Filipino Ebola

Uh-oh.

Thank the heavens, it's Filipino (singular!) and not FilipinoS, yet.

At least one person has tested positive for the Ebola-Reston virus in the Philippines, where the disease has broken out in pigs at two farms north of the capital, the government said on Friday.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque told a news conference that there was little immediate health risk but experts warned the virus' jump to humans was a concern.

"This presents a negligible risk to human health," Duque said. ~ Reuters, 23 Jan 2009

Negligible risk?

I think that's a hasty conclusion.


UPDATE on 30 Jan. 2009 ---



Still no immediate health risk but still a concern. From one person to five people now. What's next?

Socially-Active People Less Prone To Dementia

Keeping a full social calendar may help protect you from dementia, researchers said on Monday.

Socially active people who were not easily stressed had a 50 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared with men and women who were isolated and prone to distress, they reported in the journal Neurology.

"In the past, studies have shown that chronic distress can affect parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus, possibly leading to dementia," Hui-Xin Wang of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, who led the study, said in a statement.

"But our findings suggest that having a calm and outgoing personality in combination with a socially active lifestyle may decrease the risk of developing dementia even further." ~ Reuters, 19 Jan 2009

The socially-active among us are mostly happy people. I think the key factor in preventing or delaying the onset of dementia is not really being socially-active, but being happy.

Happiness does wonders to our brains. Scientists may debate on this, but I have a feeling they will soon realize that the solution is simple, and not too expensive.

Among my old patients (when I say "old," I mean those who are 70 years old and above), those who are happy, have the best clinical outcomes. Sure, they maybe diabetic, and have had episodes of stroke and heart attacks, but their conditions remain stable and unproblematic.

Happiness is the key.

Now, I know it's not as easy as it sounds for some people. But strive to be happy. It helps you and your doctor.

Plurk, Not Twitter

No hard feelings, Twitter, and Twitter friends.

While I still remain a Twitter member, I seldom visit there now. These days, I plurk more than I twit. [Note: Ten years ago, "plurk" and "twit" were not even words.] My friend, macaronigirl, who also has Twitter account, convinced me to switch to Plurk. It took some time before I tried Plurk, but when I tried it, I made a permanent switch.

I'm blogging about this to inform all those people who requested to be my Twitter friend (see below) to go to my Plurk profile instead. I hardly twit anymore.



For those who still do not know what Plurk or Twitter is, read here.



Random thoughts and self-imposed FAQs:

• While Twitter is the first-mover of micro-blogging, Plurk has improved the concept by coming up with a more dynamic user interface. Also, there are less downtimes in Plurk. Twitter has a larger subscriber base, and its downtimes are understandable.



• Should doctors micro-blog? I think they should. If they can do Twitter, then, they can certainly Plurk, too. Better yet, do what I did. Just choose between the two. Also, if work interferes too much, and blogging is impossible, then, micro-blogging is the answer. One-liners for the busy people.



• But what if one has no PC around? Any Wifi-enabled mobile device will work. Here in Manila, one can plurk or twit using portals that work with mobile devices, Wifi-enabled or not. So, it's pretty easy. One needs to simply register, and everything is set up already.



• Why is Plurk more addicting than Twitter? Because like your Yahoo! Messenger, it has lively emoticons. It also has that karma-system, which one must always strive to keep up in order to reach the so-called "nirvana" state. Psychologically, Plurk developers have mastered the main element of operant conditioning, which is reinforcement. Devious, I know, but hey, it works!.



• Should patients twit or plurk their doctors about their symptoms or illness? No. The best way to diagnose is still the old-fashioned way. Nothing beats seeing a patient personally in the clinic or hospital. If it's an emergency, go to the nearest hospital immediately! Forget about plurking or twittering about it.

How To Fight Karōshi

'Saw this in the news today. The Japanese are workaholics. No surprise there, really. To become the world's second largest economy, a country's citizens must work hard.



