I’m the type who would look for solutions on my own. Being resourceful is a habit that it encompasses even the medical field.

I know not everything can be done on my own especially when operating procedures would be necessary but sometimes it is all the more necessary to keep in mind certain treatments for certain symptoms especially if they are all too common.

That, plus the fact that I really don’t like it in the hospital or clinic or see a doctor (even if I have all the money in the world to pay them), I’d rather find the solution on my own.

Treatment for Symptoms for ailments like colds, flu, allergies and the like are available online. Not only can you find many reputable sites but forums as well.

Especially for herbs, it’s almost always safe to say you can take any! But you also have to be aware of certain herbs having high toxicity levels. Better yet, it should be zero. Just like our national tree, narra, which toxicity level is zero and is very good in making our immune system stronger. It has actually proved to better the lives of AIDS victims and breast cancer patients and even those with leprosy. It tamed my asthma, unfortunately I no longer have the tree when we moved to this place. Had I known that the landlady of the previous house would fell down the tree to turn her old house into a commercial place, I should have felled the tree myself which I purposely pruned it so it would not grow so tall so I can reach the branches. Now I have no soil to plant one.

When I get the opportunity to have a place to plant narra, I will. It’s easy to buy the seedling and it grows up fast.

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Neuro-imaging expert Dr Daniel Amen established the Amen Clinics which gives quality medical services to the public. Check out Daniel Amen’s blog for more information on treatment for symptoms.

Acne has been one of the problems anyone would do something about if only it is within one’s power to treat. Whether you go to a doctor especially for serious problems or just go over the counter directly or point and click on the internet, keep in mind the following when considering acne treatments.

1) Safety – how safe is the treatment? Or will you get worse?

2) Ingredient Quality – does it say what it means especially for the amount of ingredients (eg 100mg is really 100mg and not just 10mg).

3) Side Effects – it might be effective immediately but could there be other parts of you that might lose some screws?

4) Acne Fighting Power – how powerful is it? How long before you get fully treated?

5) Customer Feedback – what do the others say about the specific product? Ask around before you try it.

6) Overall Value – Is it worth it?

This morning I tried something which was my first. I sent money to my bank account (much like sending money to somebody else’s bank account) through Xoom. I’ve tried the door-to-door delivery about a year ago and it took the next day (perhaps it’s much faster now). I’ve tried pick-up most of the time for about 20 times already (still, sending money to myself) and the fastest record was under 2 minutes before it’s ready for pick up. Now, since the money was not meant to be touched, I tried to direct it straight to the bank.

I know I could have used PayPal’s withdraw-to-the-bank feature but that would need me to add another bank account since I have a different bank (Union Bank) attached to my PayPal. I don’t want my BPI Family Bank attached to my PayPal account so I took the best option: Xoom.

Below are screenshots of my transaction this morning (Philippine time). You will notice that the Xoom transaction log says that deposit is in progress but when I checked my BPI log, it’s already credited. I’ve highlighted the amount so you can see that it’s the same transaction.

Although it’s much cheaper to withdraw from PayPal to my attached bank (P50 under P7k), my priority was not to have my BPI bank attached so I used Xoom instead. The same fee applies if I picked it up anyway. But with an hour of transaction, on a Sunday (Saturday US time), both non-working days, I think there’s less hassle Xooming to the bank.

Xoom offers fast, reliable money transfers to all over the world at a great price from the convenience of your computer.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… CY: wait… I: wait… L: wait… YCat: wait… I: wait… Top: wait… I: wait… L: wait… C: wait…

Ephraim Lansky, MD took interest on the pomegranate tree because of the extraordinary medicinal properties of the tree itself. It’s medicinal qualities have echoed through the millenia but oddly been overlooked by the western world.

Everything about the pomegranate tree is medicinally useful that Lansky launched his company in Israel in 2000 to reach the marketplace providing a special blend of pomegranate juice, seed and peel, that potently kills breast and prostate cancer cells in culture.

As recorded in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 95, No. 5, 346-348, March 5, 2003:

In addition to the high levels of antioxidant-rich tannins and flavonoids in the juice and peel, researchers crush and dry the seeds to produce a unique oil, about 80% of which is a very rare 18-carbon fatty acid, or punicic acid. Also present in the oil is the isoflavone genistein, the phytoestrogen coumestrol, and the sex steroid estrone. In fact, the pomegranate is one of the only plants in nature known to contain estrone.

Maybe it’s time to plant pomegranate trees…

I’ve always said, “Whoever said ‘laughter is the best medicine’ has never had asthma.”

I do have asthma which just manifested in the 90s when I had no way of doing my usual rigorous activities like hiking, cycling, swimming, and bowling on a fairly regular basis. Instead, I was left to no choice at all traveling to and from work for a total of 5 hours a day. At work, it would be sitting all day in front of the computer. In short, I lacked the exercise I needed to develop my resistance and immune system. Having asthma attacks can be fatal and I’ve had my share of fatal attacks.

