A Medical Device for the Treatment of Hypertension

I have hypertension. I am taking a combination of drugs currently to control my blood pressure. Thus, any new development on the treatment of this malady really interest me. The latest development on the cure of hypertension is not a new drug but a medical device. Continue reading if you or your relatives have high blood pressure, especially if your blood pressure is not effectively controlled by medications.

Last month an article by Jo Wiley was published at www.express.co.uk discussing a simple operation that effectively cure high blood pressure of several British patients. It involves a minimally invasive, catheter-based procedure without the need for a general anaesthetic. The procedure places a small device known as a Rox Coupler to divert blood from an artery to a vein in the upper thigh. This breakthrough treatment could save thousands of lives each year after the trials showed a substantial and ­permanent reduction in blood pressure and a decrease in drugs needed.

The article reported that cardiologists in London and Eastbourne carried out the first half-hour operations using the keyhole process. They reported the results as “exciting” after patients experienced an immediate reduction in extremely high blood pressure.

Dr Neil Sulke, a cardiologist at Eastbourne General Hospital, said: “This operation holds the promise of a meaningful long-term reduction of high blood pressure in patients whose blood pressure isn’t controlled by their ­medication.”

The article stated that the tests are aimed at significantly improving blood pressure levels in patients who have failed to get their blood pressure under control despite taking three or more drugs. The trial was conducted at The London Chest Hospital by Barts Health NHS Trust.

This is indeed good news for all the millions who are suffering of hypertension. I hope that this device will be approved soon. In the meantime, if you are hypertensive continue your medications and practice a lifestyle of exercise and good diet to live longer and prevent a heart attack or a kidney disease.

Enjoying the Fruits in My Neighbor's Orchard

My Mango Tree at Chateau Du Mer, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines

This morning, when I woke up, I saw a tray of fresh fruits in our kitchen. I realized then that my wife and I are lucky to have an abundance of fresh fruits that we did not have to buy. How in the heck did this happen?. Let me explain.

Our next door neighbor who is a widow and also our casino buddy, has an orchard in her backyard. She has almost all kinds of fruit trees both in her back, side and even in her front yard. Since she is alone in her 4-bedroom house, she just can not consumed all the fruits that she harvests every spring, summer and Fall.

Recently she gave us Japanese pears, plums, grapes, apples, figs, prunes and peaches. Last month we enjoyed the blueberries and raspberries from her garden. She has lemons, oranges, cherries and kumquats in her garden also. There is no grass in her ½ acre of yard, but only ground covers and fruit trees. The fruit orchard was the project of her late husband.

Speaking of gardening, my fruit orchard in Marinduque has also a varieties of tropical fruits. I have papayas ( several varieties), mangoes ( THREE varieties), avocados, bananas (several varieties), star apples, guayabanos and Cashews trees. I have also guavas, rambutans, santol, duhats, jackfruits and lanzones fruit trees. I have also planted several varieties of citrus trees, pomelo, kalamansi, native oranges and lemon trees. My durian fruit trees( two) was a victim of Typhoon, Reming, a couple of years ago.

I hope you have an enjoyable summer. Keep cool in this 3-digit temperatures here in Northern California and the rest of USA. Oh, before I forget eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to stay young and healthy!

My Fourteen Favorite One-Liners

Let me start the month of June with a smile on your Face. Here are my 14 favorite one-liners? I hope this will make your day!

1. Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

2. Sex is not the answer. Sex is the question. "Yes" is the answer.

3. We live in a society where pizza gets to your house before the police.

4. Women might be able to fake orgasms. But men can fake a whole relationship.

5. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

6. If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong.

7. Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich.

8. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

9. Children: You spend the first 2 years of their life teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend the next 16 years telling them to sit down and shut-up.

10. Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly, and for the same reason.

11. My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch.

12. Having sex is like playing bridge. If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand. (Bridge players, this one is for you).

