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5 Tips To Beat The Summer Heat And Avoid Dehydration

Have you noticed that the weather is a lot warmer than usual? Indeed, summer is now upon us. Before you hit the beach and enjoy the outdoors, make sure that you avoid one thing that might ruin your summer experience  – dehydration or the lack of sufficient water in the body. Symptoms of dehydration include dry mouth, urine that is darker than usual, fatigue, and headache.

“As the temperature rises, it is important to know how to avoid dehydration. If not taken seriously, dehydration can cause irritability, exhaustion, lack of concentration or even death. Aside from drinking lots of water and wearing lightweight clothes, snacking on food that keeps the body cool decreases your chance of being dehydrated,” shares MediCard Philippines president Dr. Nicky Montoya.

Here are five tips to beat the summer heat:

Drink lots of water. Your body depends on water to survive. As the weather gets really hot, water keeps your body from overheating. Daily water intake depends on the person, as different people need different amounts of water to stay hydrated. It’s recommended to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each day. Dr. Montoya suggests putting fresh lemons, limes or cucumber in your water for a more refreshing and healthier drink.

Eat hydrating snacks. Aside from drinking water, you can also beat the summer heat by snacking on hydrating foods such as cantaloupe, pineapples, fruit popsicles, and yogurt. You can also try fruits in season such as mangoes and watermelon.

Increase water consumption during exercise. Working out causes your body to sweat, reducing the body’s water level. That is why it is vital to drink water before, during and after exercising. Not only does it improve the quality of your workout – as it lubricates your entire body – but it also reduces fatigue and recovery time.

Wear light-colored and lightweight clothes. Summer season calls for lighter clothes! Lightweight and light-colored clothes insulate and reflect the sun’s heat from the body to help you stay cooler. Clothes made of cotton and linen are the ideal conductor of heat since cotton is breathable material while linen absorbs sweat and then quickly dries.

Avoid alcoholic drinks and caffeine. Alcohol and caffeinated drinks such as coffee may pull water from the body, increasing the risk of dehydration. Also, alcohol lessens the body’s production of an anti-diuretic hormone, which is used by the body to reabsorb water.

Stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The best time to head inside and let your body cool down at the comfort of your own home is between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as temperatures and UV rays are at their highest. Dr. Montoya advises to stay out of the sun during these times to avoid dehydration.

Are you ready to beat the summer heat?  MediCard has 13 free-standing clinics located in key cities nationwide that offer laboratory tests and consultations to monitor your health. Visit a MediCard clinic near you or check out their website at www.medicardphils.com for more information.

 

Healthy Eating Starts at Home


Parents should lead by example for kids to develop healthy eating habits

Teaching kids to eat healthy is a challenge for any parent. Children would rather eat their fill of candy and junk food instead of fruits and vegetables. Although it’s perfectly fine for them to eat a few sweets every now and then, it’s important for children to develop healthy eating habits early on.

Parents definitely play a big part in the overall development of young children. From the way they talk to the way they act, kids primarily learn by emulating their parents. This applies to healthy eating habits as well. The way parents talk about food, cook meals, and eat all play an important role in influencing children in developing healthy eating habits.

In a study conducted by Dr. Jennifer Utter from the University of Auckland in 2012, children of mothers who ate few fruits, vegetables, and dairy products also developed low-quality diets.

As role models, parents need to ensure that they’re setting a good example for their children by demonstrating a healthy attitude when it comes to food. Instead of eating junk food, grab some fruits instead and share them with your children. Show them that you enjoy these snacks and explain why they are good for the body.

But where do you find healthy, fruity snacks nowadays? Driving your kids to school, one sees fast food joints lining the streets and selling pre-prepared snacks. Even groceries are full of ready-to-eat goodies so you don’t have to worry about preparation. With food this easy to give to your kids, even fruits, which only require peeling and slicing, might seem too much of an inconvenience.

Fortunately, there are fruits you can easily serve without the hassle of peeling and cutting. Canned or packed pineapples, in particular, offer a great option for you to help the whole family form a habit of healthy eating.
These canned fruits won’t take much time for you to serve as snacks. But beyond their delicious flavor, convenience, and ready availability, they are packed with nutrients including vitamin B6 for energy, manganese for the formation of connective tissues and bones, fiber for healthy bowel movement, and vitamin C for better immunity.

Speaking of the immune system, research has proven that daily pineapple consumption can boost a child’s resistance against illness. In a study conducted by Dr. Leonora Panlasigui of the Philippine Women’s University’s School of Nutrition, adding two servings of Del Monte Pineapples to the daily diet of her young participants greatly improved each child’s overall immunity.

The study showed a 27 percent increase in the production of granulocytes—a type of white blood cell vital to combating diseases—in children who ate two servings of pineapple a day. The result is reduced recovery time from bacterial and viral infections.

