Saturday, 3 December 2011
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Secrets about Sun Protection Indexes
Firstly, let us understand the ultraviolet (UV rays) before we go into detail on the indexes. UV rays are the arch criminals involved in sunburn and suntan. The middle range UV rays (UVB) will cause skin redness, peeling, sunburn and skin aging. The more serious effect from UVB can cause skin cancer if it goes deeply into the dermal layers of the skin. The sun protection indexes normally will be showed on the sun block products labels, which refer to the protection against UVB and UVA.
The sun protection indexes are known as SPF, PA, IPD, PPD and PFA. However, only SPF and PA are commonly used.
SPF
SPF is an abbreviation of Sun Protection Factor. It is an international recognized protection standard against UVB. SPF is followed by a number to represent the power of sun block. The higher number of the SPF means the stronger power of the sun block against UVB. It will go as high as SPF50 and even higher as SPF50+. Normally, SPF30 is enough and suitable for the normal users because it can block as much as 97% of the UVB under the sun.
PA
PA is the abbreviation of Protection Grade of UVA. It is an index proposed by the Ministry of Health in Japan. It appears as PA+, PA++ or PA+++. The more plus following PA represents the stronger power of the sun block protection against UVA.
IPD&PPD
IPD and PPD are the UVA protection grade used in Europe. IPD is an abbreviation of Immediate Pigment Darkening. PPD is an abbreviation of Persistent Pigment Darkening. They are referring to the ratio of protection level against UVA of the skin with and without sun block. The sun block with IPD10 means that the skin will be protected by delayed 150 minutes instead of 15 minutes to let the UVA go into the skin. So it will take 10 times protection and delay the time of UVA affect the skin.
Nowadays, the sun block products may be classified as chemical or physical. The commercially products may provide only the chemical protection, physical protection or the mixture of the both protection.
Physical sunscreen products are the best among the other. It is good for hypersensitive skin, AD akin and even babies. Although it is stable and unlikely to deteriorate, the cream is too thick and creamy. It will make the skin appear white. So it is not commonly used, especially for the people who is oily skin, mixed skin or have acne problem.
Chemical sunscreen products use structural quality neutralization strategy to produce a range of derivative compounds. Although it is quite risky for the hypersensitive skin, AD skin and babies, it is not oily. After using it, the skin will feel comfortable and remain clear. So it is commonly used among the people, especially the oily skin an acne problem people.
A proper and better sun block product must have understandable and correct information labelled by the manufacturer. Other than the sun protection indexes, the date of manufacture and the expiration date also important to be labelled on the products. Hopefully the above information will help everyone in choosing a suitable sun block to have a good and healthy looking during summer.
Eat the rainbow!
Eat the rainbow!
Want to get a meal time antioxidant hit that tastes as good as it looks?
Red Guava, watermelon, tomatoes, red grapefruit and red capsicum contain lycopene, which protects white blood cells so your body can fight infections.
Orange Apricots, papaya, pumpkin, carrots and oranges all contain carotenoids. This ingredient aids cell function by mopping up the toxins.
Green Broccoli, bok choy, lettuce, cabbage and spinach are packed with phytochemicals, lutein and folate. These antioxidants scoot around your body healing damaged cells. You could even say they’re your body’s mini medical team!
Purple Eggplants, prunes, figs and blueberries are loaded with more lutein and zeaxanthin which will help relax your blood vessels and make it easier on your heart.
White or Yellow Onions, potatoes and bananas contain potassium, an anti-inflammatory that’ll help you say goodbye to pesky aches and pains.
10 FACTS ABOUT WOMEN'S HEALTH
Smoking rates among men tend to be 10 times higher than women. However, due to recent aggressive tobacco marketing campaigns aimed at women, tobacco use among younger females in developing countries is rising rapidly. Women generally have less success in quitting the habit, have more relapses than men, and nicotine replacement therapy may be less effective among women.
