Lucena Diabetes and Health Care Center

13/12/2025

Mebendazole is not an approved treatment for colon cancer, but it is being studied as a potential adjunct (repurposed) anti-cancer drug.
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What is mebendazole?
• An anti-parasitic medication commonly used for intestinal worms
• Has been safely used for decades at standard doses
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Why is it being studied in colon cancer?
1. Anti-cancer mechanisms (preclinical evidence)
Laboratory and animal studies suggest mebendazole may:
• Disrupt microtubules → inhibits cancer cell division (similar pathway to some chemotherapy drugs)
• Inhibit angiogenesis → reduces tumor blood supply
• Induce apoptosis → promotes cancer cell death
• Suppress signaling pathways involved in tumor growth (e.g., Wnt/β-catenin, relevant in colon cancer)
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2. Evidence so far
• Cell culture & animal studies:
Show growth inhibition of colorectal cancer cells
• Case reports / small observational studies:
Anecdotal reports of disease stabilization when used off-label
• Clinical trials:
• Early-phase trials are ongoing or exploratory
• No large randomized controlled trials proving benefit in colon cancer yet
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Current medical position
• ❌ Not standard of care
• ❌ Not FDA-approved for colon cancer
• ⚠️ Should not replace surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or immunotherapy
• ✅ May be considered only within clinical trials or with specialist oversight
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Dosing issues (important)
• Anti-parasitic doses are much lower than doses explored in cancer research
• High or prolonged doses may cause:
• Liver enzyme elevation
• Bone marrow suppression (rare)
• Drug interactions (e.g., with chemotherapy)

👉 Self-medication is strongly discouraged

09/12/2025

“This Yuletide season, may good health be your greatest gift. Get checked, be blessed.”

Inviting you all to have your BLOOD and HEART checked

Only this December 2025
Every Saturday from 7:30AM to 10:00AM
(December 6, 13 & 20, 2025)

03/12/2025

PROMO AT LUCENA DIABETES AND HEALTH CARE CENTER

19/08/2025

A notable study published in 2019 by researchers from UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital showed that reducing dietary sugar (particularly fructose) for just 9 days led to dramatic improvements in metabolic health among obese children.

Key results included:

- Liver fat reduced by 22%
- Blood pressure decreased
- Improved insulin sensitivity
- Lower triglyceride levels

The study involved removing added sugars while keeping total calorie intake the same. The participants ate foods mimicking their usual diet but with reduced sugar and fructose content.

The improvements in liver fat and insulin function happened without weight loss, indicating that sugar reduction alone triggered the positive effects.

Liver fat, also known as hepatic steatosis, is a marker of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is increasingly common in both children and adults due to high-sugar diets.

Reducing sugar intake, especially from sweetened beverages and processed foods, reduces fat buildup in the liver and improves how the body handles insulin—essential for preventing and managing type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease.

While long-term benefits depend on sustained lifestyle changes, the short-term impact of reducing sugar is clinically meaningful and highlights how quick dietary interventions can initiate the healing process for metabolic disorders.

19/08/2025

Promising use of metformin in treating neurological disorders, beyond its anti-diabetic effect.
Neural Regen Res. 2023 Sep 22;19(5):1045–

In the last decades, several studies have shown that patients with T2D treated with metformin had a reduction in cancer incidence (Yu et al., 2019). The life expectancy of patients with T2D is typically reduced by up to 10 years (Waugh et al., 1989), while a study reported that diabetic patients treated with metformin monotherapy had longer survival rates than a matched, non-diabetic control (Bannister et al., 2014). The ability of metformin to extend the lifespan and improve the health of T2D patients and animal models has sparked interest in the drug as an anti-aging agent. More recently, metformin has been shown to promote neurogenesis, leading to the improvement of spatial memory formation, cognition, and motor function (Wang et al., 2012; Dadwal et al., 2015). These studies demonstrate that metformin has additional benefits beyond its anti-diabetic effect.

