Health Is Wealth

Women and Children Healthcare

2008-04-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

Tekka (in teochew, it means bamboo leg), is a place which I don't like to go when I was young -- dirty and far from my house. One of my aunt, my father's sister stayed that area and we used to visit her.

Recently, I had seen better changes to Tekka Hospital(that is what my mother always said, "Tekka lao kun chu" to be exact) especially I want to commend on the KK Women's and Children's Hospital. KK Women's and Children's Hospital was previously known as KKH, Kandang Kerbau Hospital, 竹脚妇幼医院. KKH is the largest hospital specialising in healthcare for women and children in Singapore. From a 30-bed maternity hospital founded in 1924, it has grown into an 888-bed hospital providing obstetric and gynaecology, neonatology and paediatric services.

In the 1990s, KKH was restructured and the hospital was no longer a fully government-owned hospital. It came under the aegis of the Singapore Health Services (Singhealth), which is one of the two public healthcare clusters in Singapore. With the restructuring, and after 138 years of remaining at the same location, the hospital moved to a new premise at Kampong Java Park on Bukit Timah Road in 1997. It took on a new name, the "KK Women's and Children's Hospital". In 2003, the old hospital site was marked as a historic site by the National Heritage Board.

KK Women's and Children's Hospital, an 8-storey state-of-art building, is spread over an area of 4.8 ha. The hospital has two six-storey towers built on a 4 storey podium block. Built at a total cost of S$393 million, it is equipped with 834 beds and employs more than 2000 staff. The building's unique architectural design won the hospital an award at the Singapore Architectural Design Awards in 1998.

Most early Singaporeans would have been given birth here at KKH, just like Richard. My first visit or knowledge of KKH if I am not wrong, was the pregnancy of my elder sister-in-law. During those days, the nurses were unfriendly, rude and the facilities in the hospital were no good. Lousy is the word. My sister-in-law was warded in what was known as C-class or something like that. She had to have her deliveries among many women, and the nurses screamed at them, some even saying things like "Making Love you happy, now you know already." My sister-in-law was not so educated. She was young then, and having her first delivery. Such kind of treatment is really 'cruel' to a young woman. First time, First time to give birth, yet no encouragement of any sort, NO MORAL SUPPORT, husband not around, total stranger in a foreign environment, total FEAR she had to face, having First Time giving birth, which she had no idea at all what it is all about and how everything come about.

Today, I as a woman, as a mother, as a daughter-in-law, as a daughter of my mother also, understand what a woman really is. I think my sister-in-law is such a brave woman, having to been through so much in her life.

Compare myself with her, I am much more luckier. I can have the option to choose other hospitals during my pregnancy.

This is photographs of KKH, which we had arrived here today as early as 8.26am. My handphone's alarm rang, saying it's all destiny, destiny indeed. Ricsson woke up vomitting and complained of head pain -- extreme high fever. However, upon reaching there, he seemed fine, so much better! He even ate three pieces of bread!

As usual, I had forgotten to take his birth certificate for registration. But luckily, he brought along his student card and registration was done there. The last trip we went there was in year 2006, when he had diarrhea. What a great change, and GOOD improvement I see...

The children and I explored the place. We were among the early birds, number 4 in queue. So the place is completely fresh air still, no smell, no stuffiness, cool and clean and fresh view. Nothing to do, I began taking photographs, and the children played with the 'wall games'. Richard read newspapers. There were water provided too. In the past, I need to ask for hot water and search for nursing rooms, but they have all these facilities now, thoughtful... all prepared.

Trust, it is trust Patients need in order to feel secure, feel safe, so that the heart can beat normal, the heart can stay calm. That is the start of good health, assurance. But, that is one encounter on my part, so far that very first time is good experience, better than the neighbourhood General Practitioner.

Towards Better Healthcare

2008-04-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

The once old KKH had undergone so much changes. Over the past few years, I had visited here, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, and this is another great change today.

Towards Better Healthcare
I need more time to put up the beautiful photographs or rather the beautiful 'new' place which I had visited on Saturday, 19th April 2008. Meanwhile, this will be the photographs I will show you first.

No Safe, No Save, No Service
Ricsson did not get better on Saturday morning. The whole night, he did not sleep well. He told me he did not sleep at all. I could see his dark panda eyes. I was awoken by his cries. He had severe headache, very loud pain he cried. Then he said he felt like vomiting and the next moment, he rushed to the toilet. He was burning hot. His temperature was more than 40 degree celsius, about 40.6. I was so scared. I gave him medication, but he vomited everything out. I looked for the doctor's medicines, just to check if there was any emergency number (even though I knew there wasn't, but still try). Even though I know that no one will answer, I still call, just in case.... but no one answer. Can you imagine, no emergency number AT ALL at a family clinic? That is something which all doctor should look into, since they are providing 'private' service and charging us more expensive than what the Polyclinic!

Anyway, Richard suggested sending him to the hospital. So we did.

Destined...
The next problem, our transportation. Sick and need a comfortable and safe journey to the hospital, which cab should we take? Ricsson and I wanted the white colour one, the Premier Cab, but we did not know the number to dial (now we like the white cab already, silver cab is history). In the end, we just waited for our destined cab to come.

This is the type of taxi which I took to go KKH in the morning, and this taxi was what I had chosen to go back home the same day, which was my choice, and which was my mistake, but another lesson learn, and was meant to be...

Air is all that Matter
At first, we had a chance to take a cab, rather old and small type, but we were hesitating and waiting for a better one. Later, the new Comfort Blue Taxi came, and we took that. It was drove by Chinese, and that was the first time we took this 'new' Comfort Blue Taxi (Plain one, no picture, no painting, only the word Comfort). Good, no smell, no odour, comfortable, although it was not perfect, some dirty stains on the side of the door. It was a comfortable journey, and I really feel comfortable(after comparing it especially with the return journey experience later on, really really scary and terrible nightmare in the return journey.... talk later)

All Well, I well
As Ricsson was sick, children is always our main concern. If the children feel comfortable, we as parents also feel more at ease. So in this case, both of us are all comfortable. On the way, Ricsson did not vomit already. At home he vomited four times!

Different Spectacle I am wearing now
The children sat quietly in the cab, and I had my peace. On the highway, SLE, my heart was moved gradually. Singapore Sports School was what I always see. As the car was bringing us to our destination, the music made everything complete. I was totally seem mesmerised, as I passed by the schools, the roads, seen the trees(my favourite trees especially), the changes to Singapore -- the road I used to have travel, but that day, everything was different, both feeling and sight.

The Saints Still Marching On
The JC is currently located at the former SASS site at 55 Potong Pasir Avenue 1. A sheltered pedestrian bridge across the Kallang River connects the JC to the secondary & junior schools across the river. Students at the college are called "Saints".

Yes, I wake up, woke up.

