Panunuyo ng Pwerta (Vaginal Dryness)

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Available at: Jeepney Press

Tanong: I'm already in my late 40's, single, menopause for the past 4 years. Whenever I make love with my current boyfriend, it really hurts and I feel dry. My old friend told me that there could be no secretion inside. What could be the remedy? Is there a supplement that I can take or do I have to resort to injection. I tried putting ez gel but it won’t work. Where can I consult and buy? I'm so desperate.


Doc Gino: Menopausal women experience vaginal dryness due to lack of estrogen--a kind of female hormone--in their body. Hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) is an effective solution to this problem. Because HRT is not without complications, a thorough gynecologic evaluation is essential. I suggest that you seek medical consult to a doctor who specializes in this field.

Tubig sa Baga (Pleural Effusion)

Available at: Jeepney Press

Tanong (T): Hello. I just want to ask your opinion. May tubig sa baga ang father ko. Ano ang ibig sabihin noon?

Doc Gino (DG): It's like this, kung meron siyang problema sa puso, sa tingin ko ay “pleural effusion” iyon. Ibig sabihin hindi mai-“pump” nang mabuti ng puso ang dugo kung kaya naiiwan sa “lungs” ang tubig. Kung tama ang hinala ko sa kondisyon niya, “medical management” ang dapat gawin at hindi surgery.

T: Delikado ba yun?

DG: Oo, delikado iyon dahil hindi makakahinga mabuti. At kapag hindi makahinga mabuti, ang “carbon dioxide” sa katawan ay hindi makakalabas at magkakaroon ng “electrolyte imbalance” sa katawan. Pwedeng maging “comatose” dahil sa magiging “acidotic siya.” Mas magiging mataas ang “acid” sa katawan na pwedeng pumunta sa utak.

T: Ano ang “medical management”?

DG: Ang “medical management” ay puro intravenous medications at fluids lamang ang ibinibigay. Nothing surgical. Kumbaga, sa suwero pinadadaan ang mga gamut. Pero kung masyadong marami ang tubig, pwedeng magkaroon ng kaunting “surgical management like for example “thoracentesis’”, isang procedure na tutusukin ang baga ng karayom para mailabas ang tubig agad-agad. “Emergency procedure” lang iyon para makahinga siya agad, tapos “aggressive medical treatment” na.

T: What is the possibility of recovery?

DG: We have to be realistic. There is always good hope for recovery. But also, there are many risk factors like his age, and other existing illnesses.

T: Thank you. I appreciate it very much.

DG: You're welcome.

Nova Scotia ordered to pay a woman for growing Cannabis

This news may raise eyebrows.

The government of Nova Scotia, Canada has been ordered to subsidize the costs of growing marijuana for the medical needs of a woman who is suffering from pain arising from a vehicular accident.

Dengue vaccine out by 2015

In a few years time, humanity may soon say goodbye to dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease that infects 220 million people and kills two million each year.

For decades, Thailand has been researching to develop the world's first dengue vaccine to combat the four strains of the virus that causes the fatal hemorrhagic form of the disease, The Hindu said.

Afghanistan tops world's most dangerous countries for women

According to a poll released on Wednesday by Thomson Reuters Foundation's legal news service, TrustLaw, the five most dangerous countries for women are, in descending order, Afghanistan, Congo, Pakistan, India and Somalia.

The global hub for pro bono legal work asked 213 gender experts from five continents to rank countries based on five indicators—cultural or religious factors, health threats, lack of access to resources and trafficking, sexual violence, non-sexual violence.

8-Year-old girl becomes third rabies survivor in the US

Science and Medicine are changing. Human race has again claimed victory against the deadly viral disease rabies, which claims about 55,000 lives worldwide.

An 8-year-old girl became the third person in the US to have recovered from rabies infection that is most commonly acquired from the saliva of infected warm-blooded animals like dogs and cats.

Contraceptives for the macho

It has always been the female population who are subjected to temporary and permanent fertility control—contraceptive pills, intra-uterine devices, tubal ligation and the like.

