肚子里的野蛮
昨晚肚子里的野蛮作怪，搞到我整晚坐立难安。想必是今天吃不定时又吃了一些油腻的食物才会中招。吃了文明的药来打压肚子里的野蛮就去躺，然后就这样睡着了。到了半夜，拉了才舒服。今早迟起了。唉。
Protected: Two things that annoyed me today
NSAID allergy case the 3rd time!
My dad was admitted to the General Hospital yesterday due to suspecting of food poisoning. He was actually going to the Community Polyclinic at Pantai Peringgit for his routine medical checkup. But he had been having diarrhea since last week and yesterday he began to vomit.
There wasn’t any vacant ward so they put him in the A&E ward. He was transferred to medical ward this morning. When I visited him two hours ago, I saw his eyes were swollen. His eye bags were filled with fluid. I knew he was having allergic reaction and I quickly checked with the nurse.
There were some young doctors there. A female doctor attended to me and my dad to see what’s going on. Her name was Dr. Ng. I told her that my dad was allergic to NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs). They prescribed him Aspirin. She said they had stopped giving him aspirin.
This was negligence and I pursued the responsibility with her. I am regarded as some kind of pain-in-the-ass by some people. I could see her facial reaction when I told her that I would pursue this responsibility. She quickly apologized and carefully worked through the documents. I backed off a little when I saw her diligence. I am not totally a pain-in-the-ass after all. I am not totally unreasonable.
She found a remark stating my dad was allergic to two unknown drugs. I told her, when a patient had informed the doctor or the nurse of his unknown allergic, then it would be the normal procedure to go through the patient’s medical history to find out what he was allergic to. Assessment had to be made accordingly if the patient was medically illiterate. The hospital should also immediately contact his family to find out what his allergies.
She apologized again and suggested me to speak to her superior tomorrow morning. She apologized again and I told her it was not her fault because my dad had been admitted at the same hospital with the same allergic reaction. Someone did not do their job well.
He was prescribed NSAID by an A&E doctor at the same general hospital and had mild allergic reaction. This happened in early 2007. In May 2007, the Community Polyclinic at Pantai Peringgit prescribed him Diclofenac Sodium and he had a bad allergic reaction and was admitted to the general hospital at night. I wrote about this here.
Why does this happen again for the 3rd time?
I am going to be someone’s real pain-in-the-ass tomorrow.
Chikungunya fever
My aunt and her husband were talking about some mosquito transmitted fever with joint pains when we visited her yesterday. They told us the epidermic was spreading in Segamat, Tangkak, Sagil and Muar. The epidemic they were talking about was Chikungunya fever. This disease is transmitted by infected Aedes mosquitoes. Today, there are 4 reported cases in Malacca.
The outbreak is caused by raining season. Singapore has reported an outbreak in earlier this year in January. Although it is not as deadly as dengue fever, I will take no chance to allow our kids to expose to the Aedes mosquitoes. No outdoor activities in the evening for a while.
Prostate Cancer - The 3rd leading killer in men
Prostate cancer is non-skin cancer but carcinomatous growth in the prostate gland. It is a nut sized gland in males at the neck of urethra; produces a viscid secretion that is the fluid part of the semen.
it is the 3rd leading killer in men’s cancer. You may have or may not have any prostate cancer symptoms at all because prostate cancer is slow growing but at times it can grow quickly. African-American men have the highest risk than Caucasian or Asian men.
Fortunately, there is new prostate cancer treatment available. Sonablate 500 is a non-invasive medical device that uses HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) to treat prostate cancer. This new technology is giving new hope to men in fighting prostate cancer and BPH (enlarged prostate).
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
The Sonablate 500 is not approved for use in the U.S. The Sonablate 500 remains investigational in the U.S. and is being studied for the treatment of prostate cancer in clinical trials in the U.S. FDA has made no decision as to the safety or efficacy of the Sonablate 500 for the treatment of prostate cancer. Currently, the device is approved for the treatment of prostate cancer in Canada and the Dominican Republic, authorized in Argentina, and available in the Bahamas and Mexico.
Learn to use your muscles
The main basic goal of any martial art training is to learn the fundamental method of using our muscle effectively. During training, it is important to concentrate in the movement of every muscles and to feel exactly which muscles are moving.
By controlling the proper contraction of each muscles, one will gradually learn to use the muscles efficiently and to achieve motion economy. Many people neglects this part of training. A few of them learn to use their muscle without knowing it. If you start your training by learning to use your muscle, you will achieve better result much sooner than the others who don’t.
But how? I remembered my uncle used to talk about some training movement in Taijiquan when I was starting to learn karate. I felt boring listening to his stories. A couple of months ago, my interest sparked again. I talked to him regarding training and learn some secrets from him. Not because I don’t trust him, I reconfirm with dragon to make sure I have a more precise understanding of my uncle’s explanation. He used to brag a lot unnecessarily. 
I will write a series of posts here for the methods to develop muscle, especially the waist, which is the most powerful and every martial artists rely so much.
Laser Surgery
I had a laser surgery for my right eye this afternoon. It is an outpatient procedure. It took me about 5 minutes or less but I had to wait from 10AM till 1:30PM. That was a long wait.
I had my cataract surgery on June 19, 2007. Read here. I also posted a video of a cataract surgery here. The surgery removed my natural lens which had been clouded by the penta-fluoro carbon (C3F8) gas in the retina repair surgery. A new artificial lens was inserted to replace my natural lens. The only consolation reward I could think of was that my short-sightedness was reduced by half, as my doctor told me.
During the phacoemulsification procedure, the lens is removed but not the posterior lens capsule. It has to be left there to hold the new artificial lens. Not all lens cells can be completely removed. Some are left behind. Sometimes, the lens cells grow across the new lens. It is more likely to grow back if you are younger. Sometimes this happens in a few months after the cataract surgery, sometimes years. This is not a re-growth of cataract. It is the thickening of the back of the lens capsule. It is called the posterior lens capsular opacification. The picture shows the posterior capsular opacification on retroillumination.
Frequency-doubled Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet; Nd:Y3Al5O12) laser with a wave length of 532nm is used to make a “hole” in part of the capsule to allow light to pass through the lens directly. This procedure is called YAG laser capsulotomy. The doctor aims the laser exactly onto the posterior lens capsule and fires very short pulses of laser to blast off the part of the capsule and make a small circle shaped area. This leaves some of the capsule intact to hold the lens. The very small part of the lens capsule which is cut away falls harmlessly inside the eye.
The laser capsulotomy is very quick and not painful at all. I only heard some clicking noise as the laser was working. My vision on my right eye became clear again immediately after the procedure. The only discomfort I had was when my doctor attached a contact lens onto my eye.
Video of phacoemulsification cataract surgery
Last June, I had phaco to remove cataract on my right eye due to retina repair. Read more here. While surfing for some information, I found this video showing how this modern cataract surgery was done. It is very educational. I feel eerie while watching the video but it is rather educational. After watching the video, I appreciate my eyes more. And the video satisfies my curious appetite too.
Cheers! Sooner or later everyone has to go through this surgery. It is part of the natural aging process. Mine is caused by the retina repair surgery.
Hospital visit on first day of CNY
This year, the first place (other than parents’) we visited was the hospital. After our lunch at grandma’s, we went to Putra Specialist Hospital to visit Richard. He met an accident and had his ordeal at the general hospital.
When we saw him on the bed, his leg was nicely bandaged after the surgery. He now has a bionic leg. He was seen cherish and became the usual Richard. He was already recovering as he now had the mood to joke around. He was as cherish as usual as he used to be and on his way to recovery. We were a little pressured and worried while he was still in general hospital and he took many hours to decide to seek treatment at private hospital. We are glad he has made it.
