Category Archives: advice

Open Our Eyes

21 November 2020

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(I was recently asked by my church to give a message to our local congregation. This is what I shared, a message for the current times.)

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A man was walking in the woods. It was very foggy and it was getting dark so visibility was poor. Because he cannot see, he walked straight off into a cliff. Luckily as he was falling he was able to grab a bush that was growing at the side of the cliff. He then looked up and he cannot see where he fell off. He looked down, and he cannot see the bottom of the cliff for it was dark and foggy. So there he was clinging on a bush, hanging for dear life.

He then started shouting for help. “Help! Is there anybody out there, help!”

Unbeknownst to him, the bottom of the cliff was less than 6 feet from where he was hanging and it was a sandy floor. But he cannot see that. So he continued hanging and shouting for help.

Then a voice came to him, “I can help you.” He was startled but relieved. He asked, “Who are you?” The voice answered back, “I am God.” Then he pleads, “Please God help me!” The voice told him, “Let go of the bush.” The man heard it, but he again pleads, “Lord help me!” Then the voice came again, this time more firmly, “Let go of the bush.”

The man thought intently for a few seconds, then shouted back, “Is there anybody else out there?”

Many times we only listen to what we wanted to hear. I pray that as we receive God’s message to us this morning, that we listen, even if it’s not what we wanted to hear.

Troubled Times

We are living in an alarming and troubled times. So we will study for today a story that happened during an alarming and troubled times as well.

The story we have for this morning is found in 2 Kings 6: 8-23

8 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” 9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.” 10 Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.

The king of Syria, Ben-Hadad II, was at war with the king of Israel, Jehoram, son of Ahab and Jezebel. It was not an all out war, but more of guerrilla tactics. He wanted to ambush the King of Israel. But every time he would make a plan or move his army to one place, the king of Israel would learn about it and would avoid to go to that place and the plan of the king of Syria was foiled. This happened several times. How did Israel get their intel? Israel had a secret weapon. Elisha the prophet, who was like a radar, would give warning to the king of Israel.

11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

So the king of Syria was frustrated. He thought there was a mole in his court. Then somebody told him that there was a prophet in Israel that can know whatever he says or plans even in his bedroom. The walls have ears! It’s like having the phone wire-tapped or the rooms having secret surveillance video cameras.

You now what? That’s the same way for us. God knows what’s going on in our day to day living. Whatever actions and thoughts we have, whether good or bad, God knows.

13 So he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him.” And it was told him, saying, “Surely he is in Dothan.”

So the king of Syria wanted to capture the prophet. Was that a foolish move? If Elisha knows what he’s planning against the king of Israel, surely he would also know what is being planned against him?

So he sent spies to know where Elisha was, and he got a report that Elisha was in a small town, named Dothan.

Dothan is a small shepherd town. It is not a fortified city. One other time this place was mentioned in the Bible was when Joseph, son of Jacob, was looking for his brothers who were tending the sheep, and he found them in Dothan, meaning “two wells,” which is a famous pasture land. This is the place where Joseph was thrown into a well, and his colorful coat was torn, and where he was sold to merchants going to Egypt. So this is the place where Joseph’s misery began. But what was meant to do him evil, after several years turned into a blessing, as we all know his story. For that’s the God we serve, He can turn curses into blessings.

14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

The the king of Syria sent an army of horses and chariots (tanks and Black Hawk helicopters), and under the cloak of darkness, in stealth mode, they surrounded the town of Dothan, and blocked every gates and passageways. For the residents inside the town there was no way out.

15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

Picture this, the young servant of Elisha was just waking up. Perhaps he wanted to start the day early. He probably went to the well to get water, then he noticed that there was a different glimmer around the town. As the rays of the rising sun was hitting the pasture land he saw something shining around the town. He squinted and he saw that it was the shiny metal armors of a big army. There were soldiers, war horses, and chariots. He squinted some more and he noticed that that was not the army of Israel, but that was the army of Syria! He looked not just in one direction, but all around him, and realized that the whole town was fully surrounded. This is bad!

So he woke up Elisha and blurted, “Alas my master! What shall we do?”

Let’s pause for a moment here. We know the end of the story but let’s dwell for minute in this particular stage of the story of “Alas my master, what shall we do?”

Have we experienced something similar? Maybe not as dire as this, or maybe it was more dire than this. Maybe you were a soldier and you were in a foxhole and bullets were flying all around you. Maybe it was not that dramatic, you were sitting in a doctor’s office, and the doctor told you, “Sorry, it is cancer and it is advanced.” Or you were at work, and your employer told you, “Sorry, but we are letting you go.” Or you were in an attorney’s office signing the final paper work of your divorce. Or other more situations that the problem was overwhelming you, and you blurted out, “Alas my master, what shall we do?”

Chariots of Fire

But Elisha was not afraid. Why? Let’s read.

16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 

With God on our side we always have the advantage. Even if it’s just you against the world if God is with you, you are already the majority.

1 John 4:4 – The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Yet perhaps the young servant was not convinced with Elisha’s words of reassurance. Perhaps he was still shaking in his sandals. He cannot come to grips of the sight of the large Syrian army surrounding them. So Elisha prayed to God, a prayer not for himself, for he already knew of his deliverance, but he offered a prayer for this young servant.

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 

God lifted the veil between the earthly realm and the spiritual realm and allowed this young man to see that the mountains around Dothan was full of army of angels riding fiery chariots. Suddenly the Syrian army became insignificant. Suddenly the enemy’s army looked so puny compared to the heavenly army.

Are we like the servant of Elisha? Do we lack the eyes of faith? I pray that God will open our eyes that we may see that there is a host of angels around us, even right now as I speak. May God open our eyes to realize that He never leaves us. May God open our eyes to remember that He is always in control no matter what the circumstances may be. Yes, there’s social and political unrest. Yes, there’s financial crunch. Yes, there’s a raging pandemic. But God is still in control.

Procession of the Blind

Then when the Syrian army tried to advance, Elisha prayed once more, he asked to release the horses and chariots of fire and scorch the Syrian army! No? That’s not what your Bible version says?

