New Jersey Among Top 10 Healthiest U.S. States

Written by Dr. Ken Freedman

Compared to the rest of the nation, New Jersey is a relatively healthy place to live.

America’s Health Rankings®–2012 Edition, which rates and compares US states by health, lists New Jersey at No. 8 in 2012, up from No. 17 in 2011!

Vermont tops of the list of healthiest states for the last four years. Vermont’s strengths include its number one position for all health determinants combined, which includes ranking in the top 10 states for a high rate of high school graduation, a low violent crime rate, a low incidence of infectious disease, a low prevalence of low birth weight infants, high per capita public health funding, a low rate of uninsured population, and ready availability of primary care physicians.

Hawaii is ranked second this year, and has ranked in the top six states every year of the index. New Hampshire is third, followed by Massachusetts and Minnesota.

Which are the least healthy states?  Mississippi and Louisiana tie for 49, with Virginia, and South Carolina completing the bottom five states.

According to the statistics, New Jersey’s strengths include a low prevalence of obesity and smoking, and a high rate of high school graduation.

Its challenges include a higher prevalence of sedentary lifestyle compared to most other states, a high rate of preventable hospitalizations and a high rate of the population that is uninsured.

If you want to be healthier, you don’t have to move to Vermont or Hawaii. You can adopt the habits of health that healthier people have. Here are three big ones:

1) Eat well: Enjoy a wide variety of farm fresh, pesticide, dye and hormone free foods. Use caution with genetically modified products. Avoid frying your foods-broiling, steaming, or baking is best. Plant a garden. If your living situation doesn’t allow it, East Brunswick residents can rent a plot at the Township’s Community Garden for only $10. Reduce what I call “the three stooges” prevalent in the American Diet – wheat, dairy and sugar.  Each can be toxic
and highly inflammatory. We live in the real world, so work at a 90/10 or better
approach.  Eat very healthy 90 percent of the time, and if you want to indulge yourself, do it no more than 10 percent of the time. Control your portions.  Each day, it’s better to eat smaller meals more frequently than a few big meals.  Have a chiropractic checkup. The energy traveling over the nerves through your spine controls your digestive system. The better it works, the better you digest your food and eliminate harmful waste.

2) Move well: Youth is movement. Keep your body’s structure properly aligned
to improve energy and reduce stress on nerves, muscles and joints. Exercise
gets oxygen into the body, is great for your body’s chemistry and is a great
stress reducer. Our local parks have great trails for biking and hiking, and the
trees offer fresh oxygen. We also have a number of great gyms to choose from,
and personal trainers to tailor programs to your individual needs. Be sure to
consult with your chiropractor beforehand. We have technology and training
that enables us to detect, locate and correct asymptomatic problems so your
body can function much better. After all, you can’t build balanced muscle on an
imbalanced frame. You’ll also get more out of your workout and greatly reduce
your chances of injury.

3) Think well: Your mind and body are connected. If your body is in pain or
sick, it adversely impacts on your ability to think better. Fix your physical health
and see the effect it has on your emotional health. You may not be able to control what happens to you all of the time, however, you can control how you respond to what happens to you. Concern yourself with the things you can do something about, and don’t worry about the things you can’t control. You can choose your thoughts, so choose the thoughts that serve you best. A positive outlook tends to be more conducive to better health.  If you feel like you may be over your head, seek help from a professional.

Remember health is a process, and so is disease. Abuse your body to excess over a period of time and your susceptibility to malfunction, disability and disease dramatically increases. Eat well, move well and think well, and your chances of living a longer, pain free, and independent life greatly improve. You have a direct effect on how healthy you are in the future by the action steps you take right now, because the process you take is the future you make.  

Dr. Ken Freedman is the director of Freedman Chiropractic Center LLC, Brier Hill Court D-6, East Brunswick, serving the Middlesex County area since 1979.  He offers private consultations by appointment at no charge or obligation. Day, evening and weekend hours are available. Dr. Freedman also offers a variety of entertaining and informative presentations on a variety of health topics such as
stress reduction, weight loss and purification. For additional information about Freedman Chiropractic Center, call (732) 254-6011, or visit www.FreedmanChiropracticCenter.com.