“Even a single serving of fruit a day could make all the difference with your child’s health,” says Dr. Panlasigui. “One serving is good, but the general consensus recommends two servings a day. It’s easy to build a fun, tasty habit with the kids that will benefit them in the long run.”

By helping the family develop healthy eating habits, you can be assured that even if your children eat away from home, they will always make the healthier choice.

McDonald’s welcomes new batch of Kiddie Crew this summer

Summer is always fun at McDonald’s with the annual Kiddie Crew Workshop! Registration is on-going so hurry and sign up your kids in over 400 participating McDonald’s stores nationwide.

Kiddie Crew is McDonald’s flagship family program that has been running since 1992. It has been promoting children’s well-being through fun and enriching activities that help them develop skills and make new friends.

Kiddie Crew members go through a fun-filled 5-day learning workshop that consists of activities that will help harness their sense of discipline, hard work, teamwork, responsibility, and sharing.

They learn what a real McDonald’s crew does at the front counter, drive thru, and they also do other lobby activities like greeting customers.

Kids can also look forward to learning how to make the all-time favorite McDonald’s Cheeseburger, plus enjoy some art sessions including the new activity—personalizing their own Kiddie Crew scrapbook.

They can also showcase their moves and learn the Ronald Dance and Kiddie Crew Anthem. For the first time, Kiddie Crew members will take home a CD with the Kiddie Crew theme song and Ronald Dance so the fun continues at home all throughout summer.
You can enroll your kids, nieces, nephews, siblings or cousins age 6-12 years old for a fee of PHP650. Kiddie Crew participants will get a workshop t-shirt, cap, bag, I.D., workshop materials, pin/badge for every activity, apron, chef’s hat, meals for five days, and a certificate.

Kiddie Crew workshops will culminate in grand graduation ceremonies in nine major areas around the country such as Pampanga, North Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, and Metro Manila.

Share proud Kiddie Crew moments by posting them on Facebook, facebook.com/McDo.ph or tagging @McDo_PH on Twitter or Instagram.

 

Locating Sources of Hydration with Advanced Systems and Technology

Farmers are always in need of water. They need sources of hydration to keep their crops alive and to take care of their livestock properly. However, with recent droughts farmers throughout the country are struggling to keep their farms running without overusing the local sources of water. When you are part of the effort to locate new sources of water, you may be on the lookout as well for gear like water surveying equipment and other machinery that will let you carry out this important task quickly and easily. You can find out more about the systems available to you now by going online today.

Learning More about the Systems and Available Technology

With the advancements being made in the hydrology industry, you may be somewhat unfamiliar with the equipment that is now available to people in your line of work. You may need a bit of coaching or instruction to learn how to use it properly.

When yo go to the website, you can use the resources there to learn more about the machinery and software that lets you find new sources of underground water. You can read about how to use it and also see demos of the systems in action. These details let you know what advantages are available to you and may convince you that this equipment is ideal in your own line of work.

The equipment and systems available are best used by professionals who are trained to find underground sources of water. You can retain the company’s services by using the contact information on the website. The company can come to your location and explore the property on which you or your clients’ farms are now located. By partnering with this service, you can help your agricultural clients find water and also locate sources of hydration for your own agricultural use.

Understanding the Data

Reading the data that comes from this effort can be confusing. You can understand it better by hiring the service to interpret it for you.

You can also read about client testimonials on the website. These testimonials may convince you to retain the services for your own hydration needs today.

The battle to find new sources of water is ongoing. You can locate water sources under the ground and help farmers keep their farms prosperous by using these professional services today.

Don’t let cough and allergies stop you and your kids from enjoying the sunny season

Summer is here and everybody is on full vacation mode! But whether you are going to the beach, headed to an exciting overseas trip or just staying home for some bonding time with family and friends, remember that the scorching heat isn’t the only thing you should worry about.

The rise in temperature brings with it a variety of diseases and exposes us and our kids to a lot of environmental triggers that can ruin our fun in the sun.

GETTING TOUGH ON COUGH
Summer break is always a great time to yank your kids away from their mobile phones, tablets and gaming consoles and let them loose for some physical activities and exercise. Playing outdoors is a great way to get them to be more active and serves as an opportunity for them to socialize with other children. Moms, however, should be cautious with their children’s playmates especially if one or several of them are coughing.

Cough and colds are quite common even during the summer because of erratic weather patterns that causes a shift in temperature.

Coughing is a natural reflex and is usually a sign that your child’s body is trying to rid itself of an irritant, such as mucus or a foreign object. The most common cause of cough in kids is an upper respiratory tract infection from one of more than 100 cold viruses1. Other common causes of cough include infection, asthma, allergies/sinusitis or pollution.

