Hello Green Beauty: Health

My First Teleconsultation Experience with E-Konsulta

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed different areas of healthcare system. For instance, technology makes it a lot easier for patients to consult doctors remotely through teleconsultation. Teleconsultation refers to a service that enables patients to communicate with their doctors through telecommunication technologies such as messenger, videoconferencing and phone call. This eliminates the need for travel to hospitals, thus making it a safer and convenient alternative to face-to-face medical consultation for non-emergency cases.

Last month, I had a chance to try teleconsultation for the very first time. Normally, I prefer in-person consultation but since my body was too weak at that time to go to the hospital, I decided to look for teleconsultation instead. There are so many medical companies nowadays offering their own teleconsultation service but in the end I chose E-Konsulta. The primary reason why I chose them is because of their tagline “Konsulta muna bago bayad” (Consult first before payment). That means I don’t need to worry if after making payment the assigned doctor didn’t show up during the scheduled consultation.

STEPS IN MAKING TELECONSULTATION APPOINTMENT WITH E-KONSULTA

Send them a message on their Facebook page. Let them know the type of doctor you need to consult (e.g. General Physician, OB-GYNE, Cardiologist, etc.) and when you need them.
Wait for a response from their chat admin. The admin will let you know the availability of the doctor.
After you and the doctor have agreed with the chosen date and time, the admin will book the appointment on your behalf. The admin will also ask you to answer an online patient form for record keeping purposes.
About an hour before your chosen appointment, someone from E-Konsulta will call you to verify your information and to remind you of your appointment schedule. If ever there will be changes with the doctor’s schedule, he will also notify you about the updated schedule.
Once the teleconsultation session with the doctor has finished, the E-Konsulta admin will send you a link (via Facebook messenger) where you can pay your teleconsultation fee. Their online payment platform has various payment methods to choose from like GCASH, credit/debit cards, etc.
After sending them your proof of payment, you will receive your doctor’s prescription and laboratory request (if applicable) within 1 to 2 hours either thru messenger or e-mail.

PREPARATION TIPS BEFORE TELECONSULTATION

Choose a quiet place so that you and your doctor can hear each other very well. Avoid doing your teleconsultation in public places where there could be background noises. Besides, you don’t want other people to hear your medical concerns.
Check the medium you will be using during the teleconsultation. For example, if it is via Facebook messenger, then make sure that you have a reliable internet connection.
Prepare your medical history including a list of all the medicines you take.
Write done all the questions you want to ask your doctor ahead of time. This will help make your teleconsultation more productive.

CONCLUSION

My overall experience with E-Konsulta is hassle-free. Their Facebook messenger chat admin is very responsive so setting up an appointment with them is fast and easy. The doctor I had a teleconsultation with is also super nice and professional. She patiently answered all of my questions despite the late-night schedule. I paid PHP 850 for the consultation fee (inclusive of prescription and laboratory request) which I think is affordable considering I asked for a specialist doctor. Most important of all, it saves me a lot of time queueing and waiting for my turn at a hospital clinic.

For more information about E-Konsulta, you may contact them at the following channels:

Website: https://www.ekonsultaclinic.ph/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/banyuhay.ekonsulta
Email: contactus@ekonsultaclinic.ph

Their teleconsultation hours are from 8AM to 12AM (Monday to Saturday).

Try E-Konsulta today and get affordable access to licensed Filipino doctors from the comfort of your own home.

P.S. To always get the latest blog updates, don’t forget to follow me on Facebook.

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, by Hello Green Beauty

In Health,

Medical Breakthrough Toward a Potential Cure for Type 1 Diabetes

There are millions of people around the world who are suffering from Type 1 diabetes. Unlike the more common and milder Type 2 diabetes (which is normally caused by unhealthy lifestyle), Type 1 diabetes is a genetic condition. If you have Type 1 diabetes, your immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas that are responsible for producing the hormone insulin. Insulin regulates the glucose (sugar) level in our bloodstream. Without insulin, our blood sugar can spike (rise and then fall sharply). This is the reason why people with Type 1 diabetes require taking insulin shots for the rest of their lives. Not doing so would be very lethal to their health like losing consciousness without any warning.

Recently, there has been a medical breakthrough for a potential treatment of Type 1 diabetes through stem cell therapy. Dr. Doug Melton, a Harvard University biologist who works for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, discovers a way to treat Type 1 diabetes with an insulin-making cells derived from stem cells. It’s a way to reverse Type 1 diabetes by giving them back the insulin cells they are missing.

