Avoid Diabetes, Save a Leg, Save a Life

Diabetes can be debilitating and deadly. Not only does it cause about 1 amputation every 30 seconds worldwide, it is a killer. Why be victims of the disease?

Don’t let the disease overtake you; the status quo is, it’ll get worse. The current expert thinking is: You can only control the disease. But my question to you is: How long can you do that? Don’t be lulled into thinking that this is it! The latest medical finding is still bleak.

I have good news for you.


You CAN reverse diabetes!


Don’t take my words for the gospel. Don't pass them by without doing anything, or neglect them, either. Test them out!

The fact is:

You can save your leg, save a life, save yourself!

You can ONLY do that by heeding (NOTE: not just reading) the principles set out in my book, The Amazing Heart---A Revolutionary View that could Save and Lengthen Your Life! (Short of promising you a cure, brother or sister, please listen well and believe me well too.)

Don’t be fooled by the book’s title. This book was written for you who are diabetic also. I took 7 years of research and hard toiling to come up with it. For your health’s sake, click and order your copy now.

If you want radical changes, you must be prepared to act radically. Do you really want radical changes in your life?


Start saving your leg, and your very own life!



Happy Doing Good to To Your Own Leg, and Life,
Ray

Why so long?

Chemicals are found in our workplaces and homes—aplenty. These can be in the form of industrial chemicals, household detergents, kitchen-chemicals including sodium chloride (kindly refer to my previous blog), cosmetics, body lotions, and a whole host of similarly dangerous stuffs. Many of these can be deadly, especially if they build up in our body tissues. As a result of increasing exposure to such chemicals, cancer has been on the rise in every nation of the world! Yet, we are totally complacent or ignorant about the kind of havoc chemicals can wreak on our health!

Chemicals have started proliferating at a rapid rate since the industrial revolution. The number of new chemicals being created and the quantities of existing ones produced are still growing at a staggering pace. Increasing number of victims of during-chemical-production or during-chemical-use, including women with breast and other forms of cancer, are suffering from this ghastly disease. Breast cancer, for instance, is a leading cause of death in American women.

Chemicals can cause not only heart disease but also cancer and other chronic diseases, including breast cancer. I have long believed that! And have written to that effect in my book, The Amazing Heart. Only in recent times are scientists beginning to wake up to the possibility that chemicals may be linked to cancer. They are only just starting to suspect (suspect only, not condemn as yet) that chemicals may play a part in causing cancer! As a result, not much has been done to alleviate the growing problems.

AFP recently quoted Megan Schwarzman, a physician and environmental health researcher at the University of California, Berkeley as saying: "We're currently not identifying chemicals that could be contributing to the risk of breast cancer.” ¹ I would say, why not? Why are mainstream doctors not—or so slow in—recognizing, let alone recommending the avoidance of—the detrimental effects of numerous chemicals in the lives of their patients whom they are trying to help? Why are doctors and scientists slow in even identifying those chemicals that may contribute to cancer, for instance? I think I know why. Do you?

Government health or regulatory authorities throughout the world, including the U.S., have virtually not been regulating the vast majority of everyday-use chemicals. For example, the authorities in U.S.A. are, according to Dr Schwarzman, just regulating a handful of the over 200 chemicals in the environment that are linked to mammary tumours in lab animals "on the basis of their ability to cause breast cancer." ²

How long will people have to endure all kinds of chemicals, which are presently not banned despite the fact that they have been shown to cause cancer or other health problems? How many lives must we lose before we wake up to the harm chemicals can bring into our lives?

Chemicals have been winning the war over millions of lives on this planet every year, High time we waged a war against chemicals!

Send this blog to someone who might need it.

You might be doing him or her a favor.

Meanwhile, let’s keep fighting the war on our own fronts.



May you win the war,
Ray Chee
Write me with comments to info@FocusOnTotalHealth.net






¹ Chemicals suspected in breast cancer, AFP News, Saturday, February 20, 2010

Benefits of A Saltless Diet

A New England Journal of Medicine study (published January 20, 2010) concludes that minimizing the amount of salt you take by even a small amount could reduce your chances of getting heart disease, stroke and heart attacks as much as reductions in smoking, obesity and cholesterol levels.

