Much Ado About Aging ....

I was quite tickled to read the emails going back and forth between Dali and Norly, with Siti Mariah interjecting in advisory capacity.

Norly's initial description about "virginal" cream may well be correct, since we are actually talking about a cream that could restore some of our (ahem!) body's functionalities to its earlier state! (Mariah, since you have used "anu" for the male anatomy, I do not have a politically correct word for its female equivalent!)

All this talk about aging brings to mind several alternative therapies that, many people claim, are effective in bringing about a sense of well-being and help us to minimise the ravages of time. I have to make a disclaimer that I have no personal experience in all the therapies mentioned here, and whatever I write here is based on hearsay, albeit from reliable source like friends and family.

I think one of the most talked about sensational therapy, even among my younger peers(??) is the Vitamin C injection. Apparently, these monthly or fortnightly injections can work wonders on your skin. Not just your face, but also the entire body. I asked my doctor about this, and he says that it does work, but the effect is not immediate. You have to go for a few sessions before the results are noticeable. And why can't we just swallow Vitamin C tablets to get the same effect? He said that it was because we would need to swallow a whole lot of tablets to achieve the same effect, which may not be practicable. For example, my stomach will not tolerate such huge doses of Vitamin C since I am prone to gastritis. And there is also the question of absorption when taken orally. Well, I am considering going for these jabs. At around RM150 per jab, it sounds worth it, if the claims are true. Anyway, I will probably go to a medical doctor instead of one of those beauty centres. My doctor who is in Melawati can do it for you, and I heard another one in Ampang Indah does it too. And I am sure the dermatologists in Ampang Puteri and Gleneagles probably does, too.

I remember someone in our group also spoke about ozone treatment. According to my good old doctor (whom I consult before venturing into all these therapies), it should be safe too, provided you get it done by a qualified medical practitioner. He claims that this is a Malay dominated domain, since it was originally brought to Malaysia by a MalayDoctor (Sidik of Tawakkal, I think). But he cautioned me that it is not a once and for all cure, but you would need to keep on doing it at intervals. And he says the burst of energy and vigour will be quite noticeable, and someone like me, who works under tremendous amount of stress and challenge, could really benefit from it. He recommended going to Tawakkal for the treatment. And I heard the same doctor in Ampang Indah does it too. I spoke to him once and he was willing to let me sit in on one of his patient's sessions to see what transpires during these sessions. Provided, of course, the patient consents to it. The whole thing sounds a bit scary for me, though, so I need to see it first.

On an almost less intrusive level, there is Virgin Coconut Oil. My husband's client, a very prominent VVIP, reduce his tummy within 3 days of consumption. I tried it ... and yes, i was beginning to show some weight reduction which my colleagues noticed. They said my clothes seem to be hanging on me lately, and wondered whether the whole job thing was too stressful for me. Of course the challenge here is swallowing a whole spoonful of oil which has the same exact smell like minyak tanak kelapa. (It occured to me that maybe it IS minyak tanak which my grandma and mum used to make!). The other challenge is to discipline myself to keep on taking it, i.e. since only certain pharmacies stock it, I have to go all the way there to get it, Unless someone knows a more convenient source?

There are many more so-called therapies available out there. Anyone care to share it with us? What about HGH? Anyone has any experience in that area?