An interesting email sent to me

The article below has interesting advice on good health but it is in no way advocating that one should stop chemotherapy or whatever treatment one is undergoing.

CANCER SURVIVOR, DR TOM WU, HAS A RECIPE FOR GOOD HEALTH

Dr Wu and his wife Dr Janet Wu at the World Wellness Women's Congress in Chennai in March 2009.

(Cancer, Diabetes, and Heart Disease can be overcome through diet. Dr. Tom Wu’s breakthroughs with Cancer and Diabetes have earned him the “Remarkable Contribution Award” from the American Cancer Society and the “World Famous Doctor Award” from The United Nations.)

At the age of 30, Chinese doctor Tom Wu was diagnosed with advanced stages of lung cancer, and was told he had only a few months to live. Not only has he survived, but the doctor has maintained a healthy life. The cancer is all gone, and he said he's never caught a cold or other illness for 40 years. He has stopped going for blood tests."My body and feelings tell me I'm well, that I'm truly in good health," says Dr Wu. His secret lies in the power of natural healing. Dr Wu always says that no wonder drug can cure diseases. But our own internal healing power, our immune system, can. And what can strengthen our immune system are simple foods from Mother Nature , and a healthy lifestyle. In his view, diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease can be overcome by changing the diet .Dr Wu says people get sick because they eat the wrong foods. Fried food, for example, causes blockage in the arteries, bad circulation, cholesterol, and heart disease. "Instead of taking a cholesterol lowering drug, I would urge them to stop eating greasy food.. My suggestion is to eat clean food, which is high in phytochemicals," he says.Phytochemicals are natural cleansing agents that will help rid plaque from your arteries. They come from natural foods such as vegetables, fruits with their seeds, and common garden herbs. Phytochemicals will nourish the body's cells so they can fight against any foreign substances that invade your body.

Dr Wu's books on natural healing

The secrets of how he won the fight against lung cancer and maintains a healthy body are revealed in his first book, Dr Wu's Principle of Natural Cures , which has recently been translated from its original Chinese version into a Thai edition, Thammachart Chuay Chewit, published by Nanmeebooks Publications. It was launched in Thailand in March this year.Dr Wu had first studied Western medicine in France , and then furthered his education in alternative therapy, earning a doctorate degree.The turning point arrived when he was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 30. Modern medicine gave him no hope; it was too late to remove the damaged parts of the lung. The cancer had already spread to other organs, and the doctor told him he had only a few months left.He ate a lot of vegetables and fruits, drank clean water, and completely adjusted his lifestyle - his sleeping, breathing and exercise habits.Nine months later, he went for a check-up, and surprisingly no cancer cells were detected.He advised people in his family and in the neighbourhood about his discovery, and studied natural medicine until he received a doctorate degree in naturopathy and nutrition from the US .Dr Wu has been a frequent speaker at worldwide forums , spreading his knowledge on natural cures and the use of organic food. He advises people to use the most simple foods in the most natural way in order to fight illnesses and maintain good health.

The human body has the power to heal itself. The immune system has a self-defence mechanism to block and destroy bacteria or viruses that invade our bodies, while the self-healing mechanism will get us back on the road to recovery. When you have a cold and take medicine, the medication may kill the virus but your immune system will not fully function, and its efficiency will decrease. As a result, your body will be more vulnerable to germs.Dr Wu's principle is to strengthen the immune system, and avoid medication as much as possible. In his book, he offers the following guidelines to good health:
1. Have at least three bowel movements a day

Other health experts may advise one bowel movement a day, but Dr Wu says that's not enough. You need three to four bowel movements a day in order to excrete all the accumulated faeces from your intestine.. Your liver will not be overburdened and it also helps reduce cholesterol in your body.

2. Drink at least three glasses of fruit or vegetable smoothies each day
This is a way to ingest enough phytochemicals to strengthen the body's cells and immune system. Use not only the flesh, but also the skin and seeds of fruits and vegetables to make smoothies, as they are rich in phytochemicals. Most of the fruit seeds have small amounts of cyanide which kill bacteria and viruses without damaging the body.Actually the recommended smoothie diet is six glasses a day, two in the morning, one before lunch, two more in the afternoon, and one more before dinner. However, if that's too much, you may start with three glasses a day. Use a high powered blender (at least three horsepower) as it can release phytochemicals from the fibre. It's best to choose sour fruits like green or red apples, grapes, pineapples, kiwi and lime.

3. Sunbathe 30 minutes daily.
We often hear that the Sun's UV rays will damage our skin, and many people apply sunblock before going out. But Dr Wu says the opposite.. He says the UV rays will help convert cholesterol underneath the skin into vitamin A which helps moisten the skin andprevent skin cancer, and also vitamin D that helps prevent colds, osteoporosis, and certain kinds of cancer."Therefore, use the Sun. Expose yourself to sunlight about one-half hour a day, at noon or another appropriate time based on your local climate. The Sun will make you healthier," says Dr Wu.