According to the study conducted at the University of California San Francisco, Stanford University Medical Center and Columbia University Medical Center, “If everyone consumed half a teaspoon less salt every day, there would be between 54,000 and 99,000 fewer heart attacks each year and between 44,000 and 92,000 fewer deaths.”

The study adds weight to what I wrote about in my book, The Amazing Heart, which was published end of 2005. Back then, findings were already made that showed the relationship between a high consumption of sodium and hypertension, which was identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) (Framingham Heart Study 1948 and other subsequent studies, e.g., two studies in 1990’s; also refer to a much later Harvard Study published in British Medical Journal’s website on April 20, 2007, which claimed that cutting back on salt could reduce heart attack risk). However there was, I believe, no known direct correlation between sodium and heart disease, stroke or heart attacks and salt then. But in the few years preceding the end of 2005, without the shadow of doubt, I not only saw the direct link between salt and CVD, but also with all other chronic diseases or ailments as well. The work of writing the book indeed led to this tremendous revelation to me. (But it wasn't only this revelation, but a series of many revelations that culminated in an equation for long-term tip-top health.) Therefore, the book recommended lowering the deadly salt content in our foods, soups or drinks.

But it did not stop there; my book also recommended omission of sodium chloride from our diet, as it is a “garbaz” that would hurt the body. I know it’s extremely hard to follow a strictly saltless diet (and I find that to be true too, especially when I eat out or travel, since salt is so pervasive), but if at all possible, let’s cut it out. (Anyway, a lot of foods that nature provides us have sodium inside them.) This is because although as far as I am aware, this is not confirmed by scientific findings yet, the book predicted salt along with other garbaz to be linked to all chronic and degenerative diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease.

Perhaps for a start, I suggest that epidermiologists embarked on a quest to find a direct link between salt and the above three diseases, if they haven’t as yet started on it already.

But you need not wait for more confirmations on such and other diseases to avoid salt, as far as it's humanly possible!

Please heed the warning about the killer salt!

So much for now.

Here’s me wishing you “Happy Dieting by avoiding Salt!”
Ray
Email me with comments at info@FocusOnTotalHealth.net

Drug Co. Pfizer Fined US$2.3b for Repeated Cheating

Pfizer, the world’s No. 1 drugmaker, agreed to pay allegation claims of US$2.3b for repeatedly committing criminal offences that included cheating patients and doctors by claiming 13 medications for conditions as yet unapproved by the Authority. This brings to question its integrity as a manufacturer-marketer.

It goes to show that even gigantic manufacturers like Pfizer can err by using unscrupulous sales tactics to woo customers—all in the name of achieving more gains. But Pfizer Inc. was not the only company to have committed such an offense. (It is noteworthy, though, that this is the largest settlement amount thus far for the illegal marketing of prescription medicines.) Companies can go to great lengths in order to achieve their sales goals.

Read below Reuter’s report dated September 2, 2009:

Pfizer to pay $2.3 bln, agrees to criminal plea

Last Updated: 2009-09-02 17:00:23 -0400 (Reuters Health)

* Cited for marketing of Bextra, 12 other drugs
* Pfizer operations to stay under US supervision for 5 yrs
* Pfizer had announced $2.3 bln charge in January
* Pfizer shares slide 0.5 pct

By Ransdell Pierson and Jeremy Pelofsky

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc agreed on Wednesday to plead guilty to a U.S. criminal charge relating to promotion of its now-withdrawn Bextra pain medicine and will pay a record $2.3 billion to settle allegations it improperly marketed 13 medicines.

The world's biggest drugmaker was slapped with the huge fines after being deemed a repeat offender in pitching drugs to patients and doctors for unapproved conditions.

Pfizer, whose shares slid 0.5 percent, had pleaded guilty in 2004 to an earlier criminal charge of improper sales tactics and its marketing practices have been under federal supervision since then.

The company in January said it took a $2.3 billion charge late last year to resolve allegations involving Bextra and other drugs, but did not provide details at the time.

Wednesday's agreement was unveiled by the U.S. Department of Justice and Health and Human Services Department.

"The size and seriousness of this resolution, including the huge criminal fine of $1.3 billion, reflect the seriousness and scope of Pfizer's crimes," said Mike Loucks, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts.

