Start your day right with a 30-minute morning run.
Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
Prepare your own meals.
Invite a friend to exercise with you regularly.
Ride a bike or run home from work.
Work out while watching TV.
Go to bed early.
With school season just starting, both kids and moms everywhere are excited for a year filled with lessons, friends, and activities. But did you know that more than all the wonderful things they learn from class, school can also give your kids some terrible sicknesses? Think about it, mom—kids play together in close proximity, they share baon, and they stay together in one classroom for hours on end. School can definitely be a hotspot for different viruses and bacteria, so be extra prepared to protect your kids from these common school sicknesses.
1. The Flu
One of the most common illnesses your child can come home with is the flu. Watch out for high fevers (39 degrees or higher!), decreased appetites, cough, sore throat, and headaches. However, a lot of other, more serious sicknesses like pneumonia can have flu-like symptoms, so make sure to consult your pediatrician if your little one exhibits these symptoms.
Tip: Make sure to always remind your child to wash their hands before they eat, after they go to the bathroom, and if even when they sneeze or cough. Teach them to also be careful when sharing utensils or water jugs at school!
2. Colds
Hundreds of viruses cause the common cold, but the most likely culprit is the rhinovirus. Kids can get an average of almost six colds in a year! Symptoms of a cold include sneezing, coughing, a runny nose, and a sore throat.
Tip: Sneezing and coughing is what makes the cold so easy to spread, especially if your kid touches their eyes or mouth after being in contact with contaminated surfaces. Teach your children to wash their hands often if someone in the classroom is sneezing or coughing and to avoid touching their face.
3. Strep Throat
An extremely infectious disease, strep throat is a painful throat fever that can also come with nausea, headaches, rashes, or swollen lymph nodes. It could get so severe that your kid can even have problems swallowing or talking! Make sure you consult your doctor ASAP if you suspect that your child may have strep throat to prevent it from getting worse.
Tip: Strep throat primarily spread via coughing and sneezing, but your child can also catch it if he plays with an infected toy or is in contact with an infected surface. Teach your kid to avoid close contact with people that are sick and to avoid water fountains as much as possible.
4. Pinkeye
Pinkeye, or sore eyes, is one illness that no one wants to get. Stop it in its tracks by spotting the symptoms as soon as you can. Watch for redness in the whites of the eyes, thick yellow crusts around the eyes, itchiness or burning of the eye area, and discharge.
Tip: To avoid the spreading of this illness, make sure you change your child’s pillowcase often and teach them to not reuse handkerchiefs or towels too much, especially if a sick or contaminated person has used it.
5. Leptospirosis
Rainy season in the Philippines can bring about a whole slew of sicknesses, and one of the most common one is leptospirosis. Being in contact with water or soil contaminated with animal urine is the main cause of leptospirosis, so kids who enjoy playing in the rain or swimming in unchlorinated water are especially at risk.Symptoms of leptospirosis include high fevers, headaches, chills, muscle aches, and vomiting.
Tip: When it rains, remind your children to never jump in puddles or wade in flooded areas. Make sure they’re always prepared with protective gear like rain boots and see to it that any open wounds your child might have are properly covered with waterproof dressings.
With proper preparation and care, you can make sure that your kid stays healthy, happy, and strong all school-year round!
Let us know if any of our tips helped you, or if you have any other tips you want to share with us. Just like us on Facebook and send us a message! A happy school year to you and your kid!
Rearing a child, building a family, and having their very own mini-me’s are some of the best parts of becoming a mother. However, what most moms, especially first-time moms don’t expect to encounter are bodily changes they should have discussed with their ob-gyn as they were preparing for maternal care.
Caring for your hygiene after giving birth may be challenging, but as long as you’ve got these 8 tips on vagina care covered, then you’ve got nothing to worry about.
1. Dealing with Vaginal Discharge
If you’re experience bleeding, don’t worry, that’s perfectly normal. All moms bleed for the first six weeks or so after giving birth. The best thing to do is to wear maternity pads with either postpartum underwear or disposable underwear because the discharge is expectedly a lot heavier than normal period flow in the beginning. The colour and the flow of vaginal discharge will eventually lighten as you heal.
2. Relieving Menstrual Cramps and/or Afterbirth Pains
First-time moms may suffer milder cramps compared to moms who have given birth more than once. The key to relieving the pain is to try to pee as often as possible to ensure your bladder isn’t too full. It’s best to spend the day resting with a warm heating pad under your lower belly as well. While the pain usually lasts for about 2-3 days after giving birth, it’s important to inform your physician or ob gyn if it goes on for much longer.