4 . Exercise 30 minutes a day
Don't exercise for more than 30 minutes. If you go beyond that, your body will be overworked. "If you do it more than half an hour, that will become labour, not exercise.. Your heart and your body will be working too hard," he says.

5 . Shower with hot, then cold water
Try an alternating cold and hot water shower: Three minutes of hot water followed by 30 seconds of cold water, then repeat twice more. This process will bring a rush of blood and energy to your body. It helps increase your immune system, blood circulation, and metabolism..

6. Drink a lot of water, in the correct way
How much water you need to drink each day depends on your specific situation. If your office is air-conditioned, drinking six glasses of water a day is enough. If your work involves lots of walking, you have to drink 8-10 glasses a day. If you work under the hot sun, then 10-12 glasses of water are required.The way you drink is also important. The correct way is to sip it little by little, to give your body cells time to absorb the water. If you drink the whole glass down at once, your cells can't absorb it all, and the water will be excreted as urine.

7. Eat according to your blood type
Your blood type determines what you should eat. Eating the wrong foods will make you sick.People with blood type O have to eat a certain amount of meat. If they eat only vegetables for a long time, their body won't absorb all the substances they need to strengthen their immune system. The recommended diet for this group is 75% vegetables, 10% fruits, 10% meat, seafood and goat's milk (avoid cow's milk), and 5% grains.People with blood type A, however should avoid milk and meat, while increasing grains and fruits. People with blood type B should also avoid meat, while those with blood type AB should avoid chicken and beef.

8. Eat according to your biological clock
Every human being has a biological clock that tells us when to eat, sleep, and wake up. If you don't follow your biological clock, the organs will lose their balance. Toxins and wastes won't be excreted from your body, and soon you'll get sick.According to Dr Wu, the biological clock is divided into three phases.From 4am to noon is the time for bowel movements, so in the morning you should eat foods with lots of fibre. Fruit and vegetable smoothies are recommended.From noon to 8pm, your body will absorb food so lunch is the most important meal. A vegetable salad with grains is recommended. Fish or boiled eggs can be added to your lunch. Avoid meat at dinner as the amino acids in the meat will disturb your sleep. Try to finish dinner by 6pm. From 8pm to 4am, the nutrients and energy from food will be distributed throughout your body organs. The golden time for your sleep is between 10pm and 2am, as your immune and self-healing system will function at its best.

Footnote:
Dr Wu was in Malaysia in November 2008 to give a series of talks. His book "Smoothie Formula" is available at Popular Bookstores.

You can certainly add in Herbalife F1 nutrition into blended fruits or smoothies.

My skincare star product

I used to have dry and dehydrated skin and I am really pleased with the NouriFusion MultiVitamin skin (with vitamins A, C and E) care range from Herbalife. I am particularly impressed with the night cream. For me, the night cream is the highlight product in the skincare range while other users whom I know like the Radiant scrub or the neck cream.
Although I use the NouriFusion MultiVitamin skin care range such as the lotion cleanser, toner and day moisturizer, which I find really suit my skin type, it is the night cream that made a huge difference. I have been trying out so many skin care that claims to be hydrating but they did not work for me until I refuse to buy anymore unless a sample is given for me to try it out first.
I used to buy Clarins when my face was really oily but a few weeks after that, my face became very dry and the sales girl asked me to then buy the hydrating range which I refused because I had just spent more than RM500 not too long before that! I tried the sample but somehow it leaves more fine lines on my face like any other products that claim to be hydrating. But I must say that Clarin’s cleanser for oily skin really cleans my T-zone well and I now still use the normal skin cleanser to complement my Herbalife range.


I find the Herbalife NouriFusion MulitiVitamin lotion cleanser even better than Dermalogica lotion cleanser. I use NouriFusion MultiVitamin lotion cleanser to remove make up or just use it for cleansing in the morning. I find the NouriFusion oily skin cleanser too strong for my skin type, hence, I using Clarin’s cleanser for normal skin interchangeably with Herbalife lotion cleanser depending on the condition of my skin on different days.
Now back to the NouriFusion Night Cream. I felt the difference within first use and within a week, my dry and dehydrated skin felt good and in less than a month, my skin recovered totally from dryness. I still use it until now after 10 months and still loving it.
I would highly recommend the NouriFusion MultiVitamin range to those above 30s who suffer from dry skin. I would also recommend the night cream if you are travelling to a dry and cold country at this time of the year.
I also like the NouriFusion Normal to Dry day moisturizer because it has SPF 15. Its toner also effectively removes any residue or dirt and does not strip the skin.
I am also very happy that the prices of these products are one-third less than the price of Clarins

If you have any questions or would like to get some of these products, please contact us at healthpossibilities@gmail.com or sign up under MY192708 Chiam Kia Guan or Loh Foon Fong at the Sponsor and Supervisor columns of the membership form you can obtain with payment from the Herbalife headquarters in your country. Thank you.