To truly become Saints, the servant leaders of tomorrow, who serve the community selflessly, we must empower our students. To do this we will strive to impart the skills necessary for them to explore and meet the challenges of tomorrow confidently. We will strive to nurture in them the values that will serve as both beacon and ballast. We will strive to equip them with the leadership skills to become positive agents for change and provide them opportunities to hone these skills.

Wind of Change
Tears filled my eyes as I passed by St Andrew Junior College, and next a SMRT Bus with picture of police catching thief passed by our cab. This was accompanied by the song 'Wind of Change', everything climax at this point. This song led me to KKH, I saw the pond (the small garden beside it) filled with lilies, so beautiful. I always wanted to go, but.....

My last trip, I stepped out of the cab, Giddy like hell...
Anyway, we reached our destination safely, and 'song song' (comfortably) reached KKH, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, the largest medical facility in Singapore which provides specialised care for women, babies and children. Another eye-opening experience ....

Stand Up For Singapore
We are patients, and we are patient when we know that we can trust you, and this I experienced, and at this point so far, this is the start of trust, at least for now. And this is a good start, a real good start, a positive progress, a brighter future we can look forward to. When All The Saints Go Marching In.....

Heart Health Care

2008-04-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

Photograph taken on 18th April 2008, Ricsson went to see doctor

I brought my children to his clinic (above) since my children started kindergarten school. His clinic was 十年如一日(ten years look like one day, meaning every year looks the same, everyday for the past few years until now, there was no much improvement, not much changes. Of course there are 'trivial' changes, but we are not concerned about his clinic, but I am more concerned about his medical practice, his care for my children.

My sister was once his patient, but later she stopped. I am not his patient too, but only my children.

Medical Clinic/Medical Healthcare service near my home
There are a few clinic at my neighbourhood, especially if you are familiar with Woodlands, you would know that there are at least another three clinic I can go (at Woodlands North Plaza). I tried them all, and in the end, I still come back to this one, for my children. First and most important factor, waiting time is short, as there are normally not many people. Next, the doctor is okay. But not the best. Neither is the rest around my area very good (all the three clinic at Woodlands North Plaza I went before)

Learn By Comparison
The purpose of this post is not to say something 'bad' about this clinic, but to be honest with my own opinion, what I encounter, and what I had seen.

Running Of Business
While waiting for our turn, 'unfairly' long, we were 'entertained' by the nice musical instruments played by Riverside Secondary School (some piper's instrument I think, rather like that of dead people's funeral music I heard, but that was nice...). I could not help but walk towards the music, and saw the Riverside Secondary Pupils running (marathon or relay). It reminded me of those days where I participate in cross-country at Jurong Park.

Administration Skills....Need more brushes
Back at the clinic, again not our turn. Those people who came after us also went in already! But still we wait patiently, but wondering 'Why so long?"

Fate or Chance
Then I saw this picture, with the word xin, 心 (heart). I asked Richard what these four characters mean and how to read, he also don't know. I need to wait for one day to ask my sister if there is a chance. However, I guess it is something like the kindred heart, but I do not really know at this moment, but rough idea in my mind which I can confirm only if I know how to read the word or know the real meaning of the words.

Ruining For Health?
Running for health, what an irony of life. In the school, children are running for fitness, but here I am, with family, waiting SO LONG -- when the running of business is not in tune with our music. The patient I encountered (in front of us), left the clinic. (we should be after them, but did not.) The couple went to see the doctor about heart problem....

Prevention of Photoageing

2008-01-23T10:07:00.001-08:00

The skin is the largest organ of the body, weighing about four kilograms and covering about two square metres. The skin consists of several layers, each of which has a specific function. Specialised cells, called melanocytes, in the base of the epidermis, produce melanin, a UV-absorbing pigment that gives us a tan. The skin helps maintain body temperature, prevents dehydration and protects us well(if not completely) from harmful environmental agents, particularly infectious organisms(bacteria and viruses, or germs), dirt, dust and sunlight.

The skin is also extremely important in terms of our appearance and in enabling us to receive sensory input from around us. Finally, it helps to dispose of any organisms that do penetrate and probably also helps to destroy early skin cancers.

In theory, photoaging can be prevented. If you could protect your face from the sun all the time, it should remain relatively young-looking and wrinkle-free into old age. It is therefore vital to begin any protection programme very early in life: it has been estimated that up to 50% of our total UV radiation exposure is acquired by the time we reach 18 and 75% by 30. We can therefore very much improve the outlook for our children's skin by acting now. As far as adults are concerned, although the time-clock for photoaging has already been ticking for some time, we can very definitely minimise further changes by being careful in the sun from now on.

Next, it seems likely that skin photoaging steadily develops even with recurrent minor UV exposure. Thus, increasing evidence suggests that even walking to and from the office or shops, or hanging out the washing, may expose our skin to enough sunlight to cause some photoaging; the skin does not need to burn, or even turn pink, for slow permanent damage to take place. This therefore means that preventing photoaging probably requires even more effort with regard to sun protection than does preventing sunburn.

In summary, therefore, any steps that you take now to cut down the time you spend outside unprotected will reduce the speed and extend of your eventual photoaging, whenever you may start. Although the skin on your face may not look as young as that on your buttocks, it can still look much better than if you do nothing at all to protect it. In addition, the younger you are when you start your protection programme, the better your outlook. Lastly, since you also need to reduce the time your skin is exposed even to ordinary daylight each day, rather than simply making sure you do not get sunburned, you might consider using certain types of make-up and moisturisers that incorporate sunscreen ingredients, particularly if you normally use such products or are happy to start!

If your skin is already affected by photoaging, you may be able to improve its appearance to some extent by using simple moisturising creams regularly to help relieve the associated dryness and smooth out any wrinkles, but you must remember to use them everyday. In addition, there is some evidence that daily use of creams containing vitamin A derivatives (called retinoids), and in particular Retinova cream containing tretinoin, available on prescription, may slowly reduce irregular pigmentation and smooth out fine wrinkles to a small extent.

Cosmetic or plastic surgery by an appropriate surgeon can also help in a more invasive, expensive and perhaps occasionally risky fashion, in many cases dramatically smoothing out wrinkled, sagging areas of skin. Relatively mild, often effective treatments for brown blotchiness and thread veins include cryotherapy and cold point cautery respectively, usually from a dermatologist. If these are not helpful, other more aggressive treatments for the same problem are chemical peels and laser therapy, the latter also being particularly effective for wrinkles. However, this treatment leaves the treated areas extremely red and raw for days to weeks, and you will also need to take into account the cost and the slight risk of permanent scarring before deciding to go ahead.

Related Skin Health Links
Skin Health
Skin Anatomy
Skin Problems
Skin Disorders

Pimples
Acne Facts & Myths
Actinic Keratosis
Skin Cancer Information

Skin Tanning And Thickening
Photoaging
Causes of Photoaging

What Causes Photoageing

2008-01-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

UV radiation readily penetrates the skin and damages molecules, especially DNA in the cell nuclei, which is important for cell function. This DNA damage is largely repaired, but some persistent abnormalities remain. These abnormalities may then gradually accumulate, leading slowly to skin photoaging or even eventually to skin cancer.

