A life without margins

‘And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.’ (Isaiah 58:11)

Communication technology has such a profound effect on our lives. All of us in this part of the world would rather own a smart phone than anything else. Some probably can’t imagine lives without these communication gadgets. May be losing one’s wallet is not so ’inconvenience’ as compared to losing one’s ‘contacts’ stored in these electronic devices. Apple Inc is doing so well exactly because Steve Jobs knew far ahead of his competitors what the consumers wanted. 

Easy accessibility of being connected round the clock leaving us opens to intrusions. I find myself have this compulsion to check my messages as soon as I wake up or when I go to bed. If I am also ‘addicted’ to facebook like others, I think I will be driven to exhaustion. A life without margins is a life rapidly approaching chaos. It is very common nowadays that even in a family get-together meal, each family member is so absorbed in ‘communicating’ with their hand phones instead of with each other. It has becoming increasingly difficult to put down one’s hand phone and devote wholeheartedly to something without being distracted. The quality of time has been compromised as a result of too much convenience. Frankly speaking, other than to be connected in case of emergency, do we really need to attend to these calls, messages or email on an urgent basis? How we used these gadgets determined whether they brought good or distraction to our lives. We do need disciplines if we are serious about creating space for our spiritual needs, rest, leisure, and relationships. How we spent the first moments of day can set the tone of the whole day, that is, how one begins a day. We may have to resort to unplug these devices at an appropriate moment to find solitude and silence which we badly need in order to slow down our body, mind and soul to reclaim space. 

God creates us for community. This need is built into our DNA. I need to remind myself nothing beat the beauty of physical presence of another person, the depth of communication and eye contacts which are something that can never be taken over by the communication gadgets. I realised that I don’t need to check emails throughout the day. There will always be news and updates. So many times browsing the internet for something useful often lures me into more web sites than I originally intended to, so I really need to learn to draw a boundary.

Blood Test

‘My help will come from the LORD, the Creator of heaven and earth. He will not let you fall. Your Protector will not fall asleep.’ (Psalm 121: 2-3)

I went for my medical appointment on Tuesday. My cancer marker test result is still stable, CA125 is 11.1 (same as March) and CA19-9 is 8.9 (vs 10.7). Though these markers are not absolutely reliable, I am still eating well and able to do my chores as usual (though I still lacked ‘qi’). Without maid's help keeps me pretty busy which in a sense is good as I am able to take my mind off my health condition most of the time.

My CT scan is scheduled early September. By the way, I have to fork out $10 more for the consultation fee and $6 more for blood test this time round. However, I think the hike in the medical cost is still acceptable as compared to what I would have to pay if I go for private medical care.

Estrogen

'The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge the deeps were broken up, and the skies drip with dew’ (Proverbs 3:19-20)

Women undergoing menopause generally experience declining levels of estrogen, and this can make their menopausal symptoms worsen. Doctors might advise them to eat foods that have phytoestrogens to ease the unwanted menopausal symptoms including hot flashes and sleeplessness. Foods high in phytoestrogens can also help protect hormonal diseases like breast, prostate, colon, and endometrial cancers as well as conditions like osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

Phytoestrogens are chemical compounds found in plants. Foods that have phytoestrogens include soy foods, apples, beets, carrots, cherries, citrus fruits, dairy foods, eggs, flax seeds, tomatoes. However, overconsumption of isoflavones found in soy foods might increase the risk of breast cancer in some people. 

It is importance to know the side effects of having too much estrogen, what raises estrogen hormones, and how to naturally lower estrogen levels. Like good and bad cholesterol, estrogen also has good and bad types. Certain cancer such as breast cancer is believed to be higher in women who have higher levels of the less favorable type of estrogen. 

In order to optimize one’s diet for lower estrogen levels, one should eat plenty of fruits, cruciferous vegetables, whole grains and increase the intake of fish oils. Foods that are high in fiber help bind with and remove excess hormones from the body while diets high in fat promote the reabsorption of estrogen into the body. As for me, my digestive system just cannot handle broccoli, cauliflower, nuts and grains etc. I will get diarrhea after consuming them. So I make vegetable juice to drink instead. 

Interestingly, there are something called estrogen disruptors or xenoestrogens, where different elements in the environment can act like "false estrogens" and been absorbed by the body. The result is that a woman may be prompted from her exposure to these xenoestrogens to have a second cycle even though she already had one less than four weeks ago. 

Visit to Polyclinic

I have been running down since my maid left in early February (losing about 2 kg), and I also get hungry very often (about 3 hourly). A week ago I decided to go to government polyclinic to do my blood tests as I concluded that they ought be cheaper than elsewhere. Moreover, it was not urgent. 


I had not stepped into polyclinic for years, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not as crowded as before. The waiting time was about 30 to 45 minutes, much shorter than my expectation. Initiatives like re-channeling of geriatric care to private practitioners and abolition of subsidies for work permit holders seem to work well. The doctor ordered 4 types of blood test. My consultation costs me $10.30 while the blood tests altogether cost $13.50. The non-subsidized rates would have been $37 and $75 respectively (as shown in the receipts) which I think represent quite accurately what I would have to fork out if I see any GP. 


As for the outcome of my blood tests, the doctor confirmed that I am not diabetic.

Tropical fruits and cancer prevention

It is a kind of ironical that the prices of tropical fruits are going up faster than the temperate fruits. Not only that, certain tropical fruits are hard to find or has become ‘extinct’. Soursop is one of them.

Most of the tropical fruits in general are far superior in nutrients than the temperate fruits.One of them is soursop. There is evidence indicating that the fruit's extracts can selectively inhibit the growth of human breast cancer in a mouse model, though this has not been studied in humans. Research also suggested a connection between consumption of soursop and Parkinson's disease due to its very high concentration of annonacin.

Guava is another one, very rich in dietary fibre, vitamins, folic acid. A single common guava fruit contains about four times the amount of vitamin C as an orange. Watermelon has lycopene which is considered a potential agent for prevention of some types of cancers,especially prostate cancer. (Source: Wikipaedia)