Health and Well-Being

20 Essential Health Tips by World Health Organization

WHO identified essential points affecting good health. I provide my responses to each point based on my experience and lifestyle.

Generic Health Advice by World Health Organization

I am inspired to pen this post after reading a simple yet important article by the WHO (World Health Organization) using the Philippines as a case.

This article is written for a global audience, so some items might not be relevant in developed countries. However, the principles apply to all populations.

These items are comprehensive, and a book can be written about them. So to keep this article in a reasonable size, I only highlight a few key messages from my decades of experience in health and fitness.

Some items are straightforward and accepted by society. On the other hand, a couple of them are a bit controversial, so I added additional clarity using my experience, observations, and literature review.

Please note that my perspectives are not advice. I want to create awareness and open dialogue and encourage my readers to find answers by researching these critical points from credible sources and discussing them with qualified healthcare professionals.

The list is based on the article published by the World Health Organization, reflecting my thoughts and feelings. I did not change the wording of the headings, but the explanations belong to me.

They reflect my perspectives, experience, and research. You can check the linked article to read explanations by WHO.

1 — Eat a healthy diet

This is an indisputable fact. We are what we eat. However, a “healthy diet” might be interpreted differently by various people and cultures.

My addition to this point is choosing a diet that suits our lifestyle, genetic makeup, and blood type and has proven to work for us.

For example, even though plant-based diets are healthy for the generic population, they did not work for me as some plant molecules created an autoimmune response.

As explained in this article, identifying this problem and changing my diet accordingly helped me survive and thrive.

I don’t believe one single diet meets the requirements of every individual. The best approach is to customize our diet with input from qualified healthcare professionals.

2 — Consume less salt and sugar

I agree 100% about sugar, as it was about to kill me when I was on high-carb diets.

However, salt is a different story. Instead of less salt, I’d re-frame this as “adequate salt” as it is a critical mineral for our heart health. Since I am on high fat — low-carb diet, my body needs more salt than the recommended amounts. When I found the right amount for my body, several bad symptoms disappeared.

Extra salt is important in ketogenic diets. They might not be as critical in high-carb diets. For sodium balance in the bloodstream, getting advice from a qualified dietician with confirmation from a medical doctor validated with blood tests is essential.

3 — Reduce intake of harmful fats

I agree with the term “harmful fats”. When fried, some fats, especially refined vegetable oils, were harmful to me. I disagree with the generic statement of cutting saturated fat under 10%. This is old and obsolete science. I sometimes Take Science with a Grain of Salt.

This topic is close to my heart because the erroneous science was about to kill me. I regret naively believing the blanket statements about fats. I consume over 80% saturated fat, aligning with my body type. Several credible scientists debunked the saturated fat hypothesis for heart health.

With due respect, I think WHO needs to update its documents based on the latest scientific facts from peer-reviewed journals. I plan to provide a literature review from credible sources in another article.

I have been on the ketogenic type of eating for over a decade. 70% of my calories come from fat, mainly saturated fat from animal products. Paradoxically, The More Nutritious Fat Consumed, the More Belly Fat Got Burned. When I was not eating any fat, I was fat, and when I consumed adequate fat, I gained six-pack abs after the age of 50.

If you don’t believe my experience, you might check the best-selling book by Nina Teicholz, The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat, and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet. She spent a decade investigating the literature with scientific and journalistic rigor.

The best approach is to discuss necessary fat intake with a qualified dietician referred by a medical doctor based on our blood markers and diet regime.

4 — Avoid harmful use of alcohol

I fully agree with this. My experience with alcohol consumption is poignant. Unfortunately, alcohol caused me a lot of problems.

Drinking alcoholic beverages did not give me any joy. I shared my experience in an article titled Agreeing With Both Biden And Trump On Alcohol.

We also know that excessive and long-term use of alcohol might cause Korsakoff’s Syndrome as discussed in this article titled Dementia: Perspectives on Korsakoff’s Syndrome & Vitamin B1 Deficiency.

5 — Don’t smoke

This advice is excellent. The harmful effects of cigarette smoking are well documented in the medical literature. Unfortunately, some medical professionals used to smoke and did not see its harm. I am glad many governments took the necessary cautions.

In 1980, when I was working in an office, almost everyone was smoking, and their smoke made me a passive smoker. It was so sad.

It is possible to give up smoking, as I discussed in the article: Tricking Brain To Stop Smoking: My personal story on how I quit smoking 40 years ago and never smoked again.

6 — Be active

This is another excellent recommendation. Movement is critical for health. As we age, we need more mobility hence movement should never be stopped. I shared my experience in this article. I like joyful exercises rather than those being prescribed by fitness gurus. Like nutrition, exercise is also a personal matter, so we should choose a regime aligning our lifestyle, biology, age, and genetic makeup.