Approximately 5% of the UV radiation hitting the skin is reflected, the remainder passing into the tissue, being scattered and then passing out again, or else being absorbed by molecules in the various layers of the stratum corneum, epidermis and dermis. The short wavelengh UVB is largely removed in the stratum corneum and in the epidermis, particularly by DNA and melanin, whereas the longer UVA wavelengths are mostly transmitted to the dermis to be absorbed there predominantly by haemoglobin in the blood, or else reflected back up and out of the body.

Although UVB accounts for only a small proportion of the total solar UV radiation, it is nevertheless extremely important because these UVB wavelengths are the ones that are mainly responsible for causing sunburn, photoaging and cancer of the skin. This is because they are many times more effective than UVA in causing harmful changes to the genetic material of living cells, namely DNA. As a result, even though UVA comprises most of the total solar UV radiation throughout the year, it is generally responsible for only about 10-20% of the harmful effects of sun exposure. There is clear evidence that regularly exposing your skin to high dose of UVA from sunbeds causes damage similar to that resulting from exposure to sunlight, although sunbeds often emit a great deal of UVB as well. UVA also plays an important role in the development of a whole host of abnormal skin rashes caused by the sun.

Photoaging is the result of accumulated skin damage caused by UV radiation over many years. Just as for sunburn, it is UVB wavelengths that have the greatest effect. However, UVA exposure can also cause changes, although with a tendency to be deeper. These may affect you if you spend a lot of time on a sunbed or sunbathing using a sunscreen that blocks mostly UVB.

When the body is unable to fully repair damage to the DNA in the cells of the epidermis and the dermis, their structure deterioriates with changes that seem irreversible. In addition, the chemicals released during sunburn appear also to harm the dermis, especially causing damage to the network of collagen and elastic fibres that form the major support for the skin and help to keep it wrinkle-free, although this damage may recover over time. These fibres may also be directly damaged by UV exposure. All this means that your skin tends to become gradually drier, rougher and thicker, and thread veins and wrinkles also slowly develop.

Sunlight also causes changes to the melanocytes, which gradually stop functioning in a consistent fashion so your skin may develop a brown blotchiness; it may gradually yellow as well. Finally, your epidermis may become thinner and more fragile. All these changes together are the visible signs of skin photoageing. Other factors besides sunlight exposure may also contribute significantly to skin aging, and these include most particularly cigarette smoking.

Sunlight and Photoaging

2008-01-21T08:30:00.000-08:00

Claude Monet's Painting

Sunlight is so-called electromagnetic radiation -- energy of many different wavelengths emitted by the sun; it travels through space at the enormous speed of 186000 miles per second. Such energy provides us with the heat and light we need, as well as delivering damaging ultraviolet(UV) rays.

The way in which the sun's radiation affects us depends on its wavelength, which determines how it is absorbed by the molecules in our different tissues. These tissues include those in the eye responsible for vision and those in the skin, all of which are susceptible to UV injury. Too much exposure to the sun is not good for our skins. A suntan is visible evidence of permanent damage that may ultimately lead to skin ageing and cancer. Repeated exposure to sunlight causes photoageing of the skin -- dryness, brown and red blotchiness, sagging and wrinkling -- especially in people with fair skin. Doctors estimate that around 90% of all skin cancers are potentially preventable by taking care in the sun.

There appear to be two major ways in which skin may age. The first is genetically programmed, so-called intrinsic or normal aging, affecting the skin all over your body. The second is what is known as photoaging and results from the long-term adverse effects of sun exposure. The degree to which skin photoages is also determined genetically to some extent, in that fair-skinned people who burn easily tend to photoage most rapidly. However, it also depends on how much your skin is exposed to sunlight over the years, whether through normal outdoor activities or sunbathing, or both.

It is possible to judge the effects of any photoaging of your skin by comparing the appearance of your skin on your hips or buttocks with that of your face. Those areas normally covered by clothing are smooth and freckle- and wrinkle-free. Facial skin, in contrast, may be relatively freckled in susceptible people, namely those with fairer skin, particularly if they have had a lot of previous sun exposure, and especially in older people, is often dry, thickened, yellowish, blotched brown, deeply wrinkled and covered with thread veins. Allowing for the normal effects of aging, the difference between skin that is usually covered and skin that is normally exposed is the result of photoaging.

Did You Know?
UV Radiation From The Sun
The UV radiation component of sunlight is small but biologically important, consisting of the wavelengths between 100 and 400 nanometres (nm). These are then further subdivided into three categories:

UVC: 100-290 nm
UVB: 290-320 nm
UVA: 320-400 nm

UVC is completely absorbed by the ozone in the atmosphere and does not penetrate to ground level, so the solar UV radiation that reaches us consists only of UVB(up to 5%) and UVA(95% or more). These percentages are approximate overall values and the relative amounts vary considerably with the time of day and year, latitude and other factors.

Sunlight And The Skin

2008-01-20T08:25:00.000-08:00

Khalil Gibran Painting

What is Sunlight: In addition to UV, visible and infrared radiation(heat), sunlight is composed of a host of other solar rays, such as cosmic rays, gamma rays, x-rays and radiofrequency radiation, but these are present in too small quantities at the surface of the Earth, or are of too low energy, to affect our skin. When these rays penetrate the Earth's atmosphere, they are modified in various ways. For example, visible light is scattered by atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen molecules in such a way that it makes the sky look blue; in addition, some of the overall radiation energy is absorbed and some reflected back into space by these molecules, as well as by atmospheric water vapour, dust particles and other constituents. The result is that only about two-thirds of the solar energy arriving at the surface of the atmosphere penetrates to ground level, and this is made up of about 5% UV, 40% visible and 55% infrared radiation.

UVB is far more effective than UVA at causing DNA damage, mostly in the epidermis, and it is therefore much more likely to set off the sunburn response. Fair-skinned individuals, especially those with freckles and red hair, burn particularly easily in the sun because of their relative genetic lack of melanin. In fact they sometimes may not tan at all, whereas darker-skinned people will do so with relative ease. How well a tan develops is thus built into you from birth and depends on what types of skin you have.

Skin Tanning
What we see as a suntan is the presence of brown UV radiation-absorbing melanin pigment in the epidermis. This is released into the epidermal keratinocytes by melanocyte cells of the epidermal basal layer within a few hours of damage to their DNA by sunlight. The pigment is partly transferred to the surrounding basal keratinocytes, clumping protectively above their important cell nuclei, and partly to the keratinocytes above, which then gradually move to the skin surface in the normal way and are eventually shed. This tanning process provides some two to four times greater protection against subsequent UV exposure. This lasts until the tan fades as the superficial skin cells are discarded.

