MEDICINE | How gender affects your health

When investment becomes the topic of a discussion, people talk about stocks, time deposits, businesses, bonds, social entrepreneurship, startups, among others. But what about your health? Do gender roles affect the way you deal with your health?

You might have landed on this page probably because you're interested in how gender affects the quality of life of Filipinos - with primary focus on health. Or probably you are reading this post because you wanted to answer some questions in mind. Does gender matter when it comes to making important health decisions?

But wait, you might just be asking yourself, what is the difference between gender and sex? Ano ang pinagkaiba ng dalawa? Bakit mahalagang malaman kung paano naaapektuhan ng dikta ng lipunan ang desisyon ng isang tao na magpagamot?

Image Source: 1001freedownloads.com

Let's define terms first. Sex (or kasarian) is the state of being male or female. Ibig sabihin, tinutukoy nito ang pisikal o biological na pagkakaiba ng lalaki at babae. So when we talk about sex (no, not intercourse or pagtatalik haha), we mean chromosomes (XX ka ba o XY), hormone profiles (testosterone and estrogen effects, mens/regla, pagbubuntis), and internal and external organs (having a vagina or a penis).

Meanwhile, gender is  a social construct; it refers to characteristics or attributes that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine (Monash University).

Ito ay tumutukoy sa mga katangian ng isang lalaki o babae ayon sa lipunan at kultura. Saklaw nito ang mga expectations, katungkulan, katangian, pag-uugali,  obligasyon, oportunidad na ipinapataw sa isang babae o lalaki sa isang particular na lipunan o panahon.

In general, a "real" man may be defined as a male possessing masculine qualities and engaging in risky behaviors, while a "real" woman has to be female with feminine qualities.

Do you now understand the difference between the two? Let's  see; take the test below. Which statement refers to sex? Which refers to gender? To know the answer, just highlight the last part of each bullet to see the hidden answer.

1. Females give birth, while males don't. SEXXXX
2. Sexual intercourse is not that important to females than to males. GENDER
3. In ancient Egypt, men do the chores while women manage the business. Babae ang mga nagmamana, hindi mga lalaki. GENDER
4. Females experience premenstrual tension, while male don't. SEXXXX
5. More women are raped than men. GENDER

Because gender is dictated by culture or society, the roles and expectations imposed on each gender may be unfair; however, these can be changed. Examples of unfair social construct are 

1. courting socially accepted as exclusively done by men (which is unfair for both sexes because those who don't court may be tagged as "torpe" and women wouldn't have a choice to assert themselves), 
2. men as heavy drinkers (which is why alcohol-related diseases are more imminent in men than in women), 
3. adultery (when men commit it, they're accepted as "malakas" or strong, but when women do it, they're labelled "slut" or "kabit"),
4. jobs (men who do secretariat jobs are laughed upon by male colleagues)

Now, how does it affect the health of Filipinos (and every single person in the world)? Here are examples of situations where gender influences the way people decide for their health.

1. The association of HIV with homosexuality causes some straight men (including drug abusers) to not seek consult.
2. Some homosexuals who'd like to check whether they've contracted HIV fear being judged by their physicians, hence, the delay in consultation.
3. The way society dictates men to drive fast and recklessly (plus the tagay culture) leads to an increased risk for vehicular accidents.
4. Men are expected to be strong so little pain felt and other physical issues are sometimes not a big deal for them. 
5. Some people tend to overlook friends' problems (probably because he/she is an outcast, has become depressed, or has behavioral changes) which may lead to increased helplessness and further risk of suicidal tendencies.

What can be done to at least lower the influence of these expectations on a person's decision to get checked up? Probably, one of the best things to do is to respect a person's dignity. You know, everyone is unique. One can do things that others can't. We don't know what other people are going through - why they had to resort to prostitution, for example.

Protecting anyone's health is gender neutral. If certain social constructs limit the way people take care of their health, then encouragement is the key and prejudice be given a minute place in this world.

Date a medical student this Valentines Day

This article marks my first post of the year. After all the ups and downs of 2013, I felt it's not right and justifiable to just let this blog (Spotlight Philippines) go derelict of posts. So, here I am taking a break after having started burning the midnight oil.

When we talk about medical students, what comes into mind are pressured, sleepless men and women in their early to mid-20s taking in too heavy academic overload for four years or so in order to achieve this highly regarded profession. Hence, this serves as a tribute to all med students out there. Why date a medical student?

PH now a center of new medicine trials

PH now a center of trials for new meds, docs say

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines has become one of the centers for clinical trials for new medicines in the Asia-Pacific region, providing indigent patients with access to cutting-edge medical treatment, according to members of the Philippine Society of Medical Oncology (PSMO).

Doctor Ellie May Villegas, PSMO vice-president, said drug companies said more and more clinical trials were being conducted in the country “because of the credibility of tests” conducted here and because some medicines have turned out to be effective only on Asians.

She said the new drugs that have been clinically tested in the country include those intended for lung cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer, with drug companies spending at least P2 million on the medication of each patient who participates in a trial that can last for two years.

“They’re very happy with the results because our results are not bogus. We really do the trials well,” Villegas said in an interview.

Besides drug companies, the European Medicines Agency and the National Institutes of Health of the United States also sponsor these clinical trials.

Such trials have become more common in the last five years, she said.

Villegas dismissed suggestions that these clinical trials were taking advantage of indigent patients who have no money for medicines.

“No, being poor is not a factor here. I have many patients who are millionaires and I also offer these to them. A patient is admitted to the clinical trial only if or she meets the criteria for that particular trial,” Villegas said.

Doctor Annielyn Ong-Cornel, a PSMO fellow, said the clinical trials do help patients who cannot afford medication.

Access to good meds

“There are many patients who are willing to be included because it gives you access to good medication and cutting edge science,” said Cornel, who has participated in 25 clinical trials since 2007.

“They started coming in 2005 because we are now seeing that people in different countries respond differently to the same medicine. The lung cancer of an Asian is different from that of a Caucasian,” Cornel said.

She said Asians are more responsive to some medications compared to Caucasians “or there are more side effects.”

“It’s all boils down to genetics. For example, treatment for lung cancer used to be uniform but nowadays, you have to do genetic testing for specific protein abnormalities in the cancer. And you have certain medications which target that abnormality,” Cornel said.

“We have a tablet that targets one specific genetic abnormality. If you have lung cancer, and you are positive for that (genetic mutation), then there is a bigger chance that you would respond (positively) to the tablet. If you don’t have that mutation, there is no response,” she added.

Cornel said patients who want to join a clinical trial are also thoroughly briefed before they are admitted.

“They are informed about the side effects, that they can quit any time, and that the data obtained would be used for scientific purposes. They usually discuss this with their families before they say yes or no,” Cornel added.

Article Source: Philip C. Tubeza, Philippine Daily Inquirer