For their male counterparts, we only know barriers like condoms and the permanent method—vasectomy.

Here are two new and promising reversible modes of birth control for men. They are not yet available in the market and it may take years before they will be fully developed and approved for commercial use.

NY court charges a physician involved in $700,000 HIV drug fiasco

A doctor from Manhattan was busted for falsely telling 150 patients to claim they harbor the HIV virus so he could claim from Medicaid $700,000 for medications.

After posting a $250,000-bond, the 57-year-old Dr. Suresh Hemrajani pleaded not guilty on Friday to felony charges of grand larceny, falsification of records and health care fraud to the Manhattan Supreme Court, New York Post said.

US researchers blind mosquitoes to combat fatal diseases

Are you not tired of mosquito bites that cause deadly diseases like dengue fever, yellow fever and malaria?

Three classes of molecules were created by scientists at the University of California that will make mosquitoes less sensitive to smell the carbon dioxide exhaled from the human body.

US medical board revokes fertility doctor's license

The medical license of a Beverly Hills obstetrician-gynecologist—who implanted 12 embryos to a 34-year-old American that resulted to the delivery of octuplets—will be revoked effective 1 July, announced by the Medical Board of California Wednesday.

Nadya Suleman, called “Octomom” by the media, gave birth to eight babies in January 2009 following the assisted reproductive technology services she received from Dr. Michael Kamrava in 2008, CNN said.

Global father aims for 100 children

Meet Daad Mohammed Al Balushi, a 63-year-old global father from the United Arab Emirates. Yes, he is global, as he wants to be called. He is father of 90 children to date.

In June, two of his current three wives will give birth. He promised in 2002 to go for the century mark before he dies—and he is a few kids away.

Japan: More women seeking marriage after twin calamities

Like in many modern countries, Japanese women focus on their careers and marry late. The 11 March Great East Japan Earthquake that plagued the country may have been a wake up call to many singles particularly women.

They came to reflect and think about their life and future.

Arizona baby who grew outside the uterus delivered safely

This is Medicine's first.

A 27-year-old woman from Arizona gave birth to a 1,143-gram (2-pound-14-ounce) baby boy at 32 weeks gestational age last Monday at the Maternal Fetal Medicine Center at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center.

What is so special about this case other than the baby being born prematurely?

Well, the fetus developed outside his mother's womb.

Two Filipinos killed in Missouri tornado

At least two Filipino women were killed on Sunday in Missouri's tornado, the worst in US history.

Grace Aquino was killed in a collapsed building in Joplin to save her son by covering him. He sustained minor bruises, according to an email sent by viewer Dustin Dalisay to Balitang America on Tuesday, in a report by ABS CBN.

Filipinos' reactions on the RH Bill radio debate

I listened to an entertaining—but not necessarily educational—debate about one of the Philippines' hotly discussed topics these months known as the Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008 or simply, the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill.

Pro-RH Bill Rep. Rissa Hontiveros Baraquel and anti-RH Bill Sec. Lito Atienza Jr. belted their best wisdom on whether the country needs to pass this Bill as a Law in a debate at DZMM.

Philippine town wins UN Disaster Risk Reduction Award

Mabuhay!

The municipality of San Francisco in the Camotes Island, Cebu bagged the grand prize of $25,000 from the 2011 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction for strengthening its disaster preparedness program.

The other city winners that received $12,500 each on 11 May during the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction held in Geneva were Argentina and Canada, according to the The UN News Center.

Sexually Transmitted Infection

Available at: Jeepney Press

Tanong (T): Drop ko na lang ang facts.

Sept. 28, may nakatalik akong babae na naka-chat ko lang sa Facebook. Well educated siyang babae pero hindi ako naniniwalang ikalawa lang ako sa mga naka-sex niya.

Oct. 13, nag-sex kami ng girlfriend ko while having her period. After noon eh nakaramdam na ako ng tila mabigat na pakiramdam na parang namamaga sa kaliwang bayag ko.

