EDITORIAL

Women Empowerment and
Crafting Intelligence

by ERNESTO T. SOLIDUM

Women – Aklan, one active NGO’s celebrated Women’s month by holding a seminar on family health and wellness March 28 at Hernanis’ Mix & Match. The invited resource speakers were Dr. Marinella Torrea, PhD, Business Development Service Provider/DTI-SMEDEP, GTZ consultant. She discussed the topic, "Discover the Magic of Women Power", and Dr. Leonardo Leonidas, MD, FAAP talked on "How to Raise Happy and Brilliant Kids".

Dr. Torrea envisions women in their mellowed years to be a picture of health like active both in mind and body. They are abreast of new information technologies. She said, "sitting idly on a chair accompanies nothing. However, putting on element of keys being punched in a laptop computer shows dynamism and empowerment".

Women have inherent waterloos or weakness of character that needs correction. Age old habits die hard but gradual change can be affected. One of them can be bad mood and grouchiness after waking up. The following are important tips toward discovering the "New You".

First, have a physical exercise regimen for 10 – 15 minutes after rising from bed each day. This includes bending, stretching, inhaling and exhaling exercises like yoga as a way to unwind cramped muscles when one tosses in bed involuntarily at least 42 times during sleep.

Second, drink four glasses of water before breakfast and a minimum of six more afterwards during the day. This will flush out internal body toxins, dissolve and carry away waste during defecation. Eating binges like snacks can be avoided hence trim body weight.

Third, do your toilet ritual. Groom yourself. Shampoo your hair beginning at the back of the head to prevent excessive hair fall. Tooth brushing must be limited to twice each day.

Fourth, while at the office or at work, it would be vital that you should posses the right attitude to finish your task efficiently and effectively. The lady consultant said, "gossip should be confronted with dash of diplomacy like muttering ohs and ahs accompanied with a distant look. Building up ones personality demands consistency and mindful of presumed benefits over the long term".

Dr. Leonidas is from Lezo, Aklan. He is presently on a family vacation. He is a renowned practicing pediatrician for 30 years at Maine, USA. His notable work is on behavior science particularly raising intelligence level among children.

"Scientific studies show that more possession of superior genes inherited from parents does not insure intelligence for an individual but rather from a carefully directed or managed environment," stressed the retired physician. A look at how this can be achieved appears to be less complicated than expected.

Greater impact of success or failure actually depends upon physical condition and living environment of both child and mother before birth and up to early childhood. This is where critical/pivotal role of women takes place said Dr. Leonidas.

During the first trimester or 12th week into pregnancy, brain cells of the fetus multiply at blinding speed to 10 billion. Here, generous intake of protein rich food mainly fish (omega 3 fatty acid) must be effected. Otherwise deficiency could lead to irreparable brain damage.

After this period, there is gradual slowdown of brain cell production and sputters to an end on the 18th week. Cells expand in size and complexity.

It is also important at this stage that the mother reduces consumption of certain foods that impair normal thyroid gland hormone production. Specific ones are vegetables, cabbage, cauliflower, rutabaga, kohlrabi, bamboo shoot and root crops, sweet potato, and tapioca. Intake of these foods during pregnancy tends to cause hypothyroid abnormality, a condition that triggers mental retardation.

After the first trimester, Dr. Leonidas advises that parents talk and even sing to their baby even though in the womb. This is because auditory system of the fetus is now complete hence receptive to sound. In Israel hospitals’ incubation ward, a number of babies are daily exposed to classical music like Mozart because it has induced higher positive response and retention.

Babies’ arrival should always be anticipated with eagerness and happiness. After the nurse has finished cleaning the newborn, the mother should cuddle the baby in her arms and wait until her baby opens his eyes. Once opened, mother should distinctly call his name while holding him about 10 inches away so baby could see mother’s face clearly. Brief family bonding of happiness makes indelible imprints on the amygdale which controls emotional behavior and hippocampus which affect the memory center.

Dr. Leonidas says that the generous use of body language can be very effective when talking to babies as early as one month from birth. It is interesting to know that they are receptive to math rather than language obviously because of undeveloped voice box and handiness of sign language using the fingers. He however cautions parents "never to overexpose children to home TV viewing for not more than three hours each day."

Definitely, success in early rearing and educating young tots for higher intelligence come from responsible parents who are loving and not necessarily from expensive pre school education.

A total of 35 attendees mostly officers and members of Women Aklan were present during the seminar. Ms. Rose Nepomuceno, president expressed gratitude to the resource persons and guests for their whole-hearted cooperation leading to the affair’s unqualified success. Advocacy of Women Aklan includes entrepreneurship, empowerment, good governance, environment and health. Ms. Cecile R. De Lemos introduced the guests and acted as Master of Ceremony. /MP