Podcast Challenge 5

The End of Illness by David B. Agus, MD (I don't think I've ever read a book before when someone used a suffix in their author name) is not about stopping viruses or bacteria per se, but more about preventing chronic illness that are within the system rather than outside invaders. It's also about living a healthy lifestyle through things like diet and exercise.

Throughout the book, Agus shows steps he takes and steps he recommends to his patients. The biggest takeaway for me is to have a set schedule for just about everything in your life. Bedtime, wake-up time, meal time, work-out time. They should be the same every day of your life, if possible. The body relies on regularity to, well, regulate itself. Our systems are remarkably good at keeping us healthy and fighting diseases if we let it. And the body craves regularity to know when to release certain hormones that let us sleep, digest our food, boost our metabolism. I'm pretty good with my sleep regularity (as most people who know me already know, I'm pretty much in bed before 10 every night and up between 6 and 7, no matter what day of the week it is). However, I do need to work on regularity for eating (including snacking at the same time every day) and working out, both of which I tend to do when I feel like it and when I have time. And skipping lunch isn't a rare occurrence for me if I'm too lazy to pack something, or just don't feel like eating.

I'm vaguely inspired to go to the doctor for a physical, too. I haven't been since I started my current job (and then I only went because you have to have a physical if you're going to work at a school in Pennsylvania) and I've never had blood work done. One of Agus's suggestions is to learn as much about your body and your system as you can, and a good way to start is to get some blood work done. He's also a proponent of genetic testing so that you can start to alter your lifestyle to prevent diseases rather than wait for them to hit you and then have to treat them.

I do hope I take some of this book to heart so I can be healthy until I die. I recommend this book to people who want a good, middle of the road approach to healthcare, using technology, common sense, and hopefully minimizing (though not necessarily omitting) pharmaceuticals.