The settlement includes a $1.3 billion criminal fine related to methods of selling Bextra, which was withdrawn from the market in 2005 on safety concerns. Pfizer acquired Bextra in its 2003 purchase of Pharmacia Corp.

Pfizer's marketing team promoted Bextra for acute pain, surgical pain and other unapproved uses, while its salesforce promoted the drug directly to doctors for those unapproved uses and dosages, according to the Justice Department.

The company and Pharmacia also used advisory boards, consultant meetings and provided travel to lavish resorts to improperly promote Bextra to doctors and made false and misleading claims about the drug's safety and efficacy, the government said.

The settlement also includes $1 billion in civil payments related to so-called "off-label" sales of drugs -- meaning for uses not authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- and payments to healthcare professionals. Pfizer denied all of the civil allegations, except for acknowledging improper promotions of the antibiotic Zyvox.

"We regret certain actions taken in the past, but are proud of the action we've taken to strengthen our internal controls," said Amy Schulman, Pfizer's general counsel.

Justice Department officials said cracking down on fraud in the healthcare industry was a key priority and comes as President Barack Obama is trying to push through reforms of the $2.5 trillion healthcare system to clip soaring costs.

The settlement and guilty plea are not expected to significantly hurt Pfizer's ability to sell drugs, Morningstar analyst Damien Conover said, "however, it could send the wrong message at a time when you're making some pretty critical negotiations with the U.S. government on healthcare reform."

Sandra Jordan, a former federal prosecutor and professor at the Charlotte School of Law in North Carolina, said: "Pfizer can survive this and pay the money. If it had fought the government at trial and lost, and a judge imposed a criminal sentence, that could have resulted in a corporate death penalty. That would have put Pfizer out of business."

The settlement is the largest to date for improper marketing of prescription drugs, topping the $1.42 billion Eli Lilly and Co agreed to pay earlier this year for off-label sales of its Zyprexa schizophrenia drug.

Pfizer said it will pay $503 million to resolve practices involving Bextra, $301 million related to its schizophrenia drug Geodon, $98 million for Zyvox and about $50 million for its blockbuster Lyrica used to treat nerve pain and seizures.

On top of the $2.3 billion fine, Pfizer said it would take new charges of up to $33 million in the third quarter to resolve state civil consumer fraud allegations related to past promotions of Geodon.

"Pfizer ripped off taxpayers across the country to pad its bottom line," New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said.

The company said most of the alleged improprieties took place during or before 2005. But some are as recent as 2007, while Pfizer was essentially still on probation for improper Neurontin promotions.

Six whistle-blowers, including John Kopchinski, a former sales representative who blew the whistle on Pfizer's Bextra marketing tactics, sparking the government probes, will be rewarded with more than $102 million under the False Claims Act.

Kopchinski's share of the reward was expected to be more than $51.5 million.

Pfizer Chief Executive Jeffrey Kindler had been its general counsel from 2002 until taking the helm in 2006.

Pfizer did not specify whether it had disciplined any executives in connection with the latest infractions.

In the 2004 case, Pfizer agreed to pay $430 million to federal and state governments and pleaded guilty to criminal charges of illegally marketing epilepsy drug Neurontin for migraine headaches, pain and bipolar disorder. Pfizer obtained Neurontin in its 2000 acquisition of Warner Lambert Corp.

Due to the earlier settlement, Pfizer's marketing practices have been under federal supervision for the past five years.

Under the new settlement, Pfizer has entered into another Corporate Integrity Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, requiring it to adhere to a specified compliance program for five more years.

The pact will require Pfizer to post on its Web site information about payments to doctors such as travel or honorarium, and set up a system for doctors to report questionable conduct by Pfizer's representatives.

Pfizer shares were down 9 cents, or about 0.5 percent, at $16.29 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky in Washington and Ransdell Pierson, Bill Berkrot, Lewis Krauskopf, Jonathan Stempel and Joan Gralla in New York; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

Fear Not the Flu!

