Breakthroughs Today

There is more to Christmastime than the rejoicings, carols and the decorations. That something may also include some cursory look on what certain decorations can do to badly impact on your Yuletide health. This round; it is mistletoe and wine. Christmastime Although festive, Christmastime is best celebrated—unlike most festivities such as Pit Señor (although it is a feast of the Child Jesus) because of the mardigras dancing associated with Sinulog—that is, not so much with lots of dancing, but with more solemn times together with the family, talking about the events of the year; oftentimes with lola and lolo around. It is especially during Christmas that we finally have the time to renew our spirits, calm our nerves, and celebrate the blessing we receive the whole year round. It is where health supposed to be at its most pampered time. Mistletoe Viscum album is a tree parasitic plant that had medicinal properties only lately better documented. In 2006, the S

How could coincidence have something to do with presliced peppers? In life as well as in health, anything goes.  Our practices in food preparation may have been proven very risky somewhere else. CALL IT coincidence. When the family had supper in a food court somewhere in Talisay City, we opted for the more oily middle-eastern inspired rice treat (the first time I tasted one) instead of the familiar steamed rice. Topping that with a sunny fried egg makes the taste and texture superb. While the attendant prepared the food, I noticed his use of presliced raw spices—onion, tomato and all—and kept in the refrigerator, until fully used up, I supposed. Coincidentally, I earlier had a research report on a Salmonella infection outbreak in Texas, which involved the use of precubed spices, particularly raw jalapeño peppers. The good thing was I haven’t read the study beyond the abstract when I put the first spoon of the tasty dish into my mouth. I can imagine my reservatio

Unrequited love can be a bed of heartaches. But getting loved in return may not be that good an idea at all when we are talking of food. The stake is as bad as a brain tumor itself. WHILE Francis Bacon believed that “in charity there is no excess,” when we talk of food, there are always those who simply eat in excess. In an earlier article, a review on many toxicity studies on MSG gave us some reassuring news that sweetening our meat dishes may not be that unhealthy after all. But that’s for the average eater. We have to consider that Filipinos eat at least three times a day, and more in between. Someone who really loves food, and that food somehow loves in return, may still breach our toxicity threshold for the day for brain tumor of 500 mg... [ READ  MORE ] This article appears in SunStar Cebu on 7 December 2011.

Recent evidence that science obtained indicate that God may have placed in nature a biological clock when would certain people die and from what. But so far the indications are mere snipets that science managed to take a look. Science still have much work to do to keep up with the mysterious knowledge that God placed in all creations. OF COURSE, eventually we all die. English metaphysical poet and Anglican priest John Donne said: “God himself took a day to rest in, and a good man’s grave is his Sabbath.” But certain genetic makeup predisposes people to die in certain diseases. In a way of speaking, our genes can set us up to die from certain diseases. Believe it or not, it is a plausible way that nature can preset human death through the genes. Five researchers from the University of Utah, School of Medicine, confirmed this in a study... [ READ MORE ]

THE BUREAU OF Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) issued on Novembe 12 Shellfish Bulletin No. 25, reporting that six provinces around the country continue to be deadly for consumers. In Mindanao three provinces--Zamboanga Del Sure (Dumanquillas Bay), Zamboanga Del Norte and Misamis Occidental (along Murcielagos Bay)--are still positive of paralytic shellfish poison. Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar (Visayas) and Masinloc Bay in Zambales (Luzon) are also positive at levels beyond the regulator limit. Meanwhile, the coastal waters of Bataan, covering the towns of Mariveles, Limay, Orion, Pillar, Balanga, Orani, Abucay and Samal, are now positive for the red tide toxin, Saxi-Toxin (STX). BFAR personnel detected 70-5,617 grams STX per 100 g of shellfish meat tested. A 71-year-old woman already died in Masinloc, Zambales for eating harvested shellfish.