7 — Check your blood pressure regularly

This is a piece of great advice. I regularly check my blood pressure at home. Having a blood pressure machine can be an excellent investment. They are affordable nowadays. I bought one for $75 as a birthday present for a senior neighbor. I also check my blood sugar and ketones.

8 — Get tested

I fully agree with this. Unless we measure our health, we will not exactly know our status. A simple blood or urine test can give us valuable insights. Health data is valuable for understanding the invisible patterns of the body. Here is an article reflecting my experience: How Blood Monitoring Help Me Thrive.

9 — Get vaccinated

I am grateful my parent got me vaccinated with all the essential ones. I also did the same for my children. Vaccination is extra important in dealing with pandemics. This is a timely message.

10 — Practice safe sex

I agree with this point for the overall population. The definition of safe sex needs to be determined by individuals. For example, in monogamous relationships, this might not be an issue. However, the multi-partner sexual situation needs to be carefully assessed.

11 — Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing

This is an excellent point. This advice is extra important in this pandemic situation. It is also a common courtesy in social situations.

12 — Prevent mosquito bites

This might not apply to all countries. However, it is critical for many countries as mosquitoes carry harmful content in the blood they suck from people. They cause various diseases.

13 — Follow traffic laws

I am pedantic about following traffic rules, especially after having an accident caused by a car that passed the red lights. So, I carefully watch my own driving and meticulously watch the driving of other drivers with my peripheral vision on the road. Traffic accidents kill millions of people.

14 — Drink only safe water

This is a no-brainer; however, it might not apply to every country. In some countries, governments invest in healthy water for their citizens.

During my travels, it was not possible to drink tap water. I had to boil the water or drink bottled water. However, in my country, tap water is not a problem.

Despite all, I use a water filter installed in my tap water which removes some unwanted minerals and tiny toxins. I see huge dark materials in the filter when I change it every three months.

15 — Breastfeed babies from 0 to 2 years and beyond

I don’t have much experience with this, but my children breastfed until three.

My mother was unwell when she gave birth to me. So I grew up with little breastfeeding, mainly fed by cow, goat, and sheep milk. Despite all, my health was reasonable in my childhood until I started eating junk food and over-stressing myself with meaningless ambitions.

I read a lot about the importance of breastfeeding for the cognitive development of babies, so WHO might be right on this recommendation.

16 — Talk to someone you trust if you’re feeling down

Social connections are critical for our mental health. Talking with others is therapeutic. I talk to my friends, family members, colleagues, neighbors, and shopkeepers regularly. I also talk to myself, as mentioned in a story titled This Was How I Talked to Myself Yesterday

17 — Take antibiotics only as prescribed

I rarely use antibiotics. Unless they are absolutely necessary and prescribed with conviction by my healthcare professionals, I don’t request antibiotics for minor issues.

18 — Clean your hands properly

This might sound simple, but it is a paradigm shift in medical literature, as mentioned in the body of knowledge frequently. We know the incidents in history. Because of the dirty hands of surgeons, many mothers died during the baby delivery process in hospitals. Some physicians found the idea ridiculous until it was proved.

19 — Prepare your food correctly

This is critical. The most important point for me is not to fry and use harmful fats in cooking. I always use an electric oven for cooking meat.

When I was a vegetarian, I used to wash plants and fruits carefully. I had food poisoning several times, once because of contaminated spinach and lettuce. I never experienced any food poisoning in animal-based diets.

I know a few friends had problems with chicken, but I don’t eat chicken due to the risks. I ensure my family members eat only fresh chicken.

20 — Have regular check-ups

I am big on this item. I have three and six-monthly checkups in addition to annual ones to ensure my blood markers are at an optimized level. I also get checked for my fat percentage, muscle quality, and bone density once a year with a DEXA scan. It is always great to get checked using various medical devices as advised by healthcare professionals when in doubt.

Conclusions

Our health is our most crucial asset in this life. If our health is compromised, nothing means much. We can earn money, but we cannot earn health when we lose it.

Overall, I enjoyed and agreed with these great points compiled by WHO representing world populations. I disagreed with the wording of only two items (salt and fat) due to inappropriate definitions and broad generalizations.

Of course, too much salt is dangerous, but an adequate amount is essential. The same principle applies to fat. Therefore, rather than listening to generic advice, I listen to my body based on scientific insights for these two items.

I hope this article can inspire you to review your health with the support of your healthcare professionals.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

Besides aiming to increase the hormonal intelligence of my readers and writing about neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, GABA, acetylcholine, and norepinephrine, one of my goals as a writer is to raise awareness about the causes and risk factors of prevalent diseases that can lead to suffering and death for a large portion of the population.

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