Nanny state

[karen2205]

Apologies for spamminess today.

I've been intending to post something along these lines for a few days and it didn't sound right the last time I wrote it. I was being silly and wondering what our lives would be like if we all followed all of the government's/non-governmental bodies' recommendations on how we ought to live our lives, and if we did how much time we'd have left.

So

We 'should':
Eat at least five pieces of fruit and veg per day (http://www.5aday.nhs.uk/)
Keep our BMI between 20-25.
Do some amount of exercise - can't remember what the current recommendations are - 20 mins 3 times/week?
Eat less salt
Care for our feet as per (http://www.feetforlife.org/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=1061&d=11&h=24&f=46) and (http://www.feetforlife.org/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=78&d=96&h=24&f=46&dateformat=%25e-%25h-%25y)
Visit a dentist every six months
Brush teeth twice per day
Drink no more than 21 (women) or 24 (men) units of alcohol per week
Not binge drink, smoke, take illegal drugs
Visit an optician every two years.
Women - have a smear test every three years (ish).

Anyone want to expand on this....?

Prevention of abcesses - wash daily with soap and water, dental stuff covered elsewhere (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=3§ionId=1527)
Prevention of acne - wash face with gentle cleansing solution, remove make-up before going to bed, wash hands before touching face (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=4§ionId=1125)
Prevention of arthritis - keep weight within 'healthy' BMI range, do weight bearing exercise (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=32§ionId=71)
Prevention of B12 deficiency - take B12 suppplements if you're veggie and don't eat eggs or are vegan (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=42§ionId=3321)
Prevention of back pain (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=234§ionId=1426)
Prevention of bad breath (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=185§ionId=3305)
Prevention of bladder infections (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=637§ionId=3485)
Prevention of bladder stones - drinking water, low calcium diet (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=544§ionId=2999)
Prevention of blisters (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=52§ionId=4303)
Prevention of blood poisioning (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=542§ionId=2987) - though antiseptics not recommened during first aid courses.
Prevention of hypertension (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=203§ionId=646)
Prevention of bursitis (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=70§ionId=4376)
Prevention of cancer (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=72§ionId=1822)
Prevention of carbon-monoxide poisioning (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=417§ionId=2212)

Comments

[pne.livejournal.com]

There must be some official advice somewhere about women examining their breasts for lumps

So I would imagine.

I certainly vaguely recally hearing offical-oid encouragement to that effect here in Germany (along the lines of "check your breasts every x days/weeks/months for lumps if you're over y years of age")

(and men their testicles?)

Never heard any advice in that area.

[leora.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's important. Men should check their testicles once a month, or so I was told for frequency. Same issue, check and make sure there are no weird lumps, nothing changed. It can help catch testicular cancer early, and as with any cancer, the earlier it is caught, the better the likely outcome.

On a side note, I am making an effort, with doctor's knowledge and agreement, to try to get more salt in my diet. The eat less depends entirely on how much you already get.