Cheers to a healthy life

I will, by God’s grace, complete forty turns around the sun this year. Or, as I like to say, I will be celebrating the twentieth anniversary of my twentieth birthday. I mean, forever young, right? Every solar revolution I am blessed to witness has come with its challenges and blessings, and this milestone is no different. I have so much to be grateful for; life, family, peace of mind, and good health.

This brings me to my topic of today. Good health. In as much as my mind tells me I am a spring chicken; my body begs to differ. Age catches up with all of us, and the journey of life takes its toll on us all. As the famed author and economist Thomas Sowell once wrote, "Health care is not medical care."

An interesting aphorism, but one that certainly has more than a nuance of truth to it. Healthcare involves what you do about your health, and what your doctors and health team can also do about it. Medical care is, however, mostly restricted to what your medical team, being your doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and dietitians among others, can do for you. As you can see, your healthcare is up to you also. Our healthcare is in our hands much more than we realize.

Preventive care has played a huge role in keeping illnesses at bay that can cut short one’s life early. Our healthcare system is geared towards curative healthcare. Indeed, our National Health Insurance Scheme is skewed towards payment for curative services, not preventive services. As such, we can see that preventive services are not a main feature of our health system. That does not mean all is lost though.

My birthday present to myself every year is not a party, not a fanciful trinket or jewelry, or even some exotic trip. It is my annual physical. Yes, I visit my doctor as a birthday present to myself each year. Why, one may ask? After all, what you do not know cannot kill you.

Or, can it? It turns out that what you do not know can certainly kill you. Ignorance about our health and well-being is only likely delaying the inevitable. So, every year, I get my blood level checked, to know my hemoglobin level to ensure I am not anemic. I get my kidney function checked out to make sure I am not developing any kidney disease.

I check my cholesterol levels and check my liver function as well as my glycated hemoglobin and blood sugar to make sure I am not developing diabetes. I get my blood pressure checked also. For us women, I get my annual pap smear done, and starting this year, I will be getting my mammogram done, adding breast health to my retinue of things to do. I do these every year and wait for my doctor to give me a bill of health till I see her the next year.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, it is simply because I believe nobody can advocate for your health better than you can. Yes, YOU are YOUR biggest advocate. From the plethora of "what a shock" and "gone too soon" obituary posters of younger people, some in their thirties and forties in our part of the world, it is clear that we are not taking full charge of our health.

The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney diseases, and strokes among other chronic diseases is on the ascendancy. A study by Elliot Tannor et al in Kumasi during the May Measurement Month of 2018 showed a hypertension prevalence of 37.4% in a participant panel of 5074, whose mean age was 39.4.

Interestingly, of the 822 respondents who had hypertension, 589(66%) were not aware of ever having hypertension. That is most certainly the tip of the iceberg of the hypertension epidemic in Ghana.

I recently had a very fascinating 81-year-old patient who was admitted in the hospital for a medical issue. He told me he was in a hurry to get out of the hospital because he had so much life to live.

He had explored France with his wife last year and had many more trips planned. He could easily pass for 60 and had taken extremely diligent care of himself. Now of course, good genes likely played a role in his healthy longevity, but he certainly had not left things to chance. He started his day with an early morning walk, and ate a healthy diet with lots of vegetables and fruit, fish, with little red meat.

He reminded me of Maya Angelou's saying, "Life loves the liver of it". A very intriguing documentary on Netflix, Blue Zones, brought to the fore the utter importance of a healthy, mostly plant-based diet and exercise in a long, healthy life. It is one you will certainly enjoy watching if you can spare the time.

How can we enjoy the fullness of all that life has to offer without taking care of our health? Give yourself the gift of life and good health this year, and get your health checked.

Please endeavor to see your doctor, and get a basic health screening, so at least you know where you stand and determine whether you continue your current lifestyle or make some key changes to help you live a healthy, fulfilling life. Check your blood pressure, your hemoglobin level, your cholesterol level, and your kidney function. For my lovely ladies, get your Pap smears done and if you are aged forty and above, get your breasts checked and a mammogram. Know your numbers, and take charge of your life, for indeed life loves the liver of it!