According to Wikipedia, the major causes of Karōshi deaths are heart attacks and stroke.

It was recognized that employees cannot work for twelve or more hours a day, six or seven days a week, year after year, without suffering physically as well as mentally. A recent measurement found that a Japanese worker has approximately two hours overtime a day on average. In almost all cases, the overtime is unpaid. ~ Wikipedia, on Karōshi

The AFP news item also said that more than 2,000 Japanese committed suicide due to work conditions in 2007.

This is alarming. All work and no pay, errr, play, makes the whole thing tragic.

The Japanese, I think, should learn something from the work habits of neighboring Thailand, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.

In Bangkok, they have daily nap times:



In Hong Kong, they have these futuristic-looking sleep pods:



And in my dear home, the Philippines, we have a passion for taking long vacations, and the government sanctions it. In fact, for this year, most Filipino workers are already looking forward to 10 long weekends:



So, while the Philippines is not considered among the world's economic giants, only a few of its workers suffer from heart attacks and stroke due to too much work.

Moderation should always be practiced. Work hard, yes. But play hard and sleep well too. Our bodies and mind need frequent recharging.

Unemployment and your Health

I saw this on page 3 of yesterday's Financial Times. It is a global perspective of the human cost of unemployment.



The FT article showed unemployment rates last year (2008) and compared it with the latest available rates in different parts of the world:







As you can see, with the exception of Brazil and Germany, unemployment rates have risen in almost every part of the world.

The biggest unemployment rate is seen to happen (or is already happening) in the United States with more than 3 million going jobless.

In the Philippines, the first day of the year was greeted direly by the 2009 forecast of a former budget secretary and UP economist saying that at least 11 million Filipinos will lose their jobs in 2009.

And as with previous reports, Diokno said jobs abroad would also be definitely affected by the crisis and more overseas Filipino workers would be expected to come home, especially domestic helpers, skilled workers, and medical personnel.

"Workers will continue to struggle," said Diokno, noting that it will also not be a good time to ask for a raise.

"In an event, the supply for jobs is high and the demand is low and you ask for a raise, the usual move of employers is babaratin ka sa presyo [they will be stingy] or even fire employees," added Diokno. ~ Inquirer.net, 2 Jan 2009

Days later, the dire projection was disputed by a government official.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque on Monday scoffed at the projection of economist and former Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno that the global financial crisis would render 11 million Filipinos jobless.

"We will have people affected by the financial crisis, but not in that magnitude," he added. "Let us not scare ourselves."

Pressed to provide hard data on the unemployment prospects for 2009, Roque declined, saying the department is in the middle of a survey of labor conditions in all industries. The Secretary said they will release the data before the end of January.

Based on initial reports, Roque said the number of Filipinos affected by the crisis is "not that huge." ~ Inquirer.net, 5 Jan 2009

Whatever the truth is, this year casts a grim outlook on people's financial conditions, and when that happens, it is not only depression that we should worry about. The money (if ever there's any left) set aside for health and sickness concerns quickly evaporates. The priority for spending becomes getting food on the table for the family, and seeing that people can still eat 3 square meals per day.

This is sad.

The collective move should, therefore, focus on practicing preventive health measures, because managing full-blown diseases would be more costly. Hospitalization becomes an impossible dream when people have no money. Even annual or regular check-ups with doctors might be totally written off by most people.

On Life: Adolf Merkle and Patrick Swayze

As the new year opens up, we are welcomed with news items about two opposing views on life.

One perspective of life has been tragically expressed by the German billionaire Adolf Merkle, when he succumbed to the pressures set forth by the present global financial crisis:



The second life perspective is expressed by with grave anxiety by the actor Patrick Swayze, who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer:



Two different personalities. Two different views on Life. One probably thought that ending his life is the only way he can escape the pressures of saving his business ventures. The other personality is younger, and as such, values his life dearly, and would probably do anything to get a grasp of any lasting cure for his ailment.

Whichever perspective you favor, I hope it gives you peace of mind.