filipino globe

30
filipino globe health matters
July 2007
lakbayan
filipino globe February July 2007 31
Infants have better chances of survival when breastfed exclusively in the first five months, says a UN study.
Breastfeeding decline
in RP alarms Unicef
Regional trend responsible for death of 160,000 infants
in Asia-Pacific each year, says study by health experts
About 160,000 infants die
each year in the Asia-Pacific
region due to a decline in
breastfeeding, according to a Unicef
expert.
There are “roughly 160,000
children dying annually in Eastern
and Southeastern Asia whose
deaths are attributed to something
as preventable and as imminently
correctable as sub-optimal
breastfeeding,” said UN children’s
agency (Unicef) regional adviser
Stephen Atwood.
The World Health Organization
warned that babies less than five
months old who were not exclusively
breastfed were at much higher risk of
diarrhea and pneumonia, which often
prove deadly in developing countries.
The joint WHO and Unicef
conference to promote breastfeeding
said just 35 per cent of babies in the
region were exclusively breastfed in
the first four months of their lives.
This was “an alarming threat
to child survival,” and called on
countries in the region to invest more
in promoting breastfeeding and to
warn people of “the dangers of breast
milk substitutes.”
WHO regional director Shigeru
Omi warned that “breastfeeding
“
Just 35 per
cent of babies
in the region
are exclusively
breastfed
UNICEF-WHO STUDY
On regional health trends
rates declined in most developing
countries in East Asia and the Pacific
where just over one-third of mothers
exclusively breastfeed their babies
for up to six months.”
He cited the Philippines as an
example, where the rate of exclusive
breastfeeding in the first five months
fell from 20 per cent in 1998 to 16
per cent in 2003.
The rate of exclusive breastfeeding
of babies six months old varied
widely in the region with Thailand
at 5.4 per cent and North Korea at
65.1 per cent, the WHO said in a
statement.
The WHO said an increase in
breastfeeding in Cambodia had
contributed to a sharp fall in child
mortality.
In 2000, just 11 per cent of
Cambodian mothers breastfed their
babies for the first six months. By
2005, 60 per cent were breastfeeding
which the WHO said contributed to a
steep fall in child mortality rates over
the same period.
Omi called for legislation to ban
“the inappropriate promotion of
breast milk substitutes,” especially
those which say these products can
increase the health and intelligence
of children.
He noted only the Philippines and
Palau had laws explicitly barring the
promotion of infant formula as breast
milk substitutes for babies below the
age of one.
Milk firms file lawsuit over extended formula ban
A debate over breast-feeding
versus bottle feeding has reached
the the Philippine Supreme Court,
with health officials arguing that
aggressive advertising by foreign
companies has some women
believing formula is better than their
own milk.
The health department last year
proposed regulations to strengthen
its national milk code, which already
bans formula companies from
advertising products made for babies
less than a year old. New rules would
extend that ban to formula made for
children up to two years old.
The Pharmaceutical and Healthcare
Association of the Philippines has
sued the Health Department, arguing
only Congress has the power to
change the regulations.
The Supreme Court ordered a
temporary halt to the stiffer rules
while the case is pending.
Watch your lower back
if you feel discomfort
One of the most common
conditions encountered by
a physician is lower-back
pain. It afflicts primarily adults but
may occasionally be encountered
in adolescents and children. The
lifetime incidence of lower-back pain
is 50-70 per cent.
It can happen to anyone and I am
sure you may have experienced this
in one way or another.
Patricia Docena, writing in from
Hong Kong, wonders whether her
condition requires some form of
intervention.
We asked a colleague, Dr Antonio
de Castro, to comment.
Dr De Castro is a diplomate,
Philippine Orthopedic Association,
and an orthopedic surgeon at the
Mandaluyong City Medical Center,
Victor R Potenciano Medical Center
and Veterans Memorial Medical
Center.
He writes:
Pain in the lower back can come
from any of the anatomic structures
in this area – bones, joints and
ligaments, nerves and muscles. No
genetic predispositions are known.
Risk factors include jobs that require
heavy and repetitive lifting, use of
jackhammers and machine tools, and
operation of motor vehicles.
Smokers are at greater risk for low
back pain. Individuals above their
normal body weight are more likely
to report back pain than their lighter
counterparts.
There are many possible causes
of back pain, broadly classified into
traumatic and atraumatic conditions.
Under traumatic conditions the
following are the possible etiologies:
fractures, fracture-dislocations,
slipped disc and ligament tears.
Atraumatic causes may include
degenerative disc disease,
inflammatory arthritis, osteoporosis,
tumors, or spine misalignments.
Sufferers of this ailment may
feel discomfort in the lower back,
stiffness or numbness. This may be
confined only to the lower back but
may radiate down to one’s buttocks
further down to the foot. The pain
can be tolerable, but for others, it can
be very debilitating, affecting their
daily chores, or worse, undermine
their ability to function at work.
A number of physical examinations
may be done to test motor and
sensory functions, reflexes and
range of motion. There is no specific
laboratory test for low back pain.
If one suspects infection,
a complete blood count and
erythrocyte sedimentation rate is
performed. Urine analysis may be
needed to rule out urinary tract
infection. X-rays are not always
necessary in patients who have their
HEALTHTALK
what the doctor says
Dr Jun
Amigo
first episode of back pain, especially
if it is caused by minor trauma (such
as lifting).
If the back pain persists for
more than six weeks, radiographs
should be done. Other ancillary
procedures may also be done such
as the computed tomography or CT
scan, which is useful in detecting
bone abnormalities and magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) to detect
the soft tissue defects and nerve
compressions.
How do we treat this condition?