3. Avoiding Postpartum Infection
While it’s important to take note of things to do for vagina care or maternal care, knowing what to avoid is of the essence as well. Some of these are going swimming, using tampons (for about 4 weeks or so), having a long bath in a tub, and having sex until you’ve gotten clearance from your doctor.
4. Going to the Bathroom
Keep your vagina and rectum clean even after going to the bathroom by using a squirt bottle instead of wiping using toilet paper or wet wipes directly. Ensure that the water inside the squirt bottle is warm enough, and that you’re squirting water from front to back. Only after can you gently pat yourself dry with clean toilet paper or wet wipes.
5. Reducing inflammation and swelling
Wrap an ice pack with washcloth or even a thin old t shirt and put them inside your underwear for around 15-20 minutes every hour — as needed — to help reduce inflammation and swelling.
6. Healing Faster
Sitz baths help cleanse and soothe the perineum (area from vagina to rectum) after giving birth. Sitz bath can be easily found at your favorite drug store, or can be provided for by your hospital before you get discharged. All you have to do is fill up the site bath with clean warm water, place it on the toilet seat, and sit on it for about 10-15 minutes, three times a day.
7. Managing the Pain
There are many ways to manage menstrual cramps, afterbirth pains, and inflammation. Many women prefer pain reliever sprays and even your everyday pain killers. Ibuprofen is still proven to be great at relieving inflammation and perineal pain, and decreasing bleeding and cramping.
8. Seeking Help
As we’ve said, it’s normal to feel pain and worry about hygiene after giving birth. But if you’ve done all these tips and the pain and discomfort remains, it’s highly recommended to contact your ob gyn to ensure that nothing’s wrong. Be sure to note if your vaginal discharge has a bad odor or an unusual color, and if you’re having a fever and some difficulty in urinating.
Always keep in mind that while your children should be well taken cared of, your hygiene and health should also be your top priority. Don’t hesitate to seek help when needed.
Do you want a healthier teeth? Then do not brush after eating!
For those people who are obsessed on achieving that perfect teeth or maybe the other way ‘round, this headline is one good example of clickbait, right? Okay, before you throw off your dental hygiene kit, let’s be clear about this: For a healthier teeth, don’t brush after eating these stuff:
Pickles
Vegetables mixed with vinegar is a power duo that makes your favorite cheeseburger more tasteful. However, you just found yourself a recipe for enamel erosion as it is a combination super-acidic vinegar and sugar. HA!
Coffee
Whaaat? Well, yes coffee lovers. It’s on the list. Your morning (lunch, evening, or anytime-of-the-day) cup of coffee is not-so-dental-friendly. The tannic acids in coffee wear down enamel and can even stain teeth brown. But if you won’t sacrifice your coffee ritual, (which we are kind of ceratin that you really won’t) then better yet use a straw when drinking coffee or tea.
Soda
Wondering why even though you do brush your teeth as often as you could, you still get those annoying tooth decay? Answer is on the drinks you drink and the eats you eat. Soda is one culprit for those black are on your teeth not only that it contains so much sugar on it but it’s also very acidic which makes enamel to erode. sentence for teeth. Countless
Candy, gummy bears, sour tapes and the likes
But why?! Says the child in you. Since childhood, we often get the words “tama na ang candy”. But no matter how our parents try to stop us to chow down those colorful candies, gummy bears and sour tapes, we still manage to smuggle some (actually, a lot.) Now, realize how scary this mini scenario would be: the sweet stuff get stuck in crevices which becomes a fodder for bacteria. (And you wonder why do you have to get a “pasta”)
Lime, Lemons, Oranges, and Grapefruit
Your juice drink, though overall healthy, is also to be blamed for your enamel erosion. And since you can’t ditch them totally, here’s a tad bit piece of advice: aside from using a straw (as mentioned a while ago,) just gulp the drink right a once and not for several hours.
Here are the food that are “Say-Cheese!” friendly:
Meat, fish, and tofu
Milk and eggs
Cheese and yoghurt
Broccoli, and Other Dark, Leafy Veggies
And for healthy teeth and gums, do things regularly:
Brush your teeth twice a day (with a fluoride toothpaste)
Floss once a day.
Make regular visits to your dentist for a checkup and cleaning.
Eat a well-balanced diet.
Don't use tobacco products.
Cleaning Your Teeth and Gums.
The 2018 Pharmacists National Summit, entitled “I am a STAR Pharmacist, the Face of Excellent South Star Service” was held last September 22, 2018 in The Heritage Hotel Manila. The 2-day summit was attended by 411 participants and highlighted the mission of each SSD pharmacist to continuously enhance their knowledge and competencies to support the information and service they provide to customers and patients.
RPh Summit 2018 provided our valued pharmacists with a venue to update their knowledge through eleven (11) discussions with topics widely ranging from pharmacy, healthcare, and related industrial knowledge.