Prevent dementia by being heart smart

Monday October 25, 2010, The Star


KUALA LUMPUR: Adopting a healthy lifestyle from young can slow down the onset of dementia in old age, said a neurologist.

“If people live healthily and keep vascular problem, diabetes, hypertension and visceral obesity at bay, it would help in the long term to prevent dementia,” said cognitive behaviour neurologist Prof Dr Bhaskara P. Shelley from the Father Muller Medical College in Karnataka, India.

“If you modify your lifestyle and adopt healthy behaviours, it will help protect your brain,” he said, adding that when the brain is protected, the ravages of dementia will be delayed.

While ageing can lead to a healthy person suffering dementia, an unhealthy lifestyle will increase the risk and prevalence, said Dr Shelley in his paper on Healthy Brain Ageing and Preventive Neurology Strategies at the 13th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International which ended yesterday.

An unhealthy lifestyle depletes the brain’s reserves and precipitates dementia, he added.

Exercise can bring down the build up of amyloid plaques that are thought to contribute to the degradation of the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain and the subsequent symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease, the main type of dementia.

Dr Shelley also said that a good diet also serves as brain fertiliser and rejuvenates the brain so that dementia does not come too soon.

The idea is to delay the onset of dementia until one outlives one’s life before the disease sets in, he said.

He debunked the myth that Alzheimer’s Disease affects those aged above 65 and said it actually occurs 20 to 30 years earlier.

“The neuro-pathology that starts off (the disease) is very early but most drug treatments are done only after the disease is diagnosed, so that’s pretty late,” he said.

It was important for doctors to use the right drugs at that point of time, he said.

The physical symptoms of dementia at that age may not be clear but diseases like high cholesterol, hypertension and others could determine if one is in the high-risk group, he said.

Chocolate and Tropical Mix

This morning, John made a really nice chocolate shake. Here is the recipe for two persons:

Chocolate shake/smoothiesChocolate shake/smoothies recipe

4 heaping scoops of F1 Chocolate
1 heaping scoop of F1 Vanilla
1 banana
1 dragon fruit
1 Carrefour peach yoghurt (140g)
Ice water

Cut and blend the fruits in some ice water. Top up water until 800ml and then add the F1 Chocolate, F1 Vanilla and yoghurt. Blend until smooth.
To make smoothies, you need a blender with smoothies function:
Cut and blend the fruits in some ice water. Then, put in two mugs of ice cubes or more and blend a bit. Then add F1 Chocolate, F1 Vanilla and yoghurt. Blend until ice is fine. Serve in two big glasses.

This is the recipe that I tried out yesterday



Tropical Fruit recipe
1 Orange
1 Green kiwi
1 green apple
3 heaping scoops of F1 Tropical Fruit
1 heaping scoops of F1 Vanilla
Ice water

Cut and blend fruits in some ice water. Top up ice water to 800ml and add F1 Tropical Fruit and F1 Vanilla. Blend until smooth. Do similar for smoothies as mentioned above.

Tropical Fruit

Ingredients:

3 heaping scoops of F1 Tropical Fruit
One-and-a-half heaping scoops of F1 Vanilla
One heaping scoop of F3 (depending on need)
One green apple
One orange
One pear
Ice water


Remove cores and seeds and skin (for orange, and partially for apple and pear) and cut fruits into smaller pieces. Blend the fruits in some ice water. Add water until the 800ml mark and add all the F1s in. Blend again. Serve in two glasses!

You can do without the pear too but it seems to taste better with the pear.

For me, I still prefer mine with a slice of lemon. Gives you the “kick” in the morning.

Cappuccino and green apple

This is a recipe that a friend tried out with cappuccino for one-person serving:

Ingredients

2 heaping scoops of F1 Cappuccino
(alternatively, 1 heaping scoop of F1 Cappuccino and 1 heaping scoop of F1 Vanilla)
1 scoop of F3
1 green apple
Ice water

Wash and cut up apple into small pieces and blend in some water. Add ice water up to about the 400ml mark on the jug. Blend until smooth. Serve.

Why am I not losing weight?

Some of you may be asking why you could not lose weight. Well, for one, the company’s formula is 3-2-1 (3 teas, two shakes, 1 colourful meal a day). So if you could not reduce your weight with just one shake a day, you will have to stick to the company’s formula.

John and I could lose weight even though we took the Herbalife shake only once a day, instead of twice, on most days because:

1. We were very discipline in not snacking. And even if we did, it was bird size portion, just for the sake of pleasing our taste buds.

