SPARE PARTS FOR THE ELDERLY

Advances in science are fast blurring the fine line between fiction and fantasy. Remember the 1970s hit TV series "The Six Million Dollar Man" and the spin-off "Bionic Woman"? These fictitious heroic characters were fitted with bionic spare parts after they were severely injured in accidents.

Fast foward to 2009. Researchers at the University of Leeds in the UK are working on a project (click to watch the video) that will add another 50 years to the life span of those aged 50 and above. The university's bioengineering unit is the world leader in artificial joint replacement research.

The parts that can be fully replaced, hopefully, by 2015. (Graphics: BBC News)

Initially the project will focus on areas most affected by ageing: joints, teeth, spine, heart and circulation. At the centre of this £50 million 5-year project is a technique called 'scaffolding'. It is a method of tissue and medical engineering that strips the living cells from donated human parts, leaving just the collagen of the tissue. This 'scaffold' can then be transplanted into the patient with less risk of rejection which is the main reason for transplant failure.

This is truly exciting stuff and great news for the 50plus. The only drawback for now is that the technique is not applicable to whole organs. Not yet anyway.

BED OF NAILS -THE LATEST HEALTH FAD?

The Swedish Shakti mat

The fakir version

One of the hottest health products currently drawing both devotees and cynics alike is the updated version of the bed of nails. Nope, I am not referring to the bed of iron nails that Hindu fakirs lie on, or the type used in martial arts demonstration.

The Swedish Shakti mat is ringing up the cash registers across Europe. Consisting of a light foam rubber pad and embedded with 4,000-8,000 small hard plastic disks with sharp little spikes, the Shakti is reputed to induce relaxation, improve sleep, and relieve lower back pain.

A close-up of the spikes. Apparently lying on these spikes helps to improve blood circulation.

To date, there has been no scientific evidence of these health claims. I have yet to try out the mat. But for a first-hand account, read Robert Hardman's article in The Daily Mail.

SOME MEN JUST DON"T LEARN

Tiger Woods' fall from his lofty pedestal has set me wondering again about the sanctity of marriage. I'm trying my best to understand the male species. Isn't one woman enough, especially if she is as good-looking, smart and classy as Elin Nordegren? Some guys obviously haven't learned from others before them that they risk losing everything when they cheat on their wife.

Statistics on adultery are hard to come by. How many married men would want to admit they have broken their marriage vows?

Is it true that few men are satisfied with one woman? Is sex addiction for real or just an excuse to indulge in forbidden pleasures?

It used to be the men who would balk at the thought of marriage. Now the women are beginning to feel that way too. I know of many lady friends who would rather stay single than be stuck in a marriage with an unfaithful husband.

Sure, there are women who cheat on their partners too. But they are the exception rather than the rule. Extra-marital affairs can ruin a man's political career, damage his reputation, and cause him financial ruin. But men are ever so accepting of their own kind. To quote Playboy's Hugh Hefner, "What's the big deal? Monogamy is over-rated anyway."

My stand on this: If a man has no qualms breaking a vow he made before God, he should have the guts to come clean with his wife and be prepared to accept the consequences.

If a man knows deep in his heart that he might stray, then he should not propose marriage to his girl in the first place. He could have saved her all the heartache, anguish and loss of self-worth.

Men are lucky that women are so forgiving. Most wives take their cheating husbands back, and it's almost always because of the children. Few would react like Ivana Trump - "Don't get mad. Get everything!"

MATERIAL WEALTH vs HAPPINESS

Singapore self-made millionaire, best-selling author and top peak performance coach, Adam Khoo, has certainly come a long way since I first heard him speak at a preview in 2004.

What better time than the school holidays for parents and their school-going children to pick up some sound advice on spending from Adam Khoo. Come to think of it, our adult children should read this too. We can all do with less extravagance and wasteful spending, especially with Christmas, traditionally the season of giving, just around the corner.

Some of you may already know that I travel around the region pretty frequently, having to visit and conduct seminars at my offices in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and China. I am in the airport almost every other week so I get to bump into many people who have attended my seminars or have read my books.

Recently, someone came up to me on a plane to KL and looked rather shocked. He asked, 'How come a millionaire like you is travelling economy?' My reply was, 'That's why I am a millionaire.' He still looked pretty confused.

This again confirms that greatest lie ever told about wealth (which I wrote about in my latest book 'Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires'). Note: Adam has since written more books, the latest one on generating wealth is "Profit from the Panic". It was launched in January 2009.