Brian Shelton was the first patient who participated in the clinical trial by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. In 2021, he received his first dose of insulin-producing stem cells and got initial positive results. After 150 days, his body started to automatically control its blood sugar level and reduced his dependency on insulin injection by 92%. There is just one challenge though. Mr. Shelton needs to take immunosuppressive drug to protect the insulin-producing stem cells being rejected by his immune system.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals is still in the process of developing an encapsulated insulin-producing stem cells to eliminate the need for immunosuppression drugs. The company also says that the clinical trial will continue for about 5 more years involving 17 people with severe cases of Type 1 diabetes. They want to replicate the same positive result as Mr. Shelton before they could finally make the treatment available to the public market.

As to the potential target patients of this treatment, they are interested to know if there would be any adverse effects and if the stem cell treatment would last for a lifetime with just a single infusion. Still, for people suffering with Type 1 diabetes all their lives, this is a medical breakthrough that they could look forward to.

P.S. To always get the latest blog updates, don’t forget to follow me on Facebook.

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, by Hello Green Beauty

In Health, Healthy Eating

Product Review: Saint C Pure Calamansi Extract

Calamansi (also known as calamondin) is a widely known citrus fruits that grow in the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries. It is also known as a cheaper alternative to lemon and lime. In the Philippines, its most popular application is making calamansi juice and dipping sauce.

Personally, I’m a big fan of drinking calamansi juice but sometimes I’m too lazy to manually squeeze each calamansi to create a pitcher of calamansi juice. Luckily, I discovered a bottle of Saint C Pure Calamansi Extract while waiting for our food orders to arrive at Sarsa restaurant (FYI, they’re one of the resellers of this product).

Saint C Pure Calamansi Extract is a 100% pure calamansi concentrate that is locally made in the Philippines. Unlike other calamansi concentrates in the market, it has no additives (e.g. sweetener, food coloring or water), what you only get is calamansi extract in its purest form. Saint C, the Filipino brand behind this export quality product, has made sure that each calamansi is meticulously handpicked by local farmers and hand-pressed to extract its fresh juices. The calamansi extract is then packaged in a glass bottle on the same day of its extraction to maintain its freshness for longer period of time.

Having a bottle of Saint C Pure Calamansi Extract in my pantry is truly a time saver because it takes away the hassle of manually squeezing calamansi and I don’t need to worry anymore about its juice accidentally gets into my eyes while doing so (it hurts a lot if you asked me). I also find it more cost efficient since normally you can only buy calamansi in bulk from the grocery, so they normally go bad before I get to use all of it (which translates to waste of money).

Some ideas on where to use Saint C Pure Calamansi Extract:

Make calamansi juice by mixing 2 to 3 tbsp. of calamansi concentrate to 1 cup of cold or hot water. Calamansi juice is high in vitamin C so it’s the perfect drink to boost your immune system especially in this time of COVID pandemic.
Substitute lime juice with calamansi concentrate in making a classic margarita cocktail.
Make toyomansi dipping sauce – a combination of soy sauce and calamansi concentrate.
Add calamansi concentrate to your meat marinade to tenderize the meat.
Add few drops of calamansi concentrate on fresh oysters to bring out their “fresh from the sea” flavor.

A 250ml bottle of Saint C Pure Calamansi Extract can be bought at the following online shops for Php 298 (price as of this writing):

You can also visit their official site to check their complete list of distributors.

To know more about Saint C and other healthy food condiments they are selling beside Saint C Pure Calamansi Extract, you can check them out at the following social media channels:

P.S. To always get the latest blog updates, don’t forget to follow me on Facebook.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and purchase the products, I’ll receive some commission.

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, by Hello Green Beauty

In Health,

Online Medical Suppliers in the Philippines

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s inevitable for people nowadays to stock up on medical supplies and equipment at their home. If you or your loved ones are currently undergoing home quarantine due to COVID-19, then you must at least have the following items on hand:

Disposable face mask
Pulse oximeter
Digital thermometer
75% Rubbing Alcohol

Luckily, these days you don’t need to go all the way to Bambang (Manila) to look for affordable medical supplies and equipment. Most local medical suppliers have already opened online shop to make it more convenient for their customers to buy their medical products.

Here are some online medical suppliers in the Philippines.

1. Medical Depot

Medical Depot is a one-stop shop that offers wide range of medical products. Their physical store is actually located in Bambang so you can be assured that their online price is very affordable.

