Protecting Ourselves from H1N1

We should protect ourselves and other family members from getting the infection.

I. How do we protect ourselves and others from getting infected by the influenza A(H1N1) virus?

If we have family members who are sick, we should:

i. Improve personal hygiene for all: We should clean their hands often, especially before touching our nose, mouth and eyes, using soap and water or hand sanitisers. After that, we should dry our hands with paper towels or dedicated cloth towels. Commonly used household items or frequently touched surfaces should also be cleaned regularly with detergent.



ii. Stay home: We should advise persons with influenza-like illness not to leave home before they are symptom-free, especially when they are still having fever. (Patients are likely to spread the virus from one day before they develop symptoms to up to seven days after they get sick. They are most infectious when they are having fever.)

iii. Keep your distance: We should avoid being face-to-face with the sick person. When holding small children who are sick, we should place their chins on our shoulders so that they will not cough in our faces. Household contacts, especially those who are at high risk (see below), should try to stay at least 1 meter away from the patient, whenever possible.



iv. Wear a mask: If a person with the influenza-like illness needs to leave the home (e.g for medical care), they should wear a surgical mask, and practise cough etiquette and good hand hygiene.

v. Try not to share: It is preferable for the sick individual to stay in a room separate from other household members, whenever possible. Linen, eating utensils and dishes belonging to those who are sick do not need to be cleaned separately, but these items should not be shared without washing thoroughly first with water and soap.

Adapted from The Star Newspaper http://www.clovetwo.com/articles/story.asp?file=/2009/9/27/healthnfitness/4778560&sec=healthnfitness#

Antioxidants sources

Nowadays we hear advertisements on antioxidants. Let's explore what antioxidant really are, how they benefit us and where do we get them.

Antioxidants helps to combat the damaging effects of free radicals and protect our skin and bodies cells. Free radical damage is caused by the effects of the suns harmful rays, pollution, cigarette smoke, unhealthy diets, medications and other external environmental factors.

Our bodies require a daily supply of antioxidants internally and externally to Studies have shown that antioxidants can help to slow the ageing process and antioxidants absorbed through food can help to fight disease and regenerate cells and this promotes and maintains healthy cell function..

Rich sources of antioxidants include:

Green Tea Liquid Extract – rich source of antioxidants*
Olive Oil – antioxidant properties*
Green Tea Liquid Extract*
Vitamin C Isopalmitate – antioxidant, aids collagen production
Vitamin E Natural - antioxidant, healing*
Vitamin A Palmitate – antioxidant, repairing*Alpha Lipoic acid
Vitamin E*
Coenzyme Q10
Rosemary Antioxidant*
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Extra Virgin Olive Oil*

*Our soaps are rich with some of these ingredients. For more information, ask us about it.

Thank you for reading.

Source : http://www.newdirections.com.au

How many times do you wash your hands with soap in a day?

Hi everyone,

I picked up an article I read from the Internet. As children we are taught to wash our hands after using the bathroom, before and after every meal, when we cough or sneeze into our hands, when we play with our pets, or handle dirty laundry and after playing outside. We are taught that by washing our hands before and after doing the above, our hands are free from germs hence we are on our way to a healthier lifestyle. But we may be forgetting the most important part of our hand washing routine, hence let us look at the essence of hand washing.

With the recent outbreak of the Swine Flu in Mexico and the United States, and Now it's HERE... It is advised that we should all be extra careful and take more precautions in our daily hygiene care... We have to make the conscious effort to ensure that we wash our hands on a regular basis, by observing the proper techniques and using an appropriate cleaning agent.

For more information, click on the link below...

Source : http://clovetwo.com/articles/story.asp?file=/2009/5/4/healthnfitness/20090504091601&sec=healthnfitness

Make handwashing a healthy habit

Through handwashing can help prevent disease

Washing your hand with soap can protect yourself from many illness caused by viruses and bacteria which you can easily pick up when you touch people, animals or surfaces. If not removed, these germs may get into contact with your eyes, nose, mouth and other parts of our body, thus allowing the germs to spread and you getting ill easily.

Germs are very microscopic and we can't see them. No one is ever safe from germs, so washing your hands frequently is a very good habit to disinfect and safeguard against them.

So when do we wash our hands?

As a general rule,we MUST wash our hands before and after eating, after using the bathroom and after playing with pet, after sports, after handling or moving objects, and at all means, as frequently possible.

Wash your hands with soap? 'No need, no time.'

