Episode 64: Metabolic Syndrome Is A Global Epidemic with Dr. Oyie Balburias, MD

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Dr. Oyie Balburias:

to 80% of my practice, Andrew are people who are what I termed as having three MP syndrome. You know, what is three MD syndrome. So this is these are the people that I served as a last resort doctor for them, because many of them have when they come to me, they have multiple diseases, particularly lifestyle related, they’re taking multiple drugs. And they have so many doctors or multiple doctors, as I call it, three MD syndrome. Or another way explain it to them is that they have a maintenance disease. That’s why they have a maintenance drugs. And that’s why they need also to have a maintenance doctors. So the way people come to me in the Philippines, that means to say they have gotten tired of the kind of management we’re in, everything is fragmented. Everything is to focus on drugs and disease. And that’s when they need help in really managing their health and restoring back their health. So that’s how I talk about it to my patients.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

Metabolic Syndrome increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and many other serious health problems. What are the underlying issues, lifestyle factors, and nutrition factors that are fueling this syndrome? I am excited to share this conversation with oily Bavaria’s an integrative and functional physician based in the Philippines as he shares his experience with getting to the root cause or causes of metabolic syndrome and inspiring his patients to live healthy, thriving lives. I am Dr. Andrew Wong, co founder of capital Integrative Health. This is a podcast that is dedicated to transforming the consciousness around what it means to be healthy, and understanding the root causes of both disease and wellness. And I can tell you that I really enjoyed this conversation with Dr. borjas. Today about metabolic syndrome. If you are a loved one has metabolic syndrome and want to better understand the steps you can take to get to the root causes. This conversation is for you. Dr. Oyie, welcome to our podcast. composta

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

I’m okay Andrew Costa. So how are you too? So nice to see you again since I think we last saw each other like me. Right. So

Dr. Andrew Wong:

I was there last night. It’s great to see you here in Maryland and great to have some lunch with you can meet some people here. But definitely, you know, this is a really great podcast episode we’re about to tape. Because here you know, our podcast is really going global. We’re looking at you know, health care and wellness in the Philippines, which is where you are correct?

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

Yes. Based in Manila, when practicing functional medicines way back 2013 2013 2013

Dr. Andrew Wong:

That’s so great. Well, as a doctor in the Philippines, what what drew you to become a functional medicine medicine doctor? Well, I’m

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

by training, I am a board certified general internist, like you know, and the way we’re expected is supposed to, it’s supposed to be select an Oregon and become a sub specialist doctor. But I guess there are other plans for me. So for some reason I got involved in hospital we’re in a Wellness Center is, is a service that is offered to provide corporate health care. So and that’s where I got into realize the difference between managing health and managing diseases. So that’s when I realized especially after hearing, of course, Mark Hyman way back in 2009 So I start I learned about functional medicine way back 2009 But just formally trained in it 2013 But so that’s when I realized I wanted to practice it because during the time also I had my own medical emergency now so well my past life I was a healthcare executive, very living a very stressful and busy career. I was actually managing and I was part of actually managing two hospitals in two different places here in the Philippines which requires me to to fly almost like twice a week or four times a week an hour flight plane ride so and during the those times like I would really miss slip asleep and then I will be eating foods in the Air Force in the airport and which then lead for me after two years of doing that job no going back and forth Manila to another province here in the Philippines I felt chronic fatigue and and I started having high blood pressure and I was having chronic fatigue and I was having chronic headache, and chest pain as well. So, of course I am, I was part of a, of a big healthcare system here in the Philippines and network, one of the biggest network of hospitals here. So I thought that I was, I was sick. And of course, I consulted all my colleagues who are all expert doctors, and all of them, were saying that everything is normal, everything is fine, except that I am just stress and that I need to unload some of my work. But I’ve always been stressed. I mean, I’ve been working in the hospital for during the time, almost my, I guess, eight years already working for that hospital. And so I know that it’s not just stress and, and I did all the work, of course, I was an employee of the hospital and, but everything is normal, not typical. Everything is normal, except you except how you feel and pale. That’s when I realized that I’m not yet sick. But definitely I was unhealthy. And that I was metabolically imbalance. And chronic stress definitely be a significant role that that causes those biological imbalances or metabolic imbalances. And so I can tell you the functional medicine doctor, and he was instrumental in, in restoring back my health, and after, because for almost two years during the time, with that kind of work very a lot of plane rides, I really felt that I was too old, I was like, I felt like I was already like 60 years old or seven years old. But during that time, I was just, I think 42 years old now. And when I had that medical problem, and that’s when I realized that I wanted to really, to practice this kind of medicine. So even though I knew about it, during even years before that, that’s when I made the decision that I want to pursue it and decided to took the the training program to take the training program of IFM which God’s blessing, I was able to finish it and it was able to pass the certification like you and since then I’ve never looked back my transition from a full time functional medicine practice was quite by my thesis, so I didn’t really full, full time practice it. But way back in 2018, I really transitioned in a full time functional medicine practice. So that’s, that’s it my own personal lives on and professionally. As I’ve said, I am a healthcare executive here in our country in our country. And I started as a doctor in the rural areas in the underdeveloped areas of the country. And it’s like we call it it’s a program we’re in you are saying after passing the boards, you serve in the rural towns or rural areas where even some people have not seen a doctor for so many decades. So I served for I did that job for almost three years. And that’s when I saw that health inequity in our country and and realize that no matter what they do to providing access or spending so much access to health services, it’s not going to cut it now so there has to be something else and and that’s when it led me to valuing the practice of prevention of diseases or more than that it’s really health optimization. Now sort of starting with food with with lifestyle not so and so when I learned about functional medicine, it was an easy transition for me because I know that is what our country needs. So in that’s it after more than a cent more than a decade I never looked back anymore in my practice of illness medicine.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

