Chocolates overload at Marilou Beach

Edison Gumapac loves to shop! The souvenir shop at Marilou Resort/Dumaluan Beach Resort in Panglao offers different kinds of chocolates.

Edison Gumapac went to Panglao town on Saturday to escape from the city due to 12-hour power interruption in Bohol province.

"I want to relax here because it's hot and humid at home," said Edison, an educator. 

Other residents sought air-conditioned environment like mall to cool down. 

In Tagbilaran City, some business establishments used portable generators to cope with the power outage.

However, some small shops, most of them power-dependent, closed for the day.

In an advisory, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said  there was a 12-hour power outage on Saturday for 

line stringing activity and annual preventive maintenance works. 

After  "The Doctor Is In" (hosted by Dr. Doloreich Dumaluan), Edison, Helen Castano and I enjoyed the white sand beach at Marilou /Dumaluan Beach Resort. Other media friends-Dave Responte (dyTR), Rey Tutas (dyRD), Allen Doydora (dyRD), Rene Daling (dyRD), Angel Guimalan and Kit Bagaipo went home. 

We also tried the "ganggangan" (sauna) with the supervision of Anthony Ceniza. 

"Ganggangan" is the new place for relaxation in Panglao. It can be more than relaxing. It can be a place to cleanse body and soul for  P250/30 minutes.  

At the Marilou Souvenir Shop, you can buy chocolate, nuts, and, sundry. So once you enter the shop, it feels more like picking up groceries (oh, S&R and Landers!) than entering a souvenir shop. They have different kinds of chocolates and nuts. 

"They have wines and spirits, too," gushed Edison. 

Well, he shops till he drops. 

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Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohanINQ at Twitter /Facebook.

Ube jam & inspiring, soul-enriching stories

Anthony Ceniza, cultural worker and choreographer extraordinaire, enjoys the pristine waters of Anda Pearl Premier Resort in Anda town. Photo: Leo Udtohan

It’s Feb. 28, 2021.  Feel-good Sunday, last day of the month of February. Again, take time out from political sizzlers and negative things out there for more inspiring, spirit-lifting stories.

1.The starfish story (author a unknown, contributed by Anthony Ceniza, cultural worker and choreographer extraordinaire and now supervisor of Marilou Resort in Panglao).  

An old man walked across the beach until he came across a young boy throwing something into the breaking waves. Upon closer inspection, the old man could see that the boy was tossing stranded starfish from the sandy beach, back into the ocean.

“What are you doing, young man?” He asked. 

“If the starfish are still on the beach when the sun rises, they will die,” the boy answered.

“That is ridiculous. There are thousands of miles of beach and millions of starfish. It doesn’t matter how many you throw in; you can’t make a difference.”

“It matters to this one,” the boy said as he threw another starfish into the waves. “And it matters to this one.”

2.The seasons of life (author also not known, contributed by teacher Edison Gumapac of Manga National High School). 

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said no – it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree’s life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are – and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life – can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfilment of your fall.

Don’t judge a life by one difficult season. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

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The Pearl of Anda

Countless beaches are available throughout the Bohol province, so when the "The Doctor Is In" decided to hold its first out of town public health service last Saturday, they chose Anda. 

 "The Doctor Is In," the only phenomenal public health program hosted by Dr. Doloreich Dumaluan, was held in Anda Pearl Premier Resort.  

It’s a U-shaped cove with white sand and warm turquoise water. 

Situated in Virgen village, the Anda Pearl Primier Resort has 22 villas with a large swimming pool. 

The beach is rarely crowded, and popular activities here include kayaking and snorkeling. 

Thanks to Bohol 3rd district Rep. Alexie Besas-Tutor and Mayor Christopher Tutor for the warm hospitality!

Note: More of Anda Pearl Premier Resort and Anda town in the next issue. 

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The yummiest Ubi jam 

Ube halaya, also known as ube jam (ubi in Bohol!), is a Filipino dessert made from boiled and mashed ubi (purple yam) , milk, and butter. 

Thanks to the 21st Ubi Festival which  commenced last Saturday, February 27. 

