Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Clinical Signs and Symptoms

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by acute and chronic inflammation of various tissues of the body. Like other autoimmune diseases, lupus occurs when the body' own tissues attacked by its own immune system.

Symptoms of lupus can vary from one person to another, and may come and go. There are no total cure for lupus. The goal of treatment focused toward symptom relief to protect the vital organs of the body. Better see your doctor immediately if you suspect you have symptoms of lupus.

Here are some of the common clinical symptoms of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Fatigue

The feeling of tiredness will definitely affect our ability to do daily task. Being tired all the time with no clear reason is something to take noticed by. Sleeping is perhaps the easiest thing to do to fight off fatigue. Some people take an afternoon rest to keep their energy level up for the rest of the day. Remember, too much sleeping during the day might lead to insomnia at night.

Hair Loss

Alopecia is a medical terminology for hair loss. Hair becomes brittle and thins out slowly as a result of inflammation of the skin and scalp. Thinning of eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, and other body hair might happen in some people with lupus.

Skin Rash

Butterfly shaped rash is one of the visible symptoms you will see in people with lupus. Rash will appear suddenly upon exposure to the sun, or even artificial lighting.

Photosensitivity

Unusual sensitivity to sunlight.

Dryness of Mouth and Eyes

This happens because some patient with lupus develops Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that affect the glands responsible for saliva and tears.

Swollen and Painful Joints

This usually occurs in the joints of the fingers, hands, wrists, and knees due to inflammation. The symptoms can come and go, like other symptoms of lupus. There are over-the-counter medications to help you with this symptom.

Mouth and Nose Ulcers

Small, painful ulcerations of the oral and nasal mucosa.

Raynaud's Phenomenon

This develops from poor circulation. Finger changes in color to white or blue with exposure to cold.

Nephritis and Infection

Patient with lupus usually develops inflammation of the kidney. The inflammation will affect the kidney's ability to filter toxins and waste from the blood.

Gastrointestinal Symptoms

There is occasional heartburn, acid indigestion, and other gastrointestinal problems. Some over-the-counter medications may give relief, or better see your doctor if none has been helpful. Avoiding caffeinated beverages and cutting down the meal size is just some of the ways to manage the symptoms. Nausea, sometimes with vomiting, and diarrhea are common to lupus patient as well.

Heart and Lung Problems

Pleuritis or pericarditis usually develop as a result of inflammation of the lining tissue around the heart or lungs. Lupus patient experiences chest pain upon breathing.

Cognitive Dysfunction

Patient with lupus might have difficulties with memory and reasoning.

Other symptoms include headache, seizure, and changes in mood.

Philippines DOTr - Extended Validity Period of Car Plate and Driver's License

Great things are happening now at the Land Transportation Office (LTO). The Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugabe has signed a Department Order extending the validity period of car plates and driver's licenses, from the present three years to a five year validity period. The effort will definitely benefit the public in general, particularly the motorists.

This is in line of the plan of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in the coming years to address the complex transportation and traffic issues. 

As clarified by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) spokesperson Cherie Mercado-Santos, the validity extension covers new registrations and that one has to wait the expiration period of their current registrations and apply again for registration to avail the new validity period.

Starting October, the new validity period will be initially implemented in the National Capital Region and later in all regions of the country.

Part of the plan for next year is to include a car plate upon purchase of a new car.

The Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade also announced the next year plan of online renewal of driver's licenses. Anyone can renew their license without having a personal appearance at the Land Transportation Office. However, the online renewal of driver's license is only possible for those without violations or citations. Those with records of violations or crime may apply renewal directly to the head office.

Cauliflower: Amazing Health Benefits

Cauliflower is as one of the healthiest food loved by many people. It has so many good reason to eat, mainly because of the excellent source of nutrients they give.

Cauliflower is a vegetable that belongs to the cruciferous family of vegetables. Broccoli, kale, brussels sprout, turnips, horseradish, and cabbage are just some of the veggies that have belonged to this group of vegetables.

These vegetables offer excellent source of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals that occur naturally from these vegetables.

