of coffee, get stressed while crammed in traffic, hustle during your busy day making some other person richer, to rush back home or spend it all on silliness without reflecting on your entire life and everything you do during every minute of your day. I have a feeling that many people are afraid to reflect on their inner selves or on these matters. Why? Or they get wasted drunk trying to forget about their problems, constantly running away from them and avoiding the issue. Why? There is no reason why you should be afraid to reflect on these things and it will only improve the quality of your life!!

Below are some pages I have prepared for particular subjects, and below that some weblinks to pages on general health:

Okay, a bit embarrassing, but how I dealt with natural hemorrhoids treatment
How you can kill a cold within half a day with my common cold remedy
The wonders of garlic [putting this site together now]
Hair loss prevention, the natural way
Got back problems?? [putting this site together now]
Losing your hearing? [putting this site together now]
Constipation or diarrhea? [putting this site together now]
Joint pains? [putting this site together now]
Tips on fasting
Prevent heart disease <
Reasons why to be a vegetarian, or to avoid eating meat [putting this site together now]
Some juicy body rejuvenating and cleansing recipes [putting this site together now]

Here are some links I have collected on general health:

http://www.healthfinder.gov/
http://www.webmd.com/
http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/General_Health/
http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/ - for parents concerning their children
https://www.mainegeneral.org/default.asp
http://www.mayoclinic.com/
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/Cat5.html
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/333/341.html
http://familydoctor.org/
http://www.ccohs.ca/resources/ - focuses more on health in the workplace
http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/pages/health.general.html - for parents concerning their children
http://www.cardinalhealth.com
http://www.healthcentral.com/home/home.cfm
http://www.ivillage.co.uk/health/ghealth/0,12711,,00.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/12476-teen-health-topics/ - for teenagers
http://mysanantonio.healthology.com/nip_v2.asp?f=nip_default&c=general&b=mysanantonio
http://www.scholarly-societies.org/genhealth_soc.html
http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAdviceForTravellers/GeneralHealthAdvice%20/fs/en - general health advice for those traveling in foreign countries
http://www.healthy.net/
http://www.dreamyfeet.co.uk/links_health.htm
http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_information/asp/healthy_living/general/index.asp
http://www.health24.com/
 

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