The Medical City Center for Wellness & Aesthetics

Bringing vitality to life 

 By Earl D.C. Bracamonte 

People experiencing the ¨battle of the bulge,¨ which before have been regarded as lost cause, can now look unto the future with a new sense of hope. With the latest discoveries in wellness medicine, the fatal complications in obesity conditions are held in abeyance. ¨Those on fad diets should also be aware. People on the South Beach diet may contact ketosis much to their chagrin. A steady protein intake for two weeks straight can impair our kidneys. Our body needs the help of cruciferous veggies and plant fiber to wash out all the excess protein from our system,¨ warned Dr. Rolando ´Oyie´ Balburias, consultant director for The Medical City´'s Center for Wellness & Aesthetics. 

Those who've undergone a number of The Medical City´'s (TMC) wellness procedures experience a rebirth of sorts; that, like the mythical phoenix, virtually rise from the ashes from whence they came. “In April of last year, I can´t move my right side; it was paralyzed. I was diagnosed with a mild stroke. I went through MRI and some cranial check; and they found out I had overexerted myself with work. I bloated from lack of sleep. For someone like me who has been preaching healthy living, the condition seemed like a joke. This could not be happening to me. It was the worst time of my life,” confessed multi-awarded actress Dina Bonnevie, who, after healed from her condition, went on to become TMC wellness & aesthetic center´'s spokesperson. And no other face could deliver the center´'s holistic platform with conviction better than her. 

Today, the 40ish actress-businesswoman is enjoying an extended lease on life, thanks to the very promising field of Wellness Medicine and TMC´s holistic approach to cure. Wellness Medicine is an innovative, cutting-edge medicine down to a person´'s molecular make-up. It is truly beauty from within. Proponents of the center say that beauty is the product of holistic health. 

Wellness is the new measure of beauty as it really goes beyond skin-deep. ¨We look at a person as a whole; addressing the mind, body, and spirit as well as other aspects affecting health. It is not just diagnostic tests but also the implications of the same. Patients undergo only tests and things that are beneficial and essential. These are procedures that patients must undergo to, quite literally, be part of their own healing. Aesthetics, too, is something we take very seriously. After all, there are only 80 certified plastic surgeons in the entire Philippine archipelago,¨ intoned Dr. Oyie Balburias, who now helms the year-old facility. 

“As a new field of medicine, the purpose of Regenerative Medicine is not only to treat patients who are already ill but also prevent disease,” said Dr. Sam Bernal, who spearheads another of the hospital´'s pioneering efforts. Thus, wellness and aesthetic applications of Regenerative Medicine are also available at the TMC Wellness & Aesthetic Center. While research into Regenerative Medicine forges on, Dr. Bernal stresses that the patient’s well-being is the doctor’s foremost concern. “This is not an academic exercise. This is about making patients’ lives better.” Indeed, with the ever-growing range of treatments available, a constant dialog between patient and doctor allows each to consider the unique circumstances of the case, and agree on a plan of care most appropriate to these circumstances. 

With the center´'s wellness & aesthetics program, every approach is made personalized, as it responds to the patient’s uniqueness at the level of his own health history. ¨Every diagnosis is personal. One treatment does not fit all patients,¨ added Dr. Balburias. Dina´'s amazing recovery started to take shape in February this year after undergoing a series of treatments tailor-made for her. ¨TMC considers a patient´s age, genetic makeup, health history, the kind of work and/or lifestyle, as well as deal with each and every person´al fears. They wait ´til you are ready to be a partner in your recovery.¨ Having completed over a year of sessions, Dina proudly reports that even her acid reflux has been cured. What the charts don’t show is a bright confidence in the future. 

“I just keep feeling better and better. Lots of the allergies, that I had before, are gone now. The skin blotches and darkened areas in my body are history too! Make sense to be healthy for you to do what you need to do. When you are out of shape, would you be confident? Because, spiritually too, our bodies is the temple of God. Pray and feel whole from within. Preparedness, acceptance and the right knowledge can help a lot, especially for a person in distress. As a word of advice, never scrimp on your health and safety,” Dina declared, at the close of an intimate media colloquy. 

