Generic drugs

Generic bill of the Philippines hopes to cut down cost on medicines and primarily help Filipino family to save on drugs costs. The Generic Bill imposes medical practitioners to give prescription writing down generic substitution for branded drugs. This has been the most debated issues until now, with different contrasting opinion from different parties involved.

But the decision to switch from branded one to generic is not merely because a law imposes it but because one decides to allow doctors and medical practitioners to use generic drugs unless the doctor says there’s no substitution.

There are some general information about generic drugs that parents like us should know to get the essence of this bill. Read on to get fully informed about this Generic Drugs.

1. Not every medication is available in Generic Form.

 While it is true that doctors should write down generic prescription, not all drugs have generic substitute. When a new drug comes out, the manufacturer hold a patent for five to ten years thus preventing competitors in marketing generic form. Some newer drugs do not have generic form available at this time. Antibiotic like amoxicillin is a generic form and has no more brand names produced.

2. All generic forms are cheaper

   In general, a generic is cheaper than a brand –name medication but how much cheaper depends on the great extend of how many companies are making it. If the original manufacturing is the only one making a generic form, the cost may only be minimal. But if many companies are making the generic versions, then there’s a big difference in price range.

3. All generic are money-savers

    Paying less for a foul-tasting generic drug is more likely to spending more because your child won’t take it. In the end, you may end up buying better-tasting brand-name that your child will easily take. Some generic drugs have awful taste while brand-name has better taste which is more likely for a child to take than of the generic form.

In overview, generic can cut down cost on medicine expenses but it is still a matter of making the right decision. As parents, we don’t rely on the price alone but more on the welfare and wellness of our children. Our first priority is our family’s health, whatever the cost may be.

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Tips for Family Communication

Miscommunication often happens in the family and this often results to unhealthy relationship within family members. Here are some helpful tips that can help in bridging the cap between family members.

Listen
 Just learn how to listen. Sometimes advises and criticism are not wanted at all but most of the time someone who would listen is what  really matters. By learning how to listen, even just plain listening is enough to reach out to  you family members.

Don't criticize or judge
   To encourage your family member to talk, check out first your negative reactions. Rather than slamming it shut, put aside any criticism and judgement. Making them feel you are at their sides makes it a big difference and may opens the door for communications

Talk from the heart
 Share your family's happiness from making use of "heart-talk" rather than "head talk". Talking from emotions and not intellectually bridged the gap between family members and the ease of talking with one another can be attained.

Don't assume 
People always have this preconceived notions about family members. Don't make the mistake of assuming of knowing family member's emotions and thoughts. This can easily hampers communications.



Show love
Actions speak louder than words. Doing somethings for family members can signal starts of communication and sharing love with actions elicits more appreciation.

As the family communicates more and more, the gap between family members will be slowly sinking away.

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Genetic Counseling- A new trend in becoming a Parent

If a couple wants to have children,  before the pregnancy , it is best for them to have genetic counseling. What is Genetic Counseling and why it is needed to have a normal and healthy children?

Genetic counseling is done by genetic counselors who take the genetic history of the family. Questions are ask for history of retardation, history of miscarriages, a child with birth defects, other diseases or problems or anyone with severe learning problems. A family tree will be drawn ,starting with the couples, their parents,brothers. sisters,nieces,nephews,aunts,uncles, first cousins and if possible, the grandparents. This is to draw out possibiities of any suspected genetic problem. When the woman is suspected pregnant, a prenatal test of the fetus is recommended. If all test results are nergative,it can alliviates anxiety and when  a serious defect is found, arrangement for delivery and treatment by appropriate trained specialist can benifits the child.

Hundreds of genetic diseases can now be detected prenatally but in some cases,genetic counseling can have limitations as some genetic diseases can not be diagnosed prenatally unless there is a reason to look for them. Genetic counseling mainly lies on the premise of knowing what to look for.

 Who can benefit from genetic counseling?

• Parents who can have a child with a defect
• Couples who have three or more miscarriages
• Parents with a genetic disease or a history of a genetic disease
• Parents from an ethnic group with high risk for certain genetic disease
• a pregnant woman whose sonogram shows a possibility of fetal abnormality

Genetic counseling is better done before pregnancy and the earlier the couple decides about this is best.  DNA test for genetic diseases requires blood sampling taken from parents and siblings. It is best to be cleared and throw anxiety out.

