Our body is constantly trying to maintain a high level of health. But if we consistently abuse our body with unhealthy food and unhealthy habits, even the most healthy body will suffer.
Young people nowadays do not bother about their health. They eat what they like, drink what they want and think it's cool to smoke. They cannot possibly imagine they would get sick or get cancer as they feel they are fit and healthy. To them, cancer is only for older people. Diabetes and heart attacks are for those over 40s. Well, how wrong they are!
I am fortunate to have learnt a lot about health the past few years that some people even call me a doctor. Haha! But I am not a doctor of course. I just love to read up about health because to me, health is my no.1 priority in life. I want to start living a healthy life now so that hopefully, by the time I reach 40 or 50 years old, I will still be as healthy as now.
Think about it. What's the point of having lots of money if you don't have the good health to enjoy it? Without good health, can you do the things that you really enjoy like traveling, eating good food, play sports, even spending a good time with your friends and loved ones?
Image courtesy of americanprogress.org
What most youngsters do not realise is that diseases progress slowly. You don't get cancer overnight. A man who discovers he has cancer at the age of 45 probably started abusing his body since his early 20's.
According to Harvey Diamond, author of the best-selling health book of all time, Fit For Life, we can actually divide the progression of disease into 7 stages.
I have discussed about Stage 1 in Part 2. Now let's move on to the next stage.
Stage 2 : Toxemia
Toxemia or toxicosis occurs when the uneliminated toxic material in our body starts to saturate the blood, lymph nodes and tissues of the body. The body recognizes that this situation must be remedied, and will attempt to cleanse itself by initiating a fever.
Yes, that's right! Getting a fever is what you will experience at this stage. But before you run to the doctor and get some drugs to lower your fever, let me explain why that is not such a good idea!
A fever actually mobilizes the body's defences. When there is an emergency, such as an over-accumulation of toxins in the body, metabolism is accelerated by increasing the heat available. This is controlled by the hypothalamus in the brain which acts like a human thermostat.
Image courtesy of eapbiofield
The heat is necessary to eliminate the toxins which have accumulated beyond the body's ability to tolerate them and beyond the body's ability to eliminate without some extraordinary modifications, like a fever. Heat acts as a catalyst which causes the toxins to liquefy and pass into the bloodstream where they are transported to the organs of elimination (bowels, bladder, lungs and skin) and thus out of the body.
As you can see, fever is actually your friend! If you have fever, do not attempt to lower the fever by taking drugs. Doing so will stop the fever from accomplishing its intended task of eliminating toxins from your body. Instead, drink lots of water and have lots of rests.
Perhaps some of you may have heard that if you don't lower a high fever, you may suffer from brain damage and may even die from it! Well, according to Harvey Diamond, this is plain nonsense!
Temperature regulation is one of the most basic mechanisms of the human body. It is initiated and controlled by the body and is intelligently utilised as one if its primary defensive techniques. The idea that the body would raise its own temperature until the brain is fried or damaged is ridiculous to say the least.
Fever is one way in which the body uses to eliminate toxins. You may or may not know this, but drugs are not natural and the body identifies them as toxins. When we take in drugs to suppress the fever, we are in fact, adding more toxins into our body. Now how will your body cope when it's trying to get rid of excess toxins by way of a fever, and here you go, adding even more toxins instead? Is it any wonder that some patients die not from high fever but from the drugs they ingest in an attempt to lower their fever?
When you don't interrupt the fever, it will accomplish its intended task, and subside on its own.
Note: Personally, I think if a fever is too high (which is above 41°C), it must be treated as an emergency, especially those who are elderly and have heart diseases. This is because fever increases the heart rate thus putting additional strain on elderly people and those with weak hearts. If you have low grade or moderate fever, you do not need to take any drugs to lower them. If you feel uncomfortable, you may lower the fever by using a wet cloth to wipe the forehead and body. Try to avoid drugs as much as possible.
In Part 4, I will talk on Stage 3 : Irritation. Stay tuned!
FIRST COMMENTER
Indeed good health is more important than money.
You're right, without good health, more money for me is useless because I have to suffer myself with the money. Not worth at all. By the way, one of my ex-colleague just passed away last month due to cancer disease and the doctor only detected the disease this year. That means the cancer spread really fast through the body. Life is really short and we need to really take care of our health. Thanks for the sharing.
But I thought we are meant to be sick? I mean in the buddha's teaching...we will undergo this cycle. No one can avoid it..Hmm...
But I agree with you. Money is not everything. There too many diseases that millions of ringgit can't heal.
I HATEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE cancer!
