Ten Ways To Reduce Health Costs
Health care is expensive, and it will never get cheaper. But there is one major way to reduce health costs, and that is to prevent illness, disease and calamity from happening in the first place. This is essentially what I am all about: being conscientious and informed about your lifestyle so you can live a full life.
Granted, sometimes stuff happens despite our best efforts to prevent the stuff. But when you are intentional about taking care of yourself, you can drastically reduce your chances of getting sick or hurt. Here are ten actions you can take to help reduce health costs in your life and in your family’s life.
1. Eat right.
Eliminate most processed foods. Read a book on nutrition. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Eat more raw. Eat more organic. Eat a variety.
2. Exercise.
Every day, not just three times a week. Three times a week do something more intense, but the other four do something active. Take a long stroll. Run. Swim. Bike ride. Roller blade, garden, clean your own house and mow your own lawn. Play ball with the kids.
3. Quit smoking.
You really want to reduce your chances of getting lung cancer to almost nothing? And all the other toxic chemicals in cigarettes are doing nothing to improve your health.
4. Quit drinking.
One glass of organic red wine a day? A glass of homemade brew every couple of days?
Maybe. If you can keep it down to those two options, and that frequency. Otherwise, you are messing with your liver as well as your metabolism.
5. Use essential oils daily.
Oils such as thyme, oregano, eucalyptus, rosemary, ravensara, lavender, and tea tree will kill off any pathogen that enters your body – as long as you use them consistently. They are much cheaper than either OTC medications or trips to the doctor.
Visit this page to learn why you need to be very careful where you buy essential oils from.
6. Take a multi-nutrient supplement.
No matter how hard you try, your diet is unlikely to be sufficient to provide all the nutrition your body needs.
Masaji is a good place to start. The best multi-vitamin/mineral in stores is the Garden of Life Vitamin Code brand.
7. Drink more purified water.
Dehydration can lead to all kinds of ills. Start with eight 8-ounce glasses a day of filtered water. City tap water is poisonous and to be avoided at all costs.
8. Reduce stress.
Reduce stress = reduce health costs because stress can lead to a disease state in the body.
Get out of debt. Use essential oils to help calm yourself. learn to say “no.” Take on a hobby.
9. Eliminate as many toxins as you can.
Learn green cleaning formulas and techniques. Use personal hygiene products that don’t have hazardous chemicals. Use an air purifier in your home, or at least in your bedroom while you sleep. Buy a good shower filter (if you’re paying less than $70, it’s probably not taking much of the bad stuff out).
10. Take safety precautions
Don’t stand on the top rung of a ladder. Keep your pantry and kitchen cabinets well-organized so that getting glass jars out is not a circus trick. Use protective gloves when using very sharp tools. Don’t take risky actions (like trying to pick up a heavy box) if you’re tired.
All of these ultimately reduce health costs by preventing health problems in the first place. Put them into action, and feel free to add any others you can think of in the comments below. 🙂