Each day we learn of things we previously could not have learned. And each thing we learn makes the world around us a more complicated reality to observe. The same is true with domestic violence. In a world that has not fully shred its masochistic roots, men had been stereotyped as the violent aggressor in homes. Our Breakthroughs article this week will change that. WHEN I first threw a glance at the research report, my eyes caught the word "terrorism." And my mind automatically asked what terrorism has to do with health. When I looked closer at the study by Denise Hines and Emily Douglas, published in Partner Abuse (Jan. 1, 2010), I realized it had nothing to do with Al-Quaida.The title was "A Closer Look at Men Who Sustain Intimate Terrorism by Women." The study involved 302 men who sought professional help for the abuse, the largest sample so far. Interestingly among the 212 men who indicated their occupation, 16 were in law enforcement (military,

Are werewolves real? Are they just a figment of a fictionist's imagination? Are they evil incarnate? Or, are they simply unfortunate victims of a rare mental condition? Either way science is a neophyte in this realm, and may never find the answer at least for another millenium. LYCANTHROPY is an exotic topic in mental health. Psychiatrists are stomped by it because there are simply very few cases to build effective therapeutic knowledge on. For a psychiatrist handling a lycanthrope for the first time, it could be like a case of biting more than you can chew. Unlike movies that have enjoyed blockbuster series in the likes of the Underworld and the Twilight franchise, mental health professionals may have to chew nevertheless. Clinical lycantrophy is a rare... [ READ MORE ]  This article appears in SunStar Cebu newspaper on 16 November 2011. For details on the Case Study where this article is based, click the link "The Wolf Boy" in the Documents .

The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) reported that cases of leptospirosis nationwided increased by more than 200 percent in just 10 months this year. Almost half (43.61%) reported cases came from western Visayas. [ READ MORE ]

Participants of the Fifth International Pro-Life Congress met for the first time Gabriel, a 14-month-old healthy baby boy, and product of the first successful natural treatment of infertility. The Natural Procreative (NaPro) Technology achieved the feat without using in vitro fertilization, the standard method today in treating infertility. [ READ MORE ] 

There is a gender discrimination that most people are not aware of, or simply refuse to recognize: discrimination against battered men. Despite cultural modernism, people still hold the stereotype of dominating men and submissive women. And here's where the problem gets hidden for very, very long. RENOWNED TV comedian Bill Cosby said: “Any husband, who says, ‘My wife and I are completely equal partners,’ is talking about a law firm or a hand of bridge.”   Recent studies, however, tell of other things that men may not even talk about: violence from their partners. Although studies since 1974 indicate that women partners are as likely to physically and/or psychologically inflict violence on their men, even mental health researchers have the tendency to brush the issue off for many reasons.   First, it is assumed that men are... [ READ MORE ]   This article appears in SunStar Cebu newspaper on 9 November 2011.

Sometimes dreams can be more than just some nocturnal fantasies of the mind. They can be warnings for disasters to come, or perhaps a means to talk to an angel. POPULAR author John Farris wrote in his novel, The Fury and the Power (2003): “There is always too much to see when you are awake. Dreams are the refreshments of the weary eye, as well as the actuality of other layers of existence—fantastic, subtle, strange.” Even before the birth of psychology, dreams had been subject of many stories both through flights of fantasy and of seeming believable theories. Trailblazers in psychiatry such as Carl Jung believe that dreams can be a window to the unconscious, a depository of things that the conscious human being may find so traumatic to bring to mind. In short, dreams provide a snapshot on what bones had been hidden in the closet... [ READ MORE ] This article appears in SunStar Cebu newspaper on 2 November 2011.  

