Category: Health

3 REASONS WHY it would have paid for you to get a mask a 6 months ago

Wearing masks might be the new normal today, but did you know that you should have had one months ago? Believe it or not, masks are a must-have for most people, especially since we deal with pollution and other harmful substances that can affect our lungs every day. It might not seem like it, but prolonged exposure to these things and unhealthy habits can have severe effects later on in our lives.

For you to understand the importance of masks, here are three reasons why you need one:

  1. Cleaner Lungs

The common answer for using masks is so that you can protect your lungs and breathe in clean and filtered air. You can avoid a stuffy nose caused by allergens such as pollen or dust. You can also prevent dry coughs by minimizing the risks of getting a cold during the changing of seasons. Another important factor is that filtered air can also shield you from various substances and conditions that will cause lung damage. These can include the following:

  • Smoking – Cigarette smoke produces toxic substances that can cause lung damage because it triggers inflammation and destroys air passages and air sacs, as stated by the Lung Health Institute.
  • Household Substances – From VOCs, radon to asbestos and mold, there are several materials that can be found in homes that can lead to lung damage.
  • Pollution – It can be indoor or outdoor pollution and consistently breathing in these air pollutants can cause lung inflammation, and in worst cases, lung damage.

  1. Comfortability

Who doesn’t want to be comfortable anywhere and at any place? By wearing masks with a high quality filter, you’ll have safety assurance since you would be able to protect your lungs from any toxic and harmful substances or viruses. These days, various masks are used to safeguard people from the spread of the coronavirus and other airborne diseases. Not to mention also that during traffic pollution, you can minimize the risks by wearing masks. For those who drive motorbikes, you are more prone to air pollutants caused by traffic congestion. Thus, it is always better to regularly wear your mask as you travel.

  1. Long-Term Illness Prevention

Air pollution is something that can be hard to escape. Regardless of where you live, it is all around us. According to WHO , “microscopic pollutants in the air can slip past our body’s defenses, penetrating deep into our respiratory and circulatory system, damaging our lungs, heart and brain.” This is why at least 2.5 million people worldwide die each year from the long-term health effects caused by exposure to air pollution, as stated by National Geographic. Because of deadly lung diseases, heart disease, cancer, and other respiratory diseases, air pollution shouldn’t be taken lightly. For these reasons, you can see how crucial it is to wear a mask. This will help reduce exposure to all these pollutants and prevent any prolonged effects.

If you consider all these three reasons, masks are definitely something you need for a lifetime. As much as possible, avoid inhaling substances that can cause damage to your health. As they say, it is better to be safe than sorry. 

Here are Quick Ways to Break Up a Cold

We all have experienced colds all too well. The changing of the seasons is often not welcomed by many because it brings about unwanted colds or the flu. We start getting scratchy and sore throats, and then we have a hard time breathing because of our stuffy noses.

With each sneeze and blow of the nose, we can’t help but think about how often we take our once decongested nose for granted. Although we do our best to have a healthy immune system by exercising or eating healthy foods, there are just times that a cold finds its way in.

That is why we look for ways to get better quickly. Here are some natural remedies you can do at home to know how to get rid of a cold overnight without medicine.

Remember to Stay Hydrated

Drink a lot of water as much as you can so you can flush out the cold. This will also break down congestion and keep your throat lubricated, as stated by Hello! Herbal teas and other hot liquids are also great with colds and stuffy noses. Teas such as sage, ginger, or chamomile, among others, help ease sore throats and nasal congestion. A helpful tip that you should also know is that you can drink fresh turmeric tea for its anti-inflammatory properties.

Soup for the Soul, Body, and Mind

As most people would say, soup is good for the soul. When we have colds, we often remember eating soup to make us feel better. There is actually a science behind it. Soup with ingredients like garlic, ginger, onions, or lemongrass help to ease the congestion you get when you’re sick. Its broth, helps thin out mucus.

Make Use of Garlic but Don’t Forget Breath Mints

Eating food with garlic might leave you with smelly breath, but it is known for having antiviral, antimicrobial, and antibiotic properties. Thus, it can help with decongestion in colds and the flu. A study was conducted where during the cold season, people who took garlic supplements for 12 weeks had fewer colds than those who didn’t take them. If you don’t like the pungent taste and smell of raw garlic, you can try smearing it on toast with a bit of olive oil or honey or another dish like sautéed vegetables with garlic.

