Alva Review-Courier -

“It doesn’t matter if you do everything perfectly,” says Barbara Ehrenreich in her new book “Natural Causes.” I have reached the average age of demise for men worldwide. Now my goal is to reach the national average of 77.

Is it attainable and absolutely necessary? Barbara says, “It’s okay to die.”

I know we have some control and while John Mellencamp sings, “Oh yes, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone,” a meaningful life is the theme of existence. Eleanor Roosevelt said “You should do something every day that frightens you.” I do that with each glance in the mirror, but regular health screenings are important to a meaningful life.

Even if recommendations are followed, it’s possible for something to sneak up on a person and shorten a life well-lived. Barbara, whose Ph.D. is in cellular immunology, claims that while modern medicine is based on science, she disagrees with the holistic approach.

“I see the body as a battleground with different factions. It’s not deliberate, but it’s not as smooth-running and united as we might like to imagine.”

I agree, and when you consider culture, environment, bacteria, enzymes and hormones, it’s a wonder anyone survives. Now we have DNA markers that indicate a predilection toward many diseases and disabilities, some of which we might be better off unaware.

Do your homework, study your family’s health history for clues to possible issues, take the recommended tests.