Tips to Avoid Cough & Cold

Cough and colds are commonly spread through bacteria or virus-infected droplets coughed or sneezed into the air. There are about 200 different types of cold viruses out there you can catch. Billions are spent each year on over-the-counter cough and cold medications. Adults get between two and five colds per year whereas children get approximately five to ten colds per year.

But you don't have to spend your precious time battling coughs, fevers and a runny nose. By following these tips, you can prevent this misery:

Wash your hands:

Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct contact. The most important thing you can do to prevent catching a cold or the flu is to wash your hands often with soap or an anti bacterial solution and warm water. Avoid rubbing your eyes or nose if you haven't done so.

Drink plenty of fluids:

The human body uses liquids to filter out the body's accumulated wastes, resulting in a healthier system overall. If you have cold or cough try some orange juice. It is a rich source of vitamin C which strengthens the immune system.

Stop smoking:

Stop smoking and avoid second-hand smoke. Smoke of cigarette irritates your throat thus aggravating the symptoms. Statistics also show that heavy smokers get more severe colds.

Keep tissues handy:

Keep a supply of tissues ready to use when you are in a public place or in the vicinity of other people. Also, keep your distance from people who have a cold or who are showing the first signs of one. A cold is most contagious during its first three days.

Take a Sauna:

When you take a sauna you inhale air hotter than 80 degrees. This temperature is too hot for cold and flu viruses to survive.

Have spicy food:

Try eating hot chili peppers, green chilies or other spicy foods. They will help loosen mucus thus avoiding cough.

Get plenty of rest:

Most of the diseases in the modern day world are caused by stress. Stress lowers your ability to ward off colds and the flu. It is very easy to take care of your health ahead of time by getting proper rest. A sound sleep of 7-8 hours goes a long way.

Eat specific food:

Dark green leafy vegetables (like spinach and greens) and citrus fruits (like oranges and grapefruit) provides your body with the nutrients and vitamins it needs to help your body fight infections and boost your immune system. Some foods are very beneficial for cough. Raw onions are also useful in removing phlegm. The root of the turmeric (haldi) plant is useful in a dry cough. A cup of grape juice mixed with a teaspoon of honey is advised for cough relief. Garlic is an excellent remedy for whooping cough.

Avoid sugar and junk food:

Your body is what you feed it. By loading up on junk food you are actually making it weak and susceptible to diseases. Have fresh fruits and vegetables so that your immune system is strong and prepared.

Sleep well:

Getting plenty of sleep also helps boost the functioning of your immune system. While you are sleeping and your brain is having a rest, your body is using the time to recharge and fight off any infections.

Go for Aromatherapy:

The principle of aromatherapy is you breathe in different scents. The use of inhaled steam can be very effective in liquefying mucus and reducing irritation. Inhaling essential oils can stimulate your lungs to expel phlegm.

Get exercise:

Regular exercise strengthens the immune system. Moderate exercise, such as walking for thirty minutes will help you get fresh air in your system as well. Exercise can reduce your chances of getting colds by 50%.

While colds and the cough are contagious, a little bit of information and prevention tips can help you enjoy a healthy life to the fullest!

Medicure4u.com: HOW MUCH SALT IS SAFE

Medicure4u.com: HOW MUCH SALT IS SAFE

Belly Dance Benefits

Various belly dancing moves are known to benefit those who practice it. This form of dance not only keeps you physically fit but also brings inner peace. As dancing tones the body, it also works on building up self-confidence, relieves stress, and revives you from a hectic working day. As belly dance mainly focuses on the movement of the hip area, a belly dancer takes the help of her hamstrings and glutes to support the hip movements. Along with shoulder and torso movements, the back muscles get evenly worked out as well.

HOW MUCH SALT IS SAFE

HOW MUCH SALT IS SAFE?