Nevertheless, the fact is that a sunlight induced tan is always associated with UV radiation-induced DNA damage and is maintained only as long as such damage continues to occur. Therefore, there is no such thing as a completely safe tan other than a fake one or the one that you were born with. Thus, genetically black skin provides around 10-15 times better protection against the sun than white, and brown skin about five times as much.

Skin Thickening
Your skin also becomes thicker within days of sun exposure, and this is so-called hyperplasia may last for weeks to months. This reaction appears to be a response to DNA injury -- injury to the basal layer keratinocytes by UV radiation. Thus, within a day or two, once DNA repair has taken place, these keratinocytes begin to divide and multiply much more rapidly than normal, resulting in a several-fold thickening of the epidermis, particularly of the protective stratum corneum, while the dermis also thickens a little. These extra layers can then provide 5-10 times extra protection against the future effects of the sun, especially for the vulnerable basal epidermal layer. This thickening is usually more effective than any accompanying tan, especially in fair-skinned people.

The combination of tanning and thickening together however may give up to around 10-40 times increased protection, much better than a tan alone, albeit always at the expense of some permanent skin damage.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

2007-10-18T18:36:00.001-07:00

What is OCD?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by persistent and repetitive thoughts or actions. Although these thoughts(obsessions) and actions(compulsions) appear senseless or destructive -- even to the person with OCD -- they are extremely difficult to resist. People with this disorder, which is somewhat more prevalent in women than in men, find themselves absorbed by various mental images or rituals -- for example, checking again and again to make sure that the iron has been turned off or repeatedly washing hands. To some extent ritualistic behaviour and routine thoughts are a part of every person's life; civilization might not exist -- or at least not be very efficient -- without them. Many perfectly normal people feel a need to recheck the door lock before retiring each night, while others worry for hours that they may have nicked another car in a parking lot. The diagnosis of OCD is made only if these repetitive thoughts or actions occupy so much time that they interfere with normal functioning or cause significant distress.

Causes
What causes OCD remains largely a mystery. Some psychiatrists attribute the disorder to early childhood experiences related to issues of control and authority. Others hypothesize that people with OCD may have some genetic predisposition that makes them oversensitive to change.

Who is likely to develop OCD?
Obessive-compulsive disorder rarely starts in people younger than their late teens or early 20s. It is not uncommon for people with depression or anxiety to have symptoms of OCD as well.

How is OCD evaluated?
Clinicians experienced in diagnosing and treating mental disorders can usually identify OCD in a woman showing signs of obsessions and compulsion. Certain obsessions, however, are difficult to distinguish from phobias(irrational fears), and in fact there may be a gray area between these two categories of mental illness. In addition, some people with OCD or obsessional characteristics also have other mental or emotional disorders, including depression, or rarely, an early stage of schizophrenia.

Facts About Botanical Healing

2007-10-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

Comfrey is a valued medicinal plant. People, who suffer from rheumatism and swelling of joints and have been treated with other remedies without success, have found relief with Comfrey tincture.

Herbal medicine uses pills, teas or extracts from flowers, leaves or other whole parts of plants such as peppermint, chamomile, garlic or aloe vera to treat a wide range of ailments. In aromatherapy, essential oils from flowers and plants are massaged into the skin or inhaled. Recent evidence that Chinese and Indian herbs contain the same chemicals active in Western pharmaceuticals increases the likelihood that some of these medications actually work beyond their placebo effect.

But buyers should beware: even potentially effective herbs can lose potency if exposed to air, light or moisture -- as many of them are when sold in bulk or powdered into capsules. And just because a substance is "natural" does not mean it is safe: arsenic is natural, too, after all. Taken over long periods of time or in large doses, many of the plants used in herbal remedies can cause extensive damage. Comfrey, for example, which is sold as a digestive aid, may seriously damage the liver. Large doses of licorice, used to suppress coughs, can raise blood pressure and alter heartbeat. Furthermore, herbal medicines may carry residues from pesticides or molds. Because they are regarded as "food", herbal preparations are exempt from the Food and Drug Administration's stringent regulations requiring all drugs to be proven both safe and effective.

Another botanical alternative is homeopathy, a school of thought that has been around since the late eighteenth century and is based on the premise that disease can be treated with highly diluted doses of the same substances that cause it. Extremely popular in the nineteenth century, homeopathy dwindled almost to extinction until the early 1980s. Now, according to the National Center for Homeopathy, there are over 2500 homeopathic physicians as well as 3000 to 5000 licensed health professionals who practice homeopathy. Prepackaged homeopathic remedies for aches, pains, allergies, and colds are routinely sold over the counter.

TCM : Six Atmospheric Forces

2007-08-15T07:38:00.001-07:00

Six Atmospheric Forces As External Causes of Disease

The six atmospheric forces are considered hostile when they cause disease in the body. When they act as positive forces, they contribute to body energy.

1. How does wind cause disease?
Wind, air in motion, is a natural phenomenon in the atmosphere. Wind usually helps to maintain good health. When we feel hot, for example, we need wind to cool the body. As a natural atmospheric energy, wind is essential to human health. But wind may be good or bad for the health, depending on the circumstances. For example, a cold wind can create a chill in the body, making you susceptible to a cold or even pneumonia. When wind causes disease, it becomes harmful to the human body, and is regarded as a hostile atmospheric force to be avoided.

2. Cold
When the body is under attack by cold, we experience fever, absence of perspiration, headache, and pain in the body. When cold attacks the digestive system, it will cause intestinal rumbling, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. The kidneys are most susceptible to an attack of cold; when the kidneys are under attack, other symptoms such as lower back pain and cold feet can develop.

3. Summer Heat
When the body is under attack by summer heat, we experience high fever, thirst, and profuse perspiration. Moreover, summer heat sucks moisture and water from the body, which is why you will feel extremely thirsty and exhausted due to lack of body fluids when you are under attack by the heat. You may also have a dry mouth and lips, constipation due to dry intestines, and produce scanty urine due to a shortage of water in the body. Among the internal organs, the heart is most susceptible to the attack of summer heat; when summer heat attacks the heart, it may cause eye infections, thirst, nosebleeds, vomiting of blood and in severe cases, loss of consciousness.

4. Dampness
When late summer rains make the ground very damp and at the same time the weather becomes cooler, moisture on the ground cannot evaporate as quickly as it did in early and midsummer. When you walk in the rain, sleep on damp ground, live in a damp environment, wear wet clothes or swim a lot, you become an easy target of attack by dampness. Blisters, water retention with puffiness, and diarrhea are all caused by dampness.

Many familiar conditions are associated with damp. The skin disease known as eczema, is caused by dampness invading the skin. Coughing watery mucus, panting, and a congested chest are called "damp phlegm obstructing the lungs". Puffiness with water retention in the whole body and difficult urination are called "flooding of dampness". The pain of rheumatism and arthritis that stays in the same spot are called "damp rheumatism" or "damp arthritis". Dampness attacks the joints, because it flows into the joints easily like water. Patients with rheumatism, arthritis or osteoarthritis caused by dampness often experience more severe symptoms when humidity is high.

