Kiehl’s: nature-inspired, scientifically proven skincare since 1851

I always thought that getting into my 40s would present no big adjustments compared to how I lived my life in my 30s.

After all, age is just a number, right? If the adage that “you’re only as old as you feel” is true, then I should be right smack in the middle of my 20s.

However, time does have a way of catching up with all of us, particularly with regards to our skin.

As we get on in our years, hormonal changes are bound to happen. Our bodies produce less estrogen and progesterone slow down significantly, making our skin cells produce less sebum or oil that keep it soft and supple. These hormonal changes also hamper the renewal process of our skin cells, resulting in a less than glowing complexion as well as the appearance of discoloration, enlarged pores and wrinkles.

What these changes ultimately mean for us is that if we want to come close to looking as young as we actually feel, we should take better care of our skin.

Skincare 101

Fortunately, skin care essentially involves four basic steps that we can easily incorporate into our everyday routine:

Cleansing. The pre-requisite to most skin care routines, this step – which should be done twice a day, in the morning and at night – involves gently removing the dirt and pollutants that our skin comes into contact with.
Toning. As opposed to the stinging astringents we grew up with, toners are now formulated to balance our skin as well as provide it with additional nutrients and help it absorb those from other products in our skin care regimen.
Treating. Some skin problems seem to get worse as we age so we need more efficascent tools in our skincare arsenal to address them such as serums. These are medicinal solutions that contain concentrated doses of active ingredients to address specific issues.
Moisturizing. This step basically hydrates and softens skin by helping to prevent water loss and complement the protective oils found in our skin.

Now, the challenge is where to source the products to use for our skincare regimen.

Would you believe that a brand established in mid-19th century can have skincare solutions that will suit our modern lifestyle?

A heritage of skincare

Kiehl’s started out as an apothecary – the old-timey version of today’s drugstores – situated in New York City in 1851. In the 1920s, the store expanded into a full-service pharmacy stocking tinctures, teas and herbs, started introducing Kiehl’s branded products, along with its signature personalized customer service and implemented generous sampling strategies to induce trial for its products.

While a lot of Kiehl’s best-selling classics such as the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner, Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1 and Ultra Facial Moisturizers were introduced in the 1960s, its collection of advanced skincare called Dermatologist Solutions came about in the mid-2000s.

Today, it is one of the most trusted skincare brands, with nature-inspired and scientifically proven formulas to improve overall skin quality for visibly healthy looking skin.

Its product line includes:

Retinol Daily Micro-Dose Serum (Php4,940/50ml | Php3,950/30ml | Php1,500/10ml).

A potent anti-wrinkle serum with a powerful micro dose of pure Retinol, Peptide and Ceramides that help to visibly reduce wrinkles, firm up skin and improves it texture by promoting surface skin turnover.

Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution (Php4,500/50ml | Php3,500/30ml | Php1,975/10ml)

A targeted dark spot corrector that helps boost radiance and improve skin clarity by diminishing the intensity of dark spots and skin discolorations caused by age and UV exposure, as well as brightening skin over time to achieve an even and radiant skin tone.

Creme de Corps (Php3,300/500ml | Php2,175/250ml)

A rich, non-greasy hydrating body cream enriched with Cocoa Butter, Beta-Carotene and Squalene to moisturize dry skin, leaving it soft and smooth.

Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream (Php2,100/50ml | Php1,450/28ml)

A shine-reducing, cooling gel moisturizer that has a cooling effect to reinvigorate skin while helping maintain its moisture balance and oil production for skin that’s shine-free, fresh-feeling and healthier-looking all day.

Kiehl’s “try before you buy” samples

Kiehl’s pioneered in best practices for health and beauty products such as listing active ingredients and allowing shoppers to try samples of the products prior to purchase. It’s a great way for shoppers to discover new items to incorporate into their skincare routine.

So now, we know that products for an effective skincare routine are not so hard to find.

We can just drop by any of Kiehl’s Metro Manila stores located at:

Makati: Powerplant Mall, Ayala Greenbelt 5
Mandaluyong: SM Megamall
Manila: Robinsons Place Manila
Muntinlupa: Alabang Town Center
Pasay: SM Mall of Asia
Quezon City: Robinsons Place Magnolia, Trinoma Mall

Or we can stock up on our skincare products without leaving the comforts of home by shopping at its online store.

