Health

The Dragon Warrior Po, the Panda, in the animated movie Kung Fu Panda, had it right…. “inner peace”…beginning with the inward gazing, deep breathing and silence of the mind. But can we all achieve what the Kung Fu Panda did in the movie… every day? Yes, we can — but only if we constantly try…

A toxics watchdog has revealed that toys containing health-damaging chemicals are being sold to public school children right at their doorstep.

What’s in a number? When it comes to your health, the answer is plenty. That’s because knowing and understanding certain numbers can keep you from being caught off-guard by many serious illnesses, and help you maintain or even improve your health. Here are the numbers that matter the most.

You and I are living in a culture of performance. Comparing ourselves with the next person has become a norm. Advertising has convinced us that we should always look better, feel better and make others eat our dust.

THE health-care system in the Philippines is considered generally to meet global standards, with hospitals and other medical centers in the country able to pass accreditation tests given by international organizations.

Critics expect higher fees, service cuts for poor patients TWO lawmakers on Friday denounced the planned withdrawal of some P4.7 billion in subsidies from 26 of the biggest public hospitals after a House panel approved their conversion into corporations to raise their own revenue from paying patients.

MANILA, Philippines – An official of the Department of Health (DOH) reminded Filipinos to be more careful in preparing and consuming food as diarrhea and other food-borne illnesses are more common during the summer months.

Today, about 240 families lost a loved one to a tobacco-related illness. That’s an estimated 87,600 deaths in a year. In 2011, the country earned around P26 billion worth of taxes from the tobacco industry, while revenue from cigarette manufacturers amounted to approximately P31 billion.

Have you noticed that some of the children you know are autistic? That you now see more of them among your relatives’ and friends’ families? This is because globally more children will be diagnosed with autism than diabetes, cancer and AIDS combined perhaps within the decade?

Sen. Franklin Drilon on Tuesday sought for the conversion of national government hospitals into government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) saying it will improve the delivery of health services throughout the country.

The Universal Health Care program for Filipinos, a priority measure of the Aquino administration, moved one step closer to its enactment into a law as the House of Representatives approved House Bill (HB) 6048 or the Pinoy Health Insurance Act on second reading.

DESPITE higher prices and scary scientific studies showing that smoking often leads to cancer, the number of smokers continues to rise globally, according to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which advocates against smoking.

THE Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Coalition Against Tuberculosis (Philcat) on Monday expressed alarm over the high number of tuberculosis cases in the Philippines.

For those who may not be aware of the major health issues facing the country, I have made a quick overview of the challenges facing the government and the Department of Health. Due to space constraints, I have summarized each issue so everyone can have an initial understanding on them:

For those who may not be aware of the major health issues facing the country, I have made a quick overview of the challenges facing the government and the Department of Health.

We may have forgotten that drug companies use many ingredients that we ma also have in our kitchen, in our gardens, the leaves and fruits from the nearby forest and most especially, the roots from ordinary and/or rare plants.

Having BO (body odor) can be an embarrassing problem. This unpleasant smell comes from a mixture of sweat and bacteria. Normally, our sweat should have little odor. However, it’s the bacteria in the skin that cause one’s perspiration to smell sour.

Dentist Lilian Lasaten Ebuen is a crusader of sorts. For at least two years now, she has been trying to go around warning people that mercury-based dental amalgams (what is more popularly known as “pasta”) are bad for the health.

ORAL sex could lead to cancer of the mouth more than smoking and drinking, doctors say. At the joint conference of the Philippine Medical Association and the Philippine Dental Association, doctors and dentists cited a study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that people who have more than five oral-sex partners are nine…

There are many things that mankind should be afraid of in 2012. The verdict of the Corona impeachment trial. An impending economic global debt crisis. The possibility of limited nuclear conflict with North Korea and Iran. The end of the world as per the Mayan calendar. And PMS.

Year after year, I promise myself that I would take charge of my lifestyle, changing to better habits, opting for better choices, and hopefully emerging successful in weight management at the end of the year. This year was no different from years past  you enter the holidays thinking you would be more disciplined than last…

Whether you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight or you’re trying (again) to quit smoking, changing any lifestyle behavior is notoriously difficult. Some people feel unsure of how to go about it. Others start off strong, only to revert to old ways within a matter of time.

The country’s attention in the last few days has been riveted on the casualties from the New Year revelry. Cameras focused on the grimacing faces of the victims while medical professionals ran around trying to do what they could given the dire situation; and I refer not only to the seemingly endless stream of victims…

This time, it was the patients who gave the prescription. When pediatricians asked Filipino high school students what should be done to improve health and education, the answers were a revelation worthy of the attention of grownups.

Two of the hottest topics on nutrition today are the raw vs. the cooked diet and the practice of eating meatless meals. Each one has its own proponents who cite the significant health benefits of these two nutritional practices. What is the real score? Here’s what you should know about raw food and vegetarian diets.

(Third of a series) For several years now, the Department of Health (DOH) has been hearing stories of taxi drivers supposedly falling ill due to extended exposure to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fumes.

(First of a series) Alexander de la Rosa started driving taxis for a living in 1983. At age 48, he says he’s healthy and doesn’t drink alcohol. “I smoke cigarettes, but not a lot.”

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Health has established 846 Botika ng Barangay (drugstores selling affordable medicines) outlets as it targets the establishment of a drugstore for every village in Metro Manila, said Regional Director Eduardo Janairo of the DoH Center for Health Development – Metro Manila (DoH-CHD-MM).

Cancer cases and deaths in the Philippines are on the rise. It has climbed as the number 3 cause of death. Experts estimate that cancer cases will soon overtake heart disease as the number one cause of death worldwide. This is an alarming statistic since one-third of all cancer cases can be prevented through a…

MANILA, Philippines – The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday urged governments to have “stronger political commitment” to address worsening mental health problems.