Cauliflower has so many ways to prepare it in our kitchen. You can eat them raw, mix it with your salad, or add it to your cooking menu. You can check some sites on menus that has cauliflower for more fun and healthy eating.

Health Benefits of Cauliflower:

Fight Against Cancer

Studies show that eating a lot of cauliflower reduces the risk of developing cancer. Cauliflower has sulforaphane, an anticancer compound believed to slow down the growth of cancer.

Food for the Heart

Just like other cruciferous vegetables, the antioxidant effect of cauliflower help fights high blood pressure and improve kidney function.

Anti-inflammatory

Cauliflower has anti inflammatory nutrients that help inflammation in the body in check. Remember, we need some level of inflammation in our bodies to stay healthy. Cauliflower also help reduce inflammation caused by a medical condition or a condition worse by inflammation. Research shows a high level of inflammation increases the risk of having heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease.

Richness in Vitamins and Minerals

Regular eating of cauliflower will give our body the much-needed nutrients to make us healthier. Cauliflower is a good source of vitamin C and K, and other important nutrients.

Brain Health

Cauliflower contains Choline, a B-complex vitamins. Choline is an important macro nutrients to improve liver function, normal brain development, nerve and muscle function, and maintaining a healthy metabolism.

Detoxification

Detoxification removes and eliminates toxins in our body to protect us from disease. Eating cruciferous vegetables, like cauliflower, feeds our body with the much-needed nutrients to keep up the good health.

Digestive Health

Cauliflower has important dietary fibers for digestive health. Research shows the sulforaphane from cauliflower protect the lining of our stomach by preventing overgrowth of bacteria in the stomach wall.

Eye Twitching/Eyelid Spasm: Causes, Preventions, and Remedies

Eye twitching is a repetitive, uncontrollable blinking of the eyelid. A minor eye twitching is painless and harmless that may come and go, though some may last for a week or even a month. Eye twitching is quite common and usually affect both eye muscles.

It is quite annoying,and can even create emotional distress to some people, especially if the spasm is strong enough that forces you to close your eyes and seen by others. Although there are also cases the spasm is very subtle, not noticeable by others.

Almost all cases of minor and common eye twitching are not serious or a sign of a medical problem. Chronic eye twitching from a neurological condition (such as blepharospasm, Parkinson's disease, Bell's palsy,hemifacial spasm, etc.) are best referred to a specialist doctor.

The causes are usually lifestyle-related. Here are some of the known causes and ways to reduce chances of having eye twitching:

Reduce stress.

• Proper breathing exercises, attending yoga and tai chi classes, socializing with friends are just among the stress relieving activities. Stress can either be, or combination, from physical exertion, work, or emotions. Acupuncture and massage therapy will help you deal with stress.

Lack of Sleep.

• Whether it is from being fatigued or from other causes, make it habit to take a good sleep as much as possible. Having adequate sleep helps our body in so many ways.

Eye Strain.

• Do not overwork your eyes because this will trigger eye twitching. Take some time off from staring the computer screen to reduce eye muscle fatigue. Also, wearing glasses and change of glasses is both vision-related stress. Go and see your eye doctor to check your vision and update your eyeglasses. Follow the "20-20-20" rule when using electronic devices.

Caffeine.

• Too much caffeine intake from coffee, tea, and chocolate may trigger eye twitching. Drinking moderately and switching to a decaffeinated one will reduce eye twitching.

Alcohol and Tobacco.

• Too much intake of alcoholic beverages and cigarette smoking will also trigger this eye condition. If abstaining isn't possible, drinking in moderation might help.

Dry Eyes.

• This is common as you get older, usually after the age of 50. Some of the factors that contribute to having dry eyes are having a tired eyes, long use of computers and laptops, too much caffeine intake, people on contact lens, and as a side effect of a medication (antidepressant, antihistamines, etc.). Consult your doctor to get eye evaluation and treatment.
           

Nutritional Deficiency.

• According to some report, although not conclusive, the lack of magnesium and other nutritional substance will trigger eye twitching. A recommended nutritional therapy helps a lot.

