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My Own Medicine

by Susan Flagg Godbey

Published Jan 2009 in editor | 0 Comments, Talk about this article »

I’m thinking about the wake-up call I got at my medical checkup a few days ago. My blood pressure was up, and so were my cholesterol and blood sugar. How did this happen? Simple. I got too busy to take good care of myself, and I stopped making time to follow the advice you’ll find in this month’s issue.

For starters, if only I’d put into action the program in Deputy Editor Denise Foley’s excellent story, Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally, I might have heard my doctor congratulate me instead of admonish me. (His exact words: “I shouldn’t need to warn a health editor about this.”)

Denise’s story examines a lifesaving program called DASH, short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, which is a drug-free way to lower blood pressure quickly—in some cases, in as little as a week. We meet Janine Punales, who at age 29 was shocked to discover that she had stage 2 hypertension and needed medication. When she adopted the DASH program, her BP plummeted from 140/108 to 104/70 in just six weeks, and she lost 9 pounds to boot. Janine has vowed to keep up her good work, and if she does, she stands an excellent chance of beating her family’s lethal history of heart disease.

In 3 Weeks to a Sculpted Body, our West Coast fitness expert Marianne McGinnis introduces us to a 300-year-old Russian military training regimen that’s actually a lot of fun. It uses special weight-training devices called kettlebells in a 30-minute, total-body, fat-blasting routine that you can easily do at home.

Starting now, I’m giving my Chinese takeout a makeover by cooking my favorite dishes myself. In Take That, Chinese Takeout!, Meredith Deeds offers recipes for Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry, Shrimp Fried Rice, Kung Pao Chicken, and Sesame Noodles. They’re so easy and delicious that you’ll only miss the little white containers. You certainly won’t miss the fat, sodium, calories, and expense that come with indulging in typical takeout. These recipes are easy and quick enough even for me, whose idea of a good time doesn’t include slaving over a hot wok.

Finally, don’t miss our story on exciting medical breakthroughs. Learn what you need to know about flu shots (it’s not too late if you haven’t rolled up your sleeve this year), about painless breast health screenings, and about a new test for early-stage lung cancer.

I must DASH now; I have some taking-care-of-myself items on my to-do list today.

‘Til next time,
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Susan Flagg Godbey