Paper Horns not also advisable for the New Year

First, when it comes to New Year, it is usually firecrackers that are of great concern for health officials. With good reason because from December 21-28, 173 firecracker-related injuries were already recorded which is an increase from the 5-year average.

A nice Merry Christmas song for dog lovers out there

I came across a nice You tube video by "Talking Animals" which I wish to share to you...



Merry Christmas everyone from CebuMD!

A Published Article, Thank You Lord!

Having my first scholarly article published in vol. 44 no. 3 2010 issue of a reputable journal is a good way to cap my month before entering Christmas week.

Time to Pay Attention to HAIs

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Healthcare-associated infections or HAIs are infections that patients acquire during the course of receiving healthcare treatment for other conditions.

They can be deadly and economically-devastating. But they can be prevented.

In CIM, Year 2010 is the year for singers!

A good year for singers indeed for CIM.

December marked the return of the CIM choir who had their debut live performance during the CIM Alumni Day 2010 singing the liturgical songs during the Holy Mass, the Pambansang Awit, CIM Hymn and some intermission numbers.

See those smiling faces? That's because a lot in the audience liked their performance.

Well, the CIM choir has good reason also to be happy for one of their physician members is the 2010 Most Outstanding CIM Alumni Awardee (MOCA), the person who is also smiling in the picture, none other than Dr. Manuel Emerson Donaldo.

One of his colleagues promptly referred to him as, "A Doctor with A Song in His Heart".

He is known to have a golden singing voice on top of his other achievements as a rheumatologist, teacher, researcher and as the CIM Clinical Epidemiology Unit head.


He was handed the MOCA Award last Saturday, December 4 during the CIM Alumni Day celebrations.

(Hmmmmm....I'm also into singing...I'm also into research...I'm also into teaching.....Does this mean I'll be a MOCA in the future?Hahaha....Just kidding!)

See You at the 5th CIM Medical World Congress

Details of the 5th CIM Medical World Congress on December 9 and 10 are found in the poster below.

Registration is ongoing.

CIM Upcoming Activities This December

Every year, December is a month to remember for CIM students and alumni.

For this year, here are the lineup of activities for this month:

December 4, a Saturday is CIM Alumni Day. The activity will start at 9AM with a Holy Mass at The Jacinto Velez Memorial Hall. Aside from a chance to renew ties with classmates and friends, the highlight of the activity is the opportunity to win a 4-year scholarship at CIM for children of CIM alumni.

December 6 is the CIM Student's Night with the theme, "Heroes and Villains" led by batch Connexon at the Casino Espanol. Students get to experience cosplaying wearing their favorite hero and villain costumes while getting acquainted with their fellow students in a party that serve as an early Christmas celebration. Below is their poster.

December 11 is the 2nd Dr. Jacinto Velez Sr. Memorial Fun Run at the SM City Cebu, Radisson Blu Hotel grounds. Assembly time is 5AM. Categories are 3k, 5k and 10k. Proceeds will go to the CIM charity and Scholarship Fund. Race director is Dr. Dennis Entera.

CIM alumni and students especially are invited to these activities.

CIM at 53: Come Celebrate the Changes

An educational institution related to the medical field which makes Cebu proud is the Cebu Institute of Medicine.

Carrying the name of Cebu, it is one of the best medical schools in the country as shown by its excellent performance in the Medical Board exams especially in recent years under the PBL curriculum.

This year, the school is now on its 53th year and a lot has changed in a span of just one year with the help of its able alumni officers led by Dr. Pek Eng Lim.

For those alumni who have not been to CIM for a long time, CIM now boasts of a new Research office and Clinical Epidemiology Unit office where students for one can visit their research advisers for research consultations. Meetings by the Publication Committee and the Institutional Review Board are also held in these offices.

The Research Unit office is found in the 1st floor near the Administration offices while the Clinical Epidemiology Unit (CEU) is found across the CIM-Pfizer Virtual Library and is adjacent to the Research Unit office.

On the second floor just on top of the Research Unit is the Medical Education Unit (MEU) office. 

Planning of projects, seminar-workshops and researches related to medical education are some of the things done in the MEU office.

Then there's the CIM choir with mostly students as members. Regular practices are held with severl musical pieces that include some classics, Filipiniana and Christmas-related. They are to perform this coming December during the Founders' Day celebration.

Of course, not to be left in the research aspect, CIM now has an online subscription of MDConsult which can be accessed through the library.

As CIM celebrates its 53rd year during the Founders' week this December, let us celebrate these welcome developments.

Physicians are invited to the coming CIM World Congress, Research contests and CIM Alumni Day this coming December.

2010 CIM Research Paper Contest

In connection with the Cebu Institute of Medicine's annual Founder's Day Celebration every month of December, CIM invites CIM Students and Alumni to participate in the 2010 Research Paper Contest which has an Undergraduate and Postgraduate Category as well as a Case Poster Presentation.