Funny stories surround narcolepsy, both from those who watch narcoleptics fell into dreamland in the snap of a finger, and from the narcoleptics themselves if they happen to have a sense of humor themselves. “PATCH, have you heard of narcolepsy?”  "Would you take care of this one for me, please?"  Narcolepsy is a long-running sleep disorder resulting from problems in human nerves. It is technically called "Dyssomnia."  Narcoleptics have excessive urge to sleep when they should not sleep, such as while at work or at school. Imagine what chaos will result when a teacher in kindergarten slept standing before her pupils.  That would be less noisy with college students who, having noticed their professor in his “turn-off” mode, would simply sneak out of the classroom with as much silence as possible.  Indeed the pull toward slumber is very strong among narcoleptics. While most people take 90 minutes to get into rapid eye movement (REM) when asl

Enduring physical fitness programs begins with fascination. And when fascination finds support from a biologically sound way of pushing the self to test its physical limits, it results into truly fun and painless training that makes stopping a non-issue after all. A HEALTHY fascination with physical fitness has seized Cebu City lately. You can see that with the increasing number of Cebuanos participating in marathon events. Having joined the recent 35th National Milo Marathon, I saw that with my own eyes.  Of note is the Fun Run category (5-km distance), which attracts non-athletic Cebuanos in droves.  But there is something that amateur runners must know in order to maximize the exercise benefit while avoiding the dangers of overtraining. Like anything else, too much of a good thing can be harmful to the body.  Founding chairman of the U.S Olympic Committee’s Sports Medicine Council, Irving Dardik, wrote in the book Quantum Fitness: Breakthrough to Excellence (1984)

The survivors of breast cancer are living testimonies of the brave spirit of the females. Breakthroughs salutes them this Pink Month of October! THIS Pink Month of October again reminds us the struggles of Filipinas against the deadly breast cancer. And I applaud the tenacity of those who survived the difficult battle for their lives. Such an indomitable feminine spirit! The Philippine Cancer Society released last October the 2010 Breast Cancer Facts and Estimates—Philippines, noting that breast cancer remain the leading cause of cancer deaths among women (third among the genders). It continues its steady rise since 1980 at 0.9 percent yearly average. The Philippines also continues to have the lowest survival rate (47%) among its Asian neighbors, a far cry from the 80-98 percent already achieved in developed countries. Worldwide, women younger than 45 years constitute 10 percent of the diagnosed cases. The battle towards a better survival rates remains; and it wi

Preserving a persons capability to procreate is one of the worst nightmares when facing cancer disease and its subsequent treatments. Current medical science and technology somehow have done its part in attempting to preserve human fertility for the time when the person becomes free from the deadly cancer disease. CHARLES Allen said: “When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you’re slamming the door in the face of God.”  The Pink October celebration is a living testimony that breast cancer survivors had reaped positively from a past decision of not “slamming the door in the face of God.” In a previous article this month, I left you with an understanding that medical technology in developed countries has gone far in its effort to preserve the fertility of a breast cancer patient even before she starts the treatment regimen. This is particularly important among patients who are childless at the time of cancer diagnosis, and still desire to have children in the future

Listeria bacteria infect Cantaloupes causing the deadliest food-borne ever in the United States, involving 18 states so far reported. Colorado and Mexico took the hardest hit. Already 13 people died since the outbreak started in September. The melons involved in the current outbreak, "Rocky Ford" brand cantaloupes sold by Jensen Farms, were recalled on Sept. 14. [ READ REPORT ] 

When human nature fails to sustain sexual satisfaction, maybe a help from nature at large can do the trick. It is trickery though until safety concerns can be confirmed on the positive side. MOST likely, this new herbal aphrodisiac has not yet hit the town. But knowing the reputation of the Philippines in its love for natural food supplements with therapeutic claims, this new product may not take very long to reach us. The name of the herb is maca, or scientifically, Lepidium meyenii. It belongs to the mustard family, but it is commonly grown in the Peruvian mountains of the Andes. There, the herb had the reputation for enhancing fertility in humans and animals for centuries. A study in 2007 identified lots of plant estrogens in its roots, explaining its reputation as a fertility drug and an aphrodisiac. It contains macaridine, macamides, macaene and gluosinolates as well as an alkaloid and some nutrients. Last year, Byung-Cheul Shin of the Oriental School of Medic