5. Dryness
Dryness is the dominant energy in autumn when humidity in the atmosphere is low. When you are under attack by dryness, you may develop such symptoms as a dry cough, sore throat with dryness, dry skin, dry nose, thirst, scanty urine and constipation with dry stools.

6. Fire
The human body needs fire to maintain normal body temperature. But when this force is too strong, it can cause fever. When you are under stress for too long, you might accumulate internal heat that eventually causes insomnia, lumbago, cough or asthma. This is called "emotions transform into fire".

Fire speeds up the rate of metabolism so that your body consumes more energy than usual. For example, a hyperthyroidism causes increase in metabolic rate, resulting in an increased demand for food. Hyperthyroidism itself is caused by fire that consumes body fluids and eats up body energy. Although exceptions exist, most consumptive diseases are caused by fire, including hyperthyroidism, tuberculosis, fever, and many forms of cancers; such diseases consume a great deal of body fluids and body energy, weakening the body.

Read More - Traditional Chinese Medicine

All About Headaches

2007-08-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

Headaches come in many varieties and nearly everyone gets them at some time or other. Yet they remain mysterious, and scientists are still groping for the exact cause of the head pain. The brain itself feels no pain. It simply interprets signals from the nearby muscles and blood vessels of the head, as well as from the membrane covering the brain. Generally, pain occurs if the nerves near the brain are being pressed upon, or if the blood vessels are either widening or narrowing.

Only rarely are headaches caused by serious illnesses such as brain tumour. Here are some common, less serious types of headaches:

1. Tension headaches are characterized by a dull ache, especially in the back of the head, and are often triggered by stress. This stress causes the muscles of the back of the head and neck to contract for prolonged periods of time, which tightens the pressure on the nerves and tissues, as well as the nearby blood vessels. Over-the counter pain relievers will usually help. Behaviour modification and relaxation will also be necessary if the headaches become frequent and unremitting.

2. Migraine headaches typically affect one side of the head. Initially the pain concentrates in an area about the size of a fingertip but eventually spreads out to include half of the head. This is often accompanied by irritability, dizziness, and sometimes vomiting and sweating. There are many medications available for migraine and preventive medications often are given to those who have attacks more frequently than every two months. More commonly, treatments are prescribed to stop the migraine at its onset. Several drugs are available that can block a migraine when they are taken at the first symptoms.

Facts about Migraine

Migraine Treatment

3. Cluster headaches come in groups of painful bouts that can only be described as excruciating. This intense pain strikes without warning on one side of the head, normally localizing around one eye. That eye might also become somewhat bloodshot. Cluster headaches are often accompanied by a teary eye and a runny rose on the same side of the face. Sometimes the pain also radiates around the face. After each series of pain, there is a headache-free period that can last up to several years. The typical cluster headache victim is male 20-50 years old. Researchers speculate that cluster victims may have an abnormality of the small branches of blood vessels in the forehead which can be affected in some way by a substance in the body called histamine. Stress, alcohol, and heavy smoking appear to trigger cluster headaches.

Coping with Cluster headaches

Most headaches fall within the tension category and respond well to over-the-counter medication. However, if a headache persists it's important to see your physician. With proper diagnosis and treatment, nearly all headaches can be relieved.

Headaches

Causes of Headaches

Tension Headaches

Causes of Tension Headaches

Treatment of cluster headaches

Treatment Options for Headaches

Motion Sickness

Dietotherapy

2007-05-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

Chinese dietotherapy is a natural therapy welcomed in many countries.

China has a long history of dietotherapy. Confucius (551-479 BC) died at the age of 72, which was considered a long life 2,000 years ago. It is because Confucius had a special diet. He once wrote in Analects of Confucius, (Lun Yu, a record of speeches by Confucius and his disciples, as well as the discussions they held) that, among many other principles, food with changed flavor, corrupt food, and food with bad color could not be eaten.

Dietotherapy refers to the treatment of disease by taking common foodstuffs, which according to the chinese are sometimes called by the name of medicinal foods. The intake of food is necessary for the maintenance of everyone's daily life and activity. Food contains the various nutrients which provide the energy supply for the body's growth and activities. The old Chinese saying that "Food is the Number one need for the people" reflects the utmost importance of food in the daily life.

Nutrients are essential for people during illness to overcome pathogenic factors and repair tissue damage, and to resist and prevent diseases while in good health. The art of dietotherapy roughly includes the following: Firstly, investigating the nature of food for preventing and treating diseases. In this sense, food itself is a remedy. For instance, in scurvy, a disease due to vitamin C deficiency, the eating of oranges, tangerines, or other fruits which are rich in vitamin C is helpful. Again, garlic behaves both as a food and as a remedy for bacillary dysentery. Secondly, investigating curative effects achieved by carefully selecting certain kinds of drug and adding them to food to complement each other. For instance, rice porridge is readily digested and nutritionally beneficial to patients. However, when radix discoreae, poria, or coix seeds are added, the porridge would have a strong anti-diarrhoea action by strengthening the spleen and improving digestion.

During the last few decades, cancer and cardiovascular diseases have replaced infectious diseases as the major enemy to human health. These two categories of disorders, especially cardio-vascular diseases, are closely tied to food habits. Coronary heart disease, the most common cardio vascular disease, results from high blood cholesterol which accumulates on the walls of the coronary vessels and leads to sclerosis.

Importance Of Intestinal Health

2007-05-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

A good intestinal health is your gateway to a good overall health, feeling naturally 'relax', truly 'cleansed', and naturally beautiful getting rid of pimples, excessive 'winds' and flatulence from your body. For ladies, it decreases your waistline too!

This is a funny world. How things work always depend on similar concepts and logic. Observe things around you. How animals behave and that of plants survival and so on. Sometimes we can learn tremendous lessons from them. One such example is that of water hose which we use for gardening, or washing the car, or those water hose of washing machine even! I have written a post about Intestinal Health at various blogs of mine, such as Health Motivator, What's Wrong with Me and Happiness Is Bliss, and of course Health Is Wealth too. This is another overview of Intestinal Health I just wrote at Helium, the details are below:

Overview: Intestinal health
Food is vital for human survival. Do you live to eat or eat to live? Regardless of which, you need food. Eating and drinking is human needs as well as human satisfaction and enjoyment. However, for true satisfaction and enjoyment of the food we eat and drink, we need good intestinal health. Intestinal health is important as mentioned earlier, consumption of food is vital for human nutritional needs, which in turn affects a person's health. Without food, humans as well as any animal cannot have energy to move and do anything. Thus our intestinal health is very important.