Eye Allergies/Irritation.

• Histamine released from the allergic reaction can cause eye twitching. Your doctor might prescribe antihistamine drugs to treat the allergies. Precaution be pointed out because antihistamine drugs can cause dry eyes, which might trigger eye twitching.

Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (No Down payment Hospitalization) - Duterte Health Agenda

Here in the Philippines, money is always the primary reason when someone thinks of going to hospital for medical treatment. No way a big deal to moneyed people, but for many average earner Filipinos, it can even cost a fortune to them.

Undeniably, the health care system in the country hasn't been that competitive compared to other countries I have been in, like the United Kingdom. Fortunately, healthcare programs under the Duterte administration has started to take off slowly and hopefully, everyone will have the full access to all health care programs of the government in the future.

It has been a common knowledge among Filipinos that many hospitals in the Philippines need a certain amount as a down payment upon hospital admission, regardless whether these are emergency cases or not. Because of this hospital policy, many would resort to other alternative treatments to their illnesses. Some would even go to the traditional faith healers and just realized later on that their conditions has gotten worse ,and unfortunately, some may die because of infections and complications.

The "No deposit, No admission" policy of many hospitals has been constantly bombarded and ridicule in social media. Many have been left unattended and eventually die due to lack of medical care and the family will put all the blame to the hospital. This is a common scenario you can see in a television news. It's really pathetic to think of.

Personally, I also have my share of bad experience and I know how it feels being denied with medical treatment. In my mind, all I can think of at that time is stupidity and inhumane. How could you bring back the life of a person when it's gone, when the family can secure the money in so many ways to pay the bills later.

I was so delighted upon knowing the news, sooner or later, this type of hospital policy will finally end for good.

In Cebu City, the Cebu Flash Report recently released a copy of the memo from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (formerly Southern Island Medical Center) entitled " Duterte Health Agenda - Emergency Department Services". The memo will include all medical procedures, laboratory tests, and medicines. All hospital expenses will all be "Charged to Bill".

The memo also mentioned that all patients in the ward section will receive medicines and billed later. This is to insure that all patients will continuously receive their medicines. The most obvious reasons in the delay of giving medicines to the patient are lack of money to buy the medicines and the time it takes to find the medicines outside the hospital.

A big thank to the health initiative of President Duterte. This only means that we have a working leader who listen and understand the need of his people. The Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center has done an amazing job. Thank you for heeding the call of the President. May this health initiative of the administration be followed by the other hospital soon.

Philippines Rank 20th in HPI Happiest Countries in the World

The Philippines has been consistently included on the list of the happiest countries in the world during past years. Undeniably, Filipinos have long been known as happy and enduring people. Filipinos never forget to smile, or even throw a joke, no what struggles that comes along the way. I think it has something to do with our strong religious belief that motivates us to stand up strong once again and ready to start a new beginning.

According to the recent report of Happy Planet Index 2016 of the New Economics Foundation, the Philippines ranked 20th of the 140 countries included.

The Philippines got an HPI overall score of 35.0.

Wellbeing	5.0/10 and ranked 83rd of 140
Life Expectancy	67.9 years and ranked 98th of 140
Inequality of Outcome	26% and ranked 90th of 140
Ecological Footprint	1.1 gha/p and ranked 16th of 140

*gha/p – global hectares per person

The HPI report considers the:

Wellbeing. Residents of each country asked how they feel life overall, on a scale of zero to ten. Data collected by Gallup World Poll.

Life Expectancy. The average number of years a person expected to live in each country. Data provided by the UN.

Inequality of Outcomes. This refers to the inequalities between people in each country when in comes to how long they live and how happy they feel.

Ecological Footprint. The impact that each resident of a country placed on the environment. Data provided by Global Footprint Network.

For the year 2016, Costa Rica ranked first in the list with an HPI score of 44.7.