The Medical City (TMC) is a JCI-accredited private tertiary hospital with the mission of putting the patient at center stage and delivering service of great worth. It offers diagnostic and treatment services that address a broad range of diseases using state-of-the-art technology such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and cardiac catherization as well as intervention services. TMC has distilled over forty years of experience in hospital operation and administration towards the establishment of its new world-class health care complex that serves some 40,000 in-patients and 380,000 out-patients annually. At the heart of TMC's service philosophy are new paradigms of hospital care addressing the entire continuum of health needs, and the patient as an equal, informed, and empowered partner in the pursuit and preservation of health. It has a regular medical staff of 350 physicians, all of whom are experienced, recognized and established experts in their various fields of specialization. They are complemented by 610 visiting consultants. This core of professionals is supported and assisted by a 1,400-strong human resource complement, composed of administrative, finance, and support services. 

 “We are well-positioned, experiencing sustained growth, and equipped with 4 decades of solid history. The thrusts of our four-pronged main program is on the alleviation of cases on the cardiovascular, including organ transplant; oncology including Alzeihmer's disease; neuro-sciences and regenerative medicine; as well as wellness & aesthetic medicine; all for the improvement of a patient's life span,” enthused Dr. Eugene Ramos who, aside from heading the hospital's Cardiovascular Center, is also the director for the Medical Management & Services Development office. The spanking new facility, strategically located on a 1.5-hectare property along Ortigas Avenue, is composed of 100,000-square-meter of floor space including two Nursing Towers connected by a podium, bridge-ways, and a Medical Arts Tower. The first 15-storey Nursing Tower, with a heliport and business center, is currently fitted for 500 beds. The second Nursing Tower, on the other hand, provides capacity for an additional 300 beds geared towards Cardiovascular and Oncology concerns that has ultimately become a very specialized service. The 18 floors of its Medical Arts Tower house 280 doctors clinics as well as selected commercial spaces like banks, restaurants, a food court, convenience store, and gift shop. Located within the 6-floor podium are diagnostic and intervention facilities as well as support and administrative offices. The 3-level parking on the basement area can accommodate over a thousand vehicles, for both staff and clients. Tasteful hotel-like interiors and warm ambiance feature rooms designed with soothing views of either the lush gardens around, the Pasig or Makati skylines, or the outlines of the Antipolo mountains. The hospital complex is equipped with a broad range of state-of-the-art safety and security features including an advanced building management system for the protection of in-house clients and staff. The world-class facility is the staging area for the delivery of cutting-edge health services with centers of excellence in the areas of cardiovascular, cancer, neuro-science, regenerative medicine, as well as wellness & aesthetics services. TMC serves as a hub of a network of satellite clinical facilities delivering a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic services to ambulatory patients all throughout Metro Manila and in strategic points all over the archipelago. 

These satellite networks demonstrate the hospital's commitment to bring its unique brand of health services right into the communities of its patients The Joint Commission International (JCI) is widely recognized as the most prestigious JCI-accrediting body for international health care organizations. In its evaluation by JCI, TMC received almost perfect scores (9.8/10) in standards related to access to care, continuity of care, quality improvement, and patient safety. Truly a gold standard: an exceptional achievement by any measure! TMC is one of only three JCI-accredited hospitals in the entire country. The Medical City proves that it is the country's “Capital of Health,” the center of all that is new and true about every person's total well-being. Owned and operated by Professional Services Inc., a quasi-public corporation from an alliance of 900 shareholders with a singular vision, TMC, as a health institution, effortlessly puts into action its credo “Patient on Center Stage, Service of Greater Worth.” 

The Wellness & Aesthetic Center, and spa facilities, is conveniently located at the 4th level of the new hospital wing. Dr. Oyie Balburias'´ Talk to Doc program with Ms. Maricel Laxa airs on Saturdays from 9:30 til 10 in the morning on the ANC network and replays Wednesday nights from 6 to 6:30 in the evening on the same channel. The program is also aired over the TFC channel for Filipino communities abroad. For more information simply dial their trunk-line nos. 635-6789 and 631-8626 or email them through mail@medicalcity.com.ph. Additional information can be browsed through their Web site: www.themedicalcity.com.