Here's To Your Health

By Pattaya Pete

Hello Fellow Residents and Tourists to Pattaya,

As I mentioned in last month's Road Less Travelled column, I have been commissioned by the friendly Management of The Pattaya Traveller to write a new column called, Here's To Your Health. This is exciting for me and hopefully my research on the many varied topics we have planned will rub off in a meaningful way to you and me equally. In my opinion, that is when writing truly becomes a passion and a lot of fun in the process. Feel free to write us at arcmedia@csloxinfo.com should you have any positive feedback or suggestions. Here's To Your Health!

For anyone living in Pattaya for any length of time, "Finding the Balance" is something that requires a disciplined effort. An environment that presents a vibrant night-life, offering parties virtually on every corner, as well as a varied 24-hour cuisine can create difficulty for anyone trying to live a long and healthy life here. Look around and observe those people who have been staying 2 weeks or longer here. They project lifeless burnt out stares and a trip to any bar in Pattaya will convince you that these people should look like they are having a lot more fun. The Chinese believe that the secret to good health and longevity lies in truly understanding our connection or relationship to the world around us. Much importance is placed on Food, Air, Water and yes...Sex. (Those guys who drink whisky, smoke and enjoy multiple daily orgasms are considered a high-risk category in terms of illness within the framework of this doctrine).

A basic premise of traditional Chinese medicine derived directly from Taoist philosophy is that all forms of life in the universe are animated by an essential life force called chee. Chee takes many different forms within the human system and the basic form called yuan chee can be compared to the potential energy stored in a battery. Bad eating habits, lack of good clean air and water and even too much sex (read orgasmic release) dissipate the primordial energy we are given at birth and will determine our lifespan. Simply put, living or visiting Pattaya can significantly reduce how many years you ultimately have on the planet. In my humble opinion, "finding the balance" is the key.

One aspect of supplying chee to the body which can be practiced easily is that of proper breathing. It's ironic how little attention we give to this very important function of the body. "You can live two months without food and two weeks without water, but you can live only a few minutes without air".

Master Hung Yi – Hsiang
Breathing clean air properly is imperative to good health and long life. When I observe the many beautiful women in Bangkok living and breathing the pollution there day in and day out, I think it is either a testimony to the voracity of the Thai spirit or the effectiveness of beauty products that creates such a wonderful illusion. In Daniel Reids book "The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity", he explains the relationship between chee and polluted air.

"The essential element in the air that carries the vital charge of chee turns out to be neither oxygen, nor nitrogen nor any other gaseous chemical but rather the negative ion - a tiny, highly active molecular fragment that carries a negative electrical charge equivalent to that of one electron. By contrast, pollutants such as dust, smoke and toxic chemicals are borne on the air in the form of large, sluggish polymolecular ions that carry a positive charge. In polluted air, positive ions slow down, trap and neutralize the active negative ions thereby robbing the air of vitality. Breathing such air is equivalent to eating junk food full of empty calories. In clean country air, the average ratio of negative to positive ions is about three to one, in polluted air it drops drastically to about one negative ion against 500 positive ions!"

Now, I'm no Rocket Scientist but this seems to make sense to me. Here in Pattaya, we are fortunate in that the wind and ocean neutralize much of the pollution and the air quality is certainly much better than that of a big city such as Bangkok. The problem however, is that most people do not breathe correctly. The subject is a lengthy one but if you would just observe for a moment your breathing I think that you will find that you breathe shallow and from the top of your lungs. This hardly supplies the body with the right amount of energy or chee that is required to live healthy. One exercise I learned many years ago is one that would be good for me to practice more often and if you would humor me and give this a try I think you will benefit from this exercise in a big way. Here's how it goes: Inhale and count to 7 - hold for 21 and exhale for 14 completely. Most times stale air stays behind in the lungs, a product of shallow breathing. Try this 10 times in the morning and the evening or those times you feel stressed. It also works quite well if you are inebriated and want to get sober faster. Tune in next month when we will touch on the subject of sex and ways to utilize it in a way that supports your health. No chandeliers, whips or chains will be needed for this exercise. Your comments are always welcome.