In today's world, more and more people suffer from sinus infection. The phenomenon may be due to higher level of pollution today than one or two decades ago.
The infection occurs when sinuses suffer from inflammation. Sinus infections can cause severe headache and feeling of pressures in the eyes, nose or one side of the head. Sinus infection may also bring with it cough, bad breath, fever and nasal congestion as well.
Sinusitis, or sinus infection, can be caused by many factors such as bacterial, viral or fungal attacks. Air pollutants as well as allergy to certain compound can also be the culprit. Any dealing with sinus infection must be conformed to the nature and extent of the infection.
You should not deal only with the symptoms like the headache, nasal congestion and so forth. Dealing only with the symptoms will only be temporary. But if you deal with the infection itself, over time you will also win over the symptoms and you would not have to suffer from them anymore.
I did not mean that getting rid of the infection would be easy. It's not, and it won't be easy. It would require patience... and an orderly living. Avoid exposure to cigarette smoke because it would only worsen your condition.
One easy way to deal with the infection that can be done at home is by using a solution made of a half teaspoon of coarsely ground salt with lukewarm water. Put it in a neti pot. Pay attention to temperature because a too hot water will burn you and cool water will be uncomfortable.
With the solution ready in the pot, tilt your head to the side and insert the neti pot's spout gently into the raised nostril, sealing the pot and nostril, then breath and pour it slowly and gently. Let it wash out your lower nostril. If its drains at your mouth, lower your forehead a little bit.
You can also use a nasal saline sprays or steam inhalation if necessary.Warm compresses may help relieve pain and pressure felt on your forehead.
Lots of fresh fruits and raw vegetables may also be helpful. The antioxidants and many other nutrients in the fruit will boost your immune system and help your body to resist the infection. Avoid smoke, fumes, dust, aerosol sprays, and other pollutants or anything airborne, as well as cigarette smoke. And drink plenty of water to help thin and moisten the mucus.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Stress and hair loss
Do you know that stress can show up as hair loss? The danger of it is, while the stress first caused the hair loss, the more hair loss will then increase the stress that in turn will cause even more hair loss!
Indeed, stress can affect hair the same way it affects other major organs such as the heart.
Dr. Howard Levy from Johns Hopkins University said that everyday stress is one of the most common cause of hair loss. Traumas, either physical or mental, can cause hair loss. Usually, the hair loss effect (or thinning/falling hair effect) will come in about three to six months after the traumatic event. And, as already mentioned above, noticing that hair is thinning or falling out can even add to the stress, making the hair condition worse.
If the hair loss is due to such mental conditions, it should be reversed when life has settled down again.
At certain time in life, people are more vulnerable to hair loss and thinning, and stress can accelerate the rate of the loss. So, if you can identify that the cause of your hair thinning is your stress, then be sure to deal with your stress and get back your normal life.
Meanwhile, it won't do any harm to consult a professional that can explain to you the hair loss treatment options that you can take. But never ever treat the hair loss problem yourself because you may end up making your hair problem worse. Having an extension put into the thinning hair, for example, may instead making it falling even more due to the extra weight of extensions and the way they were applied to the hair.
Indeed, stress can affect hair the same way it affects other major organs such as the heart.
Dr. Howard Levy from Johns Hopkins University said that everyday stress is one of the most common cause of hair loss. Traumas, either physical or mental, can cause hair loss. Usually, the hair loss effect (or thinning/falling hair effect) will come in about three to six months after the traumatic event. And, as already mentioned above, noticing that hair is thinning or falling out can even add to the stress, making the hair condition worse.
If the hair loss is due to such mental conditions, it should be reversed when life has settled down again.
At certain time in life, people are more vulnerable to hair loss and thinning, and stress can accelerate the rate of the loss. So, if you can identify that the cause of your hair thinning is your stress, then be sure to deal with your stress and get back your normal life.
Meanwhile, it won't do any harm to consult a professional that can explain to you the hair loss treatment options that you can take. But never ever treat the hair loss problem yourself because you may end up making your hair problem worse. Having an extension put into the thinning hair, for example, may instead making it falling even more due to the extra weight of extensions and the way they were applied to the hair.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Treatment for head lice
Getting rid of head lice today is relatively easy. By using a specially designed shampoo, with the help of specially designed comb to sweep the lice' eggs, head lice will be effectively eliminated. The lice will be removed and will not be able to "nest" again on the person's hair.