Get Your Beauty Sleep and Feel Rejuvenated

One of the obvious remedies you can do to fight off a cold is to get some much-needed rest. Don’t force yourself to do anything and let your body heal itself. Get adequate sleep because this is the time that your immune system is enhanced. During sleep, your body fights infections, which means the more sleep that you can get, the higher the chance that you’ll cure your cold in no time. It is also understandable that with stuffy sinuses, sleeping might be hard. What you can do is to put extra pillows under your head to help drain the sinuses. Also, make sure that your room climate is humid to further thin the mucus in your nose.

So, try out these natural remedies and see the results for yourself. Of course, if it is not getting better and keeps getting worse, it is better to go right to a doctor for professional help.

Do YOU Have These Symptoms of Lung Exhaustion?

If you have recently been exercising and doing other vigorous activities, then you might have had a hard time catching your breath. This is actually not unusual, especially if you are not fit. This is because when we exert ourselves, our muscles require more oxygen than when we are resting. Thus, our breathing rate momentarily quickens, and our heart beats faster to meet that need.

But, if a few breathing exercises are not enough to overcome shallow breathing, it might be due to other serious causes. Your breathlessness might be what doctors would call dyspnea.

 What are the symptoms of difficulty in breathing?

According to Roger Maxfield, a professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical, “Even if you feel like you can’t get enough air for a little bit after an activity, that’s okay. But, if you’re short of breath at rest or you’re breathing as hard and deep as you can, and you just don’t get enough air, that’s something that requires professional medical attention.”

Other than the feeling of not taking in enough air, symptoms of dyspnea will include rapid breathing, gasping, anxiety or panic attacks, and increased heart rate.

Underlying Medical Conditions of Breathlessness

  1. Asthma – Difficulty in breathing happens because airways start to spasm and narrow, which makes it harder to breathe.
  2. COPD – Because of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, pushing air out of the lungs is challenging.
  3. Unfit – Inactivity will cause your muscles and heart to be weakened and thus cause breathlessness when exerting energy again.
  4. Heart Disease – When the heart cannot pump enough blood through the body, little oxygen will reach your tissues and therefore affect your breathing.

Other Non-Medical Conditions Causing Breathlessness

  1. Low Indoor or Outdoor Air Quality – Air pollutants can irritate the airways and cause other symptoms, which include shortness of breath and even asthma.
  2. High Altitude – There is less oxygen in the air at altitudes above 4,000 feet, and people who live closer to sea level might feel breathless and light-headed until they become acclimated.
  3. Extreme Weather – When you are exposed to unusual temperatures like excessive heat, for example, it will force your body to maintain its normal temperature by using extra energy. It will also force your lungs to work harder to breathe.

If you think that you might have some of these symptoms, this might be the time for you to do things like improving your breathing by spending more than 12 hours a day in a filtered area or learning a few breathing exercises. There are a lot of things you can do to make your lungs healthy. So, before it becomes more serious, make sure to stay fit and practice good habits for better lungs.

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How to Give Your Children Extra Olive oil, Avocado, Broccoli or White Wine – these 3 Delicious Ways

Changing the way food looks might be your only solution when your children don’t want to eat their vegetables. Offering them fresh vegetables is a great way to get them to try the healthy food you want them to eat, but only if it tastes good to them. Having raw broccoli for example, paired with a delicious pesto or scrumptious humous might be a good way to convince them that they are eating delicious food.

We all know how difficult it is to make children eat healthy food. Most of them don’t like the taste of vegetables. However, we do know the various health benefits that healthy food gives them as they grow older. So, what is the easiest way to make them eat these kinds of foods? Well, to make them delicious, of course.

The healthiest meals contain vegetables rich in nutrients. You can prepare food that tastes bland or boring in many different ways with tasty flavors. You can prepare each dish with ingredients such as olive oil, avocado, broccoli, or white wine to enhance the amount of nutrients and vitamins per meal. These are specifically essential if you want your children to have healthy lungs.

