In the United States and abroad, men have shorter life expectancies than women. In 2021, the average US woman lived to 79 years, while the average man only lived to 73. This gender disparity has been linked to many factors, including risk taking, stressful occupations, unhealthy eating, and higher rates of smoking and heavy drinking, leading to a higher risk of accidents and disease. Cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death, followed by cancer, injury, respiratory disease, stroke, and diabetes.
This does not need to be your (or your man’s) destiny. There are five changes you can make that will improve your quality and quantity of life:
1) Schedule an appointment for an annual physical. Are you one of the 72% of men who would rather do household chores than schedule a wellness check? It turns out that fear is the main reason that you (and most men) skip these important appointments, but avoidance can be a costly mistake. Early screening, detection, and treatment greatly improves survival rates and reduces the overall cost of treatment by 2-4x.
To overcome any fear, you can educate yourself in advance as to what can be expected when you walk into the doctor’s office. The prostate exam itself takes no more than 20 seconds, and you can practice deep breathing during that time. Remind yourself that an awkward minute could lead to a longer, healthier life if a problem is detected early.
2) Reduce stress. Chronic stress is a killer. It can lead to hormone imbalances and can negatively affect all systems in the body. High blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and a plethora of other diseases and disfunctions can result. When stressed, you may also turn to unhealthy eating habits and coping mechanisms.
To reduce stress and improve overall health, add a mindfulness practice to your daily routine. Mindfulness is about learning to “be here now” in the present moment rather than thinking about the past or worrying about the future. Some mindfulness activities include gardening, hiking, and creating art. While engaging in these pursuits, make an effort to actively focus on the things around you and the tasks at hand. Meditation and frequent mindfulness practices have been shown to reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, and improve sleep.
3) Hydrate. We’ve devoted an entire blog post to this topic, because 43% of Americans do not drink enough water. Every system of the body requires water to function, including the heart, brain, kidneys, and more. Drinking at least 8 glasses of mineral-rich water a day can help with brain performance (memory/mood/ concentration), energy, weight management, temperature regulation, detoxification, digestive issues, and much more. If eight glasses seem like a lot, start by replacing one sugary beverage with mineral water or herbal tea, then add one more glass of water, slowly building to eight. Add muddled fruit and berries for flavor and fun!
4) Eat well. An unhealthy diet contributes to more than half a million deaths in the US each year. Most Americans fill up on empty calorie foods laden with added sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats that can lead to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and other illness. Our Nature’s pHarmacy™ approach recommends choosing a wide variety of fresh high quality whole foods – organic and biodynamic whenever possible.
Also, you’ll want to be sure that your favorite foods are not negatively impacting your immune system. Sometimes, common foods, chemicals, and medications can overstress the immune system, making it hard to defend and repair as it should. Ingesting these hidden immune burdens can lead to or exacerbate chronic diseases such as autoimmune diseases and diabetes. Alkalinize your diet and talk to your healthcare practitioner about LRA testing to identify the immune triggers specific to you.
5) Replace missing nutrients. As noted above, most people do not get enough key nutrients from diet alone. Supplementation is necessary in the 21st century. We recommend starting with a super-multivitamin with 40 essential nutrients to protect heart, body and brain.
In addition, men need zinc. More than 300 enzyme reactions require zinc, and it’s necessary for immune function, sexual function, and testosterone production. The human body can’t produce zinc, so it must be obtained through the diet or by taking supplements.
Quercetin dihydrate and pomegranate juice extract provide antioxidant and antiinflammatory benefits while also supporting prostate health. Choose a supplement that also contains OPCs for additional cellular support and stress protection.
If prostate support is needed, we recommend a supplement that contains the following eight synergistic herbs and nutrients: saw palmetto, pygeum, lycopene, nettle, linolenic acid, linolenic acid, zinc picolinate, and selenium.
Ask your healthcare practitioner about whether PERQUE® brand supplements might be right for you.
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Implementing these five daily changes can help change your (or your man’s) health and quality (and quantity) of life. Scheduling annual doctor’s appointments, lowering stress through mindful activities, hydrating, eating well, and providing the body with necessary nutrients will lead to improvements in mind and body health.
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