The plenary speakers, who are experts at their own professional fields, sought to enhance South Star Drug Pharmacists’ role in terms of providing excellent service, especially in the following aspects:
During the event, the following were awarded as 2017 Model Pharmacists:
Sarah Valdez - NCR (SPM)
Joy Pagaduan - Region 3 (NCC7)
Ma. Theresa Domo - Region 4A (RAM)
Emmanuel Guinto - Region 3 (PAC5)
Armonn Talens - Region 3 (PSF2)
Rolennie Villegas - Region 5 (ZNG3)
Dovi Aliguyon - Region 5 (ZNG11)
The summit was also a great place for our pharmacists to expand their network by meeting other pharmacists from different regions, as well as representatives from different suppliers.
Besides the plenary being a fun-filled learning experience for the participants, a raffle contest was also held, giving away 2 Omron blood pressure monitors, 2 Omron Nebulizers, and 2 Omron forehead thermometers.
Several partners also set up booths where giveaways were distributed among the participants.
The event owes its success to its valued partners, the enthusiasm of SSD participants, and South Star Drug’s eagerness to continue giving its customers the best service they can provide.
If there's some packing you need to do this rainy season, start with your Family Emergency Kit. With storms coming in and out of the Philippines, it’s important to keep your family safe in case of emergencies. Floods, power shortages, bad traffic, and even difficulty in drying clothes are some of the expected hassles of the season. But a rainy season family emergency can also be colds, flu, headache, and even leptospirosis.
That’s why it’s highly advised to keep an emergency kit handy at home to keep your family equipped even at the face of natural disasters. Here are what you should be packing.
Keep your emergency kit in a backpack that’s easy to log around. Ensure that the items inside the kit are checked every few months to replace expired goods.
The best way to dealing with a family emergency during the rainy season is keeping up with the news and ensuring everyone is healthy at all times.
Sure, running alone can be good once in awhile and there are also perks one can get such as; it’s good for the soul, one can listen to the body more, or one can disconnect from the world. Once in awhile, yes. However, running being a superlatively active sports with a finish-line goal is undoubtedly tough at times; thus the motivation needed to keep on striding your best foot forward may be found along the corrals of camaraderie with fellow runners.
Here are the benefits of running with groups:
● Apparently, running doesn't always happen under broad daylight or at a straight path way. It could take place during the wee hours of the night; or at a sketchy narrow street. Who knows when a potential attacker might strike and what not? Or to make it worse, you’ve taken the wrong way and couldn’t figure your way out. It’ll be a disaster without having someone to help you out, right? These are the times when a trusty running buddy would come in handy!
● One of the perks of running is you will be engaged with people from different walks (or shall we say runs) of life. What more if that person you get to run with share the same interests, passion, and work-related matters like you do. This is quite a win-win situation. Aside from running, you could also do brainstorming and keep creative juices flowing. What a great way to meet new people and expand your professional circle!
● Now you can sing Omni’s song that goes “Oh I think that I’ve found myself a cheerleader!” Yes! Running in groups give you the instant cheering squad that you need. When you feel like you can’t get any further, or too lazy to hit the ground and have a run, or wanted to ditch the training; your mates will be there to keep you motivated and push you past your limits and do that extra hill. Also, runners on social media will hyped up the runner in you. You may follow them for your daily dose of runspiration. And one thing you’ll notice is, it is normal to experience periods of running struggle a.k.a laziness. But don’t worry, because motivation is just around the corner.
● Running with group gives you the fulfilling sense of belonging. When you know that you join that racing because it will benefit a chosen charity; when that racing is an act of volunteering yourself in a clean up drive; or simply being there to cheer up your teammates, sure running has been a piece of community whereas runners feel that they belong and are part of a bigger purpose. Also, some have met their significant others or best friends for life through running group. Whilst others end up traveling to destination races with friends they've met in running clubs or charity running programs.
The new year is here, but the binging never stops! Us, Filipinos, sure have a lot of leftover Christmas handa in the fridge that we ought to finish in the coming days (even weeks)! Most of it the unhealthy ones like processed ham, creamy macaroni salad jammed with all kinds of fattening ingredients, syrupy sweet pastries, and of course, unopened bottles of carbs aka beer. But where are the fruits? Well, little to no show.
If you’re the type to list down your life-changing body-focused healthy new year’s resolutions then totally forget about it after a week or two, you’re not alone. We get it, it’s hard to change your eating habits, but let’s face it, it’s harder to undo an unhealthy body.
So, what can you do to somehow help yourself in your quest to fulfill some of your resolutions? Simple—eat fruits.