Rat poison: Another theory surrounding the mysterious tourist deaths in Thailand

Chiang Mai's seven mysterious deaths continue to perplex our minds much like in the X-Files series.

In a related development, health officials in northern Thailand are now entertaining the possibility of poisoning due to chemicals used to kill rodents, Australia's News.Com said.

Kids of undocumented Filipinos in Sabah are neither Filipinos nor Malaysians

Up to one million undocumented Filipinos live near Sabah, Malaysia's poorest state.

The attached YouTube video by Al Jazeera shows a glimpse of the hundreds of thousands of undocumented Filipinos who has lived for several years close to the Malaysian territory seeking better opportunities.

Terminal breast cancer patient arrives in native South Korea

She made it!

The woman who was diagnosed to have late stage breast carcinoma has finally arrived in South Korea on Friday via Delta Airlines.

Crystal Kim and her daughter, Mimi, were even upgraded to first class seats from Seattle to Inchŏn, said King 5 News.

Child slavery in the chocolate industry

Many people love chocolates. I, for one, am a huge fan of it but a documentary film that I watched last night made me think that there are many injustices behind my favorite dessert.

The four-part YouTube video titled The Dark Side of Chocolate(total running time: 45 minutes) opened my eyes that forced child labor exists in Ivory Coast where almost half of the world's cocoa is produced.

Terminal cancer patient barred to fly from US to Korea

A weak-looking 62-year-old woman who is suffering from stage 4 breast cancer was denied transportation to her home country via Korean Air on 8 May for Mother's Day.

Korean-American Crystal Kim accompanied by her daughter, Mimi, failed to take their seats in a flight from Seattle because airline authorities thought she was unfit to last the 11-hour travel even though she showed proofs from two doctors who cleared her that the illness will not be a deterrent, The Korea Herald said.

Successful HIV vaccine trial in monkeys gives hope for human cure

After years of working to create a vaccine that can effectively prevent the deadly HIV/AIDS, US scientists published a report that promises to find cure to the elusive virus.

In their experiment, 24 healthy rhesus monkeys were injected with a vaccine that will produce antigens and attack the monkey form of HIV, said the BBC.

May 12 is International Nurses Day

Feel good when you’re feeling bad. We have nurses to thank for.

May 12 marks the International Nurses Day. The world honors the thousands of nurses who dedicate their services to the millions of sick people.

7.1-Magnitude earthquake hits South Pacific, no injuries

The USGS reported a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in the Loyalty Islands close to the island nation Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean at 08:55:11 UTC Tuesday.

No tsunami warnings were issued. There were no injuries or damages reported.

Thailand's mysterious tourist deaths linked to insecticide poisoning

Seven tourists were reported to have died between January and March while spending their holidays in northern Thailand, all with similar circumstances and symptoms of severe chest pain that progressed to vomiting and fainting.

An incredible life-threatening investigative journalism was undertaken by reporters of New Zealand's TV3 60 Minutes who traveled to Chiang Mai and posed as tourists to get samples and swabs in Downtown Inn—the hotel were all of the seven died.

Online survey shows 90% of foreigners want to stay in Japan despite the risks

An online survey conducted shortly after the 11 March triple calamities in Japan showed that over 90 percent of foreigners living in the country did not want to leave in spite of the damage and risks facing them.

A total of 392 respondents—90 percent of whom were Chinese, Taiwanese and South Koreans—answered the Internet-based poll conducted by the International Foreign Students Association between 22 and 26 March, The Japan Times said.

Japan: Radiation level in nuclear reactor 1 drops

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said Saturday that the radiation level inside the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear reactor 1 have dropped that will enable workers to reenter the building and make the necessary repairs.

The nuclear operator said the decrease in the level was due to a ventilator that was installed in the building on Thursday to filter out the radioactive materials from the air. However, there was no mention what the numerical values are, in a report by the Kyodo News.

Japan's radiation limit for kids criticized by US medical group

A US-based non-profit organization has criticized Japan's radiation safety standards for school children in Fukushima prefecture, one of the hardest hit areas during the 11 March calamity.

The Japanese government's radiation limit of less than 20 millisieverts for one year for kids was challenged by the Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), The Japan Times said.

Philippines offers free cancer screening to women

The Department of Health (DOH) announced that it will offer free cervical cancer screening to women between ages 35 and 45 in 58 designated hospitals all over the country.

The cancer screening will be done once a week for the whole month of May in the observance of the cervical cancer awareness, according to the DOH Website.

Asbestos: Another health risk in post-disaster Japan

Much has been said about radioactive substances since the nuclear power plant in Japan's Fukushima prefecture exploded over a month ago.

But now, attention is being paid to another potential environmental problem that may pose health risk—asbestos.

Analysts have found that there are 2 fibers of the cancer-causing substance per liter of air in Sendai city, an area that was devastated by the quake-triggered tsunami, Asbestos.com said.

That value is lower than the Japanese safety standard of 10 fibers per liter but they still consider it alarming.

The tsunami waves that destroyed several houses and buildings disturbed the asbestos that is part of the materials used in the construction of such edifice. It is estimated that there are more than six million tons of rubble in each town.

The health ministry has already made efforts to lessen the exposure of the people by issuing instructional materials and as much as 90,000 masks.

Prolonged inhalation of asbestos particles may cause inflammation of the lungs. Once inhaled and retained in the respiratory tract, asbestosis may occur, which is a medical condition that causes swelling and hardening of the lung tissue.

Symptoms of the disorder include chest pain, cough, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest.

After many years, asbestos exposure could also lead to the development of a rare form of tumor called mesothelioma, which causes fatal cancer in the lungs, abdomen, heart and testicles.

Takuo Saitou, a Sendai-based attorney and a spokesman for a group tackling defective home issues in the disaster-hit areas said, "There are a lot of people going back into the rubble to search for valuables and photos.

"There are people not even wearing masks. This is like a suicidal act. We want people to know this is a problem."

Details of this report here.

Dengue on the rise again in Manila

If health indices are indicators of public sanitation, the Philippines must exert more effort consistently.

The country's health department announced yesterday that dengue cases are nearing 20,000 this year.

A total of 17,228 dengue cases have been reported to the National Epidemiology Center between 1 January and 2 April, the Philippine Star said.

Proper waste disposal in Manila intensified again

The Philippine government has intensified its waste segregation campaign by issuing 5,000 copies of easy-to-understand information and education campaign materials particularly now that children are on two-month school vacation.

Secretary Ramon Paje of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources appealed to parents yesterday that because kids are taught by their teachers throughout the year, now is the best time that they educate their children on the proper segregation of household waste, the Manila Bulletin said.

China in another food scandal

I love Chinese foods. In fact, in all the 12 countries that I have visited including three in Europe, there are many delicious Chinese restaurants. However, scandals about food safety issues in the world’s largest population have caused public concern that has brought illness to people who have consumed their products in the mainland and abroad.

In a new development, Chongqing city authorities confiscated 26 tons of melamine-tainted milk powder, said the Global Times in a report by the AFP.

Elevated radiation levels detected in a US nuclear reactor

After the recent Fukushima accident and the Chernobyl incident that happened 25 years ago, many people have been concerned on the spread of radioactive substances in the environment.

An investigation is being conducted by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) after a nuclear reactor in Ohio recorded an unspecified high level of radiation.

Chernobyl accident marks 25th anniversary

Ukrainians observed the silver anniversary of the Soviet-era Chernobyl nuclear power plant Tuesday with candles and a bell that rang 25 times since the disaster erupted on 26 April 1986—what the world considers as the worst nuclear accident on record.

"The world had not known a catastrophe in peaceful times that could be compared to what happened in Chernobyl," said Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill.

High levels of mercury detected in the air of Manila

Environmentalists in the Philippine capital and several other international non-governmental organizations have urged the proper disposal of toxic waste after they detected high levels of mercury smoke in the harbor area of Tondo district.

