November Rain

I have just realised its been almost a month since I had time to sit and update my blog. October was such a whirlwind month that I had to remind myself to breathe in between. And now it is November. Wow. Times flies so fast these past couple of months it is scary. Come November, it is more of the rainy season and we will start seeing heavy downpours.

Yesterday I took a day to recuperate and be a mum which I rarely get to do these days. I cooked dinner, sent my girls to school, discussed their social lives and after lunch I was sitting in front of the telly (a real luxury for me since I barely have time to even sleep) and watch the US electoral race. Congratulations to Mr Trump for winning the President vote and I was quite surprised to hear his winning speech which was very diplomatic and thanking Hillary Clinton for her service to the US in the past. The thing I admire most about the Donald, is that he understands that you need to hire the right people to do the job, to get things done, and despite having no political background, I am sure he would have his team of advisers to help him achieve the goal of making America great again. And I wish him all the best and good luck to all Americans.

Mr Trump is one of the people on my list that I wish to meet in this lifetime. He maybe ruthless, sexist and harsh, but for one, he proved that if you believe you can achieve something with all your heart, you will. I may not be the person he would be nice to, being a Muslim woman who looks pretty much Hispanic since Asians and Hispanics do share some similar ancestry ages ago. I kinda have all the big no nos in his campaign. (Just kidding).

If Mr Donald Trump can become the president of the United States, then I can certainly achieve my target to become a lifestyle ambassador, and advocate for health, beauty and lifestyle. Lots of work, but hard work never really killed anyone. The main key is to get my mind organized enough to work it through and find the right people to make it happen. Yes, Mr Trump taught a good lesson.

Looking back at our local scenario, there are many issues that Mr Trump brought up that is also an issue in this country. The immigrants for one. It is okay to accept legal migrates because we have all their documentation, they are also taxed and they have different rights than the locals. The problem with immigrants is that they enter the country illegally, we do not have proper documentation of them, they may harbour disease since they are not screened, they do not pay tax or even register their salaries, and the best part, they use up our resources in healthcare and other facilities and stay for a couple of years, nearing election, they will suddenly get resident status. And then their children becomes citizens, and are entitled to all the benefits that you and I get. Funnily, the expatriates who marry working citizens takes up to 10 years to get their resident status, and yet these people contribute to the economy and the taxes. Pretty funny yes? I am not the expert in sociology, nor politics so perhaps the best is not to comment too much.

My expertise is more of medical aesthetics, technology and lifestyle. I have this endless need to find the best solutions to treat problems related to beauty and ageing and being a vain pot that I am, it is also driven by the family history that makes me more convinced that lifestyle plays a more important role than genes. In fact, many patients have asked me about the new DNA testing that allows the person to find out their associated disease risks in the future. Although it may be a cool technology, that comes with a hefty price tag, it is a two edged sword that may not give you the outcome you want.

The problem in this country is that a lot of doctors promote tests but do not counsel the patient on the real benefit of doing one. Doing a complete DNA test to show your future risk sounds cool, but if you were counselled wrongly by your doctor, you may have the wrong impression or you may even go into depression thinking about diseases that might occur to you based on your genes. The good news is, genes only play a 10% role in the risk of getting a disease. The remainder 90% actually comes from the lifestyle. So, at the end of the day, you still require to change the lifestyle. Thus, would doing an expensive gene test actually have much benefit except for adding to your paranoia?

I am not against any form of DNA testing but I would just like to tickle your mind a bit more. My patients are very curious and sharp minded people who would scrutinise every single detail given to them, and they are not afraid to ask questions. I like them this way. In order to achieve optimum health both parties must be active participants, to create a better understanding of the patient's needs and requirements. If they want to do the DNA testing, I can order the test for them. Whether it will give an additional benefit to what we already know, well, maybe.

If you are interested in knowing more on how to optimise your health to look and feel good, and you happen to be in my vicinity, do make a point to make an appointment for consultation. My nurse Mia is superb in keeping up with my crazy schedule. Its November already. It reminds me of of autumn and November rain.