Fear concerning swine flu, which is linked to H1N1 viruses, has been rampant. Many parents, in particular, are worried about their own children’s safety. H1N1 swine-flu virus vaccines have been developed, but there are still safety concerns. As is the case with other types of vaccines, chills, fever, nausea, headaches, fatigue, itchiness, redness, soreness, localized lumps, muscle/ joint aches, or serious allergic reactions can result from the use of swine-flu virus vaccines. There is evidence that certain vaccines can cause harm, such as sterility, birth defects, long-term health problems (e.g., autism), or even death (though the risk of this happening is small). No matter how minor the side effects, they should not be regarded lightly because they are real, and can therefore pose a danger to health.

You hear of schools closing down just because of one or more students who had been infected with the H1N1 bug—for fear of the bug spreading to the rest of the kids. You see people wearing protective masks in trains, buses or public places. Whether they are told by doctors to do so in order to prevent the virus from spreading, or whether they do that simply out of fear of contracting the flu, the fact remains: people dread falling ill or dying because of the bug, to which very young or sick or elderly people are most vulnerable.

You probably heard about Tamiflu (certainly a household word by now because of all the attentions by the media) being used, and how the drug has brought on numerous side effects, such as those given in the list below:

Diarrhea; nausea; stomach pain; vomiting; severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); abnormal behavior; confusion; hallucinations; mood or mental changes; reddened, blistered, peeling, or swollen skin; seizures; severe or persistent nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; symptoms of infection (fever, chills, or persistent sore throat); difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest

The Associated Press (AP) reported on Friday that according to World Health Organization (WHO), the flu “has killed almost 1,800 people worldwide through last week.” ¹ The danger of even more people being infected and/or killed is very real.

In fact, WHO predicted an “explosion” of swine flu cases in the months to come. It warned governments to make preparations for the pandemic that “may see swine flu cases double every three to four days for several months until peak transmission is reached,” ² AP quoted WHO's Western Pacific director, Shin Young-soo as saying.

“The last pandemic—the Hong Kong flu of 1968—killed about 1 million people. Ordinary flu kills about 250,000 to 500,000 people each year,” it was reported. ³

“WHO earlier estimated that as many as 2 billion people could become infected over the next two years — nearly one-third of the world's population.” ⁴ This is staggering! No wonder the alarm!

For those who are well prepared with the right strategy to fight flu, including bird flu (H5N1 virus), which is more virulent than the swine flu, flu is not an issue. Come what may, fear does not even exist!

Knowledge is power. But we must act on what we know in order for us to experience the benefits of our knowledge. Early preparation and readiness are keys to success, if flu or what not were to break out. Wearing a mask may be a preventative measure, but that is not enough!

You have seen the list above. You have seen and heard people dying in many countries as a result of H1N1. Why risk having nasty side effects or death? It’s understandable when you have no choice. But it would be pure folly if you have the option to use safer methods, but you fail to take time to find out about them.

On many a construction site in certain advanced countries, you’d often find the slogan, “Safety First!” This is often conscientiously put into action through a combination of right strategic approaches—including the appointment of a site safety officer who is responsible to check on site safety aspects, a proper reporting system, and so on. But you seldom find it applied to normal daily life, including when a more severe flu than ordinary flu is involved. For example, you may find some Panadol or paracetamol tablets in many homes. But how many families carry a simple first aid kit in their homes? Let alone being well equipped to combat something by far more deadly than the common influenza! (Yet a fast-spreading plague of H1N1 viruses has been threatening and killing lives!) It’s as though their own children are not as important as other peoples’ “kids” (I mean full-grown construction workers and staff)!

The good news is: We have an effective system to overcome any flu without any fear of side effects. Believe it or not, many people including myself have used it to defeat the common flu and other more serious symptoms.

You don’t have to do it, but if you want to know about this system or strategy, and be ready for any flu, do feel free to contact the writer. We are here to help. My advice is: Just do it!









^{1, 2, 3, 4} Taken from AP’s article titled, “WHO predicts 'explosion' of swine flu cases” (Friday August 21, 2009) -- Source: Press here

Arthritis is Expected to Rise

Arthritis has been rising, and is expected to increase even further. An estimated forty six (46) million Americans now suffer from arthritis, according to Arthritis Foundation. By the year 2020, this number is expected to reach 59 million. The burden of arthritis is heavy not only on the sufferers but also on the economy.