Know more about Kiehl’s products by visiting its website or by following it on Facebook and Instagram.

Olivia’s Touch: Skincare for a Touch of Confidence

I used to pride myself on being extremely low maintenance; in fact, I considered myself a koboy long before it became trendy.

I was not one to spend hours on a skincare routine, nor one who is constantly on the lookout for new skincare products to try.

Being koboy about skincare was a lot easier back in my teens and twenties when I still had the gift of youth to back me up by forgiving the sins I commit against my skin (oh, those times when I refused to wear sunblock!), as well as the sheer luck of escaping my adolescent years mostly unscathed by teenage acne.

However, as I near the more challenging period of my forties, I do realize that I owe it to myself to give nature a helping hand by taking better care of myself.

Self-care is becoming even more important as I age, so I’m glad that Olivia’s Touch makes this easy.

Olivia’s Touch is a line of beauty products which are locally made and produced using the finest ingredients. These are dermatologically tested to be perfect for all skin types and were manufactured in cruelty-free conditions to bring about the fuss-free yet luxurious kind of skincare that’s right for me.

These include:

Signature Minute-White Lotion 250 ml

Now I can welcome the brightest days with much brighter skin, thanks to Olivia’s Touch Signature Minute-White Lotion.

It is enriched with anti-aging and antioxidant ingredients – SPF60 Sun Protect to shield your skin from the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays; Arbutin that evens out your skin tone by lightening dark spots, acne marks and scars; Licorice Extract to reduce wrinkles and fine lines; and Niacinamide to reduce pores and treat hyperpigmentation.

After my morning shower and evening bath, I massage this lotion all over my body to enjoy its moisturizing and brightening effects for up 12 hours, giving my skin round-the-clock care.

Niacinamide Serum 20ml

The neglect I subjected my skin to back in my youth does haunt me from time to time in the form of breakouts, hyperpigmentation and (ack!) the beginnings of fine lines.

Olivia’s Touch Niacinamide Serum is formulated to counter these ill effects, thanks to its active ingredient Niacinamide which shields my skin from sun damage, encourages keratin growth to keep my skin firm and healthy and reduces oil production and pore size.

As part of my morning skincare routine, I massage this serum on my face and neck using my fingertips.

Sun Gel SPF 50 100ml

I have known for some time now that the sun, though vital to our survival and day-to-day life, does bring with it some harm in the form UV rays.

Olivia’s Touch Sun Gel SPF 50 helps shield my skin from the sun’s ill effects while minimizing pore blockage and other acne-causing substances. It is also infused with Aloe Vera Extract to keep my skin cool and moisturized, even when exposed to direct sunlight.

Before going out, I spread a small amount on my face and neck using my fingertips to afford me my much-needed sun protection. Reapplying every two hours is not a problem as it feels lightweight and is non-greasy.

Whipped Scrub 200ml

An integral part of any skincare routine is cleansing but how do I gently scrub away the day’s dirt and grime, as well as dead skin cells to reveal the radiant skin that I know (or hope!) is just waiting to come out?

Well, Olivia’s Touch Whipped Scrub is formulated exactly for this: it contains Dimethicone that softens and moisturizes; Carica Papaya Extract which has anti-aging and antioxidant properties; Aloe Vera Extract which soothes dry, damaged and sensitive skin; Arbutin to help with uneven skin tone; Niacinamide which protects skin from the harmful effects of sunlight, toxins and pollution; and Shea Butter to moisturize skin and also prevent aging.

During my evening bath, I gently massage this whipped scrub on my face and neck using circular motions, then leave it on for two minutes (fifteen to twenty minutes for the rest of my body) then rinse off and pat dry before proceeding to my moisturizing routine.

With these initial products, Olivia’s Touch has certainly equipped me with a simple and fuss-free skin care routine – in keeping with my koboy tendencies – but one that that’s all set to protect and maintain my skin so I face growing older with a healthy touch of confidence.

