Take Control of Your Health: Always Know the State of Your Body—On the Inside

To Take Control of Your Health, one of the most essential actions you can take is to know exactly what is going on inside your body. I call this Knowing The State of Your Body—On The Inside.

                                                              What Does This Mean?

It means doing something many of us dislike and even hate: visiting your doctor to check the critical numbers in your blood work. One reason we dislike this move is the fear of receiving bad news.

But knowing the numbers in your blood will inform you of your current well-being and, consequently, what actions you need to take to gain control of your health. Even if you feel great, the only way to truly know how healthy you are is to understand what is happening inside your body. There could be things going on inside your body RIGHT NOW that are giving you no symptoms of a problem.

In just a short time, with a visit to your doctor, you can learn some valuable information about the state of your body, such as your blood pressure. A simple blood test will tell you if you are prediabetic. It will also provide your LDL and HDL cholesterol numbers, blood glucose, A1C, and glomerular filtration rate, which is a fancy term for determining how well your kidneys are working. Yes, a blood test provides these numbers and much more about your physical health.

Okay, I know seeing the doctor is hard for some of you, and you may have no desire to do it. I have an honest confession. I absolutely understand where you are coming from. I am the last person to judge because in the past, I regularly put my health second, third, fourth, or entirely off the radar, and there was no way I was going to see a doctor. If I had pain or was not feeling well, my attitude was that I would be fine in a few days—it would pass. I really did not want to know about my body, and I feared what I would hear. You know the old saying, No news is good news? That was me. I know how scary this step can be for some of you because you fear the doctor may find something wrong. This is a real fear, but trust me, knowing is so much better than not knowing—no matter the outcome (more on this below).

So please, do not follow in my footsteps; know what is going on inside your body. It may save your life. I finally got enough courage to know my numbers regularly, and it is time for you to know yours. 

 Please Take Action Today……WHY?

BECAUSE if you have high blood pressure, RIGHT NOW you can take action to get it under control before it becomes an issue—possibly an insurmountable health issue. Nearly one in three US adults has high blood pressure, or hypertension, and only about half of them have it controlled. When your blood pressure is high, the following happens:

 You are four times more likely to die from a stroke.

 You are three times more likely to die from heart disease¹.

BECAUSE if you are prediabetic, you can act RIGHT NOW to stop it from becoming diabetes. If you have prediabetes, losing a small amount of weight if you are overweight and getting regular physical activity can lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes². Prediabetes is very common. Researchers estimate that 84 million adults in the U.S. have prediabetes. It affects more than 1 in 3 adults under age 65 and half of people over 65 in the U.S. More than 80% of people with prediabetes don’t know they have it, as it often has no symptoms³.

Diabetes can lead to major complications:

1) Heart disease and stroke: People with diabetes are two times more likely than people without diabetes to have heart disease or a stroke.

2) Blindness and other eye problems:

• Damage to blood vessels in the retina (diabetic retinopathy)
• Clouding of the lens (cataract)
• Increase in fluid pressure in the eye (glaucoma)

3) Kidney disease: High blood sugar levels can damage the kidneys and cause chronic kidney disease (CKD). If not treated, CKD can lead to kidney failure.

4) Nerve damage (neuropathy): One of the most common diabetes complications, nerve damage can cause numbness and pain. Nerve damage most often affects the feet and legs, but can also affect digestion, blood vessels, and the heart.

5) Amputation: Diabetes-related damage to blood vessels and nerves, especially in the feet, can lead to serious, hard-to-treat infections. Amputation can be necessary to stop the spread of infection⁴.

BECAUSE if you know you have high bad cholesterol (LDL) and low good cholesterol (HDL), you can act RIGHT NOW to reverse this trend.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, sometimes called “bad” cholesterol, makes up most of your body’s cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol raise your risk for heart disease and stroke. When your body has too much LDL cholesterol, it can build up on the walls of your blood vessels. This buildup is called plaque, and it can cause heart disease and stroke.

HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, sometimes called “good” cholesterol, absorbs cholesterol in the blood and carries it back to the liver. The liver then flushes it from the body. High levels of HDL cholesterol can lower your risk for heart disease and stroke⁵.

BECAUSE if you are having kidney issues, RIGHT NOW you can talk to your doctor about the next steps. Damage to your kidneys cannot be reversed, but if doctors find chronic kidney disease early, there are ways you can keep the damage from getting worse, such as following a kidney-friendly eating plan, being active, and taking certain medicines⁶.

BECAUSE if you know your numbers are in a good place, RIGHT NOW, you can make sure you take the necessary steps to keep them there.

Knowing your numbers and taking the appropriate action may save your life or prevent serious health problems now and as you age. I strongly urge you to overcome the barriers to visiting your doctor. I will ask you this question: What is the cost to you, your health, your family, and your friends if you do nothing? Please do not ever find out the answer to this question.

It is a strong mental boost when you know exactly what is going on inside of you. Knowledge is power, and the relief you feel by knowing can be tremendous and even motivating.