For details, contact the Dean's office at telephone number 254-3385.

Deadline of submission is November 15, 2010.

The Best Liempo in Cebu City

Doctors are always on the lookout for great tasting food and that includes grilled pork belly or "liempo". (Just don't eat these types of food on a daily basis.)

Different kinds of "liempohan" stalls selling grilled pork belly have been sprouting everywhere in Cebu City in recent times.

There's franchise A, K, M and the local grilled chicken "lechon manok" stalls which also sell grilled pork belly. But nothing compares to "Balamban Liempo" with branches in Talamban and the nearest that I know of -- near Capitol and NBI.

Before, the best for me was the pork belly grilled by stall K but once I tasted Balamban Liempo, I immediately concluded that the latter was the best in town.

"Tastier than Lechon" is the stores slogan and what makes it indeed tasty is its blend of spices including "tanglad" which is visble in its meat.

From the smell alone, you can be sure it's tasty. Let me repeat though, don't eat this on a daily basis.

Compared to its competitors, it does not appear as very oily and fatty. The meat is soft. The skin, just enough crunch.

The price is much expensive than the other brands. One order is currently P175 compared to the others' P140-P150. But the serving is bigger and worth the price.

The branch particularly located between the Provincial Capitol Building and NBI office does not serve only "liempo" as seen from the menu below.

We tried their "pochero" and considering the price, it is okay.

I therefore recommend this. Just make sure you have your cholesterol in check.

It's the male flight attendants turn to dance

In my Even with PKD, Life Goes On blog site, I have written about the dancing female flight attendants of the Cebu Pacific Air.

Cebu Pacific is at it again.

This time, it's the male flight attendants' turn to dance the flight safety procedures  Youtube has been filled with videos of these dancing flight attendants along with comments both for and against.

I don't know what really is the truth for I have not taken a Cebu Pacific flight recently but some claimed that before these "dance numbers", the regular demonstration of the flight safety procedures is being done.

But others are not entertained, particularly the flight attendants of other airlines as well as other passengers. They believe that the credibility of the flight attendants especially in times of emergencies as well as the respect may be diminished because of this.

You judge for yourself. Below is the video of the Cebu Pacific male flight attendants.

Transport-related Problem? NMEDA can help

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.

In the usual cars or transport vehicles, traveling is difficult for persons with disabilities. The wheelchair may not fit in the car and transferring from a wheelchair to a car seat and vice versa provides difficulties. It can be tough for both the caregiver and the handicapped person.


With NMEDA, a solution to these types of problems is not far behind.

See the car in the picture? NMEDA can help you get the right transport or driving solution that will fit your specific needs. But what is NMEDA?

NMEDA stands for National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association. It is a non-profit trade association of mobility equipment dealers, driver rehabilitation specialists, and other professionals dedicated to broadening the opportunities for people with disabilities to drive or be transported in vehicles modified with mobility equipment. In other words, they educate consumers on buying products from a NMEDA qualified dealer.

NMEDA does not sell anything.

It is the NMEDA dealers (members) who are the ones who sell handicap vans and vehicle modifications for disabled people. And safety of the vehicle is assured because their members are required to adhere to the safety standards of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In fact, NMEDA is the only association that promotes safe driving and equipment for disabled people.

Safety is not the only one assured by NMEDA. Quality, too. Because NMEDA has Dealers AND Quality Assurance Program (QAP) dealers through its Quality Assurance Program (QAP), the only program of this nature developed for the mobility equipment industry.

Yes, it is the only nationally recognized accreditation program for the Adaptive Mobility Equipment Industry. It is based on the principle that in order to satisfy customers consistently, companies must have a systematic and documented approach to quality.

So in summary, what can a NMEDA dealer offer? A NMEDA dealer can help the elderly or disabled get back onto the road of independence.

So what are you waiting for? Go to the NMEDA website and find the dealer nearest you. Just enter your ZipCode and Search by State and Province. In California for example, there are several dealers and from the website. you can get directions.

With NMEDA, No Man should Experience transport and mobility problems because of their DisAbility.

PSMID-Cebu/PPS Cebu Prevnar Vaccination Program for Indigent Children

altThe Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Cebu chapter (PSMID-Cebu) together with the Philippine Pediatric Society-Cebu conducted a Prevnar (7 or 13-valent Conjugate vaccine) Vaccination Program for indigent children yesterday, September 25, 2010 2-4 PM at the Cebu Medical Society (CMS) Grounds.

This followed a series of activities participated in by PSMID Cebu commemorating CMS Medicine week.

Prevnar ^®7 or 13 (Pneumococcal 7 or 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM₁₉₇ Protein]) is a pediatric vaccine that has been given to infants and young children to help protect against 7 or 13 strains of pneumococcal bacteria, respectively.