I read a random article which I found in the net today. Click here to read more about it.

The article states that Singaporeans are washing their hands more often with soap and some of them even wash their hands twice. Washing hands with soap is a great way to stay away from germs. In fact, it is something which everyone should cultivate, especially NOW, when the H1N1 Virus is spreading across the globe. The best way to prevent it is by keeping healthy, staying healthy, clean and hygene - Do lots of exercise and have lots of Vitamin C to boost your immune system against threats.

Body Odor

Here are some information on body odor

Body odor, especially those emiting from the arm pits and groin were supposed to attract the opposite gender.

But when the odor becomes offensive, it could have exactly opposite effect!

Causes of body odor:

• Sweating


• Bacterial infection


• Fungal infection


• Garlic, fish, mutton, cumin and spices in the food


• Occlusive dressing


• Pungent odors in the surrounding area


• Certain diseases like diabetes, ketoacidosis etc

Reducing Body Odor: Tips

• Wash well with soap and water after sweating & outdoor trips


• Avoid occlusive dresses


• Avoid offensive spices and food items


• Drink lots of water and fresh fruit juices


• Learn to relax: stress induces sweating and secretion of pheromones which produce body odors.


• Use antiperspirants if you sweat more


• If nothing works, have a full physical check up and lab investigations to find any internal causes

Source : http://skin-care-tips-from-dermatologist.com/body_odor.htm

Thank you for reading!

Sunburnt!

Last week I went to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah for a vacation trip. In the trip, I went for Rapid Whit Water Rafting, Climb Mt Kinabalu (Highest in south east Asia 4095.5m a.s.l.), and to the hot springs. It was an exciting and memorable holiday with two other buddies I went with.

I got sunburn during my trip and it caused me to burn like Hell! I bought some Aloe Vera cream to cool down the burns. It felt like my skin was burning like as if hot waters were poured onto it! Imagine the feeling! Blazed like fires from hell! Nah, overexagerating... Anyway it looks bad.

After my trip, I went back home, took my bath with Loofah soap which helped me remove the dead skin cells surfacing from my skin. It really helped. Took a picture of how it looks before and after and it be a great experience to share using Loofah soaps.

Taiwan soap-making sharing

This week, I will share my experience attending a talk given by Mr Yuan from Taiwan. He is the founder and respected Yuan soap products.

Yuan soaps are unique as they are purely hand-made and do not contain any colouring, do not have a specific shape and contain natural herbs from his bio-organic farm (bio-organic refers to having water, air, sunlight, furtile soil, plants, trees, birds, worms, and all of nature have to offer) in Taiwan.

He emphasizes on the use of nature into his products, where he uses sunlight to 'cure' his soaps instead of leaving it to cure in room tempreture. 'This will give special radiation and energy flowing into the soap from the sunlight' he says.

Mr Yuan also explained the difference between handmade soap, cream soap, and commercial soaps. He states that if you were showering with any soap, there will be bubbles. If you blew the bubbles and they were to afloat, it shows that the soap has lots of chemicals which are not good for use. He further explained that these chemicals are harmful for consumption. Those bubbles which sinks conversely shows that the soap quality is rich and are good for use.

Someone in the crowd asked a question 'Are all hand-made soaps suitable for all skin types? What if I have some irritation?' Different people have different irritation. The irritation were caused not because of the soap, but because of body not being healthy, and is resistant to certain responses in the environment, for example, if your hand touches a hot glass, your hand would instantly react by releasing the glass. The same goes for our body. If our body is elergic to some food or some herbs, thus we may feel uncomfortable and then avoid it. Therefore it is important for us to know our own body before consuming any product, whether it be consumables or not.

I have tried a couple of Yuan soap and Soapy soap before venturing into our own hand-made soaps. They are very special and unique in their own manner. The aroma from Yuan soaps are very strong and leaves a powerful scent to the whole bathroom during and after shower. It is said that some of the ingredients used in Yuan soap can . ward off insects, body odor, headaches, dendruffs.

I certainly learn a lot from his talk. Very informative and true facts based on common sense. I hope you learn a little too after reading this blog.

I will write again soon and share my thoughts on handmade-soaps. In my next blog, I will write about how I learnt that handmade-soaps were so wonderful to use. I will never change back to use those liquid soaps, shampoos, conditioners and such. Even for my hair, I avoid using gel-based products. Using cream or oil-based products instead.

Thank you for reading.