THE KEYS TO OUR HEALTH ARE WITHIN OUR REACH

I prefer to speak about business. But it is obvious to me as it should be to everybody, that the fruits of business can’t be enjoyed without good health.

As we progress in age we need to take care of our health more than before, focus on prevention because our bodies can no longer bounce back from illness as fast as they used to.

The other day I happened upon a Facebook video from Dr Luke Coutinho, an Indian doctor who treats cancer patients. He made a wonderful video that moved me -- “Four things people with cancer have in common.” Look it up.

Coutinho, in the video said that when he looked at the data from hundreds of patients, from all over the world, that had been treated at his facility he found four commonalities.

The first one he said was chronic constipation. He explained that constipation, infrequent bowel movement, means the body is retaining toxins that should not be there. These toxins then find their way back into our bodies and provide the environment for cancer to grow and spread. Include avocado in your meals, eat fresh banana (bogoya and the small one) okra, broccoli, lettuce, leafy greens like spinach(sukuma-wlki) etc. these items are not half as expensive in Uganda as they are in many other countries.

"He said especially among women, they are finding higher incidents of estrogen dominated cancers, because estrogen which is supposed to be passed out, backs back into the liver and into other parts of the body....

Acidity is another commonality of the cancer patients they have seen. Highly acidic bodies give cancer the environment to grow and spread. Many young people today take a slice of cucumber or lemon in their water to improve body alkalinity. Reduce the consumption of acidity causing foods like red meat. Moderation of that much desired muchomo is the secret of longevity and good health. 

He also said not enough sleep or sleep deprivation is a key factor. That when we sleep a hormone called melatonin is formed and this is widely regarded as an anti-cancer hormone. Endeavor to sleep at the same time and maintain the sleep pattern for good quality sleep. Good curtains, relative silence and cool temperature 18 to 22 degrees C help achieve good sleep.

And finally, high emotional stress has also been identified as causing cancer. Doctor Coutinho said, easily 97 percent of cancer patients, when he asked what has been happening in their lives - six months to a year prior- and they reported an incidence of -- divorce, death of a loved one, self-esteem issues, other that caused extreme emotional stress.

Coutinho also pointed out that these factors not only cause cancer but make us susceptible to other ailments we then must battle with in the course of our lives.

But then why aren’t these facts more widely known?

“There is no money in being healthy or being dead. There is however, big money in chronic illness”. He said no governments or big pharmaceutical companies are researching these things because there is no real money to be made in healthy populations or dead people.

And so, what does the good doctor advise? He said our sedentary lives cause acidity in the body so exercising, and lots of movement is key in keeping away cancer and illness.

He also counselled that we need to drink much more water. Water counters constipation and reduces the acidity of our bodies. So, please drink more water.

Interestingly, he also pointed out that the more we fear contracting a disease the more likely we are to get it. Coutinho explained that our thoughts manifest themselves in our body. That if he told you to be angry you simply couldn’t, but if you thought an angry thought you become angry. Similarly fear of illness brings it upon us.

He advised eating more raw food. That the more cooked food we eat, the more susceptible to illness we are. It makes sense. Our cooking habits often denature the food we prepare, depriving us of useful nutrients that can help boost our immune systems and ward off illness.

And finally, as stated above we need to get adequate sleep, typically 8 hours.

Research has shown that the getting in adequate sleep leads to memory decline, heart disease, brain degenerative disease and even shortens our lives.

"It has found that to improve your sleep you need regularity – sleep at the same time and wake up at the same time everyday and lower the temperature in your room, it is easier to fall asleep in a cool room than it is in a warm or hotter room...

Take a minute to stop and imagine how much money families, communities and even the country would save in health bills and associated costs if we prevented not only cancer but general illness.

What it amounts to is a change in our lifestyles. In what we do, what we eat and in maintaining emotional balance.

Watch the video it may very well be a life changing experience for you and your loved ones.

To stay well. Drink a lot more water, eat lots more fruits and vegetables, avoid high stress, get plenty of quality sleep and stay healthy.