Health and Wellness

Archive for May, 2010

Brush your teeth thoroughly at least twice a day to remove plaque.

1. The practice of brushing is important because it prevents the buildup of dental plaque. Plaque is the tiny filmy white coating that accumulates daily on the teeth.
2. Plaque causes the two most common diseases found in the mouth, dental decay and gum disease.
3. The longer dental plaque is permitted to stick to the teeth, the greater the risk of dental disease.
4. Brush your teeth thoroughly at least twice a day to remove plaque.

Dental floss is the best way to clean the tooth surfaces between the teeth.

Dental floss is the best way to clean the tooth surfaces between the teeth. As with brushing, flossing is critical and will also assist in controlling plaque formation.

Here are a few tips for flossing.

1. Use a 12-18 inch length of floss. Wrap the floss around your middle fingers.    Hold the floss between the thumb and forefinger of each hand.
2. Leave about 2 inches (5cm) of floss between the hands. The floss must be taut when it is used.
3. Gently guide the floss across the contact point between the teeth.
4. When the floss is in position between the teeth, curve it tightly against one tooth surface and rub it up and down a few times.

If you have heart disease, or think you do, there’s a lot you can do to protect your heart health. This fact sheet gives you the key steps to control the disease, including how to survive a heart attack and prevent serious damage to heart muscle.

What Is Heart Disease?

Coronary heart disease often simply called heart disease occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle become hardened and narrowed due to a buildup of plaque on the inner walls of the arteries.

Getting Tested

If you have been told that you have heart disease, you may have had one or more screening tests. Tests for blood pressure and cholesterol levels are often done as part of routine physicals. Additional tests that may indicate heart muscle damage or blood flow problems help doctors evaluate the severity of your condition.

Risk Factors

Risk factors are health conditions or habits that increase the chances of developing a disease or having it worsen. Because you already have heart disease, you’ll need to work especially hard to control your risk factors.

Treatment

Heart disease and its risk factors can be treated in three ways: by making heart healthy changes in your daily habits, by taking medication, and in some cases, by having a medical procedure.

Asthma is a dangerous disease which is consider as a major threat to all the people all over the world.

1. ALWAYS carry your reliever (blue) puffer with you.
2. Have an “asthma plan” with your family and friends and your workplace or school.
3. Remember that asthma need not stop you from achieving your goals in life, whatever these might be. You just need to plan effectively.
4. Know your triggers and avoid these where possible (eg: particular foods, medications, chemicals and pollutants).

1. Remember that whilst exercise can be a trigger for an attack, with the right approach it can be managed effectively and can limit the impact of asthma in your life.
2. Always warm up and cool down before and after exercise with 10 to 20 minutes of light exercise and stretches.
3. Check with your doctor as to which puffer you should use before engaging in exercise and use this 5 to 10 minutes prior to your warm up.
4. Visit your doctor at least every 6 months to review your asthma and general management of asthma.
5. Be familiar with first aid procedures for managing emergencies and ensure that family and friends are also familiar with these.
6. Remember that your thoughts play a crucial role in how you manage your asthma. Worrying thoughts and the stress associated with these can severely impact on your quality of life.