The Body

As we grow older, our body slowly begins to fail us, whether it is a result of lifestyle, hereditary conditions, or even self-infliction. Have been hearing over the past few years of more news of various persons suffering from this ailment or that ailment, with the key word used being “suffering”.

One of the very first serious ailment I heard of was cancer when I was still studying. One of my uncles had colon cancer, and subsequently did not recover from it. The scary thing is that his son (my cousin), also had colon cancer in his mid 30s and was very lucky to have detected it early. The detection happened when he went in for a separate operation for appendicitis. More recently, at least two aunties had breast cancer. I think my grandfather also passed away due to cancer. So, it is very much a hereditary issue.

What is cancer? (Source: http://cancer.about.com)
Cancer is a complex group of over 100 different diseases. Cancer can affect just about every organ in the human body. The organs in our body are made up of cells. Cells divide and multiply as the body needs them. When these cells continue multiplying when the body doesn't need them, the result is a mass or growth, also called a tumor. These growths are considered either benign or malignant. Benign is considered non-cancerous and malignant is cancerous. The cells within malignant tumors have the ability to invade neighboring tissues and organs, thus spreading the disease. It is also possible for cancerous cells to break free from the tumor and enter the blood stream, and spreading the disease to other organs. This process of spreading is called metastasis.

The other ailment I hear more often now is diabetes. I first heard of this in college, when a German student had to have insulin injection. More recently, heard that diabetes can cause amputation of the leg, and yes, I just heard about it today. It’s a scary thought on how one type of ailment, can cause or complicate other parts of the body.

What is diabetes? (Source: http://www.diabetic.com)
Having diabetes means that your body's hormone, insulin, is not doing its job. Insulin is needed to properly use the food that you eat for energy. Most of the food that you eat is broken down into glucose and other simple sugars. Normally, as newly arrived glucose enters the blood stream, your body releases insulin from the pancreas, and puts the glucose into your cells to use as fuel. If you lack insulin, or your insulin is unable to function properly, the newly arrived glucose cannot be stored and will remain in your blood stream. Your blood glucose levels (also referred to as blood sugar levels) will then become elevated. These abnormally high levels, left untreated, can eventually cause damage to your eyes, heart, nerves and kidneys.

Not only did I hear about someone I know having an amputation of the foot, the same person’s daughter is currently hospitalized for acute pancreatitis. What complicates matter is that the daughter is married to my cousin who had the 1st stage colon cancer, and just recently gave birth to a baby before Chinese New Year.

What is pancreatitis?
(Source: http://www.surgery.usc.edu/divisions/tumor/pancreasdiseases)
Pancreatitis is a condition associated with development of acute and sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Experimental data show that during an attack of pancreatitis, pancreatic enzymes are released in the abdomen and cause inflammation by the damage from digestion of normal body structures, especially fat in the abdomen. In about 85% of patients, acute pancreatitis is a mild disease and is usually associated with a rapid recovery within a few days of onset of the illness. Gallstones and excessive alcohol usage are the most common causes for injury to the pancreas and account for more than 85% of all patients that develop pancreatitis. Many medications, and conditions such as hyperlipidemia (high levels of fat in the blood), and hypercalcemia (high levels of calcium in the blood) may also cause pancreatitis.

It is so shocking how these news come about. A friend of mine gave birth to a son, and the son had an abnormal growth in one of his kidneys. The growth was causing some complications, and was subsequently removed when the kid was older. So, kidney issues are another matter of concern. An ex colleague’s son previously had kidney failure, and had to go for dialysis. I think the son had had a successful kidney transplant already.

So, I guess we cannot take our body for granted. Our lifestyle and food intake may need to change to “jaga badan”. For myself, I am not immune to these ailments, and have a family history. Arthritis, asthma, and hypertension, amongst others, run in the family. Am currently taking medication for hypertension, and need to watch my cholesterol levels (although not alarming yet). Exercise seems to be a key word, but I have heard some people who exercise regularly, eat properly, and yet, succumb to heart attack and even stroke. Still, it is perhaps better to exercise and lessen the risk, than not to exercise at all. One thing to learn from this, is to treasure life and the moments you have. Be grateful always for your current state of healthiness, and not take your body for granted.