The brainchild of cardiologist Adolfo Bellosillo, the Foundation for Lay Education in Heart Diseases (FLEHD) has grown in membership and influence over the past few years. The basic concept is simple: Cardiovascular diseases is now the number one killer in the Philippines, yet there is no cure and the majority of patients cannot afford expensive treatment and medications to extend their lives. Therefore, according to Dr. Bellosillo, the national accent should be on preventive measures to keep people from developing the disease, rather then diagnosis and treatment afterwards.

And the areas of prevention have to do with day-to-day lifestyle which anyone could follow: Give up smoking, drink only in moderation, avoid fatty foods and weight gain, create a program of daily exercise that fits your work agenda. These measures can actually prevent the development of cardiovascular disease.

Yet, such a reasonable, disciplined lifestyle seems beyond the reach of most people. This is not a question of resistance to health measures, according to the doctor, as it is lack of information. The public must be educated. And, medical students must learn preventive medicine in their schools, which they can pass on to their patients. Medical schools teach diagnostic techniques and medical and surgical procedures to use after the patient has developed cardiovascular disease. But they don’t learn preventive care.

Tuberculosis used to be the leading killer in this country, but its number have decreased, especially in those areas which practice DOTS — the directly observed treatment method.

Cardiovascular disease includes hypertension and coronary artery disease. Its symptoms are stroke, hearts attack, and congestive heart failure (shortness of breath).

All of these can be avoided with a modified lifestyle, but maintaining such a life style requires full cooperation and compliance on the part of the patient. Physicians must be trained to educate their patients and they themselves must have their information up-dated through annual regional workshops.

As part of a daily exercises routine, Dr. Bellosillo strongly recommends ballroom dancing, which has a psychological as well as physical effect. Part of the annual conference this year was devoted to a competition of dancers, with judges from Ballet Manila who had participated in the original conference.

Whatever exercise one chooses, the point is to make it a regular part of one’s daily life. This avoids what Dr. Bellosillo describe as "the risk factor of inactivity."

The chain of information to counteract cardiovascular disease then runs from education on preventive techniques taught to medical students, who in turn will instruct their patients. Barangay health workers are also provided workshops to learn how to help their communities. It also requires compliance from the patient, which may be nurtured by support from his/her family member as the general public better understands the risks of cardiovascular disease and the simple ways to avoid it. Once developed, there is no cure. And the costs of care, medication, and surgery are prohibitively high, except for the wealthy. So it is up to the average citizen and his family to learn now what they can do to avoid developing this critical and common disease. Which is avoidable, but not curable.