Cebu Press Freedom Week kicks of this week to remind both readers and journalists on the essential role that the press plays in the local community. Breakthroughs joins the celebration with an inside look of health and science journalism as practiced in a developed country like the United States. There is not much difference in certain ways. LET us pause this week from hard medical science to join in the celebration of the Press Freedom Week. But don’t you know that health journalism is much like dancing? The relationship between the journalist and his or her source is much like an ever-unfolding dance. A sweat-breaking ballroom dancing, you might say. The sources seek access to the journalist to get their findings across; the journalist seeks access to the sources to do his job. Nowadays, huge stores of authoritative sources are available especially through the Internet. But the latest ones are mostly scientific reports that are hardly understandable to the average reader. The news

Breakthroughs Today and SunStar Cebu Breakthroughs will bring the darker side of health and medical science this November. From the exotic side of super-illnesses to bad dreams and dark faces of human relationships... all under the watchful eyes of science. Brace yourself for the Dark November!!!

Breakthroughs Today and the SunStar Cebu column Breakthroughs will go PINK this October with articles that may bring hope to women still suffering from breast cancer. Celebrate life this October with those who struggle to win over the threat to life that breast cancer poses. And there's something more to find out!  

Sometimes our mothers know things that later proved to be with scientific basis. This is one of those things. SINCE I was a kid, there was a question to which I did not find an answer. That is, until lately. So many years hence! And the question is: Why is it that in the evening mosquitoes tend to hover on certain persons’ head, and not on others? I asked my mother about this, and her reply was: “That will happen to children who have not taken a bath for a day.” I thought of that answer more as a persuasion to not resist taking a bath each day in the morning. But then after reading a research report published in PLoS One in December 2010, I have to admit that her answer makes scientific sense. Bacteria are instrumental in the production of human body odors. Newly secreted sweat is odorless. But the presence of bacteria on the human skin results in the formation of volatile acids with distinct, and oftentimes unique, smell. Have you ever wondered why no two persons smell much like t

This yellow powder can work wonders in your health. But if you know nothing else, that wonder may turn into nightmares. THE wonders of curcumin, the active ingredient in kitchen spice turmeric (Curcumin longa), work not only on stews but also in combating inflammatory bowel diseases. In a previous issue, Breakthroughs gave you the experimental doses that scientists use in their study on curcumin treatments for ulcerative proctitis (ulcer-causing inflammation of the rectum) and Crohn’s disease. Commercial curcumin, the yellow powders you find packed alone or mixed in powdered curries and mustards, contains 77 percent diferuloymethane (curcumin I), 17 percent demethoxycurcumin (curcumin II), three percent bisdemethoxycurcumin (curcumin III), and a still unknown level of the newly discovered cyclocurcumin. As promised in that earlier article (i.e. important precautions and contraindications), this week Breakthroughs will cover certain side effects of curcumin that merit the precauti

While current research on monosodium glutamate indicate that it is not possible to ingest the lethal dose, it remains uncertain whether this substance gets flushed out of the body and not accumulate. WHEN I was barely a grader in a public school somewhere in the province of Zamboanga Del Norte, I heard this talk about this food additive we used to call Vetsin. Someone in town supposedly dissolved a small pack of it, and placed a No. 2 iron nail into the solution. After two days, the rumor claimed, the iron nail dissolved totally. (Someone may have stolen the iron nail to play a prank. I don’t know.) At that age, the experiment was impressed into my mind as something “amazing!” But adults who heard the story outlawed the food additive from their homes. Even today, each time I bring home an unfamiliar cooking mix, my mother would scrutinize the list of ingredients to check if it contains monosodium glutamate (MSG). Involvement in the field of research, however, taught me