2016 HPI Top 20 Happiest Countries in the World

Costa Rica	44.7
Mexico	40.7
Colombia	40.7
Vanuatu	40.6
Vietnam	40.3
Panama	39.5
Nicaragua	38.7
Bangladesh	38.4
Thailand	37.3
Ecuador	37.0
Jamaica	36.9
Norway	36.8
Albania	36.8
Uruguay	36.1
Spain	36.0
Indonesia	35.7
El Salvador	35.6
Netherlands	35.3
Argentina	35.2
Philippines	35.0

Read more at http://happyplanetindex.org/

A Proven Way To Stop Smoking Immediately

Being a medical professional and as a part of the rehabilitation program, I often give advice on the importance of smoking cessation. To make such advice believable, it would be approriate to set myself as an example to motivate my patient towards a healthy lifestyle. As a matter of fact, my beloved father passed away due to a lung disease he got from heavy smoking.

Smoking is not just dangerous to the health of the smoker, but also to anyone who inhaled the smoke, particularly the children. People came out with different reasons on how and why got into cigarette smoking. The feeling of relief from tension, pressure from peers, the sense of being belong to the group, and curiosity are some to mention. Cigarettes contain harmful carcinogenic ingredients that slowly kills you. Better watch out for that.

I have been into cigarette smoking for ages now. Sort of effort, I think, has been made to get rid of this bad habit. Though I am successful in all my attempts, unfortunately, it didn't last long. Certainly, I know it all goes down to me because I am not fully motivated to rid of this vice. Right now, I am slowly reducing the number of cigarettes I regularly consumed in a day. In addition to that, an expert idea coming from a good friend, using baking soda at the same time is helping me a lot.


Here's how you prepare and use the baking soda: Prepare 1 tablespoon of baking soda and a glass of drinking water. Slowly pour the baking soda into the glass of water. Stir the mixture until the baking soda is completely dissolved in the water. I just gargle the mixture every time I feel the urge to grab a stick of cigarette. Prepare another mixture and put it in the bottle for future use. Continue this technique in about 2 weeks and see if it works for you. Please be reminded that too much baking soda taken on a regular basis is not good for your kidneys.

Another recommendation is to drink the mixture, but I don't prefer that way. I have opted the another way by placing a tough of baking soda in my tongue, more convenient I think.

If you have been into this technique of getting out of the habit, please your success stories down below in the comment box.

Classic Filipino Songs in Funerals

From the time I was born and until now, part of our big neighborhood are the two well-known funeral homes in the city center. It so happened that some of the owner's family members of these funeral homes were my friends. We often talk about on what they do inside the funeral homes, from the process of embalming up to the burial service in the cemetery. Part of our conversation is cracking jokes on our personal death wishes. It may sound weird to some who had heard us, but that is the reality, we all come to that point in our lifetime.

The Filipino traditions of honoring our departed loved ones are truly remarkable and unique. We learned all these different custom and traditions from generation to generation, regardless of tribe and beliefs one may have.

Part of the practice of honoring our dead involves the playing of music, whether be it western modern love songs, religious songs or an original Filipino music. The love of music runs in the blood of every Filipino, I think, because music is always there until the time of death. I believed that music is an effective way to show our emotions as well as to find relief in an hour of sorrow. The song selection can either be the favorite of the departed loved ones or the request of the family.

Let me mention some of the popular Filipino songs played during the funeral service. The hearse carrying the coffin played the selected songs during the funeral march going to the cemetery.

1. Hindi Kita Malilimutan
This is the top of the list. An Original Pilipino Music (OPM) popularized by Basil Valdez. I always heard this song during funeral march.

2. Paglisan
An original music by Color it Redd. Usually played for teenagers who lost their lives early.

3. Maalala Mo Kaya
Usually played to honor the departed grandparents.

4. Kung Ako'y Iiwan Mo
Another emotional song played during funeral, again by Basil Valdez

5. Magpakailanman Man
A heartfelt song popularized by Wendy Cornejo. The powerful rendition will surely weeps everyone.

6. Hanggang Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggang
A song by Didith Reyes. The meaning of the title itself, till the end of time, will truly full your tears.

