This may not sound good for those who spend a lot of time looking down at  your cellphone and texting or reading your e-book.

Excessive  texting and use of mobile devices may lead to something chiropractors are calling “Text Neck” which symptoms include headache, neck, back and/or shoulder pain, as well as numbness and tingling of the upper extremities.

According to the Text-Neck Institute, when someone has their head flexed forward while looking down at the screen on their hand held mobile device for long periods of time, the bones and muscles of the spine adapt to that posture and postural change ensues. This will cause changes in the curve, supporting ligaments, tendons, and musculature, as well as the bony segments. Eventually there may be nerve involvement, muscle spasms and pain.

See Text Neck on the news below:

Philippines, being the Text Capital of the World, is facing a serious health matter. Let’s face the fact that most of us can’t live a day without cellphones, gadgets, mp3s or any other devices. So to avoid the condition, we encourage you do the following:

• hold mobile devices up and in front of your face when you’re using it;
• take breaks;
• stretch your hands and forearms; and
• hold your head back to relieve the symptoms

This day was quite tiring yet I enjoy. Today was the scheduled Fun Run event entitled “I run for Integrity towards a New Philippines” 2011 at The Fort, Taguig City. Assembly was as early as 4AM, and the gun shot for 15K started at 5:30AM (first set of runners) and 6AM for 3K (my category).

This running event is in support of the Integrity Initiative led by different public and private sectors, the ”I Run For Integrity” is envisioned to be a historical event and a bold move by the sectors as a CALL FOR THE WHOLE NATION to join the RUN towards a New Philippines – A country that will be known for its Integrity.

Personally, I don’t engage myself to fun run like this. My reason: (Although I love sports) I don’t think I need serious involvement into fun run activities because of my petite body (?). But when I experienced running and completed the 3k dash a while ago, I had fun and did really enjoy. And the idea of not involving myself to this kind of event has changed. I am now looking forward to more fun run events. And now, to beat my 3k running into 15k!

I was watching Diyos at Bayan, a TV program of GMA 7 headed by Bro. Eddie Villanueva, more than an hour ago and their topic was Medical Tourism here in the Philippines.

Medical Tourism is travelling to another country to seek medical procedures or medical care. It is also termed as “global healthcare”.

According to the resource person being interviewed by Bro. Eddie and Kata Inocencio, medical tourism here in the Philippines is increasing. Philippines is one of the sought-after countries in terms of medical care here in Asia.

Actually, Philippines is included in the article of Reader’s Digest (March 2011 issue) entitled “Travel Smart for Treatment”. According to Reader’s Digest Asia, Philippines is one of the Asian countries where you can get the best medical care. The country boasts competent English-speaking and overseas trained medical staff. Also, the lower costs of medical treatment placed the Philippines on the map of medical tourism.

Top hospitals here in the Philippines according to RD Asia include: Makati Medical Center, St. Luke’s Hospital, Asian Hospital and Medical Center.

Other countries that were included in the RD Asia report were: Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and India.

Yesterday, I went to Alabang Medical Center to see an Ortho-specialist to have my knee checked up.  This is in continuation of my two last posts (Gout Attack and Work at Home) about the condition of my knee that I suspected it to be a gout as I felt the same pain when I had it in my hands almost six months ago.

I arrived at 1:30 PM in the clinic but unfortunately the doctor was not yet available because he had a scheduled operation that time.  So I had to wait for him.  After one and a half hours of waiting, he finally came.  As usual, he checked my knees and gave his impression.  He said that it’s not gout because he could see no sign of swelling around my right knee.  Actually, he lifted my knee and checked it as if checking its flexibility and he said that he could feel some kind of resistance in my muscle when he was trying to bend and straighten up my knee.

Finally, he prescribed to me a muscle relaxant medicine which I need to take for seven days, thrice a day.  But I just have one complain about the drug the doctor prescribed to me: it made me drowsy.  Few minutes after I took it, I felt sleepy and my eyes became heavy until I fell asleep.  Because of that, I wasn’t able to finish my work at home.

I am really thankful that this is not a gout and just a muscle stress condition only.  We (Ads & I) are really praying for its fast recovery.

