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Anti-Ageing
Warrior
By
Dulce Festin Baybay
Sunday Inquirer Magazine, August 30, 2003
DR. CORNEJO
still going at 80
Philippines: THE VOICE at the other end of the phone sounded like that
of a 40-year-old man. So I repeated my request to speak to his father, Dr.
Miguel "Resty" Cornejo. "But I am Resty Cornejo!" he
answered goodnaturedly.
At his brightly lit clinic on the 11th floor of a condominium in Makati
City, 80-year-old Dr. Cornejo, looking much younger than his age, sits
amidst images and statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Sto. Nino.
Wearing a doctor's white coat with a PSG Command Hospital label, this
recipient of more than 600 awards and commendations from various
organizations explains that he is simply a consultant to the presidential
security group. He is still practicing medicine, as an apostolate, waiving
all consultation fees and pensions, which he donates to widows of soldiers
in Mindanao, to organizations caring for streetchildren and to the Elsie
Gaches Village in Muntinlupa.
Miguel Restituto Soldevilla Cornejo, Jr. graduated from the University of
Sto. Tomas with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (cum laude), Bachelor
of Arts (cum laude) and as a Doctor of Medicine (cum laude), with
specialties in cardiovascular diseases and internal medicine. As years
passed, he pursued further studies that earned him various fellowships.
The International Who's Who in Medical Science has cited him for his
distinguished achievements in the fields of cardiology and internal
medicine. He is married with nine children.
At the time of this interview, he was preparing for his umpteenth trip
abroad, this time, for another visit to Russia. He was chosen as sole
representative of the Asia-Pacific region in the forthcoming Seventh
European Union Conference on Cardiology. From there, he will visit various
cities in Europe to further expand his studies in his other specialty,
gerontology, or how to battle ageing. In fact, the good doctor will be
appearing in the first episode of the new television series, "The
Power of Natural Healing," which airs on Sunday, 4:30-5 p.m. on ANC.
At an age when men are content to retire and enjoy the fruits of their
labor, Dr. Cornejo is still going. "I have this never-ending desire,
this passion, to make people live longer," he explains. "So I go
around, delivering lectures all over the world, to inform and educate the
public about heart problems. Do not smoke your heart to death. Watch your
diet. Exercise. Maintain your good health. Take time out to rest from your
busy schedule, like taking a 10-minute break for every hour of work. Have
a regular sex program."
A sex program?
"A sex life," he elaborates.
Years ago, Cornejo also announced a medical finding which showed that a
heart bypass may actually be done without surgery. The discovery of
doctors in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, involves the process of inserting
genes at a junction close to the blocked artery to generate many branches
of new blood vessels and stimulate circulation around the blocked segment.
"The blocked artery is then bypassed, blood flow increases, and the
supply of oxygen in the human body rises," says Dr. Cornejo.
"The magic word for this startling biological discovery is
Pancreanexin. It is a vaccine which, when pumped into the body, can unclog
the blocked arteries, softening them, and producing a nutritive effect on
the body cells."
Medical breakthroughs aside, Dr. Cornejo also attributes his health to a
lifetime of good habits. "My parents, Miguel Cornejo Sr. and Crisanta
Tolentino Soldevilla, were both teachers. We were 12 in the family. I used
to play the violin, and I was a member of the Manila Symphony during the
time of Herbert Zipper." The positive attitude apparently rubs off on
patients. "Do you know that I have not signed any death certificate
in my 54 years as a practicing physician? My secret is that I pray for all
my patients so they will get well! I find it very effective. I hear Mass
everyday and for the past 52 years, I have never missed any novena to Our
Lady of Perpetual Help. I started this when I took the medical board exam
during the Japanese occupation. But let me tell you this, what really
makes me feel, look and sound young is that I don't keep grudges. Nagpapatanda
ang galit."
More tips on healthy living: "I wake up at 5 a.m. Then I do my five-
to 10-minute exercise of inhaling deeply, exhaling slowly. Then I squat,
then stand up. Period. Everyday. For blood vessels to circulate. Graduate
na ako sa golf course. Then I take either a hot or cold shower. My
breakfast consists of whole kernel corn, oatmeal, any kind of fruits like
papaya, mango. I consume one pitcher (eight glasses) of water a day,
minimum. Then I go to Mass. I make my medical rounds, mostly monitoring my
heart patients. I have lunch with my family, as my clinic is across our
condominium unit. My policy is never, never get hungry but never never get
filled up. It's better to be a little hungry than to be a little bit full.
If hungry, take one banana and two pieces of unsalted crackers. Even if I
am not a vegetarian, I prefer vegetables, especially steamed kangkong with
vinegar, olive oil or lemon. I can eat one plate of this.
"I learned from the late Dr. Antonio Sison, a UP College of Medicine
professor who died at age 90, to avoid anything that walks on four feet,
restrict anything that flies, but eat anything that stays in water. I take
dinner around 7 or 8 p.m. A big no-no is pork."
Dr. Cornejo is also a known advocate of natural healing. "After 54
years of being a doctor, I am tired of synthetic medicine. These are not
curative, but just provide temporary relief. You just treat the symptoms
but not the cause. Take high blood pressure. Its the hardening of the
blood vessels. The hole gets smaller. The blood vessels thicken. Why a
heart attack in spite of taking medication regularly? Because what is
being given is a temporary vasodilator. The hardening and thickening of
the blood vessels are not helped."
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