Health

MANILA, Philippines – Some of the victims displaced by tropical storm “Ondoy” have developed a fear of water, hampering efforts to get them back to their residences, an official of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) said yesterday.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer specific to women in the Philippines. In fact, the Philippines tops the list in Asia for the most number of breast cancer in women. According to the Philippine Cancer Society, an estimated 14,000 new breast cancer cases are diagnosed each year and nearly 6,300 deaths are expected from…

WASHINGTON – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) said it has suspended all five of its grants to the Tropical Disease Foundation (TDF) in the Philippines because of misuse of funds.

MANILA – The damage brought by tropical storm Ondoy (international code name Ketsana) ruined the lives and homes of thousands of Filipinos in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces.

Did you know that September is National Cholesterol Education Month? And instead of harping on those big fat claims that “high levels of cholesterol significantly increase the risk of heart disease,” the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit nutrition education organization, enjoins everyone to celebrate the month by learning about the vital roles of cholesterol…

Long-term medical conditions compound the sexual issues that men and women face during the natural aging process. Heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are just some of the illnesses that can have a serious lasting impact on your sexuality. What’s more, the emotional aspects of an illness often weigh as heavily as the physical ones. One…

About 50 percent to 60 percent of Filipinos use generic drugs and more people now prefer less expensive but quality medicines, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday. “Five to six of 10 Filipinos are indeed using generic medicines now. This emerging generation of wise consumers is surely increasing and it has caused the…

If you haven’t seen The Ugly Truth, you should. If you’re one of those people who consider it sinful to utter the word penis, don’t. The film is full of what conservatives call smutty language which seems to be a catch-all phrase for psycho-analytic babble that seeks to demystify the sexual relationship between men and…

LONDON – The average British man or woman has slept with 2.8 million people — albeit indirectly, according to figures released Wednesday to promote awareness of sexual health.

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang yesterday challenged private hospitals in the country to open their financial books to the public to back up their claims on why they need to raise their fees in order to recoup their losses from the implementation of the Cheaper Medicine Law.

AVARICE: The way the association of private hospitals has been insisting on raising their already exorbitant fees, one shudders at the thought that it seems even the government cannot stop the gouging of the sick and the dying.

This is shoe disturbing: An investigation on toxins in flip-flops, sandals, clogs, and other plastic shoes in seven countries, including the Philippines, has unearthed scary concentrations of harmful chemicals that are injurious to human health and the environment.

MANILA, PHilippines – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will revive a technical working group (TWG) to review and regulate the advertisements of food supplements now flooding the Philippine market.

MANILA, Philippines – Private hospitals will increase their administrative fees to recoup the losses incurred from the medicine price cuts.

DoH gets P250M grant to reduce maternal death MANILA, Philippines—Of the 100,000 mothers giving live birth in the country, 162 die for lack of attending medical professionals and obstetric care, making the country among 68 others where 97 percent of global maternal and child death occur, health officials said on Friday.

Porac residents vow to file class suit against piggery owners of Barangay Santa Cruz, Manibaug Paralaya ANGELES CITY: The Environment and Management Bureau (EMB) has affirmed the studies on Porac piggeries made by the Pinoy Gumising ka Movement (PGKM) that establishes its alleged “adverse effects” on humans.

BANKRUPT?: It is good that Health Secretary Francisco Duque rapped private hospitals increasing fees to recoup losses from widely used essential medicines whose prices were cut in half under the government’s drug price regulation scheme starting Sept. 15.

PARIS: Heart attack survivors who eat chocolate two or more times per week cut their risk of dying from heart disease about threefold compared with those who never touch the stuff, scientists have reported. Smaller quantities confer less protection, but are still better than none, according to the study, which appears in the September issue…

CHICAGO – SHOWER heads can deliver a face full of dangerous pathogens, according to a study published on Monday which found them to be ideal breeding grounds for bacteria.

Australian medical groups on Tuesday slammed state government guidelines recommending sleep-deprived doctors should drink up to six cups of coffee to remain alert during marathon shifts.

MANILA, Philippines – Infant mortality in the Philippines continues to decline due to improved immunization and oral rehydration campaigns, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) said yesterday.

A lawmaker has filed a bill seeking to prohibit the use of styrofoam packaging by food service businesses and operations in a bid to curb life-threatening diseases associated with the frequent use of the such packaging.

Couples should consider sleeping apart for the good of their health and relationship, say experts.

The World Health Organization on Wednesday urged Asian countries to prepare for a surge in swine flu cases as the northern hemisphere’s winter approaches.

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City Councilor Nestor Archival wants the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to carry out a thorough and comprehensive study of the further risks posed by exposure to cellular phone tower radiation.

The Times’ front-page story “Fewer Filipinos can afford medical care, says ADB study” on Tuesday, September 8, gave concrete figures to something obvious to most thinking Filipinos.

Fewer poor Filipinos are seeking treatment from private and government hospitals because of costlier medicines and healthcare services, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) study said.

I received so many e-mails for my previous article on “The top 20 healthiest foods.” This time, let’s look at the opposite side of the coin. It’s the “unhealthy” or fatty foods we can’t resist eating, maybe because they’re sweet and succulent or we’re simply adventurous. Let’s start our list with number 10.

MANILA, Philippines – Health experts have warned that dengue is becoming a global public health threat, owing to rapid urbanization, growing population, increasing international travel and climate change.

Here’s the skinny on a rather touchy subject: The ugly truth is that there are harmful chemicals hidden in beauty products, which a lot of us may not be aware of. While the incurable romantics swear that beauty is not skin-deep, our skin is our largest, thinnest organ. According to health activist Dr. Joseph Mercola,…