Yup, sea salt that is. My doctor advised to take at least 3 tsp daily in water. Sad to say, it is not easy to find sea salt here in Manila. What's sold in supermarkets including the wet markets is iodized salt.
As a side note: in December 1995, then President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR) passed Republic Act 8172 or the ASIN Law to prevent iodine deficiency disorder (IDD). At that time, it was the leading cause of mental and physical retardation, including stunting and goiter. World Health Organization said that IDD "can start before birth, jeopardize children's mental health and often their very survival."
Anyway, the benefits of taking sea salt are: (dissolved in water) it reduces blood pressure, helps in the elimination of toxins and regulates PH balance; (when bathing) gives an antiseptic effect to the skin and may reduce histamine that causes inflammation and itching sensation; (in a diffuser) helps in relieving congestion and/or asthma (trivia: salt has been known as the first antibiotic); (and under the tongue) stops persistent dry cough.
Best of all, sea salt is apparently a natural hypnotic and helps aid sleep. Before going to bed, drink a full glass of water and put a few grains of salt under the tongue. You will feel sleepy within an hour.
I know that some of you may say that salt is salt and the chemical property is sodium chloride (NaCl). Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky said that the differences between sea salt and table salt are in the taste, texture and processing. She said sea salt is produced through evaporation of sea water, usually with little processing; while table salt is mined from underground salt deposits.. and thus, "more heavily processed to eliminate minerals and usually contains an additive to prevent clumping."
So there! I now use sea salt as my homeopathic remedy for everything! I get my supply from my doctor (which is sourced from Pangasinan) and when she runs out, I get in Rituals (at The Collective on Malunggay St.). For those who still believe in IDD, try eating foods that are loaded with iodine like saltwater fish, squids, shrimps, crabs, seaweeds (kelp, arame, hiziki, kombu and wakame), even cranberries and strawberries!
Have you ever wondered why people say "many happy returns' on your birthday?
Astrologically, it means that "on your birthday each year the sun returns to its natal position. This is known as the solar return and thus, marks the beginning of a new year... Where you are at the time of the solar return can affect the house positions of the planets ... changing your location, even just for that day can move the planets into different house and thereby influence other areas of life instead."
So for my solar return this year, I opted to spend it outside my country of birth, in other words - - abroad to shake up my planetary configuration!
BFF Gai helped in choosing and planning. Since I wouldn't be able to enter our first choice Beirut (Lebanon) because of an Israeli-stamp on my passport, we narrowed down the destinations to PIGS which is the acronym for Portugal-Italy-Greece-Spain or countries that are currently experiencing debt crisis and therefore, to some place reasonable.
May I add that it helped that the peso was strong at P50 to 1 compared to last year's P70. By process of elimination, we settled with Portugal where neither of us have been to. Well, I was there when I was 17 backpacking but I don't remember much.
Vasco de Gama monument on Tagus River
Before finalizing, I took a last minute poll just to be sure, between Prague and Lisbon. Prague won hands down. I guess like everyone else, I must admit that Portugal is not one of my top-of-mind destinations and still think it's part of Spain because of its proximity! Actually it was until 1494 when both countries signed the treaty of Tordesillas which divided the world - yes, the world, between two hemispheres. Portugal at the time led the age of discovery with its explorers Vasco da Gama who was the first to sail eastward to India around Africa in 1498 and Ferdinand Magellan who was the first to circumnavigate the globe and discovered the Philippines in 1521.
Anyway, Gai made all the arrangements including finding the best located funky apartment in Sta. Catarina on the fringe of Chiado and getting acquainted with the warm, friendly folk. We looked to Anthony Bourdian as our guide to glorious food. We're both familiar with Portuguese food having visited Macau and Goa but nothing beats eating in the country itself.
Tram No. 28
For first timers in Lisbon, I strongly advise to do a walking tour with the We hate Tourism company to get your bearings and have a good feel of the districts. The tram No 28 was plying through our neighborhood but with all the pickpocket warnings, we ended up cabbing everywhere. Warning: ditch stilettos! The place has seven hills and thus hilly [duh!] plus it will be extremely difficult to negotiate the cobblestones without the heels getting stuck.
Barrio Chiado, one of the eight districts
The best way to explore Lisbon is to map out the sights per district as Gai had planned. For instance, spend half a day in Belem and check out Vasco de Gama's monument and Tower, have cocktails by the river, visit Berardo museum and the Monastery, eat the local food in the area and of course Pasteis de Belem for the best egg tarts in town. Another is to spend a full day in the old district in Alfama on a Tuesday or Saturday starting with the Feira de Ladra flea market which opens at 8am, the Fado museum, Castelo de Sao Paolo (castle), Se cathedral, etc. Or go out of town to visit the beaches - not to miss is Sintra! Or soak up the view in any of the districts' park with a glass of vinho verde (green wine) or hangout in Fernando Pessoa's favorite cafe Brasileira in Chiado to watch the various acts - it may be a mime, a flame thrower and believe it or not, even an alpine horn blower.
Five must do in Lisbon:
Clams served in Ramiro with garlic and cilantro, a staple
1. Restos - Portuguese food is basically seafood - the famous bacalau (cod), sardines, and my favorite octopus! Try Ramiro for its fresh seafood (warning: check menu prices becaue it's by kg) and make sure to order a Prego for dessert and end with a Pedrini which is ice cream, orange juice and vodka; Cantinho da Avillez for lunch, Oliver's Restaurant (of the three, I like the Restaurant where I spent my birthday), 100 Maneiras, Pasteis de Belem or Nata for the best egg tarts, Pareirinha de Alfama for some original Fado music and arroz de marisco which is much better than paella, or if you want some fresh organic veggies try Flower Power on Calzada do Combro and of course, anywhere in Barrio Alto for a good meal. Also Santini for ice cream, breakfast in a Padaria Portuguesa.
Gai with designer/owner in Feira de Lard
2. Shopping - Feira de Ladra flea market (Tuesdays and Saturdays from 8am to 2pm), designer shops at Barrio Alto and Chiado, El Corte Ingles.
3. Bars- Pensao Amor, Silk, BBC, Instituto do Vinho for the best Porto wine, anywhere in Barrio Alto - where, mind you, the nightlife starts at midnight!
4. Museums - the ancient and modern art collection of Armenian billionaire Calouste Gulbenkian and the contemporary art collection of Portuguese millionaire Jose Manuel Rodrigues Berardo, theManueline-style architecture Jeronimos Monastery in Belem which is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mude Design and a must-see is Sao Domingos Church in Chiado which has been left untouched since the 1755 earthquake.
breathtaking view in Cascais
5. Sights outside Lisbon - the mystical Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which has masonry alchemy symbols (do skip Cascais if you have only one day), visit Fatima to join the hopefuls and kneel all the way to the shrine, Estoril where we spent our first night in Tamariz and if you have more time, go visit the much talked about Porto!
After shaking my stars so to speak, let's see how my year pans out and maybe.. I may spend my solar return again elsewhere. Read Gai's Guide to Lisbon part 1 and part 2.
Over Sunday lunch on July 8, my sister Roca who will soon be migrating abroad, declared that she wants to explore the Philippines before she goes. Top on her list was Palawan. I told her that I've been to St. Paul's Underground River several times before and would love to join if Tabon Cave is included in her itinerary. So lo and behold, the very next day, she made plans and that following weekend, we were off to Puerto Princesa - my aunt (Tita Flor), Roca and niece flew a day earlier to visit the Underground River.
I have never been to Tabon Cave and learned about it in history class in grade school. The site is where the skull of the earliest man in the Philippines was discovered in May 1962 by an american anthropologist Dr. Robert Fox. The fossils date back between 22,000 and 20,000 B.C. Actually, the site is a cave complex in a 138-hectare island in Lipuun Point in Quezon municipality about 145 kilometers southwest of Puerto Princesa.
It is not easy to get to Tabon. My sister found only one travel agent that services the site. And it is a whole-day trip, a three-hour ride from Puerto Princesa to Quezon and mind you, some portions are quite bumpy. Then, another 30-min ride by banca (outrigger boat).
The ride is quite scenic going through vast rice fields including that of the Iwahig Penal Colony or prison without walls. It was built by the Americans in 1904 to serve as a source of food supply for prisoners and now, it is known as a source for finely made handcrafted bags and souvenirs.
