I have not had all the fun in life.
Life can be so unfair, you may think, but have you review what you did in life that leads to this. How have you been treating your body? Smoking? Getting drunk? Too much fast food/ unhealthy food? Not getting enough rest? Over stress?
But it's too late isn't it?
There is always a saying about prevention is better that cure. But action speaks louder than words. How many people have tried preventing themselves from being sick? What is the ratio of people who cares about their own health compared to the ratio of people who is ignorant or just simply does not care. I make a bold guess that the ratio of people who cares:people who doesn't cares/don't know (1:30) ? For the majority, I guess you would not wake up until someone around you pass away suddenly or you, yourself received a bomb from your doctor.
So how many people would start planning their own funeral and how many people would do whatever it takes to regain back their health?
The selfish people, would start planning to leave their love ones. So good luck to you in achieving your dreams in the short period of time span left.
For the hopeful people, who would start treatment and drugs. Some information for you people, what drugs can do is to suppress, for lucky people they recover, but if you go back to the same lifestyle over again, the second time you may not be so lucky anymore...
So back to prevention... the moment you start taking drugs, it's cure already, you are suppressing the illness it is NOT prevention. It would be prevention if you are looking at it in a twisted way that it prevents you from dieing earlier. TRUE prevention is WAY before the illness is even developed, you might not know it, toxin accumulates in your body, slowly your body show sign, by then it is too late.
We all know oxygen is essential for life BUT yet oxygen is also inherently dangerous to our existence. Research into oxidative stress (caused by free radicals). Oxidative stress is the underlying cause of almost all of the chronic degenerative disease and aging. Conditions that contributes to the increase to free radicals that the body produces, such as pollutants in our air, food and water; excessive stress, poor exercise habits and etc...
I believe most of you have already heard of this thing called antioxidant, so other than anti-aging process do you know that antioxidants are intimately involved in the prevention of cellular damage?
Firstly you have to know that free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons and can be formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules. Once formed these highly reactive radicals can start a chain reaction, like dominoes. Their chief danger comes from the damage they can do when they react with important cellular components such as DNA, or the cell membrane. Cells may function poorly or die if this occurs. To prevent free radical damage the body has a defense system of antioxidants.
Antioxidants are molecules which can safely interact with free radicals and terminate the chain reaction before vital molecules are damaged. Yes, our body itself can produce antioxidants, but we are fighting a losing battle against all the hazy (pollutants in the air), smoke, alcohol, stress, unhealthy diet and the list goes on...
But we always can have reinforcements from the food we eat. But do you know what exactly to eat? DEFINITELY NOT anything you can find in a fast-food restaurant!! Although there are several enzyme systems within the body that scavenge free radicals, the principle micronutrient (vitamin) antioxidants are vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C. Additionally, selenium, a trace metal that is required for proper function of one of the body's antioxidant enzyme systems, is sometimes included in this category. The body cannot manufacture these micronutrients so they must be supplied in the diet.
So believe that your body an heal itself, BUT you have to give the right nutrition (vitamins, minerals, and more) the body requires on a DAILY basis. Why on a daily basis? Nutrition is no magic, it's common sense, you breathe everyday, oxidative stress occurs everyday so you have to protect yourself everyday!
Resources on antioxidant and free radicals: http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/antiox.html
This book inspired me to write this post: "What you doctor doesn't know about NUTRITIONAL MEDICINE may be KILLING YOU" - Ray D. Strand, M.D.
Written by a Doctor, this book has amazing information about how our body can actually heal itself. I have not finish reading it, yet I'm so inspired already, this book only cost S$9.90. You simply have to get it.
Favourite quotes from the book itself:
"All I ask is that you be an open-minded skeptic - the kind of seeker I was when I first discovered this wondrous form of preventive medicine. I had to humble myself a bit to learn that even though I was a good doctor I had much to learn about health. Are you willing to do the same?"
Physicians are disease- and drug- oriented, we spend most of our time and effort trying to identify a disease process so we can prescribe a drug or treatment plan for our patient.
Doctors simply wait until patients develop one of these diseases and then begin to treat it.
Nutritional medicine is common-sense, mainstream, preventive medicine.
Taking nutritional supplements is not about eradicating disease; it is about promoting vibrant health.
They look to modern medicine as their savior and to medications as the cure. Sadly, only after they become ill do patients realize how ineffective our treatments actually are.
The health-care community prides itself on promoting preventing care. But have you ever given that approach much thought? Physicians certainly do encourage patients to have routine physicals in order to maintain their health. But on a closer look into doctors' helpful recommendations quickly leads one to the conclusion that they are simply attempting to detect disease earlier. Think about it. As I've mentioned physicians routinely perform pap smears, mamograms, blood work and the physical exam primarily to see if any silent diseases already exist in their patients. What has been prevented??
True prevention: Empowering patients to avoid getting some of these major disease in the first place is true prevention.
Last sneak preview...
Over the past seven or eight years, I have taken a different attitude: I use medication as last resort - not as my first choice. I have been amazed at how many of my patients are actually willing to become more proactive with their health if even a slight chance exists that they could avoid taking any medication. Oh, sure, I still have those patients who do not consider changing. For them, I still have the drugs.
Doctor Ray D. Strand offered a priceless gift to improve the quality and quantity of life. The world need more doctors like him. :)
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