CEBU CITY – An organization of cardiologists is seeking more research and guidelines in its bid to standardize the treatment of heart disease. Dr. Ronald Cuyco, president of the 2,100-strong Philippine Heart Association (PHA), said the group will focus more on research, which will be used as basis in crafting guidelines in treating heart diseases. “There should be guidelines in terms of what should be done. There should be standardization in the treatment of diseases, especially of the heart. This can be practiced and adopted in different parts of the country,” Cuyco said in a recent media briefing here.
DR. Ronald Cuyco, president of the Philippine Heart Association (PHA), speaks during a recent PHA activity in Cebu City. (Contributed photo) Having the required guidelines will allow even frontliners to use it as a guide in dealing with heart diseases. The PHA is working with the Department of Health (DOH) for the release of the guidelines. “It can be adopted as a national policy and when that happens, we are hoping that it will be the basis of PhilHealth coverage in support of the full implementation of Universal Health Care. We want to support this because this will be very advantageous for the people. When this happens, it will have a big impact in taking care of cardiovascular disease,” said Cuyco. Cuyco said the PHA will also continue its flagship “521000” advocacy, the promotion of active healthy lifestyle. The “5” in the advocacy is having five servings of fruits and vegetables in every meal. The “2” means that only two grams of salt should be consumed the whole day. The “2” also means that children should only have two hours of exposure on gadgets. “When they are always sitting, they will gain weight. We have to encourage them to move,” said Cuyco. The “1” is for one hour of exercise a day. “This time, even one hour of exercise is already very difficult to do. We are proposing 30 minutes. Walking is the best exercise. We have pocket exercises tailored for busy people. These are exercises that can be done even when sitting down,” Cuyco said. The first “0” is for zero smoking as well as vaping while the “0”  is for zero sugary drinks. “Aside from smoking, we are against that vaping policy,” Cuyco said. The PHA is also encouraging the moderate intake of alcohol. “Another thing that should be emphasized…we are not saying that alcohol should be totally eliminated. It should be in moderation because alcohol can also increase bad cholesterol,” Cuyco. He disclosed that the group’s newest advocacy is the campaign against transfat. Cuyco said an administrative order (AO) has been issued and implemented by the DOH and Food and Drugs Administration in which transfat in processed and pre-packaged food should be eliminated. Based on studies, transfat increases bad cholesterol and decreases good cholesterol, Cuyco said. “So in effect, the risk of having a clogged heart will increase. We are thankful that there is an AO for this and we have to support this.”