18 So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

Elisha did not pray to kill the Syrian army, for God has a better plan. He prayed that the Syrians be blinded. In one prayer he asked for his young servant to have his eyes open, and in one prayer he asked for the soldiers to have their eyes be blinded. God can open eyes and He can shut the eyes.

In the Bible, there were other people that were blinded by God. Remember Saul who became Paul? When he became blind, he was able to listen more to what God was calling him to do. He was blinded so he can see. What a contradiction. Do we need to be blinded so we could be free of the world’s distractions? Do we need to be blinded so we can listen more intently to what God was calling us for? Do we need to be blinded for us to realize that we are really helpless so that we rely solely in God?

The term used in this verse that was translated as blindness is not the same term used for the illness of being blind that is the lack of sight, but rather the term used meant to dazzle or confuse. Maybe like a deer in the headlights.

19 Now Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” But he led them to Samaria.

Elisha then told the army that they are in the wrong place and their GPS was set wrong and they are looking for the wrong person. So he led them to Samaria, the capital of Northern Israel, which is a fortified city.

Dothan is 12 miles away from Samaria. That’s almost a half-marathon away. I have run several half-marathons before, and it took me more than 2 hours to finish that course. I am sure this Syrian army was not running and was traveling more slowly as they were blind and being led. So I surmise that most likely it took them 4 hours or more to cover that distance. If you’re blind and you are being led to cross an unfamiliar street, that maybe hard. But being led and walking for more than 4 hours not knowing where you are going, must be like an eternity.

Imagine this, Elisha was guiding the lead horse and the rest of the horses, chariots and the army were following – like a parade. When they approached Samaria the watchmen at the wall probably saw them from afar. They gave the signal “Enemy approaching!” And they prepared for battle. But as they came closer, Israel’s army noted – wait a minute, this Syrian army was not ready for combat, they were just having a procession, and they were being led by Elisha of all people!

Elisha called out to open the gates. Then he led the army of Syria inside the city walls and then the gates were closed. Elisha prayed again.

20 So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and there they were, inside Samaria!

Again a prayer to open the eyes. And what did the Syrian soldiers see when they came into their senses? They were in the middle of Israel’s territory. They looked around and saw that Israelites soldiers up on the the walls have their arrows and spears aimed at them. The Israelite army was surrounding them with their swords drawn out ready to strike them. What a surprising sight for the Syrian army.

The circumstance had changed! Before they were the hunter surrounding the prey. Or so they thought. But now they were the prey and they were cornered. God can turn around our circumstances. He will fight our battle. We only need to trust in Him.

If Your Enemy Is Hungry

21 Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?” 22 But he answered, “You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” 

The king of Israel was excited like a child inside a candy store. Shall I kill them all? Shall I give the command “open fire!” But Elisha said, no! These are really not captives, these are my guests. Don’t kill them, give them food and drink. After all they were tired from walking 12 long miles.

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,
And the Lord will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22)

There is something more of this giving food and drink. In the Eastern cultures there is a custom that if you eat together or share a meal together, that is like a covenant that you are at peace with each other and are now united as one.

23 Then he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel.

This story gave us a lesson of how to deal with our enemies – Kill them with kindness. It should not always be an “eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” kind-of-justice. Mahatma Gandhi said “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”

I believe that there are more eyes being opened here that was not directly mentioned in the story. Yes there was the young servant’s eyes opened to see the chariots of fire, and the eyes of the Syrian army that were blinded and then opened to see that they were inside the walls of Samaria. I believe that Elisha was also trying to open the eyes of the king of Israel and the Israelites to the truth that we should repay good for evil. Just like what Jesus says:

Matthew 5:43- 48 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

For us today, I pray that our eyes be opened to see that this world is already full of hate. That people don’t like each other. People don’t trust each other. Not just in the opposite sides of the political fence, or opposite sides of any social movement, or whatever race, creed, religion or beliefs we belong to – there is already so much hate and anger in this world. May God open our eyes that what this world needs is that we love those who hates us, pray for those who curse us, and that we do good to those who do us evil. That the world may know that we are His children and He is our God.

Amazing Grace

I would like to end with a story from the post-apartheid era in South Africa. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was meeting and was gathered to reach a verdict on a particularly brutal case involving an elderly woman. A group of white police officers, led by a Mr. van de Broek, admitted their personal responsibility in the death of the woman’s eighteen-year old son. They acknowledged shooting him, setting his body on fire, and partying around the fire until the body was reduced to ashes. Eight years later, the same officers took the woman’s husband into captivity. The woman was forced to watch while the officers doused her husband with gasoline and then ignited him in fire. The last words her husband spoke to her, in the midst of the blaze were ‘Forgive them.’

Now the time had come for justice to be served. Those involved had confessed their guilt, and the Commission turned to the woman for a final statement regarding her desire for an appropriate punishment.

“I want three things”, the woman said calmly. “I want Mr. van de Broek to take me to the place where they burned my husband’s body. I would like to gather up the dust and give him a decent burial.

“Second, Mr. van de Broek took all my family away from me and I still have a lot of love to give. Twice a month, I would like for him to come to the ghetto and spend a day with me so that I can be a mother to him.

“Third, I would like Mr. van de Broek to know that he is forgiven by God, and that I forgive him, too. And, I would like someone to come and lead me by the hand to where Mr. van de Broek is, so that I can embrace him and he can know my forgiveness is real.”

As the elderly woman made her way across the silent courtroom, van de Broek reportedly fainted, overcome by emotion. And then the silence was broken when someone began singing, ‘Amazing Grace.’ Soon others joined in singing the familiar hymn, that the entire courtroom was filled with singing.

Lord, open our eyes that we may do good rather than evil, that we may sow love instead of hate, that we might sought forgiveness rather than revenge. This is my prayer.

(*photo from israelmyglory.org)

Mountains of Challenges

4 October 2020

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(I was asked by my aunt in California to give an inspirational message for their virtual church. Here is what I shared.)

It is October. In only a couple of months, this year will end. And what a difficult time it has been this year 2020 to many of us, if not to all of us. I know many of us would rather forget this year and just want it to go away. The funny thing is, this year could not even claim the notoriety it will be known for, as COVID is named COVID-19 and not COVID-20.

