49 Ways to Take Care of Your Skin

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Jenny McHenry from Gotham Skincare, a blog dedicated to helping people maintain healthy skin has put together a fun article on ’49 ways to take care of your skin’. It’s packed full of good information in an easy to read format.  This guide gathered many skincare methods all in one place so that there’s less confusion in what you can do to get healthier skin.

Washing and Care

1.  Hands

Before you do anything, you should wash your hands. Why? Because you wouldn’t use a dirty cloth to wipe something down, so why should the same apply to the rest of your body, including the face? The primary way to wash your hands should be thorough, so let’s go with the CDC five-step specifications of handwashing since if it’s good enough for the CDC, it’s good enough for us.

First wet your hands with running water, and then lather them in soap. Make sure to get the back of your hands, as well as between the fingers where dry skin can form. Scrub your hands for about 20 seconds before rinsing and then drying them with a clean towel. If you’re concerned about the soap used, a pH-balanced hand wash made for skincare is available.

2.  Face

You should use lukewarm water when washing your face. Extremes in water temperature can cause irritation, so it’s best to have water that’s between those points so that your skin doesn’t get flushed. Micellar water is also a good alternative to lukewarm water, since it contains the micelle molecules it’s named after which breaks down debris like makeup and dirt more effectively.

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Wellness + WFH: Strategies from Professional Zen-Artists

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Stacy Walden, a Content Marketing Specialist at   http://siegemedia.com   shared that as millions of Americans are now working from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic many are experiencing challenges they never thought they would. From setting unfamiliar boundaries with family members to using less than comfortable home offices or workspaces, many are feeling the blues when it comes to their new work from the home set-up.

In a Thrive Global survey, 80% of respondents reported feeling helpless and that things were out of their control as well as over 85% of the respondents said they wanted more help adapting to working from home. While we are working from home we are also working through a crisis so it’s important that employees and employers be easier on themselves when reflecting on their productivity and job performance. Luckily we are all in this together and we can lean on the advice of others to help get us through.

Working at Home v. Working Through a Crisis

According to Thrive Global, on average employees reported feeling that 45% of their workdays have been lost due to distraction and time spent worrying about the outbreak. While being productive is still indispensable, it is important to acknowledge that you’re not going to be productive every second of the day. And that’s okay.

While many companies are striving to create more comfortable work environments for their employees by promoting flexibility in hours and the ability to take home office devices, there is so much more that can be done. Employees have the power to refresh and zen-out their work from home space. By definition, zen is the practice through which we can realize the joy of being and can apply this methodology to our time working from home. By differentiating between in-office and at-home etiquette you can help take ownership of your relationship with working from home. Read more

Eat healthy on a budget with these 10 tips

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Even when you know what healthy foods to choose, being able to pay for them can be hard, especially if you are on a fixed income. Start by deciding how much you can afford to spend on food.

There are websites that can help you plan a food budget. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture supports Iowa State University’s Spend Smart-Eat Smart. This website also has inexpensive recipes based on the Dietary Guidelines.

Once you have a budget, find store ads in the newspaper or grocery store websites to see what is on sale. Try to plan some meals around featured items and pick up some extra canned goods or staples that are on sale. And check the expiration or use-by date. A product might be on sale because it is almost out of date. Choose items with dates farthest in the future.

While shopping, make use of these budget-wise 10 tips.

 

  • Ask about discounts—Your local grocery store may have a senior discount or a loyalty card.
  • Use coupons when you can—Coupons are only useful when you’re buying that item anyway. Another brand may cost less even after using the coupon.
  • Check the store brand—The store brand usually costs less than national brands.

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What are some Benefits of Green Tea?

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College of DuPage Nursing Student Anna Wojtowicz shared that there are many potential health benefits of drinking green tea, and if you’re reading this you may have heard of at least one of them before. Before we go into that list, let’s go over exactly what it is that makes green tea so beneficial. Tea is a flavonoid; a powerful antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory and immune system benefits 4. There is also a high content of antioxidants in green tea that is called catechins 3. These are all important factors in why green tea is healthy for us.

So, what exactly is a flavonoid? It is a phytonutrient (plant chemical) found in fruits, vegetables, and many spices. Diets that are overall rich in flavonoids, such as green tea, are associated with increased brain function as well as better blood sugar and blood pressure regulation. Flavonoids play a major role in cardiovascular disease prevention and can also lower the risk of atherosclerosis 2. Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s could potentially be prevented through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of flavonoids as well 4. There are also currently studies being done to see the effects of green tea on cancer patients 3.

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Meditation as a form of Health Promotion

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College of DuPage Nursing Student Kayla Korpan asks, “How much do you know about meditation and its effects on your health?”

