I #0-something friend of mine was urging me to buy this product – a face lifting cream that’s supposed to make you look 15 years younger. I don’t know if I’ll be thankful or insulted. What do you think? Before I was able to open my mouth, came more product testimonials: “Look at me, nobody thinks I’m in my #0s.” Gulp.  All I want is something for the dark circles around the eyes.

After a recent health scare, I’m all feeling-a-health-buff again. Things on my list: finish that ongoing medical evaluation, cut down on salt, cut down on fats, cut down on coffee, avoid soft drinks, eat more green leafy veggies, exercise, eat more fruits, exercise, have enough sleep, and exercise. It sounds simple on paper, really. Especially because I play badminton, exercise shouldn’t be a difficult task to perform, only if I can do it more regularly. My schedule’s been out of whack lately but I’m, again, trying to fix it. Losing a few pounds will help, too, I guess. In my case, I have to do it without having to resort to the best diet pills for women. Lesson learned: don’t wait for your body to tell you that you’re being unhealthy. Easier said than done, right?

Everyone knows how it feels like to worry too much. I don’t think it’s a case of some people obsessing over things worse than others, but more about people obsessing over things period. We just obsess over different things, but it’s human nature I guess. Well, I’ve been writing about trying to keep healthy and thinking about finding the best fat burning supplement, but until I actually felt something off with my body, I haven’t really been trying for that a lot. These past couple of weeks, I’ve had a “condition” that maybe started as mildly worrisome and escalated into something that made me stay for three hours inside a hospital emergency room. I almost got admitted, too. So far, the current diagnosis is… wait for it… stress. Stressing yourself about something you have no handle on and you can most probably eventually resolve if you just take the right steps and be patient with it is never good. But we always do it, don’t we?

I know that people who do not smoke either really, really hate smoking or being near anyone who smokes or can be fine with it and gets even tempted to take puff sometimes. I shouldn’t be, but I guess I belong to the latter category. But I have decided that smoking’s not for me; that I’d rather take the “healthy” route and stay a non-smoker, I hope for the rest of my life. I’ve watched movies/TV shows that show doctors who smoke, and I wonder how these health professionals rationalize their habit to themselves. Also, I wonder how a smoker can adjust to an electric cigarette, which they say offers a less risky alternative to smoking, when frankly the psychological aspects at work on why people smoke may go against the idea itself. Still, on the positive side, it’s a “healthier” option. Well, I don’t really have to think too much about this stuff. Like they say, if you haven’t started smoking yet, why do?

We stayed at Diamond Hotel, Manila, the night of my sister’s wedding. While I was browsing the menu for breakfast, I was looking at this “well-being breakfast ” that I really wanted to order just because it seems so , well, healthy. Just looking at the description will make you want to swear off junk foods for life. If only it’s that easy.

First, it will take time to buy and prepare “healthy food.” I mean, for a single, always on-the-go person like me, it’s much more convenient, and frankly more economical, to dine at the office cafeteria. During the weekends, it’s much easier to call 8-MCDO. My landlady once told me that whenever she hears the doorbell ring and see a McDonald’s delivery guy by the gate, she already knows he’s going to knock at my door. That embarrassed me a bit, actually, but I guess for now I can’t help it. Although I’m really getting sick of fastfood so maybe I can make adjustments with my eating habits, soon.

I feel so tired, and yet cannot be more contented. Well, except for this thing that happened to my apartment floor. It was too exhausting to even tell the tale, even if what it only involves is my irrational (sort of, if you know the extent of it) fear upon seeing that my floor tiles are popping up and breaking apart. I’ll save that for later, so I can recount the more tiresome task ahead of having it repaired.

For now all I want to say is that I love keeping busy. Even just feeling busy at times. I’ve been missing badminton sessions, though, even if I’ve been buying more energy drinks than usual; one of these days I may have to get into weight loss drinks, too.