The Mycoplasma hyorhinis-generated prostate cancer is one instance where bacteria infecting animals cause havoc in human genetic materials. This cross-infection is something that health authorities need to look into because its potential impact on humans. SINCE the late 20th century, investigators in medical science increasingly built up evidence that much of cancer came from infections, be it bacterial or viral (rarely, fungal though). In fact, in 2007, the American Cancer Society estimated that around 30 percent of all cancers worldwide had been results of infection. These infection agents are capable of inducing the birth of tumors through their protein products that exert long-term and growing inflammatory reaction in the human body where the infection resides. Barely two years ago, the Namiki Study reported the first infection with Mycoplasma hyorhinis (Mh), a species of tiny, wall-free microorganisms that resides in the human cell or on its cell membrane. This genus comprise

Sometimes the cost of a sense of safety can be more than what it deserves. And that cost can mean risk to life, not only yours but also to the unfortunate fetus. A NEW race of contraceptive pills has already entered the Philippine market. Scientists consider this as an emergency contraception (EC), although it’s popularly known as the “morning-after pill.” This oral contraceptive contains four times the normal dose of what most people know of as The Pill, or the combined oral contraceptive (COC) pill. And it is designed to prevent pregnancy after “unprotected” sexual intercourse. This dose must be taken over a period of 12 hours thereafter. The EC pill, like the COC, prevents ovulation from happening. And like COC, it interferes with implantation if fertilization did happen, according to the Rosenfiend study in 1998. And by that capability it is an abortifacient. Progestin hormones are the culprits in this mix. Synthetic progestins, whether norethindrone, norethindrone acetate, eth

The prospect is very good for the newly gene-modified T-cells that has so far fully stopped chronic lymphocytic luekemia (CLL) in two volunteers. The remission has continued for already a year since the treatment. We hope that longer remissions will be observed in this new method of gene therapy. Carl June, a gene therapy expert at the University of Pennsylvania, has some much reason to celebrate in the recent albeit small victory in the fight against cancer using a new gene modification technique performed on T-cells. The new method uses a carrier that delivers the new genes to the T-cells. The new genes are designed to begin dictating T-cells to kill cancer cells and multiply. A regiment of mercenary T-cells get reproduced, specifically attacking leukemic cells and eradicating them all. All it takes are three infusions of genetically engineered T-cells. The only drawback so far is the reengineered T-cells' nonspecific targeting of other immune-active blood cells. Still two succ

The mother's remains an irreplaceable food for newborn children up to a year. But often it can be as unsafe as the mother's health state. HALF a decade ago, childhood obesity alarmed health authorities around the world as it emerged as an epidemic. Rapidly increasing rates of youths suffering from Type 2 (insulin-dependent) diabetes had been observed. Last year, the Canadian Diabetes Association, Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research conducted a study attempting to determine how much of it can be due to the mother’s milk. Scientists believe that the human breast milk may hold some key in understanding this development as it is the preferred food during infancy. It contains an array of bioactive compounds, including metabolic compounds. Sometime this year or next the result of this study may provide us the answer. What are known so far about the human mother’s milk can be considered educational already, both to upcoming mothers

It is good to know that many good things in life are available and can be found in nature. All we need to do is pluck it off, and cook. CULINARY aficionados relish the wonders of their kitchens. The varieties of the spices they can get their hands on can be exhilarating to the person who loves nothing but cooking food. But only recently did scientists come to appreciate more the health benefits of these herbs. One of these is turmeric (either the Curcuma longa, or the C. domestica species). It is often used in powdered form as ingredient in curry and mustard. You can identify it through its characteristic yellow to light yellow-orange color. Its active ingredient is called “curcumin,” or more scientifically precise, “curcuminoids.” A recent review of all studies on curcumin confirmed its effectiveness against inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Rebecca Taylor and Mandy Leonard reported in the Alternative Medical Review this year that a study on IBD showed significant improvements af

