My Autobiography: David Balleza K(C)atague: The Healing Power of the Sea- Lumpia Ubod

Monday, October 26, 2026

The Healing Power of the Sea- Lumpia Ubod

I often wonder, why I felt good after a swim in our backyard at Chateau Du Mer Beach House in my younger days during our annual winter sojourn in Marinduque, Philippines. The following article fully explained my personal experience why I feel great after  swimming in the of ocean of the Amoingon Beach, Boac, Western Marinduque.    

Recent scientific evaluations have pointed to ocean immersion as one of the most effective natural methods for regulating the nervous system and absorbing essential minerals. This finding is shifting the perspective of modern wellness, suggesting that blue spaces offer therapeutic benefits that are often more accessible and potent than synthetic alternatives. When the body interacts with the chemical composition of seawater, it undergoes a series of physiological resets that support both physical and mental health. The approach is quickly becoming a cornerstone of environmental medicine for people seeking a natural way to manage stress and mineral deficiencies.

 Balancing the Nervous System

One of the clearest benefits of the ocean is its ability to regulate the nervous system through stimulation of the vagal pathways. Submersion in water, particularly cooler ocean water, triggers the mammalian dive reflex, which slows the heart rate. That shift moves the body from a sympathetic state of fight or flight into a parasympathetic state of rest and recovery. Cortisol levels drop, and the physical symptoms of chronic stress begin to ease almost immediately upon contact with the water.

 The Role of Marine Minerals

The ocean acts as a natural mineral bath containing high concentrations of magnesium, an element involved in hundreds of biochemical reactions. Through thalassotherapy, the skin interacts with these trace minerals, allowing a form of natural replenishment that many people prefer over standard oral supplements. The exact rate of transdermal absorption is still under study, but the effects of sea salt on muscle tension and skin health are well documented. The mineral-rich environment offers a way to support the body's internal balance without synthetic additives.

 Comprehensive Physical Advantages

The physical act of swimming or floating in the sea provides a range of health benefits that work together to improve overall vitality. These advantages come from the combination of water pressure, mineral content, and the coastal environment. Notable benefits include better skin barrier function and hydration from the high saline content, improved mood from inhaling negative ions generated by crashing waves, reduced inflammation and muscle pain from the buoyancy of saltwater, and stimulation of the lymphatic system, which aids natural detoxification.

 Embracing Blue Mind Science

Integrating regular ocean visits into a wellness routine can lead to long-term improvements in how the body handles daily stressors. By providing mineral therapy and nervous system grounding at once, the sea acts as a wellness center that is available to everyone. The approach emphasizes environmental connection in maintaining internal harmony. It encourages a shift away from synthetic solutions and back toward the elements that have supported human life for centuries .

Sources: Blue Mind: The Science of Coastal Well-Being
Marine Minerals and Human Physiology
Thalassotherapy: Ancient Practice and Modern Science

AI OVERVIEW:
Our Backyard -Chateau Du Mer Beach House and David E enjoying the Sea

The ocean offers both mental and physical health benefits through its mineral-rich water, coastal air, and soothing environment.

Physical Benefits

Mineral Absorption: Seawater contains high levels of magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium. Magnesium is absorbed through the skin, helping relax muscles, support cellular energy, and aid nerve function.
Skin Health: Salt water acts as a natural exfoliant, clears excess oils, and magnesium-rich seawater can help soothe skin roughness and inflammation.
Low-Impact Movement: The buoyancy of salt water reduces stress on joints, making swimming, walking, and paddleboarding easier ways to build cardiovascular strength.

Airways and Breathing: Coastal air carries fine mineral particles and sea mist that can help keep upper airways moist. Breaking waves release negative ions that promote relaxation and clear breathing.

Mental Benefits

Stress Reduction: Simply sitting or swimming by the sea lowers cortisol levels, slows the heart rate, and shifts the nervous system out of "fight-or-flight" mode.
"Soft Fascination": The rhythmic sound of waves and expansive ocean horizons allow the brain to rest from mental fatigue, a concept explored in coastal wellness and National Geographic research.
Mood Enhancement: Time spent near blue spaces helps trigger positive brain waves and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Community Perspectives

Opinions differ on the direct medicinal effects of seawater. While many view the ocean as a natural restorative, some users on Quora note that while salt water can help clean minor surface scabs, open wounds exposed to ocean bacteria can sometimes take longer to heal.

Finally, My Photo of the Day: Lumpia Ubod

Lumpiang ubod is a Filipino appetizer of julienned heart of palm and vegetables wrapped in a thin egg crepe. It comes from Silay City in Negros Occidental, where the original version is small, finger-sized and wrapped in wax paper. It can be served fresh or deep-fried. Another of my favorite Pinoy Dish during my younger years in Iloilo, Philippines

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About Me

David B. Katague is an online memoirist and cultural essayist whose writing has appeared on HubPages and Blogger since 2007. His work reflects a sustained interest in Filipino heritage, family history, senior living, art, community life, and the cultural meaning found in everyday experience. Through memoir, reflection, and essay, he explores the personal and historical dimensions of identity, memory, and belonging. His writing seeks to preserve lived experience while offering thoughtful commentary on the traditions, values, and social realities that shape individual and collective life. As a Filipino-American writer, he brings a distinctive cultural perspective to his work, drawing on personal experience and careful observation to create writing that is both reflective and engaging. His online essays and memoir pieces continue to document a lifelong commitment to storytelling, cultural understanding, and the written record of experience.

Highlights of My Professional Career

In my more than 40 years of professional career, I have experienced both working rank and file, as well as supervising the work of subordinates. I have worked in four private firms and the Federal Government, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where I retired. I enjoyed the challenges and difficulties of both types of job situations. This is the highlights of my work experience story.

My first job after completing my doctorate degree was a Chemist for Chemagro Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a subsidiary of Bayer Corporation, a German conglomerate. I worked for the analytical chemistry department comprised of about fifty people; half that number was either chemists or biologists. My specific task was to develop analytical methods for the detection of pesticide residues in plant and animal tissues. I worked on my own, similar to six other bench chemists, and we all reported to the same supervisor.

The firm sponsored my visa conversion from a student to a permanent resident, and I was able to legally work and reside in the United States with my family. The company generously took care of its employees. At the end of each successful year, everyone received a 13th month salary bonus. The employees and their families celebrated wonderful annual Christmas parties in a downtown Kansas City hotel, with dancing and free drinks for the whole night.

Inasmuch as I enjoyed and loved working for Chemagro for five years, I found a new job which offered a substantially higher pay. Due to my exemplary work performance, my supervisor preferred and lobbied for me to stay with the company. I had to turn him down because they could not match the package presented by my new employer. It was also a chance for me and my family to move and live in the US west coast, where the mild winter climate is bearable compared to the Midwest.

My next job was at the agricultural research division of Shell Development Company in Modesto, California. I was a Research Chemist, and again I worked individually, same as five other chemists who all reported to a supervisor. My specific duty was similar to my previous job. I worked for them for five years, until the company decided to get out of the pesticide business. They closed their research facility affecting the jobs of more than 200 employees.

My third industrial job was with the agricultural research division of Stauffer chemical company, located in Richmond, California. I was a Senior Research Chemist doing the same project as my two previous jobs. I worked for twelve continuous years for the company, with outstanding annual job performance. I became a Principal Research Chemist, the highest attainable non-supervisory position.

One day in 1986, my supervisor informed me that my job had been eliminated, and I had one day to vacate the facility. It was the most dreadful lay off experience in my life. I felt anger, sadness and humiliation to be dismissed from work with one day notice, after all the years of hard work invested for the company. This was an unforgettable incident and was the gloomiest point in my professional career.
The company terminated sixty research employees, who were upset of the bad news.

One of the chemists was distressed and expressed his outrageous anger by threatening the company and its workers. He told his supervisor of his intention to bomb and burn down the laboratory. He was immediately escorted by the security staff out of the building and into his car. He was informed to leave behind his personal belongings; they will be mailed to his residence. He was warned never to show up again near the company premises or risk getting arrested.

