Health & Home (May - June 2021)

ISSN 0115-0839

IN THE PINK PINK

Nell and God's NellGrace GraceS.S.Cablinda: Cablinda:Psoriasis God’s Grace Over Goodness Psoriasis

CONTENTS M AY- J U N E 2 0 2 1

REGULARS

4

iContact Michelle Anne P. Diamante

6

Peak of Health

Finance Rose Fres-Fausto

How to Be a Happy Full-time Homemaker

10

Home Gardening

Saul L. Roylo

Ampalaya

About the Cover Healing Better. While caring for others as a nurse, Nell Grace S. Cablinda also suffers from psoriasis.

Read about how she manages this autoimmune disorder and how she finds healing and comfort in God's goodness on p. 28.

Cover photo by Criscel Leo F. Garilva Hair and makeup by Dr. Elaine June L. Fiel Photos and illustrations in this issue are from shutterstock.com unless credited otherwise.

COLUMNS

5

Here and the Hereafter

Pr. Leonardo C. Heyasa, Jr.

In the Pink

13

Personal Answers

Dr. Sheryll Ann M. Castillo

Pandemic-related Issues

21

Dear Doctor

Linda L. Varona

Stress Busters

27

Consult Your Lawyer

31

Atty. Silvino L. Sumagaysay, Jr.

Lex Loci Celebrationis Food for the Family

Dr. Miriam R. Estrada

Like That Papaya!

33

Standpoint Nathanlie M. Baldoza

38

A Foolish Thought Learner’s Lab

Mary Grace L. De Guzman

Do Trees Have Mothers?

14

Grace in the Act

The Gift

17

Education

20

Modern Homemaking

32

Arts & Crafts

Michel Q. David

CFN

Alter Ego

Health & Home Staff

Cool Sewing Tools

Gabriel S. Tiano Upcycled Saddle-stitched

Book

People & Places

34

John Holbrook

Protected by Prayer

36

Children's Corner

41

Word for the World

Arthur S. Maxwell

Seesaw Days

Ecclesiastes A. Gasmen

Woman in the Bible

COMING UP. . . Red Alert • DRRM What? Understanding Disaster Risk Reduction and Management • Eggplant-ing • Cigarette and Caffeine: Common Addictions • Torn Between Two Loves • Spotting Financial Scams

44

The Power of Hope Series

46

#AThousandWords

Julián Melgosa and Michelson Borges

Enslaved to Addiction

Shutterstock/Khuncho007

#InthePink

47

Light From the House The Most Important Crash Course

47

Notes From the Frontlines

Rosalinda V. Pimentel

Worthy Investment

FEATURES

8

Wind Beneath My Wings

Judith B. Tablan

Memories of a meticulous mom

18

How to Live Gracefully Through Menopause Dr. Odelind S. Conchada-Flores

22

Happiness and health are possible

Kind Things You Can Do for Your Spouse Karen Holford

Thoughtful ways to say “I love you”

24

28

My Psoriasis Story

Nell Grace S. Cablinda

God’s presence from denial to acceptance

Making Childbirth a Positive Experience: New WHO Guideline on Intrapartum Care

World Health Organization

Woman-centered, human-rights-based

26

Period Options

Royce Bellaire G. de Luna

For health and the environment

42

A Baby, a Spoon, and a Lesson in Letting Go

Maritza Brunt

Something better for something good

s g n i My W

By JUDITH B. TABLAN

G

o back and wash it again,” Dimple ordered after spreading the diapers up against the light and seeing some yellowish spots. She also smelled the plates, glasses, and spoons after washing to be sure there was no lingering smell.

Dimple is Nanay—our very meticulous mother.

She shunned beef and other meat because she thought they smelled awful (“maanghit”). Chicken was okay, as long as it was the homegrown native kind and only after it was kept from free ranging for at least three days and fed only with water.

She was not so enthusiastic with fish either, particularly the freshwater ones. Dalag (mudfish), gourami, and hito (catfish) were a no-no. Tilapia, yes, but very seldom and had to be washed very, very thoroughly to remove the slime.

Neither did she spare a few vegetables. Saluyot and kangkong together tasted like washed-off rug, she said.

Formula for everything I was born after two boys. The three of us who are about the same age shared the ecstasy and agony of Dimple’s idiosyncrasy.

