The Benefits of Acupuncture
Thursday, February 21, 2013 - Posted by SunnyHealth - 0 comments


Are you a long-suffering victim of allergies leading to watery eyes and stuffy noses that even prescriptions from the doctor can’t treat? Watery eyes and stuffy noses are often caused by dust particles and poor air quality. Given how air pollution is becoming more rampant, a German study about how acupuncture may bean effective treatment is certainly timely.

Detailed research still needs to be conducted for more definite results, but this certainly gives allergy sufferers hope, as acupuncture gains more popularity and recognition as legitimate treatment. Furthermore, it has no chemical side effects. Acupuncture has been widely recognised for effectiveness in easing back aches, soothing indigestion, migraines, and obesity (accompanied with a healthy lifestyle of course).

For those who are still unfamiliar with Acupuncture, About.com explains it well. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine practice based on the belief that to be healthy, there must be a balance of yin and yang in the body. If an imbalance occurs, the normal flow of energy (qi) is disrupted and disease may occur. During an acupuncture session, practitioners use needles placed along the energy fields of the body to re-balance the body’s energies.

While its effectiveness has not been recognised for more severe diseases, it is able to boost effects of medication when used alongside western prescriptions, according to a study in China where acupuncture therapy combined with Prozac has helped to reduce anxiety in patients, while leading to a reduced dosage of Prozac and subsequently the side effects of the drug.

The use of acupuncture as a supplementary treatment to conventional cancer treatments is also growing in popularity. However, there is a frequent misconception that acupuncture is an alternative treatment to radiation treatments. The truth couldn’t be further than that. Acupuncture cannot quite completely replace conventional cancer treatments at this point of time, but it can be used in conjunction with treatment to alleviate the side effects such as nausea, pain and depression. It helps to improve sleep quality, hence boosting the patient’s immunity system and overall wellbeing and speed up recovery process. Several hospitals in Singapore like Singapore General Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital offer acupuncture as well.

Acupuncture is a specialised practice and not just about anyone is qualified to deliver it! Before you rush to your nearest TCM clinic to try its effects on your allery, check the TCM practioners board http://www.healthprofessionals.gov.sg/content/hprof/tcmpb/en.html to ensure that you’re seeing a qualified TCM practitioner!


Coronavirus - New SARS-like virus appears in Britain
Friday, February 15, 2013 - Posted by SunnyHealth - 0 comments

Two days ago, a new SARS-like virus in a patient was confirmed as the 11th case in the world by British officials. This coronavirus is part of a family of viruses that cause ailments including the common cold and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), an illness that has proven fatal in severe circumstances and directly impacted several countries including Singapore in 2003.

The new virus was first identified last year in the Middle East, and 10 people who travelled to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan or Pakistan have been infected. The 11th case was a patient who had not visited any of these places, but had come into contact with one of these 10.

According to BBC News, Coronaviruses cause respiratory infections in humans and animals. Patients have presented with fever, cough and breathing difficulties. It causes pneumonia and sometimes kidney failure. So far five people are known to have died after being infected. Doctors do not yet know what the best treatment is, but people with severe symptoms will need intensive medical care to help them breath. There is no vaccine for it.

Naturally, the possibility of human-to-human transmission of a possibly incurable and fatal virus is a cause for concern, more so as Chinese New Year holidays is a peak travel period. But before you get up in arms, take heart that WHO is monitoring the situation closely, and doesn't classify it as a health emergency as yet.

Nevetherless, it is never too early to exercise prevention. Protecting yourself against SARS or related respiratory illnesses is similar to protecting yourself against the flu.

Build up your immune system with a healthy lifestyle and diet, and frequent exercise, to lower your risk of getting infections. Get ample rest and avoid smoking.

Practise good personal hygiene. When sneezing or coughing, wear a facemask, and be sure to change it each time you have to take it off. Throw used tissues away immediately.

