Ground Views and Random Thoughts

August 8, 2017 It was the upsurge of Typhoon Gorio when I was coming home from Espa ῆ a on a late Wednesday afternoon. I was sitting next the FX driver, and amid the angry splash of raindrops upon the wind shield and the heavy smog upon the window on my side, I could still hear the conversation of two fellow female passengers behind me. At first, I didn ’t mind whatever it was they were discussing but once they talked of the one thing that bothered most of pharmacists like me, I couldn’t help but already get vigilant. The younger female was sniffing as she wiped her red nose with a towel and the other vigorously sharing that she would take Amoxicillin upon arriving home to prevent herself from getting common cold, as well. The antibacterial drug, Amoxicillin, that she mentioned got my ears open wide but the viral disease, common cold, that she also mentioned got my ears open even wider. It ’s not a habit of mine to intrude on other people’s conversation, especially on comple

President Duterte has famously said, “My God, I hate drugs.” As a pharmacist, I couldn’t agree more. Pharmacists do take it literally because of the large number of drugs in the market that have to be memorized and studied, especially now that there is a continuous manufacture of new drugs. To the layperson, a drug is a substance that can treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent diseases. An illegal drug is any substance that is prohibited by law because it is known to have psychoactive effects and addicting potential. Illegal drugs are not prescribed by a physician or bought from a drugstore; they are unlawfully sold in streets and other places with corresponding code names such as “shabu” for methamphetamine hydrochloride or “MJ,” “weed,” or “chongki” for marijuana. ADVERTISEMENT Actually, many legal drugs are psychoactive and can cause addiction as well. These include the sedative-hypnotics, the antiseizure drugs, the anesthetics, and others that target the brain. The

I am an assistant professor at a university somewhere in U-Belt in Manila. And because I live in the province of Bulacan, each time I make my way to work very early in the morning for a 7:30 a.m. class, I pass through four major roads in the Metro—Quirino Highway, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon Avenue and España Boulevard. I leave the house no later than 5:15 a.m. in order to spare myself from nerve-wracking traffic jams augmented by major road constructions along the way. But in that long and exhausting trip, there are things that I feel fortunate and privileged to experience. These are the strapping sights and sounds of hard work of the Filipino people, those who wake up before daybreak to get themselves a living. From the gate of our subdivision I can hear the tricycle driver shout, asking me to take a ride when in fact all I ever want to do is walk as my personal form of exercise. But that makes me wonder: Am I his first passenger of the day or the last passenger of his night

Teresa May B. Bandiola She is single because she is too broken to be whole again. She is single because she is too lost to start again. She is single because it still stings like a bee. She is single because it still haunts her like a ghost. She is single because she forgot how to be intimate again. She is single because she is afraid to trust again. She is single because she is enjoying her freedom. She is single because she is comfortable with the current things. She is single because it is her choice. She is single because she is reserving her heart for the real man.

Everyone’s Critical Role in Fighting AMR by Teresa May B. Bandiola, RPh, CPh, MSPharm (C) Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) pertains to the ability of microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites to grow despite the presence of antimicrobials that normally kill or inhibit their growth, rendering these drugs ineffective against previously treatable infections. AMR is a broader term than antibiotic resistance , which is specifically   the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics  (also known as antibacterial, if synthetically made)  that are used to treat the infections they cause .  Since antibiotics are the commonly used antimicrobials, antibiotic resistance  has become a more popular term than antimicrobial resistance . Microorganisms that develop AMR  are sometimes called “superbugs.” T heir resistance occurs naturally over time, through genetic changes. However, this phenomenon can also be aggravated by other factors, largely through the misuse and overuse of an

Found in the Wilderness (sequel to Lost in the Wilderness of The Forest of Evergreen Series) follows the adventures of the lonely teenager Sophia and her beautiful journey from embittered child to a person reunited with an unexpected beloved and kin. Along the way, she had to learn in the most painful manner that deep love is not always shown upfront and it does not always come in an obvious, glittering, and handsomely-wrapped up package. Sometimes, it comes in the form of a tucked-away, long-lost song, a forlorn poem, and a little-known, self-sacrificing effort... Has she come full circle?  Check out the story as Sophia continues to learn and relearn what love, life, and HOPE are truly all about. amazon.com/Teresa-May-B.-Bandiola/e/B00WXG726Y ***** Praise for THE FOREST OF EVERGREEN: Found in the Wilderness Bandiola returns with a sequel guaranteed to wrench reader's emotional heartstrings. Sophia's story continues to steer readers' minds and hearts as the