It’s time to reverse the excesses of the holidays

The Season just past gave us license to indulge in our hearts’ and bellies’ desires, for after all, our appetite for food also reflects our appetite for life. (Normally, our appetite is the first to go when we are sick.)  So, we usually embark on flavorful revelry in the Season that makes food and drink a part of the celebration — from glittering tables in manors to makeshift counters in shacks.

And after the feasting comes the moment of truth. Our cholesterol and sugar levels match the trajectory of our credit card bills, and the weighing scale — the biggest liar, hmph! — becomes the most despised object in our bathrooms.

Excess weight can be lost. But what if the consequences of a bacchanalian feast not just during the holidays, but through the years, have taken a heavy toll on your body?

To diet or die?

Thankfully, we have more than just those two choices. Preventive medicine is making inroads not just in prolonging lives but in improving their quality so that treatment becomes a distant prospect.

Chinese doctors, backed by German technology, have come up with a formula for rejuvenation and wellness. As a Chinese oncologist said on the sidelines of The 1st Global Preventive Medical Alliance Conference (GPMAC) and The 2nd National Molecular Health Care and Prevention Medical Conference (NMHPMC), at the Qingyuan Lion Lake Sheraton Hotel, Guangzhou, China, “if our ancestors lived to 150, it is possible for modern man to live to 120!”

“Environmental pollution, contaminated food and unhealthy lifestyle are posing great threat to our health and hence our lives,” said Zheng Jingfen, president of Global Preventive Medical Alliance. “Therefore, disease prevention is crucial.”

Zheng or “Jennifer” established the sprawling Qingyuan Lion Lake Resort in Guangzhou, an Arabian palace-themed hotel managed by the Sheraton group in what was once a field of grass and marshes. It boasts of the amenities of a five-star hotel and is about an hour from the shopping mecca that is Guangzhou. Today, it is a complex of hotel buildings, condominiums, golf courses, lakes and a state-of-the-art medical center staffed by Chinese and German doctors.

We asked Jennifer why she invested in the project when she was already doing very well with the resort as it is. She said she wanted the Lion Lake Resort to give pleasure and have a purpose as well.

“In my career life, I think it is quite frustrating that, when you have a dream, you can not find a good project to realize it. Now, we have this great project, and we are well equipped with a group of professional scientists and a preeminent team, we are working together for our mission, to integrate resources from around the world to benefit the welfare of mankind. So I believe our future will be very bright for what we have already had and for what we are engaged in,” says Jennifer.

The medical center offers the TE-PEMIC preventive medicine system, which includes five aspects. First is the elimination of the intrinsically disordered protein from the blood; the second is the elimination of heavy metals and pesticide residues; the third is the discharge of metabolic wastes, the regulation of metabolism and the detection of gene mutation; the fourth is the regulation of body immune system and the elimination of immunosuppressive factors; and the fifth is the suppression, intervention or elimination of chronic inflammatory mediators.

A five-day stay in the resort for the TE-PEMIC procedures costs about $30,000 (airfare not included). It is the only facility outside Germany that performs the procedure, and 50 German doctors are based here. One thousand procedures of this kind have been performed in the resort hospital in the last three months.

The procedure involves drawing blood from the patient and then circulating it back to him after about 30 minutes.

“If we are able to ensure an ideal result on these five aspects, it can be very helpful in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular diseases and cancer,” says Professor Zhang Zhiren, one of the experts in the field.

STAR columnist and Pasig City congressional candidate Mons Romulo, who is fit as a fiddle, underwent the procedure for wellness purposes. To prepare for it, she was only asked to drink a lot of water the night before the procedure.

“No sedation was required. My blood was drawn with a needle from my left arm to a machine then back to me through another tube and needle in my right hand,” Mons describes the procedure. (She joined us for shopping the same day, because there was no downtime.)

Today, two months after the procedure, Mons says she feels “very strong and energetic.”

‘One-third of cancer cases preventable’

Since preventive medicine is relatively new in China, why should people seek it?

“I believe preventive medicine in China will be very promising in the future. Today, the prevention of diseases is highly valued regardless by government or society. In recent years, the Chinese economy has developed rapidly and people are becoming more and more concerned about their health. People want to keep healthy and live longer. And the TE-PEMIC system that we put forward during the conference today, was to help people obtain health and live longer by affording technologies in preventing cancer, cardiovascular diseases and anti-aging for the healthcare industrial chain!” Dr. Zhang, a renowned oncologist, says.

We asked him why he shifted his focus from cancer-treatment to preventive medicine.

“I was doing clinical medicine for more than 30 years, mostly working as a chief in cancer department in a government hospital. A majority of patients I encountered within my work were advanced cancer patients, and in fact, treatments for them could be very difficult. Most of the time, we will do what we can do, but only just to relieve their pain a bit and prolong their lives. As an oncologist, I had such a tiny sense of accomplishment. Today, the science has proved that, one-third of cancer can be prevented. I had always hoped that people will not have cancer any more, or get many other diseases. This is my dream, so I hope I can use my 30 years’ of experiences in the development of such a preventive medicine platform,” he says.

The Guangzhou conference was organized by the renowned cancer care expert, the dynamic Esther Law, chairman of Excellence Medicare Inc. She obtained her master’s degree of Entrepreneurship Management and Innovation in 2006. Now she serves as vice president and director of International Affairs Department of Fuda Cancer Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China. From 2004 until now, she has been engaged in promoting cancer care and humane education. She initiated the “BEU” Service Model, which consists of “Basic” service, “Expected” service and “Unexpected” service.

When she isn’t conducting seminars or addressing conferences, Esther lets her hair down and looks like a woman in her thirties. This she attributes also to the TE-PEMIC procedure she underwent.

In layman’s terms, she says the blood is your messenger to your other organs. If the blood is clean and healthy, the “messenger” is fit and the delivery is accomplished in good time — with best results!

(For best results, consult your primary physician before embarking on any medical procedure.)

(For more information, contact Global One-Stop Platform for Preventive Medical Tourism Guangzhou, China at +8618565258686 or e-mail marcoslau@emic.com.my. And in the Philippines, text 0917-8987879.)