Doctors give tips on how to survive Metro Manila traffic

Want to get out of horrible traffic jams in Metro Manila alive?

Flex your legs and twirl your feet once in a while.

Keep a healthy diet, rehydrate with water, listen to good music and bring lots of positive thoughts when you hit the road.

Vascular disease experts on Tuesday dispensed these tips to commuters who struggle daily with the monstrous road gridlock in Metro Manila to avoid developing “killer legs,” or deep vein thrombosis (DVT), brought about by prolonged sitting or standing.

In DVT, the deep veins of the legs can develop blood clots, which can break off and travel to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism, a fatal condition, Dr. Jenny Beltran said at a health forum.

“We have patients who develop DVT while just taking a bus ride even for only four hours,” said Beltran, president of the Philippine Society of Vascular Medicine.

“When there is absence of movement in our legs or feet, our blood flow to the heart slows down, causing the formation of blood clots,” she said.

Vulnerable

Pregnant women, women in general and those who take oral contraceptives are among those vulnerable to killer legs.

Obesity, physical inactivity, abdominal straining, tight clothing and leg crossing are also among the risk factors of DVT, according to Beltran.

“Excessive sitting is one of the contraindications for persons prone to DVT, or blood clot formation, said Dr. Norberto Tuaño Jr., chair of the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) Council on Stroke and Peripheral Vascular Disease.

Tuaño said this could happen in patients sitting for a long time in traffic jams.

“A lot of patients can die because of this problem. That’s the reason why traffic [congestion] is really fatal not only in terms of cardiovascular diseases but also in the venous side,” Tuaño pointed out.

Second-leading cause

The second-leading cause of death among Filipinos in 2009 was vascular diseases with a rate of 61 percent, according to Department of Health statistics.

Earlier, cardiologists said traffic congestion increased motorists’ risk of heart attacks, strokes, irregular heartbeat or cardiac arrhythmia, especially in predisposed individuals, due to exposure to air pollution.

But the health experts on Tuesday stressed that while bad traffic was already inescapable, particularly in Metro Manila, commuters could take several health measures to survive the regular traffic gridlock.

Beltran advised commuters to do exercises, which include tiptoeing and twirling their feet every 30 minutes to an hour while stuck in traffic.

Commuters must also drink more water and avoid caffeine or alcohol because they make the blood thick and sticky, which can lead to the formation of blood clots, she said.

“We need to hydrate because the blood becomes hypercoagulable or sticky when we are dehydrated,” she explained.

Special stocking

Those who are predisposed to DVT can also wear a special stocking, which are prescribed by doctors, to prevent the expansion of veins and promote blood circulation, Beltran added.

This stocking is highly advised to those showing symptoms of advanced chronic venous disease, such as swelling of the legs, hyperpigmentation of the feet and painful varicose veins, she pointed out.

“Since traffic [congestion] is already part of our lives, we need to make adjustments to our lifestyle. Once you get out of traffic, you should exercise. Do some walking,” she said.

Healthy outlook

Dr. Mariano Lopez, president of the Philippine College of Physicians, also suggested that living a healthy lifestyle, avoiding salty and fatty foods, and having a healthy outlook in life could help commuters deal with traffic jams without affecting their health.

“If you are healthy, if you don’t smoke and are not obese and if you do not eat unhealthy foods, these might protect you during the traffic days ahead of us,” Lopez said.

To avoid the emotional disturbances created by traffic jams, one can leave the house early and avoid setting appointments during rush hours, said the PHA president, Dr. Alex Junia.

“The thing is, you have to modify your lifestyle. But it is not true that traffic is not fatal. The long-term effect of traffic [gridlock] can be pulmonary embolism,” Junia said.