Health is Wealth

The key to health and longevity is finding the trigger to demolish the barrier to a healthier and better life.

IN sitcoms, there is often an episode that plays flashbacks to consolidate the storyline. For those who had joined our tour from the beginning, we have discussed the four pillars of true health. Knowing the benefits of exercise, appropriate lifestyle habits, healthy dietary choices, and a science-based approach to supplementation is still not good enough. It is the keying in of the right digits that opens the combination lock of the door to optimal health that makes the difference.

The secret behind health and disease, life and death, lies within the 100 trillion cells in the body, which are the miracles of life itself. When cells are subjected to toxic and free radical burden, the body fights back with its own artillery, nature’s own immune and antioxidant defence system.

The roots of many chronic diseases are man-made. Never in the history of mankind have we seen such an escalating incidence of heart diseases, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cancer, and a host of other degenerative diseases. What is worrying is that these conditions are afflicting a younger segment of the population today. Part of the blame is on highly processed foods, a sedentary lifestyle, and overindulgence of the “good life”.

Above article are extracted from the star online dated 26 Jan 2011

Malaysians afflicted by type 2 diabetes

THE Metabolic Syndrome Study of Malaysia (MSSM) that was conducted in 2008, had uncovered startling facts: 22% of those surveyed above the age of 18 are suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Even more alarming is the fact that half of these people were unaware that they even have the condition.
The rise in the occurrence of T2DM has been linked to the increase in obesity amongst the population. With the mean age of T2DM sufferers gradually lowering, a greater number of the Malaysian public are at risk from this condition, which can lead to diseases involving multiple organ systems, including coronary artery disease, stroke, blindness, and renal failure.

Nearly two million Malaysians suffer from diabetes. Obesity and weight management are linked to this rising trend. The escalation of diabetes over the last 20 years is fairly shocking, with over 50% of Malaysians currently grappling with a weight management problem.

Malaysians are also rather recalcitrant when it comes to managing diabetes, with over 80% of patients demonstrating poor glycemic (or blood glucose level) control and low treatment compliance.

Hyperglycaemia is caused by two main conditions: insulin deficiency and/or insulin resistance. Insulin deficiency is a condition where the body does not produce enough insulin.

 

Insulin resistance prevents the body from converting glucose into glycogen (a starch-like source of energy stored mostly in the liver), which in turn makes it difficult or impossible to remove excess glucose from the blood. To further compound the issue, a 2006 study found that 92% of type 2 diabetes patients are insulin resistant.

To learn more about Dr Ray Strand's Diabetes Risk and Prevention,  click here
To learn more about Dr Ray Strand's 'How to release Fat', click here
To learn more about Dr Ray Strand's Nutritional Recommendation, click here (to fill up your name and email address)

Above article are partly extracted from the star online dated 16 Jan 2011

Allergic Rhinitis

 

Having a stuffy nose all the time is one of the most common symptoms of allergic rhinitis.

IMAGINE not being able to breathe properly because of a stuffy, or congested, nose. Add on repeated bouts of sneezing, and snot constantly dripping from your nose.

Sounds quite miserable, doesn’t it?

You might think these are symptoms of the common cold. And it probably would not be so bad if it was, because although having the cold is definitely no fun, at least you know that you will recover from it in a matter of days.

Also commonly referred to as nasal allergies, hay fever and “sinus problems”, allergic rhinitis is on the increase around the world. Aside from nasal congestion, sneezing and a runny nose, patients might also experience headaches, itching in the nose, eyes or throat, watery eyes, coughing, a reduced sense of smell, and dripping from the nose into the back of the throat.

Above article is partly extracted from the star online dated January 16 2011

Specific recommendations :  Grade seeds extract

Grape seed extract is a powerful antioxidant that can be used to benefit the body in many ways. Grape seed has antioxidant, antiallergenic, antihistamine, anti-inflammatory and immune boosting properties and it can be instrumental in helping the body fight viruses, allergens, and carcinogens.

Because of its antioxidant properties, grape seed extract is considered an anti-aging wonder. Antioxidants are the most important nutrients for the skin. The bioflavonoids in grape seed extract help strengthen and protect cell membranes from oxidative damage caused by free radicals.

To learn more specific recommendations about Allergies and Hay fever, kindly click here to fill up Name and email address. OR order online 

Giving preventive Nutritional Medicine a hope

They studied the number of cancer patients who survived more than five years following diagnosis and treatment and found that overall, chemotherapy contributed just over 2% to improved survival in the cancer patients.

The authors strongly questioned the continued use of chemotherapy [Clinical Oncology (2004)16:549-560]. Since evidence-based medicine shows that the success rate with chemotherapy is so poor, any nutritional or non-conventional (ie. not yet generally accepted by mainstream medical practice) or complementary therapies that can give 2% or better success rates should be considered, especially if they are safer and less expensive.

However, no matter how poor chemotherapy results are, these are backed by adequate scientific studies, while the others are not. That is why chemotherapy is so widely prescribed despite the outcomes. It is the best among the “proven” therapies.

Patients opting for the other therapies should be clearly told about this. Proponents of nutritional, non-conventional, and complementary therapies should not be giving patients false hope. But it is not wrong to give them some hope, especially after conventional therapy has failed, and they have nothing to lose by trying other methods.

