RHEA Generics shares some healthy lifestyle changes that will improve your heart health

In a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) – or diseases of the heart and blood vessels – are responsible for more than 30% of deaths in the Philippines in 2021. Often referred to as ‘silent killer’, these are diseases that cause minimal or no symptoms and are capable of causing death if not treated, such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Most people are not even aware that they have it consequently, and do not know how to protect themselves against it.

Now, more than ever, actions must be taken to prevent these silent killers, and understanding how to take care of our hearts' health can be the first step. RHEA Generics, one of the Philippines’ most trusted names in the field of generic medicine, shares some healthy lifestyle changes that will improve your heart health: 

Stay away from tobacco

Chemicals in cigarette smoke cause the cells that line blood vessels to swell and inflame which can narrow the blood vessels and lead to various cardiovascular conditions. One of the effective ways to live a heart disease-free and healthy lifestyle is to stop smoking or using smokeless tobacco. RHEA Generics suggests that even if you’re not a smoker, you need to veer away from secondhand smoke. After a year of quitting, the risk of heart disease is about half that of a smoker. Fifteen years after quitting, the risk of heart disease is the same as that of a non-smoker.

Prevent alcohol use

According to the WHO, alcohol consumption has been linked to more than 200 diseases and injury conditions, including cardiovascular diseases. While most Filipinos report their alcohol drinking occasionally, binge drinking is common in the country. There is no safe level for drinking alcohol, so RHEA Generics recommends that it is better to avoid drinking alcohol altogether to protect your heart.

Keep a healthy weight

The National Nutrition Council (NNC) mentioned that 28.7% of Filipino adults aged 20 to 59 years old are overweight while 9.3% are obese. Being overweight — especially around the middle of the body — increases the risk of heart disease. Excess weight can lead to conditions that increase the chances of developing heart disease — including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. With this, RHEA Generics emphasizes stress reduction, healthy eating, exercise, and regular exercise.

Be active by increasing physical activities

Improved levels of cholesterol and other blood lipids, as well as improved blood pressure and weight management, are all benefits of physical activity. RHEA Generics recommends that even as part of their regular daily routines, inactive adults might begin with small amounts of physical activity and gradually increase its duration, frequency, and intensity. Adults are advised to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate physical exercise each week (such as brisk walking, stair climbing, dancing, gardening, or household chores that may cause a mild increase in heart rate).

Get regular health screenings

Normal blood pressure and blood sugar check by a health professional are crucial in maintaining a healthy heart.  Some people do not exhibit symptoms even if they already have high blood pressure – and it can hurt your heart. RHEA Generics encourages discussing any behavioral concerns with your healthcare provider, such as an unhealthy diet, a lack of exercise, or the use of alcohol or tobacco, so they can help you plan the lifestyle changes you need to make to improve your heart health.

Eat a heart-healthy diet

One's risk of developing heart disease can be minimized by consuming a balanced diet that prioritizes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and lean proteins while limiting saturated and trans fats, added sweets, and sodium. That said, RHEA Generics promotes eating healthy by avoiding the consumption of processed, canned, and fast food. Replace sweetened snacks such as doughnuts, cookies, and the like with fresh fruit and vegetables and if thirsty, substitute sweetened beverage sodas and sweetened juices with water. 

However, access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for an active and healthy life often comes at a high cost.

On top of this, most basic healthcare services are sometimes inaccessible and expensive. In fact, 99 percent of Filipinos are unable to buy prescription medications due to their price, according to the Ulat ng Bayan September report of Pulse Asia released by the DOH.

To help Filipinos attain affordable healthcare, RHEA Generics remains accessible and affordable without compromising its world-class quality and safe health products.  

“Every Filipino has the right to accessible quality health care which is why we in RHEA Generics make sure that our products remain affordable. We continue to innovate and improve our product to reach every Filipino family,” said Philusa Corporation President and General Manager Neogin Evangelista.

RHEA Generics recently partnered with international pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Sanofi to ensure that Filipinos have access to medicines, especially for hypertension, heart attack, and stroke prevention assuring every Filipino that their partner in healthcare is associated with reliable medical professionals around the world.

To know more, you can drop by the nearest Mercury Drug store near you. Always make sure to only purchase medicine with a doctor’s prescription, as medicine taken without one can be harmful.

 

Stay healthy and well this rainy season

Everyone is urged to be always ready for the rainy season, especially when more viruses and bacteria are present. WILD diseases, which refer to Water and foodborne illnesses, Influenza, Leptospirosis, and Dengue increase during this time. Thankfully, we can stay protected by just following a few easy, and even affordable tips from RHEA Generics, one of the Philippines’ most trusted names in the field of generic medicine. 

Eat green leafy vegetables for maximum immunity 

According to one of the studies in Nature Communications, a journal about Earth sciences, it shows that during the rainy season or colder months, our immune system is at an increased risk of being compromised. Scientists’ research from Yale University explains that there are many reasons behind this and one of the most common ones is due to the cold air affecting our nose’s first line of defense wherein cracks in the mucus membrane form, thus allowing infections to enter our body more easily. To minimize the risk of infection, the Department of Health’s (DOH) National Nutrition Council recommends eating vegetables that are rich in micronutrients such as vitamins C and D, zinc, and iron, which are essential in powering our immune system. 

Drink plenty of water

Although the rainy season seems like a perfect excuse to skip drinking water because of the cold weather, experts say you shouldn’t. The cold can still lead to dehydration due to sweating and added urine production and we don’t even realize it. This could be troublesome when water is important in flushing out toxins that can contribute to us becoming sick. For women, the Institute of Medicine in the United States recommends drinking 2.7 liters of water and then 3.7 liters for men. 