The Ubi Festival is celebrated annually in recognition of the ubi growers across the province since 2000. 

Aside from ubi products and other agri-commodities, ornamental and flowering plants were also sold at the venue.

Wannabe chef Jessa Mae Jala shows her favorite ube jam. Her parents bought purple yams during the 21st Ubi Festival. Photo: Leo Udtohan

Dr. Larry Pamugas, acting provincial agriculturist, said Boholano farmers have produced  7.2 million kilos of yam this season from 1,200 hectares. 

The Ubi Festival is also a venue for educational fora to increase farm production.

Pamugas also emphasized the importance and impact of growing and yielding Ubi as a livelihood of the Boholanos, especially in alleviating hunger amid the pandemic.

He said his office encouraged farmers to plant yam while ubi tubers were given to at least 400 farmers who are members of Bohol Ubi Growers Association for a "plant now, pay later." 

Farmer Guillermo Lupas brought 400 kilograms of ubi (yam) to the exhibition site to sell it. 

Lupas, 58, started planting yam for 30 years. 

He said it was not difficult to sell his yam since farmers like him have to bring it at the site where buyers could buy for P70-P90 per kilo. 

"Dakog ikatabang (It's a big help)," Lupas said. 

There are various ways to prepare ube jam dessert but this recipe is the simplest and easiest to follow.

Ube Jam (Purple Yam Jam)

*Ingredients: 

1 kilo uncooked purple yam

1 can condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

200 grams butter

1 can evaporated milk

1 cup white sugar

*Procedures: 

Boil the purple yam until tender then mash or grate.

In a pot, melt butter then add the evaporated milk, condensed milk, sugar and vanilla extra. Stir constantly until well-combined.

Add the purple yam then stir until the texture of the mixture becomes really thick (about 15 to 20 minutes over low fire). You may also add a drop of food coloring (optional).

Transfer the mixture to a mold or any container and let the temperature cool down.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Top with a dollop of butter when serving (optional).

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Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohanINQ at Twitter /Facebook.

Nasal washing is important

Siblings Drs. Doloreich Dumaluan (left) and Theodore Dumaluan on fighting against COVID-19. Photo: Allen Doydora/DYRD

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has ignited interest in viral transmission and prevention owing to the extent of it and significan morbidity and mortality associated with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Nature Medicine said the cells in the eye and some other organs also contain the viral-entry proteins. The study also predicts how a key entry protein is regulated with other immune system genes and reveals potential targets for the development of treatments to reduce transmission.

The COVID-19 affects the lungs and airways. In the worst cases, the virus causes pneumonia that can ultimately lead to death. The virus is thought to be spread through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and appears to be easily transmitted within affected areas. 

Just like our teeth, our nasal needs cleaning.

Last Saturday's "The Doctor is In" (with Dr. Doloreich Dumaluan as the main resource person), the topic was about nasal washing. 

Sinus rinsing, using a saline solution of salt and water, can be beneficial for those with allergies and sinus and nasal diseases. 

It moisturizes the nose while flushing out allergens and mucus, says Theodore "Doyet" Dumaluan, M.D., an eye, ear, nose and throat (EENT) surgeon. 

He said all infections of the body result from failure of innate immune system.

The primary defense against respiratory infection is in the nose in the way of mucus clearance. 

Dumaluan recommends spray washing (not nasal irrigation) "because it is very convenient and gentle, easy to apply on daily basis, adaptable to all ages and generally safe."

But with the rise of the novel coronavirus, nasal washing is recommended. 

Here' an article from Theodore Dumaluan, EENT about  Novel Nasal Wash for Airborne Particles: a home remedy solution I lifted from his Facebook page" Nasal Care": 

Nasal washing, in its practical sense, would mean sanitation. That is, lessening the number of contaminants lodged in the nasal cavity. Since it started as an ancient Hindu practice in preparation for meditation, a significant amount of liquid was used to pass into the nasal cavity to cleanse it.  Neti pot, a tea pot shaped vessel, was popularized in the early 70’s. It delivers saline solution into the nasal cavity by gravity; that is, positioning the tilted head below the pot while pressing the spout into the nostril. 

