VEGGIES: Stomach saver
Those taking NSAID drugs like ibuprofen, and other anti-arthritis pain medications regularly can be victims of stomach irritation which could result in ulcers and bleeding complications. To prevent stomach ulceration, ingesting 8 to 10 ounces of vegetables a day can work wonders by protecting the stomach wall lining, according to a researcher at Sweden’s Uppsala university.
Protective Brain Food
If you want a healthy snack, one that keeps your brain sharp and reduces your risk for the development of Alzheimer’s, nothing beats crunchy celery, cucumber, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, olives, bell peppers, and other veggies. Eating them uncooked preserves all the phyto-chemicals in them, like luteolin, which prevents brain inflammation, a common condition linked to ageing, chronic brain syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and others.
So, to stay young, and have a sharper mind, stay away from the high carbo snacks, including soft drinks, and savor the benefits from these crunchy veggies. Even your looks and your complexion will shine, with your favorite moisturizer, and without the use of glutathione or other expensive herbal products, which may even be dangerous after chronic use. Veggies are in, especially among teenagers. We, adults, should learn from the younger generation.
Menu for health and longevity
Omega 3 fish oil (Omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA) is a popular supplement to eating fish for its cardio-protective benefit. It can lower blood pressure, help new brain cells regenerate and reduce the risk of the development of Alzheimer’s, minimize inflammation, and is a great aid in the management of cholesterol and arthritis. It also boosts the immune system.
When digested, fish oil breaks down to hormone-like ingredients called prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation, like in arthritis (inflammation of the joints). This leads to lesser need for pain medications as it also lubricates the joints. Fish oil is also good for auto-immune diseases. Indeed, a versatile supplement.
Daily exercises, eating fish, minimal carbohydrates, and a lot of vegetables, some nuts and fruits at least three times a week, and abstaining from red meat and egg yolk (and tobacco, alcohol and dangerous drugs) is the healthy way to thrive happily, for children and adults alike.
Viagra, Cialis, Levitra
There are so many sex aids which come in herbal potions, pills, lotions, gels, and juices, including ginseng and similar herbs, but studies have shown that the best results for those with erectile dysfunction (ED) among men, young or old, were obtained by taking Viagra, Cialis or Levitra. These drugs should be taken only after consultation with a physician. Data today show that these pills are effective and safe for ED in men, [and must be] used under medical supervision.
Sex could be fatal
Sex is wonderful and healthy, but sleeping around indiscriminately or having multiple sex partners, can be hazardous to health and deadly. A perfectly healthy-looking person could be walking around with HIV, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and other STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), including Syphilis. And no matter how normal looking the sexual organs of the women or men are, they could be harboring bacteria, fungi, viruses, and sometimes even parasites not obvious to the naked eye. Only a medical check-up and laboratory tests can confirm their presence or absence.
STD infections in general, affecting the sexual organs, and of the eyes and mouth, are common. Be smart. You do not want a 15-minute of pleasure to risk your health and life for weeks, if not years of agony and shame. An internet message says, “unlike love, herpes is forever.” Sex is a major and serious responsibility, not only to our body and health but to our family and friends, and to all our loved ones.
Laughter: A true healer
Living a healthy lifestyle includes laughter. The more we laugh in life, the healthier we are. Indeed, laughter is “the best medicine.” Laughing increases our T-cells in the body which boost our immunity. Laughing also lowers the cortisol (stress hormone) level allowing us to minimize stress and its adverse effects on our system. It also blocks out bad emotions within us, giving us a better outlook and perspective in life. Even when nothing is funny, laugh anyway, because the act of laughing in itself brings out all those benefits. And don’t worry if people think you are crazy and laugh at you. You are doing them a favor, anyway, by helping them get healthier.
The present and the future
Instead of the cumbersome, uncomfortable diagnostic procedures now available for detecting lung cancer, the University of Texas researchers are developing a new lung cancer test that allows the use of “a simple mouth tissue sample, which compares the changes that takes place 95% of the time in both mouth and lung cells” among those individuals with lung cancer. This would be a fantastic progress in our fight against lung cancer and cancers in general.
A non-invasive “virtual biopsy” technology (using harmless electrical current to better detect skin and cervical cancer (and eliminate need for surgical biopsy) has been developed by an Australian scientist.
A new ultrasound, “which can catch tiny tumors earlier,” is being evaluated for clinical use in Norway. Second to prevention, catching any cancer in its early stage can lead to a complete cure, among most cancers.
Telemedicine, telesurgery, and robotic surgery are all here. Someday, all that patients have to do is to enter a diagnostic medical cubicle, attach sensors and leads following video instructions, answer some verbal questions from a RobotMD and converse with it in a natural fashion, and a few minutes later, whatever tests needed – blood tests, X-rays, CT, MRI, etc. versions 2120 (a hundred years from now) – would be completed in minutes, with diagnoses instantly reported to you by RobotMD and treatment done or medications dispensed right there and there.
By then, cancers and killer tuberculosis, syphilis and other diseases of the past, will be treated and cured with pills. Physicians and nurses would be obsolete. Perhaps after another few centuries, all patients have to do is to enter a Healing Kiosk and exit a few minutes later, healed of whatever illnesses they have. Impossible? No! I have no doubt this will come to pass. Man’s ingenuity, as shown by the achievements of the past 100 years alone, is an amazing grace and full of wonders.
Progress in science, in every sphere of human endeavor, benefits mankind as a whole. We are indeed lucky to be living in this world of today, in spite of all its imperfections and problems, most of which are man-made. For world peace and prosperity, where there is no war, poverty, nor hunger, all humankind really needs is love, tolerance, compassion, and respect for each other. And the best place to start is at our own home and community.
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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: [email protected]
