By Penelope A. Domogo, MD
I googled internet and one website defines SELF-INFLICTED DISEASES as “diseases caused by damage to a person’s health by their own decisions and behavior.” (www.s-cool.co.uk). It’s self-explanatory and I think nobody will debate the definition. With this definition, you would already be thinking of a lot of conditions which are prevalent today. Well, the website goes on to state that “Included in this category would be the choice to smoke or misuse drugs… or eating a high fat diet.” Technically, these are not diseases. These are behaviors that lead to diseases if done habitually. The diseases that result from habitual unhealthy choices would be hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, gout, cancer, pneumonia, allergy, sore throat, etc. If you have been reading this column since we started about 14 years ago, you would know that almost all diseases are caused by our unhealthy westernized diet – too much meat, eggs, sugar, milk, artificial flavorings like MSG (monosodium glutamate) and refined highly-processed foods. Added to this westernized diet is our sedentary life. We are eating too much and yet exerting too little effort.
If you are not yet convinced that these are self-inflicted diseases, let us analyze the situation. Who decides to plant vegetables or flowers in the yard? YOU. Who decides not to plant vegetables because the market is accessible? YOU. Who decides to spray poisonous pesticides and herbicides in the garden or not? YOU. Who decides to buy hotdog and corned beef or not? YOU. Who decides to fry eggs in the morning instead of sautéing the camote tops? YOU. Who decides to eat bread and not unpolished rice? YOU. Who decides to cook beans for your children or not? YOU.
Last Christmas, who decided to give gifts or not? YOU. Who decided to place Christmas décor or not? YOU. By the way, I and my family decided not to put Christmas décor at home. Who decides to buy television or not? YOU. Who decides when to watch TV? YOU. Who decides what program or show to watch? YOU. Who decides to walk to work or not?. We can go on and on. In fact, every moment of our life, we are making decisions. For grown-ups like you and me, we consciously and unconsciously make decisions, not only for ourselves but we also make choices for our children.
Children go by nature. They eat and poo and pee as the need arises. You cannot force them to eat if they are not yet hungry. Unlike grown-ups who are on a “see-food diet.” Everytime they see food, they eat it, even if they are already bloated. And because they are young, children are not supposed to decide on what to eat, what to wear, where to go, what to do. That’s the role of parents and caregivers that’s why God made parents or caregivers. Thus if we, parents or grandparents and other caregivers, make the wrong decisions, then we are also inflicting disease to our families. Parenting is such a tremendous responsibility.
It is such a tremendous responsibility that some people don’t like it. In our endless campaign for healthy living, we encounter people in some communities who tell us “Tell the manufacturers in Manila to stop making junk food and cigarettes and plastic so there’s nothing to like those to sell here.” Oh yes, there are a lot of effort to tell policy-makers to be more strict in regulating trade and commerce. But the battle is not easy as we are up against big powerful moneyed business. Kung ang sigarilyo nga which is definitely harmful to people and environment, e nahihirapan ikontrol, what more of those processed food whose effect are not felt immediately? One time, I met a Swedish couple who were smoking and who said that cigarettes in the Philippines are so cheap. In their country, it is so expensive that people there are deterred from smoking.
So meanwhile the battle is going on in Congress which is in Manila and in the WHO and in many other far places and we are here in the boondocks, what do we do? Sit down and wait? No, Sir! We wage our own struggle in our homes and within ourselves. We encounter people afflicted with arthritis, diabetes, high blood who continue to eat and drink what is not good for them because they will take medicine after. “Uray ken wada nan agas.” See, the decisions is yours. To eat vegetable or adobo or fried chicken or not at all. To drink Coke or Zesto or not at all. Anyway, it is your money and your body. May our loving father fill us with wisdom and grace. Happy Three Wise Men!**
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“He guides the humble in doing right, and teaches his way to the lowly.” Psalm 25:8