Since then, with the basic principles in place, nasal washing evolved with the use of squirt bottles and mist sprays (and even automated irrigation-aspiration device). 

A study was done to prove the efficacy of saline nasal lavage for long term use (1 year) with unfavorable outcome, showing lower incidence of infection AFTER discontinuing. 

The recommendation then was not to use saline nasal irrigation on a regular basis, only when there is infection. One possible reason for the risk of infection is the retention of fluids in the sinuses, when not properly drained, which favors pathogenic eruption as normal saline has no antiseptic potential.

Saline nasal (lavage)wash is basically good, but not for long term. We unknowingly inhale airborne particles (dust, pollen, virus, bacteria etc.) from the environment most of the time, on a daily basis, that would trigger allergic reactions to acute and chronic infection. These micro-particles are initially trapped in the mucus layer covering the nasal epithelium. Our innate immune system has limited capacity, depending on the load and virulence of the pathogen, among others.

How do we balance the issues of long-term wash, daily airborne-particle load, and pathogenic virulence which maybe carried?

In washing, what you cannot do with small volume, you can compensate with technique. Mist sprays cannot mechanically displace contaminated mucus but can deliver enough liquid coating to lessen viscosity and make it more displaceable. If we coat it with layers of saline, good mucus clearance is attained easing down particle load, without possibility of fluid retention in the sinuses that predisposes to infection.

Apparently, saline is not enough.  How do we address pathogenicity?

 Povidone-Iodine (PVI) is a very potent antiseptic, which is widely available and has been around for ages. It is the only antiseptic which increases biocidal potency, at contact time of 15 seconds, when diluted. Free Iodine, the active component, is released when 10% PVI is diluted, with the highest free Iodine at 0.1% dilution (4.88 ppm) where it is tasteless, odorless and colorless. 

At the same dilution, studies have shown that it is non-toxic to the ciliary lining of the nasal mucosal epithelium.  The free Iodine is involved in blocking viral attachment to cellular receptors and inhibits viral release and spread from infected cells. PVI is useful to prevent infection and limit spread of human and avian influenza viruses. 

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is generally recommended and safe (GRAS) oil for oral intake and local application. It has antiulcerogenic activity, thus a good mucosal conditioner, minimizing the mild irritating effect of hyperyonic saline. Its monolaurin compounds reduce viral infectivity of enveloped RNA and DNA viruses. Though local application may trigger irritation and mild allergic reaction, it is not common.

Delivering the saline wash thru pump mist spray minimizes fluid retention; VCO promotes nasal mucosal epithelium function, and together with the free iodine from PVI, biocidal activity is potentiated without ciliotoxicity. This Saline-Iodine-VCO (SIV) emulsion wash is a novel home remedy solution made with boiled/sterile water.

 

Thus, SIV emulsion is a safe nasal wash solution for daily hygiene, with minimal tolerable irritation, delivered with pump nasal spray bottle and can be applied 2-3x a day.

Homemade saline solution requires the following:

1. 4 cups of distilled or boiled (for at least 20minutes) water. Cooled later.

2. 1 tsp iodized salt

3. An airtight storage container with a lid, such as 350ml bottle 

To make saline solution (stock): 

 A. Wash hands thoroughly

 B. Sterilize container and mixing utensil using dishwasher or boiling them in water

 C. Pour 300-350 of the cooled sterile water into 350 ml sterilized bottle

 D. Add and mix 1 tsp of iodized salt into the bottle.

To make SIV emulsion wash with 30 ml saline in spray bottle:

A. Add 3-5 drops of 10% PVI (Betadine) then

B. Add 2 ml VCO

To apply, shake the spray bottle thoroughly to emulsify the oil before using.  Position spray tip 2-3mm in the nasal opening. Apply 3 rounds of 5 puffs per nostril, sniffing in every puff and blow out gently after every round. Wash nose 3x a day. Refill with stock saline when consumed then add PVI and VCO.

(See technique at  "Nasal Care" Facebook page)

https://www.facebook.com/107202160845042/videos/507688963266732/

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Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohanINQ at Twitter /Facebook.