Want to include Olivia’s Touch beauty products into your skin care routine to help out your skin’s radiance? Simply shop at oliviastouch.com and enjoy 10% off your purchase when you use my code “IGINFRAJ10.”

Be sure to take good care of your Olivia’s Touch products so they can also take good care of you by storing them in a cool, clean and dry area, away from direct sunlight and heat.

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate this feature.

An honest promise to better skin: Celimax

Let’s face it: when you’ve reached the “wrong” side of forty, you have to step up on your skin care routine.

When you get to this stage, the sins of your past tend to catch up with you: the times when you stayed up at all hours, slept with your makeup on, or spent all day in the sun with no sunscreen on will start to leave their marks on your face and skin.

Hopefully, these sins of your youth against your present self are few and far between, and you still have so many years left in which to enjoy the skin that reflects how young and radiant you actually feel.

Personally, having grown up thinking that skincare simply involves washing my face with soap and water right before bedtime, I was dumbfounded to discover that it is actually comprised of several steps (which can be as many as ten!) and involves so many products. I could hardly tell where to start or how to go about my skincare regimen.

Fortunately, there are ways to pare down the complex skin care rituals to the most basic – yet essential – steps that still help to achieve to goal of minimizing pores and maintaining a youthful freshness despite the advancing years.

Honestly, I find a simplified routine a lot easier to do – and definitely a lot more sustainable to maintain in the long run.

This routine includes:

Step 1: Cleansing.

My busy days (and the hot and dusty city environment) tend to layer on dirt, oils and makeup residue on my face which may clog my pores, increasing the chances of unsightly breakouts. A skin cleanser should be able to remove the day’s accumulation of dirt while still maintaining my skin’s pH balance.

Step 2: Toning.

A thoroughly, but gently, cleansed skin should also be prepped to absorb moisturizers and other treatments you want to apply.

That’s the job of the skin toner. It also restores the skin’s pH balance and improves the overall skin tone.

Step 3: Treating

Despite a meticulous approach to skin care – or because of our past transgressions towards taking care of our skin during our youth – we may have some problem areas that we would like to address. These may include dull looking skin, fine lines and wrinkles, acne breakouts, among others.

Using serums, ampoules, acids or sheet masks with a higher concentration of ingredients to treat these problem areas will help in maintaining your skin’s health.

Step 4: Moisturizing.

Since we are not young as we used to be, moisturizing our skin is the order of the day – any day! How else can we keep our skin from drying out, keeping them nice, supple and young-looking.

To equip our skin care arsenal with the appropriate products to support our skin care goals, we can look to Korean skin care brand Celimax.

This line of beauty and skin care products is focused on transparency: it designs honest, user-friendly products with clean ingredients (allergen-free fragrance and no harsh chemicals) to bring about better skin for people with various skin types and skincare needs.

Among its products are the The Real Cica Calming Ampoule and The Real Cica Soothing Cream. As their names imply, both contain extracts from the cica (Centella Asiatica) plant, well-known for its healing, soothing, antibacterial and inflammatory properties, naturally derived within forty-eight hours of harvest to ensure maximum concentration of active compounds.

The Real Cica Calming Ampoule

This product contains 75% cica extract and an oil-free ultra-concentrated hydration complex to hydrate and soothe irritated skin.

To use, apply two to three drops from the automatic dropper and apply evenly across your face using your fingertips, avoiding the eye area. Use gentle pats to facilitate absorption of the formula.

Stock up on The Real Cica Calming Ampoule here.

The Real Cica Soothing Cream

This light-weighted hydrating gel cream is infused with 73% cica extract along with Dermatic AC3 (to manage sebum production and acne care for oily skin) and Niacinamide + Adenosine (to brighten skin and manage the effects of aging).

To apply, squeeze out a pea-sized amount of face cream then apply evenly throughout the face, gently massaging into the skin with small, upward circular motions.

Stock up on The Real Cica Soothing Cream here.

I love their light, refreshing and non-sticky feel on my face and the way they work together to quickly and effectively soothe away facial redness and swelling from irritation.

They are also easy and simple to apply, so including them as part of my nightly skin care routine would be no hassle at all.

Want to try these cica-based skincare products from Celimax?