An investigation conducted on 19 April at the Pier 18 Garbage Transfer Station showed 117.2 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) in 14 used mercury-containing compact fluorescent lamps in two separate disposal areas in Manila's district, which is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. One lamp registered mercury vapor at 502.4 µg/m3, the PDI reported.

Jordan, Thailand to send medical teams to Japan

Jordan and Thailand will deploy medical teams to the calamity affected areas in northeastern Japan, said the Foreign Ministry on Friday.

During their three-week stay that will start on Monday, Jordan’s four-member medical team that includes vascular surgeons and ultrasound engineers will stay at temporary centers in the heavily-hit Fukushima Prefecture to examine patients if they have developed blood clots, Deutsche Presse Agentur reported.

Doctor says nuclear workers are in danger of overwork death

Japan's nuclear workers who are battling the crisis at the crippled power plant are at risk of depression, poor diet and sanitation and stress, said Dr. Takeshi Tanigawa.

They are not only exposed to the dangers of the radioactive substances of Fukushima Dai-Ichi reactors but are also working in severe conditions, according to Dr. Tanigawa, an industrial physician in two of Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) plants, who examined them on Wednesday, The Japan Times reported.

Surgeon operates on the wrong eye of a boy

A Washington couple is considering a malpractice suit when an Oregon doctor performed surgery to their 4-year-old son Jesse Matlock on the wrong eye.

Tasha Gaul, the boy's mother said of his surgeon after last week's operation, "She said, 'Frankly, I lost sense of direction and didn't realize I had operated on the wrong eye until I was done operating on the eye,'" in a report by the AP.

Donors pledge $788-M to seal Chernobyl

A three-day international conference was held in Kiev, Ukraine on Tuesday that raised $788 million of pledges to help build a temporary encasement at the site of the Soviet-era Chernobyl nuclear power plant that exploded 25 years ago.

Falling short of the $1 billion target, the project that will seal the plant from releasing radioactive materials during the dismantling of the sarcophagus was delayed for three years due to budgetary constraints, said Al Jazeera.

American College of Surgeons head resigns over unsavory commentary

The president-elect of the American College of Surgeons, resigned on Sunday over his regrettable editorial in Surgey News where he was also the editor in chief.

In his controversial February commentary, the 78-year-old Dr. Lazar Greenfield made reference to the sexual behaviors of lower forms of animals such as flies going up to humans surrounding Valentine's Day, in a report by the New York Times.

US iRobots make their way in Japan

A few weeks ago, it was reported that four US-made iRobots were sent to Japan to assist nuclear plant workers in areas that are too risky for humans to go inside the radiation-emitting Fukushima power plant.

It took sometime before the Japanese learned how to use the robots.

Teen yawns but her mouth won't close

Be careful when you yawn. Your mouth could lock open.

Holly Thompson of Northampton, UK was attending a lecture on politics. And then she yawned.

The 17-year-old resident of Kingsthorpe could not close her mouth. Yikes!

Japan's first child organ transplant donor

This news is not for the weak at heart.

A boy less than 15 years old was confirmed to be brain dead in an unidentified hospital in the Kanto-Koshinetsu region of Japan at 7:37 Tuesday after he figured from a vehicular accident, in a report from the Yomiuri Shimbun.

The first brain death diagnosis was made at 20:25 Monday.

With his family's consent, he will become the nation's first child to become a multiple-organ donor.

Cancer medicine-denying mom found guilty

The Massachusetts mom who was charged of attempted murder of her 9-year-old autistic son for withholding his chemotherapy medications for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a chest tumor, was found guilty.

The 39-year-old Kristen LaBrie was also found guilty of assault and battery for not administering home medications for at least five months and reckless endangerment of Jeremy Fraser who was battling cancer until his demise in 2009, CBS said.

Science can predict large earthquakes

Many were surprised by the sudden occurrence of the powerful earthquake that hit Japan on 11 March.

People were surprised because many believe—or were led to believe—that huge earthquakes at magnitude 9.0 capable of generating 10-meter tsunami waves cannot be predicted by modern science. Well, at least one person does not think so.