A New Interpretation of a Relaxed Mind and a Healthy Body: Blood Lipid Health and Behavioral Management

People often say, "Smoking is bad, and so is eating fatty meat, but I've lived like this for half my life, and I can't change." We say, for the sake of your health, you must change, even if you can't! Because bad habits affect health! The health effects of bad habits include:

1. Increased psychological burden. Newspapers and radio broadcasts daily about the link between high blood lipids and high-fat foods. People who love fatty meat, even if they still eat it, worry about getting sick, which inevitably increases their psychological pressure.

2. Increased intake of harmful substances into the body. In the spring of 2003, the sudden outbreak of SARS swept through China and other countries and regions, causing enormous harm to humanity. Experts believed that the spread of the SARS virus was related to people's poor eating and hygiene habits. Through this event, people have realized the importance of changing bad habits and have taken active steps to reduce the occurrence and spread of disease.

3. Impact on interpersonal relationships. In social life, everyone prefers to interact with people who are hygienic, polite, and well-dressed. Unhealthy behaviors can negatively impact how others and society perceive you, potentially leading to lost opportunities for work, promotion, and romantic relationships. Common unhealthy behaviors include: picky eating, anorexia, overeating, eating raw fish or meat, and consuming excessively salty food. Smoking pollutes the environment and is detrimental to both oneself and others.

A WHO report indicates that 600,000 to 1 million new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed worldwide each year, with approximately 90% caused by smoking. Alcohol abuse, leading to loss of control after alcohol poisoning, such as drunk driving accidents, causes irreparable damage to oneself, society, and others. (Drunkenness is defined as a blood alcohol concentration of 50mg per 100ml, indicating mild intoxication. A blood alcohol concentration of 100mg per 100ml may manifest as talkativeness, euphoria, and emotional instability. A blood alcohol concentration of 600mg or more per 100ml can be fatal.) Obesity, while related to genetic factors, is primarily caused by excessive consumption of high-fat foods and lack of exercise. Methods to correct unhealthy behaviors are also discussed. Cultivating good habits from a young age is crucial. For correcting undesirable behaviors in adults, the first step should be changing their negative perceptions. Creating a positive social lifestyle is essential, as most human behaviors are consciously or unconsciously dictated by environmental patterns. For example, spitting in public is related to the environment, the behavior of others, and public awareness campaigns and education. Improving public lifestyles is everyone's responsibility; if everyone does their part, the social environment will naturally improve. Active behavioral therapy measures should also be implemented. When correcting undesirable behaviors, active behavioral therapy measures should be taken when necessary. For instance, patients with coronary heart disease, while undergoing medication, must also correct their impatient temperament, cravings for salty foods, and diets high in cholesterol, fat, and carbohydrates.

"A broad mind leads to a healthy body" is a long-standing saying. A closer look reveals two layers of meaning: one is that a cheerful mood leads to good health; the other is that weight gain is caused by a broad mind—in layman's terms, people with a "big heart" are more prone to weight gain than those with a "small heart." Is this really the case in reality? From a psychological perspective, the "big-mindedness and small-mindedness" people talk about refer to people's perception of objective things, and the different emotions, feelings, and wills arising from different perceptions. Emotions, feelings, and wills give rise to people's needs and motivations, which are then expressed by different people through their own stable behavioral patterns and interpersonal interactions. These "stable behavioral patterns" and "interpersonal interactions" are what we commonly refer to as personality traits—"big-mindedness and small-mindedness."

A broad mind is beneficial to health. If we consider a broad mind as a synonym for "big-mindedness," then it becomes easier to understand. A broad mind is a concrete manifestation of an individual's personality traits when faced with challenges. For example, in daily life, everyone encounters annoying and infuriating things, but the frequency and intensity of anger vary from person to person. Analyzing why people don't get angry, on the surface it seems like they have a good temper, but at a deeper level it's about having a broad mind and being cultured. A broad-minded person can analyze problems from multiple perspectives and rationally treat themselves, others, and society. Therefore, these people experience less emotional fluctuation, sleep well, have a hearty appetite, good digestion, and are physically robust. This robustness is not the same as what we usually refer to as obesity. Obesity usually refers to excessive fat tissue in some people, resulting in high blood lipids in clinical tests, meaning that triglycerides and cholesterol are both higher than normal.

