Whether you are 25 or 65, having good health and happiness on the inside will help you feel radiant and beautiful on the outside. Taking a holistic approach to health care that focuses on prevention, wellness and rejuvenation is the best way to love yourself, both inside and out.
Prevention
The goal of health prevention is to protect and maintain your health and well-being. The best approach is to visit a holistic primary care doctor for a regular check-up every year. A holistic doctor treats the whole person, including body, mind, and spirit. He or she has a medical degree as well as additional training in alternative health practices. At this appointment your doctor will:
- Ask questions about your lifestyle, environmental exposures, and genetic influences that may impact your health.
- Conduct a thorough check-up.
- Provide thoughtful treatment recommendations that include traditional and alternative remedies.
- Recommend tests (blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol) and Cancer Screenings (mammograms, colonoscopies).
Your doctor is your partner in helping you prevent disease and achieve a vibrant life. Check out the book Your Vibrant Heart: Restoring Health, Strength & Spirit from the Body’s Core. It’s an inspiring read that describes how Dr. Cynthia works with her patients to help them love themselves, inside and out.
Wellness
Wellness is the active process of making choices to have a healthy and vibrant life. When you improve your diet, immunity, exercise, and stress level, you will feel good on the inside, and shine on the outside. Here are some suggestions:
- Improve your diet. A diet rich in colorful, fresh, whole foods helps you achieve good health on the inside and prevents premature aging on the outside. Include a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein every day. Avoid foods that are high in sugar and saturated fat. Click here for delicious and nutritious recipes from the National Institutes of Health.
- Load up on antioxidants. Antioxidants are proven to help slow down the aging process by protecting you from damage caused by free radicals. However, even if you eat a healthy diet, you may not get all the antioxidants you need for optimal health. This is because the nutrient quality in foods continues to decline and a variety of health and environmental factors impair full digestion of antioxidants. A new way to load up on these health-enhancing nutrients is through intravenous nutritional therapy, also known as IV vitamin therapy or the Myers cocktail. By having the antioxidants delivered directly to your bloodstream, you maximize absorption and effectiveness.
- Get Regular Exercise. You’ve probably heard that “sitting is the new smoking,” meaning, sitting at a desk for six hours a day is bad for your health. Studies show that people with desk jobs have higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity than those who have more active jobs. The good news is that you can counteract the effects of sitting in two easy steps. First, stand up, stretch, and walk in place every hour that you sit. Second, get about 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day, whether it’s a fast-paced walk at lunch, a workout at the gym, or a quick-moving aerobics class. When you add exercise to your daily schedule, you are also helping to reverse your skin’s aging process.
- Reduce stress. Most people recognize the importance of reducing stress, but are not sure how to do it. The best place to start is by controlling your breath. By taking deep measured breaths, you can control stress on the spot. Mindfulness and meditation are other great ways to help you focus your mind on the present and remove negative chatter. Studies show that both practices help reduce worry and depression.
Rejuvenation
Rejuvenation is the action of making yourself look or feel better, younger, and more vital. This is a life-long practice, much of which starts when you implement the wellness practices described above. Here are some other non-invasive ways to help you rejuvenate and feel radiant.
- Stay hydrated. Water makes up about two thirds of your body weight. It is essential to all of your body functions. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) suggests that people in good health drink nine cups of water every day. Drinking water throughout the day can help improve your health, energy, and vitality, as well as the radiance of your skin.
- Check out skin rejuvenation treatments. Skin rejuvenation treatments, including cellulite laser treatment, dermal fillers, intense pulsed light therapy, and other cutting-edge technologies help your skin appear youthful. And, these treatments are without the risks, pain, or downtime that go with surgery. By improving your skin flaws—including diminishing the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, spider veins, rosacea, blotches, and spots—you’ll look great and feel great.
- Get rid of stubborn fat. Now you can remove stubborn fat and cellulite from your belly, hips, and thighs without surgery. SculpSure is a new body contouring treatment that is FDA-approved for non-surgical fat removal. It uses a controlled light-based laser technology to safely melt away unwanted fat. This simple office procedure takes only about 25 minutes, with the ability to treat multiple areas at the same time. And, there’s no downtime. You can immediately return to your daily activities, and even go to the gym, following treatment.
Start loving yourself today. Not only will you feel better on the inside, but you will be radiant on the outside.