While cica extract is usually safe for all skin types, it may aggravate or irritate the skin in certain cases. Also, results may vary from person to person. Be sure to scan the full ingredient list of these products before purchase and conducting a small patch test before the application to ensure your safety.

To know more about honest skincare products, follow Celimax on Facebook and Instagram.

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate this feature.

Easy and hassle-free online games with Plays.org

Now that the world is opening up again after being put on an extended pause due to the pandemic, we can expect our days to be a lot busier. Already, Zoom meetings take up quite a sizeable chunk of my workday, along with other tasks needed to churn out the outputs need to support my company’s goals. Soon, I might have to return to the harrowing commute from my home to the office and back again. Sigh!

At the same time, the kiddos will also be returning to some form of classroom learning, which means that they will depart from the relatively less-regulated learning environment to a more structured one in school. For the young ‘uns who have grown used to learning from home, going back to school (literally!) will be quite an adjustment.

The reshaping of our lives that this shift to the New Normal requires should not hinder us from taking care of the family’s mental health, though. Now, more than ever, we need to factor in activities in our day that give us a respite from our run-of-the-mill tasks as well as some enjoyable moments that add up to happy memories for ourselves and the family.

Fortunately, these kinds of activities are easy to find at Plays.org!

Who would have thought that, as a Gen X’er who grew up hearing a near-constant admonishment from my folks about playing computer games back in the day, I would be advocating for online games as a form of self-care?

However, we really shouldn’t discount the various benefits that online games bring to the table. Check out these Plays.org games that are big hits with my fam:

Welcome breaks from the daily drudge.

During my well-deserved coffee break, I like to indulge myself in a bit of low-stakes fun with Space Adventure: Pinball while my little ones can let off some steam after school with an exciting beat ‘em game like Adventure Time: Break the Worm.

Opportunities for fun family time.

We discovered the joys of casting our games from our laptop to our large-screen TV so that the family members can all take part in trying to best each other at the Tetris-inspired Tetra Blocks. On the other hand, educational games such as Garfield Sentences provide a fun way to supplement the kiddo’s school learning.

Brain relaxers before sleeping.

For minds that are too wound up to doze off, playing Neon Invaders, a throwback to Space Invaders, or a few rounds of Classic Solitaire would provide a sense of accomplishment that serves to round up the day and get us in the mood to sleep.

Plays.org is a website that houses thousands of free online games. These highly enjoyable pastimes can be accessed any time of the day using our desktop or mobile devices. Plays.org users are not required to register to be able to play, eliminating the need to keep track of yet another set of login credentials. Plus, since the games are web-based, downloading an app is also not required, thereby saving us some more of that precious storage space in our devices.

Another plus factor of Plays.org is that the site does not serve online ads so you won’t have to deal with irritating commercial interruptions nor the risk of exposing the little ones to advertising.

Ready to engage in some fun family playtime at Plays.org? Be sure to check out its newest games. You can also browse through its entire game catalog posted in the site’s footers.

Let me know how it goes!

Protecting children’s lives through vaccines

When the five-month-old son of Marissa Santos had recovered from measles, more commonly known as “tigdas,” Santos thought that that would be her son’s last encounter with the measles virus. Six years later, Santos’ son started to show symptoms of a rare and serious complication caused by measles—subacute sclerosing panencephalitis or SSPE. Santos says she hopes parents can take advantage of vaccination to help prevent measles and SSPE among their children.

Measles is a serious and highly contagious viral respiratory disease. The symptoms of measles include high-grade fever, rashes, and the three C’s—namely cough, conjunctivitis, and coryza. Measles can result in serious complications even among previously healthy children. The virus that causes measles can mutate and cause fatal complications.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2018, more than 140,000 people—most of them children under five years old—died of measles. This was despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine against the disease. According to the WHO, before the measles vaccine became widely used, major measles epidemics happened around every two to three years. Measles led to an estimated 2.6 million deaths per year.

In the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) reported in 2020 that about 2.4 million children under the age of five are susceptible to measles. The DOH also reported from 2008 to 2017, that there had been a decline from above 80 percent to below 70 percent in the first dose of measles vaccine in the Philippines. The DOH had declared measles outbreaks in 2014 and 2019. As with the cases of some countries, outbreaks happened despite attempts at wider immunization coverage.

