Esa's Notebook

As a doctor for over forty years, I have observed some factors that are common to healthy people. Such people live longer (https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/377/bmj-2021-068390.full.pdf ), but their lives are also of a higher quality (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3681202/) . A healthy lifestyle has spill-over effects on society’s economy: lifestyles that weaken health significantly increase society’s costs.

Physical activity throughout life is one of the cornerstones of health. It does not mean marathon runs, but versatile, daily exercise that puts strain on the whole body. It has beneficial effects on weight management, muscle strength, balance maintenance and mental health. Healthy exercise should be customized individually, but it can include everything from walking stairs to gym workouts.

Infections are one of the key factors in morbidity. Not all of them can be prevented, but it’s important to remember the basics. Always wash your hands with soap and water after going to the toilet and before cooking. Disinfectants – chlorine and hand sanitizers – are not part of everyday life. The home environment does not need to be disinfected as it should in a hospital. Hand cleanliness is important, but – with the possible exception of the pandemic – there is no need to disinfect hands in an everyday environment if proper hand washing takes place.

Balanced nutrition and regular mealtimes are important. Excess vitamins or trace elements are usually not needed if both meat products and vegetables are present in the diet. An exception may be vitamin D, which is recommended as a dietary supplement in some situations for everyone (https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/#h2), as well as B vitamins for those who have a strict vegetarian diet. Everyone should be aware of their own cholesterol levels, because for those with a harmful blood fat profile, dietary fat restriction is important.

Smoking is the single most significant predictor of coronary and cerebral arterial diseases, cancer and death. So quitting smoking is the single most significant health act. A lot of guidelines have been published on the moderation of alcohol consumption. The health disadvantages of alcohol are very individual, for some even a small amount of alcohol is harmful over a long period of time. The WHO’s position is that alcohol has no beneficial effects on health at all (https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health ).

One of the most important aspects of maintaining health is mental health stability. It includes the ability to deal with life’s stressful situations and to find one’s own strengths. Mental health is also the ability to create and maintain contacts with close people, because they can provide support in critical life situations. Avoiding alcohol and recreational substances is fundamental for mental health.

After all, one of the most important factors is an optimistic and bright mindset. There will always be crises and dark moments in life, but a person with a positive outlook on life is able to see beyond them into a brighter future. A bright mindset is an attitude of life that can be learned.

The  conclusion of the article I referred to at the beginning  (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3681202/) was that efforts to make lifestyle changes are beneficial, and their benefits are overwhelmingly positive, as well as increase over time. We should constantly encourage and help people to add years to life and also life to years.