13. The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

14. Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening', and then proceed to tell you why it isn't

Do you have a one-liner to share? Which of the above is your favorite? Source: www.onelinerz.net

Thirty Plus One Things to do before You Die

MI, Inc Medical Mission in Marinduque. 2011
I have just finished reading several articles on things to do before you die. The articles ranged from just 10 to 1000 fabulous and incredible things that an average person will probably had a hard time doing, because it requires money and a lot of time. There is another article that listed 75 things, a bit more practical. But what inspired me is an article that listed 101 things and most of them I have already done(www.squidoo.com) Thus, I have created my own list(30). It is not a wish list since I have already done all of the things in the list. Does this mean, I am ready to die? I hope the following list will inspire you to write your own list. There is no order of priority in the list, but my favorites are numbers 1 and 3. Number 31 is on my wish list. However, at this stage of my life, I do not believe I will be able to do this. I will just be contented watching the video.

1. Write your autobiography and memoirs.
2. Join a medical mission to a third world country(Philippines recommended)
3. Create a web site or start a blog
4. Try eating three exotic fruits ( durian, tamarind, passion fruit and others)
5. Eat raw oysters, escargot, seafood paella or or any dish that you have not eaten before (maybe a balut or dinugu-an)
6. Go to the Casino without Gambling. Just eat a buffet lunch or dinner
7. Attend a Broadway Show in New York City or in San Francisco
8. Go to a jazz club at the French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
9. Visit the Rock of Gibraltar and Tangiers, Morocco

10. Visit at least one Mayan Ruins in Mexico( Chichen Itza and/or Tulum Ruins)
11. Attend a Tennis Academy for one week at Rancho Bernardo, California
12. Visit at least five National Parks/Monuments in US
13. Try something you have not done before, perhaps sky diving, deep sea fishing or a helicopter ride
14. Visit St Peter's Square, the Vatican and have an audience with the Pope
15. Visit the White House and the National Monuments, Washington, D.C.
16. Visit Gettyburgh, Pennsylvania, Civil War National Cemetery
17. Learn how to snorkel or Scuba Dive
18. Learn a new dance, perhaps a Cha Cha, a Tango, a Rhumba or a Quick Step
19. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
20. Go on a canopy tour( tranverse between trees on a zip line)
21. Ride a mechanical bull in Sugar Land, Texas
22. Attend a Cock Fight or a Bull Fight
23. Visit Disneyland and Ride a Roller Coaster
24. Swim with the Dolphins or with the manatees

25. Visit a Botanical Garden( Longwood Gardens in PA or Buchart Gardens in Victoria Island recommended)
26. Ride a camel, an elephant or a water bufallo
27. Milk a cow or a Goat or a water bufallo
28. Go Bird Watching
29. Watch sea turtle eggs hatching and running toward the sea
30. Visit Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona or any of one of the several national parks in US
Here's my # 31 in the list-Railroad tour in the Oriental Express from Singapore to Bangkok. I do not think I will be able to do this. I will just be contented watching the following video.

Building a Retirement House in Marinduque-An Update

I have received several e-mail and telephone inquiries from friends and relatives here in the US on the cost of building a retirement or vacation house in Marinduque. Before, I could give them a decent estimate, there are several items and information that I have to know:

1. What kind of a house do you want, that is either it will be constructed with native materials (nipa/bamboo/coco lumber) or with cement, hollow blocks and metal roofing

2. How big will the house be in terms of area, that is square footage or square meters

3. What kind of fixtures you want installed, such as plumbing, doors, windows, garage, balconies, fans, air conditioning, attics etc...

My estimate will consist only of materials and labor plus architect fees. It will not include furniture's, kitchen appliances, landscaping and caretaker expense and fencing of the property (highly recommended). It will not also include the price of the lot.

I can give a decent estimate based on our retirement house built in 1996. If you want to build a similar house, 2700 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, two balconies and a one car garage with cement, metal roofing, air conditioning and marble floors, my estimate will be around 5 to 6 million pesos.

