Sanitation | Understanding Diseases and Health

Diet Snacks

December 22, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The worst part about being on a diet is the fact that you tend to get hungry. Sometimes it even feels like you are hungrier than normal, and all the available choices will ruin your diet. There is something about telling yourself that you are not allowed to eat something, which makes you want to eat even more. So here is some good news, you can eat. Whether you have decided to watch your diet based on caloric intake, fat percentage, carbohydrates, or any other type of factor, here are some foods, that are good for you, good for your diet, and will help you shrink down to fit into that perfect outfit.
For starters, for the calorie and fat percentage counters, pretzels make a fantastic snack; for example, twenty of the slim slick pretzels equal 100 calories, and next to nothing in fat. For the carbohydrate dieters, almonds make a great snack. Ten almonds a day actually helps you lose weight because of the calcium they contain. It is a proven fact that calcium can help you lose those extra pounds, especially around the belly. For those that are simply looking for low calorie fillers try baked chips, apples, or a piece of hard candy.
Remember to always follow your snack up with a large glass of water. This will make your snack seem more filling. You can even spruce it up with a flavor pouch. Try not to tell yourself that you can’t eat, rather, what you will eat next. It has been proven that eating six small meals a day will help you lose weight better than three. So find foods that fit into your diet plan, prepare, measure, and pack them in advance, so when you find yourself to be in a hurry, you will not be tempted to find something fast and unhealthy.

Filed Under: Health, Nutrition, Sanitation Tagged With: Calorie, diet, Snack food, Weight loss

When Ticks Get Out of Control

November 20, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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In the United States, certain areas are more prone to certain pests than others. Typically, areas with forests and longer grasses have a higher risk of ticks than hot dessert climates. Areas with large wildlife populations can increase this risk as well. This might not be a problem if ticks didn’t carry and transfer Lyme disease to humans.

Lyme disease can impair the nervous system, making it so a person can’t even walk. In its worst state, it can kill. Because of the health risks, it is important for people to take precautions to help reduce the possibility of getting bit by a tick.

People who have dogs or cats should be using some type of over-the-counter treatment to kill ticks. These topical medications usually kill ticks for up to one month’s time. You can find the medication for different weights and animals. You can also keep your animal’s hair trimmed. Shorter hair makes it more difficult for ticks to stick on the animal as it passes nearby.

Adults should check themselves for any ticks when they return indoors. It’s also important to check younger children. Wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks can reduce the chances of getting a tick.

In some cases, these tips are enough to keep you and your loved ones tick free. However, it is possible for an infestation to occur. When this happens, preventative measure become less effective. Sometimes, it takes the state or the government jumping in to help with a problem.

Just as certain areas treat for mosquitoes every year, your area can treat for ticks. This will typically include spraying a pesticide over the infested area and repeating treatment as needed.

If you take preventive measures and the ticks keep coming back, it may be time for you to try a new route. Contact your local authorities to see what they can do.

Filed Under: Health Care, Sanitation Tagged With: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Conditions and Diseases, Health, Infectious disease, Lyme disease, Spirochetal, Tick, United States

Should You Switch to Using E Cigarettes?

September 16, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

If you want to quit smoking and have found it to be quite a struggle in your life, you should definitely look into switching to an electronic cigarette to give you an advantage in kicking the habit. Also known as an E cigarette or E cig, they provide a lot of advantages for an individual when compared side by side with using normal tobacco cigarettes.

One of the best things about E cigarettes is that they only contain a fraction of the nicotine that is found in regular cigarettes. They also don’t have the other 2000 harmful chemicals in them, which is a huge health benefit! With the E cigarette, over time, a smoker can adjust and lower the level of nicotine they take in and use different filters that can help them to gradually reduce their nicotine dependence and quit smoking for good!

Another great advantage with E cigarettes is that you are able to use them in non-smoking places and areas where you normally wouldn’t be able to smoke regular cigarettes. You will be able to freely enjoy them in restaurants and bars without bothering others around you or worrying about the effects of your second hand smoke on them either. Also, electronic cigarettes don’t emit the strong, awful odor that regular tobacco cigarettes do. Therefore you won’t be making your clothes, curtains, or upholstery have that awful tobacco stench as well.

