The Risks we live with

I’ve been, of late, quite careful with my health. I watch what I eat and devote some time for physical exercise. Starting at a certain age, you just know you have to begin assisting your body in order to keep up with the same old life routines.

All our efforts to stay healthy are no assurance of complete wellbeing, though. I recently spent ten days in the hospital, for stomach trouble. It was my very first time ever being hospitalized. And it was a terrible time I will never forget.

The doctor said a certain type of amoeba had infested my intestinal system. He prescribed medication, but warned that the pain might persist for a while yet. And, God, what pain I had to bear with! It was so draining that I eventually became too weak to even talk. Just letting my voice out required so much effort.

As I lay in bed for days, my mind went back to the time prior to my hospitalization. What had I eaten that triggered the ailment? How long would it be until I’d be relieved of the severe pain?

I swore to be more careful with everything. I’d always have a bottle of hand sanitizer ready in my pocket. Maybe I’d wear a mask, to be safe from germs and other pollutants in the air. I’d do everything to avoid every possibility of being sick again.

And what about accidents? What about all the other risks that we face everyday of our lives?  

The risk factor of living, if seriously considered, can be immobilizing. The amount of risks that we are exposed to everyday is enough to make anyone of us paranoid. Even the very technologies that are supposed to make human life better often carry certain hazards. Risks are practically everywhere: at home, in the office, on the road, out in the wild, anywhere.

We try to manage risks by making appropriate decisions. Will I carry an umbrella to work tomorrow? Shall you dry your hair with a towel, or use the electric dryer? Shall I commute by jeepney, take a cab, or drive? What will you have for lunch, vegetables or meat? Will I finally sign up for the insurance plan my officemate is offering or will I rather have a pension plan?

These are just a few of the many, many risk assessments that we make everyday. Our decisions or choices are guided by our knowledge of pertinent facts. In the past 25 years or so there has developed a discipline called risk analysis. With the aid of computers and highly sensitive measurement techniques, certain numbers are assigned to probabilities. The numbers help experts in guiding people towards safer ways of living.

The government tries to protect the citizenry from risks – some risks – by assigning various agencies to focus on particular risk areas. There’s the Bureau of Food and Drugs, the Products Standards Office, the Securities and Exchange Commission, Disaster Coordinating Councils, and many other offices whose functions center on public protection and safety.

Yet, in spite of all efforts, risks continue to be a fact of life. The possibility of treachery or misunderstanding lurks around every personal relationship. Every electrical appliance in homes and offices emits electromagnetic fields that can cause radiation. Travel, no matter the distance, always espouses the probability of an accident—whether on the road, at sea, or on air.

Nature itself poses many risks. The air that we breathe carries molecules of deadly toxins, like, for instance, dioxin, radon, benzene and formaldehyde. Going out on a nice sunny day can expose one to the risk of skin cancer. Many people won’t bother applying protective skin lotion, because they think sunlight is natural. All plants have natural biochemical defenses against fungi, insects and herbivores, which poisons go up the food chain, all the way to our dining tables. And, there’s always the risk of being hit by lightning or a meteorite, or being caught in a typhoon and other natural disasters.

Most grocery products, especially processed food, contain additives that have been found to cause tumors and other adverse physical reactions in laboratory animals. Fruits and vegetables are commonly grown with chemicals – fertilizers and pesticides – that are hazardous to human health. Moreover, many farm produce are treated with chemical preservatives to make them stand longer on store shelves. 

Deadlier risks are much closer by. Strokes, heart attacks and other diseases take about 15 times more lives than accidents, commonly thought to be the number one risk. The health risk from smoking cigarettes is far greater than the industrial fumes that fill the atmosphere. Environmental carcinogens seem to account for only a very small percentage of all cancers. Dietary and lifestyle factors rank the highest of cancer risks.

The amazing thing, however, is that the human lifespan is extending despite the increasing risks that people are exposed to. The human body is an amazing machine with great capability for self-protection. The body’s natural defenses against common environmental pollutants and other threats are remarkable. And there’s the mind that provides constant support.

Moreover, public consciousness about health and safety is growing. The modern health-care system is making health services more available. People are now more health- and safety-conscious, too.

There seems to be a popular realization that risks can be greatly minimized with healthy habits and precaution. The risk factor in human living may be unconquerable, but, for sure, we can find ways to handle it well.

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