Have you ever looked at someone across the room and thought, She looks different, but I can’t figure out why? Not younger. Not done. Just rested. Lifted in a way you cannot trace. In 20 years of practice, that small double-take has become the highest compliment a patient can give me—and it has...
The excruciating pain and swelling of joints, commonly affecting the big toe, ankles, or knees, that comes in sudden and recurring attacks is known as gout or gouty arthritis. This is caused by the formation of uric acid crystals or urates as a result of uncontrolled elevations of uric acid in the...
A few days ago, I caught my reflection on a black screen right before it lit up. My shoulders were slightly rounded, my head tilted forward, my chin tucked in a way that felt both familiar and uncomfortable. I straightened instinctively, as if I had been caught doing something I shouldn’t. It’s...
We all know we need to eat fruits and vegetables every single day, get eight hours of sleep a night, drink at least eight glasses of water, eat breakfast, and exercise. Many, however, struggle even with just drinking enough water in a day. While the importance of nutrition and physical activity to...
It seems that every time we start to relax, a new Covid-19 variant surfaces. Covid-19 fatigue is real, and many people just aren’t paying attention anymore. The latest SARS-CoV-2 variant to make headlines is, surprisingly, not all that new. BA.3.2, an Omicron subvariant, was first detected in...
As Filipinos, we naturally have an emotional connection to food. We love to celebrate occasions and have a feast. Even during difficult times, for instance, at a wake, food has never been absent. We share food during joyful times, as well as sorrowful moments. These instances, however, do not...
I recently sat through a case study on Moderna—yes, that Moderna, the Covid-19 vaccine—and walked away thinking less about mRNA and more about how we look after our own bodies. Stay with me here. Moderna’s CEO once described his company this way: “We’re a technology company that happens...
“Spot sa baga, mahina ang lungs.” These are just two of the euphemisms Filipinos use to refer to tuberculosis (TB), the disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Historically, a lot of shame and stigma have been associated with a diagnosis of tuberculosis. It is still seen as a disease of...
By Dr. Ernest Roberto H. Manas Consultant, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck SurgeryAsian ENT CenterAsian Hospital and Medical Center When whispers become harder to hear, noise becomes too difficult to tolerate, and you weirdly feel “off,” these are often signals that there may be something wrong...
There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that only happens in medicine. Not the physical kind, though that’s real too, but the kind that sets in when you know exactly what a patient needs and you also know that the science simply isn’t there yet. I’ve felt it in the clinic. I felt it during...
Almost everyone has probably experienced getting a fever at least once in their lives, right? Have you tried having a sponge bath to help bring the body temperature down? It must have helped a lot, even if you had to take medications. Have you ever suffered from constipation, and it was resolved...
A good friend recently asked me if I had problems reconciling giving vaccines with my Catholic beliefs. I told him that there was absolutely no conflict, and I mentioned that Pope Francis, during the Covid-19 pandemic, strongly advocated for vaccination . Pope Francis specifically mentioned that...