It is indicated for active immunization of infants and toddlers against serious invasive disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, including bacteremia (bloodstream infection) and meningitis (infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord).

CIM alumnus William Larida needs your support

Dr. William Larida, an alumnus of Cebu Institute of Medicine who finished training in Cebu Velez General Hospital's Family and Preventive Medicine training program is recovering from Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and still needs your support.

Sometime last August, he was admitted in the ICU of Chong Hua Hospital and received IVIg which we know is very expensive. Thankfully, the response was good.

However, full recovery will take time. He may be out of the ICU but GBS has left him unable to resume work yet. He is expected to undergo physical therapy for some time.

William is a fellow alumnus who helped me before in my thesis. This is the least I could do for him right now.

For those interested to give support of any kind or any financial help, just contact Dr. Florence Malou Watin-Siao or Dr. Nanette Noel-Odilao by sending them a message on facebook. These two have been working hard to get help for their batchmate especially during the critical times when Dr. Larida was in the ICU.

God bless!

Performance of Cebu Medical schools in the August 2010 Board Exams

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced that 1,597 out of 2,300 (69.43%) passed the August 2010 Board Exams.


Below is the statistics for Cebu Medical schools in the most recent August 2010 Board Exams:

Cebu Institute of Medicine - 40 passed among 40 who took the exam or 100%
Cebu Doctors' University College of Medicine - 41/50 or 82%
Southwestern University (listed as Southwestern University and Southwestern University College of Medicine combined) - 28/52
University of the Visayas Mandaue - 12/62

Congratulations to the new doctors!

CIM Alumnus awarded Teacher of the Year abroad

A clinician can be a good teacher at the same time sharing his time and knowledge to medical students despite the busy schedule. This was proven by David Veloso Lardizabal, M.D., a neurologist and medical director of University of Missouri Health Care’s Epilepsy Program who has been awarded the Teacher of the Year for 2010 at the University of Missouri.

 In 2005, Dr. Lardizabal was also the Teacher of the Year in Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Dr. Lardizabal graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1991 from Cebu Institute of Medicine and prior to his adult neurology residency in the Philippine General Hospital, he finished his internal medicine residency training at Cebu Velez General Hospital.

This online publication promptly documents this achievement by our fellow CIM alumnus.

Congratulations to Dr. Lardizabal. May there be more people like him not just abroad but also locally.

ASOCIMAI is in Facebook!

ASOCIMAI or the American Society of CIM Alumni Inc. has joined the social networking trend and is in Facebook. You can access the ASOCIMAI Facebook page by typing ASOCIMAI at the Facebook searchbox and clicking the LIKE button. After that, you can post comments, post and join the discussion among fellow CIM alumni. You can also receive regular updates. Cool, isn't it? So far, 114 people has LIKED the page.

Why not join the ASOCIMAI activities especially if you are a CIM Alumni based in the US and Canada? For after all, this organization is dedicated to the fellowship and support of the alumni of the Cebu Institute of Medicine, Cebu City, Philippines. Of course, the ASOCIMAI official website is still at http://www.asocimai.org.

A Review of Panglao Tropical Villa, Bohol

Doctors take vacations too and one favorite place often visited by doctors in Cebu is Bohol. This blog post gets to review one particular destination in Bohol which is Panglao Tropical Villa.

Panglao Tropical Villa is located in Panglao Island, Bohol. Panglao Island is known for each beautiful beaches. Unfortunately, the beaches in Panglao Tropical Villa is not its strong selling point. However, the location is, as advertised, a good place for guests to feel at home. It is probably a good taking point for those who will tour Bohol and go for dolphin watching, diving and other adventures. The villas themselves have themes. The Villa Angelus (where we stayed) for example has a Filipino theme with its nipa materials and bahay kubo appearance.

The villa provides a temporary home complete with amenities such as cable TV, some cooking utensils, a cooking grill, gas stove, refrigerator, water dispenser (hot and warm only, not cold) and comfortable rooms that give a "home-y" atmosphere. You can do the cooking yourself with your own raw ingredients or have the cooking done by in-house staff using the villa's own stock of ingredients of course with a fee. The price for the stay is reasonable. (Refer to their website at http://www.panglaotropicalvillas.com/ for their rates). But prices of goods such as softdrinks or sodas are double the regular price and 1 gallon water refill is much higher at P100.00 per gallon.

The villa also has vehicles for rent like a motorcycle which you yourself can use for travelling to the market for instance. They also have a van for hire with driver for your travel needs like touring Bohol.

The villa is good for families who prefer a private vacation spot. It has 2 pools. A swimming pool for kids and a swimming pool for adults which may go as deep as 8 feet perhaps equipped with a diving board. They appear to be well-maintained and clean. There are no lifeguards so dive at your own risk and make sure children really are accompanied by adults when swimming.