John H. Klippel, M.D., president and CEO, Arthritis Foundation said: "Arthritis is a debilitating disease that profoundly impacts the lives of millions of Americans on a daily basis. The effects of the 46 million Americans with arthritis on the economy are enormous; the direct and indirect medical costs of this disease are estimated to be $128 billion each year. With the aging of baby boomers, the prevalence of arthritis is expected to rise by 40 percent - that is up to 67 million people – by the year 2030."¹

“In 2003 the rates for men and women in GB (Great Britain) were less than 25 per 1,000 population up to age 44. After that there was a rapid increase in prevalence, with rates increasing sixfold to age 64. The rates for women then rose more sharply than for men: among those aged 65-74, the prevalence rate for women was twice that for men (227 per 1,000 compared with 113).”²

There are over 100 different arthritic conditions. Some of these conditions involve inflammation while others do not.

Most types of arthritis involve joint inflammation.

Three common categories of arthritis are given as follows (I will discuss them briefly):

· Osteoarthritis -- 27 million Americans have to endure osteoarthritis.
· Rheumatoid Arthritis -- 1.3 million Americans live with rheumatoid arthritis
· Juvenile Arthritis -- As many as 300,000 children have some form of arthritis.

Osteoarthritis, or OA for short, is also called osteoarthroses or degenerative joint disease. It is the most common form of arthritis in the United States of America. OA is a chronic condition that is characterized by the breakdown of the joint’s cartilage. The breakdown or loss of cartilage results in the bones rubbing against each other, thereby causing stiffness, pain and loss of movement in the joint.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic condition, is currently regarded as an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. I beg to differ because I don’t personally think there should even be such a term, “autoimmune disease,” being used at all! Doctors and experts may disagree with me here! I know I am running against the established definition of several such diseases. But I am entitled to my own opinion and belief, am I not? I’m not bragging here, that I know more than them. Indeed, no! Any knowledge or experience, if it is of any good to anyone, is from above, not Ray Chee. You can read about the root causes of these so-called autoimmune diseases and other diseases, including cancer, in my book, The Amazing Heart.

If conditions within our body are not right, of course, we can expect adverse ramifications, which often stem from an imbalanced condition created by our own selves. The same with other so-called autoimmune diseases like lupus and Crohn’s disease. (I am not being unsympathetic or mean here; I fully understand that you, the reader, may be suffering from a disease that is causing you a lot of pain and other inconveniences, to say the least.) We cannot blame the body, for it was designed to do its job—and what a great job it does too! In this case, if we allow conditions to build up such that microorganisms are allowed to multiply, then we should expect the body to react accordingly. But if we put the conditions right, things will improve.

Arthritis Foundation, Atlanta, GA, U.S.A. offered 10 good ways³ to help yourself, i.e., to protect your joints. I’d like to say that there are other ways because these may not be enough to improve your conditions.

1. Maintain your ideal body weight. The more you weigh, the more stress you are putting on your joints, especially your hips, knees, back and feet.

2. Move your body. Exercise protects joints by strengthening the muscles around them. Strong muscles keep your joints from rubbing against one another, wearing down cartilage. We can help you get started on an exercise program that works for you.

3. Stand up straight. Good posture protects the joints in your neck, back, hips and knees.

4. Use the big joints. When lifting or carrying, use largest and strongest joints and muscles. This will help you avoid injury and strain on your smaller joints.

5. Pace yourself. Alternate periods of heavy activity with periods of rest. Repetitive stress on joints for long periods of time can accelerate the wear and tear that causes OA.

6. Listen to your body. If you are in pain, don't ignore it. Pain after activity or exercise can be an indication that you have overstressed your joints.

7. Don't be static. Changing positions regularly will decrease the stiffness in your muscles and joints.

8. Forget the weekend warrior. Don't engage in activities your body for which your body isn't prepared. Start new activities slowly and safely until you know how your body will react to them. This will reduce the chance of injury.

9. Wear proper safety equipment. Don't leave helmets and wrist pads at home. Make sure you get safety gear that is comfortable and fits appropriately.

10. Ask for help. Don't try to do a job that is too big for you to handle. Get another pair of hands to help out.


Besides the joints themselves, RA can also cause inflammation of the tissue around the joints, as well as in other organs. Because RA can affect several other organs of the body, it can be considered a systemic disease; hence, it is sometimes referred to as rheumatoid disease.