A complication of measles

Baby Come Vaxx online forum — (L-F) Dr. Anleyn Reyes, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist; Dr. Marissa Lukban, Pediatric Neurologist; Ms. Marissa Santos, Mother & SSPE Advocate and Ms. Diane Medina, Celebrity Mom & Host during the “Baby Come Vax: Mga Bakunang Nalaktawan, Panahon nang Balikan” online forum.

Sharing her story in an online forum, Marissa Santos said that at five months old, her son, Jan, was hospitalized because of severe fever and convulsion following his measles infection. Because Jan was exposed to measles at an early age, Santos received advice from a pediatrician that Jan no longer needed to be vaccinated against measles.

Santos said that Jan had recovered from his episode of measles infection and spent the next five years living a normal life. But at six years old, Jan began having twitches and seizures. At times, Jan would suddenly drop things that he was holding in his hands. His head would suddenly drop or he would be in a daze. Both Jan’s mother and teacher noticed, too, a decline in Jan’s performance in school.

Worried, Marissa brought her son to an expert in pediatric neurology in the country, Dr. Marissa Lukban. In 2002, 7 year-old Jan was diagnosed with stage 2 subacute sclerosing panencephalitis or SSPE, a rare but progressive, disabling, and fatal brain disease.

According to Dr. Lukban, SSPE occurs in 0.5 to five cases per million population worldwide, although these figures depend on vaccination rates.

SSPE may occur when the measles virus mutates, Dr. Lukban said. Unrecognized by the body’s immune system, the virus enters the nerves, reaches the brain of a patient, and remains dormant until several years later when it reactivates.

Symptoms of SSPE include involuntary muscle movements, seizures, and behavioral changes including diminished performance in school. With less than five percent of cases having remission, SSPE patients often eventually become unable to swallow, speak, see, hear, and interact with others. The last stage of SSPE is characterized by coma or long coma.

“’Yung nightmare sa akin no’n, sinasabi ni Dr Lukban, was that there was no cure [The nightmare for me then was when Dr. Lukban said that there was no cure for SSPE],” Santos said.

Marissa and Jan had joined a support group in the hope of finding a cure for the disease. However, after ten years of enduring SSPE, Jan died in 2014 at 25 years old.

Measles vaccine as form of protection against SSPE

While a cure for SSPE has yet to be discovered, the best protection against this disease remains to be vaccination against measles.

Based on the Philippine General Hospital’s experience and citing Dr. Aida Salonga’s (2002) work, Dr. Lukban reported that from 1999 to 2001, there were roughly 18 to 20 Filipino children admitted in PGH with SSPE each year. But increased vaccination efforts since 1998 led to significantly lower measles cases. In 2002 to 2006, Dr. Lukban noted that the number of admitted cases decreased to 10-15 new cases per year and more recently down to 1-2 cases per year.

“Vaccination is a protection against getting measles at ‘pag hindi ka nagka-tigdas, hindi na magkaka-SSPE. Kumpletuhin lang po ang MMR vaccine at dapat po may booster [Vaccination is a protection against getting measles and if you haven’t had measles, you will not have SSPE. Complete the MMR vaccine and there should be a booster],” said Dr. Lukban.

Dr. Lukban also warned that high vaccine coverage needs to be sustained to prevent future measles outbreaks and SSPE cases. In the Philippines, there have been reports of measles outbreaks in 2014 and 2019. There is a likelihood that SSPE cases may increase in the following years.

“Nagkaroon tayo ng campaign in 2004 pero bigla nating napansin na umaakyat na naman at nagkaroon ng ilang outbreaks, which only shows na talagang dapat kapag may programa, dire-diretso [We have had a campaign in 2004 but we also noticed that the cases increased and there were outbreaks, which only shows that if there is a program to vaccinate against measles, the program should be consistent and steady,” said Dr. Lukban.

The importance of continuing vaccination amid Covid-19

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents have been fearful of bringing their children outside their homes and have opted to postpone their children’s vaccination. Manpower and resources in public health have also been focused on the COVID-19 vaccination.