Rest well and back on your feet again soon my friend!
I think we had a meaningful CNY this time by helping a friend through his suffering and ordeal. May the force be with you, Richard. And hey, you have got 3 months medical leave and we can really have a long chat and many teh tarik (tea with milk) this time. LOL! Cheers!
Another case of sub-standard health care
I wrote an article about sub-standard health care provided by government hospital sometime ago. Read it here. Today, we experienced another with our friend, Richard, who had a terrible accident last night.
We were going to grandma’s to help prepare the CNY eve dinner. It was about 1100+ when we arrived at the general hospital. Richard’s leg had been plastered without any surgery. LA and I were shocked and we got further details of what the specialists said from Richard. He told us one female specialist said he needed a surgery and the other male said no need surgery. WTF! What specialists were they? Were they qualified? I doubted.
We confirmed with a few friends who worked in hospital and they told us surgery was necessary to repair bone fractures. The earliest surgery the general hospital could schedule for Richard was next Thursday. It would be 10 days after his accident! WTF! He could have infection and had his leg amputated! We quickly provided him options to seek professional medical treatment in private hospital. He was concerned with insurance claims and the medical expenses. Private health care is many times more expensive than government hospital. I helped him to sort out some insurance doubts and advised him to decide quickly because today was CNY eve and there would be followed by two public holidays and weekend. Charges could be double or triple in operating theater and medical fees.
We waited until about 1645 and he finally called me that he had decided to seek professional medical treatment at private hospital. Without any delay, LA called her ex-colleagues in private hospital and arranged an ambulance and informed the doctor to standby.
By 1730, he was transferred to Putra Specialist Hospital and was under Dr. Ramu’s care. Surgery was scheduled at 2100 and after the CNY eve dinner, I went to see him at around 2000. Richard’s parents had gone home for dinner and he was alone. Poor Richard. I could understand his loneliness and fear as I had experience a surgery in 2006.
Before 2030, the nurses came in with an OT wheeled bed. They changed him. He was too embarrassed to get naked in front of the female nurses (his first time in front of female a virgin I supposed :D) He finally submitted to the sweet persuasion of the nurses. There gone his virginity! LOL. I accompanied him to the OT waiting area. That’s the furthest I could go. I comforted him and saw him being pushed into the OT. I went home and called to inform his parents.
I called his sister around 2350 and she told me Richard was soundly asleep and had not waken up after the surgery. I was relieved to hear he was fine after his surgery. Get well soon, my friend.
Most Unfortunate
Richard, my ex-classmate and best friend, were back from Singapore for the CNY on Sunday. He called me on Sunday night and Monday as well but I wasn’t free to go out with him for a tea. So, tonight while taking dinos downtown for a spin, an idea sparked and I called Richard to find out his whereabout and thought we might go for a drink.
He was shopping at MP and Carrefour. We made an rendezvous at 2145. We went many places in the car to look at CNY decoration in the old town. Then we were at Melaka Raya and I called Richard to change our rendezvous place to Hotel Equatorial. We waited there and many cars and motorcycles had passed by but Richard was nowhere to be seen. The kids were getting boring and started to make lots of noises. I decided to leave but no long after we left the rendezvous place, my phone rang. It was Richard. He told me he met an accident. First I thought he was joking as he used to be. But I heard his jumpy voice and I knew it was not funny. He was behind MP and we rushed to the vicinity.
When we arrived, he was sitting by the road side. He was on motorcycle and a car recklessly knocked him down. I went to understand the situation and to take a look at his condition. Using my knowledge in sports science and sports injuries, I examined his wounds and his right leg. He told me his leg was broken but some youngster who appeared to be the friends of the driver and were St. John members told me his leg was fine and not broken. What a stupid and ignorant youngsters!
Richard had some abrasion on his arms and legs. Not much of concerns. I examined closely and carefully his right leg and I found some swelling began to develop around and above his ankle. I touched and pressed gently and asked him if he felt anything. He told me it was numbed. That further reaffirmed my findings and I told him he had broken leg. I concluded his top part of fibula and the lower part of tibia were broken. I quickly called an ambulance and then came two policemen on motorcycles. One of them went to direct traffic and the other stopped beside to see what happened. I told him it was an accident and the victim had broken leg. This policeman took his own sweet time and he did nothing but standing there to look. I told him to radio the ambulance to reinforce my report. He still took his own sweet time to unbuckle his crash helmet, put it down in the basket, and stood there. I asked him why wasn’t he take any action and he ignored me. When I questioned him the second time, he told me to be patient. I raised my voice a little bit and told him the victim had broken leg and was suffering and he needed immediate medical assistance. He still took his own sweet time. My anger increased and I took out pen and paper and started looking for his ID number on his uniform but his safety jacket had covered his uniform and the ID number. I wrote down his motorbike registration number and he quickly began to radio back to headquarters. What kind of policeman was that? Worst, at the end of the incident after Richard had been sent to the hospital, the two policemen encouraged the driver and my friend’s family to settle outside so that no troublesome paperwork. I told him with a stern voice that we were going to lodge a police report.
After Richard had taken his motorbike which was parked behind MP, he was en route to rendezvous with us. Suddenly, a car came from behind him, passed him and suddenly turned left to go into a parking without signaling and looking at the left rear looking mirror. BANG! The driver was a young college going boy after his form five so he must be about the age of 18 or 19. A new and inexperienced driver with friends in his car talking and cheering away. When they spotted a parking, he endangered Richard.
The driver and his friends (girls and boys) admitted it was the driver’s fault while talking to me and Richard’s sister and mother. We encouraged him to file a police report. I was the one to lead them to the police station. Sadly, this young boy changed his mind under the influence of his friends (maybe) and his family. He did not admit his fault and stated that the motorcyclist (Richard) overtook his car from left rear. I wonder where is his conscience? I wonder if he can sleep and eat well?
My three boys are fascinated by ambulance and they like to see ambulance when we spot one on the road. This time, they had gotten the chance to seean ambulance taking an accident victim to the hospital. They saw the medical officers taking Richard up to the ambulance in a wheeled stretcher and rushed him to the hospital with siren. My boys had seen what an ambulance should do. But I guessed, today was the most unfortunate day for Richard.
After I sent them home, I went to the General Hospital to see if there was anything I could offer. I waited until he was ready to be warded. His leg was confirmed broken and he was really worried. When we (his sister and I) met the doctor in the ward, I asked to see his X-ray. That confirmed my findings. One fracture on the top part of his right fibula and two fractures on the lower part of his right tibia.
