5 Keys Archives - Dr. Elson Haas, MD

5 Keys To Staying Healthy

Health doesn’t need to be complicated – you can open the door to your vital self with The 5 Keys To Staying Healthy. These 5 Keys are based on core principles about health and vitality that I have developed during 40 years of preventive medical practice. These principles include:

Focus On Staying Healthy
- Work to improve your health consistently, not just react when you become ill.
How We Look and Feel Is Primarily Based On How We Live
- Take personal responsibility! Our habits and behavior contribute to almost every health outcome we experience, for better or for worse.
Lifestyle First, Natural Therapies Next, Drugs or Surgery Last
- These are the guidelines that I follow and recommend for my patients.
  I suggest them for you as well!

Your health starts with you! I invite you to use these 5 Keys to identify what challenges you face in achieving optimal health. As you probe each area, you will discover that you actually have knowledge of (and command over) many important areas of your life such as what you eat, how you manage stress and whether you exercise or not. You cannot simply count on your doctors and other health practitioners to point these issues out to you.

Nutrition

Food brings pleasure and sustenance, but it can influence our health in both positive and negative ways! A balanced diet where we obtain all of our essential nutrients is required for good health, while at the same time, avoiding toxins in our foods and environment is crucial. In my practice, I’ve discovered that one of the best routes to begin steps toward optimal health is a natural cleansing and detoxification program. When we expose our cells to more toxins than our body can readily eliminate, our cellular and tissue functions may be undermined and, over time, this can lead to many acute and chronic symptoms as well as a myriad of diseases.

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Exercise

A consistent and balanced exercise program is crucial to staying healthy! We are born to move; every cell in our body needs physical activity to keep us fit and fully functional. Exercise can be as elaborate as fitness training or as simple as walking 30 minutes a day, but the best program is THE ONE YOU WILL ACTUALLY DO. Make it fun and remember that if you aren’t already exercising regularly, get a physical exam before you begin.

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Stress

Stress is often due to our perception that we don’t have enough resources to handle a problem or situation. It expresses itself physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, or as a product of a toxic environment. Learning about how you react to stress and finding ways to cope are the keys to managing it – responding to life’s issues rather than react is a good place to start. Take the time to discover what works best for you and you will forever reap the rewards of a more peaceful life.

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Sleep

Some research indicates that more than 35% of American adults are sleep-deprived, a very dangerous condition that can lead to all kinds of health issues such as diminished cognitive skills, poor thinking, anxiety and reduced work performance. Many factors affect our sleep patterns – eating excessively, drinking caffeinated beverages, or consuming alcohol before bed may make it hard to sleep well. Try to align with natural sleep as much as possible by lowering your stimulants, improving your exercise, eating well and lowering electronic exposures later in the day.

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Attitude

Attitude is the 5th Key to staying healthy, but it could easily be the first! Our attitudes influence our lifestyle choices and directly affect our health. Are your own attitudes positive and encouraging, or negative and undermining? One of my mottos is, “This is the only body I have and I am going to treat it with love.” I realize from my own experience that shifting attitudes and behaviors is not easy; it may mean challenging and changing some of our core beliefs that we have maintained for decades. Research shows that attitude change is often necessary before making any behavior changes that last – that’s why this could be considered the primary Key, the place to start.

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