What’s the fuss about PPA?

Dear Maricel,

I’m a mother of two. My two-year-old son was diagnosed with Primary Koch’s infection, commonly known as Primary Complex, and although he is under medication (he has to take medicines for nine months straight), he gets cough and colds all too often (and you know how it is when a kid gets struck by a simple cold – he’s irritable, matamlay, has poor appetite, etc.). I know it could have been caused by the abrupt weather changes (not to mention the different viruses circulating around and the air pollution). The past three months was quite a long cold spell and now that we can gradually feel the frigid air, I am starting to get worried as the hot days of summer would soon set in. In short, I have to start stocking up on cough and cold medicines ’coz as soon as the weather changes, uso na naman ang ubo’t sipon. However, there was an e-mail I received recently that today’s cough and cold medicines being sold here are unsafe because of PPA. Could you shed more light on this because I’m concerned for the safety of my kids.

Thank you so much and more power. – Rosalie, Acacia Lane, Mandaluyong

Dear Rosalie,

Thank you for your letter. Although I am not a doctor, I will try to respond to your letter as best as I can. You mentioned something that has caused quite an alarm among a lot of mothers. The PPA or phenlypropanolamine is a common decongestant used to relieve common cold symptoms. Recently, the Yale University in the United States found that using PPA could pose some risks related to hemorrhagic stroke among hypertensive women. Here in the Philippines, PPA is found in about 50 cough-cold products. Several people have raised concerns about it as early as two years ago, like Rep. Gilbert Remulla. You shouldn’t have to worry though, because Health Secretary Dr. Manuel Dayrit and BFAD director Prof. Leticia Gutierrez have affirmed the safety of cough and cold products containing low doses (25 mg) of PPA, which are sold over the counter in our country. PPA has been used in the Philippines for the last 40 years without any associated reported case of hemorrhagic stroke. Those products used for dieting containing large amounts of PPA are not commercially available in the Philippines. For more information, check out the WSMI (or World Self-Medication Industry) website.

The Gallstones Recipe

Dear Maricel,

I was trying to get in touch with you because we have an officemate who is suffering from gallstone. We remember one time you had an article published in the Philippine Star about gallstone treatment using olive oil, etc. Please help me locate the date of that publication so we can go over it , or if you have a copy of such, I would appreciate if you could send me a copy.

Thanks a lot.. Hope to hear from you.

– Cynthia
Philhealth Region 1, Dagupan City

Dear Cynthia,

Many people have benefited from the gallstones recipe. Please tell us how it has been helpful to your officemate. Here goes the famous gallstone recipe:

For five days, drink at least 2 glasses of freshly made apple juice (preferably green apples). The malic acid in the apple softens the stones.

On the evening of the fifth day, when about to sleep, drink 2 oz. extra virgin olive oil mixed with 4 oz. lemon juice (not calamansi juice). Osterize to blend well. Lie down on your right side for 20 mins. with your right knee as close to your chest as possible (this position opens the pathway to the gall bladder, so that the olive oil/lemon juice mixture can work to dissolve and clean out any stone that has been forming. Nausea is not unusual.

To Be Circumcised Or Not

Summertime is coming up and many boys will be making a choice whether or not to undergo a routine procedure that many think is a boy’s first step to manhood.

Dear Ms. Pangilinan,

I am Dr. Reynaldo O. Joson, a surgeon and currently the chairman of the Department of Surgery of Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center.

The reason I’m writing you is to inform you of some important issues regarding circumcision which you may be interested to research or write in your column, and eventually help in the advocacy to control, if not stop, the unwanted and unnecessary practice of routine circumcision in the country.

In a few months, it will be summertime and circumcision time. This is the best time to inform the public of the pros and cons of circumcision.

Here is a webpage on circumcision that you may want to start with for your research: http://xtulepinoy.tripod.com.

The stand of the American Academy of Pediatrics is no to routine circumcision. Here is the url: http://www.aap.org/policy/re9850.html.

In the Internet, there are lots of articles on circumcision.

There is even a group called Mothers against Circumcision which may interest you and stimulate you to form such a group in the country, that is, if you believe circumcision should be stopped as a ritual practice. The url is http://www.mothersagainstcirc.org.

Thank you.

– Rey Joson