The past several months was a constant struggle. It was a like an unending mountain climb. It was one challenge after another. However, these mountains of challenges can strengthen us and can fortify our commitment.

In 1923 when a reporter from New York Times ask George Mallory, an English mountaineer, why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, his answer was simple. He said, “Because it’s there.” What he’s saying is, it was there waiting to be conquered.

Mount Everest

Mallory’s first 2 attempts to climb Mount Everest end up in failures. But he did not give up. On his 3rd expedition to climb Everest, he never came back. He and his companion was last spotted in an upper ridge about 250 meters below the summit. Did he finally make it to the summit? We don’t know, for he did not survive to tell us the story. One thing for sure, he is committed to his cause.

There are some stories in the Bible of people who went up the mountains. One of them is David. But David did not climb the mountain for mountaineering nor for physical recreation. He ran to the mountain to escape and to save his life. This was during the time when he was running away from King Saul who wants to kill him. We can say that David was going through a difficult time in his life. One of the places he stayed is the wilderness of Ein Gedi, where there are rugged hills and stony cliffs.

Ein Gedi

During that time that he was running from one mountain to another, and was hiding from one cave to another cave, that he was inspired to write this:

I look up toward the mountains.
    Where can I find help?
My help comes from the Lord,
    the maker of heaven and earth. Psalms 121:1-2

For us Christians we should view these mountains of challenges in a different perspective. These difficult trials provides us the chance to realize that God never leaves us and it gives us the opportunity to witness how powerful our God is.

When I was growing up in Sampaloc Manila, I have posters on the walls of my tiny room. I could have a poster of my favorite basketball player Robert Jaworski. I don’t know if any of you even knew him. Or I could have a picture of a famous movie star. My favorite during my high school days was Phoebe Cates, but I didn’t have a poster of her either. Instead, my posters are photos of beautiful landscapes with inspirational message in them.

The poster beside my bed was a photo of a huge rock mountain. It is actually a butte that towers over a plain. I did not know at that time what mountain it was and where it was until I came to the US a decade and a half later. I found out that the rock mountain on my poster was aptly named the Devils Tower, and it is located in Crook County, Wyoming. On my poster, underneath the photo of this rock mountain are this words: Faith moves mountains.

Yes, my brothers and sisters, there are no mountains high enough that the devil can throw in front of us that our God cannot move.

Devils Tower

Matthew 17:20 – “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Few years ago, we were blessed to visit Israel. During one of our trips our bus was traveling to Bethlehem, and I saw that Bethlehem was a hilly region. I could only imagine that in one of those hills are where the shepherds were when the angels appeared to them. But the tour guide asked us to look beyond Bethlehem hills and direct our sight to a strange-looking mountain in the distance. It was truncated and cone-shaped.

It was a strange-looking mountain because it was man-made. The mountain was named Herodium, a fortress that Herod the Great constructed, about 5 kilometers southeast of Bethlehem. This was the same King Herod that tried to kill Jesus by slaughtering all the male infants in the region.

As history recorded it, when Herod the Great, was searching for a place to build his home and fortress, there was not a mountain high enough for him to build this structure. Instead there were two hills near each other at the site where he wanted it.

So what did Herod do? He cut down one hill and with an army of laborers he placed the pared hill on top of the other hill to make it higher, one bucket of dirt and rocks at a time. He literally moved a mountain.

Herodium

When Jesus and his disciples were having discussion about faith, they were probably looking at this Herod’s mountain, which was hard to miss in the Judaean desert. Its dominating presence was a constant reminder of an oppressive yet very powerful regime. It was a common knowledge of that time how Herod moved a mountain.

So when Jesus told his disciples that if they have faith as small as a mustard seed, they can tell a mountain to move and it will move, He was telling them that they don’t need an army of laborers to move a mountain like what King Herod did. That if they have faith they can be greater than King Herod the Great. With faith they can be more powerful than the most powerful king of their land. With faith they can be mightier than the mightiest ruler of their time.

Yes, our God is powerful and He can move mountains. And if we have faith in Him there should not be any mountain of challenges that we cannot conquer.

May God bless us all.

(*photos from the web)

Sakit sa Balakang: Final Answer

21 August 2018

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Mula nang aking isulat ang “Question and Answer: Sakit sa Balakang” bilang katugunan sa tanong ng isang reader, ay naging isa ito sa pinakamabenta na entry sa aking blog. Laging mahigit sa isang daan visitors ang sumisilip nito araw-araw.

Mahigit sa dalawampu’t pitong libo (27,000) na ang bumasa ng artikulong ito mula nang aking iakda ito noong Septyembre 29, 2016. Meron na ring mahigit kumulang isang daan (100) na readers ang sumulat sa akin ng katanungan na may kinalaman sa sakit sa likod at balakang simula rin noon.

Base sa mga bilang na ito, ay aking napag-alaman na marami pa ring mga tao ang naliligaw sa aking munting blog. Hindi pa rin naman nilalangaw at may sumusubaybay pa ring mga mambabasa. Marami pong salamat sa patuloy ninyong pagtangkilik.

Akin ring natuklasan na napakarami palang mga Pilipino ang may sakit sa balakang. Bakit kaya? Ano bang pinagkakaabalahan nating mga Pilipino at marami ang may sakit sa balakang?

Sa mga sumulat at nagtanong, wala namang nagsabi na sila ay nagtatanim ng palay. Alam kong maaring sanhi ng sakit sa likod at balakang ang pagtatanim ng palay. Ika nga ng ating folk song:

Magtanim ay ‘di biro, maghapong nakayuko,

Di naman makaupo, ‘di nama makatayo.

Sa lahat ng mga sumulat at nagtanong, ay akin naman po itong sinikap na sagutin sa abot ng aking makakaya, kahit halos magkakatulad naman ang inyong mga katanungan. Siguro kung talagang sumingil ako ng 5 choc-nut sa lahat ng nagtanong, tulad ng aking binaggit sa aking artikulo, ay marahil may ‘sangkatutak na garapon na ako ng choc-nut ngayon.

