MANILA, Philippines — Proper exercise, reduced stress, right diet and enough sleep —these are the ways to prevent sickness. Everybody knows that. How in the world then does the number of people with various diseases (sometimes multiple even) continue to grow?
"These are the four foremost ways to take care of one's health but these have become a reactive [manner] rather than preventive," says Dr. Ben Valdecañas, medical director of the LifeScience Center for Wellness and Preventive Medicine. The center recently held its formal opening at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig graced by Dr. Michael Klentze, founder of Klentze Institut of Anti-Aging based in Munich, Germany.
Stressing on the importance of educating Filipinos on how not to get sick, Dr. Valdecañas advocates preventive medicine. "[The practice of] preventive medicine lessens the chances of experiencing pain and suffering from illnesses or diseases simply because health problems can be dealt with even before they arise."
According to Dr. Valdecañas, the key is to listen to what your body is telling you. “Most of the [health] risk factors basically depend on the individual so you need to listen to your body and know what your body needs. Like if your body feels tired, you might not be giving your body enough nutrients to sustain the kind of work your body performs.”
Part of developing a keen bodily observation is also a keen understanding of when and how the body regenerates. The presence of inflammation signals that the body needs to regenerate itself. Also, swelling and pain are the most obvious and reliable signs of inflammation inside the body. However, there might still be inflammation even without the swelling and pain. This hinders the body from properly regenerating and consequently, it could make the body sick.
Although it seems that inflammation is the culprit, the doctor says that the body also needs inflammation to heal itself. "The healing process is generally broken into three stages: inflammation, proliferation and repair. By controlling the inflammation, you allow the body to enter the later stages of healing."
Another way
Meanwhile, Dr. Valdecañas enlists lifestyle modification and knowing the family health history as other ways to prevent sickness. On the more modern approach, having a gene test could also help a person determine the factors that could make him ill and even those of his offspring. “Male and female can go through this test by not only knowing what type of genes they have but also knowing how much of these genes they can give to their offspring.”
Dr. Valdecañas shares that even he had his gene test taken. "It is like having a health map that helps determine the likelihood of developing heart diseases, diabetes or other illnesses. It even tells you the drugs that you may be susceptible to. It is an investment and I’m happy that I did it because now I can run my life more accurately.”
Gene test or Genomics is one of LifeScience's laboratory testing and analysis services. It identifies the diseases and conditions a person is genetically predisposed to, and recommends lifestyle enhancements to ensure health and vitality in the long term.
Another interesting services of the center is the "Food Intolerance Test" where a few drops of blood can provide a person with a list of more than 200 food groups the person is most reactive to, down to the least reactive ones.
"Unknown to us, our body may also react disagreeably to certain foodstuff we know we are not allergic to. Allergy is very different from intolerance; allergy is the immediate development of hypersensitivity symptoms, while intolerance is a much milder inflammatory reaction of the tissue that is directly in contact with the food... your gut!
"Swelling and edema of the gut can lead to intestinal discomfort and mal-absorption, causing our digestive system to malfunction unbeknownst to us -- more gas formation, nutrients not absorbed adequately and toxins staying longer inside us. But if these intolerance symptoms are subclinical or not physically apparent, how do we know which food cause these?"
In conclusion, Dr. Valdecañas shares, "LifeScience programs are all about precision healthcare. We bring together selected services in an efficient package that brings maximum results for the health and wellness goals our client wants to achieve... We help you sort through a gamut of clinical and lifestyle concerns that may have accumulated over years of prioritizing career goals and setting aside what is truly very important, which is your health."
