Tips to Prevent Bad Breath

 

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority Many dentists recommend brushing after every meal and flossing twice a day. Once you make this into a habit you will find it easy to stick with. Also, brushing or scraping your tongue can keep bacteria at bay, especially if you have deep groves in your tongue.

 

Chew sugarless gum. Doing so within an hour after a meal can help with saliva flow. Remember to use sugar-free gum -- chewing gum with sugar increases caries and the sugar sits on your teeth and contributes to bad breath.  Your mouth can become dry during the day.  Dry mouth -- whether it's at midnight or noon -- can quickly cause bad breath. You need plenty of saliva because it helps clean your mouth; it's naturally antibacterial, and it washes away food particles.

 

 

Avoid Tobacco, Coffee and Alcohol. Everyone, smoker or not, knows that smoking can leave an absolutely terrible stench in a person’s mouth. Many people don’t realize, however, that coffee can do the same. Coffee will leave a rank smell in the back of a person’s mouth, so switching to green tea is a great alternative. Cutting back on alcohol is also another way to decrease halitosis. Consuming alcohol will lead to a dry mouth, and as mentioned earlier, this leads to bad breath. Alcohol may actually cause a person’s breath to be unpleasant for up to ten hours after their last drink

 

Yogurt. Some studies have shown that the live active cultures in yogurt help reduce bad breath.

 

Drink Water. Drink water. You want to keep your mouth moist. Water rinses out your mouth, and it's generally good for your system. 

Change your toothbrush every 3-4 months. An old toothbrush is riddled with bacteria.  

  

Parsley. Parsley is probably one of the most well-known ways to treat bad breath. Its oils are what do the trick. Likewise, spearmint and cinnamon can help mask bad breath. Some other herbs and spices that work for the same reason are coriander or cilantro, tarragon, eucalyptus, rosemary, and cardamom.

Oranges, Melons And Berries. These fruits in particular are rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C not only is helpful for keeping bacteria in check, but also helps combat gum diseases and gingivitis, which also can cause bad breath.

 

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Lower Your Blood Sugar Level

What Is Blood Sugar?

To stay healthy, you need blood sugar (also called blood glucose) to fuel your body – including your brain. Your body turns most of the food you eat into glucose. Without food

your body doesn’t have enough energy to function or feel well. Have you ever skipped a meal only to realize an hour

or two later that you are shaky, can’t pay attention, and feel grumpy? 

That’s because your blood sugar is too low (called

hypoglycemia). The American Diabetes Association (ADA)

 lists the following as signs of blood sugar that is too low:

✔ Shakiness

✔ Dizziness

✔ Headache

✔ Sudden moodiness or behavior changes

✔ Sweating

✔ Hunger

✔ Pale skin color

✔ Clumsy or jerky movements

✔ Difficulty paying attention

✔ Confusion

✔ Tingling sensations around the mouth

However, blood sugar that is too high is a more serious

problem than low blood sugar. Your body can use only so

much sugar. When you consistently have too much sugar

in your body, the excess sugar begins attaching itself to

your red blood cells. Too much sugar in your blood can

make you tired, thirsty, or sick more often.

High blood sugar is called hyperglycemia. When levels stay consistently high, you have diabetes. The ADA lists the following as signs of high blood sugar:

✔ Excessive thirst

✔ Frequent urination

✔ Extreme hunger

✔ Fatigue

✔ Sudden vision changes, including blurry vision

✔ Unexplained weight loss

✔ Slow-to-heal sores

✔ Dry, itchy skin

✔ Tingling or numb hands or feet

✔ More infections than usual

If you have one or more of these signs, check with a medical professional. It’s important to note that people have been diagnosed with diabetes when they have had NONE of the symptoms.

There is a warning.

Before someone becomes diabetic, he or she almost always has prediabetes – where the blood sugar level is higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diabetes. Prediabetes can damage your heart and circulatory system. Unless people with prediabetes take action to lower their blood sugar

level, many will develop diabetes within 10 years.

Almost everyone knows someone who has prediabetes. Maybe you have prediabetes. If so, you’re not

alone. Today, around 400 million people– adults and children – worldwide have prediabetes. The ADA estimates

that 79 million people in the United States have prediabetes.

But in most cases, diabetes can be stopped or at least delayed when you make changes to your diet and exercise more.

A Healthy Blood Sugar Level

People have been diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes

even when they had no symptoms. Because of this,

the ADA recommends that you have your blood sugar

checked every three years beginning at age 45. Have it

checked sooner if you are overweight and are inactive,

have family members with diabetes, or have other risk

factors. If you have prediabetes, you should be checked for

diabetes every year or two after your diagnosis. Talk to

your healthcare provider to see if you should be tested. 