I woke up yesterday with my calf muscle (alak-alakan in Tagalog) terribly aching.  I can hardly bend or stretch my legs.  ”This is it!”, I told myslef.  Because I was already feeling a little bit of pain in this area of my legs a couple of days ago.  Everyday the pain is increasing.  And yesterday, it reached the maximum pain that it could give.  I suspect this is a gout. Because it’s the same pain I felt when I had a previous attack with my hands last year.

Despite of my condition, I managed to go to my office and work though I can hardly walk and it’s very difficult for me to board a jeepney and bus.  Inside the office, I can feel the intensifying sensation of pain so I asked for mefenamic acid or a pain reliever medicine from our reception officer.  Thanks be to God because He used that medicine to ease out my suffering.

I’m still not sure if this is a gout or not so later this day, perhaps when I wake up, I will go to Alabang Medical Center in Alabang to have this check up by an orthopedic.  But I don’t want to take a lot of medicines for this, I am planning to cure this gout, if ever it is, naturally.

Massage is the use of friction and pressure to influence muscle and other associated tissue to encourage healing, relaxation and general well-being. Massage uses a number of techniques from mild rubbing to applying pressure to an assortment of points on the body. The uses of these techniques often involve and are meant to adjust include muscles, tendons and joints.

Therapeutic massage usually includes the use of the hands, fingers, elbows and forearm to accomplish the localized pressure needed for these adjustments. There are a number of diverse modalities in the field of therapeutic massage.  Over recent years, many studies have been done providing positive review of the benefits massage can provide. A massage therapist will engage the client in designing a path of treatment. Most massage therapists will use a combination of the various massage modalities to target their customer’s specific needs. Some effects of massage on the body include:

• Relief from pain and faster healing of musculoskeletal damage.
• The relaxation effect often reduces headache and the severity of migraines because it can decrease blood pressure and relieve muscle tension in the neck and shoulders.
• Improved mental focus, extra energy, a reduction of anxiety and enhanced.
• Less stress improves the immune system and can improve the quality of life by reducing adrenaline and cortisone levels.

The client’s needs in regard to the style of bodywork (massage therapy, therapeutic massage and even some physical therapy) are all taken into account by the therapist. A good licensed massage therapist should have the client complete an intake form and perform a consultation prior to the session. These actions provide the therapist with the knowledge needed to focus on that client’s specific needs.  Some people just want an hour to themselves being pampered with a Swedish Massage, others have an injury that needs focused on. It would not do good to treat every customer the same as many large chain spas do.

Massage’s popularity can be found all across the world in the fact that massage has become an accepted alternative treatment. Massage benefits many prescribed mainstream treatments. In the United States more than 110 million people have been reported to receive massage.

With something that feels good and is considered a beneficial to one’s health, what are you waiting for? Many people remark that they utilize therapeutic massage because they feel that it helps boost the rate at which musculoskeletal and sports injury heals, reduces aches and pains, reduces anxiety and feelings of anger or depression, and by large improves mental and physical well-being. The use of massage would be recommended as an effective alternative ‘medicine’ that relaxes and heals the body.

I recommend you try the services being offered by the Massage Asylum Massage therapy in Phoenix, Glendale and Scottsdale, Arizona.  They are affordable and you won’t surely regret what you’re gonna get.

I heard in 24 Oras, an evening news program of Kapuso GMA 7 (Philippines), today that DUkan Diet will become a trend in 2011 in terms of losing weight.

Dukan Diet was developed by Pierre Dukan, a French Nutritionist for over 30 years and a most widely read nutritionist in France today.  The Dukan method focuses on a healthy eating plan that returns to the foods which founded the human species, eaten by primitive man, proteins and vegetables which composed of 100 foods, 72 from the animal world and 28 from the plant world.

This diet is divided into 4 phases:

1.  ATTACK.  During this phase, the diet is made up of 72 high-protein foods (animal protein) that enables quick weight loss.  This part takes 3 – 10 days and since it gives a rapid weight loss, the motivation to go on stays.  However, it is expected that risk of deficiency and fatigue could occur.

2.  CRUISE.  This leads to the “true weight”.  During this phase, the diet alternates Pure Protein (PP) and Proteins accompanied with 28 recommended Vegetables (PV).  No starch or carb on this diet.  If you want to lose less than ten pounds, just alternate three days PP and three days PV.  For a lose of more than twenty pounds, alternate five days PP and five days PV.