I love jokes. Good jokes make me laugh. The problem is, laughing too much triggers asthma. That is, if the immune system is not strong enough. Recently, though, I’ve had less and less asthma attacks so I can read or listen to jokes as much as I’d like to.

*According to Michael Miller, M.D., the director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, laughter causes the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels to expand and increase blood flow. Researchers also found that mental stress can cause an unhealthy narrowing of blood vessels – a condition that can lead to or contribute to heart disease.

Other than falling off your chair or getting a stitch in your side, laughing won’t hurt you. Giggle your way into a ripe old age.

Want to prolong your life? Keep a good sense of humor, and . . .

• Watch funny comedy shows and old movies
• Read funny stories and humorous jokes
• Try to avoid overly serious or stern people
• Try and find the humor in everyday things
• Share the laughter with others – it’s contagious
• Tell the people you love that you love them, improve everybody’s mood
• Forgive and try to forget
• Keep learning
• Enjoy the simple things life has to offer
• Cherish your health – if it’s good, keep it, if not, find natural ways to improve it
• Be kind to everyone you meet, each person is fighting some kind of battle
• Don’t take guilt trips, go on a hiking trip or a tropical island, but don’t go where guilt is
• Spend time with light-hearted friends and family
• Look at life through a child’s eyes

Not only did I find funny jokes but a lot of healthy information can be added to your considerations for your health concerns.

Weight loss and diet pills have filled almost every corner of the internet. There are just too many you can no longer know for a fact which among them promotes with utmost truth.

HydroxyCut is one of the famous names in the US and it really did the body wonders. Later it was found out to have ephedra. From Wikipedia:

Ephedra is both a stimulant and a thermogenic; its biological effects are due to its ephedrine and pseudoephedrine content. These compounds stimulate the brain, increase heart rate, constrict blood vessels (increasing blood pressure), and expand bronchial tubes (making breathing easier). Their thermogenic properties cause an increase in metabolism, evidenced by an increase in body heat.

In 2004, ephedra was banned due to deaths caused by it. HydroxyCut got less effective.

Do you, or do you know someone who did or still does, use HydroxyCut? What can you say about it? Check on the HydroxyCut reviews that are found on the net. Don’t be scammed by misinformation especially when your life is at stake.

I received an email from my sister, which was a forward and it has something to do with blood clot/stroke indicator–how you can know so you can take immediate medical attention.

With the many hoaxes going around, I have developed the habit to check other sources and I found it to be true (not a hoax).

The email, in a nutshell, says you only have to remember the first 3 letters of ‘stroke’ which is STR.

S-smile

T-talk

R-raise both hands

Anything abnormal with smile, talk and rasing of both hands should be a reason to immediately call medical emergency since it takes only up to 3 hours for the stroke to be reversed.

It also said that a 4th indicator is the tongue. Let the person stick out his/her tongue. If it’s crooked or goes to either side, it’s also an indication of stroke.

When I did a search, I found American Stroke Association. I captured what they have to say to not duplicate their content.

TIA, or transient ischemic, is a “mini stroke” having the same sysmptoms but would last only for a few minutes but about 15% of strokes are preceded by TIA so it’s something not to be ignored.

I’m not the forwarding type of person that is why I created this blog post instead. To those who will hear, let them hear…and let all your friends and relatives know about this blog post. It might just save someone’s life.

I always have the fear of getting pricked by a needle, by any medical person. My recent encounter with the worst dentist I’ve ever been under happened just about 3 months ago…

My lower left wisdom tooth had been hurting on and off for about a year. When I eat, often some ort would get lodged inside that little hole due to a broken crown. I thought, having it removed will solve the solution of not hurting again since the tooth will be gone forever. Besides, since the tooth was lower than the next molar, it would not matter much if I say goodbye forever.

Among the many dental clinics in our area I decided to ask this particular one that was still open at 6pm. I said I’ll get back after I finish my market purchases. I did get back at 6:45. Her normal schedule is up to 7pm and she told me to text her if I can make it around 6:45, which I did.

It was just supposed to be a simple extraction that normally gets done under 15 minutes. Guess how long it took us. We ended at 8pm!

I told her I do get my jaw locked when I open up wide. She asked me to open sideways instead since it’s the wisdom tooth that needed a pullout. Ok, fine.

She injected anesthesia. When she tried to pull it was painful. Injected again. Four times. Was that acceptable? I don’t know. I’m still alive, though.

The good stuff about her are the following:

- She wore a mask (some do not) and a glove.

- Her clinic was still open when others are already closed.

- She was situated along the main road just across the grocery store I came from.

- She entertained me and gave me her business card so I can text her whether I will be back or not.

- She was amiable.

