Health – Page 6 – ellen tordesillas

An afternoon of Laughter Yoga

Published by Ellen on September 18, 2011

Laughing with RRR — This was not the Laughter Yoga session. But we were laughing and having a good time.

I came across two articles on the benefits of laughter last week.

One was through e-mail about a study conducted by the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine which was presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Paris last August 28.

The article written by Rick Nauert PhD, senior news editor of psychcentral.com, it said volunteers watched segments of a funny movie, such as “There’s Something About Mary” on one day and on another day watched the violent opening segment of the stressful movie “Saving Private Ryan.”

The study revealed that when volunteers watched “Saving Private Ryan,”, their blood vessel lining developed a potentially unhealthy response called vasoconstriction, reducing blood flow. “This finding confirms previous studies, which suggested there was a link between mental stress and the narrowing of blood vessels,” the article said.

Azkals play to kick breast cancer

Published by Ellen on September 13, 2011

All the more that I love the Azkals.

Not only have they brought honor to the country and revitalized football in the Philippines without depending so much on the government, we are about to experience their concern for others.

On the third week of this month, there will be a 3-team friendly soccer tournament at the Rizal Memorial Stadium featuring the Azkals, Kaya Futbol Club, and Global Futbol Club for the benefit of IcanServe Foundation, a non-stock, non-profit organization composed mostly of breast cancer survivors who are into information crusade about breast cancer and the benefits of early detection.

On Sept. 19 (Monday), it’s the Azkals vs KayaFC ; Sept. 21(Wednesday), Azkals vs GlobalFC , and on Sept. 24 (Saturday) KayaFC vs GlobalFC. The two-hour games will start at 3:00 pm.

Conservative’ and ‘sluggish’ PhilHealth misses health care target

Published by Ellen on March 27, 2011

By Niel Lim INCITEGov and VERA Files The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has missed the Dec 2010 target mandated by law for it to…

Dangerous transactions: Abortion-inducing tablets sold online

Published by Ellen on March 11, 2011

By Ed Sitjar VERA Files Jeanne sat with her 2-month-old baby at a fastfood restaurant in a mall in Caloocan City, looking like a regular…

Bawal sana ang utak pulbura sa bagong taon

Published by Ellen on December 28, 2010

New Year fire works display — Photo courtesy of http://www.solarnavigator.net from the website of Arnel Syjuco Oroceo

Tatlong araw na lang bago magbagong taon ngunit ang dami nang napuputulang ng daliri sa paputok. Hindi talaga tayo natututo.

Bakit ba ganun tayo mag-celebrate ng New Year, nakakasakit ng katawan?

Noong nagkaroon ako ng Marshall Mc Luhan grant sa Canada noon 1999, nagsalita ako sa isang grupo ng mga Pilipinong estudyante sa elementary grades sa Winnipeg. Tinanong ko sila kung ano ang name-miss nila sa Pilipinas. May ilang sumagot ng putukan kapag bagong taon.

Talagang mami-miss nila ang putukan sa New year dahil istrikto ang Canada sa paglinis ng kanilang kapaligiran.

Kung maari lang umaalis ako sa Manila kapag bagong taon dahil may asthma ko. Kapag New year, nagkukulong na lang ako sa kuwarto.

Dati okay sa probinsiya namin, may sayawan sa plasa. Pag dumating ng hating gabi, umiikot sa buong baryo at sumisigaw ng “Adios” sa patapos na taon at “Viva” sa bagong taon.

Abby Tan: profile in courage

Published by Ellen on September 20, 2010

Here’s a video of Abby prepared by John Silva: files.me.com/jsilva79/jazq9h

Last Saturday, I woke up to find a message from Maan Hontiveros that our friend Abby K.S. Tan passed away at 1:09 a.m. at St Luke’s Hospital in Bonifacio Global City. She said cremation is at 10 a.m. the same day at Heritage Park.

When I opened my email, I saw a mail from writer John Silva, also informing friends of Abby’s death.