适量食用柿子可治疗风热咳嗽预防动脉硬化
我在十月写了一篇有关柿子的英语短文。我在网上看到了一篇关柿子的中文文章，转载在此和大家分享。
柿子（Persimmon）是柿子树（柿科柿属）的果实，原产于中国，柿子在中国大陆已有好几千年的历史，至今还有很多国家把柿子称为“中国的无花果”。不过现在许多国家也有，中国、日本、韩国和巴西是主要产地，以色列也逐渐赶上，发展出一种叫做莎隆果的新品种。美国各地则有野生的柿子。在中国，柿子是人们比较喜欢食用的水果，甜腻可口，营养丰富。不少人还喜欢在冬季吃冻柿子，别有味道。柿子既可生食，也可加工成柿饼、柿糕，柿子果脯、柿子果丹皮等，并可用来酿酒、制醋等。柿子营养丰富、色泽鲜艳、柔软多汁、香甜可口、老少喜食。
柿子营养价值很高，营养成分主要为糖类、果胶、蛋白质、脂肪、碳水化合物、微量元素和多种维生素。每100克熟柿中含有糖28克，其中主要是蔗糖、葡萄糖及果糖，含有碳水化合物15克，蛋白质1.36克，脂肪0.2克，碘量49.7毫克，以及钾、铁、钙、钠、镁、磷等矿物质和维生素C等。
科学家在用现代科学手段将柿子和苹果所含的营养成分进行对比之后，认为柿子在某些方面的优势要明显得多。例如，柿子的葡萄糖含量比苹果高出60%，膳食纤维含量等于苹果的2倍。而钠、钾、镁、钙、铁、锰的含量也大大超过了苹果。特别值得一提的是，柿子含有一种“酚类化合物”（苯酚或称石炭酸），对预防动脉硬化，降低心血管疾病发病率有很好的效果。柿子含有的膳食纤维、矿物质和石炭酸（一种抗氧化剂）成分，都是预防动脉硬化的要素。如果每天能食用柿子100克，便能有效地预防动脉硬化和心血管疾病。柿子预防心脏血管硬化的功效远大于苹果，堪称有益心脏健康的水果王。柿子富含果胶，它是一种水溶性的膳食纤维，有良好的润肠通便作用，对于纠正便秘，保持肠道正常菌群生长等有很好的作用。柿子含碘，所以因缺碘引起的地方性甲状腺肿大患者，食用柿子很有帮助。
据《本草纲目》所载：柿子味甘性寒，能消热去烦、止渴生津、润肺化痰、治疗热咳。中医认为，柿子味甘、涩，性凉。具有清热去燥、润肺化痰、止渴生津、健脾益胃、软坚、治痢、止血等功效。适用于风热咳嗽（不适用风寒咳嗽）、胃热伤阴、喉痛、吐血、甲状腺瘤、甲状腺肿大、大便干结、痔疮疼痛或出血等症。柿子是慢性支气管炎、高血压、动脉硬化、内外痔疮患者的天然保健食品。柿子有很多的药用价值，鲜柿、干柿饼、柿霜、柿蒂、柿叶都是很好的药物。柿饼：味甘，性平。具有润肺化痰、补脾涩肠、止血等功效，适用于燥痰咳嗽、脾虚食减、腹泻、便血、痔疮出血等症。柿霜：柿霜的成分主要是葡萄糖粉末。味甘，性凉。具有清热润肺，生津止渴，宁心泻火，凉血止血，消痔疗漏等功效。适用于肺热燥咳，咽干喉痛，口舌生疮，吐血，咯血等症。柿蒂：味甘，性平。具有降气止呃功效，适用于呃逆不止等症。柿叶：味苦，性凉。柿叶能软化血管、降低血压、防止动脉硬化、增加冠状动脉血流量，对高血压、冠心病、消化系统癌病有一定的效果。适用于各种急慢性炎症和出血等症。对肺结核咯血、胃溃疡吐血、眼底出血、血小板减少性紫癜和肺气胀满、咳嗽痰喘等有较好的疗效。由于嫩柿叶有利尿作用，所以柿叶茶还可以用来解酒。柿叶茶是利用夏季采摘的鲜柿叶经加工制成，与一般茶叶不同，柿叶茶呈弱酸性，而普通的红茶、绿茶和花茶呈弱减性。柿叶茶不含茶碱、咖啡因，晚上饮用不会因喝茶兴奋而导致失眠，反而可安神，是日常茶疗难得的健康饮品，深受国内外消费者的青睐。
吃柿子虽然有很多好处，但是有几点特别需要提醒：
1.空腹不能吃柿子。
因为柿子含有较多的鞣酸（或称单宁酸）及果胶，在空腹情况下它们会在胃酸的作用下形成大小不等的硬块，如果这些硬块不能通过幽门到达小肠，就会滞留在胃中形成胃柿结石，小的胃柿结石最初如杏子核，但是会愈积愈大。胃柿结石会愈结愈牢，不易粉碎，会引起胃粘膜充血、水肿、糜烂、溃疡，严重者可引起胃穿孔。
2.柿子皮不能吃。
柿子中的鞣酸绝大多数集中在皮中，在柿子脱涩时，不可能将其中的鞣酸全部脱尽，如果连皮一起吃更容易形成胃柿结石，尤其是脱涩工艺不完善时，其皮中含的鞣酸更多。
3.不要与含高蛋白的蟹、鱼、虾等食品一起吃。
在中医学中，螃蟹与柿子都属寒性食物，所以不能同食。从现代医学的角度来看，含高蛋白的蟹、鱼、虾在鞣酸的作用下，很易凝固成块，即胃柿结石。要避免发生以下情况：螃蟹＋柿子＝腹泻；白酒＋柿子＝会胸闷；红薯＋柿子＝会得结石。
4.糖尿病人勿食。
柿子中因含有糖类，而且大多是简单的双糖和单糖（蔗糖、果糖、葡萄糖即属此类），因此吃后很易被吸收，使血糖升高。凡体弱多病，脾胃虚寒，风寒咳嗽，妇女产后，女子月经期间，均忌食柿子。
5.适量使用。
柿子中的鞣酸能与食物中的钙、锌、镁、铁等矿物质形成不能被人体吸收的化合物，使这些营养素不能被利用，因此多吃柿子容易导致矿物质缺乏。一般，不在空腹的情况下，每次吃柿子不超过200克为宜。
6.食后漱口。
柿子所含的糖类和果胶，食用后总有一部分留在口腔里，特别是在牙缝中，加上弱酸性的鞣酸，很易对牙齿造成侵蚀，形成龋齿，因此在食用后宜喝几口水或及时漱口
Hair Loss
Hair loss has become a global problem among men and women. About more than 40% of women in U.S. alone suffer from hair loss. There are factors that cause hair loss. One of the most common problem is Alopecia Areata. It is mostly inherited and common in people having autoimmune disease. Some other factors include stress, low iron, and menopause.
People with hair loss will lack confidence while socializing both at work or leisure. Wearing wigs is one of the solution but it can be embarrassing if the wigs fall off. With the advancement in trichology, hair transplant is becoming a more common and effective method in hair restoration.
Hair Transplant Medical is a consumer organization with many experience hair transplant surgeons who have performed many successful transplant. This is the right place to go whether you are looking for a hair transplant surgeon, or information about hair loss and hair transplant.
Chinese Medical and Health Search Engine
I came across a Chinese Medical and Health Search Engine, lolong.com (络龙). It is a brain child of a group of young Chinese technopreneurs operating in Chengdu, China. The idea is nothing new but it certainly will make searching for medical and health related materials easier with their sole concentration in this area. If you are looking for some medical or health related information, why not give it a try?
Laser Treatment
I went for my scheduled eye examination at my doctor’s clinic in KL yesterday. Everything is fine except the transparent cells covering/holding my artificial lens have begun growing and blurring my vision. I need a laser treatment after 3 months. The treatment is a 5-minute outpatient procedure which uses laser to polish the lens.
Is the growth normal for people who have cataract removed? Can anyone provide some information and experience please?