Ngunit hindi po ito tungkol sa choc-nut, o anumang bayad na aking sinisingil sa mga nagtatanong at kumukunsulta.

Akin pong inilathala ang artikulong “Question and Answer: Sakit sa Balakang” upang magbigay ng pangkalahatang kaalaman tungkol sa sakit na ito. Hindi ko po intensiyon na mag-diagnose ng indibiduwal na sakit ng isang tao, at lalong hindi ko po intensiyon na magbigay lunas sa indibiduwal na tao.

Isa pa, sa aking tingin, ay hindi po ligtas na magbigay ako ng espisipikong opinyon o diagnosis sa isang taong may sakit, lalo na’t hindi ko alam ang buong salaysay ng mga pangyayari, at hindi ko rin naman nakita o na-examen ang pasyente.  Sa halip na makatulong ay maari ko pa kayong mailigaw ng daan.

Dahil po rito, ay hindi ko na po masasagot ang mga magtatanong tungkol sa kanilang espisipikong sakit, o kung ano ang kanilang iniinda, o kung ano ang espisipikong gamot sa inyong sakit. Huwag naman sana ninyong ikagalit kung hindi ko na po sasagutin ang iyong mga tanong. Kahit pa isang buwang supply ng choc-nut po ang ialok ninyo sa akin.

Ang pinamabuting payo kong maibibigay sa inyo sa ngayon ay matapos ninyong basahin ang artikulong “Sakit sa Balakang” at kayo ay mayroong sakit na iniinda, ay magpatingin po kayo sa inyong lokal na duktor, at sila ang magda-diagnose at gagamot sa inyo. Sana po ay inyong maunawaan ang mungkahi kong ito sa inyo.

Maraming salamat po.

*********

PS. Sa mga nagtatanong din kung paano gumawa ng gayuma o ng anting-anting, o kung paano mang-kulam o labanan ang kulam, ay huwag na ninyo akong gambalain pa at hindi ko naman kayo matutulungan tungkol diyan.

 

Three Wishes for the New Year

11 January 2018

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I know January is almost half-way, but I hope this New Year’s wishes are not too late. My wishes for you, yes you who are reading this, are:

1. To remain in good health.

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Being healthy though is not an accident. It is a constant choice of having healthy habits and lifestyle. It is well-known that the top new year’s resolution is about getting healthier. We also know that membership to local gyms spikes in January. Unfortunately, some of the people who were so eager to “live healthy” at the beginning of the year fall off the wagon, so to speak, in a few months or even weeks after their resolution.

Joining a local health club might help motivate you, but it is not really needed to stay healthy, as there are a thousand other ways to do it. The key is sticking to whatever resolution you made.

2. To experience warmth and love in your family.

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In today’s society, in our pursuit of our dreams, sometimes we forget the more important things in this life. What does it mean to have a job promotion, or a better pay, or a bigger house, or a more luxurious ride, if our relationships with our spouse, or our children, or with our family in general are wanting?

Invest more time with your family, for that’s what really matters. Nobody in their deathbed wishes that they should have spent more time in the office or that they could have had a bigger TV. It’s the failed relationships that they are regretful of.

3. To live a life with a purpose.

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To have a meaningful existence, we should have a purpose in this life. Whether that be to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, or to save the Galapagos penguins, or to be the best shoe repairman in the world, or be the best dad to your children are all good ambitions.

That purpose in life cannot be decided by somebody else. You have to determine that for yourself.

Actually the above wishes and aspirations are for myself. But I’m glad to share them with you. May we all have a prosperous new year.

 

(*all photos taken with an iPhone)

Looking at the Horizon: A New Year’s Message 2018

31 December 2017

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(This message was delivered during a local church’s gathering on New Year’s Eve.)

In a few hours, we will be saying goodbye to this year and we’ll be embarking on a new year. Happy New Year!

The month of January is named after the Roman god Janus, the god of beginnings and of endings, and transitions. He is usually depicted as having two faces, facing back to back, one looking at the past and the other one looking at the future.

At this particular crossroad of time – the end of the old year, and the beginning of the new year – perhaps that’s what we ought to do: to look and evaluate the past, but also look and plan for the future.

Earlier this year, we were blessed with a trip to the Holy Land. We visited a place called Mount Nebo, which is located near Madaba, Jordan, or in Biblical times it is known as the land of the Moabites. The mountain is pretty high that it provides a panoramic view of the surrounding areas around it, including the land known as the Biblical Canaan.

As we were enjoying the view, the tour guide was giving insights and explaining the significance of this place to our group, while another group near us was having a devotional and they were singing the hymn “I am bound for the Promised Land.”

Where we were, is the place where Moses stood. And while Moses was looking at this same horizon that we were viewing, perhaps he was looking back at his life. But God also let him see the future and showed him the entire Promised Land, and the specific areas where certain tribes of Israel would settle. Since he was able to see details (recorded in Deuteronomy 34) that can only be seen with powerful binoculars, I believe God miraculously let him see Canaan with an assisted vision.

Yet the irony of this is, Moses never set foot in that land, for he died and was buried there in Mount Nebo.

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Moses, the chosen liberator of Israel, who led his people out of Egypt, and who dedicated his life leading the Israelites to enter Canaan, was not allowed to enter it. So unlike the song, Moses was not bound for the Promised Land.

Was Moses a failure then? Not at all!

Sometimes when we look at our past, we may feel that we are a failure, for we were not able to accomplish what we were supposed to accomplish. We may feel that we are losers for we are not where we wanted to be. Sometimes we feel like a disappointment for we started something but was not able to complete it.

Perhaps you’re thinking that you should have graduated from college by now, but instead you still have a couple of semesters to go since you shifted course. Or perhaps you’re thinking that you should have that high-paying dream job that you always wanted, but instead you’re stuck in a job you don’t really want. We may have started to work on a project, and now, it is still a project!

Friends, what we fail to understand, is that God may have some other plans for us. That God has a different destination for us, and we have just not realized it yet. Or God could have appointed you to begin that task, and He appointed somebody else to finish it. Just like in the case of Moses, where Joshua took over for him.

