Sunday, April 26, 2009

Watermelon is the summer's no. 1 fruit!

We always hear "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". But when I went to the market's fruit section apple is not the fruit most people buy. People say because of the hot and humid weather here in Philippines, nothing can beat a cold , sweet and juicy slice of watermelon . It's healthy and refreshing!

Recent studies showed the wonderful health benefits of the watermelon, they are:

1. Natural energy drink - watermelon is a rich source of B vitamins, electrolytes and potassium. The B vitamins are needed for energy production and potassium is essential for heart and muscle contraction.

2. Good for the eyes - watermelon has vitamin A and C that are beneficial for our eyes. Yellow Watermelon is good source of lutein which helps prevent age-related macular degeneration.

3. May help prevent cancer and slow down aging - red water melon contains the pigment lycopene which may help prevent prostate cancer.

4. Prevents heat stroke and heat exhaustion - watermelon's cooling effect comes from it's component citrilline which is converted to arginine in the body. Arginine can help remove ammonia from the body ( bad stuff in the uring).

5. Treatment for heat rash and burns - watermelon pulp can be used to treat heat rash and burns. Place a piece of watermelon rind in the refrigerator and after a few hours apply the inner part of the rind on the affected areas on body. The cooling effect of watermelon rind relieves the heat rash.

6. Good for the kidneys, bladder, and those with gout - watermelon is effective for cleansing the kidneys and bladder. Watermelon does not contain uric acid and can help people with gout by reducing the amount of uric acid in the body.


Saturday, April 25, 2009

Congenital Cataract (part 4)

Thank you for all your prayers, my daughter had a successful eye surgery. April 21, 2009 at 8:30 am Andy had 'pupillotomy and anterior vitrectomy' at Asian Eye Institute Rockwell with Dra. Pik Sha Chan-Uy. The surgery took almost an hour then we waited another hour at the recovery room. After taking care of the bill we went home, it was fast!

I was amazed with my daughter she never felt nervous before and after the surgery. She kept telling me she's ready and that she prayed to Jesus to take care of her especially during the surgery. I remember when we had a Sunday Mass she said that she prayed to Jesus to help all children that have a vision problem. I'm glad that at her age she can talk to Jesus that way.

The next day we removed the eye goggles, it served as her eye protection, my daughter noticed the brightness of our television and she said she can now see clearly.

We are also thankful to our ophthalmologist who's been so kind to us.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Excited for summer..Ready to be exposed

Here in Philippines summer starts during the month of March up to May. As a family we always plan ahead our summer outings, we love swimming and enjoy the beach.

Sun, sand, sea these are the elements that makes a fun-filled summer but they can also lead to sunburn. Applying sunblock is important, it should be applied 30 min going out under the sun and must be reapplied regularly.

When you start to feel really hot and your skin is hot to touch chances are you've already got sunborn. Burning continues even after you've gotten out of the sun. There are things in our pantry that we can grab for a quick sunborn relief.

Cucumber - known for its cooling and soothing properties. Slices of cucumber can help alleviate discomfort from extra hot skin or anything cold for thart matter will serve the same purpose like a slice of watermelon.

Guava leaves - they've been used as cure-all. Boil some in water and let the tea cool, apply on the sunburned area using a compress.
Oatmeal - is extremely soothing as long as its mixed in with bath water, not rubbed or scrubbed on the skin. It is recommended even for babies. Cornstarch or baking soda can work too.

Milk - cool off with a cold glass of milk. Soak a facecloth in equal parts cold milk and cool water, then gently press it on the affected area.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Congenital Cataract (part 3)


This is Andy my daughter who had congenital cataract, she's now 5 years old and just finish nursery. We went to another pediatric - opthalmologist in Asian Eye Institute for a second opinion. The doctor discussed to us my daughter's case and they have the same diagnosis with our first doctor. She has a miotic pupil, we tried to dilate her pupil. She was under medication for two weeks using Atropine and Mydfrin but pupil didn't dilate into a descent size. It wasn't enough for them to get her exact eye grade. They both recommend surgery but this time the doctor wants surgery for the pupil, it's called "pupillatomy anterior vitrectomy", and have lens implant when she turns 7. The doctor wants a conservative way in dealing my daughter's case because of the risks and there was a history of inflammation during her cataract surgery. One thing that I got afraid of was the 2 doctors have different way of putting a lens implant on the eyes. Our first opthalmologist said that lens will be placed infront of the iris. The risk is when the pressure on the eye went high there's a possibility of retina detachment or even loss of vision. The second opthalomologist said that he will put the lens behind the iris because putting infront might damage the cornea. I didn't know where to go so I searched online to educate myself more. Then I found Medhelp an online health community. I posted a question and glad that they responded so quickly.

Me and my husband decided to go with the second opthalmologist because we agree to him. We don't have to be agressive in dealing the case because she's still young. There was a history of inflammation that made the pupil not fully developed. We all do not know how fast is she going to recover.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Medhelp: Online Health Community

Medhelp is an online health community where anyone can ask questions about their health problem. I discovered Medhelp when I was searching online about the case of my daughter who had congenital cataract and has to undergo lens implant. Their ophthalmologist team was a big help to me they answered all my questions. I read everyday their eye care forum and I learned a lot. The team are really generous in sharing their knowledge and experiences about eye diseases.

I am confident with our ophthalmologist here in the Philippines but I'm glad that I was able to hear opinions from doctors in USA with no cost. Joining them is so easy, sign up for free then you can start to post your health questions.

More power to you Medhelp!