丹田和气的误解
冯驰先生生于1962年，12岁开始学少林拳，1982年考入临沂师范学院体育系。主攻武术，在校期间主要学习了长拳.太极拳.形意拳.八卦掌等。毕业后一直在银行学校从事武术的教学与研究工作，在此期间他应邀出席全国各种武术研讨会，接触了许多武林大家名家，获益非浅，并参与写作了两部师范院校专用武术教材。1991年又拜大成拳创始人王芗斋先生的亲传弟子孔庆海先生为师，深得孔先生喜爱，尽得孔先生倾囊相授，冯先生聪颖过人，系拳学奇才，他崇尚科学，追求真谛，勇于探索，不步后尘。正因如此，他才以惊人的毅力，过人的气度，创立了“平衡拳道”，从而真正揭示了传统内家拳学的本质，抓住了拳学的核心。近年来他应邀到很多地方讲学。在全国性刊物《武魂》杂志上发表文章10多篇，其中重要的如：2001年第2期《跳出气的误区》.2001年第7期《论大成拳之三大错误及纠正方法》.2002年第1期《大成拳生存与发展的唯一出路之科学性》.2003年12期《武林绝学揭示》.2004年第3期《通过“五弓合一”快速求得劲》2004年第5期《论内家拳与外家》等。特别是《论大成拳三大错误及纠正方法》是对武林界释放的一颗重型炸弹，在全国引起了很大的反响，引发了近年来少有的武术大辩论，冯先生也因此而成为全国武林界最具争论性的核心人物之一。
冯驰先生说：
中华武术自宋、明、清以来，发展迅速，流派林立。一方面拳种繁衍，一方面人体内外整体观的武术理论已逐步趋于完整，无论南派、北派、内家、外家，莫不一致提倡内练气，外练形，内外兼修，以提高武术的养生作用与技击水平。
内家拳，作为中华优秀的传统武术，更注重“气”的锻炼。如内家拳中的太极拳云：“养气为君骨肉臣”，“以心行气，以气运身”，“气遍身躯不少滞”，“气沉丹田”、“气宜鼓荡”等；形意拳云：“精灵养根气养神，养功养道见天真，丹田养就长命宝，万两黄金不予人”，由此可见内家拳对气的重视程度，他们并且摸索出一套完整系统的训练方法，大体分两步：一步是养丹田之“气”，养气之法通过调身如：头领颌收，劲部松直，涵胸拔背、塌腰敛臀、护肫圆裆、松肩垂肘等来达到“气沉丹田，通过调息“气沉丹田＂，行之既久，常若一团气力坚凝于腹脐之间。二步是运“气”，运气之法是通过丹田鼓荡，“周天运行、螺旋缠绕”等使“气”运到身体各部位，以备养生与技击。
为什么如此内家拳如此重视“气”的锻炼？究其原因是因为他们认为“气”是高能量物质，是人体运动的原动力。武术中的高级劲台太极拳中的弹抖劲，形意拳中的中寸劲等都是“气”发放的结果。其实这是一个天大的错误。造成这一错误的原因很简单，就是由于当时科学不发达，技术落后，对人体的解剖知识，生理机能不明，单凭身体的感觉得出的结论。也正是这种结论的错误，才造成了中华武术史上最大的误区。可以说，几乎每一位练武者，特别是内家拳锻炼者都受到了不同程度的误导，走了不少弯路，有的甚至终生不能重返拳学正轨，真是可惜可叹！
既然掉进“气”的误区，就要跳出“气”的误区。要想跳出“气”的误区，首先就要弄明白“气”的真正含义。真实“气”的真正含义有两层：一层是通过所谓养所得的丹田之“气”，实际上就是腹腔内的压力，是自然的生理因素所致，而不是什么高能量物质，也不是武术中的弹抖劲、寸劲的根源。可能有人会问：为什么通过养气能感到丹田气足了，爆发时丹田的鼓荡能感到身体的力量增大了呢？原因是在养时通过调息，锻炼了腹压肌的收缩力，当腹压肌再收缩时，使腹腔内的压力比原来增强，这样我们的感觉好像是丹田里的气足了；当爆发时由于丹田的鼓荡，一些腹压肌拉长收缩，被动牵引脊柱产生一定的力量，但这种力量对技击来说是微不足道的。那么说丹田“气”（腹腔压力）没有什么用途了吗？其实不然，丹田之气有一个很大的用途，就是当腹直肌、腹外斜、腹内斜肌这些对脊柱运动力臂长的肌肉收缩拉动脊柱运动时，如果腹压肌中膈肌动力产生的腹内压能当好支撑点，就能使脊柱、特别腰脊产生动抖运动，这才是武术中弹抖劲的根源。通过腰背的主动弹拌运动与产生的力量非常大，与丹田鼓荡被动牵引脊柱产生的力量悬殊很大，作用差别也很大。二层是所谓运至全身的“气”绝不是与呼吸有关的气，更不是什么高能量物质，而是遍布全身的神经纤维和神经末梢。太极拳中“以心行气、以气运身、气遍身躯不少滞”的气真正含义实际就是大脑发出指令，通过神经纤维的传导，达到全身的神经末梢指挥全身肌肉的松紧协调。可能有人会说：为什么通过全练功，身体有麻热胀、蚁走等得“气”的感觉？其实这是人体自然的生理现象。凡是学过人体生理解剖知识的人都知道，人体的各种体育运动，都是神经支配骨胳肌收缩的结果。人体骨胳肌大小共有六百余块，大部分是小肌肉，而在平时的运动中起主要作用的都是大肌肉，这样一部分小肌肉如果长期用不到或锻炼不到，神经支配这部分肌肉的能力就会降低或根本就不能支配；另外，每块骨胳股都由很多肌纤维束组成，并且每一肌纤维束都有神经支配，即使经常运动的骨骼肌里也有神经支配不到的肌纤维束。通过练功使支配不到的肌纤维束的能力得到加强，在这一过程中，由于神经接通或神经支配能力的加强，都伴有电位变化，形成电荷移动，使身体有麻热胀、蚁走等得“气”的感觉。
在上一册文章里，龙说：“气是无型的…” 不代表以仪器所测量到的一些生理现像并不足以构成一个完整解释‘气’的理论。往往好多练武之人，不去做进一步的深入了解，而“人云亦云”把误解一代传一代。
只要一提到“气是假的”，就会受到很大的震荡。这是人类迷信和固执的心态。就好相说“神是不存在的”。丹田和气已经到了一种精神信仰的地步，好比宗教。把他们的迷信给打破了，他们就会很痛苦，而且会很执着的回应以保护他们对丹田和气的信仰。我的文章不是要给这些人痛苦，而是要给那些开明，勇于脱离传统，勇于探索之人做参考。至于那些执着迷信之人，要是不能接受，就请一笑置之。
而丹田有上丹田，中丹田和下丹田。有三丹田，五丹田之说。这里所指的是下丹田，也统称丹田。丹田多指人体脐下三寸处，也称“小腹”。这里头除了小肠，根本什么都没有。而这人体脐下三寸处，正好是人体重心所在。前文所说的“其心不正，亦邪”。其心就是指人体重心。如人体重心不中正，那人就会失去平衡而跌倒，也会影响健康。有肥胖之人的小腹是凸出的，俗称“肚腩”。因为肥胖之人的小腹是凸出的，其人体重心不中正，也比常人显得笨重和容易跌倒，健康也比常人差，之所谓：“其心不正，亦邪”。
腹腔上面是肺，而肺和腹腔有横隔膜把肺和腹腔分离。横隔膜是造成肺和腹腔里的压力的型成。“丹田内转”是解腹腔里压力的变化，使肺部压力相互形成。腹腔压力的变化，把内脏均匀的分布开来，也造成肠的蠕动，增强肠对营养的吸收，废物的排出，是以有养生之说。
人的祖先是猿猴，以四脚行走。腹腔里的内脏，均匀的分布，如图里的黑猩猩。其重心中正，力大无穷。可能就连几个太极高手一起上，也未必是黑猩猩的对手。难到黑猩猩也会上乘的内功／气功不？道理很简单。人的先祖慢慢开始进化，改以两脚行走。这时，内脏开始受地心吸力影响而往下移，腹肌开始退化松懈，造成“其心不正，亦邪”。气功就是呼吸法，改善人体构造，内脏的分布，回归大自然原始的动物本能。这时，“意守丹田”就是指在意识的控制腹腔，横隔膜的运动和内压力，再慢慢的进入潜意识的控制。这时“心正而身亦正”。如仔细观察图里黑猩猩，就能看到它那强壮凶猛的身体是受其重心所支配 － “心正而身亦正”。这也是为什么武术以动物为基础的原因。