Abby is a Singaporean journalist and has been writing on the Philippines since the 70’s. She covered for Singapore Straits Times and later for other international publications like the Christian Science Monitor, the country’s struggle to restore democracy since the Marcos years. The Philippines has become “home” for Abby.

John and Maan were two of Abby’s closest friends who gave her constant company in the last four years that she was battling cancer.

In his email, John related, “Last Wednesday, she (Abby) declared she wanted to go to hospital, no more life supports, just the morphine drip.

“Once she was on the drip, it was difficult for her to have a conversation, she slept most of the time, but she was no longer in the excruciating pain she was suffering. She recognized us in those brief moments she was alert. She still had a smile for us this morning.

“You all know her to be very decisive and strong willed. Until the end she was that.

Dengue

Published by Ellen on August 15, 2010

May sumulat sa akin na taga-Marinduque na alalang-alala siya sa dumadaming kaso ng dengue sa kanila ngunit parang hindi alam ng kanyang mga kababayan kung ano ang dapat gawin.

Sabi niya walo na raw ang namatay sa kanila nitong mga nakaraang linggo kasama ang siyam na taong gulang na si Lovely Gail Ramos ng Brgy. Santol, Boac at ang isang grade three na estudyante ng Don Luis Hidalgo Elementary School na namatay sa Damian Reyes Hospital isang oras lang na dinala doon.

Nang unang dinala daw kasi ang biktima sa isang private clinic, sinabi tonsillitis ang sanhi ng lagnat. Huli na ng matumbok na dengue.
Pagkatapos nun, binisita daw ni Dr. Honesto Marquez of PHO-Marinduque ang Brgy. Santol noong Biyernes ay sinabihan ang mga tao na mag-ingat sa dengue na dala ng lamok.

‘Forsaken Lives”

Published by Ellen on August 5, 2010

I can just imagine the horrified reaction of the Catholic priests and Manangs if they were at last Tuesday’s Bulung-Pulungan at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

Guests were Melissa Uppreti, senior regional manager and legal adviser for Asia of the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights and Dr. Florence Tadiar of the Institute of Social Studies and Action. The topic was “Forsaken Lives,” a study conducted by CRR in the Philippines on the impact of the abortion ban.

As well all know, abortion is a crime under the Revised Penal Code. There are exceptions. But as the study showed, “there is a lack of clarity regarding the circumstances under which an abortion may be legally performed or be considered legally justifiable.”

Usapang itlog

Published by Ellen on June 27, 2010

Hindi pala masama sa puso o sa blood pressure ang itlog. Basta soft-boiled lang. Hindi yung pinirito.

Walang pruweba na ang “Noni juice” ay nakakagaling ng cancer. Wala ring pwuweba na ang mba bakuna ay ang dahilan ng autism at alzheimers disease.

Kung magkodakan, hindi cheese ang sasabihin para smiling ang labas sa litrato. “A” o “eight”, mas maganda.

Ito ang isa lang sa aking natutunan ko sa 10th midyear convention ng Philippine Society of Oncologists noong Sabado na ginanap sa Lung Center. Nakasama ako sa isang sesyun tungkol sa mga tinatawag natin ngayon na alternative medicine para sa cancer.

Malaria no more: two Filipino students need your vote

Published by Ellen on June 22, 2010

Two Filipino students are among the six finalists in the essay writing division organized by Novartis and Malaria No More.
Now those two Filipino students, Jennel Cheng of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and Maria Masa of the University of the Philippines ,need your vote.

Please click to http://worldbriefing.org/vote/ and cast your vote for them. Do it now because the deadline is June 25, 2010.

Participants to the contest “The World Briefing: Telling the Malaria Story Contest”, were graduate students from the United States, Argentina, Ecuador, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Venezuela, and the Philippines.

Organized by Novartis and Malaria No More, a non-governmental organization committed to ending malaria deaths in Africa, The contest aims to spread the word about the prevention and treatment of malaria, and help build the coalition to ease the global malaria burden.

Category: Health