The Ilocos Times

By Noralyn Dudt PAIN is not   imagined, but your brain plays a role.   A large number of the population suffers from chronic pain which is defined as pain experienced most days to some, or every day to the unfortunate others. Conditions include migraines, sciatica and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as shoulder, knee and elbow pain. Back and neck pain have been experienced by a lot of people at some point in their lives. The medical community has traditionally regarded chronic pain in one or two ways. Doctors either consider it a structural problem caused by tissue damage—muscle strain, ruptured disks, an inflamed or torn tendon; or they shrug, saying they cannot find anything wrong and suggest painkillers,   physical therapy,   rest, or a different diet or lifestyle. In too many cases, surgery is performed,   despite dismal success rates of around 25 per cent.   The view that chronic pain originates in the brain—that it is fundamentally a psychological phenomenon,   and can

It was 1904 and the World's Fair in St Louis, Missouri buzzed with excitement. The World's Fair was to be the Centennial celebration of the 1804 Louisiana Purchase from France.   It was going to be the event of the century. In the words of David Francis who was the chief executive of the Louisiana Purchase,   it was to "demonstrate to visitors that human history has reached its "apotheosis" in Forest Park,"   the venue for the World's Fair.   The $15 million that was spent to create such an extravaganza showed   that no expense was spared. The Fairgrounds covered 1,000 acres ( 405 hectares). It was a pivotal and contentious moment in American history, when in the midst of a new industrial era,   the United States of America celebrated itself as a growing imperial force. The World's Fair of 1904 was designed to showcase American glory, American democracy,   American economy.   On display were the greatest technological innovations of the time: outd

By Noralyn O. Dudt SMALLPOX was on its way of being eradicated in 1979, and in the following year, the World Health Organization declared it official.   Its eradication was   not only due to   the aggressive vaccination programs that were launched,   but also due to the unique characteristics of the virus. These unique characteristics were:   the virus needed animal hosts to keep it alive;   the virus had clear features that made the disease easy to recognize in people who suffered from it;   the virus was   infectious for only a short period of time, and getting infected conferred immunity for life. Measles , on the other hand,   is an example of a disease that couldn't be eradicated. This highly transmissible respiratory virus only came under control after a vaccine was developed in 1963, and in highly vaccinated regions such as the United States, it has technically been eliminated, although occasional outbreaks still occur. The endgame for the coronavirus will not look l

By Noralyn Onto Dudt If my grandfather were still alive today, he would be 121 years old. He was born in the poblacion of Batac   in 1900 just as the Americans were setting fire on the town and burning   it to the ground. His parents, my great-grandparents, named him   Anselmo. It's not really an Ilocano name so I looked up its origins. The English and German "Anselm" means "God- protected", while the Spanish origin "Anselmo" means "God-helmet."   However, as his daughter (my mother) told me many times, the "selmo" in his name sounded like "silmut" which is the Ilocano word for "ignite." The town was being ignited, a historical fact   that never   made it into the mainstream history textbooks. It's a story that had to be told by the elders, by word of mouth and by a few history preservationists. I wonder if my great-parents recognized early on what this "burning" was all about. Surely their newbor

Agbatay iti natalged nga ima ken tunos dagiti kamkameng ken ti liderato ti balligi ti maysa a gunglo. Mabangon ti gunglo tapno maisayangkat ti/dagiti napintas nga objectives ken goals para iti pagsayaatan ken pakairanudan dagiti kameng ken ti komunidad. Agpaut ti gunglo, ken agballigi daytoy no awan ti makuna nga utek kappi. Ketdi, agturay ketdi iti pinnarbeng, respeto ken panagtutunos. Awan ti makuna a linnumbaan. No agkalikagum ti maysa nga agbalin a pangulo, adda pagsasao,   umuna koma a natudio a pasurot,   a kitaenna nga isu ket natudio a kameng.   No adda napintas a singasing ti maysa, ited dayta iti respeto. Saan a takkaban, saan nga agawen. Ketdi,   ited ti hustisia,   ited ti pammigbig no asino ti akin-utek a maipaayan iti kredito. Kunak daytoy ti gapuna, no dadduma, adda a mapasamak dagitoy iti dadduma a gunglo. Banag a pangrugian ti panagsisina, ken no dadduma, tumaud manen ti sabali ti gunglo. Panagkaykaysa ti kanayon a birbiroken ken kalkalikagumantayo a kas komun

By  Noralyn Onto Dudt "I SHALL RETURN," which was General Douglas MacArthur's personal quest became almost synonymous with the war in the Pacific. And returned he did on Oct. 20, 1944. The whole world watched as he triumphantly waded ashore with his men in the province of Leyte, and in the following months liberated the rest of the Philippines. General Douglas McArthur, a larger-than-life figure was the American general who presided over the Japanese surrender on board the USS Missouri, bringing an end to World War ll.   It had not been an easy ride. The   US Pacific Fleet in the Philippines had been caught unprepared   on Dec. 8, 1941, just 10 hours after the Pearl Harbor attack and was almost obliterated. It was such a desperate situation that MacArthur and his men had to retreat to the Island of Corregidor, at the entrance of   Manila Bay. The US Army's   Pacific Fleet in the Philippines, lacking air cover as its airplanes were all destroyed in a blitzkrieg by

  With one of the world’s longest quarantines, Filipinos are already experiencing “protocol fatigue,” which makes them more lenient about hygiene habits and puts them at risk of infection. Procter & Gamble’s Safeguard is stepping in to remind and reinforce the importance of proper handwashing through the SAFEWash movement. With the current increase in cases in the country, the brand is even more committed to becoming a force for good for all Filipinos who are put at risk every day.   SAFEWash Program Extends Help Nationwide To help protect Filipinos from the threats of germs and illnesses, P&G and Safeguard ramp up its SAFEWash movement by donating a total of over Php 100 million worth of support. Launched last year, the SAFEWash movement enables organizations and individuals to work together to promote proper handwashing. On top of this, Safeguard is helping to rebuild handwashing facilities and provide hygiene kits for the Philippine General Hospital, currently hous