Tooth and ENT Doctor

"Silent waters run deep" they say. "What you don't see might kill you" is another way to put it. "Be careful of blind curves". These sayings are reminders that we should be more vigilant and sensitive to the things, people, circumstances and feelings that befell us. It's not always wise to assume. Colorectal cancer is one disease that does not cause any symptom at its early stage. When they do occur, the most common symptoms are abdominal pain, occasional blood in stool or very dark stool, and a change in bowel habits, such as more frequent stools or a feeling that your bowels are not emptying completely. But since we often experience these symptoms, we usually dismiss them as something ordinary, relating it to the food we ate or the activity we did right after eating, etc. This is exactly what happened to an aunt of mine who kept dismissing an intermittent abdominal pain she was suffering from, only to find out a year later that she had colo...

A researcher named Norman Cousins wrote that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect that would give someone at least two hours of sleep! He apparently got cured of his cancer because of this. We sometimes take life too seriously that we forget to smile and laugh. We get irritated with a lot of things, some very petty and superficial. We worry too much about tomorrow that it consumes our thoughts most of the time. A patient of mine has this wonderful life disposition that I think is worthy of emulating. I diagnosed him of having a chronic allergic rhinitis a year ago and he has not really been responding well to medications since. I get to see him every two months for follow-up and every time I see him, he’s always smiling and laughing. One time I commented that he doesn’t seem to be suffering from the disease because he doesn’t have the ‘classic’ look of a person with allergy that I see often with my other patients. He said that it is because he...

This is funny. Thanks to Yvette for sharing it. We' ve been friends since a long time ago. We come from the same alma mother. Actually, our paths crossed one time on another. But it's only now that I gave him a second look. I realize that beauty is in the eyes. The pulpbits of my heart went fast, really fast. Cute pala siya! And then, he came over with me. He said, "I hope you don't mine. Can I take your number?" Nag-worry ako. What if he doesn't give it back? He explained naman na it's so we could keep intact daw. Sabi ko, connect me if i'm wrong but are you asking me ouch? Nabigla siya. Sagot niya,"The!" Aba ! Parang siya pa ang galit! Persona ingrata!!! Ang kapal niya! I cried buckles of tears. Na-guilty yata siya. Sabi niya, isipin mo na lang na this is a blessing in the sky. Irregardless daw of his feelings, we'll go ouch na rin. Now, we're so in love! Mute and epidemic na ang past. Thanks God we swallowed our fried. Kasi,...

I dreamed I had an interview with God. “So you would like to interview me?” God asked. “If you have the time” I said. God smiled. “My time is eternity.” “What questions do you have in mind for me?” “What surprises you most about humankind?” God answered... “That they get bored with childhood, they rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.” “That they lose their health to make money... and then lose their money to restore their health.” “That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live in neither the present nor the future.” "That they live as if they will never die, and die as though they had never lived.” God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while. And then I asked... “As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?” “To learn they cannot make anyone love them. All they can do is let themselves be loved.” “To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.” “To learn to forgive...

Last Friday, amidst the threat of a low pressure area somewhere near Batanes, the company pushed through with the scheduled weekend trip to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. It took us 16 hours to get there, to include the stop-overs we made in Vigan, Batac and Laoag. Our butts suffered severely although our stomachs never had a lull in churning. The destination seemed unreachable as hours passed, until finally the 'Welcome to Pagudpud" was in sight. The waves were raging and humongous but altogether, we had a fun time at the beach. The food was sumptuous and the people, warm. It was a good break from clinic work and was well worth the trip!

Wisdom teeth are third molars that usually appear between the ages 16 and 24, although they may appear when older, younger, or may not appear at all. Most people have four of them, but it is possible to have more or fewer. They are generally referred to as ‘wisdom’ teeth because they appear later than the other teeth, at an age where people are supposedly ‘wiser’. Turkish language refers directly to the age at which wisdom teeth appear and calls it 20 yaş dişi (20th year tooth). In Korean, its name is Sa-rang-nee (love teeth) referring to the young age and the pain of the first love. In Japanese, its name is Oyashirazu , literally meaning "unknown to the parents" from the idea that they erupt after a child has moved away from home. But come to think of it, is “wisdom” age related? Is there a basis for calling 3 rd molars “wisdom teeth”? Wisdom, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is defined as the ‘ability to discern inner qualities and rela...

I expect to pass through life but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, Or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, Let me do it now, as I shall not pass this way again.  - STEVEN GRELETT In one unusual moment, I found time to watch, and surprisingly finish, a movie at home last Saturday. The movie was “Evan Almighty” starring Steve Carell. I remember watching Jim Carrey’s “Bruce Almighty” before and I would say both had the same kind of comedy and tag line. One thing that struck me though in this later version is the use of the “ARK” which was expounded well in the movie to mean “Acts of Random Kindness”. This was linked to Carell’s newbie-politician character who wanted to change the world! God asked him to build an Ark, just like Noah in Genesis 6:14, and this eventually saved lives from a flood that came, similar to that in the bible. The story seemed simple but the message was very timely and appropriate at this time. It could mean doing acts o...

Last year, my sister's friend succumbed to lung cancer. She survived 3 years of torment by this vicious illness. It spread to her bones, which is the most painful reported type of carcinoma. It is unfortunate that she had to suffer this ordeal when she has not smoked a single cigarette in her life! An officemate had a recurring cough that I initially treated as a case of allergy. He responded to the medications I gave so I thought it was just that. I didn’t know that few weeks ago, the cough became persistent, and it was accompanied by shortness of breath with exertion. He managed to have a chest x-ray taken and to the surprise of everyone, he has two nodular masses on his right middle lung lobe, with lytic changes on the adjacent ribs. He is scheduled for CT scan and bronchoscopy with biopsy for further evaluation. Impression at this time is Infectious process versus carcinoma. He is also a non-smoker but claims to be constantly in the company of smokers! Research...