So going from transitioning from that like you said illness medicine or focusing on you know isolated Oregon’s essentially right in internal medicine with with their traditional training of course to kind of this idea of of wellness and and the connection between the body’s you know, organ systems, but also the mind body spirit, it sounds like all those things are integrated for a you to develop your professional career, but also for your personal healing journey as well. Right. Yeah, and the other thing that I guess, you know, we want to get into from a kind of a public health or global health perspective is, you know, how do you feel in 2022? Here, Dr. Roy, what is the state of health care in the Philippines?

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

What just like in the US, I think IFM have actually defined it that even before this pandemic, there was already The epidemic of chronic diseases. That’s same case here in our country, because, you know, the Philippines and the Americans have a centuries of relationships. So yeah, they really like to, to copy what the Americans are doing right. So that’s why if you look at the morbidity, mortality data of the Philippines, it’s actually almost a mirror image of the of the American morbidity, mortality data, because well, everything Americans are doing, including their food, are right here in the country, a problem from fast food now, so 67% of Filipinos who died, were dying, or prematurely dying or dying from non communicable diseases, those that are preventable now. So it so happens that this virus, this pandemic, have labeled those people with non communicable diseases to be the one that are really vulnerable to having a severe outcome of this COVID-19. So it was not surprising, especially we are a third world country, that our health care system will easily break down, because to begin with, we are really unhealthy even before this pandemic occurred, right. So and I guess that’s the realization it really, to me, the pandemic, I don’t want to call it a blessing, a blessing, but it actually really amplified my message for the past 10 years as to how different it is to, to manage health versus managing diseases at a fragmented and highly specialized approach. But if indeed, you want to be healthy, you start with the basics now, so the pandemic really amplified that message. In fact, during the entire two years, I think I’ve given almost like almost a daily webinars about how to how to boost or strengthen the immune system now, and a lot of doctors here, especially patients do not know that our immune system are located in the gut, that 70% of it are significantly located and affected by the food that we are eating. In fact, I’ve encountered doctors, Andrew, that will tell their patients, no cancer patients that they can eat anything they want, especially after the chemotherapy or there are a lot of there are some doctors here that will tell their patients that what you’re eating has nothing to do, why you’re sick. Why do you have diabetes now, so they see that a lot of our healthcare system is a bit delayed by around 25 years. Because still, it’s still very much fragmented, still very much highly, sub specialized know and to focus on drugs and diseases. So not everyone, not every doctor here would talk like me, or will. It doesn’t

Dr. Andrew Wong:

sound like there’s the financial incentives or the system in place across the board, which I think we could probably say the same thing about the US, you know, in terms of I think it’s slowly evolving, and people are trying to do that leaders in the healthcare space trying to do that. What what do you think it would take to move the needle of the state of health care in the Philippines from focusing more on illness and sub specialization to wellness?

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

Well, I think there’s a lot of factors now from political to the there are legal aspects as well. And of course, the the social issues as well, or the financial factors as well, because political because as I’ve said, in our country, the practice of the health care, the Philippine health care is still based on a 1912 law now, so it’s still very much outdated. Okay, we did. So, public health perspective, or the public health practice here is still a century old practice. So a lot have needs to be done. But I think more importantly, we can use the power of social media to provide accurate and scientific information. But sadly, that social media is also at times utilized in order to peddle misinformation and disinformation which really aggravates the situation and also because there’s a lot of enterprising people who tend to capitalize on the lack of information or the lack of knowledge about what is really a true health care or an updated health care in the Philippines now, so a lot of issues like from the inequity of healthcare in our country. They are people who can access modern facilities just like what you have there in the United States. But there are also areas here in our country that have that even have no access at all to just basic health services. So, so many factors are like, there are a lot of provinces here, Andrew that have no health care professionals have not seen a doctor in decades, not only nurses or health workers, but doctors, most doctors, a lot of doctors, as I said, are going out of the country. And then those who are who decides to stay, especially the sub specialist one, they tend to practice in urban areas or areas where in their have access to technology, they have access to modern technology. So a big big gap in inequity.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

Is there. Do you think telehealth could bridge the gap there at all? In terms of people kind of seeing people online? And things?