While RA is a chronic disease, patients may have long periods without experiencing any symptom. Nevertheless, RA is usually a degenerative problem that can lead to joint destruction and functional disability—thus it can be a debilitating disease.

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is a chronic inflammatory condition that results in joint pain and inflammation. It may even lead to joint damage. It usually occurs in children before the age of 16.

Prevalence of JRA in the United States is 50-100 per 100,000 children. It is the most common types of arthritis in children.

JRA can be divided into several categories:

1. Systemic JRA: Occurs in about 10% of cases, and involves joint pain and swelling as well as fevers and rash.

2. Polyarticular JRA: This is more common (about 40% of cases). Multiple painful and swollen joints can result.

3. Pauciarticular JRA: This form of JRA is the most common (roughly half of the cases). It usually involves only a few joints.


Symptoms of arthritis may include:

§ Joint stiffness upon arising in the morning
§ Slow rate of growth, sometimes with uneven arm or leg growth
§ Back pain
§ Limited movement; affected limb may result in immobility
§ Hot, swollen, painful joints
§ Red eyes, eye pain (including pain when exposed to light) usually due to inflammation in the eye
§ Other visual problems
§ Fever, usually high fevers every day
§ Intermittent rash, with the fever
§ Swollen lymph nodes (glands)


Finally, you don’t have to suffer arthritis in secret, or constantly have to use drugs and other forms of treatment that can produce side effects.

Let’s face it. As we age, unwelcome things will spring up here and there. With the right knowledge and application of such knowledge, you don’t have to endure arthritic pains. For example, I have treated my own arthritic wrist (with someone’s help), several fingers which were painful at the same time, my knee pain, and later an arthritic finger, and achieved success within a short period of time; I am happy to announce that I have been freed from such pains since. I did it holistically—-surgery- and drug-free! You can also do the same, too!! Remember: Some arthritis drugs have been known to kill! Nor should surgery or knee and other joint replacements be always necessary!

Do you have pains in the back? Knee? Or elsewhere? Why suffer any longer? Do let us know your concerns, and see how we can help you with them.

You don’t have to fight arthritis alone!


Best of regards,
Ray Chee
info@FocusOnTotalHealth.net






¹ Quoted from http://www.arthritis.org/arthritis-awareness.php May 11 2009

² http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1331 May 11 2009

³ http://www.arthritis.org/protect-your-joints.php May 11 2009

Sexual Difficulties are Common among Women with Diabetes Type 1

In a long-term Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study, a North American study of men and women with diabetes type 1, it was found that there was a strong connection between women with diabetes type 1 and sexual difficulties.

At year 10 of the study, an assessment of 652 female participants revealed that of the sexually active women with diabetes type 1, thirty five percent (35%) of them were classified as having female sexual dysfunction (FSD).

FSD included loss of libido (57%); problems with orgasm (51%), reduced lubrication (47%), and reduced arousal (38%); and pain (21%). There was definite correlation between FSD and the following factors:

1. age,
2. marital status,
3. menopausal status,
4. microvasculopathy, and
5. depression.

The researchers of the EDIC study which was published in the May issue of Diabetes Care journal concluded that sexual dysfunction is common in women with type 1 diabetes, affecting all aspects of sexual function and satisfaction. Of the factors stated above, depression is the major predictor of sexual dysfunction in women with type 1 diabetes.

The More Diseases, and the More Serious They are, the Earlier You Will Go

In my article published moments ago, I mentioned that there is a correlation between weight, lifestyle and death.


”The fatter and more unfit you are, the higher your chance of dying and the earlier you will die.”


Diseases, including diabetes, further amplify this correlation. That is to say:


The more diseases you have, the easier and quicker you will die.


In other words, diseases in particular the chronic or degenerative ones, increase the possibility of death. Almost invariably, the medications that you take can lead to further complications (soon or later), especially for the heart, liver and kidneys. Because drugs are drugs no matter what they are called, the more medications the worse off you are. Doctors are well aware of drugs’ side effects.


Also, the more serious the disease you get, the easier and faster you'll die.


I don’t know if there’s any research that supports these statements that I have made here (if there isn’t, then it will come; watch out for it!). Nevertheless, here they are, and they are true.

Premature death is needless. The good news is, your life can be lengthened!

