After reading much on health and fitness and food, what has become clear is that nothing is clear and the only thing that is certain is that there is no panacea against all the health-related problems of man. An exercise routine for one is not good for another, a health regimen for one can be risky for another. Early this year a well-known drug for arthritis was removed from the shelf for negative side-effects on the kidneys. Tea is good for some, avoided by others. Coffee contains anti-oxidants but can contribute to heart attacks on others.
A girl I know takes food supplements to, according to her, “reverse her aging process.” Yet nothing can stop her from turning 48 early next year and she still has no man in her life. Is there a connection here? Maybe, maybe none. But a study done by medical students of a local university showed the heavy occurrence of renal failures among long-term users of food supplements.
As if things are not complicated as they are, an Internet article dealt on 10 things considered, on the average, as bad can really be beneficial to people. Here they are:
1. Beer:
I am a beer drinker, not a guzzler. My reason for moderation is the dread of having a beer-belly, not an improvement in my cardiovascular functions, which the new study is purported to reveal. And I don’t intend to find out either. A couple bottles of beer on weekend nights are enough to strike up a conversation with long-legged beer promo-girls in skimpy shorts.
2. Anger:
It is completely alright to get angry for the right reasons, right degree and at the right persons or things. Of course, in the real world, anger cannot be programmed. If kept within bounds, anger is a better coping mechanism than fear, irritation or disgust. If allowed to rule one’s life, anger can result to a host of health issues like blood pressure problems, sleep disorders and lung damage.
I recently observed that my blood pressure problem is not a function of the food that I ate but of my emotional state. My BP hovers around the 120/80 level if I had a good night’s rest. But if my bed sheet is crumpled all over and my pillows are thrown about, Capoten is a necessary companion.
But driving in the Philippines can easily drive one to red-hot anger.
3. Coffee:
Of late, I prefer iced tea over brewed coffee for the simple reason that the latter tends to give me heart palpitation and overall physical discomfort. Aside from the fact that coffee is a major source of anti-oxidants, recent studies show that it can lower the risk of diabetes and ease the onset of cirrhosis of the liver and pancreatitis.
I find coffee a good excuse to pass the time in a decent coffee shop and watch all the girls go by. If that is not good for the heart, I don’t know what else.
4. LSD:
Short for lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD came into prominence in the 60s when the counter-culture and the Vietnam war hugged people’s senses. To get away from it all, the “hippies” were born symbolizing the anti-thesis of what is “square.”
The drug is non-addictive and non-toxic but its psychological effects made it “harmful” for consumption. At any rate, it has again hit the headlines from studies showing that small doses of LSD can help prevent a relapse among people hitting rock-bottom stage of alcoholism.
I think it is better not to be an alcoholic in the first place, isn’t it?
5. Sunlight:
Unless one is a member of a construction work-gang exposed to sunlight 24/7, I never thought this is “harmful” to man. Asthmatics can benefit from regulated doses of sunlight to suppress the immune reactions known to cause asthma. It is known to boost the mood, even under the shade and helps office workers avoid afternoon drowsiness. Too much of it can cause skin cancer.
People in the tropics, like me, cannot escape it. Fortunately our skins can withstand higher levels of UV light sparing us the risks of skin cancer compared to those in the colder countries.
6. Maggots:
Took me while to put this down to keep from throwing up. I have a fear for dead flesh. Just imagine what I feel for rotten flesh, the staple for maggots. Unfortunately, maggots were approved in 2003 by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as the only live medical device. Placed on wounds, maggots munch on bacteria and dead tissues, stimulating healing, helping in preventing infection. Wow!
I’d rather settle for a stew of young guava leaves to wash wounds, then sprinkled with powdered penicillin over it and loosely covered with gauze.
A member of a well-know social networking site called me a “maggot” for negatively commenting on her emails written in cell-phone text language. One occasion where a maggot is better than her.
7. Marijuana:
I’ve written a blog on marijuana but it did not have much of its medical benefits. Often associated with memory loss, it is now considered to help stave off Alzheimer’s disease – the ultimate form of memory loss. Of course the studies were done on mice. Apparently the “grass” contains anti-inflammatory drugs that prevent brain proteins from clumping, one of them major causes of the disease.
I am doubtful on this hypothesis. In fact, because of the mice’s good memory, they follow the same routes as they scamper around my house making it so easy to catch them with fly paper strategically placed on their “remembered” paths. I pray that they don’t learn how to use the marijuana. There’s no telling what they will do if they get “high.”
8. Red wine:
Red wine is more than just a part of good dining, good music and moonlight to perk up one’s pleasure juice. Resveratrol, an anti-oxidant found in the skin of red wine grapes, can drive one to greater endurance (for what?), reduce gum disease and inhibits the onset of Alzeimer’s disease. These on top of the its being known to have potent anti-cancer and artery-protecting benefits.
But who ever said the red wine is not good for people in the first place?
9. Chocolate:
Over lunch the other day, I and my children, together with my daughter’s boyfriend, a doctor, indulged ourselves to a box of chocolate. As usual, I had one piece while the rest were helping themselves to their hearts’ delight. Then my daughter’s boyfriend asked my son, which of those in the box, was dark chocolate. To my horror, after being told, he picked a non-dark piece.
But then, doctors are never known to have good health habits.
Chocolate, the dark one, has proven in a lot of studies to be packed with flavonols, an anti-oxidant that prevents cancers and keep arteries from clogging. Lately, it has shown to increase blood flow to the brain warding off dementia.
But keep to dark chocolate. The darker the better, though more bitter. Tobleron and its ilk don’t help one’s health a bit. Munching on fried cacao beans is better, and cheaper too.
10. Sex:
Who ever said that sex is bad for people ought to be shot.
Sex is a part of life. Without it there will be no life. Too much of it, is too much life. We should thank, not condemn, Adam and Eve for eating that apple.
On the serious side, aside from the gratification and satisfaction out a good love-making, sex has shown to reduce stress, lower cholesterol (after all, it is still first and foremost a physical activity) and improve circulation throughout the body.
The more sex, the more circulation.
Bottom-line:
Like I said, the world is not of absolutes but of relatives. What is good for one may not be good for others. That someone thought that the above “bad” things can actually be good can be very debatable and controversial. At the end of the day the saying “the real test of the pudding is in the eating” shall be the ultimate judge.