Fruits provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body. This means you can lie low on taking supplements as fruits have plenty of natural nutrients & health benefits that can help repair and take care of your inside. Don’t believe it? We’ll prove it!
• Fruits have no cholesterol. This means you’re safe from the risk of having a heart attack if you just eat right with fruits on the side.
• Most fruits are low in fat, sodium, and calories. Forget munching junk food, try enjoying a slice of sweet & fleshy fruit instead and you’ll lose the handles in no time.
• Fruits that are high in Vitamin C like kiwis and oranges are important for growth and repair of body tissues. Need your internal or external wound to heal faster? Fruit is the answer!
• Eating fruits rich in potassium may help lower blood pressure, and may also help in reducing the risk of developing kidney complications.
• Fibrous fruits may help reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.
There are a lot more health benefits that you can get from eating fruits, but keep in mind that it’s still important to have a balanced diet coupled with an active lifestyle for the benefits to come into fruition… (see what we did there?)
If one of your resolutions is to have a fruit-based diet or any other diet fad, then you might want to consult your doctor first as some diet may work out for your friend, but not for you. And lastly, always remember that you can count on Southstar Drug for any of your health-related needs!
Everyone wants a silky, shiny, and healthy hair. We spend good amount for shampoo, conditioner, hair cream, hair mask and etc, just to achieve that hair goals. But the question is; how’s your scalp by the way? Are you feeding your scalp the food it needs so as it would produce that hair goals of yours? Yes, the key to achieving that silky, shiny and healthy hair is actually determined by the condition of your scalp.
Only a few knows that the scalp is actually more than just where the roots of our hair are suspended into. It’s part of our skin that also needs special care. I bet you are not new to the itchy flaky “dandruff”. Dandruff is a result of dry scalp or skin condition (confirmed, it’s part of the skin!) called seborrheic dermatitis. Aside from that, it could also be due to eczema where patches of skin become rough and inflamed, with blisters that cause itching and bleeding; psoriasis, which is characterized by patches of abnormal skin; malassezia, which is an overgrowth of a yeast like fungus.
During monsoon, dandruff is one of the most common skin woes.
According to Complete Well Being by Allison Roughlry, there are number of reasons for the dandruff like faulty diet, harsh shampoo, poor blood circulation in head, emotional tension and stress. Treating dandruff for some people is a year-long reality. Those with high seasonal experiences, especially during monsoons, should treat their hair more carefully.
1. Use an effective anti-dandruff shampoo with an active ingredient like zinc pyrithione, which attacks fungus and keeps it in check, regularly. This also helps reduce the tell-tale flakes.
2. Regular washes keep the fungus in check and reduce the sebum on your scalp. In addition to playing a role in dandruff, sebum also attracts dirt, dust, and pollution to your hair, making it look dull, weak, dried out and brittle.
3. Stick to your anti-dandruff shampoo – no switching between a cosmetic formulation and an anti-dandruff product! This reduces the effectiveness of anti-fungal actives and could leave you with flakes and bad odour. Zinc pyrithione, which is odourless, provides conditioning and light pleasant fragrances, making them a pleasure to use
4. Cut down on styling and styling products, as they may also attract dirt and grime during monsoons. Brush and comb gently, so as not to cause scalp damage. Remember to dry hair completely before leaving the house. Rain water can add to your dandruff problem, thanks to its unhealthy moisture
5. Recognise your severity. If you are suffering more than moderate flaking and itching, be sure to find the right product. There are products that include intensive solutions targeted at severe dandruff sufferers. Like the rest of the range, they have a pleasant fragrance and they leave hair well conditioned.
Sail smoothly through this rainy season! For more scalp and hair care tips, read our article The Perfect Two: Shampoo and Conditioner
Source:
Dandruff in Monsoon. http://completewellbeing.com/article/dandruff-in-monsoon/
As there are four different strains of the dengue virus, severe dengue may occur when a person who has developed immunity to one strain becomes infected with another strain. Elderly patients with multiple medical conditions are also more likely to develop severe dengue. It initially presents with:
PHASE ONE
Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever
Less than a week after an initial onset of symptoms, the patient may display warning signs that the dengue is becoming worse. The temperature may go below 38 degrees Celsius and include:
PHASE TWO
Dengue Shock Syndrome
Severe dengue fever can damage the lungs, liver, or heart. Shock may occur, and in some cases, death. The symptoms of severe dengue include:
PHASE THREE
Treatment in the ICU
Delayed treatment increases the risk for multi-organ failure or shock, which leads to death. There is no known cure for severe dengue, but ICU treatment that focuses on the symptoms includes:
A patient with these warning signs of severe dengue requires urgent medical attention. Bring your loved one to the hospital near you for a much-needed intervention.