Although cough is quite common, having a kid with cough is something you should take seriously as it may easily be passed on to other children with weakened immune systems. Cough caused by viral infections may result in fever, headache, and pains.

Transmission may happen when an individual makes direct contact with an infected individual, or even infected surfaces such as doorknobs, computer keyboards, and gadgets and then touching their nose and mouth.

There are generally two kinds of cough; dry cough and productive cough (cough with phlegm)2.

For productive cough, pediatricians can recommend protussives such as Ambrolex® (Ambroxol), to enable the cough to get rid of excess mucus in the airways3.

Unfortunately, a lot of cough medicines have a bitter aftertaste, which children dislike and often spit out, making medicine time difficult for moms. Ambrolex®, however, has a sweet blackcurrant flavor that kids will love, making cough medicine time easier for moms, and allowing their children to get better, faster.

Should moms or their husbands also suffer from cough, Ambrolex® comes in thrice-a-day tablet and once-a-day capsule formats for adults that are both easy on the budget.

READY FOR ALLERGIES
Another common problem of children during summer is allergies. To have allergies is to have the body’s immune system overreact to foreign substances or even a change in the environment.

When the body detects a foreign or potentially harmful substance, it produces antibodies and histamine, which are then released into the blood stream to fight it off. At that point, an inflammatory reaction happens. Some of the common symptoms of allergy are asthma-like symptom such as rapid, shallow breathing, wheezing, and cough. Other symptoms that can be observed are sneezing, itchiness, or development of rashes4.

Allergic reactions may also be triggered by allergens or substances that can be found in food such as peanuts, milk, eggs, seafood, etc. A lot of children also develop allergies to plants, pets, house dust mites, mold spores, or medications, especially antibiotics4.

Of course, allergies are not limited to children — moms and their husbands can develop allergies too. When allergy happens, use the antihistamine that is trusted for 20 years, Virlix® (Cetirizine). It contains Cetirizine, an antihistamine that helps you manage the symptoms of your family’s allergies.

“Allergies don’t have to ruin your family’s summer fun. All you have to do is take note of what causes allergies among your family members and try to avoid them, so as to manage your allergy symptoms”, says Dr. Sheila Chua, GSK’s Medical Affairs Manager, and a practicing Dermatologist. “It also helps to always have a trusted allergy medication in your bag whenever you travel so you can easily address the symptoms of allergies when they occur.”

GSK EXPERT MOMS
Led by celebrity-host and Expert Mom herself Rica Peralejo, the campaign seeks to educate mothers on how to correctly and promptly address cough and allergies for the entire family.

“As a mom, I want to make sure that summer would become a memorable time for the whole family. My husband and I always make sure we take care of ourselves first so we can take care of our son, Philip. Being in tip-top shape allows our whole family to have the best summer and enjoy our vacations. Of course our priority is to keep Philip healthy, so we always make sure we are prepared with the necessary medications whenever we travel just in case he gets sick.

I think being an Expert Mom is all about ensuring that the whole family is happy, healthy, and free from disease. I’m very happy to be part of the Expert Moms campaign because I think it’s exciting to meet other moms who are keen on keeping themselves healthy in order to take care of their families,” says Rica.

To know more and share tips on how to be an Expert Mom, visit: www.facebook.com/MommyDoc

About GSK
GSK is one of the world’s leading, research-based pharmaceutical companies with the mission to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. At the core of GSK’s business model is the use of knowledge and development of intellectual property. We create value by researching, manufacturing and making available products that improve people’s health and well-being. A healthier society enables people to live life to the fullest, allowing them and their communities to prosper. A sustained flow of innovative products enables our business to grow and replenish our value to patients and consumers.

About Ambrolex®
Ambrolex®, GSK’s medicine for cough, is an Over-the-Counter (OTC) brand which is available in leading drugstores nationwide. Its generic name is Ambroxol, which works by making the phlegm thinner, less sticky, and therefore easier to transport out of the lungs. Ambrolex® is available in both Pediatric (Syrup and Infant Drops) and Adult Formats (thrice-a-day tablets and once-a-day capsule). It is more affordable than the leading Ambroxol brand by as much as 6%, allowing patients to enjoy savings on their cough medication.

About Virlix®
Virlix® (Cetirizine), is a second-generation antihistamine that works by reducing inflammation, swelling, congestion, mucus production, and other symptoms of allergies that are caused by histamines. Histamine is a naturally occurring substance produced by the body after being exposed to an allergen. Virlix® is less-sedating than its counterparts such as Hydroxyzine and Chlorpheniramine, and works faster (i.e. in 42 minutes) than Loratadine (which works in 3-4 hours). It is available in both Pediatric (Syrup & Infant Drops), and Adult Formats (once-a day tablets), and is available nationwide in leading drugstores.