Additionally, the E cigarette even looks, tastes and feels just like a regular cigarette. However, instead of producing smoke, it’s a vapor that the user inhales. Also, It gives a dose of nicotine that is a whole lot safer and better for you than smoking a regular cigarette does. So, go get yourself an E cigarette today and start down the path to quit smoking and having a longer, healthier and much happier life!

Filed Under: Doctors Notes, Health Care, Sanitation Tagged With: Electronic cigarette, Health, Tobacco smoking

Kitchen Safety is Not Only About Cuts and Burns

August 17, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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Cold food must always be stored in a refrigerator with an air temperature no higher 38 degrees Fahrenheit, and food must be no warmer than 41 degrees. Produce does well in the lower 40’s but seafood should be kept in the lower 30’s. Your food temperature in the freezer should be below 0 degrees Fahrenheit unless it is being thawed for consumption. When thawing frozen food, the refrigerator (at 41 degrees or lower) is ideal, but can take time. If the food must be thawed more quickly, the item can be placed in a water bath that maintains both a constant stream of running water through it and a temperature below 70 degrees. If the temperature gets too high, ice may be added to the bath to bring down the temperature. Be sure that any item or surface that comes in contact with raw meat does not come in contact with any other food item, including cooked meat.

When cooking food, meats and proteins in particular, it is extremely important to heat food to a proper temperature and have it consumed very soon afterwards. As the temperature drops, it becomes dangerous, as food that is between 70 degrees and 120 degrees is a perfect breeding ground for illness inducing bacteria. 165 degrees Fahrenheit is a good guideline to stick to when checking the temperature on your meat, as that is a temp that will ensure the protein is safe to eat. Certain meats can be served at lower temperatures but if you won’t remember them all, then 165 degrees is the guideline to use. For those cooks who prefer that their meat is not overdone, remember that steaks, seafood, and roasts are safe at 145 degrees. Eggs, ground beef, and pork cuts can be served at 160 degrees, while poultry like chicken must always be served at 165 degrees, no exceptions.

Many do not realize that eating tainted food can be life threatening. Unless you’ve worked in the food industry, you may never have been taught what is and isn’t safe in the kitchen. A little know how can save you.
Cold food must always be stored in a refrigerator with an air temperature no higher 38 degrees Fahrenheit, and food must be no warmer than 41 degrees. Produce does well in the lower 40’s but seafood should be kept in the lower 30’s. Your food temperature in the freezer should be below 0 degrees Fahrenheit unless it is being thawed for consumption. When thawing frozen food, the refrigerator (at 41 degrees or lower) is ideal, but can take time. If the food must be thawed more quickly, the item can be placed in a water bath that maintains both a constant stream of running water through it and a temperature below 70 degrees. If the temperature gets too high, ice may be added to the bath to bring down the temperature. Be sure that any item or surface that comes in contact with raw meat does not come in contact with any other food item, including cooked meat.
When cooking food, meats and proteins in particular, it is extremely important to heat food to a proper temperature and have it consumed very soon afterwards. As the temperature drops, it becomes dangerous, as food that is between 70 degrees and 120 degrees is a perfect breeding ground for illness inducing bacteria. 165 degrees Fahrenheit is a good guideline to stick to when checking the temperature on your meat, as that is a temp that will ensure the protein is safe to eat. Certain meats can be served at lower temperatures but if you won’t remember them all, then 165 degrees is the guideline to use. For those cooks who prefer that their meat is not overdone, remember that steaks, seafood, and roasts are safe at 145 degrees. Eggs, ground beef, and pork cuts can be served at 160 degrees, while poultry like chicken must always be served at 165 degrees, no exceptions.

Filed Under: Doctors Notes, Health, Health Care, Sanitation Tagged With: Beef mince, Cook, Pork, Temperature

Adult Acne Can Be Treatable

August 13, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image by Samuel Hansen via Flickr

Gentle, sensitive skin care is likely to be more helpful than harsh treatments. Choose a gentle cleanser, exfoliant, light toner, and a moisturizer that doesn’t clog pores. Many opt to not use moisturizer, thinking that they are starving the acne by drying it out but actually, your skin will compensate by creating more oils, and when mixed with dead skin cells and microscopic debris, pores are clogged and pimples are created. If adding pimple medications like spot treatments, salicylic acid and benzoil peroxide products are fine, but should not be overly used. Make sure that your skin is regularly and gently exfoliated to remove pore clogging particles. Retinoids are a great option as well. They exfoliate the skin aiding in the reduction of both pimples and line that have formed. It’s a great option for adults needing help with both issues. Always use non-comedogenic sunscreen when retinoids are a part of your routine, as it makes you more susceptible to sun damage and irritation.