Salt is essential to human life and the functioning of the human body, which is why we could never live without it. This is also why in the days of antiquity, salt could be worth more than gold, since you can't preserve meats with gold, but could easily do so with salt. This was of extreme importance in the days when we lived without refrigeration and modern preservatives.

How Much Salt is Safe?

The word salt is thought to come from the Latin sal, meaning salt. The English word "salary", which is similar in several European languages, is linked to the fact that salt was once a currency (legal tender) in many parts of the world.

Salt's importance comes from much more than just making food taste good, however. Salt is essential to our good health. It's in our blood and all the other fluids in our bodies. Without it, our nerves and our muscles wouldn't work properly, our stomachs wouldn't be able to break down food to give us energy, and our blood would have trouble carrying carbon dioxide to our lungs to be exhaled.

Why should I have Salt?

Here are some of important functions of salt in the body:

·         Salt is a strong anti-stress element for the body.

·         Salt is used for extracting excess acidity from inside the cells, particularly brain cells.

·         Salt is vital for the kidneys to clear excess acidity, passing it into the urine. Without sufficient salt in the body, the body will become more and more acidic.

·         Salt is essential in the treatment of emotional and affective disorders.

·         Salt is a needed element in the treatment of diabetics. It helps balance the sugar levels in the blood and reduces the need for insulin in those who have to inject the chemical to regulate their blood sugar levels. Water and salt reduce the extent of secondary damage associated with diabetes

·         Salt aids in communication and information-processing of nerve cells the entire time that the brain cells work, from the moment of conception to death.

·         Salt is important for the absorption of food particles through the intestinal tract.

·         Salt is used for clearing the lungs of mucous plugs and sticky phlegm, particularly in asthma, emphysema and cystic fibrosis sufferers.

·         Salt on the tongue will stop persistent dry coughs; water will enhance this effect.

·         Salt is vital for clearing up catarrh and sinus congestion.

·         Salt is vital for the prevention of gout and gouty arthritis.

·         Salt is essential for the prevention of muscle cramps.

·         Salt is vital to preventing excess saliva production to the point that it flows out of the mouth during sleep. Needing to constantly mop up excess saliva indicates a salt shortage.

How much salt should I have?

Based on the requirements of a human body, an average adult requires an intake of 4.2g salt per day. The minimum requirement is 1.5g. The government recommends an intake of 6g salt per day for an adult and less for children. At the moment the average adult intake is 10-12g. Pro-salt campaigners argue that any healthy body will process just the right amount of salt it needs and the kidneys will dispose of any surplus.

What happens if I have excess salt?

Studies have indicated that too much salt consumption is linked to health problems, such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and osteoporosis. If you suffer from hypertension you would benefit from consuming less salt. Very young children, very elderly people, as well as people with kidney disease cannot excrete sodium and regulate body fluid efficiently.

What should I do to control salt?

·         Choose fresh foods, prepared without salt or salty seasonings most of the time.

·         Flavor foods with lemon, vinegar, garlic, onion (not garlic or onion salt), herbs and spices.

·         Try making your own soups and pasta sauces and cut out or limit the salt.

·         Omit the salt in baking and when cooking vegetables and pasta.

·         Compare food labels and choose products with the lower % Daily Value for sodium.

·         Look for unsalted nuts, popcorn and crackers, if you choose these for snacks.

·         Try the sodium-reduced alternative to your usual products when available.

·         Limit salty pickles, relishes, soy sauce, salsa, hot sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup and other similar sauces.

·         Enjoy foods without adding salt at the table.

Many people feel that foods taste better with salt or large quantities of salt, but it is only because their taste buds have grown accustomed to this taste. Therefore, it is difficult to avoid the abuse of salt but it is important to control its consumption.

Prevent knee pain

The knees are the most easily injured part of the body. The largest and most complicated joint, the knee is used for everything from standing up, sitting, to walking, running, etc. It's a weight-bearing joint that straightens, bends, twists and rotates. All this motion increases your risk of acute or overuse knee injuries.

