Sunny Health

With World Hand Hygiene Day just round the corner, let’s lather it on with the rest of the world and practice good hygiene! I’m sure you’ve seen posters plastered all over walls of toilets, hospital wards and health bulletins in recent years screaming at you to wash your hands, what with all the pandemics threatening to pile germs down our backs.

It seems so simple and obvious to just wash one’s hands after a meal, or after using the bathroom, or basically after touching something dirty. But do we really understand what this means, and the criticality of it all?

Imagine someone down with a cold, sneezing and coughing away. He goes into a lift, presses a button and goes out. The next person goes in, touches the same button, and so on. The number of fingers that got into contact with that contaminated button, and roaming around touching many other little things, then back to their faces, is unbelievable. The journey of germs and bacteria is indeed a long and flighty one, hopping from one person to the next like little parasites. However, it can be kept to a minimum if each individual puts in that extra effort to keep their hands clean.

And it really isn’t that difficult. Here are seven easy steps from the Health Promotion Board and Tan Tock Seng Hospital that will leave you with spotless hands. (And it only takes a minute or two!)

Seeing how simple it is to keep germs at bay, there really is no excuse for dirty, grimy hands. And I’m sure you don’t want to be caught by the new health “spies”, now that the University of Florida has come up with a special hand-washing detector, called HyGreen.

Currently aimed at hospitals where hygiene is of top-most priority, these detectors are able to sense if a medical staff has washed his hands before attending to the patient. When a staff enters the patient’s ward, he will wash up and run his hands under a HyGreen sensor that will activate a green LED light on his ID badge if his hands are clean. The system also has a monitor by the patient’s bed that sends out infrared and acoustic signals to the staff ID badge verifying the green light is illuminated. If the staff has not washed his hands, the badge will vibrate, alerting him to do so. When this happens, an alert will also be sent to a database which hospital infection staff can monitor.

You can read more about this innovation here:
http://news.discovery.com/tech/hand-washing-tech.html

Though still relatively new, when it does make its way to our little island, I’m pretty sure this technology might just boost hygiene practices, and hopefully confine the spread of infectious diseases like the common cold, gastrointestinal illnesses, diarrhoea and pneumonia to a minimum.

So if you haven’t gotten into the habit of washing your hands the proper way or often enough, let this international health campaign be a start to wash away your old habits and kick in some soapy new ones. Make this your new daily regime, not just every 5th May, and you’ll see the difference some clean fingers can do. So pop that sanitizer into your bag, and you’re good to go.

Do you wake up each morning dragging your feet to work, wishing you could hide under the covers, safe from the realms of yet another hair-wrenching day at the office? Or are you one of those lucky ones who jumps straight out of bed the minute your alarm goes off, bouncing with every step, eager-eyed to take on the world?

Well, whichever you may be, here’s a list of the top ten most stressful professions I have come up with, based on personal observations and research, to help you find out if your career choice might just be the reason you’re pulling your hair out. And just for the fun of it, I've also uncovered a list of the top ten most laid-back professions for you to compare if you're considering a career switch to recuperate from your hectic lifestyle!

Top 10 Most Stressful Jobs

1. Air Traffic Controller
With Singapore’s Changi Airport ranked one of the best in the world, it is no wonder this profession comes in tops as the most stressful job to hold. These people ensure the safe arrival and departure of flights and have to constantly be alert, especially when one slight error can put hundreds of lives at stake.

2. Nurses
These angels deal with all the petty issues of patients as well as major ones. Not only do they take care of their patients, they have tons of paperwork, administrative duties and other miscellaneous matters to take care of. The “limbs” of the hospital, not even the most technologically-advanced medical institutions can do without them.

3. Restaurant/ Bar Manager (F&B and Service Sector)
Now that the Integrated Resorts are up, such positions are not only becoming more widely available, but are also causing stress levels to increase. More customers are expecting excellent service and these people have to cater to whatever whims and fancies that come their way, including managing employees and the restaurant itself.