Wow I didn't know that about fever. I usually drink 'Ho Yan Hor' when I have fever. Don't like panadol.
Yes I want to call you Dr Foong now. Haha
Great post!
I have to admit yes fever is actually our friend, but being it too high isn't good for us. Afterall, the fever might burn our brains like eggs. Persistent fever of course need attention too, dengue fever is not a risk to take. But overall, if the fever is minor, yes avoiding drugs is a good idea.
Thank you so much, can't wait for your next post on Irritation.
you are wrong... i am young but i bother about my health... *okok, only after i had flown to japan*
yeah only with good health, i can now go travelling, meeting friends, eating authentic food, experience exotic adventures blablablabla
good! I'm kinda health conscious person too, but too bad, I sleep late... :( Try to become a vegetarian Foong. (I'm one, for ten years already) haha.
I am Buddhist too so I agree with Tekkaus.
Regarding your statement:
If you have fever, do not attempt to lower the fever by taking drugs.
Drugs are like government's stimulus plans during recession. Whether we should take drugs depends on the situation.
mei teng, yes, but most people nowadays chase after money and in the process sacrifice their health.
i think my brain cant digest too much info.
but i do agree, nowadays, ppl chase after money and always, heatlh tends to be ignored, until the moment when they are sick n too late, the money is no use dy...
ivaluenews/lee, sorry to hear about your ex-colleague. Cancer does not appear suddenly. Your ex-colleague could have been having this cancer but undetected by doctors for many, many years.
There are a few reasons why the cancer spread so fast in your ex-colleague's case.
1) Your ex-colleague did not change his/her lifestyle after the cancer was detected. If he/she continued to eat anything he/she liked, and/or was under stress, the toxins in the body would continue to overwhelm the body and the cancer would progress at a faster rate.
2) We all have cancer cells in our body. The only reason we don't fall sick with cancer is because our immune system (especially the natural killer cells) are strong and effective enough to hunt down the cancer cells and eliminate them in our body.
If your ex-colleague suffer from lots of stress, and did not have enough rests and sleep, his immune system would not be able to detect the cancer cells much less destroy them. The cancer cells would then grow and grow in an accelerated fashion.
3) Your ex-colleague could have been diagnosed with a Stage 4 cancer, in which case it would be the end stage and much too late for the doctor to do anything.
However, the doctor would usually recommend chemotherapy and/or other treatments which involve a cocktail of the most lethal drugs in an attempt to kill off the cancer cells.
However, sad to say, these treatments not only target your cancer cells, but your good cells as well. If your ex-colleague underwent these treatment at this end stage, his already fragile immune cells could be destroyed by the drug treatment, rendering his chances of fighting the cancer cells to almost nil.
And since the treatment could not possibly destroy 100% of those cancer cells, the remaining cancer cells would grow rapidly. Besides, some of these cancer cells would become immune to these drugs, thus the treatment not only did not help the patient but accelerate him towards his demise.
4) Your ex-colleague did not have strong support from loved ones and did not have a strong mind to fight the cancer. If he/she think negatively and gave up hope too easily, the cancer would grow at a faster rate.
Furthermore, we need to have connection with God and be spiritually strong. If we do not have that "life force" in us, then again, the cancer would develop very quickly.
I have read this book "fit for life" a number of times over, and i am kind of convinced of what is written there,
i do practise of a little that i had learnt from that book, i fast once a week for 12 or 24 hours.
thank you for sharing,,,
Why! You're very much informed about cancer. I absolutely agree with you on that comment of yours. Fyi, I was diagnosed with breast ca 16 years ago. With God's blessings, I am now declared cancer free. I would say that emotional support is really a big factor in healing part from the right medicines and positive outlook.
You can read my post about my diagnosis here.
http://beng-gee.blogspot.com/2008/12/sixteen-and-victorious.html
You have done some research to blog about this. Well done.
Oooo, you read Fit for Life too... I find that cool cos I read it too (and tried it)
very informative. thank you! i am also interested in reading about and learning more about health and holistic health.
I normally do take a pill or 2 when down with fever. Perhaps I should try some of your advice here next time!
Thank you for the long informative comment and all the points you mentioned are relevant to the Cancer disease. I totally agree with you that without support from loved one and connection with GOD, people will lose their faith very fast and eventually cause the cancer cells spread faster in the body. Nice sharing.
You make me feel bad by feeding my body with wines and cigars...
"Health is Wealth" is so true for without health, what is wealth?
