Philhealth to Provide Benefits for Special Needs Kids Soon

New PhilHealth benefit packages for kids with special needs


IMAGE Pexels
Filipino children with special needs will soon be able to avail of benefit packages created to address part or all of their health care needs. The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) announced that the benefit package will cover assistance for kids with hearing impairment, visual impairment, mobility impairment, and developmental disability. According to the news release, coverage will include professional assessment, diagnostic tests, therapy and assistive devices (such as hearing aids), among others. PhilHealth has not specified a time period when this will be available, only to say parents can expect the benefit packages to be available soon. The move is also in support of the Department of Health's expanded national program for disabled persons.


Little Tikes recalls 540,000 swings for tots


IMAGE Little Tikes via Huffington Post
Check your play room. The Little Tikes 2-in-1 Snug’n Secure swings are being recalled by the toy manufacturer after multiple injury complaints, which include children getting broken arms and head bumps, said the Huffington Post. The swing's plastic material is said to be prone to breaks and cracks, posing a fall hazard, according to an official report from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. Designed for children aged 9 months to 4 years, the swing has a product model number 615573 found at the back and have been on sale since November 2009. (Huffington Post) 


Teething tablets brand ceases distribution


IMAGE Hylands.ca
Less than a month after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning against the use of homeopathic teething tablets, medicine manufacturer Hyland’s has “decided to cease the distribution of the tablets in the U.S.,” reports Good Housekeeping. Dangerous toxins, particularly belladonna, present in the products pose “unnecessary risk” to young ones even causing seizures, difficulty breathing and lethargy, said the FDA. The FDA warns against the use of any and all homeopathic teething products that claim to provide relief from teething symptoms in babies as evidence of its health benefits have yet to be found. (Good Housekeeping) 


Chronic stress may make you gain weight, says research

Here’s more reason to keep calm and relax. By looking at the levels of the hormone cortisol, a stress indicator, in the locks of hair of over 2,500 individuals, researchers surmised a connection between chronic stress and obesity. “We found levels of cortisol in the hair to be positively and significantly correlated to larger waist circumference and higher body mass index or BMI,” said lead author Sarah Jackson, a research associate at the Institute of Epidemiology and Health at University College London, reported the CNN. Though more research is needed to establish a direct cause and effect link, researchers still recommend stress management for overall better health. (CNN) 

Main photo is for illustrative purposes only.

What other parents are reading

What Parents Can Expect From Schools during Field Trips

Raise a Reader: 10 Pinoy Books to Jumpstart Your Baby's Learning

DepEd Suspends All Public School Field Trips Until June

LOOK: Too-Cute Photos of Georgina Wilson's Baby Archie!