King Saud of Saudi Arabia was one of the richest men in the world but he had developed stomach ulcers. As a result, his diet was restricted to intake of only curd,
buttermilk and a few soft foods. He clearly appreciated the full meaning behind the simple phrase that “Health is Wealth”.
Normally, the management of good personal health focuses on proper eating and exercising. This amounts to touching the issue only on the periphery. Several other equally important factors must also be addressed in parallel to ensure a meaningful and practical approach to good health. In other words, a holistic approach to perception and management of good health is required to ensure benefits throughout your lifetime. The following thoughts are presented in a step by step progression.
- The human body is a super machine that performs millions of life sustaining functions throughout its lifetime.
- The human body constantly maintains, repairs, and rejuvenates itself.
- Recognize that your body has an upper tolerance limit for physical and emotional abuse beyond which its basic functions suffer. That is when malfunctions in the body set in.
- Any malfunction allowed to persist within your body over a protracted period of time causes disease. The malfunctions adversely affect your body’s defense systems including the nervous system, metabolism, and immune system.
- Malfunction is an imbalance within the human body. The imbalance can be physical, chemical, emotional or a combination of these factors. Once a malfunction occurs in the body, it is capable of triggering other related malfunctions.
Your body constantly and automatically maintains several chemical and physical balances that include sugar balance, water balance, chemical balance, nutrient balance, temperature balance, hormonal balance, “gas-acidity-cough” balance, and several others. The human body carries out all of these innumerable balancing functions simultaneously on its own with its built-in intelligence. Realize that this is not the intelligence of your brain.
Acknowledge, appreciate, and give credit to your body for doing all this for you constantly. Cultivate balance and harmony within to help the body do its job. - A disease did not just happen to you on that day when your doctor announces that “You have the disease ". Recognize that your disease is the result of cumulative malfunctions within your body over a protracted period of time. A simple example is irregular bowel movement that can trigger related malfunctions if allowed to continue unchecked.
- Care and cure of disease lies in harmonizing the physical, chemical, and emotional imbalances.
- Disease, simply stated, is manifestation of the malfunctions within your body preventing or hindering metabolism of food.
Metabolism is the sum of processes within your body by which a particular substance is processed and assimilated in the body. Metabolism is the super intelligence provided by Mother Nature within your body. - Recognize that in the first place, a major malfunction occurs because various other malfunctions or imbalances have been allowed to prevail and remained unnoticed or unchecked over a protracted period of time. Therefore, it is imperative that you constantly stay tuned to the numerous signals that your intelligent body provides for existing problems.
The preliminary body signals may manifest in the form of fatigue, depression, frequent infections, sleeplessness, excessive urination or thirst, dual vision, itching, slower healing of wounds, belching gases, migraine headaches and other related symptoms. - Recognize that each and every substance you eat or drink is metabolized and as a result contribute suitable nutrients to your body through the blood stream. Components of the food that are not useful for the body are excreted automatically out of the body.
- There are different forms of sugars namely Glucose, Sucrose, Fructose, Sucrose and others although all of them taste sweet. Table sugar derived from sugar cane contains mostly a form of sugar called Sucrose. Carbohydrates (contained in rice, wheat, corn, rye, oats, millets and other grains) once ingested by your body are metabolized into a form of sugar called Glucose. Fruits, honey, nuts and vegetables also contain sugar in various forms and quantities. Disciplined world-class athletes who develop remarkable stamina completely avoid table sugar in their diets simply because table sugar has no nutrients or food value. Table sugar offers only impoverished calories.
As sugar appears in the blood stream, the pancreas secrets a hormone called insulin in the appropriate amount. Through a marvelous mechanism, insulin helps convert sugar into energy. Sugar is thus metabolized and then converted into energy.