What turned me off, though, as she worked her way were the following:

- She did not care the corner of my mouth was hurting due to the friction it got with the instruments she used. I tried to tell her but she kept saying it’s almost over when it was yet 7pm. Even under the influence of anesthesia, it hurt!

- She used several instrument she never thought she would and as she needed it she asked her assistant to get it for her. The problem was, her assistant was busy fixing her things and other stuff, then she holds the instruments as if they will not be placed inside the client’s mouth. What’s worse, the dentist thought she was done with a certain instrument and placed it in her wash sink, then she asked her assistant to get it back!

We were dead tired already by 7:30pm, she was struggling with my tooth, I was struggling to be relaxed and I could not be relaxed. She used her grider to break my tooth into smaller pieces, tried to make a wedge on the side so she can get a grip when she pulled. She was a big woman and her strength could not pull my tooth. Good thing I am tall and big enough to counter her pull otherwise I would be floating on the dental chair. It was a difficult extraction, I know. It was the 2nd tooth extracted and the first one was in ’84 with the same strenuous effort and 3 people trying to keep me on the chair while the dentist pulled.

- It turned out that it was a good tooth and a filling would have been better. As a dentist she should know and suggested it! Or was she thinking it takes a longer time to do a filling than a pulling and that she expects to finish by 7pm and she just did not want to pass up the opportunity to earn before she closed her clinic?

- She did not stick to her price. She asked for double. I know it was really difficult but I asked her the price before I decided to get back. The price was a standard in our area for extraction. I tried to haggle but she would not give in. Good thing I had some money but it was our budget for the next day.

The antibiotic I took did not take effect until the 6th day! The pain ebbed little by little but only totally healed after a month! I could not eat well, could not talk wall. The corner of my mouth always opened its wound, again and again. It was the worst dental carelessness I ever had….and I told myself to never have an extraction ever again.

Recollecting that moment she was grinding my tooth to smaller pieces, she was also digging as if she was in a treasure hunt, like opening a paint lid with a screwdriver that doesn’t open easily!

Feeling the spot with my tongue now, I feel there’s something sharp under the gum. Could it be just the bone or did she miss a part?

I hope dentists would care better. Not only for their business. We, the clients, are the life blood of their business. Does the AZ dental practice management give solution to such problems too? Hopefully, they do, and hopefully, all dentists would comply.

Enzymes are naturally produced by our bodies but as we age, we get deficient in producing enzymes. Commercial enzyme supplements vary and are taking the interest of the public especially the health conscious but how can you be sure that what you are buying is actually beneficial to your body?

Systemic oral enzyme is agreed to be of the same importance as the multivitamins you take daily, which takes care of the delaying or preventing most common age-related maladies today.

Enzymes, though, are very fragile. It takes very sophisticated technological specialization to ensure potency and delivery of what it’s supposed to do. Exposure to moisture will also lessen the potency of the enzymes to the point they just eat themselves up. With improper care, most commercial enzymes are deem useless and only cost you time, effort and money.

Systemic oral enzymes should be packaged in a way that no other ingredient merge with it. The process of manufacturing, is also very important as heat can easily destroy enzymes.

Packaging should be that when you take it, that your stomach acid will not merely destroy the enzymes even before it can work for its purpose.

Another point you have to consider is the “green” practices of the manufacturer. How environmentally friendly are they?

It’s not easy to look for enzyme supplements that are really potent. Before you take your pick, might as well scrutinize the manufacturer’s background.

Did you know that enzymes provide health support for your body’s healing processes and it also has the ability to normalize inflammation naturally? You get a burn, enzymes will be your best friend to healing faster. So does inflammation caused by dental surgery, oedema (swelling from excessive accumulation of watery fluid in cells, tissues, or serous cavities), hematomas (collection of blood outside the blood vessels), acute otitis (Inflammation of the middle ear in which there is fluid in the middle ear accompanied by signs or symptoms of ear infection), varizela zoster (aka chickenpox virus, varicella virus, zoster virus, and human herpes virus type 3) and injuries that usually result from sport accident or abuse.

Chronic inflammation caused by diabetes 1 and 2, endometriosis (a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus [the endometrial stroma and glands, which should only be located inside the uterus] is found elsewhere in the body), glomerulonephritis (a group of diseases that injure the part of the kidney), leg ulcer, lymphedema (a condition of localized fluid retention caused by a compromised lymphatic system), mastodynia and mastopathy (breast pain/cancer), multiple sclerosis (an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system [CNS], leading to demyelination), osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis), periodontitis (involves progressive loss of the alveolar bone around the teeth), prostatitis (inflamed prostate gland), rheumatoid arthritis (systemic autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the joints, where it causes inflammation [arthritis] and destruction), radiotherapy side effect, sinusitis (inflammation of the paranasal sinuses), thrombophlebitis (related to a blood clot [thrombus] in the vein), and urinary tract inflammation would be relieved with enzymes.

If you have such inflammation, you need enzyme supplement/medizym.