4. Salespeople
Getting people to part with their money to buy your product is always a challenge. What's more, sales targets add on to the stress levels. In a competitive society like Singapore with both customers and retail managers expecting the best performance, this is indeed an aggressive job to keep up with.

5. Teachers
Notice how kids these days are getting more opinionated, vocal and pampered? When away from their parents, who are the ones in charge of these young “bosses”? Teachers! Try imparting knowledge, instilling discipline, and juggling administrative work all at once without stepping on the toes of the parents and you’ve got a handful.

6. Taxi Drivers
I’m sure most of us have experienced this weird phenomenon of cabs appearing in front of you when you don’t need it, but never coming when you're stranded in an out of the way place and desperately need one? Or when you come out of a club in the wee hours of the morning and see a throng of cabs waiting to pick you up? Well that’s the strange but competitive lives of taxi drivers, vying for the best spot and time for their daily catch.

7. Surgeons
In that operating theatre, the patient's life is literally in the hands of the surgeon. Every ounce of concentration has to be put into each movement. One small mistake and it could be the end of the road, for both surgeon and patient. Not to mention, intense guilt and sleepless nights arising from a patient death.

8. Judge
Playing God is possibly one of the most nerve-wrecking professions ever. Being paid to decide whether a man lives or dies is not as glamorous as it may seem. Whoever’s in this position, not only has to be strong, confident and meticulous but ethical in judgment, be it determining a punishment or letting a man free. Furthermore, whether his sentence is justified, 9 out of 10 times, someone is bound to be unsatisfied.

9. Public Relations Officer
Making contact with clients and the media, writing speeches, preparing publicity and churning out press releases against a tight dealine, all for that one event where there is no room for error. The life of a public relations officer is all about a mad race with time.

10. Police Officers
A job which requires guts and excellent fitness, these people maintain the safety we very much take for granted. Exposed to all sorts of criminals and dangers possible, this is a job not for the faint-hearted.

Wonder what’s it like over in America? Take a look at their top ten list of heart-thumping, nerve-wrecking, nail-biting jobs derived by CareerCast.com.
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/109379/americas-most-stressful-jobs-2010?mod=career-worklife_balance


Top 10 Laid-back Jobs

Laid-back jobs are not necessarily simple jobs. They too, require specialized skills and good work etiquette. But with the absence of tight deadlines, serious competition and responsibility for other people's lives, they usually incur much lower stress levels.

1. Florist
Everybody loves beautiful things. Wouldn’t you love to work in a cozy little shop on the outskirts of town, or in the heartlands, being surrounded by colourful, sweet-scented florals? Around such pretty things, whatever stress you may have just melts away.

2. Gardener
If you love plants, it would be a joy spending time in a green house caring for things you love. Though the sun can be a nightmare, at least the untainted oxygen produced from the greenery keeps your lungs and minds fresh.

3. Lecturer
Unlike their teacher counterparts, these educators have a much easier time, what with a much higher paycheck, independent older and more mature students, minus disciplining headaches and demanding parents breathing down your necks.

4. Hair stylists
Gifted with the skill of creating a work of art with a pair of scissors, the talented ones can make quite a good living just fussing with hair. Of course, there are those long hours of standing to contend with, but hey, making good money is rarely breezy.

5. Lifeguard
These people have the perks of getting a tan on the job, keeping themselves fit, and relaxing in the sun, diving into the water every now and then only when required. Small wonder swimming lessons have been included in some of their jobscopes!

6. Food Critic
Tasting the best food in town and getting paid to gush about it! Of course, there are the occasional flukes, but few establishments would call you in if they have nothing to boast about, unless they wish for their business to end with a bang. Unless you're vegetarian, what’s there not to love about this job?

7. Movie Reviewer
Watching movies for a living, who’s complaining? Even if many movies are pure crap these days, at least you're being paid to vent your anger on it with your writing.

8. Piano Tuner
All they need is the musical ability to identify the right pitches and know which knobs to twist and keys to thump to get pianos perfect-sounding for their clients! This job is music to the ears, and while it may not provide stable income for a freelancer, it is at least a decent paying and relaxing sideline!