There seemed to be an implicit formula for doing things, even in our clothes. Generally, dresses for schools were purchased ready-made.

Once they became worn out or threadbare, they were relegated as housedress. When no longer serviceable, they were fated as washcloth, but buttons and zippers were salvaged for future use.

Cotton garments and pants were starched, so were curtains, blankets, and pillowcases.

“Starch strengthens the fabric and makes the dirt wash off easily,” was Dimple’s constant reminder.

Never mind that these were stiff and itchy at the first wearing, although eventually they would soften after a day or two.

She inserted moth balls among the folds of dresses and linens in the baul (trunk) to keep away roaches or tiny mice. The fabrics smelled of ages, but they were kind of homey and comforting.

Time for everything Times during the day were scheduled. At 4:30 in the morning, mats should be rolled; blankets, folded; pillows, stacked; and everything kept in their proper place.

Before the sun was up, we fed the chickens flying down from their perch, swept the yard of leaves and debris, watered the plants, and loosed the carabaos from their tether to nibble grass before they were hitched to the plow. Then we dashed to the river, the morning chill giving us gooseflesh.

At 6:30 a.m., fortified with breakfast of rice and fish, with hair slicked from bath, with school things in hand, and baons wrapped in wilted banana leaves, we started the two-kilometer trek to school.

Reaching home in the afternoon, we raced to the kitchen for boiled sweet potatoes or bananas, which Dimple kept hot in the pot.

There was no letup even on weekends. Besides the usual house chores, we had farm chores, too.

But this was the most awaited part of the week.

Health & Home ︱ 8 ︱May–June 2021

illustration from provided photo/Gabriel S. Tiano

h t a e n e B d Wi n

Grace in the Act

By Michel Q. David

D

THE GIFT

uring this pandemic, I came to realize the value of the gift of life. This reminded me of a humbling experience of being at the bottom and celebrating every little good news as a miracle.

I have seen it before in the life of my eldest sibling, Police Executive Master Sergeant Marivic David-Mendoza and her daughter, Precious Anndie or Andeng.

National Police before becoming a teacher.

When she married a former soldier in 2005, our family anticipated a blissful union. Our common faith, however, was severely tested with succeeding events.

She miscarried not only once, but twice, until they reached 10 years of being together without a child.

Marriage

In May 2011, Ate Marivic was suddenly diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder (Antiphospholipids Antibody Syndrome or APASlupus), which meant she was prone to forming

I look up to Ate Marivic. Our family has always been proud of her. Brave, strong, and kind, she was the one who inspired me to join the Philippine

Disorder

Health & Home ︱ 14 ︱May–June 2021

How to Live Gracefully Through Menopause

By DR. ODELIND S. CONCHADA-FLORES

M

any relate menopause with a woman becoming moody, shorttempered, or sickly. Indeed, there are bodily changes during the years around a woman’s very last menstrual period, brought about by a decline in the hormone estrogen, which may disturb her daily activities and efficiency at home or work.

Some women appear to suffer miserably, while others seem barely affected and continue to function well.

Because menopause is a normal part of the aging process, it is best for every woman to learn how to deal with it with the help of her physician.

Symptoms Hot flashes, night sweats, and palpitations are the most bothersome symptoms of menopause, and are related with sleep and mood disturbances, anxiety, fatigue, and decreased memory function, which can interfere with the demands of daily living.1 There are scientific evidences that women who are overweight or obese suffer more of these symptoms, which may be associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

Physically active women and those who do not smoke report fewer and less severe hot flashes than women with sedentary lifestyles and who smoke. Regular Health & Home ︱ 18 ︱May–June 2021

exercise has also been associated with improved quality of life in postmenopausal women.2

Duration The transition phase or perimenopausal period may vary from two to four years—rarely to seven years, after which she would have settled into the postmenopausal state often referred to as the “golden years,” or in the contemporary lingo, her “new normal.”

With increasing life expectancy in our country (75.9 years for women, 67.7 years for men),3 a woman will be living about one-third of the duration of her life during the postmenopausal years, given the average age of menopause at 50 years.

Kind Things

You Can Do for Your Spouse

By KAREN HOLFORD

1 2

Pray for your spouse and your marriage. Study the life of Jesus for rich lessons in kindness and sacrificial love.

