... pepito manaloto undergoes life coaching, acupuncture, and touch therapy ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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as a psychiatrist, i believe that my clients deserve more than a medical prescription. medications are certainly important and oftentimes necessary, but clients can be helped through natural and holistic ways too. i guess that's what motivated gma's pepito manaloto to visit me. in his quest for psychological and physical health, he visited my clinic for a 3-in-1 session of life coaching, acupuncture, and touch therapy.
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life coaching is about helping people deal with their common life problems, teaching them necessary attitudes and life skills to overcome the problem, and assisting them to attain their higher goals.
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acupuncture is the ancient chinese practice of inserting needles into the body to correct any energy flow imbalances, thereby facilitating recovery from illnesses.
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touch therapy is a body-mind approach which uses light touch and gentle body manouvers to make suppressed and hidden emotions, images, and memories surface to the client's conscious mind.
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pepito manaloto was indeed a character, and it was a hilarious experience having him and his friends around!
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... graphology and personality analysis in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapy, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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GMA's jessica soho sent her 'state of the nation' tv crew to interview me on graphology. graphology is an ancient practice of analyzing personality through one's handwriting. this practice existed in china 3000 years ago and even in ancient rome.
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handwriting can also be considered as "brainwriting." after all, it is the brain (which contains our mind) that coordinates with the nerves, bones, and muscles of our shoulder, arm, hand, and fingers to produce the scribblings on paper. handwriting is as unique as thumbprints. no two styles of handwriting are totally alike.
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so what are the elements analyzed in handwriting? pressure, size, slant, slope of a line, spacing between letters, spacing between words, placement on paper, bars, loops, dots, decorations, distortions ... in short, everything!
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graphology is always fun to do. peeking at a person's handwriting gives you a wealth of information about that person. if you're wondering what people usually ask me to find out through graphology, it's whether they're compatible with their partner. and for that, they secretly sneak out a sample of their partner's handwriting to have me analyze it.
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... drug detox center in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

ms. susan k., host of nbn-4's tv program "pilipinas online bantay ocw," invited me to talk on the topic of drug detox. i described in a nutshell what my drug detox program entails.

patients for detox must be self-volunteered and willing to be confined in a drug detox center for 2 weeks. this short-term drug detox program is convenient for busy professionals and students and consists of:

(1) a physical/ medical exam

(2) psychological/ psychiatric evaluation

(3) medical treatment to rid brain and body of chemical imbalances and toxins from drug use

(4) behavioral contracting

substance addiction is a big problem many people and drug detox is the first step to address it.

... kumon workshop on parenting styles ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, philippines)

“I am an Achiever,” 2011 Kumon Philippines’ Education and Parenting Seminar

Kumon Philippines recently held its annual Education and Parenting Seminar on June 18, 2011 (Saturday), 1:30 PM at the SM Mall of Asia, Cinema 6. The two-hour event included talks and panel discussion by various guest speakers.

Dr. Randy Dellosa, well-known psychologist and life coach shared his knowledge on the different parenting styles and how each can help the learning habits of their child.

... compulsive hoarding and its causes ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, philippines)

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tv5's alagang kapatid (hosted by cheryl cosim) sent their crew to interview me on the causes of compulsive hoarding.

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compulsive hoarding refers to the excessive acqusition and accumulation of items, and the failure or inability to dispose of them. compulsive hoarding can be caused by the following:

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(1) attaching sentimental value to the items

(2) a poverty mentality (i.e.,accumulating possessions due to a previous experience or situation of deprivation)

(3) keeping items for future use

(4) greed

(5) failure to organize belongings

(6) hobbyist collections

(7) obsessive compulsive disorder

(8) schizophrenia (i.e., like what "taong grasa" do).

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... single parenting by single dads ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, philippines)

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state of the nation with jessica soho is the flagship nightly news program of gma news tv. they sent ms. kara david, the award-winning documentary host/reporter, to interview me on the topic of single dads.

i briefly discussed two factors which determine the success of single parenting by dads:

first of all, the single dad must be able to fill in the mother's shoes as an emotionally nurturing figure. this means that the father must be able to meet his children's basic needs for love, affection, acceptance, understanding, and encouragement.
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secondly, the single dad must have a balanced style of parenting. this means that the father must avoid being too authoritarian, punitive, permissive, or neglectful in his manner of parenting his children.
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... funnyman michael v. visits a life coach ... (philippines, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

From Wikipedia: Michael V. (born December 17, 1969 Beethoven del Valle Bunagan), also known as "Bitoy," is a Filipino comedian, actor, director, composer, singer, rapper, voice artist and parodist, who appears in the GMA Network show Bubble Gang, and in his own TV show Bitoy's Funniest Videos. His current TV show is Pepito Manaloto.

Beethoven was born on December 17, 1969 in Irosin, Sorsogon, Philippines. His father named him after German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, not because they shared the same birth day (199 years later), but because his father saw a copy of Beethoven's LP in his boss's office and didn't know that "Beethoven" is a surname.