Fever, esp in children, should not be taken lightly as the brain does get damaged. High fever can lead to fits and in turn brain damage. I've heard of many instances on this. I shudder when I hear of parents not taking fast enough action to alleviate fever in their babies as babies are not able to express their discomfort other than cry. Parents need to be sensitive enough to be on the lookout for fever in their small children and take the necessary quick action.
Something else about fever I learned from the elders is that when one runs a fever, stay away from rice or any food made from rice such as meehoon, kuay teow, etc., as taking these food will prolong the fever and in some cases elevate the fever to 'chee moh ttang', not sure what's the name for it in English. Of course, many wave it off as old wives tale but the traditional Chinese goes by this. I do too.
I believe Buddhism says we are here to serve out our sentence or karma. A Cause-and-effect sort of. Even in this life, cause-and-effect takes place, e.g., if we do not take care of our body now, our body will not be able to take care of us in the days ahead (meaning it will get sick and break down).
As in cancer, the key to saving lives is EARLY DETECTION. Some people are afraid of the truth so they delay their visit to the doctor for a diagnosis.
Great post, Foong.
tekkaus, no we are not meant to be sick, but we will be sick if we don't take care of our health.
I think in regards to Buddha's teaching, what is meant is that we are here in the world to serve some kind of karma so we will be suffering in this life.
But don't forget, you only experience what you believe. Buddha also said "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."
In other words, you don't have to agree with my post and my opinions. Search your own truths : )
che-cheh, haha! Pls don't call me Dr Foong, although it sounds very nice! LOL!
Better not take panadol or "Ho Yan Hor" when having fever. Just let it takes its course, unless it's really high or if you know the cause of the fever eg. dengue fever. Otherwise, you'll be interrupting the fever from doing its intended work.
sure bro...try the food there and let me know....
r u into medicine? u know so well bout medical and health stuff...
with age catching up, i should also practice eating healthily as i still wanna be healthy and look good when i reach 50.
unhealthy food is yummy.. the oiler the better.. haha.. yeah true, im one of the young people who eat whatever they want.. but i dont smoke!
wow.. so its good to have fever? haha.. but i kinda dislike it.. lol so troublesome.. but thanks for sharing the info about fever! definitely useful! =)
So no panodol?
Yah, no panadol then? The doctor usually prescribe panadol too.
I still trust Chinese physician, lesser side effects. :)
Lol. I once had a brush with some sickness which involved high fever. Tried to suppress the fever which only made it even worse - I peaked at 41 degrees and had to be admitted to a ward. It was only later when I told this story to a doctor friend that he said I was damn silly for trying to suppress the fever. I should have just let the body do its job and the fever would have subsided even faster. Because of my stupidly trying to suppress it, the fever got even higher and went on for so many days.
Morale of the story: trust your body cos it ain't stupid XD
yeah..sometimes need to learn and know what type of disease as this can help us to prevent in future, m i right?
i hope that one day i can learn all types of disease and teach my next generation bout the importantness
i have a friend who ate KFC for 3 consecutive days... eew!!!
ladyviral, thanks! Yes, I agree that if fever too high, need medical attention, but for low fever, do not suppress with drugs.
fufu, why did start to take care of your health after your trip to Japan?
freedom09, wow! Vegetarian for 10 years already? Salute! : )
I can't be a vegetarian cos I will feel very hungry eating just vegetables and fruits. I need some meat although I try my best to avoid red meat : )
khengsiong, refer to my replies to Tekkaus above. As for taking drugs to suppress the fever, I do not agree with it unless it's very high fever and is life threatening.
merryn, a lot to digest meh? In a nutshell, the symptom for Stage 2 is fever. And don't lower your fever using drugs. Instead, let it takes it course to do its job of eliminating toxins from your body. Otherwise, you will progress to stage 3. That's it! : )
eugene, oh you read the book "Fit For Life" too? And practised what is taught in the book? Good for you!
Maybe you should read his newest book "Fit For Life : A New Beginning" for new information. I based this post on what is written in this book : )
tita beng, wow! You survived breast cancer 16 years ago? I will read that post of yours! Thanks for sharing : )
bengbeng, thanks! I just love to read about health topics and issues : )
jonzz, you read the book too? Wow, that's cool! You may want to read the latest book "Fit For Life : A New Beginning" : )
floreta, thanks! Do drop by more often for my posts on health! : )
jam, yes do try it! I think most people want to recover fast because they need to work next day, so they always take pills to end the fever. The fever may subside but the underlying cause will still be there. The illness will then progress silently until one day, it turns into a bigger illness.
iValueNews|Lee, you are welcome. Thanks for reading! : )
eiling, sorry about that. I know you like cigars and wine very much! Well, enjoy them but just do it moderately lah. You know, moderation is key : )
happysurfer, I think I agree with you that babies need to get medical treatment when they have high fever. Also the elderly and those who have weak hearts.
