The Norovirus outbreak that sickened 277 on board the Oasis of the Seas of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines forced the 7-day Caribbean cruise to return prematurely to Port Canaveral…

Whenever I hear the notorious excuse or description “Filipino time,” I feel a grave insult is hurled at my people, even if the generalization is usually uttered by fellow Filipinos…

Twenty years ago on August 7, 1999, I wrote about Viagra, a headliner around the world then when this “chemical gold” was first introduced by Pfizer a year before. This…

There is nothing more universal, more powerful, more wholesome, and more sublime than love. Its intensity and gravity could transcend all forces of nature, even disasters and calamities, natural or…

One of the major factors or enhancing conditions in disease formation is tension/stress. This could be emotional or psychologic stress, or stress from an unhealthy lifestyle, exposure to chemicals, radiation,…

What triggers hunger and satiety? The urge to eat (hungry or not) is, to a large extent, controlled and regulated by hormones in our body. And these hormones fluctuate depending…

Holidays are upon us once again and food abound everywhere we go. This is also the season where gastroenteritis from food contamination is more common, especially from unprotected, unrefrigerated food…

Last February 28, 2018, my wife, Farida, and I arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport from Manila, following our two medical missions in the Philippines. While waiting at the…

Depression is a most significant risk factor in suicide. In today’s busy, impatient, materialistic, and fast-paced society, people are subjected to various stressors in life everyday. Encumbered by their personal…

The 6 million Jews killed during the holocaust, genocide perpetrated by Nazi Germany (17 million total if the other exterminations are considered as a part of Hitler’s “The Final Solution,”…

Heart, the symbol of love, of Valentine’s Day, even of religious adoration, is always fascinating but still a mystery to most of us. The amazing facts about our most loyal…

What is Lactobacillus acidophilus? L. acidophilus is the most popularly used probiotic or “friendly bacteria.” They live in the intestines and vagina and prevent the entrance and proliferation of disease-causing…

A scary polio-like disease, which peaked every other year since 2014 and has stumped health officials all over the United States, is causing widespread concerns, especially among parents, in this…

Here are some remarkable, educational, and attention-grabbing bits of medical and general factoid that could enrich your cerebral armamentarium: •  Arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) starts when a child is…

Losing weight on a diet that is high in fat is dangerous for overall health. The risk of coronary heart disease has been found to increase significantly among those individuals…

When a handful of hair falls out each single day, clogging the drain, it is scary. While it is normal to lose 50-100 strands of hair a day, it is…

In this era of health consciousness, people, in general, are seeking ways to live healthier and maximize longevity through prevention. This was one of the reasons why I wrote the…

While on an Iberian Peninsula Cruise with my wife, Farida, and 21 other medical colleagues and friends last August 30, we met a friendly Filipino coffee server by the name…

Does caffeine hurt our health? Researchers have found that coffee chasers have increased blood pressure, faster heart rate, and higher stress hormone level, compared to non-coffee drinkers.  The substance responsible…

In news reports on April 26, 2018 and on June 8, 2018, comedian Bill Cosby, now 81, admitted he gave the drug Quaaludes or even Benadryl to women without their…

Our planet would be at an imminent grave risk of being destroyed, if Global Warming, more appropriately termed Climate Change, continues unabated. Although controversial and like the multitudes of problems…

What is Lacobacillus acidophilus? L. acidophilus is the most popularly used probiotic or “friendly bacteria.” They live in the intestines and vagina and prevent the entrance and proliferation of disease-causing…

WHY do we age? Just like machines and engines, our body ages because of the cumulative damages to our cells, tissues, and organs (resulting from daily “wear and tear” and…

TODAY, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), as a distinct medical entity, is becoming more known and understood, compared to ten or twenty years ago. It’s relationship to increased risk of cardiovascular…

CAN tubal ligation be reversed? Ligation of the fallopian tubes, performed for birth control, can be reversed to allow pregnancy to take place, depending on how long a segment of…

WHAT is genital herpes? Genital Herpes is an infection caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV). Type 1 HSV causes oral herpes, involving the lips and mouth. Oral herpes could manifest…

WHERE does oxygen come from? Oxygen, which makes up about 20 percent of the air we breathe in, is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas, that is essential for the production…

LAST year, my wife, Farida, and I were out to lunch with some friends, the youngest ones in their early 70s. During our conversation, a surgical colleague, UP Class ’57,…

Most cancers, in general, are caused by the body’s repeated exposure to harmful chemicals in our environment. These include tobacco, alcohol, and all dangerous ingredients in common household cleansing agents,…