Politics is hazardous to your health

Ask Dr. Willie T. Ong, who writes a health column for The STAR and Pilipino Star Ngayon, and he will say, “Yes, it is.”

Willie is an internist-cardiologist and an advocate for health workers to stay in the country and practise their profession. He graduated from De La Salle College of Medicine in 1992, and took his Adult Cardiology training at UP-PGH. He had further training at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

He was given The Outstanding Filipino Physician (TOFP) Award by the Department of Health and JCI-Senate Philippines in 2007, the Jose Rizal Award for Excellence in Medicine in 2006 and the Distinguished Fellow Award by the Philippine College of Physicians in 2004. He and his wife, Dr. Liza Ong, are the founders of the Co Tee Medical Museum.

Willie has just published a book titled How To Live Longer (Practical Health Tips from a Heart Doctor). Here’s the chapter that explains why politics is hazardous to your health:

Avoid Politics, Live Longer

You have heard it before. A well-known politician, due to extreme mental and emotional stress, suffers a heart attack. Did you know that British Prime Minister Tony Blair, while under intense scrutiny from the Iraq Crisis, suffered abnormal heart beating and had to be electrically shocked to bring him back to normal. Just look at the papers. The list is endless. But why are politicians prone to heart disease?

You Body Is Like An Automobile

Let’s give an example. A car’s lifespan is not measured in number of years owned but in the number of kilometers traveled. A 20-year-old car, which is seldom used, can still last a long time compared to a five-year-old car with no check-up, no maintenance and filled with low-quality gasoline.

The human body is like a car. Take in alcohol instead of fresh water, eat fat instead of fruits, then your liver and arteries deteriorate. Let your car carry a heavy load and the tires break down. Let your body carry 40 pounds of extra fatty tissues and your joints and heart break down. Run your life at high speed, with meetings and mental stress, and your organs will age quickly.

Mental Stress Causes Heart Disease

A study published in Circulation explains the connection between politics, stress and health. According to researcher David S. Sheps, mental stress is a very powerful risk factor for heart disease. Sheps believes that stress may rival that of cigarette smoking or high cholesterol! In this study, doctors evaluated 196 participants for heart abnormalities while undergoing some form of psychological stress.

Participants were made to believe a hypothetical situation wherein they were stressed. Subjects were then given five minutes to speak out their anger.

Results showed that one-fifth of angry patients had heart abnormalities, as detected by a radionuclide angiogram. When these patients were followed up five years later, they were found to be three times more likely to die.

Dr. Sheps adds that a chronic state of psychological stress from unresolved anger and bitterness tends to promote hardening of the arteries and uncontrolled blood pressure.

Translation: This means that if you give your political enemies enough mental anguish, say through false accusations, you could literally kill him.

Mental stress can suddenly hike one’s blood pressure and heart rate, thus increasing the heart’s need for oxygen. And if you already have some existing heart problem, this added stress can result in lethal heart attack. In fact, some patient’s blood pressure can instantaneously jump 60 points in a fit of anger (say from 140 over 100, up to 200 over 100).

In politics, one criterion often overlooked is the health status of the candidate himself. We do not want a leader hooked to a dialysis machine and having kidney transplants. Also, a recently-operated candidate may not be able to complete his term of office. Thus, if you plan to run in the next election, make sure you are healthy enough for the long haul. Get a check-up with your favorite doctor.

Get a copy of the book (available at National Bookstores) and find out, among other health tips, The Top 20 Ways to Live Longer, including (1) Stop smoking, (2) Take medicines for diabetes and high blood pressure, (3) Lose weight, (4) Eat green leafy vegetables, (5) Eat oily fish and fruits, (6) Consider taking Aspirin, (7) Be financially wise, (8) Live a less risky lifestyle, (9) Keep your cholesterol levels low, (10) Think positive, (11) Get married or have a lifetime partner, (12) Exercise moderately, (13) Find a good doctor, (14) Do charity work, (15) Limit intake or avoid alcohol, (16) Get vaccinated, (17) Read health books, (18) Pray, (19) Check your vitamins and supplements, and (20) Live your day in a relaxed manner.

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