Over a Chinese wedding dinner, I had a chance to meet up with an old classmate, Richard Tham. As a retiree, he spent a lot of time listening to medical talks and seminars which were invited free for him. According to him the number one killer in our young nation is heart disease. Fifty years ago when our country was undeveloped then, heart disease was hardly known yet. I guessed at that time, our meals were simple when we ate more vegetables than meats. Today our food is rich in cholesterol and physically we move lesser, resulting with an injured heart.
Heart disease is the narrowing or blockage of the arteries and vessels that provide oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the heart. It is caused by atherosclerosis, an accumulation of fatty materials on the inner linings of arteries that restricts blood flow. When the blood flow to the heart is completely cut off, the result is a heart attack because the heart is starved of oxygen.
There are many ways to screen and test the heart. Some of the diagnosis tests recommended are; exercise electrocardiogram, coronary angiography, echocardiography or cardiac ultrasound and heart scan. All these screening tests are not cheap and they might not be totally perfect either. According to Richard, the best simple and a free physical test for us is to walk five floors up a building. If you could walk up these five floors without heavy patting, your health is definitely in good shape. However if you happened to be gasping for breath while climbing these floors, he suggested that you should consult your physician immediately. The chances are, you might be suffering from a heart disease with one or more blockage of the arteries or vessels. To those who can climb more than five floors with no heavy breathing, congratulation to you. You are fit to make love and have sex as much as you want without the fear of collapsing with a weak heart. Thanks God! I can! What about you?
We have to believe him - "Early to bed and early to rise, Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. — Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
2 comments:
I think this is a good reminder that we need to take care of our bodies. It is difficult for me to walk up 5 flights of stairs... mostly because I wear 3-4 inch heels :) My goal is to be more conscious with my body to prolong my life as long as possible.
Hi my dear,
No harm trying to walk these 5flights of stair bare footed or wear something light. Test your stamina first. If you continue to walk regularly on stairs, i am sure you will have a healthy and beautiful body soon.
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