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Advises for Parents

We are parents and most of the time has confusions on how to really become a good parent to our kids. I would like to share this great advises I have learned from the old and wiser parents I have encounter during my course of travel. I  am  breaking down these advises into parts and hope many would find insights in these wise advises from ‘real parents”

Love your kid unconditionally. This is the first “commandment I received from an old but wise parent. Loving our children without laying any conditions is the basic principle a parent must have to become a good parent. No conditions, no if‘s just plain love and everything will follow.

Discipline your kid. If you must punish them for instilling discipline, then do it but do not use your hands. Use other thing like a belt, slipper or folder newspapers and a few slaps on the buttock will not hurt them much but sure to instill discipline and to show you mean what you say. Use your hands not for beating but for touching them with caress as you explain why they have to be punished for a wrong done.

Do the punishing in private and don’t let your child suffer in public or with other people around. Respect their privacy and they will respect your for respecting their privacy, too.

Do not let your kids do thing they do not like at all. Many parents make their children do things for their own pleasure even if their kids don’t really want to do them. Kids would do things as they are told but they will have quilt feelings when they do not deliver what is expected from them. This would give them silent trauma and worse may result to emotional or psychological problems.

Do not make comparison. Do not make the mistakes of comparing your kids with other people. Remember they have their own identity and make them feel they are loved for what and who they are.

More in next post.

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Are your kids safe in bed?

When our kids turn two or old enough to wear t-shirt, we tend to let them sleep wearing this kind of clothing. With the kind of climate we have, t-shirt can be well –appreciated because they are cooler. But in resent studies in child care program, parents who allow their children to sleep wearing t-shirt are putting their kids in a greater risk. These t-shirts are not fire-resistant and can easily catch-up fire when place near stove or a match.

Children sleepwear is flame resistant up to size 14 and has lesser risks. Make sure your kids wear sleepwear or pajamas and be sure to read the tag/label and see to it that they are flame –resistant. A peaceful sleep can only be peaceful when you know that your children are in real safe condition.

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Kids and School Allowance

The school is soon to open and every parent who has school children will be busy attending to their kids’ school tuition, school supplies, books and school dresses. But these are not the only thing that parents must be prepared of when the school opens in June. The biggest expense aside from the tuition is of course the daily school allowance.

 

With the prices all going up, it is not impossible that your kids would ask for an increase in their allowance. Of course the initial reaction from parents will be, “no, there will be no increase”.  This will lead to unending whining and fights.

When your kid asks for an increase in allowance, try to negotiate instead of declaring it is the most remote thing to happen.  Sit down and talk and ask why he/she needs an increase. Try to understand what your kid wants the allowance for. After hearing his/her sides, try to talk of what other ways may be available than having an increase. Then clearly tell them your reasons why you might not be able to give in. Make no excuse but only the real reason such as high home mortgage, less take home pay and high interest in existing loan like cars, tuition and home repairs.

After finding that there’s really a need fro an increase, deciding how much to give, ask your kid for a written budget detailing expenses for the coming months. Take this into consideration and along side with your own budget, decide how much allowance is affordable. If ever your kid comes short of his/her allowance, sit down and discuss how and where the money is going. Try to talk him/her into spending the money wisely and give ways of how he/she can save. It is important to let your kid know and learn ways of “expanding the resource pie’ like getting a part time job during off school days.

When your kid knows that you understand his/her needs and you are trying hard to help him/her cope up with a meager allowance, she/he may voluntarily not ask for an increase but instead get other ways that may help him/her survives this hard -up times. It is parent’s duty to let children be part of budget-making and teaching them how to live within a budget temporary or for a long time will make them understand better about handling money in the future.

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Preparing Early For School Opening

 As parents we take care of our children's education. From the first time they enter school we see to it that everything is in order and  that our children will get through their schooling well and good. As soon as summer begins we starter preparing for the next school opening while we see to it that  they are enjoying  their summer vacation. I think this is how parents are, always on go for the sake of their children. But there are times because of too many things to do we often overlooked some important details that in the long run may posed some problems.

If your kid is in a public school, be sure to keep posted for announcements. Public school in different areas have their own policy regarding enlisting and enrollment and be sure you get all details from the right source.

