DUBAI: Hypertension. High cholesterol. Type 2 diabetes. Obesity. The top four ailments besetting most overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the UAE, according to medical specialists at Klinika Maharlika, a multispecialty, outpatient medical center with offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
And because OFWs are not allowed to get sick, in Filipino lingo, “bawal magkasakit,” the doctors have this food for thought dished out.
Overseas Filipinos can’t afford to be ill because most don’t have families here to take care of them in the event of sickness. “And most importantly, majority are bread winners. So bawal talaga magkasakit sa expats,” said Dr. Jeneth Habacon, Ob-gyne at the medical facility.
“The usual day of an expat starts with a quick breakfast or none at all, then comes to a grueling eight to 12 hours of work shift with stress squeezed in between. Then, finally a late full sumptuous dinner. And most often, majority will sleep few minutes after dinner. There is also the issue of having little or no exercise at all. Plus a lot of eat-all-you-can buffet and fast food binges,” said Habacon.
“If this is the scenario,” she added, “we will be expecting medical conditions like gastritis, abnormal glucose /diabetes, high cholesterol, overweight/obesity and abnormal menstruation to name a few.”
Habacon said these conditions are what afflict “the bulk of patients we often see in the clinic, even among younger ones in their late 20’s to early 30’s.”
“It has been reiterated often the importance of exercise and good eating habits. Avoiding fatty foods and less carbs. And of course, burn the excess calories by exercising daily, religiously,” she said.
To avoid stress, or decrease stress and its effect in the body, Habacon said OFWs need to have a healthy outlook about their job. “You should love your work, so that when you work it will not feel like a burden at all. Remember, we left our families and country to work here. It is what we are here for. Love it, whether you like it or not. We should start accepting that as expats, life is work and work is life,” she said.
Meantime, Dr. Aguida Perez, internal medicine specialist also at Klinika Maharlika, suggests that those with hypertension get a good eight-hour sleep, learn to manage work-related stress positively, eat healthy foods at the right time and of moderate amount and know their ideal body weight and BMI (body mass index) and stop smoking, among others.
She also suggested that those with diabetes cut down on sugar intake, increase vegetables in their diet, purchase their own glucometer, make a habit of checking your sugar level when not feeling well anywhere, anytime and know their glycosylated hemoglobin level by heart.
Those with high cholesterol should limit their intake of food rich in fats.
Obese OFWs should regularly exercise minimize dining with friends at eat-all-you-can restaurants and avoid sitting position longer than 2 hours.