More importantly, when Moses stood there in Mount Nebo, while looking at the Promised Land from afar, he did not complain on why he was not allowed to enter the land that is promised to his ancestors, a land that was described as “flowing with milk and honey,” a destination I’m sure Moses wanted to be a part of. Instead, he humbly accepted God’s plan for him.

Moses may have not entered the Promised Land here on earth, yet God took him to a far better place, which is in heaven.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

As we stand here in the Mount Nebo of the year 2017, and as we look at the horizon to the year 2018, I pray that it will be prosperous for each one of us. I hope that it will be flowing with milk and honey. And for the lactose-intolerant, flowing with soy milk and honey.

As we set our goals for the coming year, may we not forget that all our plans here on earth are just temporary, for our ultimate destination is the Promised Land, the heavenly Canaan.

God bless us all, and again Happy New Year!

Don’t Lose Your Head

11 September 2017

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Perhaps you’ve heard of the advice that goes something like this: Be careful, or you’re gonna lose your head.

For some creatures, apparently this warning should be taken literally.

One morning last week, while I was working at our clinic, I noticed a praying mantis resting on our glass window. Our office room is one huge room that I share with my other partners.

One doctor partner of mine also saw the praying mantis and nonchalantly said that female praying mantis sometimes chomp off the head and eat their male partner after they mate or even while they are mating.

What?!!

I don’t think I heard that fact before. Maybe I was absent that day or missed that lesson during my biology class in high school and college. I know some creatures cannibalize their mates. The most notorious perhaps is the black widow spider, that’s why they are named such.

Other creatures that kill their mate after copulation includes the jumping spider, some scorpions, and some octopus. You probably have heard the song, “Love Hurts” by the rock band Nazareth. But for these creatures, love kills!

Our office secretary also overheard our conversation, and started ‘googleling’ some facts and videos about praying mantis.

I learned that mantids (plural of mantis) have 2 large eyes and 3 smaller ones and have stereo-vision. They can also rotate their head 180 degrees, enabling them to scan their whole surrounding. But maybe that’s the reason they are decapitated by their female mate, so they won’t look around anymore for another mate.

By the way, they are called “praying” mantis, because they have a stance that their front legs are folded like they are praying. The word “mantis” in Greek means prophet or seer. But don’t be fooled with this angelic pose, for they are deadly predators, preying on smaller insects. Bigger mantis can even prey on lizards, frogs, and birds. Yes, they prey even on their mates! They should be called “preying” mantis.

Such an opposite meaning between praying and preying. Do we sometimes give a different impression than who we really are? Do we hide horns underneath the halo? Maybe those mantids are just praying before they prey on their meal.

So back to my story, after hearing more facts from our secretary, courtesy of Dr. Google, we wondered whether the mantis on our window is a male or a female. Doctors can be very inquisitive, you know.

We learned that differentiating a male from a female praying mantis is quite simple. A male mantis has 8 abdominal segments, while the female has only 6.

So we looked closely on the praying mantis on our window whose belly is very visible to us. We determined that it is a male.

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praying mantis on our window

Doctors can determine the sex of the fetus or an unborn baby by looking at ultrasound images. They can determine the sex of a skeletal remains by anthropometric measures and bone features. They can even determine the sex where a tissue sample came from by doing genetic testing. But in our case, we also determined the sex of a praying mantis by simply looking at its belly.

After learning all these, we said to the mantis, “Be careful buddy, or you’re gonna lose your head.”

I guess, the warning applies to humans too, especially for the young ones. Many times we lose our head, in a sense that when the ‘love bug’ bit us, we lose our mind and we abandon our thinking brain, as we behave and act against all reasoning.

As Francisco Balagtas, a Filipino poet wrote long time ago in his work Florante at Laura:

O pag-ibig na makapangyarihan, pag pumasok sa puso nino man, hahamakin ang lahat masunod ka lamang.

(Love, all-powerful thou art, when you enter anyone’s heart, all will be abandoned, just to follow thy path.)

To all lovers out there, not just for the mantids, please keep your head.

*******

(*English interpretation of the excerpt from Florante and Laura is my own translation.)

 

Eclipsing the Eclipse

22 August 2017

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They said that it was the greatest show under the sun. The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, billed as the Eclipse of the Century or also referred as the Great American Eclipse was visible within a band across the entire United States. The last solar eclipse that was seen across the contiguous United States was in 1918.

Where I live now, which is in Central Iowa, we only have partial eclipse, but it is still 95% cover. But if I want to see a total solar eclipse, all I need to do is drive about two hours west, or two hours south of me, and I will be in that narrow band of total solar eclipse path. Two hours travel is nothing. When I was still in Manila, it takes two hours just to cross EDSA.

There were places that I know that advertised their town or city as “the destination” for the best viewing area for the total eclipse. Their hotels were fully booked months before the event. I know some friends of mine tried to book a hotel on these popular places but were not able. Though they were still able to find hotels in smaller towns nearby.

In one place, they made their city parks and regional airport as the designated viewing place, but you have to reserve a spot for parking weeks before the event as they expect a wave of visitors. Of course there’s a fee involved. In another place, it was a military base that they assigned to welcome eclipse travelers, but again you need to reserve a slot there. Perhaps all the streets in these prime towns and cities suddenly have parking meters.

Even several weeks before the solar eclipse, I already knew that I am not working that day. It’s because I would be on-call the weekend before, so I am off that Monday. Thus I considered going to those prime viewing places. However, I learned that by that time, summer vacation is over and my children will be back in school already, and so I did not make any early plans.

As the event got nearer, and the hype for the eclipse got hotter, I thought that maybe we don’t even need to stay overnight in those choice places. I could easily drive early morning that day as it is just 2 hours away from us, and the time of the solar eclipse is not until around noontime anyway. And even if I have not made any parking reservation in those viewing areas, I thought I could just park in their town’s Wal-Mart.

