Sunday Thoughts (my AC, your health)

I recently had some trouble with my air conditioner.

I know what you’re thinking… “Jeff, it’s January.”

Yes, but here in Florida, AC is almost a year-round thing. And while it’s better for one to go on the fritz in winter vs. summer, it can still get hot quick once the AC peters out.

When I finally could get someone out to take a look, I could tell by the look on his face who was to blame. 

Yours truly.

You see, once this pandemic hit, I postponed my annual AC maintenance check-up. And I never rescheduled it. (Oops.)

If I had done a little preventative maintenance earlier, I could have saved myself from a bigger problem down the road. 

Ok, so what does this have to do with your health, dear reader? Quite a bit, actually.

One of the biggest problems with “healthcare” in this country is we focus too much on fixing things once they break. Instead of keeping things running smoothly in the first place. 

Why is this so bad? Because it’s far more difficult and more expensive to treat disease that’s already taken root than prevent it from happening in the first place. 

That’s why I harp on the basics. Good food. Regular exercise. Sound sleep. Key nutrients. 

A recent study makes this point for me, from the journal Circulation. 

It found that people who had well managed type-2 diabetes had a 21% higher risk of heart problems than the rest of the population.

This is true even when you control for the major risk factors, like BP, cholesterol, blood glucose or smoking. 

They’re still at higher risk. 

Waiting until your body is in crisis to do something to stay healthy, it makes no sense. And our system is set up exactly this way. 

That’s why I do what I do. And hopefully, it’s why you’re here. 

Because the healthier you are, the healthier you’ll stay. That means you have to take action, assume responsibility, and be self-reliant. 

The “system” can sometimes plug leaks. But it’s hard for outside forces to wipe the slate clean. 

And just like my AC, when your body is running too hot, it can get very uncomfortable, very fast. 

So take care of yourself, folks. You’re your own primary care physician. And you do make house calls. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. 

P.S. To put a fine point on it, the coronavirus really shined a light on this problem. The really vulnerable are folks with “pre-existing conditions.” Now some of these can’t be prevented. But many of them can. 

And you don’t want to wait for the next crisis to put your body to the test.