Medical Files Archives | Page 24 of 28

Dengue vaccine: The recent history

When we expressed apprehensions on the potential long-term adverse side effects of the Sanofi-manufactured dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, in our previous columns (“Should the government spend P3B on a potentially harmful vaccine?” PDI, Nov. 8, 2016; “A second thought on the dengue vaccine,” April 15, 2016; “Rejoinder on the dengue vaccine,” April 22, 2016), a colleague, who’s more authoritative on infectious diseases, dismissed our concerns as farfetched.

December 5, 2017

What are the odds of dying of sudden cardiac arrest during sex?

It’s a common misconception that engaging in sexual intimacy can trigger heart attack and, possibly, sudden cardiac arrest. Local anecdotes are frequently cited about how a popular mayor in the 1960s died in that situation.

November 28, 2017

Welcome to the new normal–120/80 BP or less

The practice of medicine can truly be humbling. We still don’t have the final answer to many questions in the proper management of common medical problems. Hence, treatment guidelines swing back and forth like a pendulum.

November 21, 2017

A headache you can’t ignore

We are saddened by the untimely death last week of actress Isabel Granada due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. She was just 41 years old.

November 14, 2017

Rejoinders to telco cell sites being possibly carcinogenic

The popular broadcaster couple, doctors Willie and Liza Ong, e-mailed me a rejoinder to last week’s column on the possible carcinogenic effects of telco cell sites on people living near them.

October 31, 2017

Can telco cell sites cause cancer?

A lot of people, myself included, are complaining about the disgusting, unreliable service of our telcos. In our area in Makati, for example, we have to run around the house or garden to find a good spot just to take or make a call.

October 24, 2017

Attaining a reasonable middle ground on medical marijuana

At the rate of the discussions in the House of Representatives, in which a bill that allows the use of cannabis (marijuana) derivatives for medical indications is gaining more adherents, some say the Philippines might be the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize this substance.

October 17, 2017

How to prepare for a nuclear attack

Do you know what to do in the event of a nuclear attack?

Just when we thought that the Cold War ended with the breakup and dissolution of the Soviet Union over two decades ago, a nuclear attack now looks imminent and real with the reckless posturing and taunting bravado between the United States and North Korea.

October 10, 2017

How 7 American high school seniors reached out to help Filipino diabetics

It’s heartwarming to read the story of how, in November 1946, the plan and sacrifices of seven high school seniors from the small town of Oshkosh in Wisconsin would redound to benefit of millions of diabetics in the Philippines decades later.

October 3, 2017

The legacy of Tatay Ric

Last week we bade farewell to an institution in the field of diabetology—Dr. Ricardo “Ric” Fernando. Everyone he had mentored called him “Tatay,” a reflection of the doting nature he had shown his students and mentees; actually, anyone who had come to know him.

September 26, 2017