A little bit of new information helps us along the way to wellness. Because good health is the true foundation of beauty and well-being, here are a few nuggets of truth that can deepen your wisdom.
Q: What causes singaw?
The local term singaw is actually a canker sore (medical term: aphthous stomatitis). Because it is still a mystery in the medical world, medical experts cannot explain its true cause. Some believe the causes include hereditary predisposition, stress, nutritional deficiency and reaction to certain food.
To soothe/prevent a sore mouth, here are the remedies:
- Oral supplementation
- Vitamin C with bioflavonoids—3,000 mg in 1,000 divided doses daily
- One multivitamin/mineral supplement daily
- Avoid citrus fruits and acidic vegetables like tomatoes
- Eat yogurt or take lactobacillus acidophilus capsules
- Do your saline mouthwash—¼ tsp sea salt mixed in warm water. Gargle three times daily.
- Topical solution: moringa oil capsule or vitamin E capsule. Apply the oil directly to the affected area, twice daily.
Q: How do I guard against heart disease?
Whether there is a history of heart disease in the family or not, it is always wiser to focus on preventive measures to guard against illness.
Because the heart is considered the hardest-working organ in the body, special attention must be given to it. Trivia: the heart beats one billion times in a lifetime! It is the size of your clenched fist, weighs nine ounces (female) and 12 ounces (male). Such a small organ has a giant task—to pump blood throughout the body.
Everything vital to life is carried by the blood—oxygen, nutrients, waste. And it is the heart that ensures this function by pumping blood.
According to Dr. Dean Ornish, author of “Reversing Heart Disease,” one’s lifestyle plays a major role in determining one’s heart health. In fact, a vegetarian diet may even reverse heart problems.
Dr. Saturnino Javier, cardiologist and immediate past president of the Philippine Heart Association (tel. no. 7719216, Asian Hospital) prescribes the following:
- Don’t smoke. If you are a smoker, quit the habit now.
- Exercise daily if possible, or a minimum of five times weekly. Brisk walking is the easiest form of exercise to engage in.
- Cut down on animal/saturated fats.
- Minimize stress. Devote time for relaxation. Try daily meditation.
- Increase fish intake.
- Supplement daily with omega-3 fish oils or flaxseed oil.
- If you are currently under maintenance medication for hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, do not stop taking them unless advised by your doctor.
Q: How do I know if I have an eating disorder?
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa primarily affect women in their teens and 20s, although men and older women are not spared from this condition.
Anorexia, the fear of being fat, causes people to starve themselves to the point of emaciation.
While physically appearing normal, a bulimic person resorts to binge-purge episodes. They overeat, then vomit or take laxatives. Over-exercising is also a symptom. The result is malnutrition and deteriorating health along with heart disease, leading to death. If you see yourself in any way in these descriptions, it’s time to see a therapist.
All eating disorders have underlying psychological causes. You need to understand yourself better to identify your issues, and then resolve them.
After this, you need to consult a doctor and nutritionist in order to eat normally again.
The greatest dangers of eating disorders are: rapid weight loss (up to half your original weight) and electrolyte imbalance (extreme deficiency in potassium and sodium as well as magnesium).
Rescue food: bananas, oranges, celery, spinach, seafood and green leafy vegetables. Above all, focus on being happy.
Today’s affirmation: “Happiness is my birthright.”
Love and light!
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