There is no telling the psychological damage (trauma) pedophiliacs can bring into their victims. This sickness of the mind, and obviously of the soul, needs special attention to protect others from the evil it brings. Parents too must be more vigilant in guarding their children from these predators of innocence. SOMETIME in March, Agence France-Presse reported that the European Police (Europol) succeeded in cracking down a network of online pedophiles with almost 70,000 members worldwide, and 230 children were rescued. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation identified children victims to be at most 17 years old. Females were the most commonly abused, wrote HN Snyder in his report to the US Department of Justice. The more difficult thing is pedophiles cannot be identified from normal individuals. He can be anyone, anywhere. Clinically, pedophilia is a psychiatric condition wherein an individual impulsively fantasizes about, is sexually aroused by, or experiences sexual urg

While the outlawing of plastics ignores more the need to take consumers to their responsibility in cluttering un-recycled plastic in the environment, certain cities nevertheless legislates a local ban in its use. It will be interesting to know how it will fare with business establishments who will have to resort to the more expensive paper bags or simply ignore these LGU ordinances. MUNTINLUPA The Business Permit and Licensing Office closed a Kentucky Friend Chicken outlet in South Station, Alabang on 22 July 2010. [ Read report ]

Birthmarks are one those physical signs that make people distrinctly identifiable from others. While this makes the law enforcement job much easier, having marked at birth can pose a dangerous health risk. FOLK beliefs consider people with birthmarks as touched by an angel. In Italy they are called voglie, in Spain antohos and in Arabia wiham, which all translate to the same meaning: “wishes.” Folklore from these places has it that the marks arise from unsatisfied wishes of the mother during pregnancy. And this may partly explain why even today some Filipinos believe that any wish that a pregnant mother has must be met—even if it requires the husband to climb a 20-feet tall coconut tree to get a fruit that may already be rejected once the woman has it in her hands. “True” birthmarks, however, are vascular anomalies... [ Read more .] This article appears in SunStar Cebu newspaper on 20 July 2011.

We talked last week of how oat needs to be understood well by knowing its potential side effect--celiac disease. Here's another example on why we should be normally cautious even when dealing with familiar natural foods. SOMETIMES it is more helpful to know how things can go wrong. It covers your downside. In health, downsides can be as worse as terminal illness or even death. You learned of the silent threat waged by the avenin in oatmeal. This week you will know that avenin is not that bad in comparison to another naturally occurring protein in foodstuff. That protein is gliadin. And it is found in wheat. Yes, wheat, that very same cereal you find in wheat bread, wheat flour, and even certain cereals consumed by kids. Like avenin, gliadin is a gluten protein. But it is at least 40- to 400-fold more immunogenic in triggering the appearance of celiac disease in predisposed persons. According to the Celiac Sprue Association, USA, celiac is an autoimmune disorder of the small i

I love oatmeal. I love the plenty of soluble fibers I can get in a serving of it. But, had I been vulnerable genetically to its side effect, a life-long and incurable disease, I would have had it without even knowing why, of course, until today. CERTAIN stories are fascinating, particularly those that tell how to keep your health through old age, or perhaps bring it back when lost. But this fascination turns into a deadly error when the story told was far from complete. You know what good it can do to your health; what you did not know was how it would poison your body. This is the inherent pitfall in natural medicine where treatment does not pass through rigid clinical trials to validate effectiveness, and more importantly ascertain the absence of toxicity. Even pharmaceutical-grade drugs have stories of getting pulled off the shelves as later studies reveal they cause other diseases. A classic case is oatmeal. Oat, like any cereal, contains beta-glucan in their cell wall (bran). B

It is something amazing to realize that boromycin, an antibiotic now relied upon to combat the so-called "Superbugs" had it roots from the poverty of the father of boron studies (organoboron chemistry). In a previous article, we mentioned boromycin as an antibiotic effective against most Gram-positive bacteria. It is however ineffective against Gram-negative bacteria, where most of many super bugs belong. Boromycin was noted as the first natural product found to contain boron. Boron is not abundant in nature, be it in the solar system or the Earth’s crust. It occurs as borate minerals, from where it is evaporated as borax or kernite. First isolation of boromycin came from Streptomyces antibioticus, a bacterial strain discovered in 1890. From these bacteria another antibiotic known as Actinomycin also came from. (G. H. Jones: Journal of Bacteriology, Dec 1987) Also known as N-formulboromycin, the antibiotic is a D-valine ester of boric acid, wrote J. D. Dunitz in a report

