Ten lies become truth, ten truths would backfire

It seems the ghost of 1918 would not go away. We are repeatedly advised about the pandemic. Perhaps we are not yet fear to death yet, so they are not satisfied. Perhaps governments have not put in ten or hundred billions, so they are not happy.

There is one thing to remember; there is no WHO in 1918. WHO was established in April 1948. The medical technique today is many times better than in 1918. The communication is million times faster. If someone want to refer everything in the past, please do make note about the different environment too.

As pointed out earlier, I am not a scientist. But I do believe that except those huge natural disasters like the Yellow Stone volcanic outburst or a giant meteor hitting the earth, there is no way to have immediate death in millions especially in developed areas.

If we want the governments to do hundred-percentage protection against something that may happen, I am sure that all governments would be bankrupted because there would be more to come. Can all countries spend hundred billions for Tamiflu and another hundred billions for the next unknown virus? Remember virus will not need billions to evolve. With a few count of such expectation will lead us to the day where survival is for the richest.

That is not the correct way to solve such problem. With the information today, quarantine will be enforced for a district, a village, a city or even a country to stop the spreading of virus.

Again, I hope that those who are famous, those who can affect millions can ask themselves what is their motive by frightening every one. Forcing the governments to spend unwisely is the most stupid act; people will pay the cost.

Get health with nervous breakdown

It is great to have advice from medical experts so that we would not make mistakes.

Just like teaching a kid with repeated warning. Too few would be easily forgotten. Too many would be so boring that lead to resistance.

What is holiday? It is the time to relax. It is the time to enjoy. It is the time to free us for awhile.
I think that those who presented us with messages or articles telling us not to eat this and that, or advising us to take more of that kind of goodies, must need consideration about what life means for them. Or perhaps, they are not human, but intelligent robots.

If we gain a pound or so during the holiday, it is not a serious problem. We should have such experience for years. Of course we had enjoyed holiday years ago when there was no such annoying advice.

Some years ago, when we were told that excess calorie would be bad to our health and tons of advice about the calorie of meat, ice cream etc., I did not accept the suggestion to count every time I ate. That is the worst thing in life when we have to live like a machine or behind bars. Taking care of what you eat is not a bad thing, but counting calorie is not only bad for appetite, it is also bad for our mental health.

We may be a pound heavier today and a pound less next week. We may eat a little more in happy days and may eat less when we are busy.

Do you think that I do not care about my health? Certainly not, I have many ways to keep in good shape. The important thing is how to balance and keep the total consumption under control. For those who suffer obesity, it is a matter of losing self-control and failed to understand how to enjoy food and lives.

Heath vs medicine

Our health is not relied on medicine. Healthy people does not need. Medication or medicine is needed only when we are not healthy.

From "Young, Assured and Playing Pharmacist to Friends" in the Nytimes.com, it seems that such concern is not only in America. This type of friendly advice happened everywhere. I must admit that most were kind and intended to help others. Yet, half-full bottle makes the most sound. This is a common human ignorance. We must remember that a man's food is another's poison. There is no universal formula for curing.

One thing I learnt is "like curing like". All effective medicine is poisonous. Poisonous may be exaggerated, but we must have this concept to safeguard our health.

I have a classmate that had not seen for some years after graduation from high school. When we met, he told me that he became a Chinese herbalist (Chinese doctor with herbs). My first question for him was about his understanding of "like curing like". He agreed. That proved to me that he could be a good doctor. Now, over twenty years afterward, he has lots of patients and good record of curing patients of various kind of sickness.

Medicine is a necessity for doctors to cure patients. Seeking medicine without doctors' advice is dangerous. However, there are many reasons to have such behavior.

No matter the medicine is prescribed by a doctor or recommended by a friend, the one who takes it must remember that medicine is poisonous, "like curing like". I just worry that many people who have become so reliable on medicine, that is an unhealthy behavior.

What is wrong with our health?

If we compare our lives with those who lived some hundred years ago, our health should be better, we can live longer because many illness that had no cure before becomes simply problem for the modern medication. Of course, we can never know if we are living happier than those were living long time ago.

