November 30, 2015 is a day like no other: it is my
82nd birthday.
It is a special day, not because of the
personal significance of the occasion, but because I’ve reached it against tremendous
odds! So - time to share and be grateful!
Most octogenarians cannot claim to be as
healthy as I do. The great majority have had some kind of major medical
episodes. The only major health episode I’ve had is Herpes Zoster or
Shingle, which by itself is not life threatening, but it disrupted my routine
morning exercise resulting in weakened leg muscles. At seventy, it was
extremely difficult to resume the old routine.
Consider the odds.
I lost regular employment at 65.
Together with the employment was the loss of my health benefits. At
any rate HMOs discontinue their benefits for those over 65 years old. One can
continue coverage but you have to pay an escalating premium every year without
any recourse to cash values, dividends, or return of premiums. I still have
Philhealth coverage but it can only shoulder a small amount of the total
hospital bill.
A friend was hospitalized for a major
illness in one of the tertiary hospitals in Metro-Manila. A major illness is
called such because it is curable but money has to be thrown to it.
Everything-but-the-kitchen-sink time! It’s also called catastrophic
disease because it spells a catastrophe to the finances of the family involved.
Today, my friend has been moved to a neighborhood hospital because his
resources are almost gone. Relatives and friends have pitched in but donor
fatigue is setting in. Philippine General Hospital, a public hospital with
Grade A medical care but Grade D for hospital atmosphere beckons. A
trip to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office has to be done. Government
helps the destitute, but requires to show proof.
Indigent. Insolvent. Pauper. These words sting. Perhaps poverty is even
harder to take than the disease itself, because the last resort is the family
home.
Yes, Filipinos in general are in danger of
heart-wrenching financial crisis in the latter years of their lives because
modern medical science offers many options to keep the family head or member
alive by all possible means. No one turns his or her back on family. Not in the
Philippines.
The future is not going to be easy for
oldies who may later on be stricken by major disease. So, aside from deep
breaths and prayers, preventive medicine is the only answer.
Let’s go back to Kindergarten where we
learned the basics. A nursery rhyme goes:
“The best six doctors anywhere and no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, air, exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend If only you are willing
Your mind they'll ease, Your will they'll mend, and charge you not a
shilling.”
To slow-down the deteriorating
effects of aging, the number that is most revealing indicator about one’s state
of health and is the most important number to pay attention to if we
want a life free of pain, inflammation and disease, is one’s pH factor, the
number that indicates acidic versus alkaline ratio in our body.
In a flashback to high school
chemistry, remember that the pH scale goes from 0 to 14: zero is pure
acid, 7 is neutral, and 14 is pure alkaline.
Each of us came into this
world with a certain alkaline pH. It's how our body was designed by our
Maker and how we are supposed to stay. Without exception, all of our organs,
tissues, bones and joints work best when blood pH is slightly alkaline (around
7.365).
Also, our body is designed to
stay in contact with the Earth. Positive Electromotive forces in the form of
free radicals can build up in our body and direct contact with the ground
balances this out as earth is naturally a negative grounding source.
If your pH is even just a
little too acidic, that's when your body can begin to literally break down.
Aches and pains begin to creep up. Tumors (including cancer) can flourish.
Diseases can rear their ugly heads. Although a number of factors can contribute
to an acid pH, (including stress, environmental toxins, lack of exercise and
smoking), far and away the number one factor is your FOOD.
Eating acid-creating foods
(especially fast food, processed food, meat, dairy, refined carbs and hard to
digest meal combinations) pulls your pH down toward the acid range. On the
other hand, when your diet contains many alkaline foods (like fresh fruits and
vegetables) and is easy for your body to break down, you encourage a more
alkaline pH.