Keep your hands off your face as much as possible. Touching your face very gently with very clean hands can help make huge progress in clearing up your skin. Many breakouts are spread when people try to rupture their blemishes in an attempt to get rid of them.

All make up and skin care products should examined thoroughly. Familiarize yourself with comedogenic (pore clogging) ingredients so you will always be able to spot them and do not trust a label just because it advertises that it’s good for your skin. Many such products still contain ingredients that are acnegenic (or hospitable to acne). Petroleum products are the biggest problem, with mineral oil and petrolatum being used in many products, especially in products geared for mature customers.

For adults who deal with acne, it’s embarrassing and frustrating dealing with a situation that you thought you would be done with by adulthood. Battling pimples and wrinkles at the same time is not what most of us had in mind when we considered what being a grown up would be like. Changes in your routine or using new products may help.
Gentle, sensitive skin care is likely to be more helpful than harsh treatments. Choose a gentle cleanser, exfoliant, light toner, and a moisturizer that doesn’t clog pores. Many opt to not use moisturizer, thinking that they are starving the acne by drying it out but actually, your skin will compensate by creating more oils, and when mixed with dead skin cells and microscopic debris, pores are clogged and pimples are created. If adding pimple medications like spot treatments, salicylic acid and benzoil peroxide products are fine, but should not be overly used. Make sure that your skin is regularly and gently exfoliated to remove pore clogging particles. Retinoids are a great option as well. They exfoliate the skin aiding in the reduction of both pimples and line that have formed. It’s a great option for adults needing help with both issues. Always use non-comedogenic sunscreen when retinoids are a part of your routine, as it makes you more susceptible to sun damage and irritation.
Keep your hands off your face as much as possible. Touching your face very gently with very clean hands can help make huge progress in clearing up your skin. Many breakouts are spread when people try to rupture their blemishes in an attempt to get rid of them.
All make up and skin care products should examined thoroughly. Familiarize yourself with comedogenic (pore clogging) ingredients so you will always be able to spot them and do not trust a label just because it advertises that it’s good for your skin. Many such products still contain ingredients that are acnegenic (or hospitable to acne). Petroleum products are the biggest problem, with mineral oil and petrolatum being used in many products, especially in products geared for mature customers.

Filed Under: Doctors Notes, Health Care, Sanitation Tagged With: Acne vulgaris, Beauty, Pimple, Skin Care

Sneak More Nutrition Into Your Diet

August 13, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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Diets are extremely varied throughout the world but one thing that is becoming more common is the lack of variety within the diets of the first world nations. With many people turning to prepackaged foods as well as many other processed foods, white flour, sugar, sodium, and fat have become staples, eliminating or at least drastically cutting the amount of multi-colored vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains from their diets. What fruits, vegetables, and meats that are being eaten are genetically modified and hormonally injected. Modern food is not the same today as it was many years ago. Even a common apple is much larger, and more “perfect looking” than a predecessor from 40 years ago, but many people will tell you that the modern apple probably has half the flavor as well. As such, many vital nutrients are lacking from the modern diet.

With malnourishment being an issue, especially among people who are anything but undernourished, changes are appropriate. There are plenty of ways to increase the nutrients you intake. Drastic, major changes are not the only way to supplement your diet either. Baby steps are easy ways to incorporate change without feeling like you have turned your world upside down. You may find that you won’t only enjoy some of the changes, but you will feel infinitely better physically, emotionally, and mentally as well.

Vitamins are a great place to start. A daily multivitamin can fill in a lot of nutritional holes right away. It is easy to pop one pill in the morning with your breakfast and feel the boost right away. The more nutrients in your breakfast, the better your vitamin will be absorbed as the nutrients will “piggyback” their way into your system.

Juicing is another painless way to start packing more nutrients into your system. High quality juicers can be found online and in stores starting in the one hundred dollar range. Fresh juice is not only delicious, but you will feel the pep immediately. If you don’t want to buy a juicer, many grocery stores and juice counters have great options available too.

