To be hosted by Orly Mercado, Alamin ang Diabetes will feature everything you want to know about diabetes. It will be aired for three months beginning middle of March on NBN 4, RPN 9 and IBC 13. A radio version of the show is also being planned so as to reach more people in the country.
Adhering closely to its social commitment, Herbcare has generously supported Operation Diabetes since its inception in October 2001. In a lot of ways, Charantia (and Herbcare) has been in the frontline, battling a debilitating disease that afflicts countless of Filipinos.
Working closely with the Association of Municipal Health Officers of the Philippines (AMHOP), Charantia has spearheaded the Operation Diabetes campaign in the last three years. "The campaign’s primary goal is to help patients cope with the disease," explains Lito Abelarde, president of Herbcare. "So that they will not have a hard time. So that they’ll still be able to live full, active lives in spite of the disease."
Another avowed mission of the campaign is broader in scope. "The second purpose is to help the country curb the spread of diabetes, which is increasing in an alarming rate."
Because of the distinct changes in the Pinoy lifestyle (stress, poor dietary habits, lack of exercise), diabetes now poses a serious health risk among our countrymen. And diabetes is an illness that is not limited among the affluent, Abelarde elaborates. "It’s a misconception that only rich people are prone to diabetes," he points out. "A lot of diabetics come from lower income groups. It’s because their daily diet consists mainly of rice and noodles. Sometimes all they eat are rice and sugar, washed down by soft drinks."
The situation is so dreadful that even Newsweek magazine came out with a cover story on the Diabetes Explosion. "They didn’t even call it an epidemic," he exclaims. "It’s an explosional in the article, they predicted that by the year 2010, there will be 300 million diabetics all over the world and 60 percent of that number will come from Asia. The Philippines, in fact, is now among the Top 10 in the region."
In light of this distressing development, Abelarde hopes that through the TV program, Alamin ang Diabetes, the tide of the Diabetes Explosion in the country will be arrested. As they say, information is power and the best way to win this war against diabetes is to arm people with pertinent knowledge on the disease. "We need to educate people about the illness," he clarifies. "How do you get it? Who are prone to get it? What are the risk factors? What are the complications that can arise from the disease?"
The next step, he expounds, is "to identify those who are already diabetic, as well as those who are prone to acquire it." This can be attained by launching a comprehensive blood-sugar screening campaign, which is being done now by Operation Diabetes.
"Before, most health centers don’t even have glucose meters," he volunteers. "Some centers can’t even afford to buy the needed strips." A glucose meter costs anywhere between P3,500 to P6,000, while strips are sold at P21 to P25. "That is too expensive for some health centers, especially those from indigent areas," he shares. "And it is imperative for diabetics to check their blood-sugar level on a regular basis. In the United States, they check it every day. But here, a patient is lucky if he can check his blood-sugar level once a month."
Since organizing Operation Diabetes, however, Charantia has been able to provide different health centers (not only in the municipal, but also in the city level and in the corporate world) with glucose meters and strips.
As part of their work in Operation Diabetes, Charantia and AMHOP have also helped put up 170 to 180 Diabetic Clubs all over the nation – from as near as Pasay to as far as Cebu. In fact, there are now about 76 active Diabetic Clubs that are firmly in operation.
The rationale behind setting up Diabetic Clubs, Abelarde avers, can be traced to the fact that it is a "lifestyle disease." "The first step in treating diabetes is not medicine," he remarks. "The first approach is through lifestyle change."
And the best way to implement such a drastic change in lifestyle is to be part of a support group that will encourage members to participate in exercise and sports programs, to eat a healthy diet, and to engage in other positive activities. "They can help monitor each other," he declares. "They can inspire each other. They can consult one another in managing their ailment."
Because Operation Diabetes has been met with unprecedented success in the past three years, Abelarde hopes that the television show Alamin ang Diabetes will likewise succeed in educating more people on how to deal with diabetes.
The first of its kind in the Philippines, Alamin ang Diabetes, Abelarde fervently hopes, will continue the good work of Operation Diabetes and, with finality, help Filipinos emerge victorious in the battle against the deadly disease.
Meanwhile, the celebration continues at Ratsky Tomas Morato as Randy Santiago performs all Saturdays of March. He has prepared a sumptuous repertoire of songs from the ’80s up to the present and gags that promise to give audiences fun-filled evenings. Joining him is his band Serenity and other surprise guests. For more information, please call Ratsky Tomas Morato at 373-9881 to 83.