2. We avoided sweetened drinks. Our drinks were usually plain water or juice kosong (without added sugar) with our meal. We figured that if we don’t get enough exercise, we don’t deserve to drink sweetened drinks because we would be taking in more calories than our body could handle.

3. At tea time, we either had a shake, a fruit, or milo kosong or chocolate protein bar, muesli snack, and for me, once a week, either one goreng pisang or hum chi peng or a small piece of cake, if I wanted to break out of the regiment, to tie over until dinner.

4. We avoided deep fried food as much as possible and choose steam or grilled or gravy or soup dishes (the less oily ones).

5. We avoided coconut milk as much as possible. But when we decided to have a bowl of chendol once in a while, John and I shared one.

6. We have been eating half rice even before we went on the Herbalife programme.

What really helped me was that I found the ideal and healthy breakfast in Herbalife. I always wanted a big and healthy breakfast but could not have them unless I am away in a hotel where they would prepare salads and fruits and all the best choices available, which I don’t always have the time or energy to prepare them on my own in the morning. So, I had often ended up eating nasi lemak, roti canai, mee hoon goreng, porridge and milo. I believe that was how I kept putting on weight and it became unmanageable.

It was John who told me about Herbalife when I told him I had yearned for healthy breakfasts every morning and could hardly find it in the Malaysian diet. I could not take milk and cereal because it would make me sleepy and I found oats too boring although I did and still do, take it once in a while. Half boiled eggs and bread with butter was splendid but I was often hungry within an hour, so that was also not adequate for me.

It was through Herbalife that I learned we need to take adequate protein to begin our day besides adequate water and fibre, to maintain our blood sugar level. I thought the shake would not be enough since I need a big breakfast, otherwise, I might end up with hunger pangs and could not function well at work. So it was a total paradigm shift when I was told that it was the lack of protein and nutrition that caused me to be hungry and that was what I needed. It was initially very hard for me since I was so used to a high-caloried breakfast, but I soon found that I didn’t have hunger pangs anymore. I feel so alert every morning even on days I did not get enough sleep. I could take on the world. Nowadays, when I have nasi lemak in the morning, I find myself feeling sleepy, hence, I favour the shake more.

Some people think that they can lose weight through dieting, but more often than not, it is not sustainable. It is best if we can familiarise ourselves with the amount of calories that we take in daily and make a more conscious effort on selecting healthy food choices until it becomes a habit that we don’t even need to think about, rather than avoiding food to a point of starvation.

Some people said such careful eating habits is not really "living" because they don’t get to eat all the fried and oily stuff all the time. But we need to ask ourselves, would it be worth living if we end up being obese and with it, comes a whole range of health problems and our family members have to constantly take care of us if we end up with a stroke, heart attack or lose our kidneys or sight due to diabetes? We also need to take care of our health for the sake of our children. Basically, it should be about having a balance.

The yearning for oily food also indicates that our body needs healthy oil. There are always other options such as flaxseed oil or olive oil or taking fish oil supplements.

Here is a sample of a regular Malaysian diet compared with a diet during Herbalife weight loss programme.

Before weight loss (calories figures are just an estimation)

8am - Roti canai and teh tarik = 600 calories.

Noon – Nasi kandar or economy rice - one fried meat + two veges + teh ice limau = 900to 1100 calories.

4pm - Milo/coffee with sugar and kueh/snack = 400 calories.

7.30pm - Home cooked food rice, 1 non-fried meat, 2 veges and soup = 600

Total calories a day = 2,700 calories when one may need only an average of 1,500 to 2,200 calories a day depending on height, and less for women.

Programme while losing weight:

7.30am Wake up and take Herbalife tea

8am – plain Herbalife shake (two scoops of F1 and one scoop of F3 protein unless advised differently) = 180 calories (220 if blended with a fruit)

Noon - Colourful meal – palm size rice + one non-fried meat + two stir fried veges + plain water = 700 calories.

Herbalife tea

4pm – Herbalife shake without protein OR light snack with drink = 200 to 300 calories

5pm – Herbalife tea

7.30pm – Herbalife shake OR light meal/lean meat and vege soup = 200-400

11pm – Sleep.

While losing weight, you need to take less calories than what your body needs, but once you have achieved the ideal weight, you increase the calories intake and eat according to the amount of calories your body needs and not how much you want, otherwise, your body cannot handle it and will end up putting on weight again.

To calculate the amount of calories that you need to maintain your weight according to your height and gender, I have found this website that calculates it for you:

http://walking.about.com/cs/calories/l/blcalcalc.htm

So if you need to lose weight, you should consume less than the calories that maintains your weight without starving yourself and ending up with gastric.

All the best to great shape and good health!