“以身变手，以气变手，以意变手”有何解？手是型体上的构造，看得见，摸得着，这是“以身变手”。如果没有神经的电子讯号和血液（压）的流动，那手就没有作用了，这就是“以气变手”。有了神经的电子讯号和血液（压）的流动，那手就起作用了，那还的有在意识或潜意识的支配或控制，那才能随心所欲, 这就是“以意变手”。“以身变手”并不是只是型体上的构造，看得见，摸得着这就草草了事。手和身是相连的。手就是身，身就是手。而手的运做，要靠身体和重心（丹田）的支配和控制，以达成最理想的运动，那就是“运动经济学” (motion economy)。
话说回来，人的呼吸有分先天和后天两种形态。胎儿在母亲体内是用脐带呼吸。所吸之物是带有氧气和养分的血液。所呼是带有二氧化碳和废物的血液。这些血液在胎盘里进行了一系列复杂的运转。胎儿这时是用逆腹式呼吸。逆腹式呼吸方法是一种能够增强人体气机顺畅、调节人体功能、平衡人体阴阳的一种呼吸练习方法。平时我们的呼吸特征是：吸气时腹部凸出，呼气时腹部凹进。而逆腹式呼吸方法则相反，体现在外形上的要求为：吸气时腹部凹进，而呼气时腹部突出；逆腹式呼吸具体方法，取站、坐姿均可。慢慢用鼻腔吸气，同时腹部内收，胸部上提，横隔膜下移，肺部吸满了空气之后再徐缓吐气，呼气时腹部慢慢鼓起，渐渐恢复到原来的状态。逆腹式呼吸有以下好处：
- 扩大肺活量，改善心肺功能。能使胸廓得到最大限度的扩张，使肺下部的肺泡得以伸缩，让更多的氧气进入肺部，改善心肺功能。
- 可以改善腹部脏器的功能。它能改善脾胃功能，有利于舒肝利胆，促进胆汁分泌。腹式呼吸可以通过降腹压而降血压，对高血压病人很有好处。
- 吸氧量加大，令大脑氧充足，对安神益智有好处。吸氧足，气血就活跃，有利于伤病加快复元，经常练此呼吸法伤病的确是比一般人好得快！
- 由于比普通的腹式呼吸增加了对腹部的压力，因而血流加速，血中的酸素浓度提高。其结果就是免疫细胞机能的活性化，间接性副肾机能的强化，以及因此而被提高的免疫力。
- 现代生理学认为腹式呼吸加大了腹肌和横隔膜的运动幅度，起到了增加肺的换气量，按摩内脏，促进新陈代谢的作用。从现代气功学的角度来看，腹式呼吸能强化腹部混元气的聚散开合，而腹部混元气的多寡以及运化则直接关系到躯体形态的变化，肥胖就是由于这一部分气的运化失常而引起的。因此，炼功减肥着重于腹部气机的锻炼。
逆腹式呼吸法是胎儿和初生婴儿的先天呼吸法。此呼吸法也被称为“道家呼吸法”。原因是道学里认为：“逆则生，顺则死”而形成的养生之道。此言有理。胎儿在子宫里不是呼吸空气。出生时哭，是要把肺里的液体排出然后呼吸空气以让肺部由呼吸液体转换呼吸空气。那时肺部还未成熟，不能用顺腹呼吸或胸呼吸，要不然必死无疑。这是大自然的神奇之处。古人运用文学和智慧，以六个字，“逆则生，顺则死”来形容养生之道。试问这六个字要是给一般没有文学和医学知识之人仕，又会得到什么样的解说？
在婴儿出世后的第一或第二月，婴儿慢慢的转去“顺腹式呼吸”。待婴儿的肺部渐渐的成熟，婴儿也改用“胸式呼吸”。
气功里的呼吸法也采用这三种，以达到先天和后天呼吸法的好处。 吸氧足，氧气在肺部活跃的进行转换，带有足够氧气的血液也活跃的在人体各器官进行转换，那就是所谓的“气血活跃”。
当掌握了这三种呼吸法，最高境界是以呼吸之时，胸部和腹部都能不动。这时呼吸仅靠横隔膜。呼吸时，胸部和腹部都不动是武术最高境界的需求之一。呼吸时胸部和腹部的起伏，是武术里的大忌。和高手过招，他能观察胸部和腹部的起伏，就能掌握你的呼吸。就在吸气之时，一拳打在身上，好比打在充满空气的气球，立刻爆裂。肺里有很多小小的气囊，当充满空气的时候，一遇外力的打击，里面的空气会发生震荡。要是气囊里面的空气压力过高，那时小小的气囊就会像气球般爆裂，轻则伤，重则死。是以气功或呼吸法是武术的根基。
我在呼吸法上有所掌握，也能做到呼吸时，胸部和腹部丝毫不动，也能发力和发劲。我可以感觉到发力和发劲时毫不吃力。
丹田和气功是古代生理学，生物学，生物力学的结晶品。那好比“阴阳”或“两仪”就是现代的二进制 (binary) 学说。冯驰先生所说：
由于当时科学不发达，技术落后，对人体的解剖知识，生理机能不明，单凭身体的感觉得出的结论。也正是这种结论的错误，才造成了中华武术史上最大的误区。
正如我前文所说，在古时，可能是读书人创作了武术，然后以文字记载，又当时不知所谓何物，就以一些文字比如丹田之类，以求记载。那为什么读书之人会创作了武术的呢？读书之人缺乏劳动以至身体机能衰退，而创作了有如气功之类呼吸法和五擒戏之类的运动法，进而演变出武术之学。而武术也有源自文武之家。武家创作的武术，多以武将军或是属下创作而多以练外功和硬功为主。目的是在极短时间内练得功夫用以杀敌。而古时武将军，都是文武双全，能以特出的文学来记载武术心得。后人却以迷信和愚昧的智慧来解读博大精深的武术文学。可哀！
练武最重要敢承认错误，纠正错误。盲目的和一些执着迷信之武夫，“人云亦云”那有何足道？那又跟莽夫有何分别？
气功，武术和中国文学的见解
《龙》看了《脊骨论》和我的电邮之后，回复说：
武术是建立于生物力学和物理学，以生物体内物质运动和物理学里的运动和惯性原理，来达到以其的效果。
气功是有的。可惜它被人给神秘化了。气功是呼吸的运动。气功讲究的是在于有系统的呼吸训练法，务求锻炼肺部的自然呼吸和放松，以至促进内循环，增强生物电磁。有效的控制呼吸，能达到《意》，也就是潜意识，来控制身体内分泌，比如，肾上腺素。
肾上腺素的一般作用使心脏收缩力上升；心脏、肝、和筋骨的血管扩张和皮肤、粘膜的血管缩小。肾上腺素能使心肌收缩力加强、兴奋性增高，传导加速，心输出量增多。对全身各部分血管的作用，不仅有作用强弱的不同，而且还有收缩或舒张的不同。对皮肤、粘膜和内脏（如肾脏）的血管呈现收缩作用；对冠状动脉和骨骼肌血管呈现扩张作用等。由于它能直接作用于冠状血管引起血管扩张，改善心脏供血，因此是一种作用快而强的强心药。肾上腺素还可松弛支气管平滑肌及解除支气管平滑肌痉挛。利用其兴奋心脏收缩血管及松弛支气管平滑肌等作用，可以缓解心跳微弱、血压下降、呼吸困难等症状。这也是所谓的《气》！
气功对生理上有一定的帮助。能以呼吸随心所欲的控制肾上腺素的分泌，就能增强力和劲的输出。《气》是无型的，但是它是有迹可循。当腎上腺素分泌增加之后，供血也随着增加。此时，人体所产生的红外线和电磁波也相对提高。这就是被人们误解的所谓气功。
读了她的文章之后，我和她的看法有同感。 我认为，中国文学是深奥的。中国武术里头的理论，不能用仅是武术的观点去看，而是要从文学和科学的观点去看，研究和分析。中国武术里的文学，并非就是专业人仕如医生，律师，工程师之类就能明了。
比如说，《其心不正，亦邪》所指其重（中）心不正直，就没有好姿态，也就不能得力。被不諳中国文学的武夫来说，意义可就要偏差十万里咯！
再有，《以意催力》是指以潜意识来发动全身所有筋骼，骨头和肌肉的互动而发力，传力。
要知道，在古时，可能是读书人创作了武术。一般莽夫，又怎能写出深奥的武术文学？
Chewing Tobacco Can Cause Mouth Cancer
When I talked to my friends from Hospice, I learned about chewing or smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol, can cause mouth cancer.