But of course, that won't happen if the shampoo used was not of quality.
So, what to do to ensure that the shampoo is good? First,it's best to look for lice shampoo that properly certified. If you can find the federal agency's approval on the product, you can be sure that it has gone through the various tests required to meet the requirements of the product. Of course results can differ from consumer to consumer, but at least, you will have something that has been produced under certain standards of quality.
Second, look if there has been a clinical trial conducted on the product. Lice shampoos which have proven effective in clinical trials are your best bet.
Clinical tests are not only meant to test the ability of the ingredients used in the product to kill the lice. The tests were also conducted to ensure that the ingredients in the anti-lice shampoo would not harm its users. Toxic ingredients in head lice remedies should be strong enough to kill the lice and thus may pose potential danger to people - especially pregnant women.
The last, but not necessarily the least, if possible, find an anti-lice shampoo that is completely organic, means, not containing men-made chemicals at all. It should be safer for human health with minimal side effects, and of course, it would also be more environment-friendly.
Choose the correct medicine for your head lice problems, follow the instructions carefully and you'll be able to get rid of your head lice problems in no time!
But of course, that won't happen if the shampoo used was not of quality.
So, what to do to ensure that the shampoo is good? First,it's best to look for lice shampoo that properly certified. If you can find the federal agency's approval on the product, you can be sure that it has gone through the various tests required to meet the requirements of the product. Of course results can differ from consumer to consumer, but at least, you will have something that has been produced under certain standards of quality.
Second, look if there has been a clinical trial conducted on the product. Lice shampoos which have proven effective in clinical trials are your best bet.
Clinical tests are not only meant to test the ability of the ingredients used in the product to kill the lice. The tests were also conducted to ensure that the ingredients in the anti-lice shampoo would not harm its users. Toxic ingredients in head lice remedies should be strong enough to kill the lice and thus may pose potential danger to people - especially pregnant women.
The last, but not necessarily the least, if possible, find an anti-lice shampoo that is completely organic, means, not containing men-made chemicals at all. It should be safer for human health with minimal side effects, and of course, it would also be more environment-friendly.
Choose the correct medicine for your head lice problems, follow the instructions carefully and you'll be able to get rid of your head lice problems in no time!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Eye care tips for Summer
Sunlight is very intense and the ultraviolet light it brings can harm our eyes if we let them exposed to it for too long. Study shows that unprotected sun exposure will increase risk of cataract development and other eyes' degeneration.
Below are the recommendations to decrease the risks of sun damage to eyes:
- Never look directly at the sun because it can cause damage to the retina.
- If you are swimming in a swimming pool that uses chlorine chemicals in it, try not to open your eyes in the pool's water because chlorine may cause you blurred vision for the rest of the day
- Related to the point above, use a swimming goggles with tinted UV protection that can protect you against the ultraviolet in the sunlight. Moreover, the goggles will also allow you to open your eyes under water.
- If you use sunscreen cream, don't apply it too close to the eyes for it can get into the eyes and 'burn' it. And don't apply it to eyelids when you are exercising because sweat will cause it to get into the eyes.
- If you want to sunbath, apply an artificial tear drop as a kind of sunblock for your eyes.
- If you've been bathing in the sun all day long and wake up the next day with painful eyes, put artificial tears in. If the pain persists, see doctor immediately.
- Be sure to use protective sports goggles if you are playing the summer contact sports like basketball or if you are a summer hobbyist that enjoys to work with tools. Protect your eyes from flying foreign objects before they hit and damage your eyes like tiny missiles.
- Wear sunglasses and hat. Wearing both sunglasses and hat is better because hat blocks sunlight coming from above the rim of sunglasses.
Below are the recommendations to decrease the risks of sun damage to eyes:
- Never look directly at the sun because it can cause damage to the retina.
- If you are swimming in a swimming pool that uses chlorine chemicals in it, try not to open your eyes in the pool's water because chlorine may cause you blurred vision for the rest of the day
- Related to the point above, use a swimming goggles with tinted UV protection that can protect you against the ultraviolet in the sunlight. Moreover, the goggles will also allow you to open your eyes under water.