So based on today's exchange rate of 1 to 40, it will cost you around $125,000 to $150,000 in US dollars. This is cheap if you compare it to the standard 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house here in Northern California. Here in Fair Oaks, CA the standard house (3BD,2B) in a decent neighborhood sells for an average of $250,000 to $450,000. If it is high class subdivision, it will cost you about 20% more.

Speaking of location(in Marinduque), lots with beach front are very expensive if you can find one in Boac. There are a several beach front lots in Buenavista and Torrijos. They are cheaper compared to beach lots in Boac or Gasan. Lots in the interior ( no beach front) are much much cheaper and are in abundance.

If you already owned a beach front lot in Marinduque, here are a few tips you need to know before building. Because of the salty ocean breezes especially on Habagat season (rainy- southwest winds), it is recommended that you build your house with stainless materials if possible. Double paint the outside and de-rusts annually. High maintenance expense is what you get for an ocean view and fresh ocean air during the amihan season (gentle Northeast winds) during summer.

If you have a lot already and have decided to build your dream vacation or retirement home, here are the steps to follow:

1. Hire a professional architect ( Research the type of architecture for your dream house). Visit local homes for ideas.

2. The estimate of the architect is normally low, so that your property tax will also be low.

3. Multiply by 2 the architect estimate. That will be your decent estimated cost until the house is finished.

4. Allot about 15 to 25% for furniture's, appliances, landscaping and caretaker expenses and fencing( highly recommenced).

5. If you can not personally supervise the construction, ask a relative or someone you can trust with finances to supervise during construction.

If you are really serious in constructing your dream house, let me know. I have 15 years of experience building three houses and one Conference Hall at the Chateau Du Mer Compound in Marinduque. I will be glad to give you ideas and free advice and tips( no consultation fees). Have Fun and Enjoy the planning, constructing, landscaping and eventually moving to your dream retirement house in Marinduque or anywhere else in the rural Philippines. Here's a short video if you plan on visiting the Philippines soon.

Mahjong is My Tile Game-What is Yours?

A Mahjong Set

Have you heard of a tile game called Mahjong? I learned this tile game when I was a child. It is mostly a game of luck, once you learned the basics of the game. This tile game is similar to the card game, gin rummy, but played with tiles. It is a game that most Filipina housewives are addicted to. I am sure if you reside in the Philippines or Hongkong, this game must be very familiar to you. You may be even addicted to it.

My mother taught me as well as my brothers and sisters how to play mahjong when we were growing up in the Philippines. We have two mahjong sets in the house. The cheap one was made of plastic which we used quite often and the expensive one made of ivory. The one made of ivory, we only used on special occasion when we celebrate birthdays, weddings and other special events when I was growing up in the Philippines.

According to my mother, I started playing mahjong very well when I was only 5 years old. It is a game of luck with a little skill involve once you learn the basics. I also learned how to play a card game called "Pangingue" in the Philippines, probably similar to pinochle, but different from gin rummy. Mahjong can be played on line or you can buy a disk and play it in your computer.

I have a disk (Hongkong mahjong) in my computer, but it has been a while since I played this game. Mahjong like any gambling game is very addictive. I have close relatives in the Philippines that died of tubercolosis(TV) because they play mahjong almost all day and do nothing else. Unbelievable, but true.

Mahjong rules and specifics varies from region to region in the Philippines, but it is still a favorite past time of the middle class in the Philippines. A lot of Filipina housewives are addicted to mahjong. Besides mahjong there are two card games popular in Marinduque and other parts of the Philippines are PIKWA and TONG-IT. A number of housewives in my neighborhood in Amoingon, Boac, Marinduque play Tong-it every afternoon, both for recreation and a little gambling activity. We play Tong-it during a party break as a family game but no betting involved, when we are in Marinduque.

For rules and instruction how to play Mahjong read Wikipedia or ask a friend or relative for a demonstration. Once you learned the game, be careful it could be very, very addictive. But again, it is an excellent way to get rid of your boredom and the long, long hot summer in the Philippines.