Category: SPCMC Blogs

Our livers are essential for us to live a relatively safe and normal life. Among its many functions are bile production, waste and fat management, protein production, glucose regulation, hemoglobin and iron processing, blood cleansing, blood regulation, and immunity building.

The holidays can really do some liver damage though if you don’t wisen up. The heavenly amount of food on the table, pouring alcohol, the sedentary days of rest – these can take a toll on anyone. Some damages can be temporary. However, if left unchecked, some damages can become permanent. These can eventually lead to conditions like cirrhosis and even liver failure. It’s a bit extreme but entirely possible if you don’t take the necessary steps to get yourself back to optimal health after the Christmas chow down.

Here are a few tips to help revive your liver right after the holidays:

Check Your Diet

It’s a bit cliche but part of taking good care of yourself is by having a good diet. And if your liver’s on top of your priority list, you probably would want to cut down on your sugar and starchy edibles like potatoes and bread. These types of food are processed into glucose which is then stored in the liver. This means staying away from fizzy drinks like soda too. So, any of these consumed in excess will cause your liver to go into overdrive to compensate.

Some foods that will do your liver good are Artichokes and beetroot. Artichokes are known to help stimulate and improve liver function. Meanwhile, beetroot is used to support liver detoxification. Additionally, food like turkey, egg yolks, and peanuts contain Choline which can boost liver function. However, if you already have liver problems and you really want to get it back on track, a low-­carb diet has also proven to improve liver function, especially in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Coffee Break

It’s hard to believe that coffee can help our liver function better since it’s had some bad rap throughout the years. But Coffee can actually be good for the liver if it’s taken in moderation. When caffeine is processed by your body, it produces a chemical named paraxanthine which slows scar tissue growth. So, it lessens your risk of fibrosis and cirrhosis. This helps dampen the progression of liver disease. Coffee is also effective in the prevention of liver cancer.

Smoke No More

Smoking induces direct or indirect toxic effects, oncogenic effects, and immunological effects. These can aggravate symptoms of liver disease. This is because nicotine increases levels of fat in our blood which signals our liver to work even harder at filtering all those toxins. If you’re a smoker, then it’s also important to note that the smoke you puff can affect people around you too. Secondhand smoke has also been associated with cases of liver disease.

Similar to a busy person, our liver does several tasks and it can also get overwhelmed at times. Small changes in our lifestyle will make a huge impact on how efficient our liver can do those tasks. So, let’s always remember to make that impact a good one for our bodies and our overall health.

Do you have liver problems? We have hepatologists waiting to help you! Our medical staff and technologists are also ready to receive your liver test requests. Call our hotline to schedule an appointment now!

Christmas or New Year means being able to get together and celebrating the holidays. That also means an increased exposure duration. This increases the risk of transmitting or catching viruses or the colds this season. We obviously don’t want that. Not being able to enjoy this season with loved ones and not being able to work after because you’re sick spells trouble for you. So, how do we combat the colds and how do we steer clear from harmful viruses in addition to just wearing masks and shields.

Here’s a rundown of what you can do to beat the flu:

Listen to Your Mother

A lot of us doubt traditional motherly advice. Obviously, a vaporub cannot solve our health woes. But the food our moms typically suggest can be effective home remedies. American moms have Chicken soup. Filipino nanays have Tinola or Lugaw.  This is mainly because the Garlic and Ginger in these soups have anti-viral, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition to that, the broths have vitamins and minerals that keep us hydrated. But the best thing about these homecooked remedies is that our mom made them and the warmth of their love and the warmth of the food comfort us like a warm embrace.

Get some nutrients

Nutrients are necessary to maintain our immune system but they can also be immunity boosters. There are lots of these in fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Other foods that possess special immune-boosting properties are honey and berries. Honey has anti-bacterial properties while berries contain natural antioxidants that are good for the body.

Nutrition is also a matter of what not to eat. Staying away from colds means staying away from sugar as it can aggravate and worsen inflammation. Fatty and greasy fast food are also out of the equation. They can also affect inflammation in your body negatively.

Take a Walk

If it’s just colds and you have no fever, exercise can improve your immune function by elevating white-blood-cell activity. Our white blood cells then attack the viruses so we can recover faster. Exercise also opens your nasal passages and can relieve nasal congestion temporarily. Just don’t overdo it. That can be harmful as well.

Stress Less

Stress hormones have a huge impact on the immune response. Too much stress forces our immune system to go into overdrive, eventually forcing it to not work normally. You can counter stress with activities like listening to music, doing yoga, taking walks, laughing, a day in the spa and sleeping. Sleep can actually repair cells that assist in your body’s healing process. Eight to seven hours of sleep is ideal in most cases.

Supplement

Vitamins and supplements can assist in your body’s repair system. Vitamin A has retinol and beta-carotene which reinforce immune function. This can be found in sweet potatoes, carrots, mangoes, spinach, watermelon, and tomatoes. Meanwhile, Vitamin C contains antibacterial and antiviral properties. This can be found in strawberries, papaya kiwi, bell peppers, orange, broccoli, and grapefruit.

These few tips should impact your health greatly. Be mindful of your health and don’t let carelessness get in the way of you having a good time this Christmas or New Year. Happy Holidays and may you enjoy everything that comes with the festivities this time of the year!

If you have extreme colds or colds that last more than two to three weeks, SPC Med has doctors that can recommend a medicine that’s appropriate for your case. They can also check if your illness is a sign of a more serious condition. Call us now or email us.

 

With SPC Medical Center’s Industrial Clinic Division (SPCMC/ICD) objective of promoting preventive healthcare in the workplace, the group recently facilitated an on-site lecture about work related pain held at SM San Pablo City. The lecture is aimed to create awareness, understanding and proper management of the common work-related discomfort and even injuries experienced, regardless whether an employee is assigned a desk job or doing manual labor.

Little did employees know that the aches and pains they experience, such as back, leg and shoulder pains are sometimes work-related due to the repetitive task they do like typing long hours on their computers or standing up. With this on mind, the Industrial Clinic Division initiated this program to bring awareness about work related pains and injuries, its true causes and what are the preventive measures one can do to avoid or alleviate the pain.

Dr. Jan Michael Lleva, one of SPCMC’s leading Physiatrist delivered the lecture while certified Physical Therapist Ms. Loida Vidania demonstrated some exercises one can do to help ease pains. The lecture participants enthusiastically participated in the exercises.