Multiple processes in the central nervous system, including neuroprotection, neural regeneration, angiogenesis, and anti-inflammation, can all be stimulated by metformin, making it an ideal drug candidate to treat neurological degenerative diseases. Metformin acts through multiple signaling pathways including energy sensing (AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (AKT)-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, lipid signaling (phospholipids and eicosanoids), inflammatory signaling, and mitochondrial-related signaling to modulate brain function (Rena et al., 2017; Rotermund et al., 2018). This review will highlight recent literature on the role of metformin in mitochondria-related metabolic perturbations and impaired molecular pathways in various neurologic diseases and provide insights into the potential use of biomarker-guided metformin treatment for personalized medicine.

11/08/2025

Alaming ang best choices na gatas sa mga patients na mat Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 5.

MILK FOR CKD 5 PATIENTS

For a patient with Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 5 (CKD 5) — especially if on dialysis — the choice of milk is tricky because many regular dairy or plant-based milks are high in potassium, phosphorus, and protein, which can overload the kidneys.

General goals for CKD 5 milk choice:
• Low phosphorus (ideally < 100 mg per serving)
• Low potassium (ideally < 200 mg per serving)
• Moderate protein (depends on dialysis status — non-dialysis patients often require protein restriction, while dialysis patients need more)
• Avoid added phosphate additives (these are absorbed more easily and can cause high phosphorus levels)

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Safer Options for CKD 5
1. Low-phosphorus plant milks (unsweetened versions preferred):
• Rice milk (unsweetened) – very low in potassium & phosphorus
• Almond milk (unsweetened) – low in potassium & phosphorus, but check label for phosphate additives
• Oat milk – moderate potassium, but some brands are low; check labels
2. Special renal formula milks (best choice if recommended by dietitian/doctor):
• Nepro® – high-calorie, low-electrolyte formula for dialysis patients
• Novasource Renal® – similar to Nepro, formulated for kidney patients
• Suplena® – for CKD patients not yet on dialysis (lower protein)
3. If dairy is allowed (often limited):
• Low-fat cow’s milk in small portions (½ cup), only if potassium/phosphorus are controlled in lab tests
• Avoid evaporated milk or condensed milk — they’re concentrated in potassium & phosphorus

11/08/2025

MILK FOR CKD 5 PATIENTS

For a patient with Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 5 (CKD 5) — especially if on dialysis — the choice of milk is tricky because many regular dairy or plant-based milks are high in potassium, phosphorus, and protein, which can overload the kidneys.

General goals for CKD 5 milk choice:
• Low phosphorus (ideally < 100 mg per serving)
• Low potassium (ideally < 200 mg per serving)
• Moderate protein (depends on dialysis status — non-dialysis patients often require protein restriction, while dialysis patients need more)
• Avoid added phosphate additives (these are absorbed more easily and can cause high phosphorus levels)

⸻

Safer Options for CKD 5
1. Low-phosphorus plant milks (unsweetened versions preferred):
• Rice milk (unsweetened) – very low in potassium & phosphorus
• Almond milk (unsweetened) – low in potassium & phosphorus, but check label for phosphate additives
• Oat milk – moderate potassium, but some brands are low; check labels
2. Special renal formula milks (best choice if recommended by dietitian/doctor):
• Nepro® – high-calorie, low-electrolyte formula for dialysis patients
• Novasource Renal® – similar to Nepro, formulated for kidney patients
• Suplena® – for CKD patients not yet on dialysis (lower protein)
3. If dairy is allowed (often limited):
• Low-fat cow’s milk in small portions (½ cup), only if potassium/phosphorus are controlled in lab tests
• Avoid evaporated milk or condensed milk — they’re concentrated in potassium & phosphorus

05/07/2025

She had been invited to hold clinic at Lucena Diabetes and Health Care Center since 2017 . . . At last, she said yes!
DR . SUSAN REYES SEVILLA, a Family Physician , now offers her expertise every Mondays to Saturdays ffom 8am to 1pm. We are happy to embrace you and be a part of MLRG Family!

28/06/2025

Kung kayo po ay diabetiko, kelangan mapababa ang inyong HBA1c (glycosylated hemoglobin) to less than 6.5% para mabawasan ang risk na magkaroon ng komplilasyon. Consult your diabetologist to help you!

07/05/2025

Your choice for a better change

06/05/2024

Updates on Aspirin…