Homestasis

      This year, we are going to set our intention to be as healthy as possible. Our focus word is Homeostasis. Homeostasis is a state of internal balance among all of our body systems that is needed for the body to survive and function correctly. I have been a nurse for 32 years and what I can tell you is that we are getting sicker and sicker and our issues are showing up younger and younger. A significant part of your happiness is us being in our best health. Your health affects every aspect of your life. From how you sleep to everything you can do or have to do when you are awake.

     The first thing we are going to talk about this year is knowing how our body is functioning. You have to see a healthcare provider.  If you don’t have insurance through work or pay for it on your own, there is insurance through the healthcare marketplace at healthcare.gov. You have until 1/15 to sign up for benefits this year. If you don’t qualify for some reason, you have community healthcare systems that have primary care clinics where you can go for care. Many counties have clinics that you can go to for care.

     You have to have at least a general check-up and lab work once a year. Some of us do not go to the doctor because of a history of being treated poorly, are afraid of bad news or we think we are in good health and don’t need to go. You really don’t know how you are doing until you get checked. I need you to do a search for what screenings you need for your age and gender.

     For example, most cervical cancer cases are women 35-44 but 20% of all cervical cancer diagnoses are in women greater than 65 and women under 20 do get cervical cancer. All women need their pap smears every year. Screenings allow us to stay on top of what is going on inside our bodies. There is a BIG difference between a Stage 0 cancer and a Stage 4. About 4,000 women die every year from Cervical cancer. Early detection always gives us a fighting chance to beat whatever we are up against.

     High blood pressure is the primary or contributing factor of almost 700,00 deaths in the U.S. annually. Worldwide that number is 7.5 million. Those are our mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers. There is a reason it is called the silent killer. You need to find a doctor or nurse practitioner that you like, one who listens to you. We spend more time looking up reviews for a restaurant than we do to find someone to guide our health journey. We need to put our health first this year. There are offices with late hours and weekend hours. If you go to one provider that does not meet your needs, find another one. How much time do you put into finding the perfect gift. Being in the best health is the greatest gift you can give yourself and your loved ones. Our #1 task this year is reaching and maintaining homeostasis, we have to know what is going on in our bodies.