Health
Plain-language health writing for Filipino families — the Super Dok column, 2006 to today.
- Super Dok
My Mother Said I Would Not Grow Tall
What a physiology teacher now knows about sleep, growth, and the summer afternoons I spent outside My mother had one warning she repeated every summer.
- Super Dok
Microplastics in Your Child's Bottle
Microplastics, baby bottles, and the small habits that keep a child's exposure down When my children were still on the bottle, nobody was talking about microplastics.
- Super Dok
Thin Is Not the Same as Strong
Why older adults need weights, not just zumba Walk past any covered court early in the morning and you will hear the music before you see the dancers.
- Super Dok
The Box Does Not Know Your Child
Why a child's medicine is dosed by weight, not by the age printed on the box A mother came back to my clinic with the prescription I had written for her two-year-old.
- Super Dok
The Prescription Pad Is Not a Finish Line
Why maintenance medicine does not end when the tablets do Thirty tablets is not a treatment. It is thirty days.
- Super Dok
What the Cream Cannot Reach
Creams work on the surface. A face ages underneath it. Skin is the only organ you can watch grow old.
- Super Dok
Feeding the Thing That Feeds You
Why the gut microbiome matters, what it wants from your plate, and what quietly starves it If you count all the cells in a person, roughly half turn out to be bacteria, most of them living in the gut.
Onychomycosis and pedicure
Filipino women, that includes myself, are very fond of going to beauty parlors to get our nails cleaned. We call it manicure for the fingernails, and pedicure for the toenails.
Did you know that?: On Metformin
If you are familiar with diabetes, or has a family member who is diabetic, you probably are familiar with the drug metformin.
On Skin Protection
Summer is really in our midst. And going out of the house when the sun is up hurts not only the eyes but most especially the skin.
A way to hasten weight loss
I had been on aerobics and weight lifting for nearly eight uninterrupted years now. And my regimen has given me acceptable results and enough boost of confidence.
Beat the summer heat
Summer is here again and along with the upcoming school vacation, people will be trooping to the provinces again where there are lots of beaches and fresh air.
A mother in distress
I have seen it countless times in my practice as a physician - mothers in distress when their children fell ill.
Did you know that?: On Dengue
Dengue fever used to be known only as a disease during the rainy season. When the rains come, people are advised to clean their backyards, throw water collecting from old tires and cans left undisturbed and where the culprit of the disease may thrive.
Fallacies on Hypertension
Within the several years of my practice as a doctor (15 years) and as a professor (10 years), I have encountered countless fallacies regarding hypertension.
Not just any ampalaya
I was talking to my Tia Rose some days back when she mentioned to me that she buys loads of ampalaya on market days and pickles them so they can have it any time of the day, any day of the week.
Why many drop-out from exercise
Not all people are averse to exercise. In fact most try to start but fail to continue, even if they try different kinds.
Avoiding Miscarriage
Several factors are associated with miscarriage. Oftentimes if it's not genetic, or a previous history, it is work-related. As doctors, we often advise patients to take a rest and avoid stressful situations.
The Importance of Sleep
Busy individuals are so used to depriving themselves of quality sleep just to get things done. I myself is not an exception.
No Exercise with Wii
Many people think that playing with Nintendo's Wii active games console will give a good exercise and will lessen the risk for obesity.
