Be a GSK Expert Mom this summer

Take advantage of those bright sunny days and warm summer nights and plan something new a couple of times a week,  with your kids in tow, now that they are on vacation, think of fun things to do together. Like, enroll them in an art class, bike together, go to the beach and collect some shells along the way, visit an amusement park, watch a movie, bake and cook together, go zip-lining.  Take your kids to a free summer workshop. Go bento-making together and let them prepare their favorites along with you. There are ways to make them busy and happy at the same time.

But it is during this time, that cough and colds are common illness that is prevalent during summer. Dont let cough and colds ruined your summer bonding. Always take extra precaution by bringing a sanitizer and wet wipes with you.  Ensure you and those around you to wash their hands regularly to prevent spread of germs, especially after being in the pool or at the beach. Avoid sharing cold drinks, ice creams, and pica foods too.

Last March 30, GSK launches the GSK EXPERT MOMS led by celebrity-host and Expert Mom herself Rica Peralejo and joined by Ms. Kat Maderazo of the famous Bento By Kat. Ms. Kat, the master bento maker thought us how to make our first bentos. Moms gathered around and created our first amazing bentos. This is how my first bento looked like, I never knew I could create something cute like this one.   My ball of rice turned into a cat. With ears made of carrots. and eyes made of nori. I supposed to wrap the rice with nori, but it would take an artist to put her eyes and ears with that green wrapper around.

My first bento!

After turning my ball of rice into some cute character, I lined up some broccolis and chicken nuggets to make it look delicious and fun at the same time. Now, my Finn will surely love and eat this.



GETTING TOUGH ON COUGH 


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.

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”.  “It also helps to always have a trusted allergy medication in your bag whenever you travel says Dr. Sheila Chua, GSK’s Medical Affairs Manager, and a practicing Dermatologist.l 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.


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