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

You know, I did that years ago? I thought really to us? No, but again, because you know, a lot of a big a significant part of the Filipinos are living below poverty line. Okay, about about. So they don’t even have access to a subset to basic health care. So it’s not just about access to health care services, I think it’s really about the, the way that there should be focused on making people healthy through proper nutrition. So because they already poor, that’s why they’re getting sick. Right. So because they have no access to nutrient rich foods. And they have access to process package and ultra processed foods fast. Right, so that makes them sick. And then when they get sick, since they have no access to they cannot afford to pay for the health care, then that’s a disparity really. So

Dr. Andrew Wong:

private pay, right? There’s no there’s not too many, not too many doctors on insurance models, right?

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

We have a government insurance called Fail health, but it’s very limited. And well, they passed a law. I think last year about it’s called universal health care. But the problem in that particular universal health care is not really about health care, it’s really about just guaranteeing that the government will be the number one customer of for purchases of drugs, not for purchases of expensive hospital deaths. As I said, the focus is more on access to health care, but healthcare that is a downstream management of the problem, right? So what what we need to do just like what IFM is saying is that we need to go more upstream. Now. So looking into how we can make the Filipinos healthy,

Dr. Andrew Wong:

right? We’ve said this so all along, too. It’s not just about universal access to health care, which I think would be one piece of the puzzle, but it’s also about what the quality of health care is, like you said, is it talking about downstream consequences and just trying to pick up the pieces once they’re broken versus, versus upstream trying to prevent, you know, which is it sounds like it’s going to be more more cost effective. And of course, gonna save a lot of, you know, what are called I think, by the WHO quality adjusted life years in the future.

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

So you’re correct. So, so are in our country, especially we have that triad of disease burden, right? We have still dealing with infectious diseases we have, we’re dealing with non communicable diseases, as well as we are an archipelago we are hit by natural disasters from volcano eruptions, or Quake, and as well as a typhoons, right. So which, so that’s why we are dealing with the triple Burden of Disease now, or reasons why we are getting sicker. And that’s why I see that providing access to health care services is not enough. Now, I think there has to be more a proactive approach to improving our health care system.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

Well, we know we both know that the traditional health care system is really a disease care model. Right? That’s the focus. So yeah, we can call it health care, but but it really has to span both treatment of illness. Of course, that’s helpful, but then also having some, some sense of, you know, wellness promotion. Let’s talk about metabolic syndrome, if that’s okay. We know that this is a leading issue in both the US and the Philippines. And in fact, North Carolina’s study from 2017 here in the US, it was found that about 88% of people have metabolic syndrome, which which is a staggering amount. Basically, if someone doesn’t have metabolic syndrome, they’re more the exception rather than the goal. How would you classify metabolic syndrome? What do you what is metabolic syndrome if you could just define that for our audience here and also, how is that in the Philippines?

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

But here in the Philippines, in my practice, I no longer call it metabolic syndrome just focusing on the risk, but basically cardio metabolic conditions, risk and predispositions. So we’re in a, not only focus on the laboratories or the integration of the five factors that would qualify someone to have metabolic syndrome, but really integrating it in incorporating it with the metabolic imbalances happening to a person starting from their overeating to leading to resorting to more weight gain, or more excessive fat, especially on the central area, which then leads to several metabolic dysfunctions like insulin dysfunction, chronic gut inflammation, those things, that’s how I explained it to patient. So really, just when a patient enters my clinic before, before the pandemic, just by looking at their body composition, I can see, I can say many things already that an attribute that particular cardiometabolic, risk conditions and predispositions and how they can manage it better in order for them to avoid having more chronic diseases, and achieving more longevity with Vitality. So

Dr. Andrew Wong:

say, if I’m a patient there in the Philippines, and I have a big gut or you know, a little bit of belly fat, so what’s the big deal? Why is that so important? What we say

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

to them that this is actually the fifth vital signs, nowadays, particular, central obesity. Now, in fact, 80% of my practice, Andrew are people who are what I termed as having three NP syndrome, you know, what is three MD syndrome. So this is these are the people that I served as a last resort doctor for them, because many of them have when they come to me, they have multiple diseases, particularly lifestyle related, they’re taking multiple drugs. And they have so many doctors, or multiple doctors, as I call it, three MB syndrome. Or another way I explained it to them is that they have a maintenance disease. That’s why they have a maintenance drugs. And that’s why they need also to have a maintenance doctors. So the way people come to me in the Philippines, that means to say they have gotten tired of the kind of management we’re in, everything is fragmented, everything is too focused on drugs and disease. And that that’s when they need help in really managing their health and restoring back their health. So that’s how I talk about it to my patients.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

That will let’s talk about some of the root causes of the components of cardio metabolic conditions, like you were saying. So we have for instance, high cholesterol or low HDL cholesterol, which is clinical good cholesterol. What we call dyslipidemia, this abnormality of lipid patterns we have, you know, people with high blood pressure or high blood sugar, whether that’s pre diabetes or diabetes, we have what you said about excess visceral fat, meaning excess, especially weight in the abdomen, around the belly region, are all these conditions, Dr. Boy, are they separate conditions do four of these five, or five, these conditions do four or five medications or however they are related in terms of common root cause?

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

Well, this leads to, of course, those excess fat that tends to that results to having chronic chronic gut inflammation, especially if it’s a result of their compromise, nutrition, or they’re actually what I call overfed but undernourished. And this chronic gut inflammation, which then leads to activation of insulin resistance and insulin resistance, which then leads to problem on their energy metabolism, which stands for them to become hungry, because not every carbohydrates or every protein that they’re eating is converted into energy, which then leads for them to manifest with chronic fatigue, which tends for them to eat more, because they feel hungry now. And that’s that’s then contributing to more weight gain, then it’s a vicious cycle. Right? So that’s why I said, I, when patients come to me, even though they don’t, they don’t manifest any abnormalities. If their blood chemistry are still within the range. I don’t talk to them about it. Let’s say they’re fasting blood sugar to be abnormal. We talked about whether is it optimal for your age. Now, if it’s not optimal, then why is it that sub optimal? So what’s driving why you have glucose metabolism, inefficiency, because I would expect that you’re fasting blood sugar because you’re only 30 years old, to be at a range between 81 to 85. But it doesn’t mean that it’s 102. And it’s not yet at the range, the diabetic range that endocrinologist will consider or to be a problem that I won’t do anything anymore. And that’s when I correlate it with what they’re eating with their stress level with their quality of sleep or duration of sleep, as well as of course, with with their body composition, or their central obesity, and later on as well connecting it to their family history. So, so I can show that in that case, I get to be more proactive, as I’ve said, rather than just simply giving prescription, it does not address the root causes, particularly the central obesity. That’s where I focus my discussion with my patients.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

Great, thank you so much. Let’s, let’s talk about the connection between between sugar and fat. So So I think there was a misconception back in the, in the 1970s, that with the research coming out at that point, or recommendations coming at that point that, you know, all fats are bad, and we should all eat low fat, and then there was a proliferation of high carbohydrate or high sugar, even foods or I should say Ultra processed food like substances. Right. And that that has, at least it seems like that’s globally led to a lot of problems with with cardio metabolic conditions. What’s the relationship between sugar and fat? And how do you counsel counsel counsel patients about that?

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

Well, just by vilifying fats Now, up to now that that kind of information is still prevalent here, in our country, a lot of people still think that cholesterol, they a lot of doctors do not know the distinction what is cholesterol, LDL cholesterol versus LDL particle, a lot of patients are still scared of eating fats. And that when they think when when when they think of fat, it’s something that really will cause them to have the cardiometabolic risk conditions and predisposition. So when, of course, sugar to access of it, especially simple refined sugar, which damages if my patients are knowledgeable about the microbiome. So those are things that I discussed with them, and then how the impact of this excessive simple, refined sugar that leads to insulin dysfunction, and that insulin dysfunction could also affect why they have sodium retention. And discharge retention is also one of the things that cause to why their blood vessel is is, is affected or Manifesting with endothelial dysfunction. So basically, all of those things, showing them the different systems root causes, as a result of their lifestyle, and as a possible contribution of their genetics, and most specially as to the quality and lack of nutrients of their nutrition. Now. So that’s how I explain it to to my patient now, so that when it comes to the three macronutrients, complex carbohydrates, which becomes sugar, or glucose is different from a simple refined carbohydrates. So there are good carbohydrates, there are good proteins and damaged proteins, as well as there are balance of fats, there are pro inflammatory fats, there are anti inflammatory fats. But fat is something that is essential. In order for us to form our cell wall, it’s something that is essential to to provide a balance between pro inflammatory and anti inflammatory effects. So the key when it comes to fats will be balanced now, so but I tell my patients that there’s no such thing as evil macronutrient groups, so I don’t believe in diet, because everything, all these three macronutrients are essential substrates in order for our body to create the energy that our cells will need. So that’s how,