There are other ways for recreation in the villa. There is a beach volleyball "court", a billiards table and pingpong table with net. You can borrow the respective balls from the restaurant.

Speaking of restaurant, the villa does have a restaurant although we haven't tried dining there but it seems nice. We once had "sinugbang" milkfish and "molmol" done by their personnel and they tasted good.

It might be boring though to just stay in the villa the whole time without exploring Bohol. The villa have people who offer dolphin watching at around P2000. There are several small boats or "bancas" standing by in the resort for this.

They also offer tour packages to the Chocolate Hills, Loboc River Cruise, Hanging Bridge, Tarsier site, Bilar man-made forest, and many more.

But when it comes to the beach, do not expect a very nice beach for swimming. Most of the time when we were there, it was low tide and the beaches are not as crystal clear as other beaches such as those found in Camotes in Cebu. The view is not also as nice. I did not appreciate the sunrise as well as the sunset. Perhaps there was a better location in Panglao or Alona Beach where sunsets are better appreciated.

Dog lover that I am, I noted there are few friendly dogs which I encountered there. One of them I even named Scooby Doo. The white dog with brown spots is the friendliest of them all. She is called Maggie. All of their dogs are "chubby".

Overall, Villa Angelus is still okay as a place to stay in Bohol especially considering the price as compared to a hotel. During our stay, the villa always has guests coming in replacing those who checked out. Thus it seemed to be always booked. Bring your mosquito-repellants though, for at night when you are outside your airconditioned room, mosquitoes are plenty.

This is not a sponsored review so I hope I have objectively provided a useful review for this place.

Diarrhea equals Bathroom Dance (Bad Romance Spoof)

Let's take a break from serious medical stuff. I just find this video circulating in YouTube made by famous Philippine comedian Michael V for the GMA7 TV program "Bubble Gang" entertaining. Michael V is really good at what he does including making spoofs of famous music videos and TV commercials or advertisements.

The music video is a spoof of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" entitled "Bathroom Dance" (Restroom Dance) to make it sound like Bad Romance. It is in Tagalog or Filipino but when you listen to it, it sounds similar to the original song.




For non-Filipino readers, the first part of the song translates to: "Ooooh! Makes Me Wanna Do the Bathroom Dance". (2x) Some parts of the song are translated as follows...

There it is! It's coming out! Idiot! It's getting worse...I'm like an old man.
Something happened that's frustrating. I think I ate spoiled food. I'm experiencing cramping pain...


Part of the Chorus: Biting my lips, curling in pain...that it makes me wanna do the bathroom dance...

Actually, translating Filipino to English is difficult as there are no exact English equivalents for some Tagalog or Filipino words. But from the video, one can tell what Michael V is talking about.

Seriously, one has to make sure food is freshly-cooked and freshly-prepared to avoid the "Bathroom Dance"or worse, end up in a hospital.

Food left in the open for hours even if re-heated may still result to food poisoning by multiplication of harmful organisms or by production by bacteria of toxins which are left in the food even if the organisms are eventually killed.

For now, just enjoy the video and maybe do the Bathroom Dance.

Sugat sa Paa Symposium Chong Hua Hospital Leg on July 17, 2010

Philippine Society for Vascular Surgery presents "Sugat sa Paa" Symposium on Diagnosis and Treatment this July 17, 2010 Saturday 8-5 PM at the Chong Hua Hospital.

First come. First serve. No registration fee.

• "Hi Hello" - Recognition and Diagnosis of Foot Ulcers
• "Sweet for Your Feet" Management of  Diabetes Mellitus
• "Bugs that Love" DM Foot - Management of Infection
• "Foot Loose" DM Foot Revascularization
• "Bye Bye Foot" Amputation and Rehabilitation

Call or Text Name of Doctor to: Dr. Recuerdo Baclig - 0920-2639218

MyHealth Multispecialty Clinic Cebu in Need of Medical Specialists

MyHealth Clinics, the latest, fastest-growing, state-of-the-art multi-specialty clinic and laboratory in the country is opening 2 clinics in Cebu (Cybergate and IT Park). They are looking for specialists especially from Rehabilitation Medicine and Dermatology. They are also looking for

• Cardiology
• Pulmonology
• Gastroenterology
• Nephrology
• Oncology
• Allergology
• ENT
• Ophthalmology
• General Surgery
• Urology
• Pediatrics
• Obstetrics-Gynecology
• other specialties

Free rental and utilities are offered.

MyHealth Clinics is the sister company of Maxicare so most of Maxicare patients will be channeled through MyHealth Clinics physicians.

Interested doctors, please send email to Dr. Benedict Go at bgo@myhealth.ph

This Blog's Posts Have Been Copied Without My Permission

 CebuMD original blog post

Have you experienced having your blog's contents hijacked in full by another site?