A relaxed and easygoing attitude is beneficial to health and does not cause high blood lipids. High blood lipids are caused by lipid metabolism disorders. A 74-year-old retired female cadre suffered from coronary heart disease and other serious illnesses in her first year of retirement, requiring five hospitalizations. After being discharged, she asked herself, "Will I spend my later years on a sickbed?" The answer was, "No!" So she enrolled in a senior university program, starting with the basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine and Western anatomy. After completing one course, she continued her studies until she fully understood them. She completed four courses in human anatomy and seven courses in traditional Chinese medicine theory, attended over 300 lectures by experts and scholars, and finally rose from a student to an instructor in the senior university's natural therapy class. Throughout her studies and entrepreneurial journey, she encountered numerous sarcastic and cynical remarks, especially regarding her years-long promotion of free natural therapy massages and acupressure, which drew criticism from those seeking to profit from it. Faced with difficulties and the misunderstandings of some, this retired cadre demonstrated true selflessness and magnanimity. This magnanimity allowed her to radiate a dazzling glow, like the setting sun, relieving the suffering of over 20,000 people and earning her the title of "Model Volunteer" from the local government. This magnanimity also kept her healthy, free from high cholesterol, arteriosclerosis, and coronary heart disease. She is robust, graceful, and appears much younger than her biological age.

She says, "The 'three highs' (high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol) are common and prevalent diseases affecting middle-aged and elderly people, and should not be ignored! However, what harms the body even more than the 'three highs' is psychological illness. Remember, a magnanimous heart is grace, a magnanimous heart is cultivation, and a magnanimous heart is health!" Only when the "oil" is good can it flow smoothly. Two young men, with similar driving skills, were driving the same brand and model of car, but their driving experiences on the highway were quite different; one car simply couldn't get going. While resting at a rest stop, the driver asked his partner for help. The reason, it turned out, was his own fault—he had been trying to save money by buying low-octane fuel. Poor fuel flowed poorly, resulting in inefficient combustion and a sluggish car. This analogy of fuel burning in a car engine and blood flowing in our veins illustrates a similar principle: good "fuel" is essential for smooth flow.

If the blood in your body is the "high-octane fuel" needed for the physiological activities of your tissues and organs, then all your body's systems will function properly. To ensure good "fuel," we must avoid factors that negatively impact its quality. For example, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. Only when we avoid these "three highs" can we truly be healthy! The human body is like a car speeding along; only through regular maintenance, inspections, and proper acceleration can we extend its lifespan. Young and middle-aged friends, while you cherish your cars, think about cherishing your health. When you refuel your car, think about getting good quality fuel; after refueling, think about the "oil" in your body. Shouldn't you get it checked? If you really should, don't wait until your car breaks down to do so.

Dr. Kang advises: High cholesterol is prevalent and harmful today, making prevention crucial. Prevention and treatment should be combined, with a focus on prevention—preventing disease before it occurs and preventing its progression if present. First, it's essential to emphasize prevention of the causes, eliminating or controlling potential causes, triggers, and other influencing factors, such as improving diet, losing weight, and quitting smoking and alcohol. Once high cholesterol is diagnosed, non-pharmacological treatment should be initiated first, including dietary adjustments, lifestyle modifications, and control of influencing factors. Drug treatment should then be initiated on this basis. Currently, lipid-lowering therapy is of great significance in the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease and has been listed as one of the three major modern therapies (ABC therapy) for coronary heart disease. Its enormous contribution to humanity is no less than the discovery of penicillin.