The great gap that separates medicine and morality is as deep as the difference between faith and science. And the medical definition of "abortion" is a classic example to this great divide. LOTS of misunderstandings are avoided when people know where the others came from. In a way of speaking, they must be on the same page. Lots of misunderstandings too surround the RH Bill. Opposing camps simply are not on the same page. And, apparently it is on the term “abortion,” grossly misunderstood. I was watching the movie Spy Game, starring Robert Redford, when this realization came to me. Sniper “Boy Scout” (Brad Pitt) was in a mission to assassinate an unofficial American enemy when an enemy copter obstructed his line of shot, looking for them. The enemy knew. Boy Scout’s sidekick urged that they abort the mission. But the sniper stayed on, and took the killing shot. Merriam-Webster defines “abort” as “to become checked in the development so as to degenerate or remain rudime

While technology has helped a lot in advance mankind, it also spawned diseases in the person, in his mind, body and even soul. The growth of internet technology did the same, bringing a new set of maladies that psychiatrists called the internet addiction disorder (IAD). In this article you will find specific symptoms studied scientifically. THE Farmer’s Almanac, published in 1978, has this curious entry: “To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.” Well, this can mean a lot of things. But the same message gets through though—computer can mess things up. The Philippines has a low penetration rate for personal computers, estimated at less than 10 percent of the total population as early as 2004. As of 2000, internet users run around two millions. But driven by the growth of online gaming in Internet cafes, barely 10 years later, users totaled 29.7 million, says the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency for information and communication

IAD, or the Internet Addiction Disorder, is a creeping addiction that grips many Internet enthusiasts. You've been wondering why you can't get away from Dotta for a day? Or, perhaps from social networking sites, such as Facebook? DENISE Caruso of New York Times wrote: “It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that the Internet has evolved into a force strong enough to reflect the greatest hopes and fears of those who use it. After all, it was designed to withstand nuclear war, not just the puny huffs and puffs of politicians and religious fanatics.” Last month you were introduced to a new mental disorder worth inclusion in the DSM-V—the Internet addiction disorder (IAD). You learned what’s going to happen when this mental disease gets stuck into your heard. This week you will know what makes internet addiction possible. There are many studies that tried to determine the precursors of IAD. As early as 2003, it has been established that obsessive compulsive (OC) behaviors are b

As trees slowly disappear with growing urbanization, the Rooseveltian lungs are replaced with more dangerous electrical lungs at home, many of which can damage the genetic materials of the human lungs. FRANKLIN Roosevelt said: “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.” In Cebu today, however, people may have given up “fresh strength” for the material conveniences of an urbanized province. Even the more far-flung towns in the province of Cebu have already shown signs of urbanization. And it will not be long when even forests will cease to be. Nonetheless, the “lungs” have been replaced with electric air fresheners, with all the varied approaches to freshen the air—at least in the cities and the suburbs. But four Japanese researchers—three from the Iwate University (Ueda, Morioka, Iwate) Department of Veterinary Medicine and one from the National Institute of Health Services (Kamiy

To some organisms in nature, even a diaper waste can be raw materials for human food. APPARENTLY there are two current problems that used diapers can help solve: reduction of urban solid waste and availability of high protein food sources. Or so it seems, as what four Mexican researchers from the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana found out. But used diapers cannot do it all alone. They need a fungus commonly known as oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) to perform biodegradation on the disposable diaper materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene and a superabsorbent polymer. Its main component, however, is cellulose, a plant structural material that degrades slowly. Polyethylene is the most widely used plastic today. It is primarily used in packaging materials such as plastic bag. While polypropylene is the more heat-stable kind. It is used in plastic parts and automotive components.  It only takes... [ Read more. ]   This article appears in SunStar Cebu newspaper on 25 May