A reasonable amount of sugar is absolutely necessary for the body. Shortage of sugar causes confusion in brain. All of the sugar required by the body is easily available through adequate intake of natural fruits, nuts and other nutritious foods. As a simple model, be aware that every food that is ingested gets converted into sugar and then energy. Excess sugar and unutilized energy (calories derived from it) will be deposited as fat in the body. This fat is a bad form of fuel for the body. - Besides sugar, the body also requires several other nutrients, which must be supplied to the body through consumption of appropriate natural foods. After extracting necessary nutrients and metabolizing them from the ingested food, the nutrients are carried by the blood stream to irrigate all parts of the body. Your blood stream carries all life sustaining ingredients or nutrients such as Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Uric acid, Albumin, Globulin Cholesterol, Triglycerides, Iron, Protein and many others. The blood stream flowing through the arteries, veins, and very thin blood vessels is like a large river and its tributaries. Blood stream irrigates every cell in the entire body with necessary nutrients as well as important gases such as Oxygen, Nitrogen and others.
- Modern pathological laboratories conduct several tests on a blood sample. The following table shows the reference range for important tests performed on a blood sample.
(Ref: Smith Kline Beecham Clinical Labs):
**** CHART GOES HERE **** - Recognize that the human body has different built-in intelligence systems in its framework to identify and utilize every component of food that is ingested. For example, if spinach is coming down the throat turnpike into the stomach, the human body is fully capable of processing it and identifying its composition. It recognizes that iron is present in spinach, although most of it cannot be abosrbed by the body. The body also knows that calcium which is present in spinach has a synergistic effect in improving the absorption of iron. Thus the human body’s built-in intelligence metabolizes spinach and extacts iron from it. Man just discovered this secret in 19th Century!
Besides iron, spinach also contains magnesium, copper, manganese, vitamin E, cobalt, chlorine, silica, sodium, vitamin A, vitamin B-6, biotin and oxalic acid (www.templewiltoncommunityfam.com). The long list sounds like a multivitamin tablet. That is why Popeye the sailor man loves spinach! - Another example is in consumption of meat as a food. Meat is one of the most well balanced sources of protein, essential acids, iron, vitamin B 12 and fibers. Its ingredients, through compliments of Mother Nature, are also present in synergistic combinations.
- The presence of multiple ingredients in each food in synergistic combinations simply means that their presence is complimentary to the overall magic of the metabolism of food in the human body. Edible natural food products are metabolized by the human body in a joint venture with Mother Nature. These are simple examples through which we see how human body performs as an efficient machine with its built-in intelligence. Become aware of it and recognize its contributions to your well being. Also recognize that all of the above-described metabolizing functions are being carried out constantly within your body without your approval or supervision. And, the body is simultaneously carrying out innumerable other chemical reactions and processes for sustaining the body. It is mind boggling to say the least, but not confusing.
- Intentionally or unintentionally, Man often does not cooperate with the efficient working of his own body. Man introduces unnecessary stresses in the system. Excessive indulgence, negative attitude, lack of adequate exercise are typical examples that disrupt the body’s efficient machine. That is when disease in one form or another sets in.
- Diabetes is a disease that afflicts many people. When diabetes strikes, your pancreas looses or partially looses its capability (intelligence) to convert sugar present in blood stream into energy. When the doctor announces that “You have diabetes” your attention focuses on the pancreas, probably for the first time! When the pancreas was doing its job efficiently, normally and constantly, you probably never recognized the help you received. When the pancreas slowed down in performing its natural function, your body had provided preliminary signals such as excessive thirst, more frequent urination, itching of skin, fatigue, dual vision, dizziness and others. In most cases you simply ignored the symptoms or did not take notice because you were distracted by different priorities of life.
Recognize that diabetes does not strike suddenly. In some cases its seeds are sown in your DNA, which simply means that you are prone to developing diabetes if you do not take good care of your health. - Cancer is as yet a disease of undefined proportions and origin. Look at it as a disease that is a manifestation of several malfunctions within the body that disarms the body’s self-management systems including the immune system. A healthy body’s immune system has enough fighting power to resist and subdue the invading cancerous cells and annihilate them in their track. Only when several malfunctions gang up and weaken the body’s internal built-in defenses do the cancerous cells get an opportunity to attack the body.
