Philippine News

The rainy season can be a great time to get some exercise indoors. Here are five of the best indoor exercises you can do during the rainy season: 1. Use everyday objects as weights. If strength training isn’t really your thing and you’re just trying it out for the first time this rainy season and you don’t have weights, you can use everyday objects such as bottles of water or cans or tumblers. 2. Move as much as you can. It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting down and watching T

We often equate the rainy season with a general feeling of coziness and lethargy that inclines us to dive underneath the covers to get an extra hour or two of sleep. However, if you are keen on reaching your weight loss goals, the blowing of the wind and the drops of rain shouldn’t hinder you from getting active. The rainy season is a great time to put in more work on your health and fitness but it can also be a challenge if you find yourself without access to the necessary e

Leptospirosis is an increasing issue affecting public health. Since it’s a disease masked in the guise of mild flu-like symptoms, it’s often overlooked by the public until it gets severe. So, to better raise awareness of this infection, it’s important to understand what leptospirosis is, its causes, symptoms, and the treatment and prevention techniques available. That way, you can protect yourself and your community from this affliction, and effectively help minimize the prev

This August, let’s prioritize our children’s eye health. Good vision is essential for learning, development, and daily activities. Parents can help protect their children’s vision in the following ways: Limit screen time and encourage regular breaks from digital devices. Promote outdoor play and daily exposure to natural light. Follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes of screen use, look at something about 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Schedule regular comprehensive

Frequent rains may bring relief from the heat, but they also create ideal breeding sites for mosquitoes that spread dengue, increasing the risk of infection in many communities. Before rainwater collects in uncovered containers and other stagnant areas, health authorities are reminding the public that simple household practices remain the best defense against dengue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dengue is a viral infection transmitted through the bite of

Commuting can be a headache that’s bound to get worse during the rainy season. Find out how you can make this necessity more bearable this wet season. The rainy season makes it harder for Filipinos to commute to work, school or their homes. Traffic buildup and the snaking lines in PUV stations are just some of the things that make it harder to keep your cool while commuting. But it is also this season when we need take extra care while traveling during stormy weather: 1. Brin

August of every year is Breastfeeding Awareness Month pursuant to Republic Act (RA) 10028, otherwise known as the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009. This aims to promote and raise public awareness on the importance of breastfeeding in the country. As we celebrate National Breastfeeding Month, here are some facts that you should know about breastfeeding. Why Breastfeed? Breastfeeding as defined by DOST, is the safest and cost-effective way to protect infants, young

287 million people are living with viral hepatitis – the world’s deadliest communicable disease. Most don’t even know. Viral hepatitis often shows no symptoms, so many won’t know they have it until it’s too late. Chronic hepatitis B and C are the world’s leading cause of liver cancer. More than 1.3 million people die because of hepatitis B or C each year – that’s the most of any communicable disease. Each year, there are nearly two million new cases. But hepatitis is preventa

When people decide to change their habits and set a health goal, they often try to achieve a healthy weight, but let’s pause for a second and ask, what is a healthy weight? Is it a number? A feeling? Is there even a “right weight”? Each person’s body is unique, and a healthy weight depends on that person’s size, lifestyle and goals. For a more accurate determination of what a healthy weight is, use the Body Mass Index (BMI). ​What Is Body Mass Index (BMI)? ​Body Mass Index i

The wet season signals the start of colder, rainy weather and or even flooding. With all the changes in the weather, we usually see a spike in the prevalence of certain conditions too. In the Philippines, we have to be careful for a handful of rainy season illnesses such as water-borne diseases, dengue, influenza, and leptospirosis. To keep yourself and your loved ones safe against these conditions during the wet months, here are a few preventive steps you can take. Practice

Blood is essential to one’s survival, acting as a way for oxygen and essential nutrients to reach different organs in the body. This is why healthcare institutions are always in need of blood to give a lifeline to patients with serious medical conditions or to nurse them back to health. The Philippine Red Cross estimates that more than 2,000 blood units [JAG1] are being transfused to patients all over the country every day. You also cannot discount the possibility that someon

Any type of transportation might cause motion sickness. Feeling ill while in motion can strike suddenly, often beginning with a general feeling of discomfort. Symptoms may worsen to a cold sweat, dizziness and vomiting. Many people feel better as soon as the motion stops. The more you travel, the more easily you may adjust to being in motion. Treatment Treatments for motion sickness include certain techniques, supplements and medicines. These tips may help relieve motion sick

The only way to know for sure if you have HIV is to get tested. You can’t rely on symptoms to tell whether you have HIV. Knowing your HIV status gives you powerful information so you can take steps to keep yourself and your partner(s) healthy: If you test positive, you can take medicine to treat HIV. People with HIV who take HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load can live long and healthy lives and will no

Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine that is usually seen in children between 10-15 years of age during the growth spurt just prior to the onset of puberty. About 2-4% of people in the US are affected by this condition. Scoliosis Awareness Month is celebrated in the month of June to help raise awareness regarding the diagnosis and treatment of scoliosis. Here are 5 interesting facts about scoliosis: Scoliosis is not caused due to bad posture. The most common type o

90% of food, fuel, raw materials and finished goods in the world are delivered by sea. For this reason, the safety of seafarers is a very important issue in the maritime industry. Let’s take a look at Seafarers Safety in details. Shipping is one of the biggest and risky sectors of international trade in the world. Transporting cargo between oceans involves physical and financial risks. Every part of the transport business has strict rules.The first rule is “security and safet

Ebola disease is caused by a group of viruses, known as orthoebolaviruses (formerly ebolavirus)1. These viruses can cause serious illness that, without treatment, can cause death. Orthoebolaviruses were discovered in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and are found primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Types There are 4 types of orthoebolaviruses that cause illness in people: • Ebola virus (species Orthoebolavirus zairense) causes Ebola virus disease. • Sudan virus (spec

A cruise ship is currently stranded off the coast of West Africa after a suspected hantavirus outbreak killed three people and made several others very sick. Health officials have found a small number of confirmed and suspected cases of this rare virus on board. What is hantavirus? This class of virus was first identified in the Hantaan River area in Korea. Mice and other rodents often carry the hantavirus. Humans can contract the disease when they come into contact with infe

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke. While medication is often necessary for managing severe cases, dietary changes can play a significant role in reducing blood pressure naturally. One of the most well-researched and effective dietary strategies for hypertension is the DASH diet — Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Alec Kherlopian, MD, a cardiologist supportive of the DASH diet and director of the hypertension cli

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is often called the "silent killer" because many people do not exhibit symptoms until the condition becomes severe or causes complications, including heart disease, stroke, and irreversible kidney damage. Understanding the dangers of hypertension Blood pressure measures the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of the body's arteries. It’s usually described by two numbers: systolic pressure over diastolic pressure (i.e., 120/80). S

Work stress affects us all; however, when stress from work begins to affect other areas of your life, it’s time to take action. For example, a recent study revealed that 7 in 10 adults reported that workplace stress affects personal relationships. A survey reported that a shocking 91% of respondents said that feeling overwhelmingly stressed negatively affects the quality of their work. Most of us have to face complex problem-solving at work in some capacity, mix in deadlines,