Sore Eyes

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I’ve been paranoid lately. It’s because three of my officemates contacted “sore eyes”. I am worried that I might get it too. Well not for myself but for my kids! I had sore eyes once and I knew how irritating and embarrassing it was.

Sore eyes or conjunctivitis in medical terms is an inflammation or infection of the transparent membrane (conjunctiva) that lines your eyelid and part of your eyeball. It is commonly a viral or bacterial infection.  Bacterial conjunctivitis often produces a thicker, yellow-green discharge. Both viral and bacterial types are very contagious

When you suspect of having sore eyes and you can’t see a doctor right away, here are some remedies that did helped me a lot when I had it. Hope it’ll help you too.

1. Apply a cold compress to your eyes. It may help you relieve the gritty feeling and the burning sensation in your eyes

2. Try eye drops that can be bought from a nearby drugstore. It also helps relieve the symptoms.

And when it’s really sore eyes that got you, please prevent it from spreading my goodness!  Remember that you transmit bacteria from your eyes to your hand and when somebody touches something that you touched, he or she might get it too.  So practice proper hygiene.

1. Don't touch your eyes with your hands
2. Sanitize your hands often.
3. Don't share clothes and towels.
4. Change beddings often.
5. Don’t share cosmetics.
6. Don’t kiss/hug your kids!

If you think you have sore eyes, it's vital to find out ways to treat it. Sore eyes left untreated can lead to a more serious problem.  And when you suspect you kids of sore eyes, just don’t take it for granted, see a doctor.

Getting Over Dengue

My 10-year old daughter Mikaela had been hospitalized because of dengue fever. She had fever for 3 days that started on September 25, 2009, a day before Ondoy. Her body temperature reached 40.On the 3rd day, the temperature dropped, and I thought that she would be okay, but she had fever at night time on that same day again .I decided to bring her to the doctor for a check-up and I was advised to take her to the nearest hospital. My heart broke every time she would undergo CBC. She got blood tests twice a day. And though she doesn’t have fever anymore, her rashes had become more visible on the 4th and 5th day. I was relieved that on the 7^th day, October 1, 2009, her platelet count went up. Then we were advised that Mikaela was fine and can now go home.

Dengue fever is caused by viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes. There are four viruses that can cause dengue. Because of this, it is possible to get dengue fever 4 times.

HOW IT IS CONTRACTED

The virus is contracted from the bite of a striped mosquito, Aedes aegypti . The virus is not communicable and cannot be spread directly from person to person.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Fever, chills, headache, pain upon moving the eyes, backache, aching in the legs and joints, temperature as high as 40degrees, rashes, and swollen lymph glands.

TREATMENT

There is really no specific medicine to treat it. Rest and enough hydration is the most important thing to do. For headaches, an icepack is the only treatment that the doctor can give as aspirin is not advisable.

The kind of virus that my daughter had contracted is the Typical dengue. It is a weak strain of the virus and is not fatal and does not result to death. The dangerous one is the Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). With DHF, there is spitting up blood, blood spots in the skin, blood in the stool, nosebleeds and bleeding gums, weak pulse, and in worst cases, there is inflammation of the heart.

As there is currently no vaccine available, the only prevention for Dengue is the control of the mosquitoes carrying the virus. Cleanliness of the surroundings comes first. At home we should empty stagnant water from old tires, trash cans, and flower pots. For personal protection, wear long pants and long sleeves and use mosquito repellants.

Havaianas Found to Have Lead

Too bad my daughter can't wear her favorite havaianas..

I love Havaianas. I really do. In fact, my kids does too. I've been spending much in collecting these stuff. Not just they're "fasyon" but because they're durable and goes well with any outfit. And they really really look nice. Too bad the United States reported that they were high in lead content exceeding the federal standards.

We, Filipino are not risking the our public safety and welfare so some local outlets had already removed the same styles that were recalled in the US. Here are the recalled models: Baby Estampas, Baby Pets, Kids Apple, Kids Fairy, Kids Flores, Kids Lighthouse, Kids Monsters, Kids Surf, Baby Letrinhas, Kids Sports, Kids Candies, Kids Fun, Kids Love, Kids Sereias, Kids Speed, Kids Lucky Bug, Kids Pets, Kids Rock, Kids Slim, Kids Wonder Woman, Kids Small Flowers and Kids Tropical w/Kit

Havaianas had been in the market years ago. As we all know, they originated from Brazil. The styles way back then were simple and not eye catching so they're not selling as much as it does right now. Not until the company decided to hire some of the best Brazilian digital artists that gave the product a new modern look the goes well with the range of young and trendy clients. And who can resist these?

