Welcome to 2019

Hard as it may be to believe, another year has gotten behind us and taken its place in history. This is the time of year when we all become like the Roman God Janus, looking forward and backward at the same time. Considering our accomplishments, seeing where we fell short and making our heartfelt resolutions for where and how we will do better in the year to come.

I once heard Tony Robbins speak about New Year's resolutions. It is pretty clear that he is not a fan. The calendar, he said, makes every new year seem like a new start, but its not. We are exactly the same person on January 1st as we were on December 31st. Nothing much changes, because we do not change much.

Here is what he suggests you do if you really want to change something in your life, whether on New Year's Day or any other day of the year that you are ready to get serious about it.

1. Choose an area of your life (just one) where you truly want to make a change. Be honest with yourself. You have to really want to change in this area, not simply think that you should. Describe (writing it down is best) exactly what that area of your life is like for you now. No one else is going to see this, so be 100% honest.

2. Write a list of the habits, routines and rituals that you have that are shaping the current conditions in this area for you. Give this part some thought, it is important.

3. Write down exactly what it is that you want to be different. Be very specific. This should be an emotionally engaging vision of what you want this area of your life to be like. How it WILL be for you. Why do you want it? How will your life be different when you have it?

4. Now write down the new habits, routines and rituals that, if you incorporate them into you life, cannot help but create the changes and bring about the results that you want. What, exactly, do you need to do differently EVERY day in order to have what you want?

5. Begin incorporating these new habits into your day. This is where the work is. It will not be easy. That is an understatement. Your old routines and rituals will not give up easily and they have great power over you. Start small, with a few new rituals, and stay with them no matter what. Your momentum will build with each success and you can add more later.

The only resolution that you need for the new year is to act with integrity. To keep your word. Every time. Without exception. You CAN change your life. Or just those parts of it that you want to change. Your health, your career, your relationships, your happiness, your outlook. But to do so you simply MUST be able to depend on yourself. Your word must be your non-negotiable principle.

For me, I am committing to being a person of my word for 2019. That is it. Just that. I may not say that I will do something and that's fine. But if I do say that I will complete some task, be at some event, show up somewhere at a certain time, then I am going to do that. No more excuses for me. If I say it, I mean it.

I will keep you posted on how it goes.

3 Foods You Already Love that Promote Eye Health

For most of us, our eyes do not get much attention unless and until we have a problem with them. Perhaps you visit the optometrist every few years for new glasses or to update your contacts. Maybe you have gone the Lasik route and rarely see an eye professional at all. Yet our vision is our primary way of experiencing and interacting with the world around us. Maybe you should think about seeing a real ophthalmologist every 2 or 3 years (more often as you get older).

In the meantime, here are three foods that you probably already consume that are known to provide health benefits for your eyes.

Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a rich source of beta carotene (your body converts it to vitamin A), which helps prevent "dry eye" and night blindness. It may also help to slow the progress of macular degeneration - the #1 cause of new blindness. Other foods with high concentrations of beta carotene include carrots, butternut squash and spinach. Milk and eggs are also a good source of vitamin A.

Strawberries
Strawberries are vitamin C powerhouses. Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that can help reduce your risk of cataracts. Bell peppers, broccoli, cantaloupe and citrus fruits also contain lots of vitamin C.

Salmon
The Omega-3 fatty acids in this oily fish offer protection against "dry eye", while the vitamin D helps avoid or slow macular degeneration. Other good sources of Omega-3s include walnuts and flax seeds, while milk and orange juice can help ramp up your vitamin D.

"See" you again soon!

Non-drug Approaches to Managing Arthritis

About 12% of the US population suffers from osteoarthritis, a degenerative and often painful joint problem. The hallmarks of the condition are chronic inflammation in the joints that occurs when the cartilage that cushions them wears away. It manifests itself in stiffness and joint pain that, over time, can become disabling.

Standard treatment recommendations may include losing weight, maintaining physical activity, physical therapy, drugs to manage pain (which include NSAIDs and steroid injections) and in some cases surgery.

The non-drug approaches are gaining in popularity, even among doctors, as they offer significant symptom relief without any side effects. If you suffer from osteoarthritis, here are some things you can try.

Lose Weight

This can have a large impact on the amount of pain that you feel. Less weight means less stress on the joints. And losing weight has a multitude of other health benefits as well.

Stay Active

Regular movement helps maintain the flexibility of the joints. You need not be forcing yourself to run or walk. Try low impact exercise such as tai chi, yoga or swimming. Or take a water aerobics class. The important thing is to keep the joint moving.

Hot/Cold Therapy

Nothing too complex here. Long, warm showers in the morning and a heating pad at night can ease stiffness. Joint pain and swelling are often relieved by use of an ice pack or cold compress.

Diet and Nutrition

You knew I would get around to this. But the truth is that, while not a quick fix, your diet can have a significant positive effect over time.

The Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have been shown to reduce joint stiffness and pain. Another helpful fatty acid is GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) that is found in the seeds of certain plants such as hemp, primrose and black currant. You can buy the oils of these seeds as a supplement.

Turmeric, the yellowish spice that is a staple of Indian and southeast Asian foods, contains curcumin, a chemical that has been shown to reduce inflammation. You would have to consume an awful lot of turmeric to get a dose of curcumin that has been shown to be therapeutic, but what can it hurt to add this tasty spice to your food?

