Lucy Torres-Gomez (photo by PINGGOT ZULUETA)

Want to know Lucy’s secrets to keeping healthy? They are wheatgrass, Kefir, and acupuncture. In any order.

“When you’re younger, you don’t pay as much attention [to a lot of things particularly health].  You just eat everything because your metabolism is so much faster.  But, as you add years to your life and the roles you play get bigger [you would want to] age gracefully in a way that is healthy as possible,” relates Lucy Torres-Gomez, Pascual Laboratories’   first corporate ambassador.

 She continues, “It helps that the world now is really healthier and everyone is into health and wellness that they are able to take charge of their own health.  The more you know about health, the more empowered you become.  That there are things you can do to prevent diseases, and if it happens, there are things you can do to cure that.”

A whole healthy routine

In keeping up with the topic of wellness, Lucy shares her own healthy routine introduced by actor husband Richard Gomez — wheatgrass everyday!  She reveals taking wheatgrass long before its healthy benefits became known, locally.  In between, she takes Kefir mixed with passion fruit.

“A guy whom my husband met in Salcedo market delivers fresh wheatgrass to the house every three days.  I got the juicer at home so I take one in the morning and another in the evening.  It tastes like grass and smells like grass but surprisingly there’s a certain sweetness after the last gulp,” she tells.  “The same guy brings Kefir which tastes like yogurt but it’s really sour and I like sour.”

Lucy also goes to an acupuncturist twice a week.

“I tried it once on a whim because I heard so much about it from friends who has aches and pains and a lot of them are old.  I just gave it try and see if I will like it.  Also, I wanted to because I don’t really like going to the doctor and I don’t like popping pills too much,” she said.

She added: “The first time I tried it was sometime in 2000.  [And when I went there] I had an open mind.  You know its needles but you also know it’s superficial because it never goes too deep.  What could be worse than having your pimple pricked?  If I can take that pain, I can take acupuncture.”

Perhaps another reason Lucy takes to the concept of the Traditional Chinese Medicine is due to the fact that the person who does it to her is a nun.  It is common knowledge that Lucy is a devout Catholic.

“She’s pure Chinese but Western-trained.  According to her, acupuncture works directly with the body’s energy or qi.  [And after every session] there’s a calmness, a quiet about her that’s so reassuring.  The treatment lasts for 30 minutes and it’s really restful and you feel energized after.  I also feel healthier ever since I’ve gone to her,” Lucy elaborates.

Kindred spirit
   
Meanwhile, Lucy found the same passion for wellness, as well as life, with Pascual Lab in the person of Mia Pascual-Cenzon, head of the pharmaceutical’s corporate communication and daughter of the founder.  It can be recalled that Lucy first joined the company in 2006 as the product endorser for Betadine and Propan TLC.  Today, she symbolizes the company’s beliefs and philosophy.

“I’m blessed because I’m at a place where I can choose the products I endorse.  I don’t have to say yes to all.  I’m lucky to have been given the chance to know the movers of the company on a personal level and so what initially started as a business relationship turned into a beautiful friendship that I would like to keep and enjoy for a very long time to come.”  Lucy adds, “Agreeing to the role of an ambassador was a very easy decision.  I think it has a lot to do with Mia and I sharing a lot of things in common —we both like to work with our hands,” Lucy reveals. 

Perhaps another similarity would be the two ladies’ attention to details as Lucy told one story about Mia that clearly stuck with her.  “I remember when I went to Mia’s office before touring the plant, she told me she had her office wall painted yellow because she wanted her employees who’d step in to feel happy.  I see more to it other than making a random wall look pretty.  It says that here’s a boss who cares about the little details.”

Lucy also admires the humble beginnings of the company when it started right after World War II.   At a time when medicine was incredulously expensive, the Pascuals developed affordable remedies.  To date, the company regularly expands and diversifies its product offerings as needed.  This stems from the company’s sincere and deep-rooted passion for healthcare. 

“Over and above that, I’ve been exposed to the company and I like the fact that they’re not just about making a profit, they’re also about service to the community.  Weekends are sacred to them.  A day off is day off to the employees.  [I have always believed that] no amount of success at work can compensate for failure in the home,” Lucy concludes.