The Cost of Getting Sick

By: Benedict F. Baluyut, RMT, RFP, REB

From: Freedigitalphotos.net

“BAWAL MAGKASAKIT (DON’T GET SICK)” - This is a popularized  Filipino tagline or slogan I remember from the old TV commercials and print advertisements that were used by ad agency for a top multinational pharmaceutical company a few years ago. It speaks direct to the consumers of this product and did bring attention to the viewing public or target consumers of this popular multivitamin food supplements.

With the rapid advances and changes in Medicine and Allied Healthcare, Life expectancy has tremendously improved with people living to 100 years or more around the world and Filipinos on average have a life expectancy estimated at 71.94 years for both male and female elderly population.      

Healthcare Costs are Rising

In a 2011 study conducted by the World Health Organization, stated that almost 250,000 Filipinos families are struggling financially in terms of paying for medical treatments and health services plus the inaccessibility of health care due to high cost of this affects the people’s livelihood. Current Inflation also played an integral part in the financial hardships at an average of 4% to 5% level and so healthcare costs continue to rise. For them, paying for these services are burdensome as it ruins the financial capabilities with more debt piling up could lead to bankruptcy. The Republic Act 9502 or "Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008 have been placed in order to grant access to essential medicines especially for the Filipinos and the poor folks but it was not properly implemented.

Losing weight and being happy

SUMMERTIME is here. With a lot of people looking and finding ways to look better and make  themselves fit into their summer beach outfits and having their skin tanned a little  but then of course people tend to be conscious of their bodies. I am not spared of this even if I carry some excess pounds on my body I am still hopeful of losing anyways and being in my top form a few years ago.

I was 186 lbs and losing the extra weight was a big problem for me. It became a constant battle of keeping myself healthy and active because the current lifestyle I had that can affect my health in general. I never thought that I would still lose this extra pounds and flabs due to the fact that I became accustomed with the sedentary lifestyle I had for the past few years since—not grasping a single sports after college, eating too much junk and fast foods plus not doing enough physical activities except for some badminton games with my younger sister during free time but was to lazy with it.

I just felt sorry for myself of neglecting my physical well-being and being swamped with work plus becoming a total couch potato and watch TV all day or sit in front of a PC playing Facebook Game applications or chatting with friends. But all is not loss at all if I wanted to regain my old self again.

The badminton game and once in a blue moon jogging back in 2011 was not enough for me because I made it a mission to finish the combat and try to reach my goal of 160 lbs or roughly 73 kilogram (target weight) in the coming months up to December of this year. It was tough decision for me, but if I put my mind into focus I could surely achieve it. 

Super Size Me: Breaking up the old eating habits!

You can watch this free video courtesy of Google Videos about Morgan Spurlock's 2004 documentary, Super Size Me.

I am no longer a fan of fast food meals although I eat from time to time with these major establishments if I needed to especially during the early days I am working on early morning shift when I am unable to prepare food for breakfast. The fast food generation has grown exponentially with the rise of the easy and readily available meals plus the fact it has become very cheap on the pockets of average college students back then for those costing less than 40 pesos. It now affects the newer generation of children who are getting lots of illnesses that are related to diet and lifestyle. Count me in with this people having this problems now, I guess I paid the price of eating too much during my college years.

During our childhood years we occasionally visit this establishments on weekends and get to play with other kids on the see-saw, merry go round and the playground for kids. Children from our generation then are more active and would to go most of the time outside the house and play till dusk but now with new lots of gaming platforms and the rise age of computers gaming Children rarely go out and just play with their friends online or with a Playstation Portable (PSP) , Gameboy Advance or whatever video games available in their hands.

As a healthcare professional and a clinical laboratory scientist it is important to look after your health and the nutrition you receive especially on what you eat daily and watching out for the calories you take up. Symptoms such as dizziness, getting fatigue and high blood pressure are the signs of poor health. Blood test such as the routine chemistry examination like Lipid Profile, Blood Uric Acid, ALT and AST etc can help determine your bodily functions and how the physician can give you advise.

Cost of medical tests and other procedures are getting tantamountly high especially if you are NOT covered with medical insurances so you have to pay in CASH. As what one Vitamin commercials' slogan says, "Bawal Magkasakit" and "Prevention is Far Better than Cure" are a few sayings or quote that are definitively true. Getting sick is no pretty scene at all and I have been there alot of times and made some modifications on my lifestyle and what I eat wherein it has a tremendous effect on my personal life missing out things like drinking from time to time but for me it for the better good.

Morgan Spurlock's documentary is definitely an eye catching and shocking one but it sure caught the attention of alot of people including the major education and health departments in the United States in information dissemination of unhealthy eating habits which can affect the children now or in their later life.

I am so amazed how the Japanese people outlived other nationalities with their diet which is purely healthy, nutritious, fresh and organic food from fresh fish and vegetables and less red meat like pork and beef which is only eaten once a week.

So Eat Right, Live Right, Exercise Daily just a main advice for everyone.

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