Rx for the top illnesses among Pinoys

Don’t breathe now, but according to the official 2005 Field Health Services and Information System report of the Department of Health, respiratory diseases top the list of 10 leading illnesses plaguing the country. Topping the list are acute lower respiratory tract infection and pneumonia with 690,566 reported cases. Coming in second is bronchitis/bronchiolitis with 616,041 reported cases, while TB respiratory took the sixth spot with 114,360 reported cases.

Also included in the top 10 list are acute diarrhea, influenza, hypertension, heart diseases, malaria, chicken pox, and dengue fever.

Now that you know what’s ailing Pinoys (that is, aside from the high prices and the low quality of life), is there a doctor in the house who can give some prescriptions?

The government recommends regular medical checkups and continues to encourage visits to the local health centers, but it seems that a lot of Pinoys are allergic to doctors and seek help only when it’s already too late.

According to the DOH, the first ones who should take action are the individuals themselves. They  should take note of the preventive or cautionary measures against such diseases. Truly, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Here are other top tips:

• To avoid respiratory health problems, assess your lifestyle. Ask yourself these questions: Do I smoke? Do I eat healthy? Is the air in the place I live in healthy?

• Quit smoking or gradually lessen the habit to reduce the risk of respiratory illnesses. Since it’s impractical to leave one’s place of residence despite the prevalence of pollution, one can probably lessen trips that pass through heavily polluted areas. Growing trees has been known to lessen the effects of pollution because trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

• Be more meticulous about what — and where — you choose to eat and drink. Eating in unsanitary places increases the risk of catching disease.

• Consume less alcohol, eat healthy, cholesterol-free food, and live a stress-free lifestyle to prevent hypertension. People should be wary though that in some cases, hypertensive patients do not show any symptoms, which is why hypertension (read: high blood pressure) is called the “silent killer.” Keeping this in mind, they should be able to assess their lifestyle and go to their doctor regularly for advice.

• Keep your surroundings clean and conducive to health. Nearly all cases of dengue arise from stagnant water.

Yes, better safe than sorry, which is the theme of ACE Insurance Philippines’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative that aims to increase people’s awareness of healthy living. This CSR program is part of the company’s 60th anniversary celebration to give back to the community the support it has received over the past six decades.

For the past couple of months, ACE Insurance Philippines has been going on mall and MRT tours to draw people’s attention to diseases via its simple medical assistance booths in the malls. At the MRT stations, health tips pamphlets are distributed to make Filipinos more health-conscious and eventually take charge of their health. ACE Insurance has tapped its pool of medical professionals to conduct checkups especially for the mall-goers, who get a blood pressure check and have a simple question-and-answer session with the attending physician.

The mall’s now got it all! Indeed, it’s a mall world!

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Where dengue breeds

Many a grim tale has been told about the dreaded dengue. Here’s another one, as shared in an e-mail:

Dear Consumerline,

This evening, we attended the wake of  Natalie Corrales Feist, only 17 years old.  Her mother Rosa  is the sister of Pilita Corrales and her father Ed Feist is the head of a big pharmaceutical company in Manila. 

Natalie was studying in Australia and had come home to Manila to spend the Christmas holidays with her family.  What started only as a stomachache progressed to  malaise and fever that turned out to be the deadly dengue fever which snuffed out Natalie’s life in such a short time.  Natalie was an only daughter and the youngest of three children. It was indeed so sad to witness the grief, the sadness, and the pain of losing such a wonderful daughter and so pretty at that.  The priest saying Mass also mentioned about another young girl of 15 who also died recently.

A couple of years ago, my nephew who was only 28 years old and was to be married, also died within a short time after he contracted dengue.  He was an only son.

Dengue kills.  Let us not wait for it to get out of hand and claim more young lives.  As my own small contribution to help increase people’s consciousness of this disease, allow me to share the warnings below. Many people are not aware that in  their own homes, there are dangerous places where mosquitoes breed. Please take note:

• The bromeliad plant  has beautiful flowers, but they are deadly, because in between are pockets that collect clean water, which is where the dengue mosquitoes breed.  If you have them, get rid of them or place them in pots so that after watering them, the pots can be  turned over to remove the excess water.  

I have noticed that along Ayala Avenue in Makati and other roadsides,  the bromeliads, which are very colorful,  are often used by landscapers to brighten areas, etc. 

The landscapers must be discouraged from using these plants, especially when they are planted in the ground, because they can cause an epidemic, as what happened in  Cebu many years back.  It was discovered that these plants were the culprits.

• Those that have bamboo fences placed over their concrete fences (as in many subdivisions) must see to it that the top is covered, because the bamboo crevices hold water and again become breeding places for dengue mosquitoes.

• I have just read on the Internet about a tip that was given at a recent gardening forum.  Here it is: Put some water in a white dinner plate (I suppose a small white platito will do) and add a couple of drops of Lemon Fresh Dish Washing Liquid.  Set the dish on your porch, patio, picnic table, park bench, or other outdoor areas. I’m not sure what attracts them — the lemon’s smell, the white plate color, or what.  But mosquitoes flock to it, and drop dead shortly after drinking the Lemon Fresh Dish Washing Liquid and water mixture and usually, within about 10 feet of the plate.  

Try it, it works just super!  It may seem trivial, but it may also help control mosquitoes around your home (especially in areas where the dengue- and malaria-carrying mosquitoes have reached epidemic proportions).  It’s safer than mosquito coils ... no offensive odor and harmful fumes, no risk of fire.

This is all I can say, which may be helpful in controlling the rise of the deadly dengue mosquitoes.  Let us all try to do our part in our own homes and surroundings, so that by doing so, we can lessen dengue’s breeding places and save more lives.

Isabel F. Guevara

Magallanes Village, Makati City

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