Few days before the eclipse, I still have not procured the recommended glasses which is needed to safely view the solar eclipse. I tried to look for the certified eclipse glasses in the stores around our area, but all of them have sold out. I want to see the solar eclipse but I also don’t want to go blind. It was really poor planning on my part.

The weekend of my duty came. I worked and was on-call for an ungodly long time of almost 60 hours straight. Besides being so busy it was depressing too. In one stretch of time, we even had a string of deaths in the ICU that Sunday. I was just glad it’s over.

Solar eclipse by the way, for the superstitious, is regarded as an evil omen. The word “eclipse” comes from the Greek word “ekleipsis,” which means “an abandonment.” Thus it is not a surprise that civilizations throughout history associate it for bad things to happen.

Come Monday, the day of the eclipse, I was awakened by lightning and thunderstorm. I checked on the weather and found out that it will be raining the whole day in our area. Rats! So much for viewing the solar eclipse.

I also checked on those areas where I initially planned on driving to see the totality of the eclipse, and the weather forecast there was cloudy too for the whole day. Suddenly I felt bad for those people who made such elaborate arrangements and plans to view the solar eclipse, only to be disappointed by the cloudy weather.

I end up just visiting my daughter in her university which is also two-hour drive away. But it was north of us and going farther away from the band of the total solar eclipse path. I reasoned, If I’m not able to see the total eclipse due to the weather, at least I’m seeing my daughter.

When we arrived at the university, it was cloudy there too. The university have even arranged an eclipse viewing party. Outside the university campus, in the town center, there were also lots of kids and their parents gathered outside the public library with their lounge chairs and eclipse glasses. But all were disappointed, as the sun can be barely seen due to the cloudy skies.

Below is the best we were able to get a glimpse of the solar eclipse:

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The greatest show on earth was covered not by the moon shadow. But by the dark rain clouds. The eclipse was eclipsed! What a bummer!

Clouds are part of our lives here on earth. And so are disappointments. We can make all the elaborate plans for the future. But there is always that element of unknown that is beyond our control. All we can do is make the best of the situation.

It was still cloudy when we got back home. It even rained some more. But as the sun was about to set, this showed up in the sky:

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Sometimes, those rain clouds that disappoint us can also give us unexpected joy.

 

(*photos taken with iPhone)

Debunking Folks’ Medical Advice: Part 6

1 December 2016

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Here’s another installment on this series, which are among the popular posts in this blog.

1. Eat carrots, for it will improve your eyesight.

I am sure many of you have heard this from your parents and your grandparents. They even said that it is especially true for improving night vision. Or maybe you’re advising your kids this too, telling them this will prevent them from needing eyeglasses. The scientific proof? Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?

Although this sounds like just another way for parents to get their children to eat vegetables, there’s actually some truth to this advice. Whether or not eating carrots will stop the need for ever wearing glasses is not accurate though.

Carrots contain a massive amount of beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. Sweet potatoes, squash, and green leafy vegetables are also good sources of beta-carotene. Vitamin A is needed to form the protein rhodopsin, a light-sensitive pigment found in the retina of our eyes.

Vitamin A is not only key for good vision, it is also essential in healthy immune system and cell growth. Though poor nutrition may be one cause, there are many other reasons that can results to eyesight impairment that may need correctional glasses.

The tale for eating carrots was propagated during World War II,  when the British claims that their pilot’s success in gunning down German aircrafts even at night is due to their carrot-enrich night vision, and thus encourage civilians to eat locally grown vegetables. They made up this propaganda to cover-up their recently adopted radar technology, and kept this invention a secret.

2. Wound from a rusty nail will cause tetanus.

Folks say that stepping on a rusty nail or any rusty object, can cause rust to enter the body, and lead to tetanus. This could include eating food cooked in a pot that has some rust on it. These are half-truths. Though I would not recommend using rusty pots nor stepping on rusty nails.

I remember our old car in the Philippines with some rust on it, that some friends jokingly told me that they might get tetanus from scraping into our car.

Tetanus is an infection cause by the bacteria Clostridium tetani. These bacteria or its spores are usually found in the soil or dirt. This bacteria can enter the body through breaks in the skin like cuts or puncture wounds, but it’s not the rust itself is the problem, but from whatever dirt with the bacteria or spores that may be hanging on to the rusty item.

Once tetanus infection sets in, this results in severe uncontrollable muscle spasms, like lock jaw or whole body stiffening. The bacteria produce a toxin that affects the nerve synapses that cause muscles to continuously contract or go into spasm. The disease unless treated can be deadly.

Vaccine against tetanus is universally recommended and is widely available. It’s part of the childhood immunization in the DPT (Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus) vaccine.

So you can still develop tetanus from stepping on a non-rusty stainless nail, if contaminated with dirt. Unless you’re adequately vaccinated against tetanus.

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Muscular spasms in a patient with tetanus. Painting by Sir Charles Bell, 1809

 

3. Don’t sit too close to the TV, it can damage your eyes, or harm you.

I was told this by my parents when I was little. I just thought that we were not supposed to sit too close from the television as something might come out suddenly from the TV screen.

I know my parents meant well. However this warning is kind of outdated now. It’s not really an old wives’ tale, but rather as an old technology’s tale.

The old television set before the 1950-60’s emitted levels of radiation, that after repeated and prolonged exposure to them, can cause some harm. But with later models of television that were built with proper shielding, the levels of radiation exposure is negligible.

Now that the TV sets that use cathode ray tubes (those bulky sets we have those days) are obsolete, we really don’t have to worry about emitted radiation from TV anymore. LCD and plasma TV don’t emit x-radiation at all.

Too much TV watching can still cause eyestrain though. Plus for young kids, there’s more fun things to do than watch TV.

4. Don’t crack or pop your knuckles, for this will cause arthritis.

According to one report, 20-50% of people, crack their knuckles. Many do it as a nervous habit. If you’re one of them, you probably have heard somebody warned you to stop, or else you will develop arthritis.

However there is no medical truth to this. And it’s not that it has not been studied. In one study, researchers look into more than 200 people, 20% of whom cracked their knuckles regularly. Of those knuckle crackers, 18.1% of them developed arthritis in their hands, compared to 21.5% of the study participants who did not crack their knuckles. So this study showed that development of arthritis is about the same, whether you crack your joints or not.