 Blog that copied my blog's contents

I know that there are other sites that publish your contents but they exclude pictures and they place links back to your site plus attribute you as the author. These sites publish your blog with your consent and this may occur during various blog directory submissions.

I was surprised however to see a certain blog which uses my blog and other blog's entire contents and mix them together in a blog which may be earning from Adsense since Google Adsense ads are present. This is copyright infringement right? Want me to give proof?

In google search, type "cebu physicians and photography" and click on the no. 1 search result which is also a blog. This blog showing up first with the same contents as mine is NOT my blog. Notice that the said impostor blogpost is exactly the same as my previous post at http://cebumd.blogspot.com/2010/06/photography-and-cebu-physicians.html .

I may not be good at SEO yet but the point is that blog is stealing my content, in effect my identity.

The same blog also copied the rest of my other posts. And the blogger for that site is copying other blog's contents as well. Case in point, this original blog at http://charliechia.blogspot.com/2010/03/energizer-night-race-2010.html . Type the first few sentences of this blog in search and the same blog who copied my blog contents will also come out in the search result having the same contents as the energizer night race original post.

In making this post also, I am trying to see if that aforementioned copycat blog will be also copying this post.

I am planning to complain against the misbehaving blog to Google and Google Adsense for copyright infringement, what do you think?

So again I ask, did the same thing happened to you? What action did you take? How do you suggest I deal with the matter? Any advice is appreciated.

Photography and Cebu Physicians

Aside from running, Physicians in Cebu have a love affair with photography.

As a kid, I already know a doctor who was very fond of photography. Dr. Antonio Tautjo was our amily physician and when I have a check-up in his clinic years before I went to medical school, I already noticed the picture frames hanging on the walls of his clinic. He was taking pictures of his kids and photographing people appears to be his specialty.

I myself started my love affair with photography when I was invited by a surgeon, Dr. Mike Busa to join him and several other surgeons for a series of basic photography sessions with Ted Madamba. I instantly fell in love with photography. I find it relaxing. It gives me the opportunity to marvel at God and nature, and it provides me with a chance to express myself.

I may not have a DSLR camera. All I have is my reliable Canon Powershot A470 but that did not stop me to take some classes.

The picture of a mosquito above was my very first as a "photo enthusiast" taken before I started taking up lessons. I was studying dengue fever for my masteral class in Public Health Microbiology when I saw this mosquito hovering in my room. I did something to it and somehow I managed to somehow "preserve" it for a rare photo op. I placed it on top of my notes so one would appreciate the size of the letters and the mosquito. Does it look like Aedes?

Anyway, back to the lessons...On one session, we went out very early in the morning just to catch a sunrise by the sea in Compostela.

Even without a DSLR camera, I was quite proud to have taken this picture. Hopefully someday, I'll be able to afford a DSLR.

I know of many doctors who went into photography as a hobby.

One was my student, Dr. Norwin Detalla who has a website for his pictures at norwindetalla.multiply.com.

There are many others from different specialties like Surgery, Pediatrics and many more. You can see the pictures that they take from their travels for example in their respective Facebook accounts.

As for me, I always take my camera with me. I take pictures for my blog, for my studies, for me and my wife's Facebook and for the fun of it. I even started volunteering to take pictures of my cousin's wedding. I love vacations even more because it allows me to snap pictures of beautiful places.

So c'mon, let's start taking some pics.

Run Cebu Run

Before it was badminton. Now it's running. Almost every week, there are scheduled races and doctors in Cebu have caught up with the running craze. Among the more popular physician runners in Cebu is Dr. Yong Larrazabal of course who even participate in races organized abroad.

To give you an idea of the different races scheduled in Cebu, here is a list I read from Reel running blog:

• 6/20/10 - Dasig Kabataan Run
• 6/26/10 - Run for a BEBE
• 6/26-27/10 - Danao City Multisports Weekend
• 6/27/10 - Planet Sports Run
• 7/4/10 - Fitness Run of Fitness First
• 7/25/10 - ABCCI Run for the KIDS
• 8/8/10 - VSMMC Fun Run
• 8/8/10 - ABOITIZ Race to Reduce
• 8/29/10 - 1st Recoletos' Run
• 9/05/10 - 34th MILO CEBU Eliminations
• 10/10/10 - Run to the Max 3
• 01/09/11 - Cebu City Marathon 2011

Notice the gap between races? Some races are even organized by doctors. Some of these races even occur on the same day!

What could have started this craze or fad if that's the right term for it? Are people nowadays really becoming health conscious? I will soon find out and if I do find the answers, I will post it here.

