You are here: Home / 2010 / Archives for October 2010

Good skin care

October 19, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The skin is the largest organ in the human body and it carries out a number of important functions. Although it is able to repair itself and lasts a lifetime, it is important to look after the skin, protect it and take steps to keep it looking and feeling as healthy as possible.

Skin care

In order to keep the skin clean, bright and youthful, it is advisable to adopt a good daily facial skin care routine, which should include cleansing and moisturising. Some people also like to use a toner but others don’t so this is a matter of individual preference. Your skin care regime should be tailored to suit your individual skin type; there are 5 major skin types, which are:

●      Sensitive

●      Normal

●      Dry

●      Oily

●      Combination

It is important to choose products which have been designed to cater for your skin type. If you have oily skin, for example, you should try to avoid oil-based, thick creams and if you have sensitive skin, you should go for natural products which contain mild ingredients.

If you have normal skin, it is advisable to cleanse and moisturise once a day. If you wear make-up during the day, make sure you remove this and then moisturise your skin. If you have dry skin, you may need to moisturise more frequently, but if you have oily skin, you may be advised to moisturise less frequently.

Diet

Diet has huge implications for the skin, as well as for general health. Eating foods that are rich in vitamins and antioxidants helps to combat free radicals; this helps to prevent damage to the skin and delays the visible signs of ageing.

Examples of foods that are good for the skin include:

●      Nuts- especially Brazil nuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts and almonds

●      Fruits- especially strawberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, papaya, orange and kiwi fruit

●      Vegetables- especially leafy green vegetables, broccoli and avocado

●      Omega 3 and 6 oils- which can be found in oily fish, avocado, nuts and sunflower oil

●      Eggs

It is also very important to drink plenty of water; this helps to keep the skin hydrated and delays the ageing process; it also makes the skin look clearer and brighter.

Sun protection

A little bit of sun can be very beneficial for the skin, as it allows the body to generate vitamin D; however, it is extremely dangerous to sit out in direct sunlight for long periods of time and it is advisable to wear sun cream whenever you are in the sun. The harmful UV rays from the sun can burn the skin, which is often very painful; sun burn is usually characterised by red, sore, patchy skin which is painful and itchy. Exposure to the sun can also cause skin cancer, which is becoming increasingly common.

If you do choose to go out in the sun, make sure you are wearing sun cream; experts recommend wearing at least SPF 15 but if you are fair, you should go for a higher factor. Try to avoid the sun between 12pm and 3pm when it is at its strongest and wear a hat and sunglasses to protect your face and eyes. Remember to drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated.

Did you like this? Share it:
Filed Under: Skin Care Tagged With: ,

Sensory experiences – our taste

October 19, 2010 by Leave a Comment

We are able to taste different things because thousands of sensory cells are stimulated when we eat or drink something. The taste cells are located mainly in the taste buds on the tongue, but they can also be found in throat and on the roof of the mouth. Many of the tiny bumps you can see on your tongue contain taste buds.

When the taste cells are stimulated (when we eat or drink something), they send messages to the brain via specialised taste nerves. Each taste cell responds to one of five basic tastes: these are sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami; umami is a Japanese word, which is often classed as the savoury taste.

Many people believe that the tongue is divided into different taste sections, like a map, but this is not the case; the taste cells are scattered around the tongue.

The relationship between taste and smell

The relationship between the senses of smell and taste is very important. Our sense of smell is often used as a warning sign and we often avoid eating foods that smell unpleasant. The nose, eyes, tongue and brain all work together to ensure that we eat good foods and avoid foods that are ‘off’ or dangerous.

Stimulating the sense of taste

As we grow up we experience a variety of different tastes, some pleasant and some unpleasant. We learn from our mistakes when we eat something nasty and we begin to develop a sense of which kind of foods we like and which kind of foods we don’t like.

In order to develop the sense of taste, it is beneficial to sample a variety of different tastes by eating lots of different foods and trying different drinks. For children, you can introduce them to new tastes and make it fun by letting them help with cooking and preparing food, letting them try different foods and encouraging them to enjoy the sensory experience created by eating and drinking.

Did you like this? Share it:
Filed Under: Child Health Tagged With: ,

Healthcare professionals

October 4, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Many people think of healthcare professionals as doctors and nurses, and maybe dentists too if they thought about it for a while. In fact, healthcare professionals are far more numerous and diverse than that, and all have gone through health education programs to get where they are. From the moment you arrive at a doctor’s surgery or hospital and are admitted by an administrator to the moment you leave with your drugs handed to you by the pharmacist, you will be looked after by a healthcare professional.

Sometimes, we come across healthcare professionals in places we wouldn’t expect to see them. Perhaps your ante-natal class is being run by a qualified nurse? You might injure yourself at work and have to see an occupational therapists. If your marriage is going through difficulties, you might seek the help of a counsellor. Just because the people working in these roles don’t wear white coats and carry a stethoscope doesn’t mean they aren’t healthcare professionals.

Your children will probably come across a myriad of healthcare professionals during their youth. After all, there are countless health education programs being run in our schools by nurses, counsellors and other medical experts. Talks on safe sex, illegal drugs and hygiene are still regular occurrences in most schools. The people running these events are healthcare professionals just like the ones at your family doctor or local hospital, but they have chosen a different career path, educating young people and children about good health and how to take preventative measures so they don’t end up with serious health problems.

Career change

Healthcare professionals can choose to change career path at any point in their working life, though for some major changes, further training would be needed. An experienced ward nurse might decide she wants to switch to mental health nursing, while a family doctor may decide he wants to work for an insurance company, rather than having contact with patients every day. Some very experienced doctors may decide to go into teaching, passing their knowledge onto the next generation of doctors studying medicine. There are even some people who are qualified doctors who never treat patients at all, but go into research, carrying out scientific research trying to find treatment for conditions and diseases that are currently incurable.

Healthcare professionals can be found in many places, not just hospitals, and can carry out a wide variety of jobs, helping a diverse range of people.

Did you like this? Share it:
Filed Under: Health Professions Tagged With: