For around three years, circa 2006 -2009 when our daughter was assigned in Singapore, we almost had a second home there. I remember bringing in cans and cans of luncheon meat and numerous bowls of instant noodles. What an unhealthy diet. This must have contributed to my mild stroke in 2012.

I remember our amiable Chinese doctor warning us against the use of artificial sweeteners. I wonder why our Filipino doctors never made a statement about such.

Lately a female friend who came home from the United States proudly announced to me that she no longer has a problem with hypertension. And to think that her BP used to be higher than mine. Apparently, for years like me, she was taking medicines not compatible with her other conditions.

This set me thinking. Especially now that I have had sessions of acupuncture by a half-blind certified acupuncturist. Added to this I had a session with a knowledgeable blind masseuse who taught me a lot of what he learned from his microbiology course. He likewise told me stories of a medical doctor who also had acupuncture by my acupuncturist.

I am still under pharmacological healthcare but prudently I am inching my way towards alternative medicine. This time around, unlike in the 90s, I can’t afford to do away with my maintenance medicine. One thing for sure, I need to work on my attitudes, my fears and my anxieties.