MEDICAL INSIDER
DR BRYAN CEPEDOZA
JULY 9, 2023
A Question & Answer Session
with Dr. Bryan Cepedoza
on Health Issues in the Philippines
(Part 1)
The Bohol Tribune (TBT): Welcome back to the
Philippines, Dr. Bryan. How was your trip abroad?
Dr. Bryan Cepedoza: It was good and I had time to
bond with my siblings.
(TBT): Our topic today is all about health issues
here in the Philippines. I have read that some of
the health issues in our country today would
include non communicable diseases like diabetes,
heart disease, stroke, cancer and the chronic
diseases that affect the air way and the lungs.
Dr. Bryan: That is true.
TBT: What is meant by the word “chronic”?
Dr. Bryan: Chronic, especially if you are referring to an
illness, would mean persisting for a long time or
constantly recurring. And if we talk about chronic
diseases that can affect the lungs, one example of such
would be asthma. Asthma is a chronic lung disease
affecting people of all ages. It is caused by inflammation
and muscle tightening around the airways which makes
it harder to breathe. Symptoms of asthma include
coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and also chest
tightness. These symptoms can vary from being mild or
severe and let us remember that asthma can come and
go over time.
TBT: So is it safe to say that chronic can also
mean “for a long time”?
Dr. Bryan: Yes. And why do we consider chronic
diseases as health issues? Let us take asthma as an
example. Why is asthma becoming a health issue? It is
because asthmatic patients often need emergency care.
Some of them also need to be hospitalized. There are
cases that could result into permanent disability and
premature death. In fact, the financial burden of asthma
is a key factor why it is affecting society.
TBT: Is it true that once you have asthma, you will
have it forever?
Dr. Bryan: Let us put it this way. Asthma is a highly
treatable illness. Even if asthma is a lifelong condition, it
is still possible to live a healthy life. How? Well, we can
use effective treatments and we can maintain a lifestyle
that can reduce the symptoms of asthma. If you
maintain the medicine needed for the disease, asthma
won’t give you any trouble. But once you stop taking the
medicine, asthma will be triggered again. I would like to
emphasize the fact that asthma can be easily controlled
if you maintain the right medicine.
TBT: Would you mind elaborating the subject matter.
Dr. Bryan?
Dr. Bryan: Okay. What I am saying is while it is true that
there is no natural cure for asthma, its symptoms can be
treated. With several medications, the symptoms of
asthma can be controlled. You have to see to it that one
good strategy to manage asthma is to get an accurate
asthma diagnosis. How will you do this? You just have
to visit your doctor and both of you can come up with an
asthma action plan. (To be continued)