Many people have been brainwashed to think that millionaires have to wear Gucci, Hugo Boss, Rolex, and sit on first class in air travel. This is why so many people never become rich because the moment that they earn more money, they think that it is only natural that they spend more, putting them back to square one.

The truth is that most self-made millionaires are frugal and only spend on what is necessary and of value. That is why they are able to accumulate and multiply their wealth so much faster.

Over the last 7 years, I have saved about 80% of my income while today I save only about 60% (because I have my wife, mother in law, 2 maids, 2 kids, etc.. to support).. Still, it is way above most people who save 10% of their income (if they are lucky).

I refuse to buy a first class ticket or to buy a $300 shirt because I think that it is a complete waste of money. However, I happily pay $1,300 to send my 2-year old daughter to Julia Gabriel Speech and Drama without thinking twice.

When I joined the YEO (Young Entrepreneur's Organization) a few years back (YEO is an exclusive club open to those who are under 40 and make over $1m a year in their own business) I discovered that those who were self-made thought like me. Many of them with net worth well over $5m, travelled economy class and some even drove Toyota's and Nissans, not Audis, Mercs, BMWs.

I noticed that it was only those who never had to work hard to build their own wealth (there were also a few ministers' and tycoons' sons in the club) who spent like there was no tomorrow. Somehow, when you did not have to build everything from scratch, you do not really value money. This is precisely the reason why a family's wealth (no matter how much) rarely lasts past the third generation.

Thank God my rich dad foresaw this terrible possibility and refused to give me a cent to start my business.

Then some people ask me, 'What is the point in making so much money if you don't enjoy it?' The thing is that I don't really find happiness in buying branded clothes, jewellery or sitting first class. Even if buying something makes me happy it is only for a while, it does not last.

Material happiness never lasts, it just gives you a quick fix. After a while you feel lousy again and have to buy the next thing which you think will make you happy. I always think that if you need material things to make you happy, then you live a pretty sad and unfulfilled life.

Instead, what makes me happy is when I see my children laughing and playing and learning so fast. What makes me happy is when I see my companies and trainers reaching more and more people every year in so many more countries.

What makes me really happy is when I read all the emails about how my books and seminars have touched and inspired someone's life.

What makes me really happy is reading all your wonderful posts about how this blog is inspiring you. This happiness makes me feel really good for a long time, much, much more than what a Rolex would do for me.

I think the point I want to put across is that happiness must come from doing your life's work (be it teaching, building homes, designing, trading, winning tournaments etc) and the money that comes is only a by-product. If you hate what you are doing and rely on the money you earn to make you happy by buying stuff, then I think that you are living a life of meaninglessness."

At that 2004 preview I bought a copy of Adam Khoo's fourth book "Master Your Mind, Design Your Destiny". He wrote this in the inside cover - LILY, LIVE YOUR DREAMS. I'm glad to report that I've been doing just that, Adam. Thanks!

RUNNING LIFE'S MARATHON

It saddens me whenever I hear of someone I know having health problems or going through depression. The eternal optimist in me refuses to accept that as we age, our physical and mental health deteriorate. Sure, we slow down and we see more lines on our face and more folds on our body, but that doesn't mean that we have to sit and watch passively as life goes by, or withdraw from life altogether. Perhaps it is because I have had the good fortune of meeting people who are well into their 80s and 90s, and who are enjoying life. For them, there is still so much to look forward to.

I am reminded again of Teresa Hsu, Singapore's most celebrated supercentenarian. At 112, she is the oldest person I have met. Teresa is, without doubt, my model for ageing gracefully. I first met her in October 2008 at a privately-organized talk where she was the guest speaker. My daughter, Belle, and I were so inspired by Teresa that we have maintained contact with her to this day.

Like a little girl flying her first kite. What a picture of pure joy! (Photo: Belle)

I am sharing some photos of Teresa here to give some hope and cheer to those of my friends who feel that there is less to be joyful about as age encroaches. Like a marathon runner, we should look at every milestone as an achievement, whether it's the 80th, 90th or 100th milestone. Don't think of 78 as waiting at death's door. The race might still be far from over for you.

Supercentenarian Teresa was thrilled to accept my daughter's invitation to attend Tony Robbins' "Unleash the Power Within" seminar. Tony was honoured to meet Teresa. (Photo: Belle)

Left: Visiting Teresa at her home in Singapore. You can see she's very playful and loves a good laugh. Right: Teresa in our hotel room to catch a bird's eye view of the Formula One night race.