My friend’s father-in-law died of mouth cancer last year. I did not know about it until I met him two weeks ago when he came back from US for visiting.
I know a friend from Norway who likes to chew tobacco. I hope he is reading this. Please stop chewing tobacco and take good care of yourself. I have seen so much people suffering from cancer. I wish you best of health.
Shocked!
We went to Pak Putra for dinner last night. It was dinner time and there were too many people at the restaurant. The restaurant was very busy and in a chaos. We waited for some time for our drinks to arrive. Then another some time for our foods to arrive. The kids were getting a little inpatient. Finally, we got all the foods to fill our empty stomachs. Our foods came, some were not exactly the same as what we ordered. Our Tandoori chicken was not baked thoroughly and etc…
We are regular customer there. The boss, his wife, his brothers and some of their old staff know us and we are very much like friends. After the food, when I settled the bill, I made a feedback to one of the boss’ brother about the service. He assured me and told me to make our orders through him next time we come.
About leaving, another brother of the boss approached us and apologized for the chaos and the service. We gladly accepted his apology and that’s what I call “Service”! We had a short chat and LA asked about the lady, his sister-in-law. We used to see her sitting at the counter. We have not been seeing her since this January/February. So, out of curiosity, LA asked him.
He told us that she has lung cancer! What a shock we had. She was so healthy and a non-smoker. He told us her condition is getting better but needs a lot of rest. We wish her best of health and a speedy recovery.
We encountered many people, friends, relatives and acquaintance who suddenly have been diagnosed of cancer or suddenly died of cancer. My sister, Angie, died of cancer 2 years ago.
That’s life. What can we do?
LA and I decided to donate RM1 to Hospice for every bouquet sold. This is the least we can do to spread our love to those unfortunate but brave cancer victors to fight the horrible cancer. So, let’s reach out this Christmas and share your love.
Victim of Human Negligence
Mimi “Qoink” Mae, a beautiful dog suffered from human negligence at the Veterinary Hospital of UPM (University Putra Malaysia). The careless, irresponsible, lazy attitude and negligence of the hospital staff caused a life of this lovely dog.
Visit her memorial website here and sign the petition to pursue accountability at UPM.
A needle can save the life of a stroke patient
After I posted an entry about new sign of stroke here, I could remember another friend of mine, chongky, sent me an email about emergency first aid for stroke victim. I dug out this over a year old email from my archive.
This method is based on Chinese traditional method, blood letting. The idea is to let the blood out to reduce the blood pressure. There is no western medical study to confirm the effectiveness of this method. If someone could verify this, please let me know.
Warning: This is not a medical advice. It is something someone shared with me and I want to share it here. Seek immediate medical assistance after the blood letting if you have decided to give it a try. Try at your own risk. Do NOT sue me!
Dear All
A friend sent me this interesting article. I was told about the same treatment by a tai chi friend a couple of years ago. His father who had a stroke was treated using the same method and recovered (though he was not as agile as before).
A NEEDLE CAN SAVE THE LIFE OF A STROKE PATIENT-From a Chinese professor
Keep a syringe or needle in your home to do this… It’s amazing and an unconventional way of recovering from stroke, read it through it can help somebody one day.
This is amazing. Please keep this very handy.. Excellent tips. Do take a minute to read this. You’ll never know. One’s life may depend on you.
“My father was paralyzed and later died from the result of a stroke. I wish I knew about this first aid before. When stroke strikes, the capillaries in the brain will gradually burst.”(Irene Liu)
When a stroke occurs, stay calm. No matter where the victim is,do not
Move him/her. Because, if moved, the capillaries will burst. Help the victim to sit up where he is to prevent him from falling over again, and then the bloodletting can begin. If you have in your home an injection syringe that would be the best, otherwise, a sewing needle or a straight pin will do.
- Place the needle/pin over fire or clean the tip with cotton wool soaked in spirit to sterilize it, and then use it to prick the tip of all 10 fingers.
- There are no specific acupuncture points, just prick about a mm from the fingernail.
- Prick till blood comes out.
- If blood does not start to drip, then squeeze with your fingers.
- When all 10 digits is bleeding, wait a few minutes then the victim will regain consciousness.
- If the victim’s mouth is crooked, then pull on his ears until they are red.
- Then prick each ear lobe twice until two drops of blood comes from each ear lobe. After a few minutes the victim should regain consciousness.
Wait till the victim regain his normal state without any abnormal symptoms then take him to the hospital, otherwise, if he was taken in the ambulance in a hurry to the hospital, the bumpy trip will cause all the capillaries in his brain to burst. If he could save his life, barely managing to walk, then it is by the grace of his ancestors.
” I learned about letting blood to save life from Chinese traditional doctor Ha Bu-Ting who lives in Sun-Juke. Furthermore, I had practical experience with it. Therefore I can say this method is 100% effective.In 1979, I was teaching in Fung-Gaap College in Tai-Chung. One afternoon I was teaching class when another teacher came running to my class room and said in panting, “Ms. Liu, come quick, our supervisor has had a stroke!”
I immediately went to the 3rd floor. When I saw our supervisor, Mr.Chen Fu-Tien, his color was off, his speech was slurred, his mouth was crooked-all the symptoms of a stroke. I immediately asked one of the practicum students to go to the pharmacy outside the school to buy a syringe, which I used to prick Mr. Chen’s 10 fingers tips. When all 10 fingers were bleeding (each with a pea-sized drop of blood), after a few minutes, Mr. Chen’s face regained its color and his eyes’ spirit returned, too. But his mouth was still crooked. So I pulled on his ears to fill them with blood. When his ears became red, I pricked his right earlobe twice to let out 2 drops of blood. When both earlobes had two drops of blood each, a miracle happened. Within 3-5 minutes the shape of his mouth returned to normal and his speech became clear. We let him rest for a while and have a cup of hot tea, then we helped him go down the stairs, drove him to Wei-Wah Hospital . He rested one night and was released the next day to return to school to teach.