Meditation can be used in many different ways such as for concentration, waking up, going to sleep, reducing stress, and looking inward to your feelings about your health status. It is used as both a mind and body workout and centers your thinking to be able to reduce mental and physical stress and anxieties along with clearing your head for positive thoughts to come through.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (April 7th, 2020) additional benefits of mediation include:

  • To benefit that people who suffer from cancer treatment side effects can find meditation to be useful in relieving anxiety, stress, fatigue, and general mood and sleep. Meditation along with other mind-body modalities can help to also reduce chronic pain and improve quality of life. It can also serve to improve cognitive function.

 

  • To reduce blood pressure. The reduced need for oxygen during meditation due to breathing techniques can help allow for perfusion in your body to slow down. This reduced flow results in lower blood pressure circulation throughout the body.

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Social Distancing and Mental Health

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College of DuPage Nursing Student Raul Garza wrote for Healthy Lombard that humans are very social creatures. We love to be part of a group or a community, it makes us feel a sense of belonging, that we are not alone. Whether it’s sharing a hobby with someone or simply talking about life with a loved one. The execution of stay-at-home orders and the recommendations of staying at least 6 feet away from each other has everybody very isolated. People now more than ever people are realizing how much they took social interaction for granted and how much isolation is actually affecting them. Physical interactions and large gatherings are not recommended due to COVID-19 being so infectious. People’s favorite stores are closed, theaters are closed, even parks are closed. Isolation and loneliness can negatively affect health.

Loneliness causes your stress hormones to rise. Cleveland Clinic states that “Cortisol can impair cognitive performance, compromise the immune system, and increase your risk for vascular problems, inflammation, and heart disease.” Not to mention the fact that loneliness can lead to depression and anxiety. Yes, we need to take care of COVID-19, but we can’t forget the mental health of the people. So, to prevent this from happening, let’s take a look at some measures we can take to minimize loneliness and isolation. Read more

72 Coronavirus Statistics You Might Not Know

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Everlywell shared with Healthy Lombard that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that spreads among people in close contact, primarily through droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can carry with it symptoms of fever, cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath, among others.

The disease — declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020 — has spread to every continent except Antarctica and continues to close schools, workplaces, restaurants, and other social spaces as health authorities attempt to slow the spread.

Here are some key statistics to know about COVID-19.

  1. Background
  2. Transmission
  3. Symptoms
  4. Testing
  5. Survival Rate, by Age
  6. Underlying Conditions
  7. Coronavirus vs. the Flu
  8. Community Response

1. Coronavirus Background

In December 2019, health officials identified several similar cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, the capital of China’s Hubei Province. Chinese health officials identified the cause of pneumonia as a novel (or new) coronavirus, which was later named SARS-CoV-2.

The virus itself is known as SARS-CoV-2, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, while the disease that results from the virus is called “coronavirus disease 2019” or COVID-19.

  • Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in people and animals, such as camels, cattle, cats, and bats. (CDC)
  • Other coronaviruses include MERS-CoV, which was responsible for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, and SARS-CoV, which was responsible for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) first reported in Asia in February 2003. (CDC and CDC)
  • SARS-CoV-2, like MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, originated in bats. (CDC)
  • Four types of human coronaviruses found around the world account for 10–30% of upper respiratory tract infections in adults. (Journal of the American Medical Association)
  • The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” on January 30, 2020, and a pandemic on March 11, 2020. (WHO and WHO)

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A Kid’s Guide to Coronavirus

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INSTILLING HEALTHY DENTAL HYGIENE HABITS IN KIDS

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Erik ScheifeleErik Scheifele, DMD, the Division Chief of Oral Health at Children’s National asks in the Rise and Shine Newsletter “Did you know that early childhood caries (tooth decay or a cavity) is the number one chronic disease affecting young children?” In fact, early childhood caries is five times more common than asthma and twenty times more common than diabetes, according to the  American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). However, by instilling good dental hygiene habits such as brushing and flossing early on, parents can help put children on the path to a healthy smile.

Benefits of brushing and flossing for children

Brushing and flossing help to remove bacteria and food from children’s teeth that can build up throughout the day and in between meals. These healthy dental hygiene habits can help prevent cavities and gingivitis, and reduce bad breath.

Children with healthy teeth and gums have a healthy smile, which can help with their psychological growth as well.

Never too early to start

It’s never too early to start thinking about your child’s oral health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 40 percent of children have tooth decay by the time they reach kindergarten and children with dental caries in their baby teeth are at much greater risk for cavities in their adult teeth. Parents should begin to work with their pediatrician on their child’s dental hygiene within the first few weeks of a baby’s life. Read more