A baby has short intestine. As babies grow to become teenagers and adults, their bodies are constantly growing and so do their intestines. The length of intestines grow longer and more convoluted. This is because our intestine plays important role in absorption of nutrients from the food that we eat. Our body's abdominal 'space' is limited, and for our intestine to increase its absorption rate (thus providing efficiency), it needs to increase its surface area. As such, when a baby is born, they tend to have plenty of bowel activities. They drink lots of milk, every two to three hourly (small stomach), and they defecate almost as often as they drink milk. You will notice that their bowels are not as smelly as adult does too.

Normally children do not have problems with their intestinal health. As mentioned, their intestinal length is shorter than adults and not as convoluted as adults. However that does not mean that children will have good intestinal health. As adults grow, their intestines get more convoluted and the ability to empty bowels also faces more difficulty. To understand how the intestine works, you need to think of intestines as those 'water hose' that we use at home or in the garden. The longer it is, the more you coil it up, the more difficult it is for water to pass through as there is chances of getting kink. Our intestine contains 'food' and not water. Imagine a hose that contains food, the movement is even harder. Thus, to have good intestinal health, the first and most important thing is to drink plenty of water. Having water as a solvent, greatly help in the movement of bowels in the intestine. This would prevent constipation.

What happen if there is not enough water consumption? Constipation is what you get. The effect of constipation is bad breath, bloating, farting of 'bad gas' and as time pass, you do not have appetite even and you have a feeling of 'being full'. This is the body natural response to tell you to empty your bowel. Just like the hose, if you want to fill it up with water, the other end must empty first! Prolonged retention of feces in the intestine is bad for health. These are bad matters that the body do not need. They emit bad gases which are harmful for the body. This is analogous to leaving food in the air. These food when exposed to air turns bad and smells as days pass by. This in turn affects the overall health of the person -- more pimples, more frustration, and so on.

To avoid constipation, drink plenty of water and have a habit of emptying the bowels as frequently as possible. The best is everyday but there are people who empty their bowels once every two days and so on. The main thing is not to let the bad matters stay in the body for too long. Prolonged bad matters in the intestines causes these matters to 'clog' up the intestines, just like what we see in prolonged used water hose, there are black masses of algae and other dirt collect at the sides of the water hose. These will always be there and hard to be dislodged off. In our human intestines, this condition is termed coprostasis (I have written colon health and beauty at http://anthingblissful.blogspot.com/2007/03/colon-health-and-beauty.html). Through time, these have detrimental effects on our intestines, which we cannot see and feel. Although everyday you empty your bowels, there might be traces of such matters in your intestines. Thus it is important to clean our intestines well.

There are many advertisements on colon cleansing. I do believe that good intestinal health is important and is the root to many other problems of our body. Besides products on colon cleansing, there are other products that is useful for intestinal health, such as Vitagens, Yakult which has billions of live probiotic cultures. In addition, consume more fibres which helps to prevent constipation too. Next eat healthy food, balanced diet, 'clean', 'fresh' food. Eating contaminated food can cause stomach upset and this will bring discomfort to your stomach and intestine too. Lastly, exercise will help bowels movement too.

Thus, your intestinal health is determined by what you eat, and how you take care of yourself -- your habits of emptying your bowels, and how often you exercise. There are commercial products in the market that helps colon cleansing and it is all about your choice and decision to look after your health. You are what you eat. Your intestinal health lies in your mouth, your care and habits of life.

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If you do not take care of your intestinal health, prolonged coprostasis is a determinant factor in causing colon cancer. This would definitely affect our spiritual and mental health. A good overall health is only our sure guarantee to good spiritual and mental health.

Gastrointestinal Health

2007-04-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

Bowel activity varies among the healthy population, from twice a day, to once a week. Changes in bowel activity can be due to a stomach upset, but they may also be caused by colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, or bowel cancer. Therefore, you should see a doctor if you have a persistent change in the frequency of your bowel movements.

Some stool types can indicate a disorder. See your doctor if your if your stools become pale, bulky, greasy, foul-smelling, and tend to float; tarry and black; or contain blood.

Over 90% of cancers in the colon or rectum occur in those over 50 and begin as polyps on the bowel lining. Some doctors therefore recommend annual tests, such as faecal occult blood testing, for everyone over 50.

Did You Know:

A high-fibre diet reduces the incidence of cancer of the colon and of the rectum. Evidence suggests that cancers in the large bowel are more common in those people with a sluggish bowel action. By speeding the passage of faecal material through the digestive tract, fibre reduces the time that cancer-causing substances in the faeces are in contact with the bowel lining.
A diet that is low in fibre will cause the stools to become hard and dry. Because these stools are less fluid, they cannot pass through the bowel quickly and potential cancer-causers are in contact with the bowel lining for a longer period of time.
A diet that is rich in high-fibre food such as baked beans, bran, granary bread, and sweetcorn, increases the bulk of the stools. This speeds the stools' passage through the bowel and reduces the risk of cancer.

Bowel Training

Acute Diarrhea

All About Abdominal Pain

Diagnosis & Treatment of Diverticular Disease

Facts About Good Health

2007-03-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

Many different factors determine how healthy you will be. Some, such as the genes you inherit from your parents, are a matter of chance. But there are many choices you can make that will help determine whether you enjoy good health or bad.

The two main choices you can make are to adopt a healthy lifestyle and to learn how to recognize the possible early warning symptoms of illness. If you do, you will reduce your chances of dying at an early age from heart disease and improve the quality of your life in later years by staying healthier longer.

The decision you make about how much exercise you take, what food you eat, which habits such as smoking and drinking you acquire, what risks you take in your sex life, and how much effort you put into avoiding accidents at work, at home, on the road, or during your leisure time, can all directly benefit or harm your health and well-being.

Choice
1. A varied diet of fresh food, including plenty of fruit and vegetables, is better for your health. A diet consisting predominantly of convenience food is likely to be low in fibre and high in fats and added sugars.

2. Taking any form of vigorous exercise for at least 20minutes, three times a week, improves your overall fitness. It also decreases stress and reduces the risk of becoming ill.

3. Smoking is a major risk factor for bronchitis and lung cancer as well as for other diseases including coronary heart disease, peptic ulcers, and premature aging of the skin, you should stop for the sake of your health.

4. In the long term, drinking too much can harm your health and your emotional wellbeing. Because alcohol effects your judgment, it is a major cause of accidents.

5. Being obese greatly increases your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, arthritis, diabetes, and other diseases.

6. Persistent or recurrent symptoms could signify a disease for which prompt treatment may be more effective. See your doctor now.

7. Early detection of disease improves your chances of achieving a successful cure.

8. Practise safe sex by using condoms during sexual intercourse if you are not involved in a mutually monogamous relationship.

9. Without immunization you are at risk of a variety of serious, and potentially fatal, infectious diseases. Ask your doctor if you need to be vaccinated.

Chance
1. Life expectancy is largely determined by genetic inheritance but an unhealthy lifestyle can work against this genetic advantage by introducing behaviour-related diseases.