- Heart disease, which is also identified as hypertension, is progression of multi-dimensional imbalances within the emotional and physical faculties of human body. Recognize that the root cause of each disease is in the mind. Each fit of anger should be considered a mini heart attack. When you hurl an abuse at another individual, initially it hurts you internally at a sublime level. Your external action in anger has an internal reaction and consequence. If you have had a heart attack, realize that you have earned it.
A heart attack is much more than just a wake up call.
Consider it as a blessing in disguise. It may teach you to own full responsibility for yourself.
Some times the very first heart attack is fatal and
it leaves the person disabled in different
ways with different complications. Realize that a heart attack inflicts a damage, which is directly in proportion to the neglect of the body.
A heart attack is not a revenge by the heart against
you. It is a way that heart chose best to handle an
emergency in the best way it knew how to. The heart
was simply doing its job sincerely and trying to get
your attention and medical help. As soon as the supply
of blood to the heart was throttled, the heart instantaneously transmitted a sharp signal to you. You felt that signal as an intense discomfort in your chest
or arm or jaw. You or your doctor identified the
discomfort and pain as angina. If you were lucky, a
paramedic or an ambulance arrived just in time. Your
most sincere friend, your heart, had done its job most
efficiently. You paid attention to the body’s signal when it was absolutely necessary and critical. Thank your heart for communicating the effective signal in a very timely manner.
Recognize that your heart is your best friend, always
has been from the moment you first started breathing.
The bond of friendship between you and your heart will be permanent until your last breath. Maintain a constant friendly dialogue and relationship with your heart. No body is closer to you than your own heart.
The heart is simply a muscle from a medical
standpoint. But your heart that beats to the universal
rhythm without your permission is also the epicenter
of life consciousness. Brain is the seat of your mind. Mind and heart have a very special mutual and life long relationship. Enjoy it to your heart’s content. - When a disease strikes, your first reaction to the doctor’s verdict is usually denial and or panic. For some people, the denial stage can last for months, even years. In many cases, procrastination and ignorance complicate the matter further. The result is that during the denial and procrastination period you give permission to the disease to further invade and harm your body within. Do not procrastinate. Get the bull by the horn. Simply said, try to understand and tame a disease starting immediately. Take full responsibility for yourself. Recognize that some diseases can be cured, some can be managed through lifetime, and some cannot be cured depending upon the time of intervention. In this context, one of the old and simple prayer offers very practical consolation. The prayer is “Lord, grant me the courage to change things that I can, and to accept the things that I can not change; and the wisdom to know the difference”.
- Now having recognized all of the above factors, we focus our attention on the further understanding of prevention and management of disease. Disease offers an opportunity or an excuse to understand yourself.
- Recognize that a pill, an injection, a bypass, or a transplant alone cannot offer an optimum cure for a disease. Be aware that taking excessive amounts of medications can cause detrimental side effects. Therefore consistently make every effort to minimize the intake of medications. Like alcoholics, some people get emotionally addicted to excessive medications.
- Recognize that your doctor can do just so much to help you deal with your disease. Depending upon his assessment, he can prescribe the appropriate medication, its dosage and recommend lifestyle changes for you. A professional doctor is neither a magician nor a miracle maker nor claims to be. You yourself will have to take complete responsibility for helping yourself to better health. Effective management and control of disease demands constant awareness, self-education and faith in self.
- Listed below are significant complementary actions for execution in parallel to ensure the optimum control and management of health. These recommended actions are mentioned in order of their importance:
- Minimize stress.
- Exercise daily.
- Eat proper food.
- Monitor Blood Sugar Level (BSL) and Blood Pressure (BP).
- Take appropriate medications.
- Be informed to help your doctor help you better.
- Minimize Stress.
Recognize that stress does not come from outside. You generate stress within depending on the way you perceive and react to the events around you. Experiences of the past constantly affect your reaction pattern to events in the present. Negative perceptions cause stress. Positive perceptions create harmony within. Your present is a reflection of your past. If you want to know what your future will be, then carefully examine your present. If you do not like your present, then change it.
Stress reduction is effectively accomplished through meditation and not through medications, drugs or alcohol.
