Want to know the top 20 things I’ve learned after writing a health column for 11 years? If so, read on.
- The human body is an awesome invention
- Doctors are ordinary mortals too
- Exercise is fundamental to good health – we were built to move and all sorts of things happen if we don’t
- There isn’t a pill for every ill
- There are the healthy, the sick and the worried well
- Acceptance of a condition makes it easier to manage
- You have to work at your mental health
- There is dissatisfaction with every health service in the world
- Eating food as close as possible to its natural state is best
- Fish oils are good for many things
- If there isn’t plenty of colour on your plate your dinner isn’t well-balanced
- Farm accidents change lives – so many people regret not thinking safety first
- Medication can save lives but some people are on too much of it and don’t get it reviewed often enough
- Pharmaceutical companies have a vested interest in many patient support groups
- Antibiotics are precious and shouldn’t be taken lightly
- Admission of mistakes is best in the long run
- Men tend to skip over the painful bits when talking about their illness
- Expectations (of health services) are rising all the time
- Many men have fear of doctors’ surgeries and hospitals due to negative experiences as children and therefore put off life-saving check-ups
- Sometimes it’s the family, not elderly, ill people themselves who want the tests and medical interventions done.
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