Tooth and ENT Doctor

This is the significant inner message of Christmas. Realize fully that so long as the thirst for money and the arrogance of power infects our nature as man, so long the Christ-spirit of peace, blessedness and true happiness cannot enter into our lives. As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember that “unless we be born again, we cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven,” and that unless the simplicity and the purity of heart of the little children come to indwell in our hearts and unregenerate our nature, the advent of the Divine Grace as peace, prosperity, well-being and concord will never come our way. As individuals, even so as citizens of the world, the fundamentals of true faith, true charity, genuine humility and a spiritual rebirth alone can usher in true bliss and brotherhood upon this world of ours. It is when such a transformation occur in our lives and it is when we renounce policies of hatred and greed that the our world will truly enjoy the blessings of t...

On the very first day, God created the cow. He said to the cow, "Today I have created you! As a cow, you must go to the field with the farmer all day long. You will work all day under the sun! I will give you a life span of 50 years." The cow objected, "What? This kind of a tough life you want me to live for 50 years? Let me have 20 years, and the 30 years I'll give back to you." So God agreed. On the second day, God created the dog. God said to the dog, "You are supposed to do is to sit all day by the door of your house. Any people that come in, you will have to bark at them! I'll give a life span of 20 years." The dog objected, "What? All day long to sit by the door? No way! I give you back my other 10 years of life!" So God agreed. On the third day, God created the monkey. He said to the monkey, "Monkeys have to entertain people. You've ...

It’s Christmas time! Even if our situation here in the Philippines is full of uncertainties, there’s no denying that the holiday atmosphere is at hand. I was told that Divisoria is overflowing with people buying gifts, food etc. As Filipinos, we are really passionate in celebrating this season. Healthwise, we should not make the holidays a time for us to abuse our bodies. I know that the temptations are often too difficult to resist but let us not forget that another year is about to come and we should be spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically fit to face it. Here are some tips to avoid over-indulging this season. Eat before you go to a party - If you skip meals, you are more likely to overeat later. Eat a substantial snack before going to a party to avoid stuffing yourself with everything in sight. Slow down when you eat - It takes about 20 minutes from the time you eat until your brain gets the signal that you are full. So eat slowly, put down your fo...

My sister called up yesterday complaining of hoarseness. It apparently started with a sore throat and a nonproductive cough with low-grade febrile episode 7 days ago. She took some antibiotics and cough medications but no relief was noted. Clearly, she is suffering from laryngitis. Laryngitis is an irritation and swelling of the voice box and the area around it. It causes the voice to change, or you may lose your voice entirely for a short while. With or without treatment, it is expected to resolve in 7 to 14 days. It is usually caused by a virus or by bacteria. People who smoke, have allergies, or strain their voices by yelling, talking, or singing may also come down with the problem. The classic symptoms are a hoarse, low voice, and a scratchy throat. Other people may also lose their voice, develop a sore throat, come down with a fever, feel a lump in their throat, or feel very tired. As an ENT specialist, I usually advise voice rest if these symptoms have been present fo...

I was out last week because I attended the 12th Asian Research Symposium in Rhinology and 51st Annual Philippine Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Sofitel Plaza Hotel. Passing the diplomate board examination last 2005 and actively practicing for the last two years, I was inducted as fellow of the society. Throughout the 4-day event , among the many topics discussed , the one that caught my interest is the role of the anti-leukotrienes in the management of allergic rhinitis. I have been hearing about this before but I haven't really applied it in my clinical practice. The principles behind this were well explained during the ARSR and I was convinced to try it myself, since I have also an AR, and with my patients with similar problems. Cysteinyl-leukotrienes (CysLTs) are endogenous mediators of inflammation and play an important role in allergic airway disease by stimulating bronchoconstriction, mucus production, mucosal edema and inflammation, airway infiltrat...

I love my kids! They are my joy My inspiration, My life... If all else goes wrong, I look at them and their smiles, It changes my perspectives, Bringing freshness to my dreams. These are my kids, the daughters I am blessed with, Though small and fragile, What they are is what I am.