What Your Blood Sugar Level Means

                                                  Blood Test Results (mg/dL)

LeveL oF RIsk                      FASTING      NoN-FASTING

Normal (Low risk)                          70-99               less than 140

(High normal)                                     90-99                     120-139

Prediabetes (Increased risk)           10 0 -125                 14 0 -199

Diabetes (High Risk)                 126 +           200+

If your blood sugar is not high, good for you – and do what you can to keep it that way! If it is high, do whatever you can to lower it. By making lifestyle changes, some people with diabetes have actually been able to lower their blood sugar to a normal level.

lower your risk of developing diabetes 

1. keep your weight healthy. If you are overweight, losing even 10-15 pounds can greatly cut your risk of diabetes.

2. Get regular exercise. Aim for 30-60 minutes of moderate exercise such as brisk walking most days of the week, preferably daily.

3. Don’t smoke. In Harvard’s Health Professional Follow-up Study, men who smoked were 92% more likely to develop diabetes.

4. Choose healthy fats. Eating saturated fats (e.g., butter, sour cream, and meats) and trans fats (e.g., stick margarine and shortening) increases your risk for diabetes. In place of these fats, choose healthy fats such as vegetable oils (e.g., canola, olive, and soy), trans fat-free margarines, nuts, and trans fat-free baked goods. (Read food labels).

5. Avoid unhealthy carbohydrates (carbs). Refined carbs are in any food that’s been processed: white rice, white bread, and, of course, soft drinks, cookies, pastries, and snack foods. Instead, eat whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

What’s a Healthy Carb? 

Almost everything you eat is a carb: cookies, soft drinks, even vegetables, fruits, and seeds. But not all carbs are equal.

Healthy carbs help keep blood sugar levels normal. Unhealthy carbs can cause your blood sugar level to rise

quickly. When that happens, your pancreas releases a

lot of insulin which pulls excess sugar from your blood

and deposits it in your cells. In a matter of minutes, your

blood sugar level crashes. That’s what can cause you to

feel sleepy, grouchy, and hungry. So how can you tell a healthy carb from an unhealthy one? Researchers developed

the glycemic index to help measure the effect of carbs

on a person’s blood sugar. Foods with a high glycemic

index are quickly changed into sugar and absorbed in the body. 

Refined foods – such as white bread and pasta, white rice,

chips, and pastries – have a high glycemic index. That’s

because processing removes most of the fiber from a food.

And fiber is what helps keep your blood sugar level in the

healthy range. Some starchy foods like corn and potatoes

quickly raise blood sugar levels after they are eaten.

Unrefined foods – legumes, whole grains, fresh fruits,

vegetables, nuts, and seeds – have lots of fiber and a low

glycemic index.  

What the glycemic index doesn’t tell you is how many carbohydrates there are in each serving. That’s where the

glycemic load chart comes in. It takes into account both the type and amount of carbs in each food. Most likely,

if you follow the Eat More of These and Eat Less of These food lists (on the next page), you can keep your blood sugar level on track. 

If you’re serious about lowering your blood sugar, take steps to change the way you eat. Then decide if there are other lifestyle changes you’ll need to make.  For more help, talk with your doctor or nutritionist.

Diabetes – Serious But Preventable

Diabetes is a serious disease that can lead to heart disease,

blindness, kidney failure, nerve disease, amputations, and

even death. To lower your blood sugar level – or keep your level low– eat more whole-grain breads and cereals and legumes (e.g., beans, lentils, and peas) and less white bread,

white pasta, white rice, and white potatoes. Also eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Start your day with oatmeal or granola topped with berries and chopped nuts. For lunch, make a sandwich using whole-grain pita bread

stuffed with hummus, tomato, avocado, and cucumber. Try lentil stew on brown rice for dinner. If you get hungry for a snack, munch on carrot sticks, rye crisps, or orange wedges.

Eat More of These

Fresh fruits Vegetables and salads Legumes: peas, beans,

garbanzos, tofu, soy Nuts Whole-grain bread and cereals including oatmeal and brown rice Protein foods: eggs, fish, skinless poultry, lean meats, meat alternates, nonfat or low-fat milk Healthy fats including olives and  avocado

Eat Less of These

Snack foods Fast foods Pastry, cookies, cake Sweets Sugary drinks White bread and white rice Refined carbohydrates in general White potatoes and French fries.

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Staying Healthy During Flu Season

 

 

     Staying Healthy During Flu Season

 

Nothing is more important in protecting yourself from contagious viruses than washing your hands appropriately. Be sure to use warm water, rub your hands together

vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds, and rinse your hands methodically to remove all soap. In addition, the following measures will help reduce the transmission of viruses: 

 

 

 

 

 

• Keep your hands away from your face so that viruses do

not invade the mucus membranes in your nose, eyes, and

mouth.