Meanwhile in facebook, you will see wall posts of friends planning designs for singlets or t-shirts. Many would show their own photos of their participation and tag other friends participating also in such races. Others have already made blogs on running. I have talked to several doctors who follow a regular training regimen in an attempt to imprve their personal records. I will try to ask them soon what made them decide to take up running as a sport.

As for me. Mmmmm? Shall I try running? Judging from the picture above, do you think I can run a 5k?

Joking aside. Go on and run. It's good for your health.

The Attack of the Babies in Game 4 of the NBA Finals

As I have foreseen in this NBA finals, the Celtics bench are stepping up in this series. Sheed and Tony Allen are playing superb defense and the pediatric duo of the diminutive Nate Robinson and the "Big Baby" Glen Davis are wreaking havoc, the latter by spreading saliva like a baby or a bulldog drooling. No wonder he is called Big Baby.



Davis' breakout performance this finals is a developmental milestone for him thus the drool. If the Big Baby continues to drool like that, I'm sure no Laker can get near him and the Celtics will surely win. (LOL). I'm sure Kobe would not want to be beaten by these 2 babies who just escaped the nursery.

Can't wait for Game 5. Will it be the chapter on the "Return of the Giant (Bynum)", the "Revenge of Kobe" or the "Attack of the Babies Part II"?

Beware of "WILD" diseases

I know. When one hears of something wild, people tend to flock together and see what that "wild" thing is. In this case, you wouldn't want to mess with this type of "wild".

With the onset of the rainy season officially confirmed by the national weather bureau, the Health department has cautioned the public to beware of the WILD...the WILD diseases.

WILD stands for water-borne diseases, influenza (interesting pronounced as influentia by one TV reporter), leptospirosis and dengue.

Pipe leaks may facilitate the entry of waterborne pathogens in the drinking water causing diarrhea. When water is thought to be unsafe, it is not enough to simply heat the water. Boiling is preferred. Fluid and electrolyte replacement is key to managing diarrhea, not the usual antidiarrheals.

Meanwhile influenza vaccines are now available some offering protection against H1N1 but many are still afraid (including some healthcare workers) to have themselves immunized for fear of side effects. Influenza vaccines are still one of the safest vaccines around.

Leptospirosis on the other hand is acquired especially when one wades in flood waters. In last year's typhoons especially Ondoy, the floods resulted to an outbreak of Leptospirosis which killed many. I could just imagine the risk taken by pedicab drivers plying the streets of Manila braving the floods when heavy rains pour. They too are at high risk for Leptospirosis. Even without a skin break, these leptospires may possibly enter through the skin pores.

Dengue is particularly high in Cebu despite the recent hot weather. From January 2010 to May 15 of this year, 532 cases with 6 deaths were reported. In the same period last year, there were around 300 cases but with 10 deaths.

Dengue prevention entails covering water containers which may become possible breeding grounds for mosquitoes carrying dengue virus and providing personal protection through mosquito repellents among other things. Fever especially in children should not be taken lightly and dengue should not be immediately ruled out.

CVGH Held Successful Postgrad Course as Lakers win

Yesterday was the culmination of a two day activity hosted by the Cebu Institute of Medicine and Cebu Velez General Hospital (CVGH) Department of Family and Community Medicine held at the Grand Convention Center in Cebu City.

The event was well attended with particpants coming as far as Zamboanga and as near as Ramos street.

I was the assigned moderator for the afternoon sessions yesterday. And since this is my first time as a moderator, I have to come in the morning to secretly observe other moderators as to how they did their jobs.

I was particularly scared (Was it obvious?) because I was told that I should also fire the first question in the open forum if nobody asks a question and one of the topics was on neurology and the speaker was my teacher back in medical school. It was indeed my first "public" appearance.

Good thing the other speakers were my classmates.

I had to do a "big" sacrifice really... Going there meant missing Game 1 of the NBA Finals but the Lakers won so good thing I missed the game. hehe.

Anyway, the topics in the postgraduate course were interesting. To name a few, the course had neuropathic pain, diabetes education and nutrition, GERD and yesterday it had pneumonia updates and proton pump inhibitors to name a few.

I would like to congratulate Dr. Thelma Fernandez, Dr. Cebrecus and Dr. Gravador for holding a successful event. Of course, the same goes to the residents of the Family Medicine Department and the other behind-the-scenes people. (Wait!I am sounding like a moderator giving out the certificate of appreciation).

I suggest for the next year maybe invite speakers form the public health sector, the government health officers and have topics on preventive medicine or public health to help in the campaign of the programs of the DOH.

Warning: Your Kid's School Supplies Might Be Toxic

Yesterday, watching the news broadcast reminded me that the school opening is fast approaching and many parents are now busy buying school supplies for their kids. I imagine children being excited about what notebooks, lunch box and pencil case they will have. Some would prefer to find in their school supplies perhaps their favorite actor's or actress's photo or their favorite cartoon character. Parents might choose these supplies based on appearance not knowing the potential dangers.