I'm running..

I want to run and I will run everyday.

I’m pushing myself to do it because I had set my own rules, and that is that everyday I will run faster, and I will try harder. I already acquired a sense of determination that I would never, never give up. At first, I felt my throat start to close up and I know I was not getting enough oxygen. Scary. I asked myself if this is what I really want and almost thought about quitting. But how can I quit now that I am improving? I’ve been running for sometime now and I know that my phase has changed and it feels good. Since I set my goals for this, I need to do one thing. I have to make my mind run my body and never let my body tell my mind what to do. I know that I’m too old for this and my body will always give up. But I remember when I was young, my mind can make my body dance and party all night and never got tired. From this I came to conclusion that my body is never tired if my mind is not tired. I just got to make my mind take over and keep going.

My First Ever Mizuno Sunset Run

Club Punta Fuego, Inc. in cooperation with Mizuno organized a Fuego-Mizuno Sunset Run last Friday, December 13, 2008. This was also a way of celebrating the Club's 10th Anniversary.



I'm not a runner myself though I've been taking small tracks once a week as a routine of shedding off excess weight. This was actually not "running" because it only take about 10 minutes usually from our house to my father's work back & forth (which is only 200 meters).

I'm thanking gutsy & pushy KC Binay for harrassing me to join this Sunset Run. This was her 2nd time to run, her first was in June and she finished her 3K run (combination of walk & run hehe). We came at the venue at 5:00Pm because the race was supposed to start at 5:30, but we have to wait for the other participants for a couple more minutes since this was just a small race and participants were around 60-65 only. There were five of us who registered for the 3kilometer run- Me, KC, Janice, Lorna and our Village Manager cum Friend Ramon. We're encouraging Ramon to register for the 5K since he was a runner and a soccer player but he said he's not for the competition but for making it up with KC who harrased him too to join the race. I told you, KC is so gutsy and so pushy.

Punta Fuego is hilly, slopy and mostly a lot of steep downhills, just like a roller coaster ride. We knew the route and turns because we've been jogging at Fuego whenever we wanted to. We all started in a slow pace and we don't need to push hard because as Ramon said, we're not for the race but for the fun. Anyway, after about 200 meters of running up the hills, we started to pant so I decided to slow down a bit. I walk-run-walk- walk-run.

Janice was about a few feet aheadof me so she arrived first at the turning points and was first to get water. But too bad there was only 1 left, but Janice was so kind to share with me the half and decided that we finished the race together with KC and Lorna a little short behind us. We were surprised to see Ramon finished first. Imagine that! Walang kaeffort effort yet he won first place!! And what's his prize? A brand new Mizuno Running Shoes!! Lucky guy, to think nakikipagchismisan pa siya sa standby ambulance crew while running..

After the run, there was a dinner, awarding, and a raffle. Janice was so lucky to win the grand raffle prize-an overnight stay at Club Punta Fuego Casitas. I'm lucky too to win a Gift Certificate from Mizuno worth 5 hundred pesos. I'll be claiming my prize next week I think I'll be getting a Mizuno Shirt or a cap. Now I knew my pace, maybe I should start to get serious with my running stuff. I've been planning a twice a week run to increase my stamina because I've been panting and wheezing hard during the race. And who knows, there might be another Fuego-Mizuno run in the near future, at least I will be prepared. But first I need to buy new running shoes because my feet were always sore when I'm using my old rubber shoes. We didnt finish the awarding/dinner because we have another activity to attend to, that is the Homeowners' Christmas Party, and Miss Eliza is so mainit na ang ulo dahil late na kami hehe..

Thank CPFI and Mizuno. Till next time..

with Club Punta Fuego Staff

dental braces, anyone

When I was a kid, one uncle of mine told my father that I should have been given dental braces. We all know that dental braces during that time was a sign of wealth here in the Philippines. So my crooked teeth went untreated. But due to the increasing numbers of competent dentists nowadays, the traditional braces now only costs around P35K (I got mine at P30k and it's on installment basis!). There are also corrective plastic braces which are not needed to be worn all the time, but these are quite expensive than the traditional ones.

Before making the decision of getting braces, there are some useful information that we should know first.