Wash hands frequently with soap and water, or hand santisers. Remember, handheld gadgets like phones, and keyboards which we come frequently in contact with, can carry more germs than your toilet bowl!

Do not share personal items like towels and eating utensils.

Consult your doctor if you feel unwell. Respiratory illnesses bear the similar symptoms as the flu or cold, including fever, dry cough, shortness of breath or breathing difficulties. Headaches, muscle aches, sore throats, fatigue and diarrhea may accompany the illness as well. This is tricky as many people tend to underestimate a flu or cold and turn to home remedies instead of going to the doctor. But don’t treat your illness lightly, especially during peak travel periods that often facilitate the spread of viruses globally. The earlier you seek treatment, the better your chances of recovery, and the less negative impact on your loved ones.

Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19699677
http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/pho/sars.html
http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/sars/63449.htm


Coping with Crowds
Friday, February 08, 2013 - Posted by SunnyHealth - 0 comments


With the recent release of population white paper, the possibility of 6.9 million people in our already cramped little island sure ruins the festive mood! But like the Buddhist saying goes “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”. Regardless the outcome of the debate, we can’t expect the problem of over-crowding to go away any time soon, the least we can do is take it in stride and come up with little measures to help ourselves cope better. That beats moaning and getting our blood pressures rising.

With Chinese New Year closing in, it is more likely than any other time of the year that you’d find yourself in the midst of a horrific crowd, whether you’re shopping, visiting a place of interest or getting around. Being in a crowd is usually a stressful situation – it makes you hot, tired, impatient and anxious. It could even set off a panic attack. Obviously, you can’t mop at home or take a cab every time you need to step out, so let’s deal with this.

Take a deep breath
Deep breathing is a very simple way to cope with stress and anxiety. This is almost always a guarantee to calm one down. If you find yourself cursing everyone around you, take a deep breath, count to 3 (or 10 if you need more time), tell yourself that everyone is in the same boat (or bus, or train) and will yourself to be more sympathetic. Shoving back or tut-tutting at someone who accidentally pushed you is not going to improve the situation.

Be mindful of your thoughts
In event that you feel stressed or anxious on a crowded public transport, think positive thoughts, such as the nice dinner that you are going home to or your favourite video game. Distract yourself from distressing thoughts and the painful journey will be over in no time. Learning to take a step back from current (vicious) thoughts can help to reduce the influence of these thoughts over your emotions and behaviour, in turn keeping your blood pressure in check!

Don’t go with the flow
Do you always feel that you have to squeeze into the train although the next one’s coming in 2 minutes, not because you’re really pressed for time, but because everyone around you is just trying to push their way in? Well, don’t. Why let yourself get squashed against the door when you can have a slightly more comfortable position just by waiting a couple of minutes? If anyone behind you wants to cross the physical limits of the carriage, let him try. It can be entertaining to watch.

Have company
Have a colleague who takes the same train route as you? Why not make it a point to take the train with him/her? Apart from bonding, chatting with someone helps release stress and makes the time pass faster.

Have a plan when shopping
So Chinatown’s having a clearance sale and you can’t wait to get your hands on those great bargains. Guess what? You aren’t the only person with the same mentality. If you’re counting on going there for a leisurely stroll and window shopping, you will be sorely disappointed and frustrated. Instead, draw up a shopping list, decide which shops to visit, and plan your route if possible. These days, the internet can tell you a lot without you having to recce the place in advance. This helps limit your time spent in a crowded, stressful situation, and you feel more in control, instead of helplessly getting sandwiched in the crowd.

Have a bottle of medicated oil with you or your favourite scent
Good old medicated oil is always handy for relieving dizziness. Lavender is known to relieve fainting spells and stress. Should you have the misfortune of standing near someone with B.O., the strong yet pleasant smells from the little bottles keeps the stink at bay.

