BAGUIO CITY- A bone screening clinic will be conducted on Oct 20, 9AM to 1PM at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) Othopedic Department to celebrate bone and joint awareness week.
Lectures will also be conducted to boost awareness on bones and joints, representative of the Department of Health (DOH) kapihan, medical specialist in orthopedics Dr. Jasper Jo Martinez said.
The theme for the celebration on the third week of October is “Love your bones, Protect Your Future.”
According to Martinez, Oct. 20 is World Osteoporosis day, as Oct 12 was World Arthritis Day.
Of the general consultations, 5% are for osteoarthritis, a complaint of those in the older generation. The complications are fractures due to bone fragility; which are debilitating and expensive in terms of medication, Martinez pointed out.
Fortification and supplementation through calcium, milk, proper food intake and physical activity helps lessen risk factors, which are often age-related. A study shows that exercise in younger females, age 15 to 30, decreases incidents of bone loss in later years, Martinez added. The presence of estrogen, a female reproductive hormone which regulates calcium is also considered.
A call is also given for eye-check-ups for those at risk of diabetic retinopathy, and other eye diseases, at the Baguio General Hospital. According to eye specialist Dr. Aldo Cariaga, the Philippines is on the world’s emerging diabetes hotspot. Prevention and early detection could be done for those in younger years.
Dr. Virginia Narciso, Medical Officer IV of DOH-CAR also issued a call for the Garantisadong Pambata program, the vitamin A supplementation for children 6 to 59 months. This is given free daily in government health facilities, she said.
These topics, among others, were discussed during the DOH-CAR Kapihan at the training center, last Thursday.** juliegfianza
