It's always tricky getting checked out by a male physician when you're a woman as no matter how…read moreprofessional you feel they should be, there's always a chance that they'll do something inappropriate, even inadvertently. Thank God I never had to worry about anything like that with Dr. Rey. I was so fortunate to have him check me out as I had pulled a muscle whilst lifting my luggage. He saw me through every step of the diagnosis and I was happy to find that I had no permanent or serious injuries. Great bedside manner, very kind human being. Two thumbs up.

In 2014, my husband had a bad fall during one of his basketball games and resulted to him having…read moreACL in his left knee. For him to be able to perform rigorous physical activities again, he needed to undergo minor surgery and a minimum of six months of therapy for his knees. His orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Odulio holds clinic at the Philippine Orthopedic Institute in Makati. The use of Philippine in the name made me think that they were connected to the government, but they are actually a group of orthopedic specialists holding private practice in the country. And though they just occupy two floors in a small building in the city, the place has merits. The lobby is elegant and spacious; they have complete facilities like an x-ray room, examination room and clinics for the doctors, and a whole floor dedicated to rehabilitation and therapy. The staff were very accommodating. Ms. Lauren, Dr. Odulio's secretary is very approachable and promptly responds to calls or text messages. The physical therapists were patient and skillful enough to train my husband and motivate him every time he goes to therapy. Hubby's knees have recovered and he's playing basketball again. And despite his busy schedule, he squeezes in a visit to POI once in a while to see his doctor and thanks his therapists there.

Growing up with a congenital heart condition can be quite challenging. For instance, I've passed…read morethe corporate exams and interviews in many A-list companies only to fail in their physical tests. All the three big companies that I eventually worked for asked for a medical certificate from my old cardiologist and they all imposed certain disclaimers on my employee insurance benefits. Now that I'm older and running my own business, I have no need for medical certificates, besides my old cardiologist had since passed away. However, as I approach my middle age years, I need constant medical monitoring, especially in the matters of my cardiovascular health. In my search for a new cardiologist, I was led to Dr. Andrea Orel Valle. She's an Interventional Pediatric Cardiologist. Essentially, she's a heart doctor for babies and kids. So why is she attending to an old patient like me? Well, that's because I have a congenital heart defect, meaning I have it since birth. A product of the University of the Philippines Intarmed Program, Doc Wawi, as she is fondly called by patients and friends, is a smart young cardiologist. That's why her patients -- including me -- find her cool and very relaxed. She has none of that typically boring clinical semantics when talking to people. But don't let her young looks fool you, she has the real-world experience and international qualifications to boot. Doc Wawi's main clinic is at Room 205 of the Faculty Medical Arts Building (FMAB) in UP-PGH. She's there from Tuesdays to Thursdays at 10:00am until 12:00 noon. Then, also on Saturdays from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.