7. Pangako
The song meant to convey the promise of an endless love. The artist of the song is Ogie Alcasid.

8. Lumayo Ka Man Sa Akin
The artist was Rodeo Naval, who died at the peak of his career.

9. Kanlungan
The song famoused by Noel Cabangon. The song meant to recollect memories.

10. Malayo Pa Ang Umaga
A meaningful song popularized by Rey Valera. The song meant to convey hope and joy, as the saying that goes there is a rainbow after the rain.

In case you haven't heard any of the songs listed above, better check them out over the internet to experience hearing these music masterpieces.

When my dear father died last Dec 2010, I choose "Dance With My Father" by Luther Vandross. It was fitting to honor a dedicated father like mine. It is now the favorite song of the family. Every time I played it on some family occasions, everyone is rushing away to every corner of the house to hide their tears.

Truly, music brings magic into our life.

Philippines Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC)

Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC) is the Philippines continuous effort to help the frail and needy indigent senior citizens of the country. Not to overlooked the contributions they had made in nation building during their productive years.

Pursuant to the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) Social Pension Program, those aged 60 years and above qualified senior citizens will receive a monthly stipend amounting to PHP 500 (equal to PHP 1,500 per quarter) to augment daily sustenance. Although, the amount not that big, but it can help them in many ways, compared to nothing.

To avail the program, one must give all the required documentation to the nearest City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) or at the Office of the Senior Citizen Affairs (OSCA).

Eligibility to the program include:

1. 60 years old and above of age.
2. An applicant must not receiving pensions from Social Security Office (SSS), Government Service Insurance System, or a Veterans Pension.
3. Indigent with certification.

Documentation include:

1. Senior Citizen Identification Card ( In applying an ID, one must give a birth certificate, a 1x1 photo, and any valid ID)
2. Certificate of indigence ( One can get it from the barangay of residence)

Upon submission of the required documentation, the social worker will conduct evaluation of the applicant. An assessment report will then be submitted to the DSWD Regional Office for last validation.

Qualified applicant now on the pensioner's waitlist. This does not mean a qualified applicant will receive the fund immediately after qualification. Every qualified applicant has to wait for an indefinite time, as a replacement, upon the death or delisting of the existing pensioners of the program. Accordingly, funds for the Social Pension Program have already  been allocated to the existing pensioners of the program.

Applicants will receive the funds every quarter of the year through cash in the DSWD Field Offices.

Read Republic Act No. 9994

RICE Therapy for Acute Injuries

For the benefits of those who still have no idea on to how handle recent soft-tissue injuries, let me share with you the advantage of RICE therapy and how it promote faster recovery. Anyone, particularly the athletes and other physically active people, can have muscle strain, ligament sprain, bruise, and other soft-tissue injuries. RICE therapy is recommended on acute cases, usually the first 24 to 48 hours after injury. It doesn't mean RICE therapy is already enough, especially serious injuries. Better see your doctor for proper evaluation and management, like drug prescription and physical therapy. RICE, which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation, help reduce pain and swelling.

Rest

Right after the injury, take some time off from your activities. Stopping or limiting an activity promote faster soft-tissue healing. Remember, continued stress on the injured part will lead to further damage. If the injury is on the leg or ankle, crutches will help you move around without putting pressure on the injured part.

Ice

This treatment approach help control pain and inflammation. Icing works on reducing the size of the blood vessels, thereby decreasing the bleeding, the swelling, and easing pain. Never apply ice directly over the skin on the injured part, instead, wrap it around with a towel or any clothes. Commercially, there are cold packs available in medical shops. Apply icing for 15 to 20 minutes and repeat the procedure as long as you want. Icing works best during the first 24 to 48 hours after injury.

Compression

Compression,using a bandage, help reduce swelling as well as support to the injured part. Just remember not to wrap too tight to avoid cutting off blood supply to the injured area as well as more swelling below the affected area.

Elevation

While applying the ice, like sitting or lying, elevate the injured part above the heart level to help reduce swelling.

FYI: 8 Interesting New Laws Should Every Filipino Must Know

1. Republic Act 10883 - Stricter Anti-Carnapping Law
Under this act, carnapping is now a non-bailable offense and the length of imprisonment increases to 20 to 30 years, from the old law of 14 years and eight months to 17 years and four months imprisonment.

