Mark E. Lampkin

It Ain’t About You…

It has been one week since my latest PSA test and Digital rectal examination showed no further growth of my prostate…and I am still excited about those findings. Since then I have had discussions with a few friends, with the intent to uncover their thoughts and concerns about their health issues; and particularly where it relates to men.

There were a few women who shared with me that their father’s had died at an early age, and thus had wished for a longer time to have spent with there Dads. I believe both of their father’s succumbed to heart failure brought about by diabetes. As I sit and think about my time spent last summer with my grand and great-grand daughters, it became crystal clear that my taking care of myself was important to me…but it really mattered even more when I looked into the eyes of the youngest bloodline that I have created.

And so I ask you men, and women, to consider how you might think of a world that your grand children would live in…without you. That’s right. You are nothing more than the picture in a frame on the fireplace mantle. Stories are told about you and who you were, and always end with a sad refrain, “he/she died so young.” Those of us on the north side of 50 realize how young 60 is looking every day. It is all in our perspective.

On my social media pages I am listing my morning breakfast menus…showing a balance of protein, fruits, juices and sometime a little meat to keep my inner dinosaur happy. Having recently received my cholesterol reading I know that I am doing the right things with regards to my food intake. Again, it ain’t about me…

You see, I am thinking years ahead to my granddaughter graduating from her schooling…my great granddaughter getting her high school diploma…even my youngest daughter getting married. I want to be walking upright and of my own volition…not being pushed around in a wheelchair or worse, not being alive to witness these special occasions.

So, do me a favor and spread the word. We are going to begin the second half of 2011 by making a true commitment to a healthier lifestyle. We will walk more. Eat more fruits. Drink more water. Eat less red meat. And show gratitude for another day of life.

And for those of you who are still not sure if this works…keep my mantra from today in your mind and spirit…”It Ain’t About You.” This is for those future generations who will be doting on you when you are the patriarch/matriarch of the family and telling the stories of how life used to be…in 2011.

Peace.

Checking the YES Box…

The other day I went to a new massage therapy professional. His session was a gift to me from a friend/colleague. When I called the office to get the correct address I was told to come a few minutes before my appointment time in order to complete a new client questionnaire. No problem. A piece of cake. Just like the good old days….Right?

Now you know the way this goes…a litany of questions with yes and no as the options. Do I have any history of heart disease, high blood pressure, back injury, arthritis, etc. And that is when it began to unfold…Sitting in that chair with the form on the clipboard, halfway through the questions. I have answered YES to more of the questions than ever before in my life.

Granted, I am blessed with reasonably good health. I even like to boast that I have never spent a night in a hospital since I left it 56 years ago…but here I am now looking at a form that I used to check the no boxes without thinking. And here I have to admit to myself that YES, this now applies to me.

What do we do with that? How does it make us feel when we now have a chronic illness? A disease that will alter how we approach each new day. The most that I do is take ibuprofen to muffle the pain that Uncle Arthur is wreaking in my fingers and toes…

Will you join me in the journey as we gracefully grow older together? Let’s take heed to our bodies each day…eating 2-3 helpings of fruit, drinking 4-6 glasses of water and moving. And no, going to the bathroom is not considered effective healthy movement. Go for a walk. Dance to the music in your iPod. Heck, play a Wii fit game with your grandkids and break a sweat. Do something that will raise your heart rate above “just enough to survive.”

So that the next time you are in that office and completing the new patient form, your no’s will once again outnumber your yeses…

Peace.

Think Pink…

Pop Quiz: tell me three things that come to mind when I say the color pink…

* Pink Panther
* Pepto Bismol
* National Football League

I am in awe, as we are now mid-October, to see the amazing marketing campaign that has big, hulking men who are trying to hit each other harder than one can imagine, wearing pink gloves, helmet chin straps and cleated shoes. And they are proud to do it.

There is likely no one in America who has not been affected by breast cancer. I have a sister, cousin and numerous friends who are breast cancer survivor/warriors. The initially frightening news that a person/family has to come to grips with is no longer a badge of shame or embarrassment. Like the proverbial elephant in the room that everyone can see, but no one wants to address, we are finally looking breast cancer squarely in the eye and saying, boo.

The awareness of the need for getting mammograms, and other early detection tests is helping our mothers, sisters and spouses to live…and not the sad alternative. Kudos to all of the agencies involved in this life-saving awareness campaign.

Every brother, son and husband should be proudly wearing a pink wristband, at the minimum, thus ensuring that we talk about how blessed we are to have those life-affirming women still walking among us today. And then, brethren, make our own appointments to get our prostate exams. Oh yes, this is an equal opportunity life raft.

Cancer need not continue to be a death sentence for us either. Let’s take a cue from the breast cancer advocates and shine the light in the darkness. And choose life.

Peace.

As the weather begins to change and we prepare for the cooler temperatures of Autumn, it is time to consider ways to remain healthy without receiving a flu shot….ouch!
One of the concerns I have with the new Health care reform is what are the educational efforts being put forth by health care professionals which offer alternatives to promoting pharmaceutical drugs.

I came across an article that shares ethnic foods, and their preparations, which are naturally effective at maintaining healthy immune systems. Click here to read the article:

Instead of living to eat, let’s eat to live. Peace.

Now that health care reform is a federal mandate, it is important that U.S. citizens take advantage of screenings that can detect problems before they become emergency room situations. In the recent AARP Bulletin, I saw an article that highlights an awareness campaign between AARP and radio personality Tom Joyner.

Check the information here…and take action.

Peace.

Tea time is the right time…

By now many of you know that it is my desire and passion to be a conduit of information through the use of my blog site. And thus, by researching information all over the Internet, I share with you some of the findings that I come across that I feel will make a difference in our lives.

Here is a website I discovered this week…it has a treasure chest full of articles and fun questionnaires that we who are on the north side of 40 should consider. Take a look and let me know what you think. The article I am linking discusses the benefits of drinking teas…something I have done for over 30 years. Check it out: http://www.livestrong.com/article/71063-the-health-benefits-teas/

Today is really the first day of the rest of your life. So, make the most of it and commit today to a healthier lifestyle. When we are in our 80’s and looking decades younger, we will have such wonderful stories to share.

Peace.