Protect your DNA

IN THE new pre-emptive health book, Let’s Stop “Killing” Our Children, which was just released at amazon.com and bn.com, I pointed out that protecting the DNA of children, starting from the womb and in the crib would help them ward off common debilitating diseases, like high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even cancer, when they reach middle age and older.

In this 800-page coffee-table healthy lifestyle

manual, I am advocating disease prevention starting from the cellular level and suggested that our current conventional strategy of battling against illnesses

today, which starts during teen age and middle age years, is a bit late. Autopsy findings on children, ages 4,5,6, who succumbed to accidents, have shown that at that tender age, they already had arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), which should normally be found only among old people. Obviously, their DNA had been damage years early on.

Starting from “ground zero”

As suggested in the book, we must be pro-active and pre-emptive and join the race at “ground zero,” at the starting line, and not in the middle as society is doing today, the very reason why we are lagging

behind diseases in the race for health and well-being. Diseases are way ahead of us, winning, and causing epidemics of obesity, diabetes, and cancers. All

because we are starting the race in the middle. The race does not start in the middle!

Damaging the integrity of the DNA with unhealthy milk from corn/soy-fed cows, among babies and young children, and feeding them saturated fat and cholesterol-loaded red meats, egg yolks and other dairy products, and processed meats, severely increases their risk of developing those diseases listed above and a shortened longevity.

Slow down aging

The ends of our chromosomes, named telomeres, become shorter as we grow older. The shorter the telomeres, the more prone we are to develop diseases. The old thinking that we could not do anything about this “natural process” has been found by new scientific studies to be inaccurate. With healthy lifestyle and positive behavioral changes, we can increase the length of the telomeres. This includes healthful diet and exercise, which have been shown to protect the telomeres, and actually slow down aging at the cellular level.

Pre-emptive strategies

On top of starting healthy lifestyle in the womb and dieting beginning in the crib, here are some

pro-active strategies we can do to maintain health and well-being and maximize longevity.

1. Diet of fish, a generous amount of vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy beans, some fruits, preferably with moderation in sodium (salt) intake, without red meat, egg yolks, other high cholesterol foods, and

processed foods. This diet significantly reduces the onset of metabolic syndrome (a combo of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, obesity, and other risk factors that lead to diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses.

2. Drinking a glass of water before each meal and pushing ourselves away from the dining table less than full.

3. Daily physical exercises, even moderated or brisk walking. Medical literatures show that those who do regular physical exercises live longer.

4. Maintaining normal weight. If needed, reduce by controlling calorie intake and exercising, instead of using weight control pills or beverages, which are dangerous, fatal in some reported cases.

5. Take a nap, even for 30 minutes in the afternoon. Regular nappers have been shown to have 37 percent  lesser risk of dying from heart disease, compared to occasional or non-nappers. This “mini-recharging” moment also reduces the stress hormones that

contribute to cardiovascular diseases.

6. Discipline, attention to details, persistence,

conscientiousness, positive attitude, and having a purposeful life (maintaining a sense of purpose) and optimism are very healthy traits that promote well-being and longevity. Ability to control personal

behavior at home, at work, and everywhere, for

general safety, also helps in the preservation of life.

7. Having a good family life, making and having friends, and having an enjoyable social life, all

promote well-being and improve longevity. Getting married for those who ready has been found to

improve health and well-being. Those who are

divorced or widowed have lower death rate

compared to those who never married.

8. Quitting cigarettes increases life span by at least 9 years among those who are 40 years old, and even longer for those who quit at earlier ages.

9. Red wine consumption, a glass or two with lunch and/or dinner is healthy for the cardiovascular

system. Alcohol abuse, however, is something else. It destroys the personality, character, reputation, and health of the abuser, and damages family life and friendship.

10. Associate with people who are health aware, because medical studies reveal that the habit of eating unhealthy diet and drinks, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and other behaviors are “contagious.” The risk of being “infected” is almost 60 percent. While smoking friends have a negative impact, friends who quit smoking can also positively “infect” friends to likewise quit.

11. Sleeping for at least 5 hours a day for adults, at least 8 for children, boosts the immune system and keeps the brain alert. It also lowers the risk of premature deaths. Daily brain calisthenics with mentally challenging puzzles or activities is exercise for the brain cells which strengthens brain and reduces the risk for Alzheimer’s.

12. Managing stress with a weekly or monthly “break” for de-stressing, relaxation and rest, and longer vacation(s) each year, are vital components to a healthy lifestyle. Yoga, meditation, communing and appreciating mother nature and the outdoors in

general contribute to well-being and serenity.

13. Being spiritual has also been shown by medical research to improve health and longevity. Included here is the ability to forgive. Those who have forgiven have closure, a heavy load lifted off their chest, serenity, and inner peace. All this leads to reducing anxiety, anger, insomnia, and results in lower blood pressure and ability to sleep better.

Almost all diseases known to man are self-induced or self-inflicted, and are, therefore, preventable. Somehow, unwittingly, many of us have programmed ourselves in the self-destruct and slow-suicide mode. This passive surrender to the “whatever-will-be-will-be” attitude is defeatist and against the law of nature.

Our future, as far as health and longevity and all other facets in life are concerned, are realistically within our control to a great extent. Even the ability to protect our DNA. All we have to do is to open our mind, and realize and accept that natural fact. After all, our life actually depends on it.

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