Health Promotion Recommendations

Lifestyle

Drink alcohol only in moderation. We recommend no greater than two drinks per day. One drink (8 oz) per day has been shown to reduce some cancer and heart attack risks. If you have a family history of alcoholism you should avoid regular alcohol intake because your chances of alcoholism are increased four-fold. Never, never, never drink and drive.

Positive answers to the following questions indicate a potential problem with alcohol:

1. Have you ever had a problem with alcohol use?
2. In the past year, have you ever drank (or used drugs) more than you meant to?
3. Have you ever thought you needed to cut down on your drinking or drug use during the past year?

Do not smoke cigarettes. Smoking dramatically increases your risk of cancer, heart attack, stroke, sudden death, ulcers, mouth cancer and bladder cancer. It also increases the size and number of facial wrinkles. Penis cancer is 400% more common in smokers. Baldness is 63% more common in smokers.

Chewing tobacco should be avoided because it may cause oral cancer. There are medications that can dramatically reduce your desire to smoke. They can make it very easy to quit. Please ask us about this. It is much easier than you think!

Sleep is very important. It has a strong effect on your physical and emotional health. Poor quality sleep may cause you to develop hypertension, emotional dysfunction, and many other chronic, significant health problems. Get adequate sleep (7-8 hours per night). Avoid frequent napping because naps may reduce the quality of your nightly sleep cycles. Exercise improves the quality of sleep. Notify us if your spouse or partner observes irregular breathing patterns during sleep. This could indicate a sleep apnea disorder.

Recreational drug use and abuse is obviously a bad thing. If you have a problem with drugs or substance abuse, please discuss this with us. We can help in many ways.

You should drink caffeine only in moderation. Limit yourself to no more than 3 doses of caffeine per day. One dose is a cup of coffee, a glass/cup of tea or a soft drink.

If you are taking herbs and supplements, please let us know. We do not recommend that all patients take herbs and nutritional supplements. We never recommend high doses or megadoses. Many herbs and supplements are not monitored well for quality and consistent manufacturing. Also, some of them can have dangerous side effects and interact with some medications.

Always wear your seatbelt. If you ride a motorcycle, always wear your helmet.

Keep all firearms unloaded and locked away, especially if you have children.