Everyday health: headaches, kidneys and more
Some health questions don't fit one topic: a headache that keeps coming back, a sudden painful joint, protecting your kidneys, getting ready for an operation, or a health claim you saw online and are not sure about.
Most headaches are not dangerous and get better with rest, water and simple pain relief. A sudden, very bad headache, or one with a stiff neck, fever, weakness or confusion, needs the emergency room straight away. Before you believe or share a health tip, check who wrote it and whether it comes from a trusted source such as the DOH, PhilHealth or WHO.
The guides below explain what to do at home, the warning signs, and where to get free or low-cost care near you.
5 guidesUpdated November 1, 2026
In an emergency, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911. Call 911
Guides on this topic
Gout attack: symptoms, relief and when to see a doctor
Gout is a type of arthritis caused by too much uric acid in the body. It causes sudden attacks of severe pain, swelling and redness, most often in the big toe. An attack usually settles in 1 to 2 weeks, faster with early treatment. Rest, raise and cool the joint, and see a doctor. A hot, swollen joint with fever needs help right away. Daily medicine to lower uric acid, less beer and sweet drinks, and a healthy weight can prevent attacks.
Chronic kidney disease: signs, tests and dialysis
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) means the kidneys have slowly been damaged and no longer clean the blood as well as they should. Early kidney disease usually causes no symptoms, so a blood test for creatinine (eGFR) and a urine test are the only way to find it. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the most common causes. Treatment can slow it down. If the kidneys fail, dialysis or a transplant is needed, and PhilHealth helps pay for both.
Headache: common types, remedies and when it is dangerous
Most headaches are tension headaches or migraine. They can hurt a lot but are usually not a sign of something serious, and often ease with rest, water, food and a simple painkiller. Taking painkillers too often can itself cause a headache every day. A headache cannot tell you your blood pressure: measure it. Get help straight away for a sudden, extremely painful headache, or a headache with weakness, confusion, a seizure, fever with a stiff neck, or after a head injury.
Who are the right sources of health information? A guide for Filipinos
The right sources of health information are the Department of Health, PhilHealth, the FDA Philippines, the WHO, your health center, and licensed doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists. Before you believe or share a health post, check who made it, why, where the facts come from and how old it is. Be wary of miracle cures and testimonials, check products with the FDA, and trust PhilHealth news only from philhealth.gov.ph and its official pages.
Preoperative checklist: how to prepare for surgery
A preoperative checklist helps you get ready for an operation safely. In the weeks before, do your pre-op tests, list every medicine and supplement you take, and ask which to continue. Stop smoking and keep diabetes and blood pressure under control. Follow your hospital's fasting (NPO) times exactly, and bring your IDs, PhilHealth papers, results and medicines. Arrange an adult to take you home. Tell your surgeon if you get sick before the operation.
Common questions
Each answer is in the guide it links to.
Questions about your own situation?
Joy, our Symptom guide, answers in your language, free, any time. Joy is an AI agent, not a person: in an emergency, call 911.