Cancer concerns

The reaction to a cancer diagnosis is never the same and the victim is not always that person who has been inflicted with these evil cells. Friends and family are secondary sufferers and often the pain stems from the helplessness of not knowing what to say and do when your best friend or cousin has been diagnosed with a disease that randomly targets the healthy, obese, rich and successful.

My theory that bad things happen to good people gets proven over and over when I see active people being diagnosed and strong families reduced to insecure, unstable strangers when they cannot understand the curse of cancer. Trying to understand the source can cause more confusion with conflicting literature and some theories that suggest that cancer has emotional origins and is self inflicted. I believe that everybody who comes into contact with a disease should study the causes and treatments, but they should not judge or jump to conclusions about a disease that is changing so rapidly with scary statistics. If we were to follow the literature we would never drive in a car (carbon monoxide poisoning), take contraceptive pills (oestrogen increases could cause cancer), eat fast food (fatty acids and plastic wrapping increases cancer risk), eat fruit (pesticides that are sprayed on fruit has high levels of DDT) or stress. The irony is that when you are told not to stress about something, it becomes a worry. When I am told to “chill out”, I actually want to hit the person who utters those words. Radiation causes cancer, but radiation is a treatment to kill cancer. People have stopped smoking to avoid lung cancer, but non-smokers are becoming victims.

So, after confusing myself with all the information about cancer, I extract the facts, dismiss the tragic stories and follow the dietary and exercise advice. I also feel better knowing the stages or radiation and chemo and preparing myself for possible side effects that my friend may have after the operation.

It is difficult being supportive when somebody is not sick, but they are walking around with cells that are poisoning their bodies from the inside. You can’t tell them to “get well soon” as they are not in bed with flu symptoms. Often, the treatment will make them sicker than the disease and the more advanced the cancer, the worse the side effects. I stumbled on the fact that side effects from prescription drugs are among the top five reasons for death in the First World and cancer is less prevalent in the developing world so the poor are protected. The other side effect that is crippling is that cancer can cause people to become poor and the treatment is expensive and medical aids do not cover all expenses. My friend was trying to sort out the paperwork (which was enough to kill a forest) and I commented that the worst thing about having cancer was the administration. There are a panel of doctors and specialists involved in an operation and the gynaechologist, anaesthitist, surgeon and specialists must get consulted and paid.

As with all tragedies, there are good things that result from cancer. I have become more educated about the disease and people’s reaction to bad news and their unending support. Marriages are cemented, friendships are strengthened and self discovery is part of the process. I just hope that the medical advances continue to make detection and cancer management easier. There should be support groups for the supporters.

Cold

Forgotten New Year’s resolutions, winter hibernation and health niggles.

It’s time to sit back on the couch with your blanket and fat free hot chocolate and reflect on the past six months. The goals that were set with the countdown into 2007 have been forgotten as soon as the hangover wore off or when the winter weather replaced the long summer days.

Colds have replaced sinus from the pollen and increased the Kleenex usage. Just as there is no miracle cure for laziness, allergies and flu symptoms do not magically disappear. Getting out of bed is our first challenge for the day and the resolutions that seemed achievable are a sore subject.

Cold can be an adjective (it will be a cold day in hell before we get out of bed to go to gym), verb (we are getting cold) or illness.

The winter cold relief - most over-the-counter cold preparations contain aspirin or paracetamol, and a decongestant which reduces nasal stuffiness and dries up secretions. However, a risk of the rebound phenomenon is associated with the use of decongestants: after the action of the agent is over, the secretions recur worse than before. Pseudoephedrine should not be taken if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, prostrate problems, diabetes or thyroid problems.

Avoiding the cold - drink herbal tea, eat garlic and consume probiotic foods to help boost immunity.  The antibacterial properties fight infections and flu.

Warming up from the cold - there is nothing better than a vigorous exercise session to warm up the body for hours instead of snuggling in bed, trying to stop your toes freezing.

Controlling the cold – keep moving throughout the day. The cold tends to target idle bodies that are static. Prevent the icicles growing on your body by getting up and walking around at regular intervals to keep the heart rate slightly elevated.

Overcoming the cold – remember that summer will be here in four months and the layers will have to be shed to prepare for the holiday season. Hopefully, clothes will be the only thing that will need to be removed when the weather heats up and not excess kilos from the extra calories and exercise strike during the winter hibernation.

Kill the Diet

KILL THE DIET

When the burger joint knows your name and order by the sound of your voice as soon as you call them, it is time to make a few adjustments to your eating plan.

The only time I “dye-it” is when my hair changes colour. Any educated person knows that a diet is a short-term fad that leads to a long-term effect that is physically, mentally and socially detrimental.

Eating plans become part of a balanced lifestyle while eating disorders leave physical and psychological imbalances in most cases.

I live alone, do not cook and I enjoy junk food. While my exercise routine is regular and stable, eating patterns are governed by time, cravings and budget.

I want to lose the extra fat that no amount of exercise can remove from my active body. I’m training for half marathons, cycling and a toned body and the only kilos I can afford to add should be to my mileage, not my midline.

My main problem involves balance. I’m out of balance when I run, placing more emphasis on one side of my body to do all the work. When it comes to eating, my impression of a balanced diet involves having some form of food in each hand. Coffee and muffin, beer and snack, chocolate and bubbly. I also make the mistake of trying to alter the balance by putting a book or magazine in one hand and when I’ve finished the chapter, a packet of chips has also disappeared! The other hand is to blame.

My conclusion is that most eating “sins” can be controlled by the mind and I’ve formulated these tips to reduce consumption:

Ø  Buy deep, narrow cookie jars and buy small packets of cookies – this will ensure that you cannot reach your favourite biscuits once you’ve eaten the top layer.

Ø  Never eat alone – always make eating a social occasion. This has a dual purpose: avoidance of messy fast foods such as pizza and burgers and eating more slowly (like the experts recommend) while chatting as it’s rude to talk with your mouth full.

Ø  Take a doggie bag when dining out – this can lead to less hassle to make lunch for work the next day or the car guard at the restaurant can get an edible tip.

Ø  Finish chewing before taking the next bite. Think of exercising those jaw muscles optimally by chewing as slowly as possible. If only spot fat reduction were possible I would be gaunt from chewing carefully and talking a lot.

Ø  Rather have desert with lunch than with supper to give it more time to settle. Have a low calorie drink, like a skinny capucino for desert instead of cake.

Ø  Include protein in all meals to improve satiety and feel fuller.

Ø  Cheat foods should not be lying around the house calling your name whenever you are too lazy to cook.

Ø  Take the fast food outlets and delivery services off your speed dial and remove the menus from your fridge.

Ø  Drink water with meals and avoid carbonated drinks and alcohol.

Ø  Be conscious of everything that you put in your mouth. Remember when you cheat and whether it was worth the empty calories that must now be exercised away.

Changing your lifestyle should not be drastic or compulsive, but being aware of food choices and snacking improves eating habits and leads to a better balance with both hands raised in victory after achieving your goal.