Most patients with low back pain
can be treated conservatively
(non-operative) with rest, antiinflammatory
medications, and
physical therapy. Prolonged bed rest
is usually not beneficial.
The good news is 90 per cent
of the time, conservative relief is
successful and only 10 per cent
usually end up under the knife
(surgery).
The different operative procedures
for back pain are based on the
“ Smokers are at
greater risk for
low back pain, as
well as individuals
above their normal
body weight
nature of the individual’s problem.
Decompression procedures, removal
of arthritic joints, fusion with or
without spinal instrumentation are
just some of the more common
procedures done, but this entails a lot
of expense.
Prevention is still a key in
avoiding low back pain. Several
reminders that may go a long way.
Avoid carrying heavy loads. If you
are trying to pick up something on
the floor, bend your knees ,not your
back. Carry loads near your body.
Do back and abdominal exercises
and aerobic conditioning. If you are
driving, place a lumbar support. If
you do a lot of sitting, stand up and
stretch once in a while.
health@filglobe.com
If you have questions about health, send them to us and we
will try our best to answer them with expert opinion. With
Dr Jun Amigo, chief surgical resident at the Mandaluyong
City Medical Center, as moderator, this forum will feature
specialists on the chosen topic. Please note that this is not
intended as a medical consultation and readers are strongly
advised to see their doctor for proper advice. To contact
us, please visit our website www.filglobe.com and click on
“health@filglobe.com” to send your queries.
You enter the island through a concrete jetty (above) and hop on a tram bus (below) for a quick tour. The massive guns fell silent more than 50 years ago, but images of the war remain
fresh in the memory, such as the Malinta Tunnel and a Spanish lighthouse (below, right), which survived the bombings. A high-speed catamaran (bottom) will take you to Corregidor.
Peace was won on this little island
More than a tourist
attraction, Corregidor is
a revered piece of our
national history, writes
Gilda Medina Bernal
The voices of about 15 Filipino
high school students went up
several decibels while they
scampered for their seats on the front
row of the Sun Cruise catamaran. A
few minutes later, several Japanese
men in their 60s quietly settled
comfortably in one corner.
Three American men shortly
followed. Wearing jersey shirts and
hunting huts, they were bragging
about their travels in Asia.
A female voice on the PA system
announcing the tour’s guidelines was
engulfed by the frenetic mood inside
the ship, along with shrieks from
kids running around.
It was a warm Sunday morning, a
perfect day for a cruise, and a history
tour. At exactly 8:15, the ship started
to sail slowly towards its destination
– Corregidor Island. It was a onehour
journey and the tourists were all
probably thinking of the same thing
– what’s on this island?
“It’s a rock and a fun place,” says
a travel program shown on television
during the trip. But according to
historians, this solitary piece of rock
shaped like a tadpole is more than
just that.
The island lies between Cavite
and Bataan, with a land area of
only nine square kilometers. It is
known by many as the place where
General Douglas MacArthur was
stationed during World War II. It
was a key military defense station
of the Allied Forces. But not too
many knew it also became the seat
of the Philippine Commonwealth
government under President Manuel
Quezon. This was also where
General Jonathan Wainwright
surrendered the entire Philippines to
the Japanese invaders in May 1942.
Before this, MacArthur was pulled
out of Corregidor and travelled to
Australia where he vowed to return
to the Philippines.
Corregidor was ravaged by the
Japanese, earning its place on the
map as one of the most bombed
fortresses in the world in proportion
to its size. “Corregidor Island was at
the center of the war,” says Richard
Andrada, a tour guide.
“When the Japanese were starting
to fortify the island, they did not
realise that the Allied Forces were
also getting ready to recapture
Corregidor, bringing back its glory as
a bastion of defense”.
MacArthur returned to the
Philippines following the recapture
of Corregidor in March 1945.
The war has long been over.
MacArthur and Quezon are long
gone but their statues stand on the
island, and memories of the war
remain.
After more than 50 years,
“ After more than 50
years, Corregidor
the defense shield
is now an island of
tranquility
Corregidor the defense shield is
now an island of tranquility. It is
populated by only 200 people, who
work as guides and employees of
tour groups.
“It is very peaceful on the island.
Thousands of lives were taken here
– Filipinos, Americans and Japanese
– and we remember them everytime
we pass by the ruins, by the roads,
and by the foxholes that have became
witness to the war,” Andrada adds as
our tram bus passed by a pit where
more than 200 bodies of Japanese
were found after the war.
The Japanese, believing that to
surrender was an act of disgrace,
performed a ritual suicide by striking
their stomach with a sword or
bayonet. Some would use grenades
or jump from a cliff.
Suddenly the frenzied mood of the
tourists turned somber. The feeling
of being surrounded by the souls of
the soldiers killed in battle was eerie.
We moved on to the next landmark
and reached the massive guns of
Corregidor.
“We’ve been asking people to
take one of the barrels as a souvenir
but there are no takers,” Andrada
jokes of the mortar guns in front of
us. Several batteries, consisting of
mortar guns and ammunition, were
set up during the war. The barrel
length of one rifle was about 10 feet
and at least 14 men were needed to
maneuver the entire gun.
Just looking at the weaponry was
enough for tourists to stand still,
perhaps wondering how these guns
became instrumental in bringing
down the enemy.
The tourists were as silent as
the guns, which will not see the
destruction of another war ever
again.
As we ended our tour of the
island, it was apparent that there
was more to Philippine history than
what we learned in textbooks. For
the Japanese and the Americans,
Corregidor was as much a part of
their history as ours.
War was fought and peace was
won on Corregidor Island and
because of that, it has remained a
formidable piece of rock.