Women and girls continue to face gender-based vulnerabilities that require urgent attention - especially in sub-Saharan Africa where 80% of all women living with HIV are located. Improving women and girls access to antiretroviral therapy, HIV and testing and a range of care, treatment and support services (such as screening for cervical cancer or CD4 count diagnoses) requires specific targets and benchmarks for women and girls.
Between 15% and 71% of women around the world have suffered physical or sexual violence committed by an intimate male partner at some point in their lives. The abuse cuts across all social and economic backgrounds. Violence has serious health consequences for women, from injuries to unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, depression and chronic diseases.
Some studies show that up to 1 in 5 women reports being sexually abused before the age of 15.
Even though early marriage is on the decline, an estimated 100 million girls will marry before their 18th birthday over the next 10 years. This is one third of the adolescent girls in developing countries (excluding China). Young married girls often lack knowledge about sex and the risks of sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS.
About 14 million adolescent girls become mothers every year. More than 90% of these very young mothers live in developing countries.
Every day, 1600 women and more than 10 000 newborns die from preventable complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Almost 99% of maternal and 90% of neonatal mortalities occur in the developing world.
Insecticide treated nets (ITNs) reduce malaria cases in pregnant women and their children. When women earn an income, they are more likely than men to buy the nets for their households. However, use of the nets is often linked to sleeping patterns that sometimes preclude actual use by women.
In most countries women tend to be in charge of cooking. When they cook over open fires or traditional stoves, they breathe in a mix of hundreds of pollutants on a daily basis. This indoor smoke is responsible for half a million of the 1.3 million annual deaths due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among women worldwide. In comparison, only about 12% of COPD deaths among men each year are related to indoor smoke. During pregnancy, exposure of the developing embryo to such harmful pollutants may cause low birth weight or even stillbirth.
Once thought to occur mainly in wealthier countries, the health impacts of cardiovascular disease, cancers, diabetes, depression and other mental, neurological and substance abuse (MNS) disorders are increasingly felt by women globally. In fact, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for 80% of deaths among adult women in high-income countries; 25% of deaths among adult women in low-income countries are attributable to NCD.
Reference from : World Health Organization
Reference from : World Health Organization
Know about your child
It is also significant for children to get regular checkups with their health care provider. These visits are a chance to check your child's development. They are also a good time to catch or prevent problems.
Other than checkups, school-age children should be seen for
• Significant weight gain or loss
• Sleep problems or change in behavior
• Fever higher than 102
• Rashes or skin infections
• Frequent sore throats
• Breathing problems
Your child is no longer a baby! The beginning of school reminds parents that their child is growing up.
Children grow and mature at very different rates. It's hard to say what "normal" is. There can be big differences in height, weight and build among healthy children. Diet, exercise and genes are all factors. Some children begin puberty or are close to it before they are teenagers.
Children start to become more independent from their parents. They may rebel. They also look outward – to their friends, who are usually of the same sex. Peer approval becomes very important. Your child may try new behaviors to be part of "the group." This can also be the time that parents or teachers recognize learning disabilities or behavioral problems in children. These problems can get worse as time goes on, so it is important to get help early.
Meditation as great as drugs for depression
Drugs like selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are effective treatments for the scourge of major depression, but what about the many patients who are reluctant to stay on the medication indefinitely, risking serious relapses? A new Canadian study suggests that a novel alternative – a form of meditation – actually does as good a job in preventing such relapses as the drugs.
Evidence suggests that major-depression patients will often discontinue their medication far too soon. Team at Ontarios teaches patients to regulate their emotions, monitor possible relapse triggers and adopt lifestyle changes that help maintain mood balance.
Participants in the study, published in Archives of General Psychiatry were all treated with antidepressants until their symptoms went into remission. The 84 subjects were then divided into three groups: one that stayed on the drugs, one that took placebos and one that stopped taking the drugs and received MBCT. Relapse rates after 18 months for patients in the MBCT group did not differ from patients on antidepressants, both being in the 30% range, compared to a 70% relapse rate for those on placebos.
Said Dr. Zindel Segal, lead author of the study:
For that sizeable group of patients who are unwilling or unable to tolerate maintenance antidepressant treatment, MBCT offers equal protection.
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