On 20 May 2011 (Friday), the First Division of the Philippine Court of Appeals dismissed the plea that Julie Balarbar, wife of 15 years of House Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III, filed questioning the November 25, 2010 decision of the Makati Regional Court declaring the marriage null and void on the ground that Balarbar had been diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Pyschiatric evaluation show a diagnosis of NPD with anti-social features, from her involvement in a shoplifting incident, her closeness to and trips abroad with her male students, and a kissing incident with a co-professor. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder Fourth Edition (DSM IV-TR) enumerated nine indicators of NPD, with only five of them needed for the diagnosis. It is not clear however which indicators have been found in the case of the Tañada annulment case. The Archdiocese of Manila also declared their canonical marriage void ab initio (void from the start) due to "gra

The last people to fault drunkards from drinking themselves to death are those who do not brush their teeth regularly. And studies discussed in this article tell you why. LAWRENCE Welk said: “For a while we had trouble trying to get the sound of a champagne cork exploding out of the bottle. I solved the problem by sticking my finger in my mouth and popping it out.” Non-drinkers can assure any person they can get on without a bottle of champagne or beer. But even they might not be able to get away from the scourge that plagues heavy drinkers—oral, laryngeal or pharyngeal cancer. The culprit is acetaldehyde (ALDH), a byproduct of alcohol oxidation that causes disarray of genetic materials eventually leading to cancer. A less known study in 2001 found that even people with normal levels of ALDH (deficiency in ALDH builds up acetaldehyde in the mouth after drinking alcohol) can develop oral cancer because of acetaldehyde. In their report published in “Alcohol,” S. Vakevainen, J. Tillone

A GOOD part of me loves to read fiction. But only recently I got myself introduced to the writings of female authors. Call it gender bias, but I judge a book by its story, not by its cover, although occasionally by its author. So I got books written by Barry Eisler, William Brodrick, Michael Alexander Eisner, David Hewson, and of course Tom Clancy and a few of Arthur Conan Doyle. My first book by a female author was Phyllis Whitney’s Rainbow in the Mist (1989). I bought it in 1999 while doing some research on fictional literature that deals with the paranormal. And the ease of flow and dynamic way she told the story impressed me a lot. Well, I got my first Kay Scarpetta novel in June 2010. Patricia Cornwell wrote the book Blow Fly (2003) to tell the story of a retired chief medical examiner from Virginia who can use bluebottle (Calliphora vicina), a blow fly capable of giving clues in determining the time of death. So it is reading about “post-mortem” autopsies in a snap. I had ass

SOMETIMES we can appreciate how much we let our minds go out of control when a certain weird sickness captures us, such as the so-called “white coat hypertension.” The American Heart Association defines this condition as: “You may have what’s called ‘white coat hypertension’; that means your blood pressure goes up when you’re at the doctor’s office.” A funny name that works as much like the healing effect of an inert substance called placebo, bringing forth the term “placebo effect” into common use. Another term that American doctors coined not long ago was the condition called “pre-hypertension.” By its name alone, you can guess the meaning of this condition as not yet hypertension. This new interim condition came up when... [ Read more. ]  This article appears in Sun.Star Cebu on 4 May 2011.

MESOBUTHUS tumulus —that’s the scientific name of scorpion, specifically the Indian red scorpion, a creature so dreaded in ancient times that some 10 passages can be found in the Holy Bible talking about what it can do. But reputed as such, a scorpion can be easily missed, eclipsed by the cunning prestige of the snake. Thus goes an ancient Egyptian proverb: “Because we focused on the snake, we missed the scorpion.” And missing a scorpion when you should not, can result in getting its deadly sting. A scorpion’s sting is considered an acute medical emergency as it can pose a life threatening situation. Its venom can close the sodium channel in the human nerves, resulting into a so-called “autonomic storm,” wherein endogenous catecholamines are suddenly poured into the blood circulation. And this leads into... [ Read more. ]  This article appears in SunStar Cebu on 20 April 2011.