Once you're hospitalized you really are at the mercy of the health system - overworked doctors and nurses, crowded hospitals, meds being pumped into you. Don't get me wrong, we are much more fortunate than many countries who don't have modern hospitals and, as Canadians, we enjoy (?) universal health care so no one can be turned away if they need medical help but I truly believe that we, as individuals, can be doing so much more to take care of OURSELVES. If we make better choices about what we eat; take the stairs or walk a few blocks to work; reduce the stress in our lives and quit relying on a pill to make us feel better, maybe, just maybe we can avoid ending up in a hospital emergency room with something that might have been prevented. Too many of today's ailments and illnesses aren't caused by an airborne germ or virus but by a generation of terrible eating habits, lack of daily exercise and too much stress in our lives.
The "good old days" may seem like a cliche but there were really a lot of GOOD aspects to the old days - things like growing your own food, physical labour everyday to get chores done, simple pleasures like visiting neighbours or going to townhall dances.
I must be getting older, I'm starting to sound like my mother!
Being in good health and feeling good makes everything else seem better even if you don't have a big bank account because having lots of money can't make you feel better if you have a headache every day or are dealing with other health issues like high blood pressure, depression, chronic pain or fatigue.
As the first generation in history whose children may not outlive us I believe we have a responsibility to take care of ourselves and our families. We can do this by becoming smarter consumers, getting more active and educating ourselves. The good news is, none of that costs anything but it can make a huge "deposit" into your "health" savings.
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