Joey M.D.

While the “octuplet mom” is currently receiving a lot of media mileage because of her BIG family, there was a time when having a lot of children was almost a necessity.  That was because many children die in childbirth or at a very young age.  That was the time when there was no prenatal screening, no ultrasound, no Cesarean section (in case something goes wrong and the baby has to be delivered immediately).  That was the time when diseases such as measles, polio, smallpox, flu, and a lot of other “childhood illnesses” take away the lives of so many youngsters.  These were only seen in young children because children either die from the disease or live through it, and developing lifelong immunity to these diseases.

Older people were another matter.   A lot of diseases weren’t discovered yet, so it was difficult to give a cure to the disease.  Elderly people who got sick just died without knowing why — people just assume that it was because of age.  There was no antibiotics then, so people die of pneumonia, sepsis and other infections.  There were no anti-TB meds then, so having tuberculosis was like being given a death sentence then.  Even Presidents and royalty were not spared from these diseases.

So, along came modern advances like antibiotics, vaccines, Cesarean sections, life saving operations…the list goes on.  Life expectancy increased.  Tuberculosis is now curable, smallpox wiped out, polio controlled.  More babies who can’t be delivered normally can now be delivered via Cesarean section.  Antibiotics have controlled previously life threatening bacterial infections.  Life expectancy rose, at least among our grandparent’s generation.

But then, we now see a lot of diseases like cancers, heart diseases, pulmonary diseases like COPD, liver diseases like cirrhosis, etc.  What happened?

The modern age has brought about new advances in medicine, but it has also brought in several unhealthy habits, like diets rich in additives and saturated fat.  Our grandparents had it right…they have good nutrition with more home cooked food, less meat and more vegetables and fish (probably because of the scarcity during those times), had lesser vices like smoking and alcohol, had more physical activity.  If you’re like me and am not fond of fish, you can still get the goodness of fish oils, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids in the form of supplements, such as those manufactured by companies like puritan’s pride (top-rated by the consumer lab — they have an ongoing Buy 2, Get 3 Free OR Buy 1, Get 1 Free promotion on their vitamins so check them out). They also have herbal supplements which may help in maintaining our health if used properly. One thing I’ve recently begun to enjoy is yogurt, which is touted to contain  probiotic acidophilus, which is supposed to aid in proper digestion.

Of course, nothing beats a good diet and exercise program to begin with.  There should be a balance between the natural way of preventing disease by good nutrition and activities and the proper use of modern advances in medicine to control and cure diseases which come along.  With both in place, we should be able to lead long, healthy, productive lives.