Dr. Andrew Wong:

yeah, I agree. It’s, it’s the other thing is when you talk about, you know, diets, especially that word, it’s, it’s, I think, can be triggering for a lot of people and it can sort of provide these misconceptions that okay, you know, a diet has to be something that, that we do to treat illness as opposed to promote health, you know, it’s more like, what is the food pattern that you’re going to do day in and day out most days of the week? Correct? Is that kind of your idea of

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

do they tend to think of it that if you place them on a diet that it’s going to deprive them, it’s going to deprive them, but as I’ve said, even when I place a patient on elimination diet, I still tell them that we’re just removing some potential food triggers. But the food plan that I selected for you are still balance, it will still have adequate protein, adequate fats and adequate carbohydrates or complex carbohydrates. So it’s really just defining those terms, and then translating them into have the two food ingredients that they can appreciate and recognize, and really just sometimes simply changing. Or making them realize that whole, real unprocessed foods are different from the refined package process, or fast food that they are consuming. So sometimes just changing what they’re eating, you don’t really have to put them on a diet or reducing those highly processed foods, it makes a lot of big difference. And their body responds to it even after a few days or after a few weeks.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

So this is the most important question today, I think one of the most important questions so. So as you know, we have an amazing healthcare virtual assistant team in the Philippines. And, and we were talking about, actually Jollibee is, you know, Jollibee is as a, as a chain that is very well known in Philippines. And there’s actually 13 locations here in the US, one of which is in Maryland. So I went and tried that it was very delicious food. But I’m wondering, you know, as a doctor that deals with cardio metabolic conditions, and you know, we’re kind of saying, Yeah, fast food, maybe not good every day, how often would you recommend people? You know, if they’re trying to do something, say in moderation, and you know, what is sort of a realistic for people do you think that are trying to get healthier? Frequency for things like fast food? Or is it is it zero? Or is it? You know, it’s maybe depending on the person and their health conditions? What What would you say about that? Because I think that’s a realistic question for people, you know, well,

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

I believe in the Pareto rule. So at least 80% of whole real nutrient rich foods, but and then 20% I’m not perfect as well. I mean, I do eat fast food from time to time, but it’s not every Jollibee. So I do I do like, especially when, like, when you attend parties? Yeah. So what, when I know how, of course, you know how to detox. But as I’ve said, I try to educate my patients about the value of optimal nutrition now, and when patients ask me about it, don’t I can I eat this? Can I eat this? Or am I allowed to eat this, I tell my patients, I am not a police. I am a I’m a doctor teacher, I will only give you information about the foods that I think will help restore your optimal health. Okay, how you use that information. It’s up to you. If you want to eat the kind of food, I’ll tell you why it is causing problems in your system in the long run. Okay, in my assessment of your systems imbalances, and then you still decide whether you still want to eat that particular food, like a fast food, okay, I don’t really dictate nor decide for them. No, so I’ve always get that question, Doc, can I can I eat this? Can I eat that? I said, I’m not a police.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

Yeah, that’s a great answer. Everyone is a CEO of their own health. They decide you know, for themselves, and how often or how much or whatnot. But But yeah, so that’s, that’s a great, that’s a great question. Let’s kind of flip over to the other conversation on nutrition now on we have certainly a certain number of people that are overfed, but undernourished. How about people in the Philippines that are are malnourished, you know that they just don’t have access to food at all? What how big is that problem?

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

It’s about Well, recent years, I know it’s up there about 3.1 million Filipinos who are really severely malnourished or really old gets hungry, I have no access to food now. So that’s quite significant as well. So as I’ve said, there are two phases of problems in nutrition here, overfed and undernourished as well as malnutrition, most of them especially children now, so it’s quite a big problem. And as I’ve said, even providing access to them, if if it’s nothing if it’s something that’s not sustainable, then the the problem will still persist, because instead of just we have feeding programs, now most government or government will provide feeding programs, but what will be what will happen after those feeding programs? And then those people because they have no access to basic social services, still will still feel the hunger was still the problem of malnutrition continues so, so years ago, 2017 I think it’s about there are 2.42 point 7 million Filipinos who are really severely go into severe hunger, no access to food, and that have increased after several years to almost more than three points. something million. So quite a big problem.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

Is that more in the rural areas? Or is it kind of all over rural and urban

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

in both in both urban setting as well as in rural areas as well now? So in both areas, there are people who are no access to food.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