2. Accident rates are highest among people in this age group, but everyone should learn to prevent accidents.

3. Although you can improve your local environment by recycling or switching to lead-free petrol, global pollution of the air, water, or food supply represent potential causes of ill-health beyond your control.

Energy And Growth Food

2007-03-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

Food comes in many forms, but it all has the same basic chemical functions -- to supply body cells with a source of energy, and also to act as the raw material for growth, repair, and maintenance of vital organs and tissues. The substances in food that fulfill these functions are called nutrients.

As carbohydrates and fats are the main sources of energy in the diet, the value of any particular type of food for energy and growth depends mainly on its content of these two nutrients.

The sensations of hunger and of having overeaten are designed to ensure that you take in the correct amount of food to fulfill your own particular energy requirements.

Additional energy also comes from the body's stores of glycogen(starch) and fat. Glycogen is made from the glucose molecules that were absorbed from carbohydrates and were not required for the immediate production of energy. Any surplus that cannot be stored as glycogen is stored as body fat.

Did You Know

Energy activity requires energy. Your body needs to be able to convert your food into stores of energy that will be available at all times. This complex chain of events begins when your food is broken down by digestive processes in your stomach and intestines to release nutrients, such as glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids.

Energy requirements depend partly on the physical activity you undertake, but the average person in a sedentary job burns up 70% of his or her daily energy expenditure just keeping the heart and other organs working and maintaining body temperature.

Food energy is traditionally measured in calories, where one calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Centigrade. As the calorie is an extremely small unit, when referring to measurements of the energy value of food, the kilocalorie -- equivalent to 1000 calories -- is often used instead. Kilocalories are sometimes called Calories, with a capital C. The number of calories needed each day depends on your level of activity and your basal energy expenditure. The resting energy required by an adult woman averages about 1300 Calories and for a man about 1600. All exercise needs extra energy and therefore increases your total calorie requirements.

Growth is a continuous process in your body tissues, throughout your life. Cells are continually replaced as part of a routine maintenance programme in most tissues and organs. Tissue damage also increases this regeneration.

What To Eat

2007-03-25T03:45:00.000-07:00

You are what you eat!

It is important to eat right. Eating is a process of providing nourishment for the body rather than merely satisfying our hunger instincts or for enjoyment.

What Is Eating Right

Eating a balanced diet with food from the major healthy food groups of carbohydrates(rice, potatoes, noodles), protein(lean meat, fish, tofu, peas, beans, lentils), and fibre(fruits, vegetables)
having discipline in selecting only the proper food
not overeating

Food To Avoid

high fat and high calorie items such as deep fried food, ice cream, alcohol, soft drinks, candies, chocolates, sweet desserts and cakes
red meat (beef, pork, mutton) as they are relatively high in saturated fats
high cholesterol items such as egg yolks, prawns, squids and shellfish, especially if you suffer from cholesterol levels
salt and commercial seasonings which contain too much sodium and can increase your risk of developing high blood pressure

Food To Go For

Fresh and natural food
food that are steamed, boiled or poached
white meat as in the breast and back meat of poultry and fish
vegetarian products such as tofu, peas, beans and lentils as your source of protein
Fibre-rich food -- Dietary fibres are found in abundance in most vegetables, fruits, cereals and grains. It has been found that as fibre moves through the digestive system, it reduces serum cholesterol. Because fibre is indigestible it moves through the body faster. This prevents constipation and reduces the risk of colon cancer by reducing the time cancer-causing agents remain in the digestive tract
low fat products such as skimmed milk
low salt products
plain water rather than soft drinks to quench your thirst

Our Health Risks

2006-12-21T08:18:00.000-08:00

Anything that we touch around us can mean a health hazard or risk to us.

The more you read, the more facts you know. The least things you read, the more ignorant you are. Many people who do not read widely do not understand how diseases come about. These people do not know why people get sick, what's the meaning of signs and symptoms of diseases, and why different people have different kind of illness. Depending on the food you eat, to the habit that you have, all these will determine what kind of potential illness you are going to have.

People who are illiterate, people who never study biology or listen to any health talks or read any health books, are totally ignorant of what is health all about. What they do is just enjoy life, eat to fill their stomach, eat to enjoy the food, look nice, work to earn money and so on. Who care about health so much when there are so many things in life to do!

If such people do not pay attention to their health, the price they are going to face is early health deterioration. There are simply too much issues to talk about health. Only when the mind is hunger for health facts can a person know more about health. However, knowledge and putting facts to action is yet another thing. There are simply too much things for you to weigh to achieve good health.

A lot of time, people like the hairdressers who constantly are in touch with chemicals, hair dyes are very prone to health risks. Little do they know that by smelling and handling these chemicals, they are facing 'cancer risks' everyday. Even if they know, they need to earn a living. They have to support their families. This is the facts of life. If nobody would want to be hairdressers, who will cut hair for you then?

This is what I have just written about Health risks at Helium:

Health risks that you might not know about
Risk is everywhere around us. Our health faces risks all the time too. At home or in any interior places, you face the risk of falling down, tripping down, chemicals injury to your body, accidental consumption of wrong food, choking, fire injury and so on. Outside the home or in outdoor, you faces the risk of knocking down by vehicles, accidental assault, natural disaster such as strike by lightning, earthquake, typhoon and so on. We cannot escape risks totally, but we can reduce risks on our part, as by taking precaution in whatever things that we do.

Those risk that we face are all external. They are all accidental health risks that we can possibly face in our lives, whether you are a child, teenage, adults or old people. Besides accidental health risks, other health risks that we face could be the short-term health risks and the long-term health risks.

Our body are in constant touch with foreign objects in our surroundings. All these foreign objects are all health risks to us. From food preparation to cooking and eating of food, there are already health risks involved in every steps that we do. For example, food that are not washed properly such as vegetables might contain parasites' eggs from soil particles on the vegetables. These eggs might hatch into parasites in our stomach(favourable condition for them). Meat that we eat if they are not cooked properly will still have parasites exist in them. So when these meat are eaten, our health is at risks -- risks of parasite infestation in our body. Parasites can compete with our body for nutrition and it can also cause sickness to us and sometimes can even be fatal.

Besides parasites, other potential health risks from food we eat are germs. When seafood and poultry products are not washed properly or when they are not fresh, they have germs -- the bad bacteria in them, that can cause people to suffer from symptoms of food poisoning after consumption of them. Sometimes, besides improper food handling, ignorance can also cause us to have risks of our health, as in food poisoning when eaten food that is kept in the fridge for too long, or even food consume after left over in the room for a long period of time. These are short-term health risks. They cause immediate results to our body.

Other examples of short-term health risks that we face are allergies. Eating food that our body 'cannot accept' such as seafood or eggs for some people can have immediate rashes, and 'watery and red eyes' and other symptoms for some people. Food allergies and medicinal allergies can sometimes be life threatening. Other than food allergies, allergies can arise from hobbies such as gardening, as when handling certain plants. Allergies can also be toys that children like, such as soft toys, when these people have asthma.

