Photo: archive / Markéta Kopčilová
Talking to Markéta Kopčilová is extremely pleasant on a human level. However, talking to her about her passion for health is downright spontaneous. Her specialization is also her own story that changed her life. When her life was paralyzed by a severe autoimmune disease more than 15 years ago, she had no idea that it would also be her life’s journey in helping other people not only with the same diagnosis – Crohn’s disease of an aggressive type. He is an expert on the aloe vera herb and soon you can meet him in person at the biggest event in the Zlín region in the field of health prevention called: Helou! Health Congress in Uherské Brod.
I’ll start with an unpleasant question, but that’s probably what everyone asks you. How much has Crohn’s disease changed your life?
I don’t mean to make light of it, there are worse diseases out there. But can you personally imagine having 40 diarrheas a day? Being hospitalized for months and being difficult to treat for inflammation in the body? Lose a large chunk of small intestine? Yes, you will lose the normal life of a young person, the fun, you will go to the bottom. Health, relationships, money – everything is disappearing before your eyes, there is no hope anywhere. Just an inner fear that you will probably never have children or sex, that you will be poor because you will not be employed anywhere. I hope I didn’t scare you too much. (smile)
Honestly – quite enough… But as I found out, a lot of people around have this disease, so you are such a beacon of hope if you managed to get out of it. It is so?
We don’t have much space here to discuss the past, so I prefer to look to the future. I was very lucky to have a combination of high-quality medical intervention that brought me out of the acute condition, both surgically and with appropriate medication, for which I am very grateful. However, in addition to this, I received the gift of realizing that it is necessary to take more care of my body, i.e. with the help of diet, the gifts of nature and the right mental attitude.
I assume that the aloe vera you are lecturing on also figured in it somehow?
Yes, but that was not the first key factor in my recovery and getting into a state of remission, i.e. the resting phase, in which I have been for many years. This is truly a miracle, as well as the effects of Aloe Vera Barbanensis Miller gel. I recently finished the very successful spring part of the Knihomol Tour around Slovakia about aloe vera. It is my commitment to the region where I was born and where I live, which I gave as a member of the Chamber of Commerce in Zlín – to educate the region in the field of health.
They talk about you as a health expert, how do you see yourself?
I have completed more than 30,000 consultations both in person and online. Today, patients from both the Czech Republic and Slovakia seek me out for consultations. From today’s point of view, I have changed not only my life, but also thousands of others. I am truly extremely grateful for that, thank God for that. Even though I don’t have this medical degree, I am often asked the same question as in the movie Legacy – and Doctor, are you a doctor? I answer them, unfortunately I am not, even though I originally wanted to study medicine. I am an economics engineer by profession. However, I regularly meet with doctors, primary care physicians, and experts from the medical world in general at educational seminars, conferences and during consultations. I always agree with them on the fact that my role is to support medical decisions in the axis of prevention – support of the acute phase of the disease – regeneration after suffering it. In addition, I publish in professional journals, for example for dental specialists, I inspire at the Academy of the Third Age, I have performed on large stages for thousands of people… I simply educate and it is my passion. So I wonder if I shouldn’t go to study medicine after all. (laughter)
Okay, so let’s call it a passion for health. And to use a doctor’s term, where do you practice?
I would like to invite everyone not only to one of the public lectures, or to our educational center Helou! in Uherské Brod. Above all, however, I would like to reach out to entire families, seniors, companies, simply everyone who values their health, and invite them to Helou! Health Congress in Uherské Brod on Sunday 19 May 2024. With colleagues from the educational platform Helou! we decided to present our practical experience on one day, in one place. First-league footballers Milan Petržela and Michal Kadlec from 1.FC Slovácko have also confirmed their participation, and we will ask them about their professional approach to prevention before the match, as well as their overall lifestyle in terms of physical and mental health. I believe that it will be so and they will not play another match on the given date, which we agreed on in advance. Recognize that it’s a fantastic opportunity to meet them in person and discover such sporting know-how.
So that’s great news, so also our stars from Slovácko… What else will you tempt us to do?
In short, it will be the body – soul – spirit themes, from the cradle to the fragility of old age. We will discuss the issue of eczematous skin, allergies, asthma, children’s diseases, joint nutrition and support for athletes, children’s mental health, we will inspire you to have an inner relationship and responsibility for health, right up to the topic of how the soul smells. Naturally, my topic is both the aloe vera herb and autoimmune diseases and taking care of the overall metabolism. You can look forward to my colleagues Lenka Kepičová, Martina Radová, Monika Podkalska, Pavla Šmídová, Dagmar Čerňová, Hana Vágnerová, Soňa Patáková. At the beginning, the mayor of Uherské Brod, Miroslava Poláková, will also speak with a reflection on the current state of the human mind. The governor of the Zlín Region, Mr. Radim Holiš, also promised his participation. Both have given their patronages, showing how important it is to open up these topics publicly.
But that’s not all, is it?
Baťovi! Here we take it in the name of Baťa in a big way. Imagine that we managed to get the support of the director of the Bať School of Labor Alumni Club, Mr. Lojza Langer, with whom today’s 90-year-old graduates Sylva Knedlová and Jan Viktora will come. They will talk not only about what it is like to live to such an old age in good health, but above all, how they have maintained a great mental attitude throughout their lives and how they still want to be useful to society. That’s unbelievable! Speaking of the name Baťa, I also have to thank Jakub Neradilk for his lecture, who is the great-grandson of František Kocourek, the first podiatrist from Baťa, who essentially defined the Czechoslovak podiatry school. The Health Congress also supports the Jan Antonín Bata Foundation, where my husband is the director. Last but not least, I want to mention the name of Marta Hošťálková. This is a huge topic of palliative care and hospital chaplaincy, which Ms. Hošťálková coordinates and in which we fully support her. There will be an exhibition, workshops and musical performances.
Please advise readers where they can get tickets and more information?
So let’s sum it up, it’s Sunday May 19, 2024, we start at 9:00 a.m. and we’ll end at 5:00 p.m. at the latest. The congress is in the large hall of the Uherský Brod House of Culture, tickets are already on sale here, both on the website dk.ub.cz and in the Manor House Gallery. And really all the information is on www.kongreszdravi.cz and on social networks.