Public school often that not post their enrollment requirements a week or two before official school opening. Public school teachers also report on through this week and post their individual school requirements for their respective students. This includes what to buy such as the numbers of notebooks and other school supplies. Be sure to check and visit your kid's school and get the needed details on enrollment. Since public schools are over populated, its better to come on the first week in order not to go with the crowd later.



If your kid is in a private school, enrollments are on a regular and daily basis and is more  easier . Each school also have different policies and make sure you are well-informed about these.

Even before the school opens, parents are in search for financial assistance for their children tuition fees. This is where credits card companies like Citibank can be of great help. Having a Citibank credit cards such Visa and Citibank MasterCard  will help you pay for your children tuition and other school needs. They offer great deals and with lowest  interest and flexible payments modes. Check out for their best offer this school opening and  let them take care of all of your worries about tuition fees.

A child education is parents' biggest legacy to their children. To see them become a professional someday is a parent's ultimate dream. We are not working hard for nothing but for the good future for our children.

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Family bonding time- The family that cooks together eats together

If you enjoy cooking and your kids enjoy eating, both of you will have great time at Yummy Eats. This biggest event of the year of Yummy Magazine is to be held on May 21, 2011 at the NBC tent in Bonifacio Global City. You and your kids will have the opportunity to sample free appetizers, entries, and desserts as different concessionaries showcase their tasty delicacies. You and your kids will also have the chance to witness the Hunt’s culinary cook off among different schools and cooking demos by McCornick, Hunt’s and Sarangani Bay. Not only that, lectures about kitchen safety and the latest in food business will be given in talks by representatives from Petron Gasul and Yummy magazines.

Make use of this summer as you’re bonding time with your kids as you share complementing passions, of cooking and eating. You find P150 entrance fee person a real bargain and if you bring a copy of May issue of Yummy magazine, you’ll get a discount price of P100. Freebies and surprises prices will be also given away.

Yummy eats is co presented by Yummy magazine and Hunt’s and Petron Gasul. So mark your calendar now and make Yummy Eats (May 21, 2011) a special bonding time for you and your kids!

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Summer Opportunity for you and your Kids at Kids-agogo

As parents, it is our role to plan for our children’s education and everything that goes with it. From the food they will take for lunch and snacks, their school uniforms and school supplies. Other things such as casual dresses and educational toys s are taken by us in details.

For this summer, aside from taking our kids to summer vacations or to their workshops and summer activities, why not make use of this summer to find great bargain opportunities where you can find kid’s clothing, educational toys and supplies and other kid’s things and services in big discounts.

 Kid’s ago go , a new and emerging company that cater to kid’s things and services is available now online to bring together  all mommy-savvy out there to experience a new kind of shopping for their kids. All you have to do is simply sign up for free and get all the benefits of being a member of Kid’s a go go community. For a start up you’ll get up to 90% discounts for their products and services.

Don’t waste this opportunity, sign up and you and your kid’s will have a great time!

Here’s another good thing about Kid’s a go go, there’s some business opportunities for moms, dads, grannies, aunties and uncles. They are looking for some good people to fill up positions in their growing online community. So better check them out in their face book page and be one among Kid’s a go go family.

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Peace And The Family

When you think of peace in the family, what comes to your mind? A silent house where there is no noise around or a silent house because there’s nobody to talk to? Sometimes we associate peace with silence. We think that when there’s no noise around, we have peace and when there’s nobody’s talking, there’s peace at least.

Peace is not situational but rather it is based on relationship. There is peace even if there’s a lot of talking around us. There is peace even if there’s a lot of noise going around us. Peace is how we relate to our surrounding. Peace is how we relate to the people around us.

A silent house is not in peace at all when silence is a result of misunderstanding among the members of the family. A peaceful house can even be noisy when all the family is talking happily as they gather in a happy moment shared by each other. Even if everyone is shouting at one another but after all the shouting, understanding is reached at the end. And this is what peace is all about.

Peace is our relationship to our family. How we share our thoughts and feelings with them. Peace is our relationship with them and how we treat this relationship.

Peace is family’s relationship. There will be no peace if relationship among members are under strain or distorted. A  Family in peace is a family with sound and good relationship with one another. Keep your family at peace by keeping your family relationship intact and undistorted. After all, peace is what Jesus gave us when he is risen from the death. Let there be peace among the family members by having relationship with God. A family at peace is a family with relationship with God.

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