I also don't take rice when I have fever. But surprisingly, porridge is OK. How come? Do you know why?
But for Western doctors, they will tell you to eat anything you like. No pantang like us Chinese!
Yes, early detection is very important as most cancers can be cured during its initial stage or at Stage 1. But even more important than early detection is prevention.
vialentino, haha! No I'm not into medicine. But I'm once into nutrition. More on alternative health than the conventional medicine : )
life ramblings, yes you should eat healthily so that you can look and feel healthy when you reach 50! : )
kenwooi, yes I notice that most yummy food is unhealthy and most not so yummy food is healthy! I guess we have spoilt our tastebud since small.
We were so used to eating tasty, oily and rich food that when we eat something that is a little bland, we will say it does not taste good.
So for the sake of health, we should try to train our taste bud to go back to our natural state when we were first born. This can be done by slowly eating less oily food, less rich food and slightly more bland food. I know it's difficult, but it's worth trying! After a while, you will not be able to stand those very rich and oily food anymore.
Gosh! Who likes fever? Nobody! I hate it! I also want it to end as fast as possible and I'm tempted to swallow Panadol every time I have fever. But I know it's unhealthy to suppress the fever, so I back out and let it takes its course : )
a common singaporean, try not to take panadol to lower the fever, unless it's a really high fever. Also note that panadol is harmful to your liver, so do be careful to follow the recommended dosage and not overdose : )
eastcoastlife, yes better not take panadol as prescribed by doctors. Of course, if it's really high fever, please take them as per doctor's instructions.
But if mild or low grade fever, it's actually more healthy to let the fever runs its course rather than use drugs to mask the discomfort.
Chinese medicines have lesser side effects, but more slow acting compared to Western ones.
JL, that's a good lesson learnt yes? But what sickness you had that caused your fever to reach 41 degrees? Scary!
imDavidLee, yes need to cure the root cause and not simply mask the symptoms.
limpek, ooh but we are not doctors! But it's good to have more knowledge so that when we visit the doctor, we know what he's talking about and whether he knows his stuffs! Haha!
renaye, oh you better advise your friend to stop eating KFC. It is without doubt, one of the most unhealthiest food out there!
First, the chickens are pumped with growth hormones which are cancer causing.
Secondly, the fried chickens and the fries are full of oil and trans fat that will cause your body to produce excess bad cholesterol that will clog the arteries and the heart.
Thirdly, the potato whether wedges or mashed potato is high in GI (glycemix index) which spikes the blood sugar.
Fourthly, the Coke drink has over 9 teaspoons of sugar and lots of caffeine in it so it's definitely unhealthy.
So no reason to eat KFC! But, as I said before, always everything in moderation. It's OK to eat KFC once in a while, definitely not everyday for 3 consecutive days! : )
Really informative, Dr Foong. Thanks for the info.
Can't really enjoy anything if you're unhealthy. Like they say...health is wealth!
SO it's good that I don't depend on medicines...even if i have fever I don't usually take meds and just let it go unless i think there's already a need to drink.
I learnt something new today..fever is actually my friend! :-D
neo, haha! Pls don't call me Dr Foong : )
ayie, yes health is wealth! Good thing you don't take medicine to alleviate your fever! : )
monica, we all learn new things everyday, don't we? : )
wow so informative
thanks foongpc
have you heard of the desaease called Spinal Cerbral degenaration?
its kinda scary you know...
nop nope foong, i try to make my body fight it out. only when extreme aid is needed. =) I shared your post to my husband, he's the type to fall into fever meds
bluedreamer27, not very sure cos I'm not a doctor! Haha! Is it a cancer whereby the surrounding cancerous tissues press onto the spinal cord or the spinal cord nerves resulting in pain and loss of normal function of urinating and passing of stools? Yes, I've heard of it and you are right, it's scary!
ayie, what did your hubby say when you shared my post? Will he still take fever medication?
he just asked me when should he drink fever meds...well at least now he understands more why i don't like drinking much meds =)
yup all your motor nerves will loose their function
you will come to a point that you cannot walk, talk and all the motor motion
it will be hard for you to eat and swallow food and water too
scary isnt?
ayie, haha! At least there's some small pregress. hehe
bluedreamer27, it's very very scary. That's why must take care of health, yes?
i think i can call you Dr. Foong, an illegal diagnostician hehehe
I also love things about medicine which proportionately tackles Health in very general term.