Category Archives: Health & Medicine

Government, Health & Medicine, International, Science and Environment

PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT AQUINO PLEDGES AID TO NEIGHBOR COUNTRIES AFFECTED BY HAZE

October 26, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

People rest in the backdrop of private residential estates shrouded by haze in Singapore October 25, 2015. Indonesia is preparing warships as a last resort to evacuate children and others suffering from smoke inhalation from slash-and-burn fires, a minister said on Friday, as the country struggles to contain fires expected to continue for weeks. Southeast Asia has suffered for years from annual — People rest in the backdrop of private residential estates shrouded by haze in Singapore (Photo credit: Edgar Su/Reuters)

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – On many occasions, the Philippines has been on the receiving end of international financial and humanitarian aid following devastating natural disasters like 2013’s Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

Now, the country, most recently described as Asia’s ‘Rising Tiger,’ is poised to be on the giving end, providing much-needed relief to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Asian nations experiencing a region-wide haze brought about by agricultural fires in East and South Sumatra.

The haze has been blamed for deaths in Indonesia and respiratory illnesses in around 500,000 people. Elsewhere, it has prompted school closures, flight cancellations and virtual shutdowns of towns and cities.

The Philippine donation will come in three colors: yellow, black and red

President NoyNoy Aquino, in one of his proudest moments in office, announced to the world that his government is donating One Million portable electric fans to be distributed among the affected countries in Asia. In addition, Aquino said the Philippines will be shipping twenty containers of surgical face masks to these countries.

“This is our way of reciprocating the generosity of our Asian neighbors and other foreign governments when it was the Philippines that was needing help and humanitarian relief,” Aquino said.

“The fans will help blow away the haze and the masks will prevent further respiratory illnesses.”

Indeed, a great gesture from the Rising Tiger. No long the ‘Sick Man of Asia.’

Food, Health & Medicine, International

HAWAII UP IN ARMS AGAINST WHO ON CANCER STUDY

October 26, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

HONOLULU, Hawaii (The Adobo Chronicles) – First, it was the Filipino longganisa and tocino makers that were up in arms against the World Health Organization (WHO) for releasing a study that concludes processed meat causes cancer.

Now, all of Hawaii is protesting against the international organization for one reason: SPAM musubi.

SPAM, of course, is the canned processed meat manufactured by Minnesota-based Hormel Foods. Like all other processed meat products, SPAM is preserved by using a carcinogenic ingredient known as sodium nitrate, which WHO says is responsible for causing cancer.

SPAM musubi is a popular snack and lunch food in Hawaii composed of a slice of grilled SPAM on top of a block of rice, wrapped together with nori dried seaweed in the tradition of Japanese omusubi.

Inexpensive and portable, SPAM musubi are commonly found near cash registers in ABC stores, refrigerated sections of supermarkets and hole-in-the-wall food outlets and trucks all over Hawaii.

Even the McDonald’s chain stores in the islands serve SPAM as part of their island breakfast menu of SPAM, Portuguese sausage (another cancer-causing food), eggs and rice.

Hawaii residents are planning to form a human chain along the entire stretch of Waikiki Beach this Sunday to register their protest against WHO.

“Leave our SPAM alone,” one Filipino Hawaii resident exclaimed as he ordered his island breakfast at McDonald’s on Kalakaua Avenue.

Food, Health & Medicine

LONGGANISA, TOCINO MAKERS DISPUTE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION PRONOUNCEMENT ON CANCER

October 26, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – What would a Filipino breakfast be like without longganisa (sausage) and tocino (pork or chicken cured meat)? Both, of course, are processed meats which the World Health Organization (WHO) is now officially saying cause cancer.

WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in a report released in the Lancet medical journal, says that many studies show the links between cancer and the consumption of hot dog, bacon, red meat and processed pork, beef and lamb.

“These findings further support current public health recommendations to limit intake of meat,” Dr. Christopher Wild, who directs IARC, said in a statement.

Edgardo de la Cruz, president of the National Association of Longganisa and Tocino Makers (NALTM) said his group disputes the WHO findings, saying that Filipinos (and Filipino expatriates) have been eating their products every morning for many decades without any reports of increased cancer incidence.

“It is unfair to single out processed meat among the many food products and beverages that do, indeed, cause cancer,” de la Cruz said, adding, “We demand that WHO retract its statement because it will have a very serious impact on the longganisa and tocino business.”

NALTM is afraid that the WHO announcement will cause heart attack among small business owners who depend on longannisa and tocino-making, much more than processed meat will cause cancer.