Learn how to give your spouse a soothing hand or back massage. Offer him/ her a massage when he/she is feeling tired and stressed.

3

Buy your husband or wife a gift voucher for his/her favorite shop. Give it to him/her for no special occasion— just because you love him/her.

4 5

7 8 9

Make a playlist for him/her of his/her favorite songs or praise music.

Surprise your spouse by doing one of his/her most hated chores. Or do it together and make it more fun.

Top up his/her car with fuel and put it through a car wash at the same time.

10

Plan a special day together, doing things that he/she enjoys, and eating his/her favorite food, rather than yours.

11

Write a list of 20 things you appreciate about your spouse. Put it in a place where he/she will discover it and be surprised.

12 13

Try to go to bed at the same time for at least a week!

Think twice. Stop yourself doing something that really annoys your spouse.

Frame a beautiful photo of the two of you and put it on your desk.

Wrap up some of his/her favorite treats and hide them in his/her bags, drawers, pockets, and car. Or hide your own vouchers that your spouse can exchange for kisses, treats, dinner out, or a home movie night.

6

Send him/her several text messages a day to let him/ her know how much you

HA GREATVE A LOVE DAY! YOU!

care.

Health & Home ︱ 22 ︱May–June 2021

y r o St My Psoriasis

By NELL GRACE S. CABLINDA

T

he disease is for a lifetime with periods of exacerbation and remission,” my dermatologist explained. I was 14 years old then.

It has been 17 years since I was first diagnosed with psoriasis. Honestly, I second-guessed myself for sharing this publicly. But when I think beyond my condition, I marvel at God’s great love and sufficient grace that I just cannot keep my story to myself.

Part of me I had a hard time embracing this chronic skin disease and incurable autoimmune disorder as a part of me. My own body attacking itself, instead of protecting it— who would ever want that?

Though it isn’t contagious, there are about 125 million people worldwide who are affected by psoriasis—suffering deeper than physical pain, social stigma, and emotional stress. I even learned of some patients who contemplated suicide or took their lives because of the disease.

Yet, even though I knew I was not the only one wrestling with this disease, it didn’t help me accept my condition right away.

“It’s just skin allergy!”

During the first few years in college, that was how I would answer whenever people would ask about my condition. It took me two years to open up to my closest friends about my psoriasis!

As a teenager, I found it difficult to sort out the clothes I could and couldn’t wear. I had to wear pants, long skirts, long sleeves, or jackets even on a warm, sunny day.

Health & Home ︱ 28 ︱May–June 2021

photo/Criscel Leo F. Garilva

Denial

Learner's Lab

By Mary Grace L. De Guzman

Do Trees Have Mothers?

M yc

T

rees come from seeds. Unlike people and animals, trees and plants are not born by mothers. But do you know that older trees in a forest take care of younger ones?

That’s why scientists call them “mother trees.”

Woody mommy The oldest tree in the forest is called the hub tree or mother tree. Since it receives most of the light energy from the sun, it can produce extra food and nutrients and share these to younger trees that are usually growing under the shade.1 Mother trees can even recognize plants of the same species, so they provide more to their relatives while also sharing with others. Hub trees are even able to reduce their own root networks to give way for the young ones to absorb more nutrients from the soil.2

WWW So where does the sharing happen?

It happens within the WWW—not worldwide web, but “wood wide web.”3 Scientists discovered that there are fungi living within the roots of trees.4 Fungi attached to the outer walls of the root cells grow fibers (mycelium) underground, spreading and connecting tree to tree.

Health & Home ︱ 38 ︱May–June 2021

rk orrhizal netwo

Fungi friends The fungi provide nitrogen and phosphorus for the tree to do photosynthesis. They also make it easier for the plants to get water and nutrients from the soil. In return, the tree gives back food (glucose) to the fungi.

This symbiotic relationship is called mycorrhiza, so the web of fungi beneath the forest floor is called mycorrhizal network. This is the “wood wide web.”

Seeds of truth

• A Canadian study mapped the fungal network in a forest and found one tree connected to 47 others.5 • Black walnut trees kill other trees nearby by releasing toxins into the mycorrhizal network.6

Study

to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing

the word of truth."

—2 Timothy 2:15

For serious Bible students An exposition of Genesis to Revelation

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