My 3-year old daughter is presently with measles. It started as high grade remittent fever for three days followed by maculopapular rash that started from the head downwards, very typical of the disease. This occurrence frustrated us, especially my wife who's a pediatrician, because my daughter received 2 doses of measles vaccine already, following strictly the recommended scheduled. It made us think and somewhat doubt the effectivity of the vaccines. But, as doctors, we knew this could happen. We are familiar with 'vaccine failures' and we just felt sorry that our daughter is now included in the small unfortunate population of victims. The rate of vaccine failure is reported to be around 9.5% for measles virus. Most cases of measles in vaccinated persons occur in the subset of individuals who did not undergo serological conversion after vaccination. This is known as primary vaccine failure. The frequency of primary vaccine failure is variable and has been shown to be a f...

I belong to the population of men unfortunate enough to be suffering from progressive hair loss. Maybe because of genetics or probably because of improper hair care during my teens, I am now in the so called "HIV" stage. I am hoping though that the progress will not be that fast so that my grandchild will still see me with hair. Lately, I've been in some form of work-related stress and it's adding to my "bad hair days". It has been proven time and again how stress could lead to hair loss. That is why I think I need do get rid of the unnecessary stress I am currently experiencing. Here's a related article. We are all familiar with the comic character running around and pulling their hair out in reaction to a stressful situation. But you might be amazed to learn that there really is a connection between stress and hair loss. Hair Awareness The condition of a person's hair actually reveals a lot about the level of stress in their lives. In Chi...

Last Friday, I suffered from a severe abdominal pain. It started at around ten in the morning as a vague, persistent pain in the periumbilical area. I thought I was just having some form of gastritis so I took two tablets of Kremil-S, but there was no relief. The severity became progressive that I started having cold sweats on my way home for lunch. My sister said my lips were already pale when we were in the jeepney. I psyched myself of not passing out until we reached the house. After a while, the pain became so excruciating that they had to bring me to the hospital. In the ER, I started to vomit and the pain was worse than ever. It is a protocol for appendicitis-suspect patients not to be given any pain medications so I had to endure the ordeal until I was brought to my room. Complete blood count and urinalysis both showed a high degree of bacterial infection, but because the pain cannot be localized at the right lower quadrant where the appendix is located, and because t...

"I TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL OF MY HEART." I have accepted Jesus as both my Savior and Lord. He is my Savior because He died for my sins that separated me from God. He is my Lord because He leads the direction of my life. I have turned over everything and allowed Him to lead my life. "I LEAN NOT ON MY OWN UNDERSTANDING." Jesus said that He is, "The Alpha and the Omega" (Revelation 1:8). That means as God, He can see the beginning of all things as clearly as He can see the ending. With this knowledge, He is uniquely qualified to lay out a plan for my life. Jesus isn't making up things as He goes along. He knows where each and every step I take will lead. "IN ALL MY WAYS, I ACKNOWLEDGE HIM." I include Jesus, I seek His will, in all aspects of my life - not just the big decisions. I pray for His leadership, I have to read the Bible (What does the Bible say about a decision I am about to make? God communicates to me thr...

I chanced upon this article which I, at this time, can relate very much from. Read on and you might find yourself in a similar situation as well. A workplace culture of permissiveness, blame and inaction can foster bullying. A certain Maria was working as an employee-assistance administrator when it first happened: A co-worker started overstepping on her job. At first she thought it was an innocent mistake. Then it happened again. And again. Then she overheard the colleague telling her managers that Maria’s job needs to be evaluated because the company may do without her. Maria approached her managers and told them what her co-worker was doing, overstepping on her job. When confronted, the co-worker reasoned out that she was just pitching in ‘for the sake of the company’. Rather than investigate, the managers opted to be mum about the whole thing. Maria continued to do her job. But the co-worker’s constant bullying seemed to have swayed the managers to see Maria i...

Medicines can treat or prevent illness and disease. However, sometimes medicines can cause problems. These problems are called adverse drug reactions. I believe I had the unfortunate opportunity to experience this last night. I inadvertently took 3 tablets of an antihistamine to treat my severe allergic rhinitis. Consequently, I woke up with rashes all over my body, red and warm ears, and puffy eyelids. I have been taking 2 tablets of the medicine at bedtime for sometime now and I felt no unpleasant effects, until last night, when I took a tablet more. It’s like I became ‘allergic to an anti-allergic drug’! This can happen to you as well and you should know what to do if you think that you or someone you take care of is having an adverse drug reaction. Remember that people who take more than 3 or 4 medicines every day are more likely to have an adverse drug reaction. One medicine might cause an adverse reaction if it is taken with another medicine. One way to reduce yo...

