06/02/2025
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭
While doing my OPD consult, a lola came in for a check-up —not for any specific complaint, but to ask for a prescription for an herbal capsule she had been taking for MALASAKIT claims. She had been using it for two months, convinced by a radio advertisement that it could cure almost everything— hypertension, diabetes, ulcers, hepatitis, pneumonia, kidney problems, and even HIV.
She confidently told me:
"𝐾𝑎𝑛𝑖 𝑟𝑎 𝑎𝑘𝑜, 𝑑𝑜𝑐, 𝑘𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐 𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑠 𝑑𝑖𝑙𝑖 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑎-𝑑𝑎𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑎 𝑘𝑖𝑑𝑛𝑒𝑦."
"𝑀𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑢-𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑘𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑖, 𝑑𝑜𝑐, 𝑘𝑎𝑦 𝑛𝑎𝑎𝑦𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑏𝑎𝑛."
She truly believed she had found a safer, more effective alternative to multiple medications. But when I checked her vitals, her blood pressure was 190/100, worse, she already had signs of end-organ damage.
I gently explained to her:
𝟏. 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫. Left uncontrolled, it damages the kidneys, heart, and blood vessels, leading to complications like stroke and heart failure.
𝟐. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 "𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞-𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬-𝐚𝐥𝐥" 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞. Chronic diseases require a personalized, evidence-based approach, including proper medications, lifestyle changes, and regular monitoring.
𝟑. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 "𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥" 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞. Many herbal supplements lack scientific validation and can even worsen certain conditions.
The Philippines is seeing a rise in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), with hypertension and diabetes as the leading causes. Many patients, like lola, prefer herbal supplements, believing them to be safe and kidney-friendly. Unfortunately, this belief delays proper treatment, often leading to irreversible kidney damage and, eventually, dialysis.
Here are my take-aways:
𝟏. 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬. Testimonials and advertisements can be powerful influencers, often more persuasive than science.
𝟐. 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐞𝐲. Patients deserve clear, compassionate, and evidence-based explanations to help them make informed decisions.
𝟑. 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐜𝐮𝐭. There is no magic pill, but there are proven strategies that can help people live longer and healthier lives.
As she left, I could see hesitation in her eyes—but also a spark of understanding. Hopefully, it was the first step toward real healing.
