Health is wealth / The countdown to 2004 has begun

In a cocktail reception I attended the other day, one notices there’s less of the beso-beso. Obviously, people are more conscious about keeping a safe distance from each other. It seems a simple wave of the hand, or a short handshake, is enough nowadays. I recall what Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said the other day, "It’s better to prevent a disease than to cure it." There’s also an increase in people buying and using alcohol and antiseptics to clean their hands. One thing good about SARS: It did not only open the eyes of many people to the importance of personal health, but it has literally changed the manner by which we live and go about our daily lives today.

It’s true that SARS to many is a wake-up call, the biblical "writing on the wall" that speaks of what could happen when people do not seriously regard the rules of hygiene. It doesn’t take a masters degree in medicine to know what dirt and filth and pollution could do to the body. Many people throw their trash and wastes anywhere without any consideration to the environment and to the people living around them. Because of this terrible habit, we have practically turned the Pasig River from a wellspring of clean drinkable water to a foul and loathsome broth of industrial and human wastes. Let’s not kid ourselves: if we do not implement measures to improve the air and water quality in Metro Manila, we could be absolutely certain, this city might be the next breeding ground for a more deadly and malignant virus.

There are people, however, who are serious in promoting the rules of proper hygiene and health. Health products have also become very popular nowadays. You can visit any store in Metro Manila, and for sure you will find a shelve full of food supplements, vegetable pills, antioxidant capsules, ampalaya-based and ginger-based medicinal supplements that could "cure" disorders of every kind – from simple colds and sleeplessness to bronchitis, arthritis, diabetes, migraine, motion sickness and, according to some labels, even colon cancer. Bert Garcia, a schoolmate in college, is now in the business of promoting colon health through the intake of food fibers. C-Lium Fiber, he said, not only reduces the risk of colon cancer, but also cleanses the body from fats, toxic acids, and excess sugar. It practically works like a broom in your colon to whisk away the body’s toxins and fatty acids, thus promoting weight loss. For the well-to-do, there’s a place up in the hinterlands of Lipa, Batangas where one could relax and be cared for by health attendants, say, for a week of so – the San Benito Farm. Known as the Hippocrates Health Resort in Asia, it’s a place to get rid of one’s tension and stress through detoxification and taking the right diet, among others. There are many people who swear by this that one is tempted to try it out. Expensive, but many claim it’s worth it.

SARS is a serious threat, but there are other diseases we should watch out for. Dengue and Hemorrhagic Fever are still the most deadly, putting at risk hundreds of children every year especially in rural areas. Tuberculosis, which kills a little over 130 people every day, is considered one of the top three killer diseases in the country, third to pneumonia and heart disease. Cardiovascular diseases account for 25 percent of all deaths in the Philippines. Because of stress which leads more often than not to low immunity, a mix of different diseases could occur, like severe upper respiratory diseases, bronchopneumonia or, with regard to smoking, the so-called COPD and emphysema. Still the best way is exercise, proper diet, a daily dose of vitamins, and of course sleeping well. It’s basically one’s lifestyle that must change.

There’s a million and one ways why people get sick. But there is only one way to avoid it: Adopt a healthy lifestyle. Today we have seen how SARS has affected not only the individual, but the economies of nations as well. Businesses all over the world, from airlines to exports, are now in peril because of the outbreak. International tourism is at an all-time low – lower in fact than when terrorism broke out and reared its ugly head after 9-11. I would even venture to say that there are more people afraid of SARS than Bin Laden’s army of bomb-totting terrorists. The virus has changed the manner we keep relationships – professional or otherwise – and the manner we do business. Because today, more than ever, it is very clear that health is wealth.

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With the start of May, the countdown for 2004 has begun. A couple of days ago, while at the Makati Shangri-la, my radar spotted some of my former colleagues in the broadcast industry: Ted Failon, "Mr.-good-news-TV-host and now congressman, who, by the way, has done extremely well for the 1st District of Leyte; and Noli de Castro, who is probably the most popular among the senators today. They were with Ronnie Zamora, the supposed campaign manager of Ping Lacson. With meetings like this, one begins to speculate if people are beginning to form alliances, or talking about runningmates. For sure, they did not talk about the moon and the SARS. There’s also a lot of talk about Speaker Joe de V’s Charter Change, and it seems GMA is supporting the idea, which could very well extend her term for another three years. Naturally, known Roco supporters are up in arms. At a dinner the other night, they were already talking about which cabinet post will go to whom. They already smell the scent of victory and power. With about a year to go, we will see more intense backroom negotiations and intrigue in the coming months. We’ll be eating politics three times a day for the next 365 days.

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