Now, lets consider the long term health risks that we possibly face from our environment. These are mostly chemical reaction between the food we eat and also in our body. We cannot see these reactions nor can we see germs which are harmful to our bodies. We need to drink water everyday. The water source is a place where chemical reactions can take place. From water pipe to our home, it is at home then we can have control of water handling. Plastic bottles are known to cause chemical reactions to the water we drink. These 'plastic' that we constantly associate with is actually carcinogenic. Cookingwares and bakewares, nowadays also contains various types of coatings for 'non-sticking' purposes. However, some coating are known to interact with the food we eat too. At home, no matter how much precaution you take, but when you have meals at public places such as hawker centres or restaurants, you have no control over what sort of containers and cookingwares they use for cooking!

Besides food, people who smoke will have extra health risks imposed upon themselves through long-term harm to their lungs. People who are constantly in association with external foreign objects, besides cigarettes, can be hair dyes, cements, etc Constant use of hair dyes can cause people to suffer from cancer in the long term. People who are in the construction or contractor industry, especially those handling abestos have an increase risks of developing cancer in the long run too. All these reactions are accumulative and the symptoms of the disease only shows after many years! Likewise, diseases such as hepatitis and aids are known only after many years.

So you can see, health risk is really everywhere. It is impossible to say everything here. There are too much to be mentioned. The things like chopping board, cups, cosmetics that we are in contact with everyday are actually all health risks that you are not aware of! Though you can reduce it on your part, you really cannot totally omit it because you have no control over other areas. Sometimes, because of survival, such as hairdressers, contractors, they have to face these occupational hazards risks. This is just parts and parcels of life that we need to face. Since health risks is everywhere, knowledge of health is importance to reduce risks.

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Our Greatest Asset

2006-12-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

A good health is the greatest asset which everyone can have. A good health is wealth to you actually.

Our health is very important. A good health means you can live longer. A good health means
freedom. You can do what you want without asking for help from people. A good health means saving money for yourself -- you save money when you do not need to consult the General Practitioner, you do not need to visit a specialist doctor, you do not need to go hospital for treatment, and so on.

Recently my mum's health is no good. I am worried for her. When your health is no good, your loved ones will feel sad too. When your health is no good, not only do you need to spend a huge sum of money for medical purposes, it also brings inconvenience to family members and you feel pain.

Read about my views on importance of health below. I do not use to think of importance of health. But now I have greater wisdom on health. I know the importance of good health. Without a good health, I am tired easily. When I am tired easily, I cannot do a lot of work. There's a lot of work awaiting for me to do always. While I was working in the life insurance industry, getting tired means not able to work properly. I have to meet lesser clients and being tired also means you don't look good! It will also affect the sales. Now, having two kids and being a mother who love the kids and family, I know the importance of health. I want the people around me to be in good health, so that they can live longer. I do not want my loved ones to be gone. So similarly, your loved ones also do not want to see you 'gone'. So everyone of us should treasure life, eat healthily, and maintain good mental health too.

Why health is important
You are what you eat. What you eat affects your health. When you do not watch your diet, your health faces problems. A lot of people in this world are seeking wealth. They spent hours working everyday, commit themselves to their work, aiming for promotions and pay-rise from their work. The entrepreneurs and business people, too have the common objective of earning more money, always thinking of how to earn more money. No doubt money is important, your health is even more important. Everyday, your ability to go to work -- waking up early in the morning and able to have the drive to work, is all due to your good health. Without a healthy body, you do not even have any earning potential! When your health is at risk, you are in pain, do you think you can earn money then? Do you think you can go to work with the drive and energy as when you are in normal health? Do you think you can bear the pain -- save money and do not need to see doctor?

Our health is our 'everything'. Whether you are a toddler, a child, a teenage or an adult, a good health enable you to perform the daily functions of life. For students, a normal health, allow them to able to go to school, to obtain knowledge and the building of character. For adults, good health means you can go to work everyday, to earn a living, to be able to achieve your goals in life. Good health also enable you to enjoy life.

The greatest asset of life is our ability to be able to wake up everyday and go to work. I am sure you have experienced time when you are not able to wake up in certain time of the morning. You are sick. Your bodies are aching. You have headaches and to make it worse, you feel nauseous and you may be having diarrhea too. When time like that strikes, you have to call up the office to report sick. You applied for medical leave. As a salary worker or staff, under such circumstances you are paid at the end of the month your monthly salary. Every year, you have certain number of days to apply for your sickness. However, some people like the self-employed individuals such as the taxi-drivers and some property agents or sales people are paid based on commission alone. If they don't work, they have no earnings for that day. These people know truly well that they cannot afford to be sick. A day without work means a day without paid for them!

When you are sick, you need to see doctor. Nobody can bear the pains of sickness and diseases. When you are sick, you are suffering. You cannot function well and most of the time you just want to sleep or lie down to rest. You do not have the energy to even move around. So it makes work really impossible.

Apart from physical health, mental health is also important. Some people do not have diseases or viral illness or sickness at all. But their mental health got problems. Some people have mild mental health problems, while some others have more serious mental health problems. Those people who suffer serious mental illness have to be hospitalised. While some people are hospitalised for treatments or for other reasons such as abandoned by families, others are being looked after by their own family members at home. For such cases of serious mental illness, no one would want to employ them. Neither can they look after themselves. They have lost their earning potential. They cannot contribute anything to the society. They have to rely on care-givers to provide for their daily needs and care.

When you do not take care of your health, it may means spending more money than what you are earning now. We know that medical expenses are getting more expensive. We cannot afford to fall sick. Once illness strikes, you need to see doctor, get treatment, seek remedies to soothe and to reduce your sufferings. Most of the time, diseases are chronic and life-long. Treatment may be monthly, like kidney dialysis, and these are liablities to you. When such time come, you don't even feel good. You are limited to the number of things that you can do. You are limited to the food that you can eat too. Life would not be as enjoyable and free when you have a normal health!

For people with mild cases of mental problems, is important to seek help while it's early to prevent the illness from progressing further. That applies to physical health too. Our health would signal us that there is problem when you develop signs and symptoms which affect you in your daily functions of life. When these 'alarm' strikes, you should pay attention to it. It is giving you a warning and you'd better do something to it. If you don't, whatever dreams or hopes that you have for the future will be at risk anytime.

All in all, I would say that our health is our greatest asset that we have. Health is important to us as it enables you to fulfill your dreams and goals in life. In pursuing your life's goals and dreams, you seek meaning in life. Many times, our goals in life might be to achieve materials things, which require money. When your health do not permit you to work anymore, you lost the earning potential and to make it worse, you became a liability to your family and to the society too. As for minority of people who find great satisfaction of life through helping people by one means or another, this require a good health to serve people too. When such time arises, when you have poor health -- when illness strikes, it became an obstacles and hindrance to your dreams come true. It becomes a suffering in your life.

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