Tips for “staying young” from Dr. Jimmy Mohamed, co-host of “Health Magazine” on France 5

Good sleep, balanced diet, some physical exercise daily. This cocktail, to live in good health for as long as possible, Dr Jimmy Mohammed breaks it down into various advice and tips to adopt throughout life and as soon as possible.

“There is no age to start!”, asserts the co-host of “Health Magazine” on France 5, in the subtitle “Zero barriers to staying young”.

You say sleeping is only for babies. for what

Sleep is not a credit card. From the moment we have a sleep debt, even if we try to pay it off, we will always have interest. Sleep lost during the week will never be made up on the weekend.

Our brains, in fact, prefer to do the same thing, at the same time, from Monday to Sunday. We should try to be as regular as possible because the rhythm of our life is in harmony with the sunlight. We are hungry at the same time, we go to the bathroom at the same time… sleeping and getting up are the same thing. So you should try to get good sleep during the week.

On the other hand, you are in favor of micro-naps, sounds contradictory? No, because this nap is a eureka nap, ten minutes, after lunch to start the afternoon. This break allows you to keep a clear mind and gain some energy. Something happens between the time we are awake and the time we fall asleep that stimulates creativity. And which, after waking up, allows us to find answers more quickly, solutions to the questions we ask ourselves, as Inserm researchers have shown.

Regarding back pain, the pain of the century, we should limit X-rays, you say. Nice.

Obviously there are red flags. When you have a history of breast cancer and you have back pain, an X-ray is necessary to make sure there are no metastases. If you are 30 years old and have back pain that wakes you up at night, we will make sure that you do not suffer from inflammatory arthritis.

On the other hand, for most patients I see, back problems do not require any testing. Because no MRI is normal. From the age of 30, we will inevitably see things: a small hernia, a small pinch, some osteoarthritis and that has nothing to do with pain.

Then we enter a negative spiral that leads to moving less for fear of pain, and as we move less, the pain increases. A vicious circle sets in. Especially since most back problems occur alone. And they improve with physical activity, by improving their posture, by taking care of their sleep.

With covid and winter viruses, we have learned to ventilate living spaces. You go further: air currents, you say, are good for your health.

We often fear catching a cold. It is a mistake to ventilate the room after the meeting. Because if we ventilate it before and during it, the fact of renewing the air allows pollutants and dust, which are sources of endocrine disruptors, to be expelled. As the room is better ventilated, we limit the risk of contracting a respiratory infection while we are there: bronchiolitis, flu or even covid.

To keep your mouth healthy, you recommend Sivak Steak. What is it about?

It is a small stick from a shrub used for hundreds of years in Asia and the Middle East. You fry the end and use it like a toothbrush, you can even chew it if you want. The stick also contains anti-inflammatory, fluorinated substances and silica, which are particularly effective against dental plaque and preventing gum inflammation.

There is no good physical health without good oral health. At lunchtime, when you don’t have time, or when you’re on the go, you can use this little stick that you can find in some pharmacies and para-pharmacies, herbalists and organic stores.

What your hands say about your health

You are also recommended to purchase a home blood pressure monitor. Is it important?

It is the most common chronic disease in France and causes no symptoms except the day complications appear. The idea is to find out. Tension increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure. And there’s even a proven link to Alzheimer’s disease: the hippocampus, the area responsible for memory, may be less well vascularized.

Blood pressure, when balanced between the ages of 60 and 65, is 20% to 25% less likely to develop the disease. There is no medicine that works well.

You devote a chapter to the power of smell on health. How does it work?

This is the famous “Madeleine de Proust”. Certain smells take us back to childhood memories. We realized that the areas of the brain responsible for olfaction are very close to those that process memory. Personally, I spent a lot of time at the dentist as a child. As soon as I step into the cabinet, the smell takes me back to this unpleasant memory.
But we can use this memory in a positive way by smelling a dish, perfume, to relax, as well as by inhaling essential oils, including clementine, which relax children at bedtime and reduce their nightmares.

Sun cream, even in winter, is it good for business or is it really effective?

I’m sure. Cosmetic products, such as anti-wrinkle creams and food supplements are very expensive, yet they have not proven their effectiveness. However, we know that the sun is a major factor in skin aging and skin cancer. So, sunscreen, anti-UV day cream, it lasts all year round because it’s the best anti-wrinkle cream. It is cheap, effective and helps fight melanoma.

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