9. Technical Writers
A professional and skilled writing career free of the inevitable writer’s block or dry spells most writers face!

10. Mathematician
A job that scares people away by its mere title, this position isn’t as daunting as it seems. In fact, with knowledge in this area and the knack for figures, applying mathematical theories and formulas to solve problems is known to be one of the least stressful jobs around, though it only applies for those who are good with Math.

Here’s CareerCast’s list of top ten least stressful jobs in America for comparison's sake:
http://www.careercast.com/jobs/content/ten-least-stressful-jobs-2010-jobs-rated


Don't be too anxious to ditch the rat race for the simpler life, or despair over your lack of skills to make that career switch! In fact, changing your work environment or taking on entirely new responsibilities may even contribute to more stress due to the need for adaptation. Before you decide on a career change, ask yourself why you chose it in the first place, or if it is something you have always wanted to do. A job that you're passionate about is a job that you'd be happy to slave over for. Living a healthy lifestyle - by eating well, exercising, having sufficient sleep and having quality time to yourself and loved ones, is an effective way to curb stress levels. On the other hand, a relaxing job that you dislike is going to do little to get you bouncing out of bed in the mornings.

As you can see, holding the right job for yourself is crucial to a healthy and happy lifestyle too!

We all know about the hazards of smoking, especially the smokers. Yet, they still puff away senselessly throwing away health. Why? For most, the toll on the body takes effect not now…but perhaps 10-20 years later for most and for others even longer.

By then, many will come to regret. One public figure whose testimony is etched in my memory is the late Yul Brynnar, American actor fame for his roles in the Ten Commandants, the King and I, Magnificent Seven. Before he passed on from cancer, he did a public education recording to advise young people not to smoke.

Alas like all other public messages, they fell on deaf ears.

A stick of cigarette contains over 4000 types of chemicals, of which 400 are poisonous and 40 are cancer-causing. The litany of chemicals contained in a single cigarette, given by the Health Promotion Board Singapore, includes:

Nicotine: Causes addiction and withdrawal symptoms upon cessation. It stimulates the brain so that the smoker feels alert at first but eventually, it dulls the brain and senses. Nicotine causes the release of adrenaline, which makes the heart beat faster and work harder. Nicotine also makes blood clot more readily, increasing the smoker's risk of heart attack.

Carbon monoxide: A dangerous gas found in car exhaust smoke. It replaces as much as 15% of the oxygen which would normally be carried by the red blood cells, so the smoker's heart, which needs more oxygen, gets even lesser. It also makes the smoker suffer from shortness of breath and lack of stamina. Carbon monoxide damages the inner lining of blood vessels and can lead to increased risk of heart attack.

Tar: Used to cover surface of roads. Many cancer-causing substances are found in tar. Some of these are benzo, pyrene, nitrosamine and B-napthylamine, cadmium and nickel.

Acetone: Paint stripper.
DDT: A pesticide which kills mosquitoes and ants.
Arsenic: White ant poison and used by many famous murderers.
Cadmium: A chemical found in car batteries.
Formaldehyde: Used to embalm dead bodies.
Ammonia: An active ingredient in floor cleaners.
Hydrogen cyanide: A poison used in gas chambers.
Naphthalene: A killer ingredient found in mothballs.
Polonium-210: A radioactive substance.
Vinyl chloride: Chemical used to make plastic.

As a one time heavy smoker, I find it easier to give up smoking altogether via the “cold turkey” route. I gave up smoking not once but twice in my life time. The first was when I was 21, and I stopped for some 12 years before I went back to smoking. Why? Because I went on a holiday to Paris, bought a carton as part of the holiday and got hooked again. The second time was some 20 years ago when I realised that I was smoking more than 20 sticks a day, and still urging for more.

I decided enough was enough. I took up weights and running as a motivation. Sports and smoking don’t go in tandem because you lose stamina when you smoke. In many ways I suppose I have a strong will-power. To permanently nail the old habit, I went to church and made a promise never to smoke again. Today I can empathise with those who smoke but will not touch another cigarette. I run regularly, and have no regrets giving up smoking. If I can do it, why not you?