Dr Rob Hicks - Health Check-up

Natural health check up for you and your family
Throughout life we face health challenges - coughs and colds, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, to name a few. But these are by no means inevitable.
A healthy diet low in fat and salt, and rich in fibre, fruit and vegetables; not smoking; regular exercise; a healthy weight; and taking time to relax and unwind are the fundamentals of keeping the body in tip-top shape, both physically and mentally, and lessening the risk of health problems. Checking blood pressure, cholesterol, and for diabetes every few years is a good idea too.

Skin
The largest organ of the body playing so many different roles – temperature control, body protection, cosmetic – our skin is something to cherish. Often how we feel inside is reflected on the outside through our skin. Dry skin, and itching, is a common problem often caused by hot or cold climates but also from lack of fluid intake or a lack of important nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E and omega-3 essential fatty acids. Stress tends to make our skin look, well, stressed, and smoking and too much UV light prematurely ages it. So it’s important to protect and nourish our skin.

Oral
A dental check-up, as often as the dentist advises, helps identify problems such as tooth decay sooner rather than later. Keeping the teeth and gums healthy is actually straightforward - regular flossing and brushing, and not snacking on sweet foods and drinks in between meals. Being physically and emotionally run-down may contribute to painful mouth ulcers so taking time to deal with stress is important. This can be in whatever way works for you – for me, it’s playing or listening to music.

Joint health
If we look after our joints they’ll keep on supporting us without problems. Put them under strain through over-use and carrying to much weight and the joints will start to play up.
Regular exercise strengthens the joint-supporting muscles, helps relieve joint pain, and is a terrific mood booster. Along with a healthy diet, exercise also helps achieve a healthy weight, which the joints will be grateful for. When joint problems do arise then keeping positive is important, as all too often people wrongly believe joint problems are something they have to put up with, which nowadays isn’t necessarily the case.