Covering the most noteworthy news stories in the health and wellness industry for the Filipino community.
The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday, October 24, assured the public that eating pork products contaminated with African swine fever (ASF) does not affect human health. “It is completely safe. It has no effect on human health. It is safe for human consumption,” said Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo. “Those threatened by (ASF) are…
A recent study revealed that the retirement or pension system of the Philippines is the 4th lowest out of 36 countries. According to the 2019 Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index — which takes into consideration the pension system’s sustainability, adequacy, and integrity — the Philippines had an overall index value of 43.7, placing it above…
A study conducted by the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) found that the Philippines has the “fastest growing epidemic” of the sexually transmitted disease, with a 203 percent rise in new HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infections from 2010 to 2018. Worldwide HIV cases, on the other hand, declined by at least 18 percent. Only…
THE U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), announced on Tuesday, October 22, a $16 million initiative to help primary care practices increase efforts to address patients’ unhealthy alcohol use. Excessive alcohol use, which affects almost a third of adults, is the nation’s third leading cause…
by Bernard Wolfson IF you are among the Californians who buy your own health insurance, a surprise may await you as the enrollment period for 2020 coverage opens this week. Starting Jan. 1, California will become the first state to offer subsidies to middle-income people who make too much money to qualify for the federal…
by Anna Almendrala “I stopped for a few days and then I ended up buying new pods. The withdrawals got to me.” “My friends are the ones who got me into vaping. And they think I shouldn’t stop, but I want to because I don’t want to hurt my family if I get sick.” “I…
by Julie Appleby Vowing to protect Medicare with “every ounce of strength,” President Donald Trump last week spoke to a cheering crowd in Florida. But his executive order released shortly afterward includes provisions that could significantly alter key pillars of the program by making it easier for beneficiaries and doctors to opt out. The bottom…
SACRAMENTO – Building on the state’s first-in-the-nation investments in the California budget and the Governor’s executive actions to lower prescription drug costs, Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday, October 7, signed into law three bills to lower the cost of prescription drugs and increase access to care for California families. These bills will block pharmaceutical companies…
HIV in the Philippines is spreading faster than any other country in the world, and health advocates are saying that dating apps — along with the lack of education — may be part of the problem. Citing numbers by the United Nations’ AIDS agency, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the estimated number of…
Malacañang on Monday, September 30, said President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Department of Agriculture (DAR) to stop the spread of African swine fever. “Contain it, stop it,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said, quoting Duterte’s order to Agriculture Secretary William Dar, when he was asked for a reaction in regard to the confirmed cases of the…
by Anna Almendrala SHE had been buying face cream through a friend of a friend for 12 years. This time, it was Pond’s “Rejuveness,” a version of the company’s anti-wrinkle cream that is made and sold in Mexico. But someone in the Mexican state of Jalisco laced the cream with a toxic skin-lightening compound, and…
by Ana B. Ibarra In California, the action is local STATES are piling on. Michigan took the first statewide shot at vaping early this month when it announced a ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarette products. It was soon joined by New York, and Rhode Island jumped in Wednesday. Massachusetts went further, announcing Tuesday…
Health advisory warns about imminent public health risks SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a health advisory urging everyone to refrain from vaping, no matter the substance or source, until current investigations are complete. The health advisory follows an executive order signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last week to confront the growing…
DURING a recent trip to Los Angeles, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez visited Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which is leading a research program into the health needs of Filipino Americans in Southern California and across the country. While it’s common to see Filipinos among the majority of health and care providers worldwide,…
SACRAMENTO – On Monday, September 16, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to confront the growing youth epidemic and health risks linked to vaping. The executive order directs the Department of Public Health (CDPH) to launch a $20 million statewide digital and social media public awareness campaign to educate youth, young adults and…
EVEN though summer is fading away, it’s never too late to continue working out and getting back on track — especially when we here in Southern California get to enjoy more warm days at the beach well into fall. My clients and my column readers know that I am all about staying fit and fab….
It’s estimated that over 10 million Filipinos are living outside of the Philippines — 4.5 million of whom are in the United States alone. While Filipinos globally may be known for their hospitality, level of care, work ethic and adaptability, there are more nuanced stories underneath the surface. “Intersections,” a new original series by storytelling…
Health officials assure public that pork meat still safe for consumption The Department of Agriculture on Monday, September 9, confirmed that the African swine fever was the cause of death of pigs in some parts of the Philippines, but quickly reassured that pork in the country remains safe for human consumption. According to Agriculture chief…
by Phil Galewitz FOR the first time in a decade, the number of Americans without health insurance has risen — by about 2 million people in 2018 — according to the annual U.S. Census Bureau report released on Tuesday, September 10. The Census found that 8.5% of the U.S. population went without medical insurance for…
by Ana B. Ibarra CALIFORNIA lawmakers dropped this year’s most controversial public health bill into Gov. Gavin Newsom’s lap on Wednesday, but it’s not clear whether he will sign the measure, which would tighten the rules for exempting children from routine vaccinations. The state Senate voted 28-11 to approve SB-276 by state Sen. Richard Pan…
by Laura Ungar and Trudy Lieberman SAN JOSE, Calif. — In the neighborhoods around San Jose, more than 1 in 9 seniors struggle to get enough to eat. They are among the millions of seniors across the country who quietly go hungry as the safety net designed to catch them frays. Nearly 8% of Americans…
AS part of ongoing preparedness efforts against biodefense threats, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will purchase smallpox vaccine, called ACAM2000, to build and replenish vaccine stored in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) over the next decade. Under the agreement announced on Tuesday, September 3, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary…
A young Filipina American leukemia patient returned to the hospital where she received a stem cell transplant, but this time it was to celebrate five years of survival. Myla Cunanan, 15, celebrated the fifth anniversary of her life-saving stem cell transplant at the University of California, San Francisco’s Mission Bay Campus. Five years ago, Cunanan…
THE Philippines ranked third worldwide with the highest incidence of measles over a 12-month period up to June this year with 45,847 cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It noted that, in just the first six months of 2019, the reported cases worldwide were the highest they have been in any year since…
by Phil Galewitz Five years after Congress passed a law to reduce unnecessary MRIs, CT scans and other expensive diagnostic imaging tests that could harm patients and waste money, federal officials have yet to implement it. The law requires that doctors consult clinical guidelines set by the medical industry before Medicare will pay for many…
YOU would think that there is nothing worse than getting baked under the Southern California sun with its record-breaking heatwave, gusty winds, hot air and low humidity but there is! And that is sweating excessively in the middle of a client meeting, having to repeatedly raise and extend your hand. You find yourself silently praying…
by: Anna Almendrala Veronica Kelley was working at an office building across the street from the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, Calif., in December 2015 when a county employee and his wife entered with semiautomatic rifles and opened fire, killing 14 and wounding 22. Most of the victims were the shooter’s own co-workers. The couple…
THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, August 6, declared a national dengue epidemic amid the rising cases of the mosquito-borne disease that has so far claimed at least 622 lives since January throughout the Philippines. According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the declaration was needed to speed up response. “It is important that…
by Rachel Bluth THE House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesda, July 17, approved its version of legislation to curb surprise medical bills. Though this step was an important advance, there’s still a long way forward before Congress agrees on a legislative solution to this high-profile consumer concern. These bills, the unexpected and often high…
The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, July 15, declared a national dengue alert after 450 people, including infants and a centenarian, died in the first six months of the year due to rapidly increasing cases of dengue in several regions. “This is the first time we’re declaring a national alert because the objective is…
