Health

We are seeing of late a push to save more of our babies that are being born. This is because experts see a risk that newborn mortality, which has been on the level at 17 deaths per 1,000 since 1998, may revert upwards and ultimately affect our Millennium Development Goals for 2015.

There is such a thing as a honeymoon phase in disaster response. Remember the overwhelming bayanihan spirit that swept the nation just after the onslaught of tropical storm Ondoy and after that, typhoons Pepeng and Santi? Images we saw on television and our own experiences, or those of people we actually knew, prompted Filipinos to…

SINGAPORE – Men who bottle up their anger at being unfairly treated at work are up to 5 times more likely to suffer a heart attack, or even die from one, than those who let their frustration show, a Swedish study has found.

MANILA – The number of overweight Filipinos are increasing, according to a nationwide survey by the Food and Nutrition Research Foundation (FNRI).

LOS ANGELES: Poor sleep can be dangerous for those whose jobs require quick reactions, according to a study by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin. The researchers found a link between sleep deprivation and information-integration, a process that relies heavily on instantaneous, gut-feeling decisions.

150 people hospitalized after eating cheese sandwich in an office party.” “30 school children in Bohol die after eating street food.” Like terrorists, deadly bacteria and toxins are waiting to strike you. Brought to you by your favorite waiter and sold at your local carinderia, these invisible, tasteless microbes may be hiding in the buko…

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The House of Representatives has no plans of passing a bill proposing the banning of aerial spray in the country within its term and opposing parties would have to wait for the next Congress to push for it.

The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday expressed concern for the psychological well-being of more than a million people still living in flood waters weeks after three typhoons swept through the Philippines.

MANILA, Philippines – One in every five Filipino children aged zero to five years suffers from stunted growth because of poor feeding practices, a report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) said.

WAY back in the 14th century, the Arabs began teaching the world the “serious” enjoyment of coffee.

You’ve had a bad day. You’re feeling cranky and lonely. What to do? Aside from finding ways to fix your problem, try these comfort foods to make you happy. The secret is in choosing foods rich in omega-3 fats, folic acid, selenium, and vitamin B12. These nutrients can lift your mood, so let’s check them…

creasingly global epidemic, plaguing more people in developing countries where mortality rates are higher and many lack access to care, US researchers warned Monday.

Last week’s article on the possible health dangers of cell phones elicited a deluge of comments from our readers — including my colleagues in the medical profession, even my own patients, former classmates, and friends. They raised more valid concerns on other health issues about cell phones that I decided to devote an additional article…

The spirit of volunteerism is alive and well, weeks after the devastation wrought by two destructive weather conditions. The volunteers in ABS-CBN’s Sagip Kapamilya, for example, came from all age groups and varying backgrounds. Most of them arrived in groups — families, officemates, barkadas, among others — all standing up to bring help or to…

MANILA, Philippines — A sedentary lifestyle and an unhealthy diet have contributed to the rise in diabetes patients in the country, with as many as 1.4 million Filipino adults (aged 20 and above) acquiring the disease in the last five years.

Group suggests tackling global health risks GENEVA, Switzerland — Global life expectancy could be increased by nearly five years by addressing five factors affecting health—childhood underweight, unsafe sex, alcohol use, lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene, and high blood pressure, according to a report published by WHO today.

“Anxiety is not fear, exactly, because fear is focused on something right in front of you, a real and objective danger,” writes Robin Marantz Henig in her “New York Times Magazine” article, “Understanding the Anxious Mind.”

NEW YORK – People who keep doing some work in their field after they retire may enjoy better physical and mental health than those who stop work completely or switch to another area of work, according to a U.S. study.

Is it possible to have work life balance in the 21st century? Why don’t you take a few seconds and really think about this? And before you give me an answer, maybe you would like to stop banging on your keyboards for a few seconds, take off your fingers from your iphone or Crackberry –…

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) recommended yesterday that typhoon victims, volunteers, rescuers, and even journalists undergo psychological processing and stress debriefing to overcome possible trauma caused by their ordeal during the calamity.

PARIS: French health watchdogs, in a precautionary move, recommended on Thursday reducing exposure to mobile phones and other portable wireless devices. The guidelines are an interim step pending the outcome of wider research into any impacts from health from radio frequency fields.

The number of mobile phone subscribers in the Philippines has soared from over 22.5 million in 2003 to over 57.3 million in 2007. It continues to rise daily at a very fast clip, allowing us to maintain our dubious claim as the text capital of the world. On the other hand, statistics in the United…

With many dying from leptospirosis in flood-hit areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Monday announced that it would pay for confinements arising from the animal feces-borne disease.

PARIS – A standard treatment for keeping inflammatory bowel disease in check increases the risk of infection-related cancers, but not enough to preclude its use, according to a study published Monday.

MANILA, Philippines–Each and every one of us has experienced some form of blood clotting at some point in our lives. We usually observe this whenever we cut or bruise ourselves—the streaming blood would eventually “harden,” forming clumps that in time, stops the bleeding (although it depends on how big or how deep the wound is).

CEBU, Philippines – Birth control pills and other forms of artificial hormonal contraception increase the risk of breast cancer among women, the Human Life International – Pilipinas said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines–More than 700 cases of leptospirosis have been reported in four government hospitals with more people suspected of having contracted the potentially fatal disease coming in every day.

MANILA, Philippines – 10 tips in preventing back pain: • Don’t sit too long If your work requires you to sit all day, force yourself to get up from your chair. Do not sit for more than one hour without getting up. Prolonged sitting puts stress on your spine and compresses the intervertebral discs, which…

The past five years have brought discovery and advancement in all aspects of breast cancer. More importantly, these advances have resulted in not only better diagnosis and treatment but more individualized care as well. There’s no longer a one-treatment-fits-all approach to breast cancer. Instead, a team of doctors from various specialties is able to work…

MANILA, Philippines – Health officials warned the public yesterday of an increase in cases of leptospirosis and other water-borne diseases in calamity areas that are still flooded after Luzon was ravaged by tropical storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng” in the past two weeks.