Practise good hygiene
Hygiene is always a concern in crowded places. Consider wearing a surgical mask to reduce potential contact with airbourne diseases. In Tokyo, face masks are popular because the city is often packed at peak hours. These masks create a barrier that helps to limit bacteria from the wearer’s mouth from getting out into the air and affecting the people around them. It is a considerate act to wear a face mask  and one should don it even if he is not sick. Nevertheless, some ignorant people associate face masks with severe contagious diseases. If there are people like this around you, all the better for you since you’ll be getting more space while they attempt to avoid you like plague!

There are many brands of instant sanitizers these days produced by various brands in small portable bottles. They allow you to wash your hands without using water, any time, anywhere.

If you’re prone to perspiring a lot, do everyone and yourself a favour by applying deodorant. This helps make the situation more pleasant for everyone and less embarrassing for yourself.

Remember, mutual consideration can help to make crowds more manageable!

However, bear in mind that anyone with reduced immune system from illnesses e.g. cancer patients should avoid crowded places as they are more susceptible to getting infections than others. Should you really need to go out and encounter a crowd, ask your doctor for medical advice. 


Self-control in the face of delicacies
Friday, February 01, 2013 - Posted by SunnyHealth - 0 comments
Because it's for your sake

Chinese New Year is a big party for the foodies. Regardless of age group, interests and belief, it is hard to dispute the fact that one of the highlights of this traditional festive event is food. Even for those who are supposed to be dieting or monitoring their health, it is difficult to resist delectable offers of discounted reunion dinner buffets and traditional sweet treats sold by the tub just about everywhere in Singapore.

Understandably, it’s just not like Chinese New Year without the food.

However, before you use that as an excuse, bear in mind the nutritional contents of these delicious but fatty foods.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital published a list of popular CNYgoodies and their contents:
  • Bak Kwa (1 piece, 57g)- contains 229kcal, 8g fat, 24g sugar with 15g protein
  • Pineapple tarts (2 pieces, 40g) - 163kcal, 7g fat & 12g sugar
  • Love Letter (4 rolls, 52g) - 224kcal , 6g fat & 19g sugar
  • Shrimp Roll (10 pieces, 15g) - 46kcal ,4g fat & 0g sugar
  • Kueh bangkit (6 pieces, 36g) - 137kcal,4 fat & 8g sugar
  • Beehive cookie/ kueh ros - 149kcal, 7g fat & 8g sugar
  • Nian gao (1/4 portion, 106g) - 245kcal, 0.5g fat & 37g sugar
If these figures don’t make much sense, compare their amount of calories to what’s consumed in a regular bowl of white rice, which is about 200kcal. One bak kwa encompasses about the bulk of a regular meal, with possibly more sugar!

That’s not to say you should abstain from it, but you should eat within your regular limits. For example, just have five pineapple tarts instead of polishing off half a tub in a day.

“But that’s too little! You could barely taste it,” you say.

Recently, I read an insightful story that was published in Shui Yue, a magazine by the Sagaramudra Buddhist Society.

The gist of the story is as follows - A monk asked his disciples to choose a grape each from a bunch of grapes. When they’d each picked a grape, he asked them to take five minutes to each eat a grape. Well, who takes five minutes to eat a grape? Most of us can finish at least five grapes in five minutes! The disciples bemoaned the difficulty of the task; some wish they’d picked a bigger grape. Nonetheless, they tried, and they discovered that as they nibbled slowly, the grape tasted sweeter than ever because they had more time to savour it, and that was even more enjoyable than eating five grapes in five minutes. Obviously, the article has a deeper meaning than eating habits, but appreciating the little details in life is highly relevant to good dieting habits as well.

The more you eat, the fuller you get, but that doesn't necessarily satisfy your taste buds. That is also why health professionals state that it is healthier to eat slower, not only because you digest your food more easily by chewing more, but also because you tend not to eat more than you need to.

Why not take your time to truly enjoy your meal, while scoring health points and saving expenses?