While the eyes may be the window to the soul, your mouth is a window to your body's health. The state of your oral health can offer lots of clues about your overall health. Oral health and overall health are more connected than you might realize. Your oral health is connected to many other health conditions beyond your mouth. Sometimes the first sign of a disease shows up in your mouth. In other cases, infections in your mouth, such as gum disease, can cause problems in other areas of your body. Your mouth is normally teeming with bacteria. Usually you can keep these bacteria under control with good oral health care, such as daily brushing and flossing. Saliva is also a key defense against bacteria and viruses. It contains enzymes that destroy bacteria in different ways. But harmful bacteria can sometimes grow out of control and lead to periodontitis, a serious gum infection. When your gums are healthy, bacteria in your mouth usually don't enter your bloodstream. Howev...

A little robin named Sport decided he’d rather not fly south for the winter. As snow began to fly and the streams iced over, he reluctantly came to the conclusion that he'd made a big mistake --- that he'd better head south. As Sport rose high into the scurly sky, the air felt even colder and the winds more fierce. He flew as straight south as he could and yet the wind threw him about with utter disdain. After flying for what seems like forever, his wings began to ice over. Fly as he might, his wings soon froze to the point of almost no movement and so, he half glided half plummeted toward earth. Through frosted eyebrows he saw an open spot among the trees. Navigating as best he could, Sport plummeted into a farm yard and landed among the cows. He rolled over twice, skidded into a clump of hay and just lay there ruing the day he decided to spend the winter in Maine. At this very moment and with total unawareness of the robin, one of the cows came along an...

The recent Glorietta 2 blast reminds us of the hazards of domestically used gases. I am not discounting the possibility that a ‘bomb’ caused the explosion but I am more inclined to side on the theory that it was due to a gas leak somewhere. In this regard, I am posting a topic on carbon monoxide poisoning. This is a more common occurrence in our country compared to blasts caused by gas leaks. We are all susceptible to it because of our high exposure to the sources of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide (sometimes referred to as CO) is a colorless, odorless gas produced by burning material containing carbon. Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause brain damage and death. You can't see it, smell it, or taste it; but it can kill you. Common household appliances, like gas water heaters, charcoal grills, and gasoline-powered generators, produce carbon monoxide. It can also come from motor vehicle exhaust, smoke from fires, engine fumes, cigarette smoke, spray paint, solvents, degre...

Dengue is on the rise again. There are several reported outbreaks in Metro Manila and in the provinces. This is not new. In fact, in 2005, there were 21,537 cases of dengue in the Philippines. Two hundred eighty of these died. From January to August 2006, there were 13,468 cases with 167 dead. Indeed, just like flooding and political booboos, Dengue has become a mainstay of the colorful Philippine scenario. Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are acute febrile diseases caused by one of four closely related virus serotypes of the genus Flavivirus , transmitted to humans by the Aedes aegyptii mosquito, which feeds during the day. This infectious disease is manifested by a sudden onset of fever, with severe headache, muscle and joint pains ( myalgias and arthralgias - severe pain gives it the name break-bone fever or bone crusher disease ) and rashes; the dengue rash is characteristically bright red petechia and usually appears first on the lower limbs and the...

“We are shrinking mindlessly into a culture of violence with no respect for the sanctity of life, where people are killed like chickens…”This was VACC founding chairman Dante Jimenez said in reaction to the incident where a certain lawyer allegedly shot 2 people at the height of an argument following a traffic accident involving their vehicles at the corner of Shaw Boulevard and Endriga street in Barangay San Antonio, Mandaluyong City. This news reminds me of a similar incident where a relative of mine was shot dead due to a scuffle in parking. It makes us really wonder how a driver can become so enraged on the road, enough to kill someone! I would admit that I love my car, I mean I value it as a property. I clean it often and have it fixed even for the slightest problem. On the road, I am so careful not to have it scratched or hit by anything that would leave a dent on it. Now I am thinking.Could this kind of 'attachment' to a car be the root of this so called ...