There are 3 types of dental braces: the traditional one which is the standard braces with the changeable rubber bands, the plastic braces which are larger than the metal ones, and the invisible braces that goes behind the teeth. Whichever type of dental braces that you wished to have, there is one thing that you should have been prepared: braces hurts so much for a very long time! The pain is so severe that I even took some paracetamols in the first few weeks when I got my braces.

But after an average of 2-3 years of treatment, imagine being able to smile and show off your new perfect set of teeth... And imagine also experiencing the pain of having braces.. that's priceless!! Well, all is well that ends well, so better start your plan of getting those braces.

GOJI

Many of us knew little about Goji Juice. But haven't we heard about some remote villages where the average life expectancy can reach over 100 years? Sounds like coming from Ripley's, but believe it or not, those stories are true and based on facts. One example is Ningxia Province of China where people were rumored to be between 120 and 150. In this same region also is where the finest Goji berries are abundant, thus where our story of Himalayan Goji Juice begins.

My ninang introduced me to Goji juice. She had brought few bottles from her trip to Guam a few months ago. I thought that goji is only available in micronesia, but I was surprised to see them at the ultrasound clinic of a local doctor in our place. A bottle costs 2000+, a price quite expensive for an ordinary person, but come to think of it, here are some health benefits that Goji juice is about to give:

• Anti-aging effects
• Anti-cancer effects
• Enhanced immune system response
• Prevention of damage from free radicals
• Resistance to fatigue and tiredness
• Protection of the eyes, enhanced visual acuity
• Enhanced weight loss
• Benefits to diabetics

Each Goji berry contains:

• Antioxidant protection.
• Vitamins B1, B2, B6, and E.
• 500 times more vitamin C per ounce than an orange.
• More beta carotene than carrots.
• 18 essential amino acids.
• 21 trace minerals including; zinc, iron, copper, calcium, germanium, selenium, and phosphorus.
• Linoleic acid.
• Polysaccharides.
• Beta-sisterol.
• Betaine.
• Tetraterpenoids (zeaxanthin, physalin).
• Sesquiterpenoids (cyperone, solavetivone).

If you also want to experience Goji Juice, visit the website : HealthyHabit@FreeLife.Com. For those who are interested to become distributors, you can find business/order forms at this site.

are you ready?

I was sitting in front of my computer when I saw my cork board shaking a little, then it stopped then I felt a little dizzy. First I thought maybe this is caused by my last night's lack of sleep due to the usual work overtime. After a few minutes, it shakes again, stronger this time. I can now feel our office building shuddering. I think it lasted for a few seconds. This strange, wild thrilling motion and rumbling, I could not be mistaken, we experienced an earthquake, and now we're on panic mode.

The first thing that came to our mind is to call our loved ones at home, to check if they're ok. Although we're not sure if it occurred in the entire Luzon, we still checked the online news. Thanks to GMAnews.tv, they kept us updated. Phivolcs recorded at 11:04am, Sep 27, a magnitude 5 quake with epicenter at 72 km southwest of Batangas, 73 km west of Calapan in Mindoro, or 146 km south-southwest of Manila.

No matter where you are, know how to protect yourself and your family during an earthquake. Here are some simple tips that will help us during earthquakes:

1. Practice taking cover as if there were an earthquake and learn the safest places in your home and work.

2. Practice getting out of your home and check to see if the planned exits are clear and if they can become blocked in an earthquake.

3. Practice turning off your electricity and water.

4. When in a HIGH-RISE BUILDING, move against an interior wall if you are not near a desk or table. Protect your head and neck with your arms. Do not use the elevators.

5. When OUTDOORS, move to a clear area away from trees, signs, buildings, or downed electrical wires and poles.

6. When on a SIDEWALK NEAR BUILDINGS, duck into a doorway to protect yourself from falling bricks, glass, plaster and other debris.

7. When DRIVING, pull over to the side of the road and stop. Avoid overpasses and power lines. Stay inside your vehicle until the shaking stops.

8. When in a CROWDED STORE OR OTHER PUBLIC PLACE, move away from display shelves containing objects that could fall. Do not rush for the exit.

9. When in a STADIUM OR THEATER, stay in your seat, get below the level of the back seat and cover your head and neck with your arms.

A little knowledge and a few precautionary measures can enormously increase your chances of surviving an earthquake - or any other type of hazard. The keys are education and preparing in advance. These earthquake safety tips will not make you an expert. However, they could make a life-saving difference if you find yourself in an earthquake situation.