With so many medicines and so many treatments including those unthinkable before like brain surgery etc., it seems that we need not worry about our health at all. Well, there is something no medication can do, our pain, physical, mental and financial health.

That means we have received the wrong message and made wrong decision to spoil our health.

Everyone should know that life is just a journey. It starts and ends. May be some religious minds would believe that there is life after death. But that is not my concern and certainly not for the time of being alive. Our spoken and written words of life and death define our feeling.

Modern medication is great for our health if we suffer illness from virus, or the famous flu etc. We must admit that why we can live longer is the contribution of medical advancement.

For other illness that caused by our carelessness, it is something for us to reconsider whether it is not good to make joke with our own bodies. Medicine and surgery should be the last defense.

More information means further ignorance

One great thing about Internet is the fastest information across the world in seconds. So we know instantly if there is any serious accident or a bird-flu case somewhere hundreds or thousands miles away.

But such great thing may not be good at all because many would have panic on every incidence.

A simple fact is that with the scale of the whole world, we shall have natural accidents etc. in somewhere every day.

A dozen died of bird flu in months does not mean anything in compare of the death of other medical cases that are in thousands or more.

Of course, the WHO and most governments have to follow such type of events and do their duties to avoid pandemic. We need not worry too much otherwise we may be dead from heart disease even before anything would happen.

From what is going on for the past few months, I am sure that there is a problem about West distrusts East. Even a migrating bird died in Asia (China, Vietnam etc.), there would be taken very seriously. Yet, the same case in European countries would be taken slightly.

The next one is all reporting will take one part of something and never follow up to clear up any disturbing result from the preliminary journal. Just like the linking of 1918 virus to the bird flu has greatly frightened everyone. If you have read such reporting, please read "Hazard in Hunt for New Flu: Looking for Bugs in All the Wrong Places" (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/08/science/08flu.html) to have a better understanding.

This type of misleading news is not new at all. In fact, there have been many cases like that before.

I do appreciate those who give us information instantly. But I do hope that they can take up the responsibilities to let us know the follow up findings in the same coverage and highlighting.

Why not scientific?

Before talking about this, I must declare that I am not a scientist and with no such formal training or academic studies. All my knowledge is from self-studies.

My interest in science especially health started very early even before secondary school. There are a few points hat I still keep in mind:

First, science must be based on facts, not fallacy.

Second, we may lack of the knowledge to explain the exact procedure, but the end result is something not to be neglected.

Third, science is not gambling. If any scientific expedition has to go with certain percentage of success, it is because we are lack of the full knowledge or information about all the factors. In other words, we should not be taken as experts yet.

So I wonder why for these years, we have many reports or suggestions from medical about health and treatment that were moving away from science. The most unfortunate thing is that our doctors are becoming agents for medicine producers. Statements about medicine are nothing more than reciting the producers' advertisement. Most researches will take the top priority of patent application. Remember that the discovery of DNA sparked the argument whether someone could get the patent for the building mechanism of our bodies. Andy Rooney said that there were no inventions now after the telephone. I believe that things are getting uglier than that.

Another example is that the same specialist had said that egg was not good for health, but changed to say egg would be good after employing by agricultural body. Yes, scientist can make mistake and can take opposite standing. But there should be proven by fact finding to support and definitely not about employment.

When we need medical treatment, we pay one hundred percent of charge, but the recovery is said to be 20%, 30% or so. Will we accept to pay a dinner with 100% but receive 30% of the menu in quality or quantity?

It is our lives that force us to accept anything, even with such low level of customer satisfaction. We cannot argue with the doctors because we need them to treat our sickness. There are things worth for us to consider.

With such performance, can medical practitioners still be taken as saviours for us?

Why scientists did not guide us to avoid sickness?

Some may say that there is lots of articles etc. about how to be healthy. Yes, they said that if we eat one third of what we would, we can live longer. Yes, they said if we do not smoke, do not drink alcohol, do not eat too much meat, avoid ice cream etc., we can avoid problem. That looks like living in poor countries where there is nothing more to eat.

That is not a life for us.

How about living for one hundred years with bread and water? Will you accept?