I LIKE how a fellow-priest interpreted the Parable of the Wedding Banquet of this Sunday’s Gospel. Initially, he didn’t find anything worst about the people who refused the king’s invitation to come to his son’s wedding banquet. In fact he found them to be good people: they took care of their families, worked hard to…
This is one request every physician dreads to hear from a patient. No matter how hopelessly ill a person may be, even one dying from terminal cancer which has spread all over the body causing unabated pain and suffering, such a plea for mercy and final relief for the physician to prescribe higher dosage of…
There are many myths floating around concerning various subjects. Some of them are about what NOT to do after a meal. These were emailed to me by a friend for scientific verification. Myths are obviously the fruit of partial or total ignorance, and speculations, handed down from generation to generation. While many of them are…
To take the risk of possible death from surgery that is necessary to save life or to maintain or restore health makes intelligent sense. But to die from an elective cosmetic procedure performed for vanity, or for whatever reason, is obviously reckless and foolhardy. In medicine, one death out of 100,000-300,000 surgeries, or at most,…
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 the self-abuse humans are well known for) that exceed our body’s ability to repair them. These damages lead to obvious signs of aging: sags, bulges…
One of the powerful attributes that we admire (or even marvel at) among many elderly, age 80, 90, and older, is the “youthfulness” of their mind. Unfortunately, not every one of them is gifted with senior brain power or brain youth when they reach 70 or older, and some have significant physiological “cerebral handicaps” even…
Does aspirin protect us against cancer? Yes, according to clinical studies conducted on patients taking daily aspirin (Acetylsalicylic Acid) for conditions like arthritis, etc., or among heart patients taking aspirin to thin their blood to prevent blood clots and blockages in the coronary (heart) arteries. The findings show that those taking daily dose of aspirin…
What is Athletic Heart Syndrome? This is a condition among athletes who show a constellation of physiologic adaptations in the body system, especially in the heart, in persons trained to perform endurance exercise. What are these changes? One of them is the so-called resting bradycardia (heart rate is slow, well below 60). The usual normal…
What are Bangkok Pills? Bangkok Pills are a combination drug marketed for weight reduction which had gained notoriety a few years ago for the various serious complications reported attendant to their use. According to the weight control company’s Dr. Wanit T, who responded to my email, the program is known as “ Bangkok Pills” or…
Worldwide, in the last few decades, victims of diabetes have increased more than twice, and expected to grow from its current 246 million to 380 million in 18 years, by 2025, according to the report from the International Diabetes Institute in Australia. In this column nine years ago, we stated that the rapid growth in…
I ADMIT that there are days when I really just want to stop and quit. It’s a double whammy when your loved ones are not by your side, during your most trying times. It draws and drains you of all your courage and strength. But then again, if things were easy, there would be no…
THE integrity of our natural personal immune system confers upon our body a defense mechanism which determines our susceptibility to, or the degree of protection we have against, various diseases. Besides a healthy diet, regular physical exercise, abstinence from tobacco and other harmful substances, moderation in alcohol intake, and taking daily multivitamins-mineral (from A to…
The all-American fast food, the hamburger, has been killing about 60 people a year in the United States alone. And we are not talking about the cardiovascular death toll (one person dies every 60 seconds in the USA) from heart attack and stroke, etc., from a high saturated fat and cholesterol diet. We are talking…
LAST June 2, US First Lady Michelle Obama introduced My Plate, the new basic food guide to replace the outdated Food Pyramid of 1992. With her in Washington , DC, for the unveiling were Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin. “The new design called My Plate was conceived as a crucial…
LOOKING back on my teenage years, I realized that it was my mother who taught me to maintain a beauty ritual. She would always remind me to look beautiful and to smell good all the time. She trained me to always look presentable when I go out. She insisted that I will never know whom…
The lure of food galore during parties and holidays usually weaken our will power a bit and add a few pounds to our weight, except perhaps among those who are watching their diet like a hawk. Discipline and moderation significantly impact every aspect of our life and literally determine our future. All medical data we…
One of the most treacherous and challenging medical conditions is brain aneurysm, especially the leaking or ruptured variety. What is a brain aneurysm? The medical word aneurysm means ballooning out of an artery, causing the affected wall of the artery to stretch (from the high pressure inside it) to form a “bubble,” whose wall is…
What is sleep apnea? Usually associated with snoring, sleep apnea means the cessation of breathing during sleep. This breath-holding initially lasts for 10 seconds and progresses to 20 to 30 seconds, and each episode is immediately followed by gasping for air. This cycle could repeat itself several times (20 to 100 times per hour) the…
Over the weekend, I decided to celebrate new friendships and of dreams coming true and invited new friends who have become dear to me. I made Chicken and Shrimp Linguini pasta both in creamy alfredo and tomato sauce, mixed spring salad with raspberry dressing and French Vanilla ice cream topped with Nutella and fresh strawberries….
It’s good to be single. But to be happy being single is another story. Over the holidays, I did get kind of lonely being alone, without a significant other to spend it with. I honestly felt that I could be happier when I am with someone. One of my resolutions for this year was to…
Ah, love… makes the world go round, doesn’t it? It does. I do believe that’s the reason why we wish to continue living. For without it, I find no other reason that even equals love for anyone to want to live. Life is hard as it is, and without love, it would be one dull,…
I am living my dream. And I am still bursting with more dreams. I have tons of great ideas, some of which I am still too scared or overwhelmed to start on. I have all these goals and opportunities within reach. But how do I prioritize which dream I will turn into a reality? How…
It was definitely one of those special moments, when I had the energy to work for a week straight. No doubt, when you do the things you love, you never measure the time you spend working. A couple of Sundays ago, I was invited by my good friend, Giselle Tongi, to be the costume designer…
There is no question at all that physical exercise, no matter how minimally strenuous, at least 5 times a week for those who are medically fit, helps ward off diseases, from metabolic, cardiovascular, and even from many forms of cancer. For individuals already with essential hypertension (high blood pressure) and/or diabetes, hypercholesterolemia (elevated cholesterol in…
