By Suzzanne Jocson-Bangsil

Cancer. Once you hear someone diagnosed with this terrifying disease, it immediately conjures up images of  your loved one lying in a lacquered coffin, or struggling for breath as he gives you instructions for his last speech before he passes out, or a bald head wrapped in a cap or turban, old and wrinkled, weary and just waiting for the grim reaper to take him away. In short, when you hear the word cancer, it is equivalent to a death sentence. 

Think that going on a juice fast is the best move there is to detoxify? There is another, yoga moves and poses can aid in cleansing your body. Certain detox exercises are best in stimulating lymph drainage, increasing blood flow, and stimulating inner organs according to Yogi Linda Naulty of Yoga Manila.

With the spa industry booming worldwide, it’s no wonder that copycats also proliferate. A dilettante would readily accept a sophisticated or posh massage center, or even a ceremonial beauty salon as a spa, but would, naively, be missing out on the vital components. With the entry into the market of Tirta Spa on Boracay, the island has become affiliated with the international array of genuine spas.

By: Deborah David-Ona, MD

Losing weight is a battle. I have been battling with my weight all my life. I have not been blessed with the genes to maintain my figure at its ideal proportions. Because it has been a life long struggle, I have tried a lot of “fad” diets, but it really is hard to figure out which one is the best.
Recently, researchers have compared 3 well known diets in 322 mildly obese, middle aged participants over a span of two years.

Looking for ways to feel energized? Don’t use your emotion and turn to food to lift you out of the doldrum. Food (especially fatty snacks) will only make you fat and more miserable in the long run. Here are 5 non-food tips to boost your spirits.

By: Rissa Calica-Gimenez

One of the ancient home remedies for balancing high blood sugar or diabetes is just as close and down-to-earth as your garden.

The neem leaf, one of our country’s wonder plants, is a popular Philippine medicinal plant known for its countless cures, most specially for wild, insulin swings!

Diabetes or hyperglaecemia is a condition when one’s body is unable to cope with the sugar overload in the system. The neem’s potent extract is extremely bitter and counters the sugar offenders in the body.

THE TEACHER  She begins her class with a warm smile and cools it down with a passage from the Bible. For Hedy Lopez, exercise is not just one or two hours of your day to get that flab out of the way, it is a lifestyle. And it’s not just about having a body to die for; it’s also about having a drop dead gorgeous spirit. She says, “The body is God’s gift.” And it comes with a matching soul that also needs a work out.

(A Short Dissertation by a Chocoholic or “What the heck, I need my chocolate fix so I’m justifying it!”)
Chocolate is made from the seed of the tropical cacao tree – scientific name: Theobroma Cacao. Theobroma means “food of the Gods” in Greek (can the gods be wrong that chocolate is good for the body?).

Several studies have revealed the health benefits of chocolate: