Additionally, garlic has been credited with both antiviral and antifungal properties. Garlic was used by Albert Schweitzer – noted physician, musician, philosopher and Nobel Peace Prize winner – to treat cholera and typhus. Informal studies have shown garlic to be an effective antifungal when treating recurring yeast infections and other fungus-related ailments such as candida albicans. Interestingly, while pharmaceutical antibiotics have been known to promote candida growth in the intestines, it appears that fresh garlic does not.

Consumption of garlic also increases levels of HDL (good cholesterol) and reduces blood pressure, making it effective in the fight against heart disease. By improving blood circulation and increasing blood vessel elasticity, garlic can also help those with circulatory problems. This can reduce the risk of stroke, but this blood-thinning quality of garlic also slows down clotting time and increases bleeding in open wounds.

Fresh garlic and garlic powder have also been clinically proven to have anti-inflammatory properties. Reduction of swelling and many of the other medicinal attributes of garlic are most likely related to the sulphur compounds in the plant. Sulphur-containing phytochemicals in garlic, such as allicin, ajoene and diallyl sulphate are what give the plant its healing abilities. They are also responsible for the smell. Therefore, it is probable that some of the odorless garlic supplements available may not be as effective as fresh garlic for medicinal use.

Lifeguarding is an investment because you have to pay a couple hundred dollars to get certified, but in my experience, many employers offer to reimburse you. A lifeguard certification (life saving and first aid) is good for three years. However, you have to get recertified for CPR every year.

Some great places to work as a lifeguard would be the following:

• YMCA
• NYSC
• Your local swim club
• Your local swim school
• Your local gym
• Your College/University
• Your local Day Camp

One of  the most important benefits of being a lifeguard is the acceptance of the responsibility. For teens/young adults, lifeguarding is a great way to teach them how their attentiveness and actions greatly affect others. For example, this experience will likely encourage teens to think twice about driving and texting or drinking and driving. In some facilities, one lifeguard may be responsible for an entire pool. In other facilities like a day camp, a lifeguard may be one of twenty lifeguards responsible for one pool. It all depends on the facility but one thing remains: lifeguards are trained and responsible for safety first.

Another benefit of lifeguarding is the ability to teach people, young or old, how to swim. At the YMCA or day camp, lifeguards may be responsible to teach children as young as two how to swim or at least introduce them to the water.

Some strategies to being the best swim instructor are as follows:

• Know the names of your kids within two days—they generally respond better with individual attention
• Make the kids comfortable with you right away. Know their fears and favorite things; if you are aware of a fear up front, you can begin concurring it sooner. If they like to jump into deep water, make sure you allow them to participate in that favorite activity often.
• Form relationships with your kids. On Monday ask them how their weekend was and what they did. Play games like Goofy and learn what their favorite color and favorite activity at camp are.  Try to put everything in terms they will understand. For example, for young boys relate things to cartoons or super heroes.
• Make your kids want to come to swim lessons! They have to enjoy what they are learning!

Finally, the financial benefits of being a lifeguard. With a lot of responsibility comes a lot of compensation.

• If you are teaching swim lessons for a group and a parent thinks their kids requires extra time and attention and you agree encourage private swim lessons. In my experience, I found that children respond better and learn more quickly with individual lessons. Also, as a certified lifeguard you can charge anywhere from $20-$30/30 minutes depending on your experience.
• If you are not interested in teaching private swim lessons, people are always looking for lifeguards for private parties. The going rates for these range from approximately $25-$35/hour. Keep in mind, parties are usually a few hours like 3PM-8PM where you could make a well-earned $125 for the day.

Overall, lifeguarding is a great skill and certification to have. It looks great on a resume and shows extreme dedication and responsibility. If you choose to become a lifeguard…best of luck to you! My last words of advice…wear SPF 30 at all times!

If your child receives a cut or scrape, an adhesive bandage will help, but splinters need a little more attention.  Although the cries of your child may tempt you to delay removing the splinter, it is best to remove the splinter as soon as possible to minimize the possibility of an infection.  According to the National Institute of Health, there are four steps to removing a splinter:

1. Wash your hands with soap and water.
2. Use tweezers to grab the splinter. Carefully pull it out at the same angle it went in.
3. If the splinter is under the skin or hard to grab: Sterilize a pin or needle by soaking it in rubbing alcohol or placing the tip in a flame. Wash your hands with soap. Use the pin to gently remove skin over the splinter. Then use the tip of the pin to lift the end of the splinter out. You will probably still need to use tweezers as in step 2.
4. Wash the area with soap and water after the splinter is out. Pat it dry. (Don’t rub.) Apply antibiotic ointment. Bandage the cut only if it is likely to get dirty. It will heal faster if exposed to the air.