Website: https://medicaldepot.com.ph/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/medicaldepotph/

Shopee: https://shopee.ph/medicaldepot

Lazada: https://www.lazada.com.ph/shop/medical-depot

Recommended Products:

2. Partners Healthy Choices

If you’re looking for high quality oxygen concentrators, then Partners Healthy Choices is the ideal store since they are the official Philippine distributor of Owgels brand of oxygen concentrators. For those who doesn’t know, oxygen concentrators are medical devices that collect oxygen from the surrounding air, concentrate it and deliver the concentrated oxygen to the patient. In contrast to oxygen tanks, oxygen concentrators are more affordable in the long run since there is no need for buying refills.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PARTNERShealthychoices

Shopee: https://shopee.ph/partnershealthychoices

Lazada: https://www.lazada.com.ph/shop/healthychoices/

Recommended Products:

3. Indoplas

Indoplas is one of the leading Filipino-owned medical manufacturers, importers and distributors of medical supplies and equipment in the Philippines.

Website: https://indoplasphil.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indoplasphil

Shopee: https://shopee.ph/indoplas

Lazada: https://www.lazada.com.ph/indoplas-philippines-official-store/

Recommended Products:

P.S. To always get the latest blog updates, don’t forget to follow me on Facebook.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and purchase the products, I’ll receive some commission.

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, by Hello Green Beauty

In Health,

Kwik.insure: The First Online Insurance Marketplace in the Philippines

Despite the existence of several insurance companies in the Philippines, only a select few of the Filipinos have actually owned a life and/or health insurance product. Their reason for not buying one is because they often think of insurance as something that is expensive, complicated to understand and difficult to buy.

Local insurance technology (insurtech) startup Kwik.insure aims to solve all the difficulties involve in buying insurance products by simplifying the process and by providing more affordable options. Kwik.insure is an online platform where you can compare, select and buy different types of insurance products according to your needs and budget. As the largest insurance marketplace in the country, they have partnered with several local insurance and healthcare providers.

Kwik.insure offers both yearly renewable life and non-life insurance products. As of this writing, they have the following insurance types:

Vehicle – protects you against financial losses in the event of an accident or theft involving your vehicle
Health – provides cash assistance benefit to cover hospital expenses when diagnosed with certain illnesses
Life and Accident – provides cash assistance benefit in case of accidents that may result to injuries, death or disabilities
COVID-19 – provides cash assistance benefit for loss of life due to COVID-19 illness

Eventually, they will also include travel and property (e.g. condo) insurance products.

Here are the things that I like about Kwik.insure:

It offers real-time coverage as soon as your payment is confirmed.
The entire transaction is done online – from purchasing the insurance to receiving the electronic copy of the insurance policy via email. Basically, you get insurance coverage is as fast as 5 minutes!
There have various payment options available: VISA and MASTERCARD debit and credit cards, e-wallets, over-the-counter and mobile app banking channels.
They have a dedicated claims assistance team to guide you by the time that you need to claim the insurance proceeds.
The coverage details of each insurance products are well itemized so that they are easier to understand. The product page also includes a Download Brochure feature so that you can read more about the specific insurance product. You can also view the exact Policy Wording prior to buying the insurance so that you will have an idea of the coverage inclusions and exclusions.
Their customer service is very responsive. You may refer to this contact page to know all of their available contact channels.

Indeed, Kwik.insure has revolutionized the way Filipinos can insure themselves in this era where almost everything can be done digitally.

If you’re interested to buy insurance products under Kwik.insure, then you can sign up to their website using my referral link: https://kwik.insure/at/mcruz.

You can also use my referral code mcruz when making a purchase J

P.S. To always get the latest blog updates, don’t forget to follow me on Facebook.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and purchase the products, I’ll receive some referral fee.

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, by Hello Green Beauty

In Health,

Where to Get Home Service COVID-19 Testing in the Philippines

As part of the new normal, most travelers nowadays are required to submit a valid COVID-19 medical certificate indicating a negative result prior to their scheduled domestic or international travel. For instance, if you’re planning to visit Baguio city, you must undergo COVID-19 testing up to 72 hours prior to traveling to the city. Luckily, a couple of laboratories and private providers have started offering home service COVID-19 testing. This is a safer approach to undergo COVID-19 testing as there are minimal public exposure. It’s also more convenient since they are the one who will go to your house in your preferred schedule to conduct the testing. Most of these service providers can also issue medical certificate together with the COVID-19 test result.

The COVID-19 testing can either be:

RT-PCR Swab Test – nasal and throat swab
Rapid Antigen Swab Test – nasal swab
Rapid Antibody Test – finger-prick

Note: Prices indicated in this post are subject to change. Kindly consult the Facebook page of the service provider to know the current price.