 

• Disinfect shared equipment such as telephones, desks,

doorknobs, shopping cart handles, kitchen counters and

computer keyboards with disinfecting wipes or solutions. 

 

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough

or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue handy, cough or

sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not your hand. 

 

• Throw tissues away immediately after use, and wash your

hands. 

 

• Keep alcohol based hand sanitizers readily available. Use them after shopping, pumping gas, using an ATM, handling

money and before eating food from a drive-thru restaurant. 

 

• Consult your healthcare provider about getting appropriate flu shots.

 

• Get plenty of rest. Adults need seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Children need even more. 

 

• Stick to a healthy diet. Foods rich in vitamins A, C, and E such as milk, citrus fruits, vegetables, nuts, and eggs

can strengthen your immune system. 

 

• Drink water. It flushes your system and keeps you hydrated during the dry winter months. 

 

• Reduce stress by exercising, listening to music, meditating, practicing yoga, relaxing with a book, or watching

a funny movie or television show.

 

• Stop smoking. Smoking destroys the cilia fibers in your nose and lungs that sweep mucus filled with contaminants out of your body. 

 

• Wash water bottles before refilling them. Never share bottles or cups with anyone. Use disposable cups

in the bathroom and kitchen. 

 

• Identify a separate room in your home for taking care of sick family members.

 

• Avoid being around those who are sick unless you are caring for them. In that case, consider wearing a facemask in

addition to following the above precautions.

 

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Facts About Alcohol Poisoning

 

Facts About Alcohol Poisoning 

 

Excessive drinking can be hazardous to everyone's health! It can be particularly stressful if you are the sober

one taking care of your drunk roommate, who is vomiting

while you are trying to study for an exam. 

 

Some people laugh at the behavior of others who are drunk. Some think it's even funnier when they pass out. But there is nothing funny about the aspiration of vomit leading to asphyxiation or the poisoning of the respiratory center in

the brain, both of which can result in death. 

 

Do you know about the dangers of alcohol poisoning? When should you seek professional help for a friend? Sadly enough, too many college students say they wish they would have sought medical treatment for a friend. Many end up feeling responsible for alcohol-related tragedies that could have easily been prevented. 

 

Common myths about sobering up include drinking black coffee, taking a cold bath or shower, sleeping it off, or walking it off. But these are just myths, and they don't work.

The only thing that reverses the effects of alcohol is time-something you may not have if you are suffering from

alcohol poisoning. And many different factors affect the level of intoxication of an individual, so it's difficult to gauge exactly how much is too much.

 

 

What Happens to Your Body When You Get Alcohol Poisoning?

 

Alcohol depresses nerves that control involuntary actions

such as breathing and the gag reflex (which prevents choking). A fatal dose of alcohol will eventually stop these functions.

 

It is common for someone who drank excessive alcohol to vomit since alcohol is anirritant to the stomach. There is then the danger of choking on vomit, which could cause

death by asphyxiation in a person who is not conscious because of intoxication. 

 

You should also know that a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) can continue to rise even while he or she is passed out. Even after a person stops drinking, alcohol in the stomach and intestine continues to enter

the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body. It is dangerous to assume the person will be fine by sleeping it off. 

 

 

Critical Signs for Alcohol Poisoning 

 

• Mental confusion, stupor, coma, or person cannot be roused. 

 

• Vomiting. 

 

• Seizures. 

 

• Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute). 

 

• Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths). 

 

• Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness.

 

 

What Should I Do If I Suspect Someone Has Alcohol Poisoning? 

 

• Know the danger signals. 

 

• Do not wait for all symptoms to be present. 

 

• Be aware that a person who has passed out may die. 

 

• If there is any suspicion of an alcohol overdose, call 911 for help. Don't try to guess the level of drunkenness. 

 

 

What Can Happen to Someone With Alcohol Poisoning 

That Goes Untreated? 

 

• Victim chokes on his or her own vomit. 

 

• Breathing slows, becomes irregular, or stops. 

 

• Heart beats irregularly or stops. 

 

• Hypothermia (low body temperature). 

 

• Hypoglycemia (too little blood sugar) leads to seizures. 

 

• Untreated severe dehydration from vomiting can cause seizures, permanent brain damage, or death. 

 

Even if the victim lives, an alcohol overdose can lead to irreversible brain damage. Rapid binge drinking (which often happens on a bet or a dare) is especially dangerous

because the victim can ingest a fatal dose before becoming unconscious. 

 

Don't be afraid to seek medical help for a friend who has had too much to drink. Don'tworry that your friend may become angry or embarrassed-remember, you cared enough

to help. Always be safe, not sorry.

 

 

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