That danger is PVC.

PVC or polyvinyl chloride is dangerous to human health (associated to cancer, hormone disruption and severe health problems) and a danger to the environment as well.

I came across these tips from http://www.mtp2.org/healthy_schools_files/PVCFree.pdf and the following should be avoided because they most likely contain harmful components like polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate and polystyrene plastics collectively considered toxic plastics:

 AVOID:

1. Notebooks containing metal spirals encased in colored plastic. (Oh no! I used this before when I was a kid till high school)
2. Backpacks with shiny plastic design.
3. PVC rainwear (will tell you later what identifying marks will point to something as made of PVC)
4. Colored paper clips
5. Shiny and colorful plastic umbrellas
6. Lunchbox made of PVC which are said to be many
7. Some plastic drinking containers

PVC products usually have the three-arrow "recycling" symbol with the number 3 and or the initials PVC or the label "vinyl" on the packaging. However some products are not properly labeled.

USE INSTEAD

1. Notebooks with uncovered metal spirals
2. Stick to plain metal paper clips
3. Use nylon umbrellas
4. Use cardboard, fabric-covered or polypropylene binders
5. Use cloth or metal lunch boxes
6. If cannot avoid plastic, use plastics of the polystyrene or polycarbonate type

So parents beware of PVC products. Now you know.

How to Surf and Earn Online at the Same Time part 1

Doctors surf a lot in the net. Even at midnight, many of my facebook friends are still online probably surfing on the side.

I asked myself before, why just surf when I can also earn at the same time? Want to know two ways? I will enumerate below.

I am relatively new to earning online but I must say I am beginning to enjoy it. I have extensively researched different review sites before joining to make sure the sites I will be joining are not scams.

I would like to talk about 3 sites which many reviewers speak well of in terms of being legit. Many of the review bloggers presented many proofs of payment from them so I guess the sites below are ok.

One of these sites is Neobux. According to many, you just click and you'll earn money little by little. Refer your friends they say and you earn more. Their banner is found below. I checked the site and joining is free! You don't have to pay anything. More after the banner.



Another is JPHFBux which seems to be also a legit PTC site. A strategy used by PTC participants is to click various PTC ads while waiting for other PTC ads to load. Below is their banner.



The next website is a paid survey site. You take online surveys where you qualify, you earn money usually around $1-$5 if I'm not mistaken. One of the respectable survey sites is survey savvy. Before I give the link, let me clarify that I am not claiming that you will get rich from these sites. But you will earn extra income while just surfing or passive income as your referrals also participate in surveys.

Below is the link to join survey savvy, again for FREE:
https://www.surveysavvy.com?id=4309422&action=join 

Together let us enjoy surfing while earning money. I will be featuring other sites as I encounter them on succeeding posts.

Be Included in the CebuMD's Directory of Doctors in Cebu

Are you a physician practicing in Cebu? Then you came to the right place.

If you want your name to be included in this blog's directory, just go to the Contact Me page and send me a note or message of request to have your name included in my directory page which I will put up soon.

While in the Contact Me page, fill-up the corresponding fields of the form with the appropriate information (name and email). Then, in filling up the message box, just give the following information (following the format below):
First name Last name, MD
Specialty or subspecialty
Clinic venue/s within Cebu, room no./s
Clinic Schedule
telephone no. (optional)

In return, I will just ask for a small favor especially if you have a webpage or a blog ---a link back to this main blog's url which is http://cebumd.blogpspot.com/

Feel free to explore the blog's contents in the future too.

The Need for "Responsible Abbreviation Usage" in Hospital Chart Records

Pls start IVF w/ D5LR and reg at 30 gtts/min.
CBR w/o TP. Labs: For CBC, U/A, SE, PT, BT.
Seen these abbreviations in our handwriten Doctor's Orders in patient chart records?
Surprised? You shouldn't be. Abbreviations may already be common in local hospital chart records.

A paper by the author of this blog (which is still to be published) presented as a poster in the latest Asia Pacific Medical Education Conference in Singapore held last February 2010 determined that abbreviations were present in all the patient's histories, PE and Doctor's Orders in the chart records of 2 local hospitals studied.

Non-universally-accepted abbreviations were common such as ECE (equal chest expansion), DHS (distinct heart sounds) and HFD (heredofamilial disease).

Potentially dangerous abbreviations were noted such as d/c or D/C which could mean either as discontinue, discharge or dilatation and curettage.  Some of the other notable abbreviations are OOT (out of town), TYVM (thank you very much), PS (peripheral smear), NCCF (No chocolate-colored food), HOB (head of bed and TFFC (to follow first case).

Abbreviations are more common in the Physical Exam findings than the history itself in the private hospital studied.