My supervisor was kind and allowed me to take my time to pack up my belongings. It took me two days to clear up my workplace, after toiling for a long period in the same jobsite. We were provided clerical help and office space, in preparation to look for another job, such as updating our resumes, and using the computer and copy machine. We were given six weeks of separation pay plus benefits.

Fortunately, with the help of a friend who is a Church parishioner, I found another job thirty days after leaving Stauffer chemical company. He hired me as a senior research chemist and as a group leader with two technicians to supervise. It was in the same field as my expertise in my previous three jobs spanning the last twenty one years. My new employer was Chevron Chemical Company, and which was located in the same area as my former employer.

This job gave me the introduction and basic knowledge of managing the work of subordinates. I worked for Chevron Company for four and a half years. The company decided to consolidate their research facilities in Texas, and lay off all its research employees. This time I had enough distress and agony from working, and eventually getting laid off from several private companies. To avoid going through any more miserable layoffs, I made a vow that I would never again work for a private company.

In my work experiences, there were noticeable and unavoidable jobsite occurrences. One can never miss the office romantic relationships between co-workers, both illicit and permitted. Though it was frowned upon, there was a boss and staff relationship, which was used as a ploy to get ahead in the company. Some relationships had chemistry, no pun intended, but some never worked out. Oftentimes, there was a sense of distrust among bench chemists for some workers who unjustly obtained preferred work assignments.

Some employees resorted to bribing superiors to get special privileges, such as being able to attend choice conferences and meetings in exciting venues or locations. Likewise, politics was always present at the worksites. It was during an era when various forms of harassment, equal opportunity and discrimination laws were not yet enforced in the workplace. Occasionally, an unexpected chemical explosion happens in a laboratory setting, where luckily no one got seriously hurt.

In the three private companies I worked for, I was able to publish scientific journals for some of the research studies and analytical methods which I developed for the respective companies of Chemagro, Shell Development and Stauffer.

After deciding and making a vow to avoid working in the private sector, I made my new goal which was either to work for the state of California, or the Federal government in Washington, D.C. Four months after I lost my job in Chevron, I was lucky and joyful to be hired by the Food and Drug Administration as a review chemist in the fall of 1990.

In 1994 I was promoted as an Expert Research Chemist with a GS-14 rating. My expertise was on Anti-malarial and Anti-parasitic drug products. In 1997, I was again deservingly promoted to Chemistry team leader, supervising the work of six Chemistry reviewers including five with doctorate degrees.

As team leader, I was responsible for prioritizing, assigning, and assuring the technical accuracy of all chemistry, manufacturing and control issues for all new drug applications submitted to the Division of Anti-Infective Drug Products, Center of New Drugs.

It was part of my responsibility to give advice, instruct and promote high morale and teamwork in my group. My work in the FDA is confidential, until the drug patent on the products I worked on has expired. There are manufacturing supplements that I have approved that are now open for the public in the Internet.

In 1998, I won the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Award. The citation reads, “For outstanding accomplishments in fostering the objectives of the EEO Program by hiring minorities and encouraging their professional growth while providing excellent leadership.” I have received numerous certificates of appreciation, awards in leadership and communications, commendation for teamwork and excellence in the accomplishment of the FDA mission. I have also received several letters of appreciation from private industry for my review work.

There are many good things working as rank and file while enjoying doing one’s job individually. It is a humbling, satisfying and productive experience, if one can work in harmony with one’s immediate supervisor. Working individually develops one’s skills in goal setting and scheduling. But in general, the financial rewards are less than a person who has supervisory responsibilities.

Managing the work of others has its challenges. Moreover, it develops one’s skill in handling and developing people, and the compensation rewards and benefits are better. Due to additional duties, responsibilities and leadership, supervisory work can be more stressful than working as a subordinate. However, supervisory jobs give one more personal growth and satisfaction, based on my personal experience. My work in FDA as a team leader managing the work of six scientists had been the happiest and rewarding work experience in my career in Chemistry. You might also like:

Monday, October 26, 2026

The Healing Power of the Sea- Lumpia Ubod

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