If the offenders resorted to violence, a guilty person would serve 30 years and one day to 40 years imprisonment. If the victim got killed or raped, a guilty person would serve life imprisonment.

In addition, any person involved in concealing the crime would serve six to 12 years imprisonment plus a corresponding fine.

Any government officials found guilty will face removal from office and perpetual disqualification from any public office.

2. Republic Act 10905 - Mandatory Subtitles
The mandating all television networks and producers of television shows to give subtitles in their programs for the deaf community.

However, this does not include both public service announcements under 10 minutes airtime and for programs airing from 1 am to 6 am.

A penalty fine with at least PHP 50,000 to PHP 100,000, or imprisonment of  6 months to 12 months, or both for violators. The license to run the business will also be invalidated.

3. Republic Act 10906 - Anti-Mail Order Spouse Act
This new law provides strong teeth to safeguard every Filipinos in marrying foreign nationals. The law mandates that any person or businesses found guilty in an act of unlawful practice to exploit a Filipino to marry foreign nationals will face imprisonment of 15 years and a fine of PHP 500,000 to PHP 1 Million. Penalty increases, according to the number of offenses made.

Likewise, foreign offenders will face immediate deportation.

4. Republic Act 10909 - No Shortchanging Act of 2016
The law requires all business establishments prohibition from giving insufficient or no change to consumers and to giving candies in exchange for a change. Also, placement of price tags on all items is also included under the new law.

Penalties:
First Offense: Php 500 of the gross sale
Second Offense: Php 5,000 or 5% of the gross sale
Third offense: Php 15,000 or 7% of the gross sale
Last Offense: Php 25,000 and closure of the establishment
5. Republic Act 10910 - Anti-Graft & Corrupt Practices Act (Prescriptive Period)
The law increases the prescriptive period for the crimes of graft and corruption, from  15 years to 20 years.

6. Republic Act 10911 - Anti-Age Discrimination in Employment Act
This is the most awaited law, I think, in my age bracket. The new law will give equal opportunities to every potential employees to show their worth in the workforce regardless of age.

Violators will be fine at least Php 50,00 but not more than Php 500,000 and/or be imprisoned between three months to two years.

7. Republic Act 10913 - Anti-Distracted Driving Act
The law prohibits the use of phones in non-emergency cases while in the act of driving.
Penalties
First Offense: Php 5,000
Second Offense: Php 10,000
Third Offense: Php 15,000 and suspension of driving license

8. Republic Act 10916 - Road Speed Limiters Act of 2016
A new requiring all public utility vehicle owners to install speed limiters on their units. Th new law gives a grace period of 18 months after it takes effect.

Failure to comply will result to no registration or issuance of franchise permit and a corresponding fine of Php 50,000.

Offenders caught tampering with speed limiters will be imprisoned for  six to 36 months and fine with Php 30,000

Source: http://www.pllo.gov.ph/downloads/republic-acts/new-ra.html

911 Philippines

Starting August of 2016, the Duterte administration will launch its 24-hour emergency hotline. The National Telecommunication Commission (NTC), in compliance with a directive from President Duterte, has issued a memorandum order making way the code “911” as the national emergency hotline number. This latest development is one measure of President Duterte’s commitment to fight crime and corruption in the country.

According to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the new hotline will connect the caller to the 911 Command Center for emergency, police, rescue, or fire services. In the meantime, telecommunication companies being asked that all calls to 911 shall route to the existing Patrol 117 Command Center until the 911 Command Center is fully operational.

For the time being, government official admits the challenges of phone line traffic and prank callers and has assured the public on appropriate measures undertaken by the government. Authorities advised the public to refrain prank calls as this would deny others of the services that need immediate attention.

Alongside with the launching of Emergency Hotline 911, Presidential Communication Secretary Martin Andanar announces the Complaint Hotline 8888 to handle people’s complaint. The complaint office is open 24-hours and covers the entire archipelago.

