Garden lessons
“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.” –Claude Monet, speaking of his garden at Giverny in France SPRING is here and the earth beckons. The rains came this year, sometimes with…
Category: Lifestyle Columnists
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Celebrating spring the Filipino way
Having four seasons in a year is an idea that is quite foreign to Filipinos who grew up in the Philippines. Back there, we only have dry (summer) and wet…
‘The Man with the Muck-rake’: Common good requires truth and facts
“In Bunyan’s ‘Pilgrim Progress’ you may recall the description of the Man with the Muck-rake, the man who could look no way but downward, with the muck-rake in his hand;…
During those perplexing times
”Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a…
Food Medicine
In this week’s issue, we shall devote our column to exalting “medicinal values or therapeutic effects” of regular, ordinary, food that people all over the world eat as part of…
The day I died
This is a story of a gynecologist as he related in MedScape: “When I began experiencing chest pain that was different from my usual heartburn symptoms, I denied I could…
‘Stop the heart?’
Why do cardiac surgeons stop the heart during surgery? The conventional technique in coronary bypass surgery includes, among other elaborate procedures, arresting the heart in order for the surgeon to…
Realities of aging
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…
On listening in silence to God’s voice
I heard this beautiful story last week from a group of Lebanese Maronite Catholics during my visit to St. Maron’s Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In a mother’s womb were two…
Aphrodisiac dangers
What are aphrodisiacs? Aphrodisiacs are pro-sexual drugs or substances that will heighten libido (sexual desire), orgasm (ecstasy and pleasure) and performance in males and females, not partner-specific. As society gets…
Only by God’s grace
I ADMIT that there have been times in my life when my faith and prayer have run dry. What do I mean? It means that even in my life as…
Vatican to endorse porn?
For some people, to even think that the church could be persuaded to endorse porn or abortion is ridiculously absurd! The title is a satirical statement to highlight the stupidity…
On living our faith with passion, zeal, and conviction
REMBRANDT Harmenszoon van Rijn, one of the greatest visual artists in the history of art (1606-1669), portrays this Sunday’s Gospel in his painting, Christ Driving the Moneychangers from the Temple,…
Wisdom from a taxi driver
OUR team from Las Vegas and other states just completed our annual medical missions, first in Alaminos, Laguna (February 4-8), followed by another in Kamay ni Hesus Pilgrimage Center in…
The challenge and the promise of trust in God
Trust in God is what we need to face the hardships and incomprehensibility of life. It’s what Abraham in this Sunday’s First Reading manifested to us. He trusted in God’s…
Self-induced cancer
In the book on disease prevention at the cellular (DNA) level, entitled, Let’s Stop “Killing” our Children, I have highlighted tobacco and alcohol as the two major causes of most…
Lent as Kairos
“This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you: I set a bow…
The tragedy of Valentine
Love is still thick in after Valentine’s Day, and as powerful and triumphant as ever, inspiring people around the globe, as different societies celebrated it according to their own tradition…
The greatest love is not bound by rules
WHY does some love between two people endure a lifetime, while others are destined only for a while? Then, the two lovers are separated, either by choice or by faith?…
Not being great, but good
“If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touch him, and said,‘I do will it. Be made clean.’— Mark 1:40-42 WHEN we think of leprosy in…
Spend Valentine’s Day on a budget
A trip to the grocery store can be a day filled with life-changing discoveries and hard-hitting realities. And if you are like me, who trails down the grocery aisles pre-occupied…
Time for a makeover
The holidays may be behind us but the physical effects, among others, will linger a while. Medically speaking, it is actually time for “damage control” for those of us who…
Traditions for a perfect wedding
One of the biggest milestones in a woman’s life is her wedding day. Even at a young age, many girls dream of their “perfect wedding.” They dream of that pivotal…
Rx for e-addicts
LAST week, in this column, we dissected the anatomy, physiology, and psychological and social impact of electronic addiction, a relatively new condition on its way to officially being a medical…
God’s desire to free us from distress
GOD wants our total well-being. He desires that we lead healthy, fulfilled, and peaceful lives. He does not want us to distress about anything. He wants us to remain calm….
Fall in love with these makeup trends
THIS week we tackle another one of my fortes—and a sought-after subject for women—the latest makeup trends. I can describe this season’s makeup peg in two words: fresh and minimal….
Electronic addicts
Advances in science and technology bolster progress in almost all facets of human endeavor, making most (unfortunately, not all) people more comfortable, more efficient, and productive, not to mention other…
Setting the stage for a purposeful and meaningful life
“Jesus said to them, ‘Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. — Mark 1:19 IT has been 11 days since my…
Why newbie actor Joshua Garcia is considered John Lloyd Cruz 2.0
I HAVE written about John Lloyd Cruz in my column, and while the title (above) seems deprecating to him, allow me to say that it has nothing to do with…
Sudden cardiac death
What is Sudden Cardiac Death? Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) is a swift and unexpected death caused by a heart condition or mechanism, which may or may not be obvious. SCD…