Because of the unbelievably tedious process my HMO provider requires before you can have yourself checked by a doctor, I’ve decided, for two years now, against going for a check-up whenever I feel something odd or when even when I fear that my blood pressure’s going up again because of having to spend days of feeling sluggish, heavy-headed, and generally not well. Not the brightest idea, I know. But I found this suggested diet plan for people with, or are prone to, hypertension. It is called the DASH diet – Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It’s not a weight loss formula per se, but I’m thinking that a diet that is focused on less salt and less saturated fats would be good for the figure conscious, too. We’ll see if I can find a more specific menu plan that would be tailored to my needs and resources.

After engaging in an hour and a half of cardiovascular exercises at the gym, I felt a bit lightheaded and dizzy that for a moment I feared that I might have overworked my heart.  I’ve heard of a number of terrifying stories about people suddenly collapsing at the gym, and even at badminton or basketball courts, so you must forgive me for being a little paranoid. The thing is, I wanted to have my hypertension checked but all the hassles our company’s cheap health insurance entails are more than enough reason for me to delay going to the doctor time and again.  Again, not a very bright idea, so don’t be like me. For my part, I just watch what I eat closely and try to be as physically active as possible while having a “feel” of my health and well being every single day. It pays to have a good health insurance. I just don’t have the resources to pay for one at this time.

As someone who occassionally suffers from high blood pressure, I know how important it is for me to lower my salt intake. The doctor told me so, as if I need another reminder. The problem is, I’ve always loved salty foods – adobo, fish sauce with sinigang, or soy sauce in almost every grilled or fried fish or meat. No-salt foods, evem low-sodium ones, are bland, unsatisfying, and depressing. I don’t think I can ever live with it. I’d rather be a semi-vegetarian (which basically means I’m planning to have veggies in a majority of my meals but I’ll still have meat whenever craving sets in). To me, salty equates to flavor and good taste.

But, really, the doctor is right. Avoiding salty foods as a lifestyle will have a dramatic impact on the risk of developing hypertension or heart disease. I’ve read there are no salt seasonings available in the marklet, so maybe I can try that. Could be a good start in practicing healthy cooking and eating. I’m thinking maybe if I’ll manage to psyche myself enough and get used to to taste of less-salty foods, then it will eventually be like a habit, sort of like reprogramming my tastebuds.

There’s a Web site that sells no salt (and no sugar) seasonings, nosaltnosugar.com. They even have recipes and health articles there. It all looks promising that I might just be tempted to look for a local equivalent.

I just want to share these few helpful information I researched about cardiovascular health. Having the genetic predisposition to hypertension, I’m rather paranoid whenever I’m feeling woozy and breathless. I’ve once consulted an internist when the dizziness and heavy feeling in the chest became rather intense and I was told that I’m borderline hypertensive. I’m never at ease when inside a hospital or clinic so I didn’t come back for reassessment when I finally felt good after weeks of watching my diet and trying to be physically active. I guess continuing to be physically active is helping me a lot, even if my diet went back to meaty-salty-fatty-processed food – something that I’m now hoping to avoid again.

Here are some symptoms that I found points to cardiovascular problems: A tightness or weighty feeling in the chest (that can spread to arms, neck, and throat) and breathlessness or choking feeling may be symptoms of angina. This is caused by restricted blood flow in the arteries. Sufferers of this type of disease take medications that thin the blood, and sometimes more drastic therapy like EDTA oral chelation. Oral chelation (e.g., EDTA) is used to remove calcium deposits and other minerals and heavy metals out of the body, resulting in clean arteries. Other signs of arterial blockade, which might need forms of chelation therapy, are cold feeling and pain in the arms or legs, memory impairment, lack of energy, and breathlessness over a slight exertion.

Of course, no one should self-diagnose, especially for those without medical background. Researching for symptoms can sometimes be a helpful thing; other times, it can only lead to paranoia (you’ll find that whatever you’re feeling has some scary medical jargon search results) and wrong diagnosis of symptoms. And don’t self-medicate. Even if you have reason to believe that EDTA chelation therapy is for you, it’s always best to consult your doctor first.