By the way, are you wondering what cause the popping sound?

When a finger or joint is extended like in an act of cracking your knuckles, the pressure inside the joint is lowered and the gases that are present in the synovial fluid, such as carbon dioxide, are released in the form of a bubble. This rapid implosion, collapse, or bursting of the gas bubbles creates an audible popping sound.

Even though knuckle-cracking has not been proven to cause arthritis, studies have shown that it’s not good either. In at least one study, chronic joint popping was shown to cause inflammation and weakened grip in the hands.

5. Don’t swallow chewing gum, for it can stick the insides of your intestines.

You probably heard this warning when you’re a child, or you told your kids this warning as well. Folklore suggests that it takes seven years for the gum to pass through the digestive system. However, there is no truth to this.

Certainly I have swallowed a few gum before, mostly not intentional but accidental. And obviously, nothing bad happened to me.

Though it’s true that the gum is indigestible, it’s not true that it will stick your insides, for it will pass through, with your stools within days, not years.

However there are rare reported cases of large amount of swallowed gum, combined with constipation, that caused blocked intestines in children. So I would still not advise to swallow your chewing gum. But if you accidentally swallow one, don’t sweat, it’s not that harmful.

Don’t scare your kids either that if they swallowed a watermelon seed, it will grow into a watermelon inside their stomach. Though if they are too young to understand how pregnancy happens, they might believe you that that’s from swallowing watermelon seed.

Question and Answer: Sakit sa Balakang

29 September 2016

269 Comments

Recently I got a message from a reader posted in the comment section of my article Mamang Hilot, regarding a specific medical problem, asking for advice.

I have received several medical questions in this blog in the past, and most of the time, I just gave a short answer and recommended that they see their local doctor. I was also asked on how to make gayuma or how to counter a kulam, but of course I have no idea how to answer those.

Anyway, I decided to answer this reader in a post, regarding her medical question. Hopefully this would be helpful to her, and to some other readers with similar issues.

A reader, named Ellaine wrote:

Good day po.

Nagpahilot po ako dahil parang kumikirot ‘yung right side ng balakang ko. Pinadapa n’ya ako, dinaganan ‘yung balakang ko, saka hinila ang hita ko pataas at may tumunog. After ilang days, parang makirot s’ya at hindi nawala ang sakit.

May 3 linggo rin ang lumipas at saka ako nag-pacheck up sa doctor. Wala naman makita sa ihi ko na infection. Kaya niresetahan lang ako ng gamot for 1 month, baka daw kasi may na-damage na nerve o nabigla ‘yung muscle ko dahil sa hilot.

Natapos ko na po ‘yung medication ko, pero still masakit pa rin s’ya. And the worst, parang gumagapang ‘yung kirot papunta sa hita, binti, paa at likod ko, kaya natatakot po ako. Kahapon po bumalik uli ako sa doctor at binigyan naman ako ng x-ray request. Agad naman po ako nagpa-xray para malaman, ngunit wala rin po nakita sa x-ray.

Sabi ng doctor baka dapat na daw ako magpa-MRI, baka daw may naipit na ugat sa balakang ko. Sabi ko po wala naman akong kakayahang mgpatingin ng ganun kamahal, dahil nasa mahigit 10 thousand daw po ata iyun.

Pag-babalewalain ko daw po ‘yung nararamdaman ko, posible daw akong malumpo. Totoo po ba na talagang maari akong malumpo? Natatakot po kasi ako. Ano po kaya ‘yung nararamdaman ko at ano ang dapat kong gawin. Baka po may maitutulong kayo.

Maraming salamat po..

Dear Ellaine,

Sa aking pagkakaintindi sa iyong tanong, ang problema mo ay low back pain, na hindi natatangal kahit may isang buwan na ang nakalipas. Parang lumala pa ito kamo nang ikaw ay magpahilot. Paumanhin na lang po kay Mama o Aleng Hilot.

From the symptoms you’re describing here (pasensiya na po at nag-English na ‘ko), I believe you are suffering from lumbosacral radiculopathy. Don’t mean to sound high falutin, but this just means low back pain with possible nerve impingement (ipit na ugat) or nerve involvement, as you describe the pain as “gumagapang sa hita, binti, paa, at likod.” One specific condition is sciatica, which is impingement of the sciatic nerve.

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The nerve roots from the spinal cord as it comes out of the vertebra (gulugod), can be impinged by a muscle, or when there’s vertebral disc herniation, vertebral stenosis (narrowing), abscess or infection, or in rare cases, tumors. The nerves can also damaged by being stretched when certain physical injury or manipulation is done.

For all people with acute back pain though, the overall prognosis is quite good, as 70 to 90% of the time the pain will improve in 8 weeks or so. Very few will require invasive or surgical intervention.

Even though traditional thinking would say to stay in bed, the medical literature does not agree with this. Studies have showed that people who continue to be active, do better in dealing with their back pain and also have more shortened recovery time than those who did “bed rest.” Sorry, not an excuse to skip work. Though use common judgement when your work involves heavy lifting, like carrying sacks of rice or moving pianos.

Physical therapy when properly employed and specific exercises to strengthen the back and abdominal muscles can certainly help.

Medications like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID), which I believe is what was prescribed to you is one of the mainstay of treatment. Sometimes it is combined with muscle relaxants. In severe cases of pain, narcotic analgesics can be used, but these are controlled drugs as they can be habit-forming or addicting. (Galit si Duterte sa mga adik!)

Non-medical intervention like cold or heat therapy to the area can be applied but mostly used during the acute phase of the back pain or injury. Massage, acupressure, and acupuncture (using long needles) have been employed but data on their effectivity is variable. Please don’t just stab multiple needles in your back.

Other procedures available are steroids injection to the spine and of course surgical intervention.

If you’re condition does not improve with conservative management (exercises, physical therapy and medication), then further work-up may be needed. Unfortunately, the imaging study to best visualize the structures in the back are MRI and CT scan of the vertebrae, which I agree are expensive tests. A plain x-ray will not be very helpful.