Dying From Fats And Fitlessness

Author’s note: The following article was written about three weeks prior to my last blog. It really should have been published before my last blog (which was only done a couple of hours ago), but I now publish it here for your edification. It lends further weight to the seriousness of an unhealthy diet and lifestyle. It’s not just cardiovascular disease alone; death came from diseases, and in the last blog they also included renal, diabetic, liver, neoplastic (tumor), lung and other diseases.

The importance of physical exercise should never be understated—the same with healthy lifestyle and keeping your weight down.

One study published in Archives of Internal Medicine of 2,316 men with no history of stroke or myocardial infarction concluded this way: Among the men studied who had diabetes, “low fitness level was associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality within normal weight, overweight, and class 1 obese weight categories.” Which in short means, if you have diabetes, the less fit you are, the greater your likelihood of dying from a cardiovascular event.

179 CVD deaths were noted “during a mean (SD) follow-up of 15.9 (7.9) years and 36,710 man-years of exposure.”


Table 1: Relative Hazard Ratio for CVD Deaths Versus Fitness and Weight

Categories: High Fitness, Normal Weight-Low Fitness, Normal Weight-Low Fitness, Overweight-Low Fitness, Obese (Class 1)
Hazard ratio for CVD deaths: 1.0, 1.3-5.7, 1.4-5.1, 1.4-5.1 respectively


I’d like to highlight this here: The above chart indicates that even if you are having normal weight but unfit, your risk of death from CVD is still high compared with someone who is both physically fit and normal weighted.

You can obtain more evidence of the relationship between health and fitness-weight levels from a large prospective study by Jensen et al (published in Circulation. 2008) of over 54 500 men and women. In this study, it was found during follow-up that only 47 cases (4.1%) of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) occurred in the healthy-lifestyle group. This is very low because during a median of 7.7 years, a total of 1,127 incident cases of registered nonfatal or fatal ACS events actually occurred.


Table 2: Relationship between Hazard Ratio for ACS and Fitness-Weight

Categories: Fit and Normal Weight, Fit but Overweight, Fit but Obese (Class 1)
Hazard ratio for Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS): 1.00, 1.65, 2.65 respectively


Jensen and team found that the risk for ACS was significantly higher for the ‘Fit but Obese’ and the ‘Fit but Overweight’ compared with the ‘Fit and Normal-weight’; the risk was respectively 265% and 165% higher.

Jensen et al concluded that “Obesity confers an elevated risk of ACS in both healthy and less healthy subgroups of lifestyle behaviors. Adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviors was associated with a lower risk even among obese individuals.”

The above findings add legitimacy and impetus to the correlations I had drawn up during my own research nearly a decade ago, which was also clearly indicated by my study model from which I drew these conclusions. (You may wish to contact me at info@FocusOnTotalHealth.net for discussion on this matter). The correlation or conclusion I came up with is as follows:


The fatter and more unfit you are, the higher your chance of dying, and the earlier you will die.


Time and time again, various researchers have subsequently shown the first part of my conclusion to be true. However, the latter part calls for more research to further validate it; nevertheless, I had proven beyond the shadow of doubt—and I can demonstrate it scientifically—that this second part of my conclusion also holds true.

You Lose 2 to 10 Years, if Overweight!

A follow-up study of close to 900,000 people (mostly western European and North American male; mean recruitment age: 46) found: The longest living participants in the study were among those who had BMI (body mass index) within the normal range (<25 kg/m2 is for Caucasians; note: for Asians, it is <23).

At 30—35 kg/m2, median survival is lowered by 2—4 years. At higher BMI of 40—45 kg/m2, it is reduced by 8—10 years; this is comparable with the effects of smoking.


Your risk of mortality increases when you are overweight, according to the Study

Basically, the study showed that the fatter the person, the more years he shears off his life.

You can read more on The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 18 March 2009 issue.

The above study further supports my earlier finding stated in my book, The Amazing Heart – A Revolutionary View that could Save and Lengthen Your Life! If you have a copy of it, there on pages 92-93, I mentioned that your risk of disease and death increases in direct proportion to your weight! In other words, the heavier you are, the lower your quality of life, and the earlier death will visit.

The above finding calls for actions. There’s always room to get healthier!

Wishing you a happy and longer living—
Ray Chee