At the National Museum in Quezon
The first stop in Quezon was the National Museum. Here we registered, toured the museum featuring some of the excavated artefacts and watched the required educational video about the island. Since it was past noon, we decided to abort the planned picnic on the island and eat in the museum.
After lunch, it was a short drive to the pier to get on the banca. Note: wear trekking sandals! We had to walk through rocks in the pier and upon reaching the island, we had to carefully tread our way through urchin-laden water to shore.
Entrance to the cave
According to our guide, the Tabon Cave complex has 218 caves, only 22 have been explored and only seven are accessible to the public. Unfortunately, 'accessible' doesn't mean you can enter the caves. We were allowed up to the mouth of each cave. If you want to enter the caves, you must ask permission from the National Museum before going.
The place is not a popular tourist destination at all. We were the only ones on the island. The last tourists who came, logged in two weeks before us. So you can imagine how pristine the place is. It was so quiet that we could hear the birds chirping, the wind rustling the leaves and hear our heart beat from climbing steep steps and that's a total of 1,054 steps! Our guide said that often times, he would spot snakes, wild boars and even bear cats.
White sand beach of Tabon Cave
The tour is a good trek - an hour or two depending on your stamina. The path will cut through rainforest. If your knees are weak, I would suggest to climb the steps slowly - - or go for a swim, walk the white sand beach or tan.
For those who wish to visit Tabon Cave, you can do it yourself - hire a van, bring packed lunch and drinks and text Jay of the National Museum in Quezon at (0948) 159-0955 to inform him of your date of arrival and number of tourists. This is much cheaper than the P4,500 per person we were charged by the Tour operator. The cost though included everything - the van and driver, a licensed tour guide, entrance fees, packed lunch and drinks.
Are you experiencing headaches, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, pain in your neck or shoulders, or sometimes back or leg pain? Or maybe you grind your teeth at night? Chances are you are suffering from TMJ or Temporo-Mandibular Joint disorder.
The joint is where the upper temporal bone (skull) is hinged to the lower bone (mandible) and is responsible for jaw movement such as chewing, talking, yawning, etc. So, what is the connection between this joint and all bodily pain or symptoms I just described earlier?
Well, according to statistics, nine out of ten people have at least one sign or symptom of TMJ and mostly high stress women are prone to it. My osteopath Dr. JP Prado who was treating me for my back pain, was the one who spotted the problem and recommended that I consult with his mom, Dr. Dorothy.
I did go for an x-ray and to my surprise, the x-ray confirmed that I was suffering from TMJ. As you can see from the image below, my left jaw joint (right side of the image) was not firmly in place and would've popped out of the socket in a matter of time.
Panoramic x-ray shows the misaligned joint
TMJ is known as the Great Impostor because it not only mimics the conditions I mentioned earlier but believe it or not - is the root cause of all other problems. I'm referring to these problems I've experienced throughout the years - balance problems, nausea, cervical pain, lower back pain, restriction of neck motion, constant throat infection, sinus congestion, ear infection and even asthma.
Note that for each of the problem, I would see a specific doctor such as EENT, pulmonary, orthopedic, physical therapist, chiropractor, etc. You can just imagine the cost of my medical bills.
If you have any of the following, you may be a TMJ candidate: history of trauma or dental work like braces, orthodontics; jaw clicks; limited or painful range of jaw movement; teeth fail to meet properly; grinding or clenching at night; recurrent symptoms in head, neck, shoulders, back, knees; including headache or migraines; biting of tongue, cheeks or lips.
the Splint
By the way, when I saw Dr. Dorothy, my lower teeth was half its original size from all the grinding, my jaw was already receding, my face was a bit lopsided to the right and my left shoulder was higher than my right. Dr. Dorothy recommended a splint (which looks like a mouth guard) that I wear 24x7 to correct the misalignment. While she's correcting my jaw (upper body), I still see her son the osteopath to address my spinal problem.
P.S., Do you know the saying that there is no such thing as a coincidence? Well, I met Dr. JP in one of Yoga Plus's weekend wellness talks. He was giving a lecture on Yoga and how to address spinal alignment problems. It was right after that lecture that I booked a session with Dr. JP and the rest is history. All I can say is, I am so happy that I discovered the source for all my seemingly unrelated medical problems. And in closing, I do agree with Albert Einstein, "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous."
