Keeping your environment clean!

We often think that maintaining good health is solely associated with how we take care of our bodies. Yes, it is true that the better care you give yourself the healthier you will be. However you must remember that your environment can have a direct impact on your health. I am not only referring to the environment in terms of the outside world, but in terms of living your conditions. How clean is your living environment?

Did you know?

•Inhaling dust can cause various lung diseases, depending on the kind of dust you inhale.

•The flu virus can be spread easily in areas with poor ventilation or inadequate air circulation.

•Bacteria can cause carpet odors.

Next time your carpet smells you might want to do some effective cleaning. You might have unwelcome guests who have turned your house into their home!!

Below are a few tips on how to keep your room clean, and avoid getting sick.

1. Regularly take out your trash

2. Leave your windows open regularly to allow air circulation.

3. Vacuum your carpets frequently to avoid accumulation of dust and bacteria.

4. Disinfect your surfaces regularly to avoid the increase of bacteria.

Note: Toilet seats and other such surfaces are to be cleaned daily. Ensure that no surfaces in your room are damp as that will aid the growth of bacteria.

5. Change your linen regularly

There you have it! To maintain good health you must maintain the health of your surroundings!

Citations-

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/microbiology/40357

http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&sa=1&q=carpet+cleaning&aq=1&oq=+carpet&aqi=g10&start=0

Hair

Hair is the one thing we all have in common. The question is not whether you have silky long hair, or short kinky locks, rather it is, are you doing justice to that which you have been given? You might be wondering what hair care has to do with the health of a student. In fact there is no direct link between hair and health; however the lovelier your hair is, the healthier you appear! Your appearance should be the expression of your well being, and healthy hair is a crucial factor to achieving a polished appearance.

Though we all have hair, we all have different hair types and different hair types require different methods of maintenance. Here are a few hair tips which are common to all hair types:

• Do not use plastic bristle brushes-

A combination of natural boar bristles on either a round or flat brush are best for dry hair, while soft, rubber-toothed wide-paneled brushes are best for damp hair.

• Brush hair before shampooing it-

This helps remove product buildup and scalp flakes, as well as stimulate the scalp and promote blood flow

• Remove split ends-

As the ends of your hair get older and damaged by rough handling, they become prone to splitting. Regular trims, at least 1/2 inch every four to eight weeks, are recommended. Hair grows (on average) half an inch per month, so trimming it will maintain healthy ends.

• Deep condition once every two weeks-

This treatment is enriching to the hair and scalp, and provides hair with adequate nutrition.

• Invest in an ionic dryer-

These particular hair-dryers bathe your hair in negative ions, which help break up water molecules faster and cancel out hair-damaging positive ions

There you got it! Five tips to help you improve the health of your hair.

If you have any hair queries, Please do not visit the doctor; they might be unable to help you! Your hairstylist however, will prove to be a fountain of knowledge!

citations-
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0846/is_3_25/ai_n15775891/
pictures-http://raleigh.skirt.com/files/xinha_images/3099/hair_donation.jpg

Skincare

What’s the one thing that sticks to you, can tell your age, and is the only organ of your body you will ever see? Yes, you got it! It’s your skin.

As busy students, skincare is one of the aspects of our lives which are easy to neglect. After all no-one will ever know, right? Wrong. Healthy, well- nourished skin always speaks for itself, it has a luster no-one can deny. If you are looking for tips to enhance your skincare, reverse the adverse effects of years of skin neglect or simply get more educated about your skin’s needs ,you’ll find the answers here!

There are four things your skin needs to maintain a healthy balance and a youthful glow:

1. Cleansing

Skin has pores which enable it to breathe. Cleansing removes dirt from your skin and opens up the pores so it can breathe. There are many ways to cleanse your body, the simplest being to take a shower or a bath. People have different skin types, so to ensure that your skin gets the attention it deserves, be informed about your skin type. In doing so, you can use the soaps and body washes that best satisfy your skin’s needs.

2. Exfoliation

Exfoliation is the removal of dead skin cells. For facial skin most women use scrubs or alternative treatments like microdermabrasion, chemical peels or retinoids. For men shaving has an exfoliating effect on their skin, which I’m sure most are unaware of. The face however is not the only part of the skin that needs exfoliation. Exfoliating your body can be as simple as washing your body with a course sponge .In doing so, you combine both cleansing and exfoliation into a single step. Please note that over exfoliating your skin can damage it, and can have effects worse than not exfoliating at all.

3. Moisture

When you shower or take a bath, you cleanse your body, but in the process your skin loses its moisture. Moisturizing your body restores its natural oils and protects it from the drying effects of the sun and wind. Body creams and lotions can be used to moisturize the skin. In the dryer and colder months of the year, it is recommended that the skin is moisturized more regularly, to avoid it cracking or chapping. All that means is a few extra applications of body creams and lotions.