Teresa's home library. She loves books and reads without the aid of glasses. Here she's browsing through Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now". (Photo: Belle)

I'm always on the lookout for senior citizens who inspire us to live life with joy and purpose. That is one reason why I started the "Seniors in the News" column in my blog. There are lessons we can learn from each and every one of these remarkable seniors. The common thread that runs through all of them is they have a passion that keeps them going. They are all ordinary people like you and me. If they can do it, so can we. We must find that JOIE DE VIVRE. Perhaps this is the key to longevity.

(More about Teresa's life story at Meet the Angel of Compassion)

TRAVEL PHOTOS THEN AND NOW

This bird's eye-view shot of the Alhambra complex was taken on 25 Nov. The sky was a clear azure blue.

Technology has come a long way since 1975 when I made my first trip abroad. It's so convenient now to snap hundreds of holiday photos and upload them to your pc in a jiffy. I remember a time when we had to buy rolls of film - Kodak 100, 200, 400 - to slot into our camera. Each roll could take only 12, 24 or 36 pictures. Then we had to take the film to the photo shop (not the software program) to be processed into colour prints at 25-30 cents a piece.

Hey, we were still doing this only a few years ago!

Today I have nothing left to help me remember that maiden trip to India. The photos that I took then have either turned mouldy or lost all the colours. All that's left are hazy memories of my 'coming-of-age' holiday backpacking alone all across northern India and Nepal. What an adventure that was. If only I still had the photos to show my grandchildren!

Well, here are a few more random shots from my Spain vacation.

Hill slopes planted with rows upon rows of olive trees.

Ladies, be more sensible about the shoes you wear on a walking tour, or the excess weight you carry.

Would you believe our tour bus had to cut across the runway at the airport in Gibraltar?

Taxi drivers refer to their copy of the fares listed before they charge you. It's all standardized.

The trains are gleaming clean. Note the handle on the head-rest of the seat for a standing passenger to hold on to.

On the AirAsiaX flight back from London, I paid a whopping RM36 for a 350 ml bottle of mineral water and a meal consisting of some rice with chickpea curry, a few tiny mushrooms, a thin slice of red capsicum and three florets of broccoli that were steamed to a yellowish death.

Tomorrow it's over to Phuket for the weekend. More blue skies and blue seas. It'll be almost like the Costa del Sol in Spain all over again.

ARE HOSPITAL ERRORS ON THE RISE?

Statistics of reported cases in the US from 1995 to Sept 2009. Note what's at the top of the list. (From Joint Commission website.)

Just after praising Singapore's healthcare system in my last blog, I read today that the Ministry of Health (MOH) has received reports of 401 cases of hospital errors over the past seven years. In 2002, the MOH made it mandatory for hospitals to report such errors. This works out to one case a week. Among the cases was a patient who had the wrong knee cap replaced. Luckily it wasn't the wrong leg amputated!

Fortunately, most of the cases involved swabs left in the patient after surgery or wrong drugs administered to patients. I remember the last time I was in Singapore I read that two women patients were given chemotherapy drugs over hours instead of days. Luckily for the hospital, the women survived.

Singapore is among several countries in the world with a sentinel system that keeps a record of such cases of error with the aim of learning from them. Hospitals in Singapore are given a week to report the cases and two months to implement steps to ensure that similar errors do not recur, or their license will be revoked. Definitely a step in the right direction.

The overall percentage of hospital errors may be insignificant. But to the patients at the receiving end, it is not a matter to shrug off easily. They may have to endure unnecessary pain, and in some cases, the loss of a limb, or worse, their life. And what about the extra expenses incurred on medical rehabilitation?

That's me just before my liver operation on June 26, 2008.

I am reminded of my emergency liver operation last year. I had it done in Singapore. I was told it was related to the surgery I had 20 years ago to remove my gall bladder. Apparently that surgery could have been done better. It did enter my mind that I could have a legal case against that first doctor.

I wonder how many hospital mishaps in Malaysia go unreported. Most people wouldn't know if their doctors had left anything in them after a surgical procedure unless they experienced some pain or discomfort.

I am sure many of us have tales to tell about our own hospital experience. I look at the young doctors in our teaching hospitals and wonder how many of them are really cut out for the profession.

Have entry requirements into medical school been lowered to meet the pressing demand for more doctors in our country? Are our doctors so overworked that when they enter the operation room, they may not be fully alert or fully focused on the surgery they have to perform?

It's a scary thought. All we can do is to say our prayers that God will guide the hands of the doctor holding the knife.