Everything worked normally. There were no ill after-effects. On the other hand, the usual stroke victim usually suffers irreparable bursting of the brain capillaries on the way to the hospital. As a result, these victims never recover.- ” (Irene Liu)
Therefore stroke is the second cause of death. The lucky ones will stay alive but can remain paralyzed for life. It is such a horrible thing to happen in one’s life. If we can all remember this bloodletting method and start the life-saving process immediately, in a short time, the victim will be revived and regain 100% normality.
If possible, please forward this tip to others after reading it. You never know that it may help save a life. This procedure must be done immediately after the stroke strikes the patient, not some hours later. No harm is done if the patient does not recover after applying the procedure on him, but why miss the chance of not doing it?
Nicotine may ease Parkinson’s symptoms?
In my previous post, Sparring - The Medical Implication - Part 2, I mention about the potential risk of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) from head injuries. I came across an article about Nicotine may help ease Parkinson’s symptoms. I re-post the full article and the original article can be found here.
Nicotine may ease Parkinson’s symptoms: U.S. study
Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:21am IST
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science EditorWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nicotine may help ease some of the debilitating and uncontrollable tremors and twitches caused by Parkinson’s disease and its treatment, researchers said on Wednesday.
Monkeys given a nicotine-laced drink before drug treatment for Parkinson’s showed a 50 percent reduction in movements associated with the treatment. They showed a 35 percent drop in the movements, known as dyskinesias, when given the drink after treatments.
The finding, to be published in the Annals of Neurology, suggests it may be possible to improve the lives of patients who have very limited options.
“It may be the only drug that is useful for reducing dyskinesias without making Parkinson’s disease worse,” Maryka Quik of the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center in Sunnyvale, California, who led the study, said in a telephone interview.
Parkinson’s disease, which affects more than 1 million patients in the United States, is marked by the death of brain cells that produce dopamine.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, or message-carrying chemical, associated with movement. Drugs can delay symptoms for a while but there is no good treatment and no cure.
The main treatment, levodopa or L-dopa, itself causes the abnormal involuntary movements after a time.
For years, researchers had noted that people who smoke and who drink coffee seemed to have a lower risk of Parkinson’s, and some research has suggested that nicotine might protect brain cells and nerves in some way.
Quik said her team’s findings appear to uncover a separate effect of nicotine.
The researchers caused Parkinson’s in rats and then in monkeys by damaging the area of the brain where dopamine is made. They gave them a soft drink with nicotine before and after administering levodopa.
“Not only is nicotine neuroprotective, it protects against L-dopa-induced dyskinesias. The two effects are exclusive,” Quik said. Nicotine did not appear to interfere with the beneficial effects of L-dopa.
Her team is now working with companies that make nicotine-like drugs to work up a trial in people.
The key is probably chemical doorways into brain cells called nicotinic receptors, Quik said. Drugs that work to affect these more precisely than nicotine does might also work better and more safely in people.
Nicotine patches are available over-the-counter for people who want to stop smoking but Quik did not advise that Parkinson’s patients try them.
“It is very important to work out the proper conditions and the proper dose,” she said.
© Reuters2007All rights reserved
This does not mean smoking cigarettes is good for health. The study suggest that, Nicotine, one of the chemical content in tobacco may help to relieve Parkinson’s symptom and the study has yet to confirm its effectiveness. Let’s wait and see. I hope it really can help those who have been suffering from PD.
New Sign of Stroke
A friend of mine, her mother suffered a stroke since last year. Her mother was bed ridden since the first stroke (I couldn’t remember exact date) and she passed away last week.
I received an email from Benji a moment ago about observing a possible stroke attack by looking at the victim’s tongue. I don’t know if this is true. Can anyone out there confirm this? This could save lives!
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters…. S.T.R.
My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously.. Please read:STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) …..she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid’s husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don’t die…. they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.It only takes a minute to read this…
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke… totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the “3″ steps, STR .. Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S : Ask the individual to SMILE.
T : Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE(Coherently) ( I.e. It is sunny out today)
R : Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.NOTE: Another ’sign’ of a stroke is this: Ask the person to ’stick’ out his tongue. If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.
If he or she has trouble with anyone of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.
Stroke Warning Signs
The American Stroke Association says these are the warning signs of stroke:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
So, send this link to everyone. If this is confirmed to be true, it will save lives!
Persimmons
I love persimmons! When I was a kid, I did not like the fruit and wouldn’t even want to taste it. But now, it is one of my favorite fruits. It’s sweet in taste and seedless. My kids love it too.It comes in variety of shapes according to its species. It may be spherical, acorn- or pumpkin- shaped. Pumpkin-shaped persimmons are most common here.
Do you realize that too much of persimmons is bad for your health?
According to the Merck’s Manual, it can cause epidemic of intestinal bezoars. Persimmons contain tannin shibuol, which polymerized in the stomach, is the cause of bezoar. The bezoar caused by persimmons is called persimmon bezoar. 90% of the bolus that occur from eating too much persimmons require surgery for removal.
Sparring - A medical implication - Part 3
To continue from previous topic here and here. Now, let us focus on injuries in children. Children suffers greater risk of injuries than adult because they are in their tender growing age. Children and adults share the same risk for injury of the bones. However, child’s bones are subject to a unique injury called growth plate fracture. Growth plate fracture requires immediate medical attention because long-term consequences may include limbs that are crooked or of unequal length.
What is growth plate?
Growth plate or physis is an area of developing bone tissue often near the ends of long bones (such as femur), between the widened part of the shaft of the bone or the metaphysis and the end of the bone or the epiphysis.
The long bones of the body do not grow from center outward, instead, it grows at each end of the bone around the growth plate. The growth plate is the last portion of the bone to ossify or harden, which causes it susceptible to fracture. Because muscles and bones develop a different speeds, a child’s bones are weaker than the surrounding connective tissues or ligaments.
When a child is practicing free sparring or jiyu kumite in sports karate (or Tae Kwon Do) for example, the constant body bouncing introduces stress every each time the child landed on the ground. This may cause or retard the growth of the bones by injuring the growth plate. The child’s bones may become crooked due to the repetitive stress which the bones have to withstand.
Excessive kicking motion will further weaken or injure the already weak connective tissues or ligaments mentioned earlier. Take mawashi-geri or roundhouse kick for example, when the child misses the target, his/her leg will snap in the air. Without hitting a target, the momentum of the kick cannot be transferred and thus snapping of the leg will injure the knee by absorbing the momentum of the kick. All these injuries are long-term.
Children’s bones heal faster than adult’s. This gives two important consequences. First, it is important for a child with injury to see a doctor as quickly as possible to receive proper medical treatment before it starts to heal. Ideally to see an orthopedic particularly if manipulation to align the bone is necessary. Second, the immobilization period required for healing is shorter than adult.
Risk Factors
Who is at risk?
- Children near the end of their growth period are particularly vulnerable compared to children of other age.
- Boys’ risks are twice the girls’.
- More than one third of growth plate injuries occur in competitive sports.
- About 20% of growth plate fractures occur during recreational activities such as biking or skateboarding.
Are you willing to subject your children to such injuries for participating sparring or kumite and suffer long-term effects for their entire lives?
Drug Rehabilitation
I recall a friend of mine, Hudson, who was our pal in our young days became alcohol-dependent and gradually withdrew from his work and society. We used to hang out in a pub after work for happy hours and to get some fun with pals we met at the pub. Without us knowing, Hudson became alcoholic and gradually demonstrated some withdrawal symptoms.