Of course, the use of those steps doesn’t guarantee that your child will stop crying or agree to the removal more easily.  To help make the removal easier, here are a list of parent-created tips:

• Hold ice on the affected area for 1-2 minutes, in order to numb the area
• Soak the affected area, which makes it easier to use a needle, if you need to follow step 3 of the directions
• Distract the child by working on splinter removal while the child watches a tv show or DVD
• Apply topical infant teething medicine (such as Baby Orajel) to the affected area before removal

The list provided by the American Red Cross does include many important supplies for wounds.  An assortment of sizes of adhesive bandages is useful for cuts, especially as most bandages have a non-adhesive pad.  Sterile gauze pads and absorbent compress dressings are useful for cleaning and padding a larger wound.  However, if you have a large open wound or a wound in a location that is difficult to cover with a bandage, you want a non-adhesive dressing to cover the wound.  The gauze pad or compress dressing will stick to the wound, which means more pain (and possibly bleeding) when changing the dressing.

Check your first aid supplies.  Make sure you have all of the recommended supplies, and add a box of non-adhesive dressings to prepare yourself for any injuries.

• 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)
• 25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)
• 1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)
• 5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately 1 gram)
• 5 antiseptic wipe packets
• 2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)
• 1 blanket (space blanket)
• 1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)
• 1 instant cold compress
• 2 pair of nonlatex gloves (size: large)
• 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each)
• Scissors
• 1 roller bandage (3 inches wide)
• 1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)
• 5 sterile gauze pads (3 x 3 inches)
• 5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)
• Oral thermometer (non-mercury/nonglass)
• 2 triangular bandages
• Tweezers
• First aid instruction booklet

Getting another ice storm like the one that took New England by surprise last year seems unlikely. Realistically, however, we should be ready if such a disaster were to occur again. This winter doesn’t seem any nicer than last; are you prepared?

1.  You could purchase an electric heating pad. Of course, that means you need to sit somewhere near an outlet.

2. You could purchase a package of adhesive heating pads.  However, most of these have a strong odor.  Also, they are single use items, making them rather expensive.

3.  You could purchase a microwavable heating pad.  Reusable and no need for an outlet, makes this a good choice. . .

But for the best choice:

4. You could make your own microwavable heating pad.  All you need is 2 cups of rice and a clean knee-high sock.

Direction:

Carefully pour rice into sock.

Tie a knot to prevent rice from escaping.

Place heating pad in microwave for 1 minute*, and it’s ready for use!

*Heating times may vary.  Start with 30 seconds, and check the temperature of the heating pad, adding more time if needed.

If you see someone faint, here are some things you can do:

1.    Look at the person’s airway to ensure it’s clear. Watch out for vomiting.

2.    Look at vital signs, including breathing, movement, or coughing. If the person is not responding, do CPR and call 911. Continue with CPR until emergency services arrives.

3.    Try to restore the person’s blood flow. If the person is breathing, your aim is to restore the supply of blood to the brain. To achieve this, raise the person’s leg over head level. In addition, loosen collars, belts, and other constrictions. In most cases, the person will regain consciousness. If he doesn’t become conscious within one minute, call for medical assistance.

Sometimes, fainting occurs when a person falls and becomes injured. Most of the time, the loss of consciousness is temporary, though immediate medical attention is required to prevent more serious problems. If the person is bleeding, apply direct pressure on the wound so blood loss will be minimized. Fainting should be taken seriously. Though it may not mean anything to some people, the risk associated with it is great.

If you know you’re prone to motion sickness, you can stop it from happening by planning ahead of time. When traveling, reserve seats where you feel motion the least. Here is a list of transportation of seats you should reserve:
•    By car – sit in the driver’s seat or the front passenger seat
•    By train – reserve a seat next to a window near the front. Always choose a seat that’s facing forward
•    By ship – request a cabin in the middle or at the front of the ship. The upper deck is also a recommended area
•    By plane – reserve a seat in the front area, and then direct the air conditioning at your face

Tips on how to avoid motion sickness
•    Focus on a distant stationary object
•    Keep your head motionless
•    Avoid smoking or sitting near smokers
•    Avoid greasy food, spicy food, and alcohol.
•    Take an over-the-counter antihistamine or a medicine that has dimenhydrinate at least 30 minutes before traveling
•    Eat crackers to settle your stomach. Drink a carbonated beverage together with the cracker.
•    Consider using a prescription scopolamine patch. Apply this behind your ears to prevent motion sickness. Take note that people suffering from certain health conditions, such as urine retention problems, asthma, or glaucoma should not use this patch.

Here are natural ways to keep your body cool this summer:

1. Drink plenty of water. You might consider upping your water intake from the usual 8 to 10 glasses a day to 10 to 12. A lot of that water is going to be lost via sweat, and you want to make sure that you don’t dehydrate. Water is also a natural coolant for your insides!

2. Exercise earlier in the morning and later in the evening. Dawn and dusk are the best times for exercise during the summer because it is light out and the heat either has yet to arrive or has started to dissipate.

3. Eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. Lighter meals of fresh fruit and vegetables will not only save you the time of standing over a hot stove or diving into a hot oven to retrieve a baked dish, the coolness of the fruit and salad will help cool you down!

4. If you wear hats, pour some cool or cold water into the hat and then turn it inside out when you put it back on your head. This will help you keep your head cool during the day!

5. Avoid direct sunlight and surfaces like asphalt which can store and radiate heat. During the hottest part of the day, stay inside with a fan and some ice water.

]]> http://www.healtheagle.com/keeping-cool-while-the-weather-heats-up/feed/ 0 http://www.healtheagle.com/moviegoers-beware/ http://www.healtheagle.com/moviegoers-beware/#comments Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:09:20 +0000 Louise http://www.healtheagle.com/moviegoers-beware/ Moviegoers, beware. Cloverfield is a newly released horror film that has caught much attention. Despite good ratings (nearly 8 out of 10 stars on IMDb.com) and reviews, there has been not-so-good news coming from the theaters.

Reportedly, the horror film has been making some people sick. The underlying reason to this is not gory content, but rather the filming style. Cloverfield is filmed entirely by handheld video cameras. Due to this, much of the film is shaky. The effect is intended, by the producers, to give viewers the feeling that they are part of the movie. But, the effect is giving some of the viewers an entirely different feeling.

Why does the shakiness cause viewers to become sick? The visual effects that the movie produces can mess with the balance system of a person’s mind. You may feel like you are moving, when everything is standing still. Sensors in your brain can become confused and cause you to experience dizziness and nausea (also known as vertigo).

You may ask yourself, “Is everyone affected?” The answer is no. Some people are more prone to this than others, just like motion-sickness in cars or roller coasters. Are you prone to motion sickness but still want to see the movie in theaters? Over-the-counter anti-vertigo medicines are available.

Although occurrences are rare, the effect of Cloverfield is something you should be wary of. If you’re very worried about the effects of the movie, waiting until you can watch the movie at home might be your best option.

Source: CNN News

Most of us spend a great deal of our summers swatting away pesky insects. Protecting yourself against mosquitoes will not only make your summer more enjoyable, it will help prevent you and your family from getting annoying and sometimes dangerous bug bites and diseases. Follow these tips for a bug free summer:

1. Stay clear of perfumes, highly scented lotions, soaps and shampoos.

2. Cover your skin as completely as possible. This may be difficult when at the beach, but when possible wear long sleeves, pants and socks.

3. Stick to neutral & light colors. Mosquitoes are attracted to blue & darker colors, so avoid!

4. Use Repellent. Repellents containing DEET are very effective but many people are steering clear of chemicals these days. There are many great alternatives made with all natural ingredients.

5. Alternative repellents, such as citronella based candles really don’t work that well; they’re just not strong enough. However, citronella lamp oil and incenses work well.

6. Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and twilight, so try and schedule outside meals and activities accordingly.

7. When returning indoors, check your children and yourself for bites. Check also for fleas and ticks if you’ve been in the woods!

8. Treat bites with store bought insect bite treatments or apply essential oils such as Tea Tree, Lavender or Roman Chamomile. Remember to dilute your essential oils before using them on your skin.

Remember to take every precaution in the summer to protect your skin from insect bites. Insect bite treatments should be included in your first aid and travel kits.