Nothing is ever really set in stone. Knowledge in the field of medicine and health is continuously updated. And that is why it pays to be well-informed so that, ultimately, one can make an informed choice. Let me answer some of your urgent concerns as best I can.

Q: I wish to be sexier. Overweight at 42, I feel like a 72-year-old single mom. Help!

Your situation involves a synergistic involvement of body, mind and spirit. Even if I guide you towards your “looking sexy” goal, there is a more urgent need at hand—and that’s feeling sexy!

Would you believe me if I share with you one important truth? It’s not the physical that has a dramatic impact on the non-physical (i.e. mental, emotional). Rather the opposite—the mental state of mind can influence the way one looks. Even if you have an hourglass figure (36-24-36) with an angelic face, your thoughts and, most especially, how you see yourself can negate all of your physical attributes.

You’ve got to feel sexy before you look sexy. Sexiness is a state of mind.

Here are few pointers:

See your doctor. Have a complete blood test. Look into your hormone profile. This is because hormones such as estrogen, testosterone and thyroid can affect your mood and energy levels.

Check for any vitamin/mineral deficiency—most especially vitamin B, the anti-stress vitamin.

Enroll in a gym. Ask them to draw up a total physical workout program for you involving cardiovascular and strength training.

A nutritional plan must be prepared—one that is balanced. For example, if you sugar binge, you will be prone to mood swings. Consult a nutritionist or a friend who is a health buff.

Enroll in a mind development seminar to tap the power of positive thinking. Call Jimmy Licauco, tel. 8107245.

Learn to love yourself better. Do little things to reward yourself, whether it’s a visit to the spa or getting a makeover from your hairdresser.

Q: At age 25, I developed stage 3 stomach cancer. Do I have to be a vegetarian in order to live amid this dreaded disease?

As most oncologists maintain, cancer doesn’t just appear overnight. It is a condition of the body that develops over time. Perhaps the signs were already there, but you chose to ignore them.

Patrick Quillin, Ph.D, R.D., nutrition director for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America and author of “Beating Cancer with Nutrition,” says that nutritional therapy can extend the lifespan of cancer patients (even challenging cancers like lung, liver and pancreas) by an average of 10 years.

While it is not a magic bullet, nutritional therapy can dramatically improve the quality of life (with chances for complete remission). The recommended lifestyle and regimen is as follows:

Stress management—Remove all the stressors from your life.

Go vegan—100 percent vegetarian means your diet is plant-based.

Note: If the patient has lost muscle mass and weight, protein shakes like whey are recommended.

Go low—in salt and sugar

Juicing—drink up on given juices like romaine, watercress, cucumber, green apple, moringa (malunggay) and bitter melon (ampalaya).

Nutritional warfare—Yes, it’s a war inside your body. In order to fight inflammation caused by free radical damage, you need the following:

A natural-based multivitamin/mineral supplement, 2,000-12,000 mg of powdered and buffered vitamin C or in IV drip form.

400 IU vitamin E as natural tocopherol, 800 micrograms of 1-selenomethionine or selenium, 2 grams of eccosapentaenoic acid, 400 mg gamma-linoleic acid (fatty acids known to slow tumor growth)

200 mg coenzyme Q10

2-12 grams arginine

1-5 grams glutamine

Herbal support from flor essence (a Canadian Ojibway Indian concoction)

Contact: Herbcare—tel. 802-2222

Turmeric or yellow ginger is an ancient anti-cancer remedy used in the Ayurvedic tradition.

Take three capsules daily with meals. For Ayurvedic cleansing therapy, call Father Jacob Gnalian, 0910-6871406/ tel. 5315789.

Hydrogen peroxide therapy—A simple therapy using three drops of oral-grade hydrogen peroxide in a full glass of water. This daily habit raises the oxygen level in the body, making it uninhabitable to viruses, bacteria, molds and parasites. The oral therapy is available through Father Jacob’s Sandhi Ayurveda Clinic.

The IV version is one of the detox procedures in Dr. Chris Enriquez’s Rapha Health Clinic, tel. 7573335

Q: Is there a cure for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)?

There are some solutions and remedies.

This is a hand-numbing and painful condition where the narrow bony passage called the carpal tunnel is inflamed. Found inside the wrist, nine tendons and the nerve called the median nerve are encased in synovium. When this gets inflamed, the squeegee on the nerve is affected all the way to the fingers.

Symptoms:

Numbness in the hands

Sharp sparks of pain in the thumb and index finger

More women suffer from CTS than men due to hormonal deficiencies caused by pregnancy, menopause and taking birth control pills.

TO DO:

Not all CTS cases need surgery, so try to find a less intrusive approach because there are no guarantees with the surgical option.

Vitamin B6, 50 to 300 mg daily for 90 days, can ease the painful symptoms.

Natural sources:

Avocados

Brown rice

Chicken breast

Bananas