BACOLOD City – A Bacolodnon volunteer doctor, also the chief executive officer of the Scheer Memorial Adventist Hospital in Banepa, Nepal, urged the public to continue boosting their immune system amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Hector Gayares Jr., keynote speaker during the 123rd Philippine Independence Day commemoration here on June 12, shared seven tips to have a winning “internal armed forces” or immune system. Every tip is represented by each letter of the word FREEDOM:
F – fluids
“We are advised to drink at least eight glasses of water per day. I say water. Not beer or any alcoholic beverages,” said Gayares.
R – rest
He said one should get at least six to eight hours of sleep every day.
E – exercise
Gayares encouraged the public to exercise even for 30 minutes only each day.
E – environment
For this tip, Gayares encouraged the public to expose themselves to the sun to get vitamin D.
D – Divine help
“All the other concepts that each letter stands for will be for nothing without the help of our Almighty God. I believe this concept is universal,” said Gayares.
O – outlook
Gayares said this refers to “our mental health, our outlook in life, our perception of things, events and circumstances.”
M – meal
“Food is the fuel for our body,” Gayares stressed.
Gayares, who is also a member of the COVID-19 Vaccination Council (CoVaC) and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) of the city, said the “sterling character and unwavering spirit of the Filipino people” are the same qualities needed from Bacolodnons this pandemic.
“Let us not forget that each of us has a role to fulfill (in the fight to end the pandemic). This is not just the government’s. This calls for our individual participation – observance of minimum health protocols, getting ourselves vaccinated and building up our health,” added Gayares.
Meanwhile, Mayor Evelio Leonardia urged Bacolodnons to unite and support local health measures against coronavirus disease “to attain that freedom of well-being.”
“Let me awaken in each of you the innate heroism and the instinct to survive in order to attain that freedom of well-being. We cannot remain passive or just be an observer. Let us all be up in arms (against the pandemic). How? We can do it by simply observing the health protocols demanded from each of us,” said Leonardia.
“These are the simple things that we can do daily for as long as the threat of the virus remains: wear your masks properly, avoid mass gatherings, sanitize as often as you can, avoid crowded places, and consult a doctor at once if you feel you need to,” he added./PN