Moreover, many of these other methods do have recorded success cases. While such documented cases do not qualify as scientific studies, they give us hope to try on those patients who refuse conventional therapy (for whatever reason), and for those in whom conventional therapy had failed.

Above article is extracted from the star online dated 9-Jan-2011 

Cancer and prevention

More than 1,359,000 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year alone and approximately 550,000 patients will die this year from cancer. In spite of the near 25 billion dollars spent on cancer research in the past twenty years, cancer deaths have actually increased over that same time period. This has raised major concern among researchers and clinicians alike-it's time to rethink our approach to cancer prevention and treatment. If there has been any improvement in cancer risk, it seems to be with the ability to detect some cancers sooner, i.e. mammography for the detection of breast cancer and PSA tests for prostate cancer.

It seems that everything we do or eat these days allegedly causes cancer. Excessive exposure to sunlight increases the risk of skin cancer. Asbestos workers have an increased risk of developing an unusual form of lung cancer called a mesothelioma. Smoking and secondary smoke are the main reason that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths (over 158,000 deaths in 1996 alone). Radiation, charcoal grilled steaks, too much fat in our diet, saccharin, and numerous chemicals increase our risk of cancer. These are referred to in the medical literature and media as carcinogens (those things that increase our risk of developing cancer).

Since the first report that chimney sweeps had an increased risk of scrotal cancer because of their exposure to soot, we have become more and more afraid of our environment. Our bodies are being exposed to far more chemicals than any previous generation. The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that there are well over 60,000 chemicals in commercial use today and they are increasing at a rate of 1,000 per year. What is the one common denominator? They all increase oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is the key to understanding new strategies for preventing and fighting cancer. To learn more, click here 

Above article is extracted from Dr. Ray Strand's online medical practice. Dr. Strand is a specialist in nutritional and preventive medicine and is quickly becoming one of the world's leading authorities.

Moving into 2011

Trends come and go, but in health, they last longer than most. So it pays to look back in order to look forward.

 Below article is extracted from the star online date 2-Jan-2011 

Non-communicable diseases

1. Lifestyle diseases

Going by the number of articles on it, lifestyle diseases received a lot of press in 2010.
Statistics on hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, amongst others, from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) III in 2006 were repeated several times throughout the year by various officials to emphasise the need for Malaysians to start adopting a healthier lifestyle.

Various campaigns and governmental committees were also set up to combat these chronic conditions.
Among them is the Cabinet committee, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and involving 12 ministries, approved last month, to outline policies to deal with issues related to these diseases.
RM90mil was also allocated for community empowerment programmes to transform local leaders into health advocates.
Unfortunately, these diseases are likely to remain among the top killers of our nation for a long while to come.

2. Cancer
The big C is still one of the scariest diagnoses one can hear from a doctor.
It puts a clear and definite full stop to your life, and brings home an awareness of mortality unlike many other diseases.

And because of its lingering nature, you have to deal with, not only your upcoming meeting with your Maker, but also with the rest of your life and the people in it.

Thanks to various world cancer days, including Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and general public awareness, this disease pops up in the press fairly regularly.

3. Obesity
In December, Liow reported that Malaysia had been listed sixth among Asian countries with the highest percentage of obese people.

Not surprising, considering that the NHMS III showed that two out of every five adults (43%) were either overweight or obese.

The 10-year survey showed that obesity among Malaysian adults had increased by 250%, while the number of overweight adults went up by 70% from 1996 to 2006.
About 38% of teenagers were also overweight, while a more recent survey of 10,000 primary school pupils showed that 24% were either overweight or obese.
With our delicious and easily-available food, and increasingly sedentary lifestyles, this trend of growing waistlines is only set to increase.

4. Hypertension & diabetes
Of the lifestyle diseases, these are probably the two most common among Malaysians.
The NHMS III showed that cases of hypertension, or high blood pressure, among those aged above 30 had increased from 29.9% in 1996 to 43% in 2006, while diabetes patients had gone from 8.3% to 14.9%.
The Food Intake Among Malaysian Adults Research 2002/2003 study also showed that Malaysians take 25% more salt than what is recommended by the WHO.
The intake of salt is linked to high blood pressure.
Meanwhile, a survey by the Consumers Association of Penang found that Malaysians consume an average of 26 teaspoons or sugar a day, or about 130g. WHO recommends that we should not exceed 50g daily.

5. Cigarettes
While not a disease, the smoking of cigarettes is linked to certain non-communicable diseases, like heart disease and lung cancer.

This item popped up in the news in 2010 because the Government increased the tax on it by three sen per stick, effective last Oct.

Based on statistics, one in 10 Malaysians are cigarette smokers. And while there are free clinics to help quit smoking, this habit is proving hard to break.

Putting a halt to non-communicable diseases:

·Have a balanced diet. Decrease the salt, sugar and fats, and increase the vegetables and fruit. Drink enough water and watch out for the “hidden” calories in your food.

·Exercise. Take the stairs, walk around your neighbourhood, do the housework or wash your car — exercise doesn’t have to mean joining the gym.

·Find ways to relax, have fun and release your stress. This can be through physical activity, taking up a hobby or just getting together and talking with friends.

·Taking nutritional supplement.


Click here to learn more how to choose a high quality nutritional supplement comparative guide

·Put a halt to unhealthy activities like smoking, drinking excessively, eating five times a day and running up your credit card bills, among others.

·Go for an annual medical and dental checkup.