Stars are human beings as well, and some suffer from chronic sickness. When you are suffering from an ailment that lasts for more than six months, that is a chronic sickness, whether it’s as small as a back pain or as big as cancer.  

Last week, we discussed on Daiana Meneses’ victory in her battle with cancer through epigenetics. Let’s talk about more stars on how they handle their chronic diseases.

I am currently working with Dina Bonnevie and Alma Moreno on a television project and Dina revealed to me that the last time she danced with Alma Moreno in her previous variety show decades ago, Dina had an asthma attack and was clinically dead for about a few seconds.

Bonnevie has chronic asthma which is triggered by outside environmental pollutants like dust, smoke and in this case fog machines. The two were supposed to be lifted by dancers, and the fog machine was on. The actress suddenly experienced difficulty in breathing because of the smoke emitted by the fog machine and passed out. She was rushed to the hospital and was declared clinically dead for a few seconds, but was revived by a defibrillator in the ambulance.

The award -winning actress tells Gossip Girl what happened after she passed out, “I saw myself in a void with a big LED screen and God played my sins on a huge LED screen, but before it could finish I heard my daughter Danica, whose voice was getting louder and louder. Suddenly from nowhere I saw  Danica’s hand from a hole above, and I held on tight to my daughter’s hands who pulled me up and then the vision or dream disappeared, after which I remember gaining consciousness in the ambulance. The nurse in the ambulance said I was clinically dead for several seconds, so they tried to revive my heart, which they did.”

Right now, the actress just keeps her immune system strong to avoid any asthma attacks. “Sleeping six to eight hours a day and eating a balanced diet with lots of vitamins keeps my asthma at bay. As long as my immune system is strong, I don’t get asthma.” 

Alma Moreno also keeps her immune system strong. “If not, my MS (multiple-sclerosis) starts acting up. Sasakit ‘yung ulo ko ng sobra kasi sa Central Nervous System and atake ng may multiple sclerosis. Wala siyang gamot. Nagpunta na ako Boston sa America at nang ma-diagnose ako na may multiple sclerosis, sinabi nila na need ko lang ng malakas na immune system.”

Our immune system is the body’s own line of defense. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease. With MS, the body incorrectly identifies its own myelin, a protein covering that insulates your nerve fibers, as a foreign body and the immune system sends disease-fighting cells to attack its own myelin. I researched on MS, and up to this moment there are no advance research suggesting that there is cure for MS or multiple sclerosis. 

Kris Aquino is lucky because both her autoimmune diseases -- chronic spontaneous urticaria and autoimmune thyroiditis -- have cures. In an Instagram post, she tells her fans and followers that she will be leaving the country to seek cures abroad. Bottomline of this article is for you, my readers, to keep yourselves healthy and avoid chronic diseases. Let my favorite philosopher Hippocrates give you a piece of advice: “Let food be thy medicine.” Let’s not wait for the time that medicine will be your only food. I rebuke that for myself and for all my readers. Amen.