Meditation promotes positivism within. Recognize that
meditation is not a religious ritual. Meditation is not
the denial of anything. Meditation is not an intellectual
pursuit or pursuit of scholarship. Meditation is not and
should not be a rigid system. Rigidity is not discipline.
Individual’s discipline should not come out of
compulsion. Discipline with free choice promotes
creativity, growth, and maturity. Different cultures
around the world have put forth different techniques of
meditations. Find a meditation technique most
conducive to your inner self. Search and you will find
a technique that best suits you.
Meditation is simply an individual's latent desire to
establish harmony within one self. Meditation is self-
discipline for silencing of the mind to experience harmony and bliss within. Carefully read or listen to the words of wisdom offered by self
enlightened individuals through human history. They all say the same thing, just in different words and languages. To experience harmony and bliss within, you must take full responsibility for yourself and take the first step to practicing meditation. In meditation you are alone, but not lonely. When you take the first step, only then will it lead to the second step, then to the third and you move on forward. Stepping in the right direction forward may take some trials and tribulations. but out of it will surface the right direction. Inner blissfulness will help you experience happy coincidences in life. Meditation suggests:
At this moment, be here.
Be here, in this moment.
In this moment, behold your self.
Behold the universe that lies within.
In it lie the realities of existence.
Universe is orderly, integrated and harmonious.- Exercise Daily
Regularity is the key. Just as you breathe regularly, you must also exercise regularly. Have an active and stimulating life style most suitable for your age and physical condition. Most recommended is the system of exercises which is commonly identified as Yoga.
It is a broad system of postures and movements complemented with breathing techniques. The breathing technique is a system by itself and is identified in Sanskrit language as Pranayam which is a composite word:
Pran + Yam = Pranayam
The word Pran implies breath, and Yam implies speed or rhythm. Pranayam is a system of breathing exercises with variations in the rhythm and speed of breathing.
The Yoga system of exercises complemented with Pranayam, represent centuries of fine tuned knowledge and wisdom. Performing Yoga and Pranayam requires no equipment, only your commitment and dedication.
Yoga and Pranayam address body’s elasticity, balance, mind focus and control. An elastic and balanced body stays healthy, both physically and emotionally.Yoga and Pranayam promote self-awareness leading to the innate desire to understand one’s true universal identity.
It is preferable thatYoga and Pranayam should be learnt under the guidance of an experienced Guru (teacher) who practices daily what he or she teaches. Reading books, watching TV or video instructions are not proper substitutes for a Guru. Earnestly seek out a good Yoga and Pranayam teacher and you will find one. Based on your personal physical abilities and limitations, your Yoga teacher will recommend appropriate levels of Yoga and Pranayam for you.
Commonly heard is an excuse that I do not have adequate time for exercise. This statement is simply an admission that your priority for other life activities is higher! Realize that regular daily exercise will enhance your ability to function much more efficiently and effectively during the entire day. Yoga and Pranayam invigorate your life energy and reinforce your personal foundation on a daily basis. - Eat Proper Food:
Do not go on any fancy dieting plan. Eat wisely. Food can be selected and prepared to be appetizing as well as delicious. Take time to enjoy your food. Just make sure that you choose your food wisely every time you snack or eat a meal. The food you choose to eat must supply a broad range of vitamins and nutrients that your body requires on a daily basis. Stay away from nutritionally starved foods such as table sugar. Here are some broad guidelines for eating wisely with a common sense approach:
* Gradually minimize intake of raw sugar (table sugar, and products made from it such as jams, jellies, cakes, pies, laddoos, and burfees) from your diet. The word “gradually” is used simply to minimize shock to your body and psyche as you begin to manage your eating habits. The broad variety of recommended foods that you can and should eat will provide more than adequate amounts of sugar, essential vitamins, nutrients, micro nutrients, fiber and bulk required to support your body functions.
* Eat fresh foods offered by Mother Nature. Avoid canned or preserved foods.
* Eat a wide variety of seasonal fresh fruits and
vegetables. There is a reason why specific fruits and vegetables grow in specific seasons.