The implementation of a new hotline for the whole country was patterned after the Davao City’s 911 Emergency Response Center successful operation established by President Duterte, who served as the city mayor for quite some time prior to his presidential election.

Meanwhile, Globe Telecom drew heavy criticism after announcing that all calls will incur regular voice charge plus an additional P5/call to the hotline. By doing so, Globe Telecom believed it would discourage prank callers. For whatever it is, I hope it is for the betterment of every Filipino.

There are good reason now to rejoice and to continue to hold on to our dreams. Changes are happening now. Let’s make the Philippines a great nation once again. Mabuhay!

Online Shopping in the Philippines

Online shopping is now becoming a popular trend among young and old shoppers here in the Philippines. It has made shopping more convenient and easy. This new shopping channel allows every shopper to directly buy goods or services over the internet and have them all delivered right at your doorstep. It saves up time, money, and effort. You don't need to go out and mix yourself with the crowd of shoppers. Basically, all you need is a valid mode of payment, a shipping address, and of course, an internet connection to complete a transaction. One can easily access numerous shopping sites, big and small, on the internet. Among them are the giant shopping sites like Alibaba, Aliexpress, Amazon, and eBay. Locally, we have the Lazada, Zalora, and many others.

Based on my personal observation, online shopping is more favorable among individual with a higher level of education and to high-earning individual. In spite of the convenience of online shopping, the risk of being a victim to a fraudulent transaction is always there. Being vigilant and choosing a highly-trusted shopping sites may lessen or even avoid the risk of being victimized. The risk it involved is likely the reason why it is not favorable among other shoppers. We can't blame them because we hear and see all these things happening every day. For an average earner like me, I can't afford to throw out my hard-earned money just as easy as that.

Not everyone in the Philippines owns a bank card to make online payment. There are several payment options that anyone can avail. Most local shoppers, I believe, still prefer a COD (Cash on Delivery) as a mode of payment even if they have bank cards. Upon checkout, choose the COD term on purchased items. The payment made upon receipt of the ordered items, This is a great idea among Filipinos to avoid online scammers, but Cash on Delivery as a mode of payment is not possible if you shop abroad. Online payments require a bank card.
Shopping from abroad is undeniably being a way cheaper and very inviting because, in most cases, they offer free shipping. I asked my friends how is it like shopping abroad. They just laugh and told me to forget that idea or get frustrated later. All I know later is that once the shipped item/s passes into the hands of a customs officer your dilemma starts to roll in. It is already a common knowledge among Filipinos the corrupt practices in the customs bureau. Certainly, I believe there are men and women of integrity and honesty in the bureau. Maybe just a few bad eggs trying to pull down the image of the bureau. Instead, I went ahead and start to shop at eBay and just hoping that everything will go smoothly in the hands of a good customs officer. I used to shop at eBay while I was in the United Kingdom and all transactions went well, hassle-free. The next shopping stop is the famous Aliexpress. I was searching both shopping sites for fine silver jewelry and some party balloons intended for the entire family. I made a total purchased of 30 pieces of silver jewelries and 200 pieces of uninflated latex balloons, all from different sellers. The payment made through PayPal and Alipay. Transaction went well and the shipping done on the next day. Standard shipping took almost a month, as promised by the sellers. All my packages delivered at my doorstep with no problem. I think this is the 6th time now. As of this writing, I am expecting my 7th package any day next week.

You may wonder how I did it. I have some ideas to share, and I hope it will also work with you. One important thing, the ideas here are just mine and my clear intention is to share my shopping experience.

1. Focus on buying few, small item/s from one seller.
2. Don't buy all items in one seller if you intend to purchase in large quantity. I spread all my items to other sellers. A cargo forwarder can assist you in consolidating, and in customs clearance for bulky items in commercial quantities.
3. Look for other sellers who has the same items for the remaining quantity, or on the same seller provided that placing another purchase few days or a week from the last one. This is to make sure the package will not come out bulky or heavy.
4. Don't be hesitant to contact the seller beforehand. Not everyone is nice and accommodating.
5. Mentioned all your concerns to the seller like the packaging of the item, labeling ,and price adjustment.