HEALTH SENTINEL

What triggers hunger and satiety?
The urge to eat (hungry or not) is, to a large extent, controlled by hormones in our body. And these hormones fluctuate depending on how much sleep we get, what types of food we eat and how much calories we take in, and on how much physical activities we indulge in daily. Scientific researchers are focusing on four specific substances they call “fat hormones Continue reading →

In this issue, we shall devote our column to exalting the “medicinal values or therapeutic effects” of regular, ordinary food that people all over the world eat as a part of their diet. The reported health benefits of some of the foods we have listed hereunder are anecdotal, passed down from generations after generations, and have not been thoroughly and scientifically proven. Continue reading →

What are wrinkles? Also known as rhytides, wrinkles are folds or creases in the skin, resulting from loss of elasticity and skin turgor associated with aging and with years of daily exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Another factor is lack of skin care and insufficient moisture for the skin, especially of the face and neck. Fine wrinkles are those that are 1 mm in width and depth, and coarse wrinkles are those that are greater. Continue reading →

Did you know that we could overdose not only on drugs but also on common food items we have in our kitchen? We are not talking about eating more than what we should and gaining excess weight. We are talking about a true condition of food overdose, resulting in medical complications. Continue reading →

Almost everyone has heard of Type 2 diabetes, a metabolic disease that is linked to increased risk of multi-organ damage, involving the arteries, eyes, kidneys, heart, liver and brain. Continue reading →

What is DanceXercise? I coined the word DanceXercise in 1997 to denote a type of aerobic exercise in the form of dancing, either ballroom dancing or regular rock, salsa, swing, boogie, etc. executed to the tune of music, for cardiovascular fitness and mental health. Dance exercise, Continue reading →

Wrigley, the internationally famous chewing gum company in the USA, was granted the patent (#6,531,114) March 2003 (good thru 2011), for a chewing gum that contains Sildenafil Citrate (Viagra), the wonder drug for erectile dysfunction in men. Continue reading →

“Oxygen bars” are sprouting all over, especially at airports and some shopping malls, duping people into believing that extra oxygen is healthier for them. Of course, as you inhale their “colored oxygen,” they “inhale” your money. Medically speaking, extra oxygen is harmful to our lungs, unless we have pulmonary insufficiency where our breathing system is not producing enough oxygen for our need. In this instance, we would need external oxygen supply, as we see in hospitals, etc.
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Various complications and even deaths (like in the case of those Filipino politicians recently) have been reported following stem cell therapy. We are revisiting this issue to put in proper perspective the facts about this widely advertised form of therapy, which has been misrepresented and abused by some enterprising people. Continue reading →

The wonder drugs aspirin, statins, and erectile dysfunction pills now share the spotlight with coffee. Yes, the beverages that has gotten an undeserved bum rap for decades, the morning-waker-upper many of us enjoy, is now considered a wonder drug. Continue reading →