A lot of people ask me whether stress can cause a heart disease and whether anger can cause a heart attack. People who are under stress cannot sleep well and cannot exercise because the body is tired. Some people resort to smoking to release stress, or some eat a lot of food to fight bad moods.
Therefore, people who are stressed become weaker due to the lack of exercise and too much food, which can cause high blood pressure, high blood sugar level and high cholesterol level. Smoking makes it even more likely for the person to have narrowed artery disease.
“Dee” in Thai means “good”. Coincidentally, vitamin D is good for the health, as it helps build and strengthen bones.
Vitamins in general cannot be generated by our body. We have to rely on food as vitamin sources. However, vitamin D is different from other vitamins, as our body can generate some of it through the skin via contact with sunlight.
The duty of a doctor has always been the same – to cure diseases. Good doctors are those who can cure diseases quickly and effectively. How good a doctor is depends on whether he can treat the diseases, whether he can save lives and whether the diseases recur.
In reality, there are only a few diseases that can be healed permanently without a chance of recurring. Many diseases will go away in exchange with other symptoms, such as side effects from the medication. There are diseases that modern medicine cannot cure but traditional medicine can, such as non-Herpetic cold sores.
Coenzyme Q-10, or commonly known as Co Q-10, is a quinine derivative that is found in living organisms, especially in the heart, liver and kidneys. It can be regarded as a vitamin. About half a century ago, it was found that Co Q-10 has anti-oxidant property and can prevent premature aging in cells. Co Q-10 can be found in a small amount in food such as meat and fish.
The level of Co Q-10 in our body will drop as we grow older or are under some condition, such as heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and asthma. The lower level of Co Q-10 is not caused by these diseases, and it doesn’t mean that taking more Co Q-10 will cure these diseases either. Some kinds of medicine, such as statin, beta blocker for high blood pressure, and some anti-depressants can also lower the Co Q-10 level, but that does not necessary mean undesirable effects.
Speaking of unfriendly food for the heart, we usually think of fatty foods first, especially animal fat high in cholesterol, causing narrowed artery or coronary artery disease.
However, there is another group of foods that is just as guilty for causing heart diseases – carbohydrates. Lately, more and more people are consuming too much carbohydrates, as evident in a research in the US which found that American people consume 50% more sugar than they did 50 years ago.
I have read several tips about maintaining good health, both heart related and not. I want to share with you what I’ve found, but I must say that they are not all medically and scientifically proven. It does not mean that they are not true either. They came from years and years of observation, trials and errors of our ancestors. You don’t have to believe everything you’re told. Just use your own judgment.
The first tip I want to tell you is about fruit juices that are high in anti-oxidant properties, such as gooseberry, mangosteen, noni, and goji. Studies of these juices, tested in animals, found that they can lower blood sugar level and blood pressure as well as boost immune system. Studies in human have not been done yet, but I know for certain that they are delicious and rich in vitamins and minerals. I believe if we could add these fresh fruits (not only the juice) often, if they are not too expensive, it would be good for our health.
Health conscious people and weight watchers often say no to nuts because of the high calories. More importantly, they are hard to stop eating after one!
Many academic studies say, contrastingly, that nuts can help control weight.
Most nuts (except for chestnut) give 500-600 kilocalories per 100 grams. A study shows that people who eat nuts weigh less than those who don’t. A study conducted among 9,000 people in Spain found that people who eat nuts at least twice a week gain less weight that those who haven’t touched nuts in two years.
Birth, aging, sickness and death are only natural and unavoidable, but we might not be exactly looking forward to aging and dying. As for birth, there isn’t much we can do about our own birth as that was way in the past.
Anti-oxidant and free radicals play an important role in the aging process, which sometimes leads to death. Since people like to avoid aging (which they can’t – the best is only delaying it) there are many products in the market, such as tea, coffee, supplementary pills and even skincare, which claim to contain anti-oxidants. If they really worked, we would have seen 100-year-old grannies walking around looking like 30-year-olds, or mother and daughter looking the same age. Or we might even live 200 years! That would be rather scary, wouldn’t it?
The middle path means not inclining toward any extreme. Everything should be done in moderation. That’s the Buddhist way.
Health-conscious people often eat fish. Some eat fish every day in every meal. However, due to the radiation scare and water contamination reports, people start to doubt whether fish is safe, and some even give up eating fish altogether. Both cases are an example of going extreme.
Heath organizations say that fish is good for the heart. A study done by Harvard University said that eating fish regularly can help reduce heart disease death by 36%, better than many medicines in the market. However, this does not mean you should throw your heart medicine in the trash can and go for fish.
Aging is a natural process but everyone still dreads being old. Not only do we lose our youthful health but we also lose memories. We remember things we want to forget, and forget things we want to remember! A lot of older people realize they have become old when they start getting forgetful and think slower. This can be something small as forgetting where the key is to forgetting close people’s name.
Actually, we “age” every second as the clock doesn’t go backward. It’s not that we start to age when we become forgetful. Forgetfulness is a dreadful symptom and a lot of products have been sold with the claim to help restore memories or slow down memory loss.