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 .