Filed Under: Health, Health Care, Miscellaneous, Sanitation Tagged With: Multivitamin, Nutrients, Vegetable, Vitamin

Do Your Health Homework

August 12, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

In today’s society, medical doctors carry a lot of clout. Since nothing is more important that a person’s well being, it is important that you have a good relationship with a medical professional that you trust and astonishingly, very few people put any time into researching the doctors they see. While you should never start a health regime with out consulting with a physician, you need to have a good grasp on who that physician is and that they are worthy of your trust as well.

Did your doctor get good marks throughout medical school or did they barely skate by? Have they had complaints about their practice? Have there been an inordinate amount of malpractice law suits filed against them? Are they board certified? What kind of ongoing medical training and education do they receive? These are things you should know when you make an appointment to interview a prospective physician. Do you want a doctor who got great grades in the 1980’s but never did any research again? With science changing as quickly as it does, you want someone who stays abreast on current development. Likewise, do you want a doctor who got mediocre grades and didn’t do their best? Do you want someone who doesn’t have the passion to be the best at what they do? Additionally, but less importantly, what are their practice guidelines? If you’re ill, can you get an appointment and is the office managed well?

If you are diagnosed with a difficult condition, do you want someone who knows what they’re talking about, is proficient in the latest treatments, is open minded to all potential cures, and who will judge based on their caring and understanding of you and your condition, or because writing a script to get rid of you is easiest and most profitable route? When deciding who your health care professional will be, do your homework. Read ratings and comments posted by patients online. Look up their certifications and complaints. You may save yourself a major headache. Medical care costs a lot, and your money is the least of it.

Filed Under: Health, Health Care, Health Insurance, Sanitation Tagged With: Health care, Medical Specialties, Medicine, Organizations

Children Who Eat Vegetables Are Not Urban Myths

August 11, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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Most babies love pureed peas, smashed carrots, and sweet potatoes, so why don’t most tots and older children? Some argue that children simply lose the taste for them, especially if they are at all bitter. Others say that pop culture and peer influence plays a huge role. When children see other children or their favorite television characters shunning veggies, they mimic the behavior. When the cool kids are only eating grilled cheese sandwiches, pepperoni pizza, and processed chicken nuggets, they act in turn. After a steady diet of processed meats, sugars, salts, and starches, they are likely to lose their taste for the subtlety, freshness, and sweetness that is inherent in fresh produce.

Most children love hands on activities. Gardening is a great skill that is easy and economical to start. Tots will love digging in the dirt and picking fresh veggies that are ready to eat. Older kids love helping to plan and choose which vegetables they want to nurture. When they feel invested in the process, they will easily fall in love with vegetables. Vegetables are also most flavorful when eaten very fresh so they will be exposed to and ingrained with the most positive aspects of vegetables. It’s a great skill and mentality to give your children.

There are other ways to spruce up veggies too. Lightly sautéing them in healthy olive oil with a little bit of salt and pepper makes almost any veggie tasty. Add sweet onions and a little garlic for a tasty dish. Dips are great too. Strawberry yogurt is delicious with fruit and a light ranch dressing is always fun for kids. Dishes like lasagna, spaghetti, and burritos are great ways of hiding extra veggies that kids won’t even see while gobbling them down.

While it’s true that many children have an aversion towards vegetables, you do not have to be resigned in thinking that there are no other options. Reintroducing nutritional education for all learning levels can be fun and interactive. Making vegetables more palatable is not difficult either. Sneaking vegetables into other foods is a great supplemental (or last!) resort.
Most babies love pureed peas, smashed carrots, and sweet potatoes, so why don’t most tots and older children? Some argue that children simply lose the taste for them, especially if they are at all bitter. Others say that pop culture and peer influence plays a huge role. When children see other children or their favorite television characters shunning veggies, they mimic the behavior. When the cool kids are only eating grilled cheese sandwiches, pepperoni pizza, and processed chicken nuggets, they act in turn. After a steady diet of processed meats, sugars, salts, and starches, they are likely to lose their taste for the subtlety, freshness, and sweetness that is inherent in fresh produce.
Most children love hands on activities. Gardening is a great skill that is easy and economical to start. Tots will love digging in the dirt and picking fresh veggies that are ready to eat. Older kids love helping to plan and choose which vegetables they want to nurture. When they feel invested in the process, they will easily fall in love with vegetables. Vegetables are also most flavorful when eaten very fresh so they will be exposed to and ingrained with the most positive aspects of vegetables. It’s a great skill and mentality to give your children.
There are other ways to spruce up veggies too. Lightly sautéing them in healthy olive oil with a little bit of salt and pepper makes almost any veggie tasty. Add sweet onions and a little garlic for a tasty dish. Dips are great too. Strawberry yogurt is delicious with fruit and a light ranch dressing is always fun for kids. Dishes like lasagna, spaghetti, and burritos are great ways of hiding extra veggies that kids won’t even see while gobbling them down.

Filed Under: Child Health, Illness, Nutrition, Sanitation Tagged With: Cheese sandwich, Olive oil, Ranch dressing, Vegetable

Tips to Help New Parents Keep Baby Healthy

August 4, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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When taking home a new baby from the hospital for the first time, many first time parents are completely perplexed and overwhelmed at their new responsibility. Even if one has extensive experience babysitting, changing diapers, and making bottles, having a child of your own changes everything. Many first time parents cannot believe that the hospital, doctors, or government actually entrusted them with the new little life that they are in charge of keeping safe and healthy. While there are many books on the market about different parenting strategies, they are all from different voices and very often contradictory, leading parents to doubt their innate instincts to make good choices, and the ability to do the job effectively. Since there is no handbook, a checklist with a few necessary tasks can be very helpful in organizing one’s thoughts and feeling back in control of the situation.

When newborns are hungry, they often root around looking for food before they cry in hunger. Feeding them during that period prevents them from getting too upset to eat well. Once you have seen it a few times, you will know the cues that are unique to your baby. Fussiness is also similar with eye rubbing and head bobbing as they get sleepier. Check diapers frequently and you will soon notice a correlation between an irritated fuss or cry and other cues for pain, sleepiness, and hunger.

Most umbilical cords stay attached for a few weeks after birth. Disinfect the area at least once daily with 70-100% rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab. While it may make you squeamish, you need to be gentle but very thorough when cleaning. If it starts to smell unpleasant or is not drying out, make sure you show your pediatrician. They can recommend the appropriate treatment when they see it. Do not try to remove the cord stump as it should be allowed to shed itself when it is ready. When bathing the baby, use a special newborn net that comes with most baby bathtubs to prevent the baby from being submerged. The cord should remain as dry as possible.

Filed Under: Child Health, Health Care, Sanitation Tagged With: Diaper, Infant, Umbilical cord

Is There Such A Thing As Too Clean?

July 9, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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In millennia past, there have been all kinds of plagues and pestilence. Mortality rates for human beings were shockingly high by today’s standards. Life expectancy throughout most of history was half of what it is in the modern world within the first world nations. There obviously were many factors in play but what were the most common denominators across the board? Sanitation and the cleanliness of available water were big influences in determining how disease flourished or dwindled throughout a society.

Methods like fermentation were groundbreaking in making hydration available. Particularly in lands that were not always privy to consistent moisture, storing water was essential for survival. But water can easily become dangerously contaminated when not stored properly and in ancient times, knowing how to store it properly was not information that was available. Beer, mead, wine, and other types of alcoholic beverages were made by fermenting sugars derived from grains or fruits and were essential to the survival of some societies, as they had a much longer shelf life than improperly stored water.

Waste management was a major issue as well. During the Industrial Revolution in America, there was much wealth and commerce in the epicenter of American culture at the time, New York City. Because of the massive population growth at the time from immigration, many shoddy tenements popped up with people crammed in from wall to wall. Without any proper system for waste disposal, disease rates skyrocketed and mortality rates went through the barely constructed roofs. When a proper sanitation system was instilled, the disease rates drastically dropped. Obviously, cleanliness was a major issue in preventing illness.

Many people, however, are arguing that we have taken it to an extreme today. Most people know that washing hands after using restroom facilities, before eating and preparing food, and whenever contact with an ill person has taken place increases one’s chances of remaining healthy. But with the rampant use of hand sanitizers by some, the argument is that our immune systems are not getting enough exposure to bacteria to fight infection. Slightly relaxing their standards may sustain optimum health.

Filed Under: Diseases, Epidemic, Health, Illness, Sanitation Tagged With: Alcoholic beverage, Human, Industrial Revolution, New York City, Population growth, Waste management