Dr. Anelyn Reyes, an infectious disease specialist, estimated that one in two children is not being vaccinated. According to DOH, the national vaccination rate in 2021 was at

48.5 percent. Dr. Reyes also cited a study that indicates three to four Filipino families are hesitant to have their children vaccinated due to misinformation on social media and lack of knowledge about vaccine safety.
The online forum entitled Baby Come Vax: Mga Bakunang Nalaktawan, Panahon nang Balikan is an activity under the Vax My Baby campaign–a vaccine mobilization campaign aimed at improving routine immunization amid the COVID-19 pandemic under the partnership of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, Metro Manila Development Authority, and GlaxoSmithKline Philippines, Inc.

Header photo by Meruyert Gonullu on Pexels

High Vaccine Coverage, Vaccine Suitability, crucial to combating Pneumonia in PH, says Vaccine Expert

A VACCINE EXPERT reinforced high vaccine coverage and the suitability of a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) as crucial strategies to reducing overall pneumococcal disease burden in the Philippines.

Pneumonia is the leading cause of death of children below five years old in the Philippines. Globally, around 672,000 children die from pneumonia every year. This is equivalent to a child dying every 47 seconds.

Dr. Olakunle Oladehin, a vaccine expert and current Regional Vaccines Medical Lead for GSK, stressed the importance of high vaccine coverage to ensure success of a vaccination program especially in the current context of the pandemic.

“Even if we have the best vaccines, we will not be able to see its full impact if vaccination coverage is low. It is critical that every country strives to revive its vaccination uptake against diseases like pneumonia,” said Dr. Oladehin in a scientific lecture with local healthcare experts last July 7.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), childhood immunization fell to 48.5% in 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary focus on COVID-19 vaccination as a response. The DOH has continuously ramped up its routine immunization activities including implementing the Chikiting Bakunation Days from April to June.

“I commend the determination of the Philippine government to bring back its immunization rates coming from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr Oladehin.

Meanwhile, Dr. Oladehin also reiterated the importance of ensuring that a given PCV should protect against relevant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the Philippines, a type of bacteria that causes pneumonia and other invasive diseases.

“To achieve overall protection, the choice of PCV should address the most prevalent strains in the local landscape,” said the vaccine expert.

In 2020, the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) of DOH reviewed the use of PCVs in the country, coming from a position statement issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019. The mandate of HTAC is to undertake technology appraisals by determining their clinical and economic values in the Philippine healthcare system.

In its report, HTAC recommended the use of PCVs protecting against 11 important strains which accounted for 48% of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease (IPD) cases found in the Philippines namely 1, 4, 5, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F and 23F. The recommendation was based on local surveillance data from the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) from 2012-2019.

Majority of these strains are highly invasive, and it is imperative that a given PCV should have evidence of being able to protect against them, Dr Oladehin said.

“Invasive pneumococcal strains like 18C and 4 can destroy living tissues or spread to many organs of the body through the blood, increasing likelihood of death,” Dr Oladehin zeroed in during his presentation.

Currently, there are three PCVs pre-qualified by the WHO—PCV13 and 2 kinds of PCV10: PHID-CV and SIIL- PCV. The two PCVs that were reviewed by HTAC—PHID-CV and PCV13—are suitable to address the 11 strains in the country.

Backed by real-world evidence and experience of being used in National Immunization Programs (NIP) across the world, both PHID-CV and PCV13 are included in the Philippine National Formulary (PNF) and can be procured for use under the Philippine’s own NIP.

Details and photo of Dr. Oladehin provided in a recent press release.

Header photo by CDC on Unsplash

Working your way to a better posture is easy with Curble Chair

Back pain does have a way of preventing you from getting up and about, as well as derailing your activities for the day, right?

While back pain my be caused by sports injuries, accidents, hormonal imbalances, or congenital conditions, oftentimes, back pains are the result of our day-to-day actions. Repetitive activities such as sitting all day in front of the computer, slouching as you drive your car and hunching over as you use your mobile phone may produce tightness and tension in your back muscles which result to backaches.

One way to prevent this kind of back pain is to improve your posture, making sure that the bones of your spine are correctly aligned and the spinal curves are balanced as you perform your daily tasks.