You miss, you mentioned this triple threat at the beginning about infectious disease, non communicable diseases like metabolic or credit metabolic syndromes. And then climate change is another factor in health. How has climate change affected both Philippine health? And I would also ask about crop yield, and you know, farmland yield and things like that. Is there any data on that yet? Well,

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

there’s, of course, every typhoon damages our agricultural industry, I mean, oftentimes, it’s really amounting to billions. Especially there are provinces or areas in the Philippines that are really prone to being hit by severe typhoons not just once, but several times in the in a year. Climate change is also causing re emergence as well of, of infectious diseases, no, or particularly, we have what we call Dengue disease on here in the Philippines every rainy season. So we say that Dengue is not just a medical problem, it’s actually a social problem that because the reason why there’s a lot of mosquito vectors is that because especially in urban areas, because there’s flooding, there’s flooding, because there’s a lot of garbage clogging drainage, right. So our country is, is dirty. So that’s why that particular Dengue disease on we’re in oftentimes, it’s really paralyzes the healthcare system, because of a lot of hospitalizations during those rainy season. We say that Dengue is not just a healthcare problem, it’s actually a social problem, so that severe?

Dr. Andrew Wong:

Well, so with all these issues, how do you help your patients? How do you help the community? What are kind of the most impactful recommendations that you give to people in terms of their, their lifestyle, or nutrition or movement or different things like that?

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

What my personal mission statement, my personal mission is, I do connect with churches, because we are, we are a Christian country. So I connect with different sects of religion from protest stance to Catholic and this, churches have communities that they care of that they take care of. Now, so. And that’s where I provide a lot of education and health promotion, talks, webinars, as well as I connect with corporate organizations, because you know, these are the people who are the breadwinners in their family. But at the same time, these are the people who are at risk really, of having the cardiometabolic conditions risk and predispositions now, so they are the ones who are chronically stressed, eating unhealthy foods, sleep deprived, not exercising, right, so And then third, I also connect with organizations, like organizations or patients, like organizations of cancer patients, of parents with neurodevelopmental conditions. And all of these connections and networks that I, I connect with, I utilize health promotion, health education as a way to maybe it’s not going to be enough, definitely. But it’s a start, it’s planting the seeds. Of course, education, knowledge is power, right? So, so every, that is what will compel them to make a decision to change what they’re eating. So I try to provide them practical information, simple information, like just maintaining a regular eating pattern rather than erratic eating pattern. Maintaining a regular sleeping pattern and a biological sleeping pattern. Small things that if they start doing in the long run, could make a big difference as far as their health is concerned. So that’s how I do it. A lot of education especially with after the pandemic, with Zoom, making it available for me to have several webinars in a day. So it made it easier and multiplied my rich and connections in educating the Filipinos about really what is the way to manage your health versus managing diseases. So the message is, you start investing in your health right now. Through Air Force through your resources through your food, and so that you avoid spending for your diseases later on in life. So that’s that’s how we do.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

Yeah, the best investment is in your own health and your family’s health and communities health. I love how you connect Act also with the communities and give people these, you know, educational talks. It sounds like different, different things. Really planting the seeds. I almost imagine this seeds are planted in these beautiful mango trees come up although it’d be interesting to find a way to get the mangoes low carb. Right.

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

So you come here, we’ll we’ll bring you to a mango farm here. Yeah, so we’re in the trees are just as tall as you just take the Yeah, yeah. Mangoes are actually on the floor already. Or?

Dr. Andrew Wong:

Yes, yes. Yes, I have some familiar with that, because my aunt lives in Hawaii and, and she had a neighborhood with a mango tree. And so we would, you know, pick the mangoes off the tree from the opposite side, you know, as a fence. But yeah, the Cebu mangoes are really great. They’re really great. I know that. But I think for sure, let’s let’s talk about, let’s talk about some other kind of basic things that listeners that people can do for themselves, or with their families with their loved ones that are practical, that are kind of better, you know, basically low cost or free. I think if we want to go through some of the lifestyle factors would be great things like movement, and getting more sleep and how to manage stress. I think those things are things that you know, potentially, it sounds like they can all kind of build upon each other. Right? They’re kind of all synergistic, and they support each other, both nutrition and other lifestyle factors.

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

But one thing that I always tell my patient is that if you want to be healthy, start cooking. I mean, it’s something that have been forgotten, especially with the advent of, because I belong to a generation where in a kid you will not stand up from the table from the dining table unless you finish all your vegetables. No, so But nowadays, a lot of Filipinos, Filipino children are not aware of and have a lot of vegetables. The only vegetables they know are French fries. Right. So which

Dr. Andrew Wong:

is not a vegetable, right? That’s a vegetable, right? Yeah.

