With the start of the new year, we set ourselves new goals. Thinking about our health implies changes in our habits but also a greater awareness of what we want for our lives. Now is the time.

Physical, mental and emotional health. When all three are in balance we can say that we enjoy good health, but this balance does not come alone. From the perspective of biological medicine we understand that se are the people who must be engaged in all areas of our lives in order to achieve the desired well-being.

However, disease seems to be inherent to human beings. In fact, diagnoses of autoimmune diseases or allergies are on the risefor example. This seems contradictory because we know more and more about our health, medicine is more advanced and our protection systems are better.

What is the cause? Health does not depend only on our habits but also on our genetic predisposition or external factors that alter the functioning of our bodies, such as endocrine disruptors or pesticides.

From Biosalud Day Hospital we see a clear trends for health in 2020. This is how you need to take care of yourself this year.

A mercury-free environment

The World Health Organisation set 2020 as the target date for phasing out mercury thermometers and other elements containing this health-hazardous chemical. In particular, the Intrauterine development and the first years of life may be affected. from exposure to small amounts of this element.

The main route of exposure to mercury is through the consumption of fish and seafood, although, according to the WHO, there are other sources of exposure such as amalgam dental fillings, batteries, blood pressure monitors and light bulbs.

The brain and kidneys are the organs most likely to be affected by mercury contamination. In addition, mercury is linked to depression, allergies or autoimmune diseases. In principle, our body processes heavy metals, but for some people, contact with mercury, chromium or aluminium can lead to illnesses.

One of the ways to find out whether mercury can affect your health is to know reliably the levels of toxicity in our body with tests such as the HeavyMetalsCHECK. 

Time to cut out inflammatory foods

Sugar, gluten, alcohol…there is a lot of confusing information about what certain foods affect us. The concepts of allergy or intolerance are becoming more widespread and many people cut foods out of their diet because they are unpalatable to them but without linking them to any pathology. There is, for example, non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, which causes some affection in the intestine but disappears when gluten is eliminated from the diet.

Many people wonder whether it is safe to eliminate foods when there is no known direct cause between their intake and the disease. Studies such as Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity and Rheumatological Diseases, proposes as a hypothesis the aThe association of non-coeliac gluten sensitivity to fibromyalgia, spondyloarthropathies and autoimmune diseases, and describes clinical observations that support this hypothesis by highlighting the clinical benefit of treating gluten sensitivity.

The article Evidence-based healthy eating, by AJ. Calañas- Continente, published in 2005, recalls that 5 of the 10 risk factors for chronic diseases are related to diet: high cholesterol, obesity and insufficient consumption of fruit and vegetables.

Health and electronics

Nowadays, we do not trust a service if there are no opinions, although the truth is that in the health sector it is delicate: firstly, because theontents should always be validated by specialists "and in any case, they are never a substitute for a medical opinion given in a consultation. On the other hand, because the patient's "doctor's experience depends on many factors and we know that the internet offers opportunities for false profiles and unfounded opinions, among other risks.

In any case, the digital environment offers many possibilities for information and direct communication. Especially in chronic patients, the possibilities for monitoring and control allow us to improve the quality of life and may even lead to hospitalisation at home.

Complete health check-ups, the best prevention

If there is a growing trend towards personalised medicine - although there are few centres where this is actually happening - it starts with medical check-ups. If we know our real state of health, we can act by incorporating habits that prevent the onset of the disease. By complete check-up, we mean those that carry out a complete screening of the most important health parameters and biomarkers in order to know the real state of our health.he state of health of our organism from four points of view: structural, functional, biochemical and biophysical.

These check-ups allow us to rule out pathological processes or detect them at an early stage. At Biosalud Day Hospital we also take into account genetic predisposition to diseases or heavy metal toxicity, among others.

2020, the year of nursing

Does this have to do with our health? Yes, if there is one figure that represents care or information about healthy lifestyle habits, it is the nurse. Moreover, they are considered to be the heart of health teams. This recognition will highlight the need to train nursing professionals and their hyper-specialisation as a way of making medical treatment more effective.