* Eat a broad range of bright colored vegetables and fruits (red, green, purple, yellow, etc).
* Eat a wide variety of whole grain cereals and
sprouted grains
* Eat a wide variety of nuts in small portions.
* Eat lean meats including fish and poultry. Avoid red meats such as beef, pork, goat, lamb, deer, Bake or grill meats.
* Eat 3 to 5 eggs per week. Consume egg whites and minimize consumption of yellow yolk.
* Eat a broad variety of spices.
* Drink plenty (1 to 1.5 Liters) of pure water every day. Minimize or eliminate intake of carbonated and sugar sweetened drinks.
* Gradually minimize intake of table salt and fats in food you eat. Eat iodized salt.
* Cook your food in pure vegetable oils, instead of hydrogenated oils such as margarine that are solid at room temperatures.
* Choose cooking oils that have low saturated fats
(Canola, Olive).
* Minimize intake of whole milk or products made from it. Preferably consume low fat milk, curd (yogurt), and butter milk. Drink soymilk.
* Minimize intake of dairy products such as cheese, butter, ghee.
* Freely consume soybean products including tofu, soya milk, soya burgers etc.
* Eat sprouted grains such as Mung, Matki, Chickpeas, lentils, and other sproutable beans and grains of your choice.
Moderation is the key. Eat wisely.
Different foods are digested in stomach at different
rates and therefore the sugar produced from them
comes into the blood stream at different times. For
example, the sugar from candy will enter the blood
stream almost immediately, where as in comparison the
sugar from an apple or a carrot will get into the blood
stream at a much slower rate. White bread made of refined flours will digest rather quickly as compared to bread made from whole grain. Sprouted raw Mung grain will digest more slowly than bread. Meat will digest more slowly than sprouted Mung. Eating the slower digesting foods helps Blood Sugar Levels rise slowly, which is very desirable.
Eating a wide variety of foods is highly recommended.
Be aware that besides the basic vitamins (such as vitamin A, B6, B12, C, and E etc.), each food brings certain unique combination of micro nutrients which are absolutely essential for the body in its life sustaining functions or processes. Many of these micro nutrients such as sodium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, selenium, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, chromium, molybdenum and others are present in various foods in extremely small quantities. We may not even be aware of them, yet these micronutrients in balanced quantities are vital to our life sustaining processes. Receiving these micronutrients through consumption of natural foods is much more preferable than taking them through vitamin pills and capsules. Nature provides all of the vitamins, minerals and micro nutrients in a chemical form and synergy that makes it easy for the human body to
metabolize efficiently and utilize fully.
Enjoy the food you eat at all times. Do not be too picky about food you eat and unnecessarily raise your stress levels. Recognize that high stress levels throw your nervous system and metabolism out of balance. Eat wisely and moderately. - Monitor Blood Sugar Level (BSL):
What I should eat and how much should I eat to maintain good health are two commonly asked questions. The answer to both questions lies in your BSL. A simple test that can be performed quickly at home will help you check your BSL. The simple test is performed with a palm-sized unit called a glucometer, which is now commonly available. The BSL reading indicates the amount of sugar present in the blood stream at the time of testing. It measures and reports BSL in mg/dL unit.
The target range of fasting BSL (reading taken after 12
to 14 hrs of fasting) normally taken in the morning is 80 to 120 mg/dl. This is the BSL range of a normal healthy body.
By eating wisely and exercising adequately, if you can
maintain your BSL close to this ideal range of 80 to
120 mg/dl throughout the day, everyday, your body
will soon reach an ideal weight for itself. And your
body will maintain the right weight range automatically; guaranteed. Using this technique, I have been able to maintain my personal weight between 145 and 160 pounds for he past 10-15 years. Within this weight range, I have adequate energy level for my daily activities and feel over-all healthy; therefore I consider it as the right weight range for myself. Consequently, I have no need to ask my doctor what my body weight should be. It would be an over statement to say that during those 10 to 15 years my BSL has been controlled precisely within the desirable 80 to 120 mg./dl range. There must have been several unmeasured high spikes of BSL. However, the awareness of controlling BSL helps control indulgence and temptations for rich food. It is ok to indulge off and on without feeeling guilty about it, but not repeat it often. Follow the discipline and verdict of BSL for your overall wellness.
