Every few years, a procedure comes along that seems to capture the imagination of patients faster than physicians can keep up. Lately, in my consultation room, the procedure is the thread lift, and more specifically, a Korean innovation called MINT. The acronym stands for Minimally Invasive...
Conceiving a child is a joy and a blessing to many women. However, a mother’s journey throughout the pregnancy and after is not a walk in the park. A mother’s physical, emotional, and mental health must never be neglected at any stage of pregnancy. Nutrition plays a huge role during the entire...
The recent report of an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship gave feelings of double déjà vu to those of us in the infectious diseases field. The first déjà vu moment is that of the Covid-19 outbreak on the cruise ship the Diamond Princess, which was the first such SARS-CoV-2 outbreak of its...
When we are confined in a hospital, one of the most tedious parts involves having to navigate around various laboratories and health departments. Often, test areas are found on a different wing entirely. This burden goes for doctors and nurses as well, as there are those who have to take a longer...
There is a point in the day when everything feels too loud. Messages come in, plans shift, and the body carries more than it should. For Henny Angelica Dee, that feeling was what led her to the mat. She first tried Pilates and yoga in 2022, drawn not by trend but by how it made her feel. “While I...
You can usually tell when a patient has good news before they even sit down. Mine walked in last week, practically floating, 25 pounds lighter, in a blazer she said had been waiting in her closet since 2019. Then she caught her reflection in my exam mirror, and the smile faded. “Doc, be...
Dieting has always been a trend. It just evolves according to what is the most popular for a period of time until a new one comes out. Why do people go on a diet? Primarily, to lose weight, while others need to undergo diet restrictions due to a diagnosed medical condition. Have you undergone a...
One of the things I like best about the practice of medicine is talking to people and getting to know their life stories. Patients tend to treat their doctor like they would their priest-confessor because they know we are sworn to confidentiality, with few exceptions. Medicine, particularly...
Many of our warm-weather staples come with a hidden footprint: plastics that linger far longer than the products they hold, ingredients sourced without care, and small habits that quietly add to our environmental impact. Recognizing this, more beauty brands are making thoughtful changes to reduce...
A patient came in last month, 32, newly engaged, wedding in six months. She had her phone out before she even sat down—a running scroll of saved TikToks, each one a different treatment she’d convinced herself she needed. She looked at me and said, “Doc, which one is the most worth it?” I...
As the body’s largest organ, the skin is the most noticeable, particularly the facial skin. Women and even men may get psychologically affected when their skin is unhealthy. Having healthy, glowing skin helps to boost self-confidence. It makes one happier too. After all, who wouldn’t want to...
The Philippines, in the past two decades, has had one of the fastest-growing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemics in the world. While our total HIV case numbers remain lower than those of many countries in the Asia-Pacific, the percentage growth is faster than most and needs to be addressed...
