Breakthroughs Today

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)...

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 Exce...

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 fu...

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 ]