There are many herbal supplements on the market that claim to reduce joint pain. Their effectiveness is not necessarily proven although many offer anecdotal evidence. Buyer beware. Do your research. And if you are taking any medication for anything, arthritis or otherwise, check with your doctor or pharmacist before adding any supplement to your routine. (Even mine!)

With arthritis, as with any disease or health condition, you will do best if you take control, use a variety of traditional and alternative therapies and keep a positive and determined attitude.

5 Foods that Help Lower Blood pressure that You Haven't Thought Of

If you are trying to manage your blood pressure with diet, you probably already know that bananas and other high potassium foods such as beans, sweet potatoes and leafy greens. But to really get the maximum benefit from diet, you should consider these other lesser known foods. By eating the right combination of foods, many people can achieve blood pressure drops comparable to those achieved using medication.

Here are five lesser known options that you can add to your hypertension-fighting diet.

1. Beets
    Nitric oxide (NO), on the other hand, acts as a signaling molecule,
    one that is typically beneficial to health. It gives signals to the
    cells in your arteries, telling them to soften and relax. This action
    greatly improves vasodilation, which reduces blood pressure. For
    this reason, nitrate-rich foods that are not exposed to very high
    heat are beneficial because they can become nitric oxide. Beet
    juice and beet greens are an especially rich source of nitrates.

2. Figs
    Figs are one of the most potassium-rich fruits, with about 232mg
    of potassium in just two small figs.

3. Pistachios
    Pistachios are a healthy way to decrease blood pressure by
    reducing peripheral vascular resistance, or blood vessel
    tightening, and heart rate. One NIH study found that a diet
    with one serving of pistachios a day helps reduce blood
    pressure.

4. Pomegranate Juice
    Despite Pom Wonderful's recent kerfuffle with the FDA over the
    health claims made for its pomegranate juice product,
    pomegranates are a healthy fruit that you can enjoy raw or as
    a juice. Several small studies have concluded that drinking a
    cup of pomegranate juice once a day for four weeks can help
    lower blood pressure over the short term.

5. Olive Oil
     Olive oil is an example of a healthy fat. It contains polyphenols,
     which are inflammation-fighting compounds that can help
     reduce blood pressure.

When combined, the nutrients in these foods can work synergistically to lower your blood pressure. The benefits are often noticed quickly and can be as much as a 5 point drop for some people.

Dairy No Magic Bullet for Weight Loss

Have you heard recently that dairy might help boost weight loss? A study funded by the Danish dairy industry concluded that it did after randomly assigning people to low calorie diets either low or high in dairy products.

They forgot to mention that after 6 months there was no difference in weight or body fat loss between the groups.

Want to lose weight? Don't expect dairy to speed the process along. Consume fewer calories in your diet or burn more through activity.

Bone Broth

Bone broth is a soup stock made from animal bones and cartilage that has become very popular due to its perceived health benefits. According to Tod Cooperman, MD, of ConsumerLab.com, it can in fact be a healthful food. But as often happens, as soon as anything gets a reputation - deserved or not - for being healthful we start to see it on our grocery store shelves and the commercial version often delivers far less of the healthy ingredient than what is needed to have any impact.

The health benefits of bone broth derive from the significant amount of the protein collagen that it contains when traditionally prepared (i.e., when you make it yourself at home). The problem is that store bought versions can vary significantly in the amount of collagen that they actually deliver. Collagen levels are not required to be listed on nutrition labels and so - surprise!! - they rarely are. The nutritional information that companies do provide clearly comes from their marketing departments and is often wildly inaccurate.

What to do if you want to make bone broth a part of your diet? Make it yourself. Its pretty simple, here is a basic recipe to get you started.

If you prefer to buy your broth at the grocery store, do a little research first. There are some good ones out there but you want one that delivers lots of collagen for the price and you want that verified by an independent testing lab.
Here are two that, according to ConsumerLab, you can trust:

Jarrow Formulas Beyond Bone Broth Spicy Beef Ramen Flavor (powder).

Pacific Organic Bone Broth Chicken (liquid).

Sickcare vs Healthcare

Why do we call Health Insurance "Healthcare" when what it does is insure us,  after we get sick? And why do we call it "Health" Insurance anyway when what really is is Sick Insurance? I guess "Sick Insurance" would be a harder sell. No one ever accused the Marketing profession of excessive honesty.

Now I am certainly not making an argument in favor of going without Sick Insurance. Almost all us will be ill at one time or another in our lives. And some of us will become seriously ill, perhaps even contract a life threatening illness or condition. In such cases, our Sick Insurance will be invaluable.

But as we all know, Sick Insurance is not cheap. It is so expensive that many people go without it because of the cost. Health Insurance, by contrast, is free. Yet large numbers of people continue to go without it. Sure, Health Insurance has a cost in terms of your time and effort, but you don't have to pay a dime for it. Unlike Sick Insurance, which helps you with the cost of treating a problem after you have it, Health Insurance greatly reduces the odds that you will ever have a health problem in the first place.

Here is your free Health Insurance Program:

1. Create a balanced, nutritious, healthful diet and stick with it forever.

2. Incorporate regular, moderate exercise into your daily routine forever.

3. Get your head screwed on straight and keep it that way.

Following the free program does not guarantee that you will never need your Sick Insurance. But it will absolutely stack the odds in your favor. No medical exam, application or premiums required. And your pre-existing conditions are fully covered. Do yourself a favor and get Health Insurance today.