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

That’s one basic thing. That’s why I have a program in our clinic called it’s a teaching kitchen program. We’re in up surprised. A lot of people at the start really are not used to it anymore, as compared before we’re in really cooking. It’s just natural. I mean, meals are prepared at home. But now, since everything can be ordered online and everything, there’s access to fast food, those things. So I tell my patients, that’s a very basic advice that if you want to be healthy, you start cooking, it start cooking, and at the same time breathing. So I mean, everything like those are things that can be done for free. Right. So yeah, and of course, especially when they’re stressed, chronically stressed, especially working women. They’re juggling between the role as a mom as well as, as a professional, right. So sometimes they tend to forget to breathe, right? So and just breathing like the very easy way, like the soft belly breathing techniques, know those things. I teach to my patient now because it’s easy, and it’s for free. Right? So and also when I’m dealing with cardio metabolic conditions and predisposition, especially for those who are really metabolically not just, I mean, truly obese at the same time, metabolically compromised, if the, if they’re the right candidate, and I have investigated their condition. And I see that there’s a value of fasting, or intermittent fasting or prolonged fasting, if they can do it, especially if they’re morbidly obese. Those are also the things that I advise my patients, because it’s free too fast. Right? So. So those things, and of course, we are already in a dark deprived society, it’s really so hard to let go of our relationship with this one, right. So. So the way I say to them about the value of sleep is you respect your sleeping time, like you respect your appointments, right? So if you have an appointment, right, so you’re expected, because you respect the individual that you’re about to meet. So if you’re supposed to meet at a 10am there, you’re there at least two minutes or five minutes before 10:10am. Right. So the same thing with sleep because I tell my patients that our biological system is actually hardwired to our ecological system. Our body knows that what it’s daytime and our body knows it’s nighttime now and there are things that happens in our body during daytime. And there are things that happen during nighttime. So if you alter this circadian pattern, you don’t be surprised or your busy schedule have metabolic consequences now, so those are the things that weren’t right. I will tell my I tell my patients.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

What about what about nursing? As an admin staff like I know we have a lot of staff here that are working a night shifts, you know, they’re sick 12 are different some how do you manage a circadian rhythm when someone’s working at at night? And how do you balance that? How can you balance

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

not just nurses, Andrew, but here in the Philippines, the Philippines is Asia’s capital for business processing offices now. So I mean, STRS are working late. Their their night is our daytime and our daytime, or nighttime. So what I tell them is that you can reset your body clock by fooling it now by making sure that after your shift, okay, if your shift is done in the morning, by 7am, you make it appear like it’s your 7pm. So sometimes I tend to I tell them to wear, of course, those amber colored glasses, or at times I, of course, we advise them to make the room as dark as possible. And then if they’re sleeping 10pm At night, the same thing for their schedule, they should sleep by 10am and then be awakened. The same thing. So it’s just really altering your body clock, fooling it, to think that you are in the American time, or you are in Maryland time, even though you’re in the Philippines. So

Dr. Andrew Wong:

there’s some rhythm, but there’s some rhythm to that essentially, a little bit more balanced.

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

sleeping pattern is not, it’s not happening to them. And hence you can still remain to be biologically healthy.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

So we talked a lot about different challenges, you know, in the Philippines and things that that you’re definitely you know, doing and others like you that you know, really leading the way and trying to transition from a illness based, you know, health industry, to a wellness, you know, based prevention, community model. It sounds like there’s a lot of a lot of pieces there. That’s really so great. What is one thing you wish everyone knew about addressing cardio metabolic conditions or syndromes? If there was one thing you had to tell, you know, people out there listening, whether they’re in the US or the Philippines or wherever around the world? What would be that one kind of piece of Dr. O ye advice to remember about about that for today?

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

What metabolic diseases or chronic diseases develops before they are detected? Okay, so metabolic diseases such as diabetes, such as heart disease, or hypertension, they develop before they are detected. So they’re silent. Yeah, there’s silence. Yeah, they’re silent. So that doesn’t mean that you don’t have any symptoms, does it mean that you have no abnormal laboratory tests? It does not equate to mean that you are optimally healthy, it only means that you’re not yet sick. Right? So but the time will come we’re in when the system can no longer compensate when the system can no longer adjust to maintain your official logic resiliency of the organs. And when the time that this chronic diseases manifest evidence of a disease is there already, that means to say it’s a bit too late already. So downstream,

Dr. Andrew Wong:

trying to trying to prevent diseases through through healthy lifestyle. And great Well, thank you so much, everybody, for coming on today and discussing really a bunch of things about, you know, health, kind of Philippine health and wellness, metabolic syndrome, we have a fun closing question for you, if you don’t mind sharing with listeners about morning routine, we really believe that morning routine is very healthy, it gets us off to a good start for the day, you know, every day is is a miracle that we wake up, you know, basically and we’re alive. So do you have a morning routine, and if so, if you wouldn’t mind sharing that with us.

