Douglas Grove Surgery

* Stop smoking 
* Exercise regularly
* Eat a healthy diet 
* Avoid being overweight or underweight
* Drink alcohol in moderation
* Protect against the sun
* Attend health screening when invited

SMOKING
* Smoking is the most important cause of avoidable illness and death in the U.K. It can particularly cause lung cancer, heart disease and strokes.
* Passive smoking can be harmful particularly to babies and young children.
* Smoking in pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and growth retardation.

Benefits of stoping smoking: Within days the body starts to benefit from the cessation of smoking, and over 5 years the risk of stroke returns to normal, over 10 years the risk of heart disease returns to normal, and over 15 years the risk of lung cancer returns to that of a non smoker.

For further advice about stopping smoking see the practice HCA.

EXERCISE
Why is physical activity good for health?

* If you do some physical activity regularly you are less likely to develop disease such as heart disease, stroke, bowel cancer, breast cancer, osteoporosis and obesity. In addition, many people feel better in themselves. Regular physical activity is also thought to help ease stress, anxiety and mild depression.

What sort of activity and how much?
* The main exercise should be anything that makes your heart rate increase, gets you warm, mildly out of breath, and mildly sweaty. For example: brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, dancing etc. You can even use normal activities. For example, fairly heavy housework or gardening can make you out of breath and sweaty. Consider a brisk walk to work, or to the shops, instead of using a car or bus. The activity does not have to be intense. However some evidence suggests that for preventing heart disease the more vigorous the activity, the better.

* The minimum to gain health benefits is probably 30 minutes in a day, at least five days per week. However, you do not have to do it all at once. For example, cycling each way to work for 15 minutes each way adds up to 30 minutes. Try to increase the amount to 40-60 minutes on most days if you can, especially if you are obese and aiming to lose weight.

* In addition, you should aim to do a minimum of two sessions of muscle strengthening activities per week. Muscle strengthening activities include a progressive weight training programme, stair climbing and similar resistance exercises that use the major muscle groups. Each ‘session’ should be a minimum of 8-10 exercises using the major muscle groups. Ideally, to maximise strength development, use some sort of resistance (such as a weight for arm exercises) and do 8-12 repetitions of each exercise.

Are there any risks with physical activity?
* If you do some types of sports you risk suffering sprains, and sometimes more serious injuries. You can cut down the risk of injury by always warming up before sport, and by wearing the correct footwear. Endurance sports such as marathon running can cause stress fractures, fatigue, and menstrual periods to stop in some women.

* Sudden death sometimes occurs in people who are doing some physical activity. This is rare if you are used to moderate physical activity. It is more likely to occur if you do not usually do much physical activity, but then do a sudden bout of vigorous activity such as an intense game of squash. However,
even in this situation, sudden death is rare. The potential health gains from physical activity greatly outweigh the small risks involved.

Some other points about physical activity
* It is never too late to start doing some physical activity for health, no matter how old or unfit you are. If you have a concern about a medical condition, see a doctor. However there are few reasons why physical activity may be harmful. A common wrong belief is that physical activity may be “bad for the heart”. On the contrary, physical activity is good for most people with heart disease. If you are unfit, it is best to gradually build up your level of activity. 
* Regular physical activity is a major factor in the prevention of heart attack and stroke. It can also help  maintain a healthy body weight, reduce the risk of osteoporosis, reduce respiratory problems and help prevent cancer.
* 70% of men and women do not take enough exercise.
* Otherwise healthy young and middle aged adults should aim at three 20 minute sessions of activity, vigorous enough to cause hard breathing and perspiration, per week. Shorter less intense sessions will be more appropriate for older people.
* Build up levels of activity and stamina gradually.

MAKE ACTIVITY A WAY OF LIFE.

DIET
Eating a healthy diet will help protect you against heart disease, stroke and cancer.

* Eat at least FIVE portions of fruit or vegetables a day.
* Eat less fat , especially saturated fat such as butter and cream.
* Grill rather than fry your food.
* Eat lean meat and chicken without the skin.
* Choose low fat spreads and oil “high in polyunsaturates” such as sunflower oil, or “monosaturates” such as olive oil.
* Eat plenty of fish, especially oily fish such as herring, mackerel, pilchards, tuna, trout and salmon.
* Eat more fibre - choose wholemeal and brown varieties of bread, pasta and rice. Pulses such as lentils, chick-peas and dried beans are a good source of protein and fibre.
* Eat less salt.
* Eat less added sugar, such as in tea or coffee, cakes, sweets and biscuits.

WEIGHT
It is important to try and maintain your weight at the right level for your height.
Body mass index (BMI) is a ratio of your height and weight measurement and can be used to see if your weight is right for you.

* A BMI between 20 and 25 is acceptable.
* A BMI below 20 is underweight.
* A BMI above 25 is overweight, and above 30 is obese.

Our Practice Nurses will be happy to advise about weight reduction if you think you are overweight.
Waist/Height Ratio (Apples and Pears)

This is another useful indicator of health risk associated with overweight. A high waist/height ratio gives an apple shape which is associated with more heart disease and diabetes, whereas a low ratio gives a pear shape, a healthier shape.

ALCOHOL
Drinking alcohol in excess can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease, and some cancers. It is also associated with a higher number of accidents and violent behaviour.
A small amount of alcohol each day is probably beneficial to health, especially if the alcohol drunk is 1 to 2 glasses of red wine.

Sensible Drinking Levels

* Men — not more than 21 units per week
* Women — not more than 14 units per week

1 unit of alcohol is approximately equal to:

* half a pint of beer
* one measure of spirits
* one small glass of wine
* quarter of a pint of cider

* an alcopop (eg. Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer, WKD, Reef) is 1.5 units

Today the labels of many bottled drinks will tell you how many units of alcohol are in the bottle.

SUN
Excessive exposure to the sun can sometimes cause skin cancer.

* Protect yourself and your children against sun.
* Don’t get burnt. Cover up with loose light clothing. Stay in the shade.
* Avoid the hottest part of the day: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
* Use a high factor sunscreen, SPF 15 or above (a waterproof one when swimming.)

HEALTH SCREENING
* Anyone is welcome to ask for an appointment for a health check. This includes blood pressure measurement, assessment of weight, urine analysis and cholesterol measurement if necessary.
* There is a national programme to invite women under 65 years to attend for a cervical smear test every three or five years. This is to detect early signs which might lead to cancer of the cervix if not treated.
* There is a similar programme inviting women from 50 years to 65 years to attend for a mammogram, for the early detection of breast cancer.