Prevent knee pain by keeping the muscles that support your knees strong and flexible. Start out slowly. Walk before you run - before you engage in a strenuous high impact activity such as jogging or running, try walking for a week. If walking causes knee pain, you shouldn't be running. Warm up and stretch before working out. Give your body a chance to recover from exercise. If you do high impact activities take every other day off. Avoid running up and down stairs and full squats. Doing knee exercises to strengthen and stretch the muscles that support the knee are vital for knee pain and injury prevention. Proper footwear is also important, especially if walking or running on hard surfaces. Keep your weight under control. Reducing one's weight reduces stress upon the knee.

Most knee pain is treated conservatively, but there are situations in which surgery is required. Athletes are at an elevated risk for sudden injuries that may require surgery, such as torn ligaments in the center of the knee or certain types of fractures. People with advanced knee osteoarthritis may need knee replacement surgery if they are severely limited in day-to- day activities because of their condition. This is optional surgery and is a last resort.

Most knee conditions respond to a combination of non-invasive treatments such as applying heat or cold, temporarily restraining from activities that aggravate pain, and medications that target pain and inflammation. Exercises to strengthen the muscles that support the knee help reduce stress on the knee joint and prevent re-injury.

Wouldn't it be great if you can wake up the next day without any knee pain? It would be awesome if you no longer had to put up with knee pain right? Well guys, it's like the saying goes, "there are no overnight fixes" and this is true with almost everything. But fear not, there are ways, moreless uncommon, to relieve knee pain. Just listen in and follow these steps to relieve your pain. Write these down for future reference.

Strengthen The Knee

It's simple logic, to make anything in your body pain free, make it stronger. To relieve your leg pain you make it stronger, to relieve tension you stretch etc. A good way to strengthen your knee is to strengthen your quadriceps. The strength of your quadriceps directly relates to how stable your knees are, the more strength in the quads the better your knee will feel. To safely and painlessly strengthen your quads, do cycling, preferably in a stationary bike with resistance. Cycling has zero impact on your knees, which makes it the best way to make your knees stronger. Try cycling for about 15 minutes per day. You'll find it quite helpful.

Keep The Knee Relaxed

To keep your knee relaxed make sure it's fully extended but not forcefully extended, that would cause more knee pain. To reduce any swelling elevate and ice it for about 15 minutes. This helps relieve pain by restricting blood flow. When you sleep, be sure to place a pillow or two under the knee with pain.

Massage Your Knee

A very effective way to massage your knee is to slowly move your patella in a circular motion. Try to do it rather slowly, gently, but firm, this loosens unstable tissue within the knee and helps get rid of it. Sometimes pain is caused by scar tissue in the knee. This procedure helps with healing the scar tissue.

Wear A Knee Brace

For those who have knee pain during the day, and most people do, try wearing a brace. It helps with keeping your knee stabilized while walking. Keeping your knee stabilized is vital to reducing your pain because the reason the knee hurts is because some sort of motion or movement damaged the knee. Stabilizing it can help heal scar tissue as well.

Avoid placing the phone between your shoulder & ear while talking as it can put strain on your neck. If you use the phone frequently, use a headset.

Many people have a habit of talking in a phone while placing the phone between their shoulder and ear. This can add strain to your neck leading to neck pain.

Feeling pain in your joints due to arthritis or other inflammatory disorders? Consume flaxseed oil by adding 1-3 tablespoons of it in your diet daily.

Omega-3 fatty acids present in flaxseed are the healthiest of fats for people with arthritis or other inflammatory disorders. These fatty acids encourages the production of body chemicals that help control inflammation - in the joints, the bloodstream, and the tissues. According to a review of the research on omega-3 fatty acids and health in American Family Physician, omega-3 (in doses of 3 grams or more per day) has been found effective for those with rheumatoid arthritis, reducing morning stiffness and the number of joints that are tender or swollen.