Doctors debunk common health myths of Filipinos

by Patricia B. Mirasol, producer

Doctors dispelled common health myths in the August 22 event organized to discuss DECODE, a docuseries by private hospital group Metro Pacific Health (MPH) that aims to improve public health literacy and encourage health-seeking behavior.

Myths are beliefs perpetuated by their retelling. A January 2022 study in the Journal of Public Health said these misunderstandings and inaccurate knowledge can occur because “people in everyday life have limited time, cognitive resources, and/or motivation to understand complex scientific topics.”

“DECODE is our way of setting the record straight on health myths that many Filipinos still believe,” said Jessica C. Abaya, MPH’s group chief commercial officer.

“By addressing these misconceptions head-on, we aim to empower our community with the knowledge they need to make informed health decisions,” she said in the August 22 event.

One such misconception is that taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP, a medication which can prevent HIV from taking hold in your body) is a license to practice unsafe sex.

PrEP is 99.9% effective in preventing HIV, said Dr. Benjamin G. Co, a pediatrician, infectious disease expert, and group chief medical officer of the MPH.

“Just because you’re taking PrEP, [however,] doesn’t give you the license to spread all other diseases,” he told the event’s media attendees.

“It’s not only HIV you can spread. Mpox [formerly known as monkeypox] is another one,” he added.

Mpox is an infectious, non-airborne disease that moves from skin-to-skin, during sexual encounters and other intimate forms of skin contact.

The Department of Health confirmed on August 28 two more cases of mpox, bringing the total number of cases since July 2022 to 14. Five of the 14 are active cases waiting for their symptoms to resolve.

Mpox cases 11 and 12 both admitted to close, intimate, and skin-to-skin contact with a sexual partner.

Breast cancer and heart disease, which are the leading causes of death in the Philippines, were among the other topics discussed at the roundtable.

Ischaemic heart diseases were the top cause of death in the country from January to November 2023, accounting for 19% of the total number. Neoplasms, on the other hand, came in second with 10.7%, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported.

“The absence of symptoms is not equal to absence of disease,” said Dr. Saturnino P. Javier, co-CEO and President & Chief Medical Officer of Makati Medical City, at the same event.

Heart disease, for instance, doesn’t only present with symptoms like chest pain.

“It can manifest in subtle ways, such as fatigue or shortness of breath. Less common symptoms might even include abdominal pain, back pain, and vision problems,” he said.

“This is why it’s crucial not to ignore any signs, no matter how minor they may seem, and to prioritize regular check-ups regardless of physical appearance,” he added.

An early diagnosis is better, according to Dr. Michelle M. Anlacan, head of the Dementia Center at Cardinal Santos Medical Center.

Ms. Anlacan talked about dementia, a group of diseases that affect the brain and impair a person’s ability to remember, think, and make decisions.

“The most recent medications for dementia are disease-modifying, but these are only for those with mild disease,” she said. For the later stages, “the medications are symptomatic.”

Inculcating health-seeking behavior and health literacy should start at a young age, Dr. Co told the attendees of the roundtable.

“We need to promote health education so we can empower people to make better judgements with their lifestyle,” he said.

Season two of DECODE is ongoing, with the first episode published last April.

MPH and BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation are both under the MVP Group of Companies.