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

I always start with a prayer, a prayer night. So even before going, I mean standing up from my bed. I started with a prayer, okay, and then of course, clean up and then do some breathing exercises, or at least always make sure that I get the morning sun, these 15 minutes of that, not so much into into exercise except working. My exercise mostly is through fasting. I do a lot of fasting because well, one of the conditions that affected me before was an autoimmune condition, which really is to to compromise, gut, my gut health status, and I had SIBO before and one of the things that really helped me a lot to detoxify as well as to restore hormone balance is by through fasting through fasting and combining during weekends with exercise and making sure that I do respect my sleeping time, which is now a few minutes from now.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

Yes Yes, well, we’ll make sure you get

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

on Do I just get it? Yes.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

It is it is nighttime there. So we appreciate you coming on during the American morning time. how can listeners learn more about you Dr. Oe and work with you or learn about your programs, etc?

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

Well, they can look at our website, it’s called our go to health, WW that go to health, not hell. Health. Okay, go to hell, that’s

Dr. Andrew Wong:

good. That’s an important distinction there. So go to okay, go to health.

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

That pH WW that go to health.ph? Well, it’s the I think it’s the only clinic a teaching and a health a teaching and coaching health clinic where in, we do a collaborative care team approach. And we do offer programs, health programs and health plan subscription we’re in the goal is to restore back the balance of your system in order for you to either reverse your chronic diseases or prevent it or just to optimize your, your health. So everything we don’t just do consultation, we actually do a lot of teaching sessions. So when patients are enrolled into a program, or subscribe to a health plan, they are not just managed by one doctor, they actually managed by the whole team, by nutritionist, culinary chef. In medicine chef, we have fitness professional yoga teachers, meditation coaches, chiropractors, acupuncturists, so it’s a collaborative team approach. And the focus is on their health, not their individual diseases, or their different symptoms and signs and symptoms or their problematic lab results. Were focused on teaching them how to make the kitchen as their pharmacy, fa RM AC, why not the PHA or MA CUI, how to use food as medicine literally get ready now. So we compete for their precise meal formula, precise meal structure, as well as we teach them how to make use of their very own lifestyle as their own personal doctor. So the goal is to make them as a well empowered managers of their health, so that if they remain healthy, then the goal of our company is to create an epidemic of healthy Filipinos. So that if you even if you don’t have a hospital in your area, but if you remain to be optimally healthy, then you don’t need to see a doctor. Right. So that’s the that’s our that’s our company’s mission and vision.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

That is so great that it’s so great. Well, thank you for sharing that. And yeah, I mean, it sounds like you know, wellness care is the way to go to keep us all healthy. If I was in the Philippines, I definitely sign up with your clinic. But yeah. So So we definitely, definitely a lot of parallels, I think, between what you’re doing there and capital, integrative health, I really agree. You know, it takes a team, you know, it takes a team of healthcare professionals, wellness professionals, also community members, I think, you know, the more that we can get our patients, family and friends involved too. And it becomes more of a village, you know, situation as opposed to like an isolated person, right. We talked about a lot in functional medicine, about not only the physical aspects of health, but also the mental, emotional, spiritual aspects of health and how it’s really the community is the healer.

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

Yeah, the core. It’s the core of the matrix. I mean, the mental emotional, which was right, of our body is the core of the matrix and everything is connected, right. So we’re not we’re

Dr. Andrew Wong:

not talking about the the movie The Matrix, we’re talking about the functional medicine. Although I think if you take that blue or red pill and you see the other side, maybe people will switch over day.

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

As well, not the several. Yeah, well, it’s that one, that kind of matrix. Well, thank

Dr. Andrew Wong:

you so much, Dr. Wade, for coming on. And I’d love to have you back to discuss more global health topics with you at some point of so thank you so much.

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

Sure. I’ll be there December, but in in, I think Las Vegas. Okay. Okay, for any foreign conference. I’m not sure if I couldn’t pass by Maryland again, but if I do, I

Dr. Andrew Wong:

definitely looked at. Alright, well have a good night’s sleep there. We’ll see you later.

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

Okay. You too. Good morning. So everyone.

Dr. Andrew Wong:

Thank you. Thank you for taking the time to listen to us today. If you enjoyed this conversation, please take a moment to leave us a review. It helps our podcasts to reach more listeners. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss our next episodes and conversations. And thank you so much again for being with us.

Dr. Oyie Balburias:

Okay