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Sunday, July 8

Food Medicine


Besides their essential nutritional value, many of the foods we ingest regularly have "medicinal effects" that we are not conscious about but which help alleviate or correct some diseases or conditions. It is common knowledge that scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), for instance, is cured by eating a lot of citrus fruits, or that hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) among diabetics will be alleviated by eating candies, sugar or other sweets. Or, that banana and apples are good for diarrhea, while papaya, prunes and other fruits, and vegetables are good for constipation.

But did you know that onion, hot pepper and tomato are good for common cold? Or that cherries are good for cramps? Or that apple, grapefruit, kalamansi are good for halitosis (bad breath)?

Here is a list of medical conditions and the corresponding food items claimed to either prevent, alleviate and/or cure them:

1. Arthritis: Apple, pineapple, cantaloupe, grape, grapefruit, orange, mustard green, strawberry, tangerine, cucumber, lettuce, cherries, celery, cauliflower.

2. Insomnia: Onion, cabbage, celery, avocado, onion, apple

3. Hemorrhoids: Prunes, date, beans, eggplant, plum, sweet potato

4. Nausea: Pineapple, papaya

5. High Cholesterol: Soybean (tofu), red wine, grapefruit, tomato, apple, eggplant, corn, cabbage, peas, beans, green leafy vegetables, high fiber cereals

6. Indigestion: Plum, papaya, pineapple, banana, apple, grapefruit, cucumber, peach

7. Sinusitis: Onion, hot pepper, tomato

8. Gastric Ulcer: Pumpkin, rice, avocado, banana, date, okra, peach

9. Hypertension: Bamboo shoots, guava, pear, tangerine, squash, cherries, jackfruit, peach, celery, orange

10. Impotence: Pumpkin seeds, avocado, seaweeds, date, oyster, hot pepper

11. To lose weight: All variety of fruits and juices, like grapefruit, orange, apple, pineapple, radish, tomato, lettuce, especially when eaten as a substitute for red meat and carbohydrates.

12. Cancer For prevention, high fiber, low cholesterol diet (fish), plus frequent intake of processed tomato (ketchup, tomato paste), broccoli, apricot, strawberry, cherries, mustard green, okra, apple, carrots, papaya, prunes, spinach, peach, pumpkin, watermelon, green leafy vegetables

13. Heart Attack Just like for cancer prevention, high fiber and low cholesterol diet, plus a lot of fruits and vegetables.

14. Stroke: The same anti-oxidants as above.

15. Cuts & Burns: Sesame Seed Oil, coconut oil, olive oil

16. Dry scalp, skin: Coconut oil, papaya, avocado, sesame seed oil

17. Constipation: Papaya, prunes, green leafy vegetables, peanuts

18. Dizziness: Onion

19. Gall Stones: Soybean, radish, tomato, apricot

20. Headache: Beets, cabbage, apple, asparagus

These are only a few sample conditions where foods have been taken not only for their fundamental nutritive and caloric value but for their alleged medicinal effects. We want to emphasize that these food items are not substitutes for prescription medications. As a general rule, one should never stop taking prescription drugs without consulting with a physician.

Diet, smoking and alcohol are the three most important, if not the most notorious, killers of man and the reason why in today's world we have catastrophic numbers of obesity, hypercholesterolemia, heart attacks, strokes, cancer, depression, infertility, male erectile dysfunction, and degenerative diseases like arthritis, gout, osteoporosis, etc. Of course, there are other factors that contribute to the epidemic of these ailments, but food, even more than heredity, plays a very significant role in the causation of diseases. What we eat, how much we eat, what we do not eat, how we take care of ourselves, or how we abuse our body, determine, to a great extent, how healthy or unhealthy we are, our quality of life, and our longevity.

This post is part of an article published in www.cebudoctorsuniversity.edu authored by Philip S. Chua, M.D. He is Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana, U.S.A., and currently the Chairman of Cardiovascular Surgery of the Cebu Cardiovascular Center, Cebu Doctors' Hospital, Cebu City, Philippines. Photo courtesy of www.hickerphoto.com

2 comments:

  1. Work quietly after FestivalMy Blog According to reports, during the Spring Festival, people usually have to adapt to sleeping, eating, work, etc. The pace of life has been disrupted, as frequently to visit relatives, friends, shopping, travel, dinner, people could attend, all these factors together, it will people feel discomfort after the Spring Festival, so the emergence of the "Festival Syndrome." Experts to deal with "Festival Syndrome", we must first holiday after the end of the controlled entertainment and participate in various recreational activities, not stay up late every night, as soon as possible to rest, added sleep, so as to restore the normal operation of the biological clock. The second is to a reasonable diet. Eating more fruit; eat something light, such as fresh green leafy vegetables, rice, noodles, soup, Geda Tang, etc. These foods are good "clear fire" effect, help had been "overwhelmed" adjustment of the gastrointestinal tract of the rest. The third is to adjust...

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