False health
There are quite a lot of people in this group. One feels “healthy” because there are no symptoms. A guy suffering a heart attack while playing a game of tennis may not have known a day earlier that he had heart disease, which in fact had existed years before. The abruptness of the episode is just the end-point of a disease that has been lurking in him.
Similarly, by the time cancer is detected by conventional methods, the sufferer is already harbouring a billion tumour-stricken cells. At the early stage of false health, there are no symptomatic warnings. The irony is that many are aware of the need to undergo routine medical screening and are actually concerned about their health.
Medical tests are meant to diagnose diseases. A normal test result is reassuring but does not guarantee true health, thus many people with the perfect report may erroneously carry a false sense of security. The above mentioned conditions are not specific entities by themselves but related to the root cause of poor lifestyle choices and bad diet.
Sixty-five thousand people died last night. It’s the same number today, and tomorrow. Why are there no headlines?
What kind of horrible plague am I ranting about? They are the silent killers, known as degenerative diseases.
We do not notice them because they are like wear and tear, akin to stealth raiders of our health. After years of straining the engine, the car will eventually break down, as does the body.
Poor health
Like a river flowing downstream, false health will lead to poor health, which is synonymous with “disease”. People in poor health frequently visit their doctors and need long term drugs. Ironically, this is known as secondary prevention, that is, they manage to avoid drastic complications but they live with chronic diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes.
These diseases need medical attention that includes pharmacologic intervention, which forms part of the treatment regime. However, despite the wide array of new and old drugs, heart attack is still the No.1 killer.
Drugs are therefore not the only answer. Taking prescribed medications without a disciplined change in lifestyle and diet falls short of the ideal 6/4/2010 Heal thyself http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp… 2/4 treatment plan.
The worst situation is to be in the category of end-stage disease. Chronic heart failure, paralysed by a stroke, advanced metastatic cancer, on dialysis, dementia … the grim list goes on.
The bad news is this not only afflicts the elderly, but more and more so, the younger generation. The good news is these diseases that annually kill people around the world in numbers equal to Malaysia’s population can be prevented.
True health
If we are blessed with 100 years of life, we would wish for 100 years of good health, living a meaningful life. Getting a stroke at 50 and spending the next 30 in bed is not an attractive idea. Quality is more important than quantity. I would strive to add life to my years and not just years to life.
Unfortunately, how many of us are truly healthy? True health by definition is not merely the absence of symptoms but the absence of disease. In the realm of modern lifestyles, with fast foods, fake foods, highly processed meals devoid of nutrients, stress, radiation, chemicals and toxins assaulting us, it’s no wonder our health is under attack.
We are in a war zone, and quite unknowingly, caught in a cross-fire. As in baking, there is a specific recipe necessitating certain ingredients and cooking temperature to make the perfect pastry. In health, too, there is a formula to good health and one for bad. It is a choice we have to make.
We understand the concept of insuring our car, our house, our life, and even our maids in the event they run away. We certainly need to insure our health. Unfortunately, this is one insurance no one can buy, simply because there is there is no such product for sale.
One has to earn it through exercise, attitude, recreation and nutrition (EARN). Accumulating one billion ringgit sure means a lot of zeroes. The digit one represents our health. Lose that and all the wealth in the world comes to naught.
Taking charge of our health is holding destiny in our hands as we have a choice to make. To live life by default or by design.
True health is like the balls in the hands of a circus juggler. A mistimed act can result in the balls falling astray. A skillful performer gets it back in the air. If we are unlucky, we may never find the balls again. I hope you won’t lose yours.
Excerpt: TheStar
No comments:
Post a Comment