Maintaining a good posture requires less effort from your body than maintaining a bad one but, especially for those working with computers, you might still need some help correcting what years of getting used to the wrong posture has done.

Fortunately, there’s Curble Chair.

Did you know that sitting puts more pressure on our spine than any other action, and having a bad posture further exacerbates this effect?

While ergonomic and posture-correcting furniture have been around for quite some time, they do tend to be pricey, way beyond the means of typical office workers and stufents.

Not so with Curble Chair. This nifty posture-correcting support helps you maintain correct posture while sitting through the leverage effect of its backrest naturally pushing against your back as your weight pushes its bottom surface downward. Its design helps create a hip rise and distributes the pressure on the waist, thereby preventing strain on the rest of the body. Its air hallway system and fabric pattern also helps to disperse body heat so that you can stay cool as you use it.

Check out various Curble Chair models and see which one suits you best.

Curble Chair is recommended for the following:

those with little flexibility due to lack of exercise
office workers and students who spend most of their day sitting at a desk with few breaks
those who play computer games for long periods of time while in an incorrect posture
those who enjoy reading or meditating while sitting
patients who need to correct their posture because they are experiencing signs of herniated cervical or lumbar disc
those who want to maintain their corrected posture after receiving spinal manipulation

You will find many uses for your Curble Chair as it’s quite handy and portable so it helps you correct your sitting posture when you are:

at your desk, studying, working in front of your computer or doing arts and crafts
in the living room, whether you’re on the couch watching TV or on the floor while meditating
in your car while driving or riding as a passenger
outdoors while camping, watching sports events or on picnics

Grab your Curble Chair at its kiosk at 2nd Floor, Main Building, SM North EDSA, North Avenue corner EDSA, Quezon City or order online at The Laptop Lifestyle (use my code JELLYB to get 5% off upon checkout).

Disclosure: A product sample was provided to facilitate this feature.

Sangobion for Optimum Blood Health

Mommy, how are you feeling these days?

If your days continue to be super busy, you might be running yourself ragged. And that’s a no-no.

Being the person who takes care of other people in the household, you also have to take care of yourself. And taking care of your health is key to being able to fulfill what you set out to do for the fam.

You especially shouldn’t discount the effects of pagod (fatigue), hilo (dizziness) and putla (paleness) as these could be signs of Iron Deficiency Anemia.

This is the condition wherein blood does not produce enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to other parts of your body because of a lack of the mineral iron.

This happens when your body is unable to produce enough hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carry oxygen.

As a result, some exertions or physical activity can leave you feeling overly tired and out of breath.

Iron deficiency anemia is not something to be taken lightly, because, if left untreated, it can worsen and lead to more pressing health concerns such as:

Heart problems. Due to the lack of oxygen, your heart will need to pump more blood, making it beat more rapidly or irregularly. This could lead to an enlarged heart or heart failure.
Pregnancy complications. Among expecting moms, iron deficiency anemia has been linked to premature births and low birth weights.

So mommy, do take care of yourself.

You can prevent iron deficiency anemia through a balanced diet that includes iron-rich foods such as red meat, pork, poultry, seafood, beans, green and leafy vegetables, dried fruit such as raisins, peas and iron-fortified cereals, breads and pastas.

Multivitamins + Minerals such as Sangobion Iron+ also helps in maintaining optimum blood health. It contains Ferrous Gluconate which increases hemoglobin levels, folic acid and copper for red blood cell production, Vitamin B12 for normal red blood cell formation and energy metabolism and Vitamin C for better iron absorption.

Iron Deficiency Anemia is not a condition that you can self-diagnose or self-medicate for so if you suspect that you may have it, consult your doctor asap, mommies.

For more information on Sangobion Iron+, visit its website or follow it on Facebook or Youtube.

Disclosure: A product sample was provided to facilitate this feature.

Will debt consolidation ease your money worries?

Like it or not, the state of your finances can and will affect your physical and mental well-being.

If you are experiencing chronic financial anxiety – the near-constant state of worry, stress or emotional disturbance over the state of your financial affairs – you might also be prone to disorders and behaviors that can negatively affect your body and mind.

