Sunday, July 08, 2007 An apple a day By Jinggoy Salvador
... keeps the doctor away. There must be a certain truth to this. Otherwise why would it come up? Unless of course there is a conglomeration of apple growers in the globe that wants to sell their fruit. Thus, they zero in on the possible health benefits and viola! We eat an apple a day. Did our forefathers stay in good health?
This has been one of the oldest adages that have been taken up in our primary level classes. Yep, together with "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" and "Honesty is the best policy", they were plastered on top of the classrooms' blackboards to make sure we never forget them. Those were the days. Do they ever have these in the modern day technologically-evolved school setting?
Away from the learning centers these sayings have evolved as well. The former takes a new adage of "Oiliness is next to ugliness". Beauty prevails nowadays. With the readily available and affordable zillions of beauty products, there seem to be no excuse not to be made up and presentable, if not, gorgeous.
The latter is now "God knows Hudas not pay" to instill honesty to the passengers the PUJ ferry to their destinations. This does not stand alone though, designed with sexy and bold caricatures to match and ensure that these words are read, it is posted together with "Barya lang po sa umaga", "Ang sitsit ay para sa aso. Ang para ay para sa tao" and of course there is the immortal proverb of "Basta driver, sweet lover."
Back to those apples. The chief dietetic value of apples lies in the malic and tartaric acids. These acids are of signal benefit to persons of sedentary habits, who are liable to liver derangements, and they neutralize the acid products of gout and indigestion. The ols rhyme is respectable then.
But is it enough? As we evolve, so does everything else. Sickness included. It is unbelievable how diseases have mutated that cure is non-existent today. I'm pretty sure there will be one tomorrow. We have found cures to the deadly diseases of the past.
The hunger for knowledge of our experts in this field is insatiable. The result: we have highly skilled and competent doctors among us. And today, technology is aiding these practitioners to alleviate ease for both the doctor and the patient.
But who beats the healing power of the hands? The good ol’ TLC seems to be the best medicine by far, count laughter in as well. Remember mom's comforting touch? Like magic, we are up and about, ready to face the world the next day of school even with just a sponge bath.
Diseases mutate, but luckily we have the skilled men and the technology to counter it. One of the most advanced facilities in our city now belongs to Davao Doctors Hospital. They grew with the community. As the need rises, so do they, in human competence and sate-of-the-art technology, but never neglecting the personal 'healing' touch. The patient comes first and they make sure they give what they stand for: the quality in healthcare.
Admirably, they have added a couple new sections in their institution. The new OPD section has individual treatment rooms and very comfortable waiting area. And the recently inaugurated Nursing Care Building kicks-off their plan to enter into medical tourism; an exciting decision indeed. It will entail partnership with other establishments involved in the service sector making the plan beneficial for everyone involved.
They don't want to brag about how consumer-friendly the costs of their services are. But they would rather encourage everyone to go check what the others have to offer and compare costs by themselves. As one doctor would say, "They might be surprised when they find out we might rank third place in terms of hospital service cost in Davao City."
Plus, they can serve you an apple with your meal. But they will make sure you still get that healing touch that matters most. By the way, apple pie doesn't count.