As an exercise in self-education, measure and record your BSL several times during the course of a day. This information will help you clearly understand the relationship between what you have eaten and how it affects your BSL. Once you grasp the concept of BSL control for maintaining a healthy diet and body, you won’t have to play the futile game of tracking calories or following the standard height and weight charts.
More importantly, be aware that body weight alone does not define your health. Generally speaking, healthy weight of a body is a balanced combination of muscle, fat and water; the weight of bones is presumed constant. Muscles can be developed and maintained only with regular exercise. There are no short cuts. Do not get tempted into using hormone therapy for developing muscles quickly.
Use the following guideline when you are just starting
to develop your own BSL profile:
o Check first BSL in the morning (12 to 14 hours of fasting).
o Check second BSL 90-120 minutes after breakfast.
o Check third BSL just before lunch.
o Check fourth BSL 90-120 minutes after lunch.
o Check fifth BSL just before dinner.
o Check sixth BSL 90-120 minutes after dinner.
In the beginning you may have to do this type of BSL profiling, once a week or a frequency of your choice. Correlate this information with your corresponding food intake, exercise and stress level during the day. As you get more knowledgeable in interpreting your own BSL data, you may repeat BSL profile whenever you feel it necessary. Try to establish the correlation yourself and pretty soon you will understand how to better manage your own health and the health of your family.
After consultation with your doctor, set your own standard for BSL control. Do not set BSL standards too tight and frustrate yourself. Frustration causes stress and adversely affects general health.
Do not become paranoid about your BSL. Do not become careless either. Clearly understand its significance.
Another test is available for checking the long-term
BSL picture. This test is identified as Hemoglobin A1C
(HbA1c). The HbA1c blood test measures the amount
of sugar that attaches to the protein in your red blood
cells. These cells live for approximately three months. So the HbA1c indicates your average BSL during that time period. At this time, this test cannot be performed conveniently at home. It has to be performed in the lab by trained technician; althogh some HbA1C measuring units for domestic use are gradually appearing in the market.
The greater the amount of sugar in your blood, the
higher your HbA1c results will be. The unit in which
HbA1c is reported is different than the units of BSL
reported by the glucometer. The HbA1c is reported as
a %. If your HbA1c results are near target (6 % or
less), you are managing your BSL quite well. If your
results are higher than this, you are at risk for
developing obesity and related complications.
The HbA1c test may be done once in six months
depending upon your BSL control issues. Table below may be used as a general guide:
**** CHART GOES HERE ****
The seesaw of BSL keeps on swinging throughout the day. Try to understand it and control the swings within a reasonable range. Stay tuned to your body signals. - Take Appropriate Medications
Follow your personal doctor’s recommendations for
appropriate medications if and when necessary.
Communicate with your doctor openly to help him
help you better. But also remember that nobody
knows your body any better than you do. You live in it
constantly and you have been living in it ever since
you were born. After carefully listening to your doctor,
his recommendations and examining alternative
medicines, use your intuition and common sense to
guide yourself. Be well informed. That is your
personal responsibility. - Help your doctor to help you better:
Buy a glucometer and a blood pressure (BP) measuring unit to enable you to measure BSL and BP at home. Recognize that your BP also changes throughout the day. If you cannot afford to buy the BSL and BP measuring units, you may form a group and purchase collectively to share the cost and benefits.
Checking BP, pulse rate and BSL give you reliable absolute figures to base your judgements. You will be helping your doctor immensely by providing him with your BSL, BP and pulse rate raedings taken at various times during a day. This is your homework. The BSL, BP and pulse rate profile during the day will enhance your doctor's ability to better diagnose your physical condition. Visit your doctor for a general checkup when you are feeling normal and healthy. He may give you some useful tips and preventive measures to continue feeling healthy. - Take responsibility for yourself:
Take full responsibility for effective management of your own health because nobody else will do it for you.
- Exercise Daily
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