Health

MANILA, Philippines—For the first time since assuming office Monday last week, Health Secretary Enrique Ona has drawn a broad outline of the Aquino administration plans for carrying out its ambitious goal of giving universal health care coverage to the people within three years.

WE WOULD LIKE TO CORRECT THE statement made about PhilHealth’s coverage in an advertorial by the Insular Life titled “Invest to manage the risk of adverse health.” (Inquirer, 7/1/10) The ad placed PhilHealth’s coverage at about a third or a little over 31 million of 94 million Filipinos.

How can we become smarter? Are there scientific ways to increase our brain’s capacity? Let’s find out. According to Dr. Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen, a study shows that, on the average, a person’s intelligence (measured by IQ) decreases by five percent every 10 years. But this is just the average. The good news is…

MANILA, Philippines—One in every four Filipino adults suffers from hypertension or high blood pressure—the biggest risk factor for heart and kidney diseases, as well as diabetes.

MANILA, Philippines – Various health groups led by the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) presented yesterday a nine-point health agenda that president-elect Benigno Aquino III “should immediately address.”

CEBU, Philippines – In a recent forum hosted by the Association of Government Information Officers in Region 7 (AGIO), Dr. Alvin Roxas, head of the Renal Center of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, said that kidney or renal failure is considered one of the top 10 diseases afflicting Filipinos today.

GOVERNMENT officials and employees have been prohibited to interact with tobacco industry members under a joint circular issued by the Department of Health (DoH) and Civil Service Commission (CSC), pursuant to the government’s anti-smoking campaign.

After Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. was assassinated on August 21, 1983, the whole nation shouted “Hindi ka nag-iisa [You are not alone].”

Every man desires to live long, but no one wants to grow old. — Jonathan Swift, 18th century In the 18th and 19th centuries, achieving longevity was hard enough. As human lifespan increased in the 20th century, people set their goals higher, trying to delay the onset of disease and old age. But in the…

The human body is like a machine that is full of wonder. Here is a collection of unusual health trivia — ranging from anatomy facts to medical anecdotes gathered from various sources.

Faye Ferrer talks about the day she went to an outlet of the largest and most popular drug store in the country to find out whether the staff would sell her a mercury-based thermometer. Administrative Order 21 of the Department of Health, issued in July 2008, calls for the phaseout of all mercury-containing devices by…

AN important indicator of quality service is how employees relate to their customers. Yet it is not easy dealing with customers’ demands and often service workers need to exert extra effort in order to control their emotions and display appropriate facial expressions. The effort required is what is called “emotional labor.” Emotional labor is typically…

MANILA, Philippines – President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III hopes to give every Filipino access to health care by 2013. Speaking on ANC’s “The Rundown” Wednesday night, health experts believe, if the Aquino administration uses its resources right, it can achieve this goal.

WASHINGTON DC, United States—A US-based study on Monday linked eating white rice to higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and backed long-held claims that brown rice is healthier than the white variety.

Many countries are bracing for a second wave of swine-flu infections that could sicken millions of people and hospitalize thousands, including many children and young adults. While flu viruses are notoriously capricious, making firm predictions impossible, a second wave could hit some countries and lead to major disruptions in schools, workplaces, and hospitals, according to…

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Edgardo Angara is refiling in the 15th Congress the Philippine Respiratory Therapy Bill in response to the rising health concerns involving the respiratory system.

Other commitments expected after result of EO review DRUG COMPANIES have started to voluntarily offer lower product prices although their number has not reached a level that will allow new price cuts, the latest of which was implemented last March 31, a Health official said.

Non-government groups are up in arms against tobacco companies and those representing their interest for their shameless attempts to undermine the campaign being waged by the Department of Health to warn the public of the hazards of smoking.

CANDON CITY, Ilocos Sur: Lawmakers from Northern Luzon are calling the new administrative order issued by the Department of Health (DOH) a “violation of the law.”

Eating and digesting food are major functions of the human body. We eat to obtain energy to do our work. Our stomach and bowels need to properly digest and absorb the nutrients we eat. Here are 14 stomach-friendly tips to help your digestion:

Two multinational companies are lending support to the campaign to stop the use of mercury in all Philippine health care facilities and institutions.

MANILA, Philippines—Filipino consumers are spending more than P75 billion a year on food and herbal supplements, which the health department said do not have therapeutic effects and, worse, may have “harmful side-effects.”

MANILA, Philippines – Local and international groups have expressed support for an administrative order of the Department of Health (DOH) that mandates the printing of graphic warning signs on cigarette packages as part of the country’s aggressive policy against smoking.

MANILA, Philippines – A group of manufacturers of herbal and dietary products has charged Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral with graft before the Office of the Ombudsman.

You are responsible, in large part, for managing your own preventive health care. It is the most important investment of your time and money. Yet, most Filipinos do not receive all the important preventive services they need — that is, screening tests for early detection of disease, immunizations, and education about healthy habits. Why not?

Our health workers are heroes in their own right. Collectively, Filipino doctors, nurses, dentists, midwives, therapists, and barangay health workers are responsible for caring for the lives of 90 million Filipinos.

While everybody was busy with the fanfare of Philippine elections, the Department of Health issued an administrative order requiring manufacturers and distributors of health supplements to “make it clear to buyers that the products are not to be considered medicines.”

GENEVA — A major international study into the link between cellphone use and two types of brain cancer has proved inconclusive, according to a report in a medical journal.

LONDON–People who get less than six hours sleep per night have an increased risk of dying prematurely, researchers said on Wednesday.

LONDON — A new decades-long study examining the link between the use of mobile phones and long-term health problems such as cancer and neurological diseases launched on Thursday across five European countries.