To Your Health
August, 2015 (Vol. 09, Issue 08) |
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A Healthy Lifestyle Keeps the Doctor Away
By Editorial Staff
Putting a fresh twist on the adage, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," research suggests healthy lifestyle habits may be the key to a long life. A recent study compared the health and longevity of Amish adults with average Caucasian adults living in the same area.
The Amish people live a much healthier lifestyle and historically don't believe in the use of electricity, machinery or technology. The Amish also tend to limit health care to what is required to address injury and serious disease. Making this comparison essentially shows the difference between a lifestyle reliant on medical care with one that focuses on basic healthy living.
What did the study authors find? Amish men and women experienced comparable longevity to their Caucasian counterparts, even though the Amish had a much lower rate of hospitalizations. The authors concluded: "Our results suggest that interventions targeted at lifestyle factors may have higher impact on improving lifespan at the population level than improvements in medical technology and medical care access."
In other words, healthy living is the key to a healthy, long life. The best news of all is the power to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as a balanced diet, stress-reduction activities, consistent exercise, etc., is in your hands. Now what are you waiting for?