Eating healthy food is a great alternative to protecting the lungs. These 5 vegetables contain vitamins, carbs, protein, and fibers that can help boost lung ability and capacity. For example, broccoli contains fiber and important vitamins like A, B, C, and K. Avocado, on the other hand, has vitamin E, potassium, natural antioxidants, and healthy fats. Thus, below are a few dishes that have everything your children will need.

If your child’s favorite food is pasta or potatoes, there are easy ways to add broccoli with basil as a pesto form, or drizzle olive or avocado oil on the dish after it’s cooked. What this does is keep the oil uncooked, which is far healthier than when it has been heated.

3 Healthy Broccoli Avocado Salad Recipes

Here are 3 recipes we have collected to help you out with your meals:

From  Simple Nourished Living, this is an easy-to-do salad of lightly cooked broccoli and avocado that is tossed with vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence
  • 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 large avocado, cubed
  • 4 cups broccoli, lightly cooked
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to make it?
  1. Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, and Herbs de Provence in a large bowl.
  2. Steam or boil the avocado for under 5 minutes.
  3. Mix the avocado and broccoli into the whisked mixture. Stir gently and then season with salt and pepper.
  4. Serve the salad immediately or store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Another broccoli and avocado recipe is from Kidspot Kitchen. This is a mix of crunchy broccoli and smooth avocado with a touch of lemon dressing and toasted almond slivers.

Ingredients:
  • 500g broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
  • 2 avocados
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds
How to make it?
  1. In a heatproof bowl, place the broccoli in boiling water and then set aside to blanch.
  2. Dice the avocado and place it in a serving bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and then toss gently.
  3. For the almond slivers, toast them in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Toss gently.
  4. Drain the broccoli and add it to the serving bowl. Toss them all with the dressing. Sprinkle the almond slivers and serve.

The last recipe for this list would be the broccoli salad with creamy avocado from Delice Recipes. It is a light and nutritious salad that complements any kind of meal.

Ingredients:

1 broccoli

2 avocado

1/2 red onion

10 cherry tomatoes

1 pinch salt

1 pinch pepper

3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp toasted sesame oil

3 tsp olive oil

How to make it?

  1. Use a skillet and simmer the broccoli with 3-4 tbsp of soy sauce for at least 4-5 minutes.
  2. Cut the red onion, ripe avocados, and tomatoes.
  3. Toss all of the ingredients together and season with a pinch of salt, pepper, olive oil, and toasted sesame oil. Serve immediately.
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Why Some People Almost Always Wear A Pollution Mask

Wearing a pollution mask was never on my list of things to do. Until it became necessary. In Asia, people have become so accustomed to wearing a mask that you spot people doing anything and everything, with their pollution masks on.

Similar to the time I was on a flight from Hanoi to HCM city and a man sitting next to me wore his motorbike helmet from the check-in till long after exiting the plane, a pollution mask becomes so normal that it’s worn everywhere.

Air Pollution
scooter-1642997_1280

Air pollution in big cities is the first and foremost reason to wear a pollution mask.
People try to block all pollution in and out of buildings.

Burning

At a certain time of year, farmers burn their expired crops to make way for fertile soil and successful plantation. This is the same time of year many areas are covered in smog.

fire
Trash Burning in Hanoi

Allergies

For many people sensitive to allergies, filtering out pollen and asthma, which are caused by airborne pollen during the spring and throughout the year gives them some fresh air to breathe.

Spreading

A public act of consideration for strangers. The person wearing scooter-1642998_1280the mask is sick, and cannot stay at home. Out of respect for others the person is keeping their cold or virus to themselves! How very nice of them.

Aesthetics

Supposedly in Korea, people where masks for aesthetics. Women wear masks when they aren’t wearing makeup, or if they’re still recovering from cosmetic surgery.

Industries like energy require coal and nuclear power plants that churn out electricity in active coal-fired steam stations burn coal to produce electricity. This causes a lot of PM2.5 particle pollution in and around cities. People who have learnt that these particles and gasses can be very harmful for their lungs decide to wear a high quality filtered mask. Most people are still wearing fabric masks or surgical masks which often do not seal or remove pollutants well. Now people are starting to get higher quality filters which they know will help them to block most of the pollution.

Did you learn something new?

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