Total Fitness Life Style Medicine

Stop Worrying, Start Caring: What My Parents Taught Me About Peace Growing up, I can’t recall a single time I saw my parents worry. If they did, they hid it well behind quiet faith and practical living. We weren’t wealthy, but we had enough, and somehow, that was always enough. My dad, shaped by the Great Depression in the Philippines when it was still a US Commonwealth, believed in hard work and frugality....

Stop Worrying, Start Caring: What My Parents Taught Me About Peace Stop Worrying, Start Caring: What My Parents Taught Me About Peace Growing up, I can’t recall a single time I saw my parents worry. If they did, they hid it

🦷 Smile Like You Mean It: Why Dental Care is About More Than Just Teeth Laurence T. Gayao MD- For the Good Life All my life, I’ve been lucky with my teeth—and even luckier with my dentists. In over 80 years of munching, crunching, and chewing, I’ve only had one tooth extracted (a wisdom tooth that finally gave up trying to be wise)....

Smile Like You Mean It: Why Dental Care is About More Than Just Teeth   🦷 Smile Like You Mean It: Why Dental Care is About More Than Just Teeth Laurence T. Gayao MD- For the Good Life All my life, I’ve been luck

I Too Have a Phobia | For the Good Life I Too Have a Phobia ...and no, it’s not just public speaking or spiders. By Dr. Laurence T. Gayao | For the Good Life Blog 🌲 The Job That Almost Lifted Me to Heaven (Literally) One summer during high school, I worked in the logging operations of Mountain View College…...

I Too Have a Phobia – A Funny Story of Fear and Courage I Too Have a Phobia | For the Good Life I Too Have a Phobia ...and no, it’s not just public speaking or spiders. By Dr. Laurence T. Gayao | For the Good

Born to Blend: How Learning Languages Early Took Me from the Islands to the ER From Cebuano to English to Spanish—and a few tribal skirmishes in between. Island Roots and Rolling Tongues I was born in the beautiful Philippine Islands—a tropical mosaic of about 7,640 islands floating near the equator like nature’s version of confetti. Of these, only about 2,000 are inhabited....

Born to Blend: How Learning Languages Early Took Me from the Islands to the ER   Born to Blend: How Learning Languages Early Took Me from the Islands to the ER From Cebuano to English to Spanish—and a few tribal skirmishes in

💙 Mi Papa Tatoy: A Father’s Day Tribute By Laurence Tabanao Gayao, MD Some fathers leave behind legacies in wealth or property. Mine? He left us something far richer—faith, integrity, humility, and a heart big enough to uplift a generation. From Kalasungay to the Classroom My father, Anastacio Berial Gayao, was born in the barrio of Kalasungay, Bukidnon—just a stone’s throw (or a long bike ride) from Malaybalay....

Mi Papa Tatoy: A Father Day Tribute   💙 Mi Papa Tatoy: A Father’s Day Tribute By Laurence Tabanao Gayao, MD Some fathers leave behind legacies in wealth or property. Mine? He left u

Joy vs. Happiness: Why I Stopped Chasing Balloons By Laurence T. Gayao Early in my life, I imagined that happiness was all about ease—success without sweat, sunny days without storms, and maybe a bottomless plate of mangoes on a hammock somewhere. In short, I thought happiness meant the absence of struggle. (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.) Now that I’ve been around for more than a few decades (and survived a quadruple bypass and raising kids—sometimes simultaneously!), I’ve come to appreciate one of life’s greatest ironies: …...

Joy vs. Happiness: Why I Stopped Chasing Balloons   Joy vs. Happiness: Why I Stopped Chasing Balloons By Laurence T. Gayao Early in my life, I imagined that happiness was all about ease—success with

Our son Larry — known to many as Larry Gee in the entertainment world — has faced a life-changing journey over the past two years, one that we want to share not only as parents but as advocates for kidney health and awareness. It began with what seemed like a simple issue: Larry noticed changes in his vision. We encouraged him to see an eye doctor immediately....

A Family Journey Through Kidney Disease: From Crisis to Hope Our son Larry — known to many as Larry Gee in the entertainment world — has faced a life-changing journey over the past two years, one that we want to share

🌏 Finding Common Ground: What World Religions Can Teach Us About Unity By Dr. Laurence Tabanao Gayao | For the Good Life A Lesson From the Classroom Back in college, I took a course on Eastern Religions—an experience that forever changed the way I see the world. Our professor, Dr. Sidney Earl Allen, Jr wasn’t focused on rituals or surface-level customs....

Finding Common Ground: What World Religions Can Teach Us About Unity 🌏 Finding Common Ground: What World Religions Can Teach Us About Unity By Dr. Laurence Tabanao Gayao | For the Good Life A Lesson From the Classroom B

(Or how I almost learned the hard way that drowning is not as fun as it looks) Swimming, by definition, is the art of gracefully flailing your arms and legs to move through water—preferably without sinking like a stone. Whether you’re in the ocean, a pool, a river, or that murky lake your uncle swears is "perfectly safe," people swim for exercise, competition, or just plain fun....

Learn to Swim Before Jumping In the Pool (Or how I almost learned the hard way that drowning is not as fun as it looks) Swimming, by definition, is the art of gracefully flailing your arms and legs to

Thyroid Cancer Surgery: A Wake-Up Call in the Mirror At the turn of the century, life was good—maybe even too good. I had just become a partner in an emergency medicine group, providing physician services to two hospitals in Arlington, Texas. My family life was full and happy, I held leadership roles in our church, and stayed active with my college alumni association....

Thyroid Cancer Surgery: A Wake-Up Call in the Mirror Thyroid Cancer Surgery: A Wake-Up Call in the Mirror At the turn of the century, life was good—maybe even too good. I had just become a partner in an emergen

When I hear that old gospel line, “Some glad morning when this life is o'er, I'll fly away,” I’m reminded of what someone younger than me once said at a party of seniors: “We’re all living in the pre-departure area of our lives.” Everyone burst out laughing—but then paused, realizing… it’s kind of true. Eventually, we’ll all get called to board that final flight....

Thanatophobia: Laughing in the Departure Lounge When I hear that old gospel line, “Some glad morning when this life is o'er, I'll fly away,” I’m reminded of what someone younger than me once said at a

🪓 Muscles, Leeches, and No Latrines: My Logging Camp Summer of 1962 🪚 The Job That Built Us After my junior year in high school, Erie and I took a job with the Mountain View College logging crew in Guinoyoran—30 kilometers from campus. We traded sleep for sawdust, comfort for calluses, and came back with stories to last a lifetime....

Muscles, Leeches, and No Latrines: My Logging Camp Summer of 1962     🪓 Muscles, Leeches, and No Latrines: My Logging Camp Summer of 1962 🪚 The Job That Built Us After my junior year in high school, Erie