1. D2D Healthcare

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/d2dhealthcareph/

Services offered:

RT-PCR Swab Test = Php 5,400 results in 2 - 4 days | Php 5,999 results in 24 hours (inclusive of home service fee)

Rapid Antigen Swab Test = Php 2,500 results in 15 - 20 minutes (inclusive of home service fee)

Rapid Antibody Test = Php 1,250 results in 10 - 15 minutes (additional Php 600 for transportation fee)

Landline: (02) 8-373-3595

Mobile: 0928-3504961

Email: d2dhealthcareph@gmail.com

2. HouseCall MD Philippines

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/housecallmdph

Services offered:

Rapid Antigen Swab Test = Php 3,000 results in 30 minutes (plus home service fee depending on location)

Rapid Antibody Test = Php 1,800 results in 15 minutes (plus home service fee depending on location)

Email: housecallmdph@gmail.com

3. Vaxcen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vaxcen

Services offered:

Rapid Antigen Swab Test = Php 2,500 results in 30 minutes (plus home service fee depending on location)

Rapid Antibody Test = Php 600 results in 15 minutes (plus home service fee depending on location)

Landline: (02) 8-701-4104 (PLDT) or (02) 7-975-3298 (Globe Line)

Mobile: 0917-5804823 or 0922-8396150

4. LYF Medical Services

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lyfmedservices

Services offered:

RT-PCR Swab Test = Php 5,300 results in 12 - 24 hours (inclusive of home service fee if within Metro Manila, additional 500 if located outside Metro Manila)

Rapid Antigen Swab Test = Php 2,300 results in 15 minutes (inclusive of home service fee if within Metro Manila, additional 500 if located outside Metro Manila)

Mobile: 0917-5382000

5. Aventus Medical Care

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AventusMedicalCare

Services offered:

Rapid Antigen Swab Test = Php 1,500 results in 15 – 30 minutes (plus home service fee depending on location)

Landline: (02) 8-840-0588 or (02) 8-840-3043

Email: homehealth@aventusmedical.com.ph

6. Lablife - SOUTH Manila

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AclanDiagnostics

Services offered:

Rapid Antigen Swab Test = Php 2,300 + tax results in 15 – 30 minutes (inclusive of home service fee if within Metro Manila, additional fee if located outside Metro Manila)

Rapid Antibody Test = Php 1,000 + tax results in 15 – 30 minutes (inclusive of home service fee if within Metro Manila, additional fee if located outside Metro Manila)

Mobile: 0917-1822057

Email: lablife.southmanila@aclangroup.com

7. HealthFirst Clinic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealthFirstClinicPH/

Services offered:

RT-PCR Swab Test = Php 4,950 results in 3 - 4 days (plus home service fee of 3,500 per location)

Rapid Antigen Swab Test = Php 1,950 results in 15 – 30 minutes (plus home service fee of 3,500 per location)

Mobile: 0919-0560490 (call) or 0916-7231206 (SMS)

Email: info@healthfirst.com.ph

8. Home Medcare

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomeMedcarePH/

Services offered:

RT-PCR Swab Test = Php 5,000 results in 2 - 3 days (rush test result processing available in 12/24/48 hours)

Rapid Antigen Swab Test = Php 2,300 results in 20 minutes

Mobile: 0917-1901986

9. LabMobile

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/labmobileph/

Services offered:

RT-PCR Swab Test = Php 3,900 results in 2 - 4 days | Php 4,900 results in 24 hours (plus home service fee of 500 per location)

Rapid Antigen Swab Test = Php 2,300 results in 15 minutes (plus home service fee of 500 per location)

Rapid Antigen Saliva Test = Php 2,300 results in 15 – 30 minutes (plus home service fee of 500 per location)

Mobile: 0915-3647928 / 0927-2100708 (Globe) or 0947-1598644 / 0947-1577222 (Smart)

Website: www.labmobile.ph

P.S. To always get the latest blog updates, don’t forget to follow me on Facebook.

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, by Hello Green Beauty

Pages

My First Teleconsultation Experience with E-Konsulta

Medical Breakthrough Toward a Potential Cure for Type 1 Diabetes

Product Review: Saint C Pure Calamansi Extract

Online Medical Suppliers in the Philippines

Kwik.insure: The First Online Insurance Marketplace in the Philippines

Where to Get Home Service COVID-19 Testing in the Philippines

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My First Teleconsultation Experience with E-Konsulta

Medical Breakthrough Toward a Potential Cure for Type 1 Diabetes

Product Review: Saint C Pure Calamansi Extract

Online Medical Suppliers in the Philippines

Kwik.insure: The First Online Insurance Marketplace in the Philippines

Where to Get Home Service COVID-19 Testing in the Philippines

About me

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recent posts

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