- If you use sunscreen cream, don't apply it too close to the eyes for it can get into the eyes and 'burn' it. And don't apply it to eyelids when you are exercising because sweat will cause it to get into the eyes.
- If you want to sunbath, apply an artificial tear drop as a kind of sunblock for your eyes.
- If you've been bathing in the sun all day long and wake up the next day with painful eyes, put artificial tears in. If the pain persists, see doctor immediately.
- Be sure to use protective sports goggles if you are playing the summer contact sports like basketball or if you are a summer hobbyist that enjoys to work with tools. Protect your eyes from flying foreign objects before they hit and damage your eyes like tiny missiles.
- Wear sunglasses and hat. Wearing both sunglasses and hat is better because hat blocks sunlight coming from above the rim of sunglasses.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Calories burning vs fat burning
To some degree, most Americans need to lose weight. Yes, obesity has become a national problem in the country. But in order to lose weight and get in shape, a good diet is not enough. Regular exercise is a must to burn fat.
Just because you sweat when you exercise, it does not mean that you are burning fat. You are sweating means that you are burning calories. But burning calories does not necessarily mean burning fat.
The main focus of exercise in a weight loss program should be to burn body fat, not just to burn calories. The calories burnt in exercise, especially in the first 10 minutes of the exercise, are the calories from carbohydrates and sugar in our system.
In order to burn calories from the stored fat, our body requires the presence of oxygen. A certain amount of oxygen is needed before our body can start burning fat. Without it, the calories burnt will only be from carbohydrate and sugar in our body.
If we continue to only burn calories from carbohydrates, what we will lose will be mostly "water weight". Water weight loss would not do any good or permanent effect as it will lead to a decrease in metabolism and will eventually end in a "weight-rebound".
During aerobic exercise, our body needs to go through several stages before it reaches the point where it can start burning fat. Typically, within the first 10 minutes of exercise, the calories burnt will be from sugar and carbohydrates. But take a note on this: it does not mean that our body will surely burn its stored fat after the 10-minute time frame.
If we do not work out hard enough, or if we work out too hard, our body may not be able to burn its stored fat. In both cases, the body could not burn fat due to lack oxygen needed: in the first case because our body did not reach the level of wanting more oxygen yet, and in the second case because our body could not supply enough oxygen to support such massive activities.
So, you must move at a steady pace (not too fast, not too slow) in order to enable your body to burn its stored fat. And make sure that you are within your target heart rate range to stay at the fat burning stage. How to determine a target heart rate range? It will be discussed in another article.
Just because you sweat when you exercise, it does not mean that you are burning fat. You are sweating means that you are burning calories. But burning calories does not necessarily mean burning fat.
The main focus of exercise in a weight loss program should be to burn body fat, not just to burn calories. The calories burnt in exercise, especially in the first 10 minutes of the exercise, are the calories from carbohydrates and sugar in our system.
In order to burn calories from the stored fat, our body requires the presence of oxygen. A certain amount of oxygen is needed before our body can start burning fat. Without it, the calories burnt will only be from carbohydrate and sugar in our body.
If we continue to only burn calories from carbohydrates, what we will lose will be mostly "water weight". Water weight loss would not do any good or permanent effect as it will lead to a decrease in metabolism and will eventually end in a "weight-rebound".
During aerobic exercise, our body needs to go through several stages before it reaches the point where it can start burning fat. Typically, within the first 10 minutes of exercise, the calories burnt will be from sugar and carbohydrates. But take a note on this: it does not mean that our body will surely burn its stored fat after the 10-minute time frame.
If we do not work out hard enough, or if we work out too hard, our body may not be able to burn its stored fat. In both cases, the body could not burn fat due to lack oxygen needed: in the first case because our body did not reach the level of wanting more oxygen yet, and in the second case because our body could not supply enough oxygen to support such massive activities.
So, you must move at a steady pace (not too fast, not too slow) in order to enable your body to burn its stored fat. And make sure that you are within your target heart rate range to stay at the fat burning stage. How to determine a target heart rate range? It will be discussed in another article.
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