Advice For Your Aching Back. |
One of the first signs that told me
I'm not as young as I used to be was that certain positions started
becoming uncomfortable for me, or my back started hurting very soon
after. Our back is under a lot of pressure, and as we get older, it
starts complaining about a lot of little things.
That said, there are ways we can
deal with back problems, and many of them involve paying attention to
our daily habits, our posture and the way we sleep. Here are a few
pointers and some golden rules for sparing that aching back of yours.
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mercredi 30 avril 2014
Advice For Your Aching Back.
lundi 28 avril 2014
Common Health Mistakes.
Common Health Mistakes.
Health is a complicated thing, and
can be affected by things we'd never suspect were doing harm. But as any
doctor will tell you, it's the things we ignore that may cause us the
most harm. Before you a few of the most common health mistakes we make,
and hope we can overcome the problem.
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Airing Laundry Inside.
The Problem: When
you hang up damp cloth inside the house, even fresh from the washer and
looking clean, it will pollute the air. This is the conclusion of a
study held by the Mackintosh Environmental Architecture Research Unit at
the Glasgow School. Damp clothes increase humidity, which in turn
creates an allergenic environment which dust mites and mold spores find
irresistible, and can grow up to 300% of what is considered safe limits.
During the study, about 25% of all homes in which laundry was air-dried
came back positive for spergillus fumigatus, a fungus that causes lung
infections, especially in people with a weak immune system.
The Solution: If you
have a reason not to use a dryer, experts recommend that you hang damp
cloth in an independant area with its own heat source and ventilation.
For instance, hang in a closed room with a fan and open windows.
Brushing Right After Breakfast
The Problem: We've
been told to brush our teeth after meals, and of course it is true you
should at some point. However, when you drink something like coffee or
orange juice, the acidity levels in your mouth go through the roof. If
you rush off to brush your teeth afterwards, before your saliva had time
to neutralize the PH levels, you'll be actually pushing the acid into
the enamel of your teeth, causing erosion. A study conducted in 2004
found that those who brush within 20 minutes of eating breakfast lost
more dentil (the layer underneath the enamel) than those who waited.
The solution: After
drinking an acidic beverage such as soda, wine, coffee or a fruit juice,
drink a glass of water and wait 20-30 minutes before brushing, that
will give enough time for the saliva in your mouth, which has a PH of 7,
to neutralize the acidity.
Storing potatoes in the fridge
The problem: Most of our go-to carbs like chips, fries, potatoes, cookies etc. contain 2 ingredients that can be, in certain temperatures, quite volatile. These 2 are sugar and an amino acid called aspargine. When heated to high levels (as in during roasting, frying or baking), the two substances form a third - a chemical called acrylamide, which has been linked to several cancers (including endometrial, renal and ovarian cancers), which recently made the US FDA to issue a consumer warning. This goes double for potato chips and french fries, especially when they've been kept in cold temperatures, which converts more starch into sugar, and thus, when heated - more carcinogens come out.
The Solution: Try
cooking methods that releases a lot less acrylamide, such as boiling,
steaming or microwaving. When storing, don't store in the fridge but put
the spuds in a cool, dark place. You can also soak the raw slices in
water for 15-30 minutes before cooking.
A general rule of thumb - The darker the starch after being cooked, the more acrylamide it contains.
Taking the Same Pill for Hangovers as Headaches
The problem: Using
pain killers, even mild ones while you still have alcohol in your system
will put your kidneys through a beating. A study conducted on the pain
kill acetaminophen in Dallas, Texas, found that subjects who took the
painkiller and drank small to moderate amounts of alcohol weekly, were
prone to kidney disease, in alarming rates.
The Soltion: Simple.
Don't combine any acetaminophen with alcohol, and check well which pain
killer you are about to use. Best bet, and I'm sorry to say this - let
it pass naturally, and drink a lot of water. You'll be sparing your
kidneys and have a reason not to drink too much again, which isn't
healthy for you anyway, let's admit.
Carrying a Shiny Yellow Handbag
The Problem: This
may not sound like an actual problem, but it well be. Purses, wallets
and belts made of bright colored 'pleather' (which is usually PVC or
vinyl) frequently contain lead levels that are very high. Higher, in
fact, than is allowed in children's toys. The lead content is higher in
yellow colored items, and then by this order: green, orange and red. The
lead can be passed from handbag to hand to mouth, causing developmental
problems in children and heart disease or cancer in adults. Although
the CEH (Center for Environmental Health) has agreed with many
retailers, in 2010, to limit the amount of lead in their products, more
than 15% are still found to contain these high levels.
The Solution: Stay
safe and avoid fake-leather purses and wallets if you can, and choose
nylon, leather, hemp or canvas instead. If you really want a
fake-leather purse, get a darker color.
Kissing a Smoker.
The Problem: While
you may have thought that as a non-smoker, the only problem with often
kissing a smoker is that you get 'ashtray mouth", the toxins from the
cigarettes strip away immune defenses located in the throat. Smokers are
much more likely to be infected with a pretty bad bug called Neisseria
Meningitides, which can also manifest as meningococcus, a disease that
causes fever, terrible headaches, confusion, rashes and in extreme cases
- a coma. There is evidence to suggest that deep kissing or just daily
light kissing can spread the bacteria, even if the carrier shows no
symptoms. There are no numbers at this point as to the transmission
levels, but this is a serious disease.
The Solution: I
won't go over the obvious one, which is getting your smoker to stop.
Avoid deep kissing or even light kissing when you have a cold or your
immune system is fragile. If you have children that kiss a smoker, they
can be immunized against meningococcal conjugate, as young adults and
children under 5 are the most susceptible.
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samedi 26 avril 2014
Oh Nay He Didn't: Shakespearean Insults!
Oh Nay He Didn't: Shakespearean Insults! |
When it comes to great use of the
English language, there is no bigger master than Shakespeare, a man who
has single handedly created and coined many of the phrases we use today.
And as he wielded the language like a well honed scimitar, so was he
able to use to create some truly fantsatic insults. In short, you did
not want to get on Shakespeare's bad side, for you might get one of
these...
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vendredi 25 avril 2014
Quotes by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Quotes by Gabriel Garcia Marquez |
Gabriel Garcie Marquez was a
Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist,
known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. Considered one of
the most significant authors of the 20th century, he was awarded the
1972 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 1982 Nobel
Prize in Literature.
He is considered a great thinker, who
puts complex thoughts into simple premises. These are 13 principles to
life he put down. Do you agree with him?
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