Sufferers of financial anxiety are also likely exhibiting sleep disorders, weight fluctuations and disruptions from normal eating habits, unexplained aches and pains, as well as physical health concerns such as headaches, heart and blood pressure problems, and stomach issues.

Financial anxiety can also affect mental health. Feeling burdened by money worries could lead to the waning of self-confidence or sense of competence, as well as exacerbating the feeling of isolation.

With such worrying effects arising from financial anxiety, it is clearly a condition that needs to be avoided or immediately addressed if one is a afflicted by it.

A recent CNBC article cites the aside from job loss, the continually rising cost of living and the lack of knowledge regarding personal finance, financial anxiety is also commonly caused by money missteps.

One such misstep is getting into quite a lot of debt. Whether this situation came about due to abusing your credit card, falling back on your payments to previous financial obligations, or other actions or lack thereof to put yourself in a better financial state, knowing that you owe a big sum of money can feel quite stressful.

If you find yourself in this situation, experts advise not to beat yourself up about it. The best recourse is to clear your mind and make a sound plan of action.

A step that you can take is to consider debt consolidation. As discussed in this 2021 Forbes.com article, combining multiple debts into one with a single monthly payment and usually with a lower interest rate through a personal loan or a balance transfer credit card helps to streamline your finances and speed up paying off your obligations, thereby getting you closer to being debt-free.

With that said, you would still need to think carefully on whether debt consolidation is the best option for you. The same article posits that debt consolidation may come with added costs – such as origination fees, balance transfer fees, closing costs and annual fees – and does not resolve underlying financial issues such as lousy spending habits which may lead you to getting into more debt.

Debt consolidation may be your best bet if your total debt amount is high enough to justify the additional fees and efforts involved in getting a new loan, if you are set on working to improve your finances through positive changes in your money habits and if your current cash flow is sufficient cover the new monthly payments. Having a credit score high enough to qualify for a lower interest rate will also go a long way towards making debt consolidation work for you.

At the heart of this issue is the need to have a thorough understanding of yourself and your financial habits, your current financial standing and your future financial prospects to be able to gauge whether debt consolidation is the right course of action for you.

It also helps to read more about debt consolidation so you can take the first important steps towards your financial freedom and, hopefully, to a better physical and mental state.

Photo credits:

Header photo by presfoto on Freepik
In-article photos by Liza Summer, Pixabay and Daniel Reche on Pexels

All natural sweetness from Pure Via Stevia

Sugar permeates practically all of our food stuff. Aside from being a sweetener, it also acts as a preservative, texture modifier, coloring or flavoring agent and as an aid in fermentation.

However, sugar does have its downsides, especially if its consumed excessively. Being so calorie-rich, it can lead to weight gain and accumulation of visceral fat, and can increase risk of heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, certain forms of cancer and even depression. Its ill effects may even manifest in our outward appearance in the form of increased acne and accelerated skin aging.

Clearly, as we transition to our more mature years, we should wean ourselves away from sugar. Well that is easier said than done, considering how ubiquities it is, and, of course, how appealing sweet foods are to us.

Fortunately, we now have sugar substitutes that are all-natural, such as Pure Via Stevia.

Made from the leaves of the stevia plant, Pure Via Stevia contains no sugars, calories, cholesterol nor carbs and is 200 times sweeter than sugar. In fact, 1 small stick of Pure Via at zero calories is equivalent to two teaspoons or sugar which contains 32 calories.

You can use it to sweeten your coffee or your smoothies, so you can start your day on a sweet but healthier note.

You can also modify your favorite dessert recipes using Pure Via Stevia as a substitute for sugar, making your cakes, pastries and creams a lot better for you.

So stock up on this wonder ingredient by adding it to cart in time for Shopee’s 5.5 Brands Festival and take advantage of discounts up to 50% off at the Equal Official Store.

During this online sale from April 26 to May 7, you can score a wide assortment of brands at unbelievable deals with 50% off Brand Bundles, 10% off daily, and Free Shipping with ₱0 min. spend.

So get started on a healthier way of life that is just as sweet as you like it to be with Pure Via Stevia.

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Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate this feature.