HEALTH SENTINEL

by Dr. Philip S. Chua.
March 1, 2013
Man’s natural instinct and normal automatic response to any possible harm is to protect itself, to ensure well-being and self-preservation. When we accidentally touch something hot, it is our instantaneous reflex to pull our hand away, without thinking, without conscious thought processes. Continue reading →

by Dr. Philip S. Chua.
March 1, 2013
About 33% of men over 40 and as many as 15 million men in the US have erectile dysfunction (ED). While low sexual desire is another condition, ED in men can induce lack of libido because of the awareness, consciousness, and fear of inability to have effective erection during intercourse. The problem of low sex libido is likewise significant among women in general, especially among those with lack of natural vaginal lubrication. Continue reading →

by Dr. Philip S. Chua.
March 1, 2013
One of the wonders of nature is the inherent ability of the mother after giving birth to produce milk and sustain her young by breastfeeding. Interestingly, in human and among other mammals, the newborn comes with the instinct of sucking and searching for the nipple, and the mother’s breasts at that point in time, through a most sophisticated postpartum hormonal physiology, are generally ready to manufacture milk for the baby. All this happens so naturally and so efficiently coordinated that we might deduce that breastfeeding not only provides nutrition for daily sustenance but more essential ingredients for long term survival of the species. Continue reading →

by Dr. Philip S. Chua.
February 1, 2013

Do cigarettes really kill? With all the overwhelming scientific evidences the medical community now has on the deleterious health effects of tobacco (more specifically cigarettes) on various organs of the human body, there is no question whatsoever that cigarettes maim and kill. It may take years, but eventually the smokers (both active and passive) suffer the adverse health consequences of cigarettes and the various toxins in them from the very first puff. Without realizing it, or perhaps not wanting to admit it, smokers are killing themselves, committing suicide, slowly. Continue reading →

by Dr. Philip S. Chua.
February 1, 2013
Celebrating and unwinding during holidays may mean a drink or two, or maybe three. As long as we enjoy our drinks with discipline and responsibility, the joy will bless us with many happy memories we can cherish forever.
Continue reading →

by Dr. Philip S. Chua.
January 16, 2013
In this column on July 17, 2006, we wrote “A diet high in processed meat (sausages, luncheon meats, etc.) may increase the risk of carnivores developing pancreatic cancer by almost 70%,” following the release of a major study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and released to the public in October 2005. Continue reading →

by Dr. Philip S. Chua.
January 1, 2013

The snake oil scam of yesteryears took decades to travel from town to town. Obviously, that saved a lot of “potential” victims. With the advent of the internet age, scams, in general, including fraudulent health products and unfounded “food supplement” claims are disseminated with lightning speed around the globe through the world wide web, reaching massive numbers of people. Continue reading →

by Dr. Philip S. Chua. December 16, 2012 If there was a pill that would be an effective substitute for daily physical exercise to maintain health and stamina, wouldn’t you prefer it? Most people would, of course! Even scientists, who … Continue reading →

by Dr. Philip S. Chua.
December 1, 2012
Is there an illness called Christmas Disease? Yes, there is, but it has nothing to do with the Christmas season. Christmas Disease is a blood disease, also known as Hemophilia B or factor IX hemophilia. It is a hereditary bleeding disorder due to deficiency in coagulation factor IX. This condition is X-linked recessive inheritance, affecting only males, and occurs in 1 in 100,000 male births. This illness causes spontaneous bleeding in the joints. Continue reading →

by Dr. Philip S. Chua.
November 16, 2012
In our culture, a chubby kid is somehow considered a healthy child by 9 out of 10 mothers. Most TV commercials today use plump and rotund children in their food and vitamin ads. This sends a wrong and dangerous message, and a disservice to the public, especially to our youngsters. Continue reading →