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.