Avoid walking in flooded areas

For the past 10 years, the Philippine Statistics Authority reports that at least 14 Filipinos die every day from water-borne diseases. Leptospirosis, typhoid fever, and cholera are just a few of the most common ones we can get through contaminated flood waters. To prevent catching these deadly diseases, the DOH reminds us to avoid walking in flooded areas or at least wear protective clothing or footwear like raincoats and boots. If unavoidable, wash your legs and feet with soap as soon as you can. This is especially important for people that have open wounds or lacerations on the lower parts of their body since these increase the chances of infection. 

Take the necessary medicines to recover quickly

From the official report of DOH, the rainy season is the perfect breeding ground for communicable diseases. Although we can stay healthy by eating vegetables, drinking plenty of water, and avoiding the rain altogether, our bodies still require an added layer of defense. According to research from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, one of the best ways to do so is to strengthen ourselves by taking vitamins and medicine, which are essential in helping our cells produce more antioxidants and antibodies. But in case you do catch a rainy-day illness and it worsens, you should consult your doctor immediately to receive proper medication. There are generic medicines that can help cure bacterial infections or clear obstructed airways caused by respiratory illnesses common this season. As for overall body pains, ease them with pain relievers. There are more medicines available to choose from but other options are not as affordable. 

In 2019 alone, the Philippines was found to have the second-most expensive drugs in all of Southeast Asia and was even accompanied by a 13.7% price increase according to the Mercer Marsh Benefits report and during the pandemic, it became much worse. The ongoing rainy season poses a great ordeal for many Filipinos. 

Fortunately, some medications do not have to cost an arm and a leg. Generic medicine is a great alternative to branded medicine, and in the Philippines, we have one of the most trusted brands that provide generic medicine, RHEA Generics. A homegrown brand with over 40 years of experience in producing quality and affordable medicine, RHEA Generics is able to offer affordable medicine because its products are unibranded. 

Unibranded medicine is just the same as branded medicine but is way cheaper because they are only marketed under one brand. In RHEA Generics’ case, they are partnered with some of the world’s best pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Sanofi, GSK, Otsuka, Merck, Fresenius Kabi, AstraZeneca, OEP, Lundbeck and Boehringer Ingelheim, so you can guarantee yourselves that their products are truly world-class. 

To know more and purchase RHEA Generics medicines, you can drop by the nearest Mercury Drug store near you. Always make sure to only purchase medicine with a doctor’s prescription as medicine taken without one can be harmful. 

Making Christmas merrier for Filipino health buffs

RHEA Generics tips to stay fit and healthy during the holiday season

Christmas is fast approaching. Everyone is getting ready for the holiday feasts such as office Christmas parties, family gatherings and class reunions. With all these festivities come an abundance of food and booze, which can severely impact your diet. But to help you stay fit and healthy during the holidays without spoiling the fun, RHEA Generics, a world-class provider of generic medicines, prepared a few reminders just for you!

1.       Moderate your food consumption.

It’s not a Filipino Noche Buena unless there are at least five main dishes on the table and about 10 different kinds of sinful desserts. With this wide array of sumptuous food in front of you, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed. And knowing the fact that your titas put in a lot of effort in preparing this meal, you somehow feel obligated to try everything. But don’t worry! There’s a middle ground between pleasing your tita and minding your diet. As often mentioned, take everything in moderation, especially holiday food that are laden with cholesterol and sugar. Remember that Christmas is more than just the food you eat, it’s about the company you keep, so focus on making memories instead of stuffing yourself full.



2.       Water is better.

Fizzy drinks, iced tea, gulaman, and other sugary drinks are staples in every holiday party. It is quite tempting to have a couple glasses of these sweet and refreshing drinks after having a heavy meal, but if you’re really committed to staying healthy during the holidays, stick to the good ole’ H20. With zero calories and zero sugar, water is a great way to keep hydrated this season.



3.       Find time to exercise.

For most people, their holiday calendars are jampacked of dinner invites from friends, coffee hangouts with workmates, and lots of family reunions. Now, this tip might be a little hard, but between those invites you might want to schedule at least an hour of exercise for you to flush out those holiday calories.  Get your body sweating during the holidays! Having a morning run or doing yoga at home would go a long way in helping you stay healthy and fit during the holiday season.



4.       Party hard, but rest harder.

Holiday parties often last until dawn, causing people to be deprived of precious sleep. It is crystal clear that sleep plays an integral role in your physical health. A study about the impacts of sleep deprivation on food desire in the human brain published in 2013 on Nature Communication shows that lack of sleep makes you crave for food or worse, it lures you towards food you know you shouldn’t eat. The study found out that just one night of sleep deprivation was enough to impair activity in the frontal lobe, which controls complex decision-making. With that said, fix your party schedule accordingly that you won’t be depriving yourself of some good quality sleep.


With adequate rest, sticking to your fitness routine, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you can have the time of your life during these upcoming holidays without sacrificing your diet. Aside from that, you can always rely on RHEA Generics for a wide variety of world-class quality medicines that are available in Mercury Drug stores nationwide.

For more health tips, just follow RHEA Generics on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RHEAGenericsPH.



Sources:

https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/why-sleep-no-1-most-important-thing-better-body

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/10/21/healthy-holidays-stay-fit/17632163/

https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/9-stayhealthy-tips-for-the-holidays/