ROUGHLY 29 million Americans are dyslexic. I could not find any stat for the Philippines, but the consensus is that it has greatly increased. “Word blindness” is a term commonly used to describe this condition where a person, starting from childhood, has extreme difficulty reading, spelling, writing. About 10% of children are dyslexic, and it’s more common among boys.
Dyslexia, which may be inherited, is caused by a localized brain lesion, where there is a certain number of brain cells being “faulty,” or there is delayed or incomplete development of the brain. These children are NOT brain damaged. Usually, these youngsters are not recognized as dyslexic and may be thought of as lazy, disobedient, bored, problem kids and be relegated to the background as dumb.
Early detection is important for those affected to be able to benefit from special schooling and catch up in their learning skills. With early and proper training, many of them can grow up to be very successful individuals. Many of them are very bright and creative.
Some popular American personalities who have dyslexia include Tom Cruise, Jennifer Aniston, Whoopi Goldberg, Muhammed Ali, Orlando Bloom, Steven Spielberg, Jay Leno, etc. In the Philippines: Asia’s songbird Regine Velasquez, TV personality Boy Abunda, STAR columnist Clara Pettersen, actor Albie Casino, and others.
‘HELP’ syndrome
The acronym stands for “high enzyme, low platelets,” a condition in a pregnant woman ready to deliver. The blood pressure skyrockets, the liver enzymes go up and the platelets (tissues needed for normal coagulation to prevent bleeding) drop, causing bleeding during delivery. The cause is not known. This condition could lead to severe, uncontrollable hemorrhage, and some maternal deaths have been reported from this syndrome. This is one of the reasons why prenatal medical checkups are very important to rule out any conditions that may complicate an otherwise normal delivery.
Source of oxygen
Oxygen, which makes up about 20% of the air we breathe in, is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that is essential for the production of energy and, therefore, for life. Its main source is from living green plants. This is one of the reasons why we must protect our environment.
The ambient air we inhale is absorbed by the lungs which “extracts” and filters oxygen, which then combines with hemoglobin (red pigment in blood cells). The resultant oxyhemoglobin is circulated throughout the body by the pumping action of the heart to supply oxygen to the entire body. Some tissues in our body are more sensitive than others to oxygen deprivation. The brain is super-sensitive to lack of oxygen. It “dies” in about 3-4 minutes after oxygen delivery ceases (as in suffocation, drowning or cardiac arrest).
Causes of dandruff
The cause of dandruff is not known in the majority of cases. Excessive greasiness of skin and hair among adolescents has been found to initiate dandruff. The contributory factors implicated include heredity, diet, hormonal imbalance. The existing dandruff can be aggravated by stress and emotional turmoil. A vacation or rest may totally eliminate dandruff. Anti-dandruff shampoos (coal-tar based or those containing
selenium sulfide or zinc pyrithione) have been prescribed by physicians to arrest dandruff. Overzealous use of these shampoos in unhealthy.
Texting and health
Anything in excess, even water, oxygen, talking, food, rest, etc, is bad for us. Wise and appropriate use of cellphones and their nice features, like text messaging (in moderation) do not pose any health hazard to the user. Cell phones and text-messaging are technological wonders of our times, which, when utilized properly, provide great convenience, advantages, and security for the users and their family and friends.
Exceptions to this are the use of cellphones while driving or doing activities that require full attention. Accidental deaths have been reported from the use of cellphones while driving, taking selfies (falling off a cliff), and operating dangerous machines. While on a night out, 100% attention to your date, or to your partners at a business meeting, is a must. This unwelcome practice is rude and anti-social, vehemently
frowned upon in polite society.
Caution on female tampons
If used properly, yes, the new tampons are fairly safe. In 1978, a worldwide phenomenon called Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) was first described, with symptoms ranging from high fever, skin rash, fall in blood pressure, severe eye infection, headaches, disorientation, joint and muscle pains, diarrhea and kidney failure. The victims were females (average age 23) having their normal menstrual period. A number of deaths from TSS has been reported. Implicated was the use of super-absorbency tampons, which acted as a culture medium for the staphylococcal infection in the vagina. The longer the tampon was left in the vagina, the greater the risk. The toxin or poison produced by staphylococci caused the serious illness described above. Most patients recovered after appropriate treatment of intravenous fluids
and antibiotics, but at a later stage lost the skin of their palms and soles, the face and even the tongue. The mortality rate for TSS is about 2 or 3 percent. Tampons should be changed 3 to 4 times a day, even if not fully stained to prevent TSS. This makes it a bit too expensive. A time-proven safer alternative is the proper use of sanitary pads.
Pets and pre-menopause
Yes, this is no fable. It has been shown that pre-menopausal women who owned a pet went through this change in their life and physiology with much less pain and agony. And these pets seem to sense their suffering and “commiserate” with them. These pets give these suffering women provides the much-needed companionship, love, loyalty, and security during this formidable stage in their life. For one thing, these pets do not complain and do not bite back. Their love is total, genuine, and unconditional. Because of these, pets are considered by some people as “better than some friends and family members.”
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions,
beliefs and viewpoints of Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and
Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, Health Advocate, medical
missionary, newspaper columnist, and chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3
humanitarian foundation in the United States. He was a recipient of the Indiana Sagamore of the
Wabash Award in 1995, presented by then Indiana Governor, U.S. senator, and later a presidential
candidate, Evan Bayh. Other Sagamore past awardees include President Harry S. Truman,
President George HW Bush, Muhammad Ali, Astronaut Gus Grissom, scientists, and educators
(Source: Wikipedia). Websites: Today.SPSAtoday.com; Amazon.com (“Where is My America?”);
Email: [email protected].