Some people live longer than others. Why is that? Setting aside life-shortening causes, such as accidents, violent acts, and infectious diseases, some people seem to age more slowly than others. Their physical and mental powers decline at a slower rate. Some of this is due to lifestyle and diet choices, but there is more to it than that. Continue reading
Hong Kong is a living historical mixture of imperial China, British Empire, democratic China (ROC), or communistic China (PRC). Today, it’s suffering from trauma. T
rauma can be defined as an intense stressful event which changes an individual’s internal equilibrium, threatens a person’s survival, and arouses a sense of crisis, such as violence, robbery, sudden near-death accident, loss of a loved one, laid-off, divorce, financial bankruptcy, etc.
Traumatic experience sends shock waves to an individual’s brain and activates fight-or-flight cognitive, emotional and behavioral reactions. So-called normal rational cognitive process and executive planning are interrupted and bypassed, replaced by a hyper vigilant mental state in preparation of fight or run for life. Continue reading
If you are reasonably healthy and reasonably happy now, without a doubt, you would like the good times to continue rolling. Due to some unforeseen event, such as an unseen pickup truck turning a corner as you step out into the street, you could check out tomorrow. There are all kinds of disasters that could befall you, even if you are obsessively conscientious and careful. However, there is no point in dwelling on those possibilities. Continue reading
One of the biggest enemies of robust good health is chronic stress. I say chronic stress because there is another kind of stress besides chronic stress, called acute stress. Both kinds of stress are a state of mental or emotional strain, resulting from adverse circumstances. A stressful situation causes the release of cortisol and adrenaline into your bloodstream, putting you into fight or flight mode. Continue reading
Earlier this year, I wrote an article titled A Diet that Could Save Your Life. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the Western world, and high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes, as well as other serious health problems. I described the DASH diet, which advocates limiting salt intake to lower blood pressure. Continue reading