About the concern “na maari kang malumpo?” The pain na “gumagapang” does not necessarily means it is really bad. As I said most people with back pain recovers in time. However if you’re already experiencing focal weakness in your legs, like having difficulty climbing stairs or tiptoeing, then it can be serious. Kung hindi lang ‘yung sakit, at ikaw na ang gumagapang, eh seryoso na iyon.

So in the end, I would still recommend that you see your local doctor. An Orthopedic Surgeon or Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist (also known as physiatrist) may be the best doctor to see regarding this problem. I’m hoping that you’ll just need physical therapy and a sprinkle of time to fully recover.

Hope this help Ellaine, and God bless.

Sige, padala mo na lang iyong bayad mo sa akin: tatlong Choc-Nut, ok na.

Pinoytransplant

 

(*sa mga susunod na kokonsulta, mas mahal na po ang bayad:  5 Choc-Nut na.)

**********

Post Script: Sa lahat po ng may katanungan pa, pakibasa na lang po ang aking article: “Sakit sa Balakang: Final Answer”

 

 

Running, Asthma and Darth Vader

15 June 2015

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Do you like running? But do you run out of breath and sound like Darth Vader when you run? Maybe you have asthma.

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Recently my cousin, who is a budding journalist in the Philippines, asked me questions on the subject of asthma and running, knowing that I am a lung specialist as well as a runner. He said that he was writing it for a fitness website. I would like to share them here.

1. How does asthma affect people? What does it do to their bodies?

Asthma is a condition in which there’s two main components, (1) narrowing of bronchial airways (bronchoconstriction) and (2) swelling (inflammation) causing edema and production of extra mucus. These can cause the difficulty breathing and wheezing, making you sound like Darth Vader. These attacks can be intermittent and reversible, and triggered by exposure to certain allergens.

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2. Can everybody have asthma?

No. It is most likely genetic or familial predisposition that leads to one’s having asthma. For example, there are certain triggers that can cause an asthmatic attack, like house dust mite, but not all people will react to it. It is like an allergic reaction, where a predisposed person’s immune system overreact to the trigger.

So if you have asthma, you can partly blame your parents and the genes they passed on to you.

I’m not sure if Luke Skywalker have asthma too (“Luke, I am your father” – Darth Vader).

3. What are the common causes of asthma?

There is a wide gamut of asthma triggers and can differ from person to person:

A. Inhaled allergens – like house dust mite, pollen, cockroaches (I hate cockroaches), indoor and outdoor fungi/mold, pet dander (I feel sorry for pet-lovers if their beloved pet cause them their asthma attacks).

B. Respiratory infections – common cold and other viruses, or bacterial infections

C. Inhaled respiratory irritant – cigarette smoke, pollution and smog (like in Manila!), certain chemicals like volatile gases that can be at the work place, and even (cheap?) perfume. If you have a co-worker that has a body odor, you can tell them to take a shower for it can trigger your asthma. Just kidding.

D. Hormonal fluctuations – like in pre-menstrual and menstrual period in women; it can be part of pre-menstrual syndrome!

E. Medications – like beta blockers (metoprolol) that is use as an antihypertensive or in heart patients.

F. Physical activity – exercise

G. Emotional state – anxiety, sudden upsets. Yes being dumped by your girlfriend can cause an asthma attack!

H. Temperature and weather – cold air, hot humid air, wet conditions (which can increase respiratory allergens in the air).

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4. What are the symptoms of asthma?

Most common symptom of asthma is difficulty in breathing, with sensation of chest tightness. You feel like you have a rubber band around your chest. When more severe, wheezing ensues. If really severe, it can lead to respiratory failure. A persistent cough can be a symptom of asthma as well, which is from the constriction of the airways.

5. Can it be prevented?

Yes. Avoiding the triggers as what I mentioned above. Also by using medications such as inhalers, especially the inhaled corticosteroid that kind of stabilizes the membranes of the respiratory tract of an asthmatic, so it won’t be so reactive. This lessen the attacks.

6. What’s the cure for asthma?

No cure for asthma. If you have it, most likely you’ll have it for life. Sorry Darth Vader. But we can control or minimize the symptom or lessen the attacks through avoidance of triggers and through medications. Asthmatics can do whatever they want and can live a “normal” life if their asthma is well-controlled.

7. Can running trigger asthma?

Yes. As any other form of exercise can.

8. Can a person still run if he/she is an asthmatic?

Yes. Even though exercise is a potential asthma trigger, it should NOT be avoided.

9. Can running help a person fight asthma then?

Yes. Aerobic exercise strengthens the cardiovascular system and may lessen the sensitivity to asthma triggers.

However, it is important for persons with asthma who are not in a regular pattern of exercise to build-up their activity level slowly to minimize the risk of inducing asthma. Also, if exercise is your asthma trigger, use your “rescue” inhaler (like albuterol meter-dose-inhaler) 5 -10 minutes before you exercise to preempt the attack. And if you have an attack while exercising, you can use the inhaler again.

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Jackie Joyner-Kersee, an Olympic medalist, uses an inhaler after running

10. Can a person run if he/she has an asthmatic attack or episode?

Yes and no. If the asthma attack is pretty mild, you may be able to endure it. However if the attack is significant that you’re wheezing, I would recommend to take it easy for that day.

11. How long should a person run after he recovered from an asthmatic attack?

No fast rules. You can sense when you’re ready. Listen to your body.

12. What’s your advice to people with asthma who wants to enjoy running?

Continue running. But you may want to run when it is not so hot and humid, (or too cold if you’re not in the Philippines). Or run in areas not so polluted or smoggy. That is maybe doing it early in the morning.

Also avoid stray dogs. Not because it can trigger your asthma, but it can chase you!

13. What should runners with asthma remember during their runs?

Have your rescue inhaler handy during your runs. It easily fits in even the smallest pocket of a running shorts anyway.

If there’s a lot of dogs in your area, you can carry a pepper spray too to ward them off. Just don’t mistake it for your inhaler!

And most importantly, have fun!

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This is how to defeat asthma and Darth Vader.

(*photos from the net)