When a person become drug- or alcohol- dependent, the person will undergo personality changes and will have a lot of mood swing and become emotionally unstable. Gradually, [s]he will withdraw from social and family activities and worst, out of job because no longer competent in the work environment. Their appearance will deteriorate and no longer bother with personal hygiene. When the symptoms left untreated and the dependency continue to linger, it can develop into social problems with violence such as, theft, robbery and murder.
I come across The Watershed Addiction Treatment Program providing drug treatment. WIth facilities located at Boca, Boynton and Houston, Watershed’s program offers medical detox, 12-step involvement program, dependency education, detoxification services, group therapy, individual counseling, inpatient rehabilitation, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, women’s program, family therapy, recreational activities and residential rehab.
It was a long time ago and we have no idea where Hudson is. The last news we heard from his younger brother years ago was that he had gone else where to work and he was no more on alcohol. I believe he has successfully rehabilitated and recover from his alcohol dependency.
The Watershed offers professional program to help people with drug or alcohol abuse problem. I hope this blog entry may help those who need to rehabilitate themselves to have a better and healthier lifestyle. I wish them and our old-time friend, Hudson good luck! I really like to see Hudson again one day.
Sparring - A medical implication - Part 2
My post “Sparring - A Medical implication” has caught attention of some of my blog readers and they have sent me feedbacks regarding my post. I am not a medical doctor but I have followed every medical articles regarding sports injuries and diseases (sports injury related) very closely and have made contact with some sports medicine researchers who are doing their Ph.D. in well known medical university in the U.S.
My posts will certainly create some controversies among karate-do practitioners, instructors or coaches, parents and other groups. My intention does not mean to inflict any contention or harm to karate training as I am a karate practitioner and coach myself. My intention is to realize people’s awareness of the potential injuries and the after-effect when our body begin aging.
In part 1, I mentioned vaguely how an injury like bruises and thrombosis can seriously affect our health. In this post entry, let’s take a look at the type of injuries we can get from karate training.
Before I start to elaborate types of injuries obtained from karate training, let me emphasize on one thing. One argument is most likely to come from the mouth of those karate coaches/instructors will be “With proper training and strengthening of the physique, injuries can be avoided…”. This can be a very selfish statement to protect their coaching income. Even the Olympic sportsmen and sportswomen can sustain injuries during their training or while competing. Remember, they are pro!
For modern competition oriented karate training, the sparring (jiyu kumite or free sparring) uses bouncing motion to distract opponent and also to position body into maneuver for attack. This repeating bouncing motion during training and tournament causes overused injuries. These overused injuries are caused by repeated, microscopic injuries to a part of the body.
Many long distance runners experience overuse injuries even after years of running. For road runners, the surface is hard and sometimes uneven, and the running movements are repetitive. In addition, there are usually both up- and downhill elements, and these increase the stress on tendons and muscles in the lower leg.
The bouncing motion in karate sparring (kumite) has the same effect of running. Although there is cushioned floor mat, but karate kumite exponents perform without proper footwear. This induces pressure onto both feet and legs every time they land and bounce off the mat.
They are most likely to suffer:
- Achilles tendinitis - The Achilles tendon (the tough sinew that attaches the calf muscle to the back of the heel bone) is most likely to be damaged if performing repeated bouncing motion in kumite. The injured Achilles tendon feels tender when squeezed between the fingers. Pain is usually at its worst in the morning and improves with walking. Vigorous exercise will increase the pain for a bit, then improve it.
- Lumbar strain - The standard weightlifter’s injury can also occur in sports that involve sudden twisting of the back, such as kumite when the athletes trying to maneuver into attack or out of attack or performing mawashi geri (roundhouse kick). Sudden lower back pain appears with twisting. It may seem fairly minor for an hour or two, but carrying on the exercise will usually bring a sudden deterioration with extreme pain and back spasms.
- Metatarsal stress fracture - The second to fourth toes are vulnerable to breakage if you push off with your toes when bouncing and maneuvering into or out of an attack during kumite. Army cadets doing running and marching drills are likely to suffer stress fractures during training camps. Dancers, gymnasts and kumite exponents experience stress fractures because of frequent jumping. The front of the foot starts hurting during exercise, and the pain usually stops when you finish. With each subsequent bout of exercise, the pain appears earlier and earlier, and gets steadily worse. The fracture can take up to three months to fully heal.
These are the injuries which effects can be seen or felt immediately during or after training. Whether the injuries have been completely treated and healed professionally, the problems are most likely to emerge again when our body begin to age.
Another injury which gives the most terrible effect is head injury. It is not surprising that head injury is common in karate kumite and other sparring events. It is estimated that when a martial art exponent gets a direct blow to the head it is like being hit by a 12lb padded, wooden mallet travelling at 20mph!
Being hit on the head can cause fractures to the bone of the head and face and tissue damage in the brain. A blow can damage the surface of the brain, tear nerve networks, cause lesions, bleeding and sometimes produce large clots within the brain.
Famous boxer, Mohd Ali, who suffered repeated head traumas over his professional boxing career, is suffering from Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Quoted from Wikipedia:
Past episodes of head trauma are reported more frequently by sufferers than by others in the population. A methodologically strong recent study found that those who have experienced a head injury are four times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than those who have never suffered a head injury. The risk of developing Parkinson’s increases eightfold for patients who have had head trauma requiring hospitalization, and it increases 11-fold for patients who have experienced severe head injury. The authors comment that since head trauma is a rare event, the contribution to PD incidence is slight. They express further concern that their results may be biased by recall, i.e., the PD patients because they reflect upon the causes of their illness, may remember head trauma better than the non-ill control subjects. These limitations were overcome recently by Tanner and colleagues,[45] who found a similar risk of 3.8, with increasing risk associated with more severe injury and hospitalization.
The human brain is contained in the skull and is suspended in some fluid. An impact to the head can set the brain into forward and backward rocking motion, smashing itself onto the skull wall. This is the cause of concussion. The impact may cause internal bleeding causing tiny to large blood clots in the brain. This may also cause thrombosis in the brain. Repeated head trauma can reduce the size of the brain and surface grey matter become thinner. The ventricles within the brain enlarged because of the decrease in the brain’s white matter. All these increase the vulnerability to natural aging of the brain and diseases of the brain. Kumite exponents may suffer Parkinson’s and/or Alzheimer’s disease.
It is not necessary to have a knockout with a direct or indirect (with head protective gear) blow to the head to traumatize the brain. As quoted above, those who have experienced a head injury are four times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than those who have never suffered a head injury. The risk of developing Parkinson’s increases eightfold for patients who have had head trauma requiring hospitalization, and it increases 11-fold for patients who have experienced severe head injury.
Imagine traumatized the brain of a young child or adolescence and how they can develop Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease when they begin to age. There are many medical cases involving people of young age who suffer Parkinson’s disease. One of them is Michael J. Fox, who has a young on-set of PD at the age of 29. The cause of his PD is not known, of course.
Would you like your child or yourself to suffer PD in young/old age? Would you compromise your health or your child’s health for the one-minute glory receiving a medal on stage? Would you compromise your health or your child’s health for displaying the male chauvanism during training and tournament? You decide your own or your child’s ultimatum.
Research on Sports Injuries
After reading many articles about sports injuries, kinesiology and other sports medicine related articles, it spurs my interest to know more about the medical implication of sparring (or kumite) in competitive martial arts such as karate-do. The injuries in children are most misunderstood amongst parents and martial arts instructors.
A lot of this medical knowledge has been known thousands of years ago by the Chinese martial artist without any sophisticated medical equipment. Today, we have all resources to learn about these injuries but people ignore the facts and the potential harms. Why? Read more about the medical implication on sparring here.