His nickname is not actually derived from his real name. It was taken from a TV character played by comedian Bentot. When Bentot guested in Iskul Bukol, the then high school pupil Beethoven saw it. The next day, he was mimicking Bentot's voice in school. His classmates then called him Bitoy. The nickname has stuck to this day.

In his younger days, he was a very hopeful boy. He joined a lot of contests on TV. In one contest in Eat Bulaga, judge Ogie Alcasid turned him down. Later, Beethoven became a co-host of Eat Bulaga and Ogie Alcasid became one of his close friends and co-star in the long-running Bubble Gang and the defunct Tropang Trumpo.

He has composed original songs, such as "Sinaktan Mo Ang Puso Ko" (You've Hurt My Heart), and "Hindi Ako Bakla" (I'm Not Fag).

Michael V. has an academic degree in Mass Communications from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. He finished his secondary education in Manila Science High School.

... gambling addiction, counseling, and rehab in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

broadcast journalist of GMA News, mr. cesar apolinario, asked me for sound bites on the topic of gambling addiction.

gambling addiction, like all addictions, is characterized by:

(1) a preoccupation over the addictive substance (in this case, an addictive behavior),

(2) a progressive escalation of the addictive behavior (meaning, the compulsive behavior worsens over time),

(3) persistence despite the negative consequences, and

(4) an inability to control one's self from engaging in the addictive behavior.

the "high"of gambling comes from the suspense of what the cards or dice will reveal, and the thrill of chasing losses.

many lives have been destroyed by gambling addiction. clearly, the compulsive gambler needs to undergo a rehabilitation program.

... sneak peek inside the biggest loser pinoy edition camp ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, philippines)

Sneak peek inside ‘Biggest Loser’ camp

By: Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
5:04 pm 5:04 pm

Reily Santiago, production manager of ABS-CBN’s reality show “The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition,” said contestants are staying in a “camp” that is spruced up like a five-star hotel.

The “fitness and wellness” camp is located inside a golf club in General Trias, Cavite.

“We want the contestants to feel comfortable,” Santiago explained. After all, the 12 participants are currently undergoing physical, mental and emotional upheavals as they try to shed weight.

Hosted by Sharon Cuneta, with Derek Ramsay as co-host, the show premieres Monday night.

Santiago said that the contestants will undergo a 22-week weight-loss program. The heaviest contestant, he recalled, weighed in at 418 pounds.

Apart from the deluxe furnishings by Picanti, the participants can avail of first-rate exercise equipment provided by Fitness First.

They are being trained by sports medicine specialist Jim Saret and kickboxer Chinggay Andrada. For their dietary concerns, Nadine Tengco is on board to help them, too.

The contestants have psychologist Randy Dellosa as resident psychiatrist. In a previous interview, Dellosa said the show would be “interesting and educational” for viewers because it will tackle the “emotional and psychological” reasons behind overeating.

... catalina bagasina is a cut above the rest (and so is her oplan tuli project) ... (life coach, psychologist, psychiatrist, philippines)

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in a mad rush to get circumcised before classes open this june, a multitude of boys scrambled to the operation tuli site despite the gloomy weather. the very young boys had to be turned down though just because their privates were still too tiny, or because their foreskin was still unretractable. no, those aren't contraindications to circumcision, but it would require a longer time to work on them and we didn't want the other boys in line to wait too long.
.this operation tuli project was sponsored by the association of laborers and employees (ALE). ALE is led by congresswoman catalina bagasina who was a former housemaid and fish vendor before becoming an inspiring public servant. her cinderella story was even featured in abs-cbn's biographical drama program "maalala mo kaya."
.despite her success, she has never forgotten her humble beginnings and continues to uplift the lot of her fellow workers and employees.
.so, after a long day's work of "bloodshed," we still have nice big smiles to give, don't we?
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... major depression in the philippines and the risk of suicide ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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brigada is GMA's investigative television show hosted by veteran journalist jessica soho. brigada is a revival of the the 1990's tv show brigada siete, which was then hosted by louie beltran.

in light of iwa moto's suicidal attempt, brigada sent tolits tan to interview me about depression and suicide.
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suicide is attempted for many reasons. many suicidal people feel that they have reached the end of the rope. they feel hopeless, and feel that they can no longer cope with their depressing situation. some people, attempt suicide out of vengeance. their intention is to make the person who wronged them feel guilty. others attempt suicide to join a loved one who had passed on earlier than them. suicide have also been done for a noble cause- by going on hunger strikes or by setting themselves ablaze.
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and then there are people who are suicidal just because of a glitch in their brain chemicals-what psychiatrists call a "serotonin imbalance." even without a situational trigger, chemically-imbalanced people can just slump into a depression and become suicidal.
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i always feel bad when i hear about successful suicide attempts because these people didn't need to die. if they only got themselves treated with anti-depressant medications and underwent intensive talk therapy, they would likely have gotten well within a month's time. they would not have died by their own hands and they would have spared their loved ones of the agonizing emotional burden of their tragic and unnecessary deaths.
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