3.  CONSOLIDATION. This is the phase of ten days per kilogram lost which allows a gradual return to a balance diet.  Two festive meals are allowed per week.

4.  STABILIZATION.  This phase is both the easiest and most essential in because 95% of people who follow a diet put back on the weight they have lost.  Two rules should be observed: a) Meals should consist of protein every Thursday; and b) taking three tablespoons of oat bran per day.  These rules should be kept throughout your life.

This afternoon I was able to try for the first time the Nuga Best in Festival Mall in Alabang for free.  Actually it’s a special or VIP session since a churchmate of ours bought one of Nuga Best products, the belt one (forgot to take the exact name), and I  was with her because I accommodated her in my credit card.  For regular session, you need to get a number and fall in line and wait for your turn.  By the way, the photo below was the one I tried.

According to the staff of Nuga Best who assisted me, this bed can cure different kind of diseases, like diabetes, heart problem, arthritis, kidney problem, and a lot more.  The staff also told me that it uses a holistic approach because the procedure covers all body parts.  They advise to use the product 3 to 4 times a day for faster effect.

How does it feel lying down on this bed?  A combination of heat and chiropractic.  It’s like a massage chair that you can see usually inside the mall wherein you need to drop four 5-peso coins but the difference is the heat that comes out from the system of this machine.  The session takes 40 minutes

The staff showed to me the testimonials of those people who got healed from their disease because of their regular visit with Nuga Best.  They’re actually written on the paper and laminated so they can be preserved.

As a backgrounder, this product came from Korea and was brought by a Korean couple here in the Philippines in 2002 or 2003.

If you want to buy this bed, it only costs Php 135,000.  But if you can’t afford, you can still undergo healing session for free but you just have to wait for your turn.

Nuga Best Alabang is located at the 2nd floor of Festival Mall just above the National Bookstore near main entrance and they’re open from 10 AM to 8 PM.

]]> http://thinklikeabeginner.com/is-nuga-best-best/feed/ 0 http://thinklikeabeginner.com/first-hiv-positive-man-cured/ http://thinklikeabeginner.com/first-hiv-positive-man-cured/#comments Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:44:28 +0000 Jay http://thinklikeabeginner.com/?p=162

Is it really true that a man has been completely healed of HIV?  Or is it a publicity only for the recently concluded World AIDS Day?  Here’s the story.

Photo at the left is of Timothy Ray Brown, also known as “The Berlin Patient”, who was cured of HIV/AIDS according to the news.  He is not a German national but a U.S. citizen.  How he got AIDS?  I don’t know, I still have to make a research on this.  Anyway, I just want to opine that if he is really cured of AIDS, well, he’s only one.  There are millions in this world who are suffering from this dreadful disease.  This case still needs more time and to be duplicated by others.

At any rate, if this is true, thank God!  This is a medical breakthrough.  Praise be to God!

Before I end this post, another opinion has sparked from my thinking mind:  Let us practice safe sex to avoid AIDS or HIV.  And safe sex, for me, is not using condom or any contraceptive but doing “it” with your wife or your husband.  Be faithful enough.  But how about those who acquired this disease through blood transfusion?  Hmmm, it’s another story and another opinion.  :-)

I read this afternoon, while I was in faculty room, from Philippine Daily Inquirer, November 22, 2010 issue, that caffeine is a diuretic that speeds up dehydration-causing fluid loss, which puts more pressure on our kidneys.  According to Wikipidea, diuretic is any drugs (or substance) that elevates the rate of urination and thus provides a mean of forced diuresis.  This may be the reason why I frequent the toilet to pee.  I am coffee-lover and drink 3-4 cups of coffee, it’s free though in our office.  It is suggested to try sticking to decaffeinated green tea for a change.  I still have to research if decaffeinated coffee can serve as replacement to regular coffee.

According to the article, there are only two simple things that we need to do to care for our kidneys: eat a balanced diet and drink enough of water.

Aside from coffee, smoking and alcohol are also bad for kidneys.  Smoking increases the risk of kidney disease while alcohol intake strains kidneys to work doubly hard to eliminate toxins from the blood.