4. Protection.

UV Radiation is harmful to the skin and can cause wrinkles and even worse, cancers. Always ensure that your skin is protected by applying sunscreen especially when you know you will be exposed to a lot of direct sunlight. Doing that will not only protect you from sunburn, but will leave your skin looking younger for longer!

There you have it! Four simple steps to get that healthy skin you’ve always wanted!

Citations-http://beauty.about.com/od/skinflaws/a/basicskincare.html

Pictures-google images-http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=skin&sa=N&start=576&ndsp=18

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Dental health

After a long day of classes, hustling up and down campus, the last you think about is the one thing you cannot do without, your mouth. Have you ever thought what you would do without your mouth? How would you talk, eat, or smile? When stress levels are high, dental health is one of those things shoved off our list of priorities by seemingly more important things. What is meant to be a good four minute brush turns into a two second mouthwash rinse. Did you know that the moist, warm conditions of the mouth are ideal for the growth and reproduction of bacteria?

3 steps to maintaining healthy teeth.

1. Brushing and flossing

Brush your teeth every day. Don’t scrub too hard, because that will result in the wearing away of your gums. Always remember to brush your teeth carefully, especially the crevices on the chewing surfaces of your teeth, where  food particles often get stuck. It is recommended that you floss your teeth at least once a day. Flossing helps to remove any residues caught in-between your teeth and therefore reduces the chances of tooth decay.

2. Healthy eating

• Eat whole grains instead of refined grains

• Eat dark green and orange vegetables

• Eat foods with less salt

• Eat Fish, Beans, Nuts and seeds

Did you know?

 Snacking on celery, carrots, or apples helps clear food debris away.

 Chewing gum can help eliminate food particles caught in-between the teeth after a meal, and also helps prevent the biulding up of plaque by stimulating saliva production.

3. Dental visits

One should visit the dentist at least twice a year. However it is recommended that smokers, diabetics and people with current gum disease or weak immune response to bacterial infection, should make more frequent visits to the dentist.

It is documented that Eighty percent of the U.S. population has some form of periodontal gum disease. So if you ever feel like dozing off without giving your teeth the good old brush, think again, because the effect of such behavior is not a reality you want to wake up to!

Citations

Oral health made easy http://www.simplestepsdental.com/SS/ihtSS/r.WSIHW000/st.31845/t.32529/pr.3.html

ADHA-http://www.adha.org/media/facts/oral_health_fast_facts.htm

Pictures-Google images

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=teeth&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10
http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&sa=1&q=fruit&aq=0s&oq=friut&aqi=g-s10&start=0

Cold free winter!

It’s that time of year again and I feel it coming ha…ha...ha …CCCCCcccchhhuu!

Have you ever asked yourself why the common cold is most prevalent at this time of the year, even though its spread is not cold related but viral?

The common cold is most prevalent in the fall or winter season.This is because the viruses that cause colds and flu’s survive better in relatively low humidity and humidity is lower in the colder months of the year. The nasal passages are drier during the colder months of the year and are therefore more vulnerable to viral infection .The opening of schools in the fall means there is a larger population through which the virus can spread. In essence if one student in a class of twenty is infected, he or she stands the chance of infecting at least ten other pupils in their class. Now imagine this effect on a larger scale. On cold days we all love to stay in our halls and huddle up to keep warm,but believe it or not this actually increases the spread of colds. The main reason colds spread faster that way, is because people are in a confined space usually with minimal ventilation;the average person would keep their windows closed tight on a freezing day!

2 ways common cold viruses spread and 4 ways to combat it.

This nasty bug is spread through touching respiratory secretions either on your skin or on a surface and then rubbing your eyes and nose. Im sure this is common practice but if you see mucus or saliva anywhere that is not yours, don’t touch it!

Inhaling small infected particles suspended in the air for a long time or respiratory secretions which have just been released into the air is another way people get infected. A friendly tip, if someone standing right by you sneezes, don’t pick that moment to take a lovely deep breath!

It might seem like viruses are everywhere but keeping free of this bug is as easy as one, two, three and four:

1. Washing your hands frequently and keeping them clean

2. Keeping your hands away from your eyes and nose

3. Always sneezing into a tissue and disposing of it immediately.

4. Isolating yourself from those people you know are infected.

For all my Trinity ladies out there pay extra attention to my words because as statistics have it, we are more vulnerable than our fellas!

If you need more information on how to avoid getting the common cold or influenza please do not hesitate to contact Health services.

Citation
statistics and information obtained from http://www.weather.com/outlook/health?role=&from=globalnav
pictures obtained fromhttp://www.heathersanimations.com/ and free clipart.