Among the text language forms, @ is  usually observed. Yes text forms are beginning to appear in the charts. Considering the charts selected were year 2006 charts, more text language forms may already be present in today's charts.

Abbreviation usage may be discouraged especially in the early medical school years but somehow it persists because it is perceived to be useful despite the known potential dangers. It appears that abbreviations are here to stay. Since abbreviations are difficult to eliminate then perhaps it is better to teach instead responsible abbreviation usage and make guidelines for abbreviation usage.

Abbreviations are important even outside patient care when the patient's case is of legal importance and for the Philhealth insurance. Thus there is really a need to remind medical students of the potential dangers of abbreviations in perhaps a separate topic to promote responsible abbreviating. In this subject, the aforementioned guidelines may be introduced including a local version of the "Do Not Use" list as a standard to be agreed upon probably by doctors of different hospitals and the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges.

In this way also, even physicians from Joint Commission-accredited hospitals will not have a hard time adjusting as to what abbreviations are allowed to be used since there was already prior training in their respective medical schools.

Movie Review: Iron Man 2

Taking off from the previous Iron Man movie, the world now knows that billionaire Tony Stark is Iron Man. He is pressured by the government to share the secrets of the Iron man suit to the military which Tony refuses to do. Meanwhile, new enemies emerge which rival Iron man's capabilities.

Returning to reprise his role as Iron Man/Tony Stark is Robert Downey Jr. who as always is effective in portraying his character's "cool" personality. The movie actually has an all-star cast with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Samuel Jackson as SHIELD's Nick Fury, Mickey Rourke as Whiplash,  Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman (Stark's new assistant) and Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard as Stark's good pal James "Rhodey" Rhodes.

Regarding the new actors joining the movie, personally, I would have preferred Terrence Howard over Don Cheadle (may be because Don is too small for the War Machine character and Terrence appears to be more beleivable as Stark's good friend). Although Scarlett is always nice to look at, her character would have required someone with a Russian look and accent to be more believable.

Good news though! Considering a lot of sequels do poorly than their predecessors, the movie actually is very good. It offers a visual feast. The movie is full of action and special effects especially towards the end. (More than the 1st movie). I think it even defeats Transformers in the "metal against metal" fighting aspect. There is more use of firepower and weaponry and not just "hand to hand" combat.

And if you are a Marvel comics fan, you will recognize some references to the other superheroes of the group Avengers as in the other Marvel movies like the Incredible Hulk. There are 2 objects related to 2 Avenger superheroes that make an appearance in this movie. One appears in a very important scene prior to the final fight sequences and the other comes at the very end, after the final credits have been flashed in the screen. So do not go out of the movie theater until the very end.

One should realize that this movie is believed to be a prelude to a series of movies on the different members of the Avengers (like Thor, Captain America, etc.) which will culminate in a movie that unites all of them with the common denominator being SHIELD led by Nick Fury (played by Samuel Jackson as in the Ultimate Marvel comics series).


This movie is definitely worth seeing in the big screen itself.


And by the way, as in other Marvel movies, look for Stan Lee...Enjoy the movie!

Mosley vs. Mayweather: Who's Your Pick?

This May 2, 2010 (Sunday, Philippine time), the fight between "Sugar" Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Mosley is 39 years old, with wins in the past over De la Hoya and Antonio Margarito. He also fought quality opponents like Miguel Cotto, Vernon Forrest and Ricardo Mayorga among others. He holds a record of 46 wins, 5 losses with 39 KOs.

Floyd Mayweather is younger at 33 and is a former pound per pound king. Mayweather is undefeated with 40 wins including 25 by KOs. He defeated in the past de la Hoya, Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez and Zab Judah among others.

Both are possible future opponents of our own Manny Pacquiao. So who is your pick?

Find your Precinct Online, Check Status before Election Day

Doctors, instead of going to the Comelec office to verify your registration, why not verify it online? Find your precinct number and check if you are still in the voters' list. All you need to do is to go to the Comelec Online Precinct Finder, fill the online form. The data needed is just your complete name and birthdate. You can verify also in behalf of other persons you know. However, if you applied for registration last December 21, 22, 23, 28 and 29, 2009 your record is not yet included according to the Comelec website.

And while you are at it, drop by the main page of the Comelec to download the online sample ballot for shading practice and familiarization.

CIM-CVGH 14th Postgraduate Course in Family Medicine

REGISTRATION DETAILS:
Pre-registration Fee: Php P400.00
On-Site registration Fee: Php P500.00
Deadline for Pre-registration: May 14, 2010

CONTACT DETAILS:
Department of Family & Community Medicine
Cebu Velez General Hospital
F. Ramos St., Cebu City

Fax/Tel: (032) 412-5733
Cell: 0927 549 3901 or 0923 952 1337 or 0923 581 2182
Email: cimcvgh_famed@yahoo.com