Sunny Health

Most people would have wondered what they would look like with a few improvements to their current appearance. But these days, you don't have to make an appointment with a plastic surgeon or professional photo editor to find out. Free selfie-editing mobile apps will produce your desired face with a few easy clicks, and the results are pretty natural-looking to the layman (if you didn't go overboard with the edits, that is).

Many veteran consumers of media and social media are already well-aware that photos of even the most conventionally good-looking celebrities will not be spared from going under the Photoshop knife. Recognising this fact is one thing, seeing those edits on your own photos is another. Little wonder then, that the Nuffield Council on Bioethics has blamed makeover apps and online plastic surgery games for resulting in a boom for the cosmetic procedure industry. That is not all, beauty bloggers are openly requesting sponsorships for beauty procedures and then reviewing them on their popular blogs, and beauty companies are grateful for the affordable and efficient marketing. It is all fine and good for fully-informed adults who know what they want and what they are getting to, and who have the financial means to fund it all. But for the vulnerable, all this "inspiration" from social media to strive for the perfect face as much as possible is detrimental towards young people with a self-image or confidence problem.

It would be impractical to expect any sort of authoritative action against such apps or marketing measures, or even the cosmetic industry. But we can probably do something for ourselves. For starters, if you have a child with access to a mobile device, you would want to check it from time to time to see the sort of app he/she has on the device. If the child has downloaded and used above-mentioned beauty apps, you'd want to have a conversation about the apps, self-worth and beauty standards. Straight-up banning is unlikely to do any good as the child could probably access such apps from friends. So creating the foundation for healthy values is more effective for preventing confidence issues in the long run.

If you find yourself the victim of constant social media pressure, then it is time for a digital detox, which I've written about here. Spend less times on those selfie-beautifying apps, uninstall them if you must. Adopt a rational perception and bear in mind that what we see is not always necessarily the case. For every successful beauty procedure that has been blogged about, there are lots more that were botched or developed complications, which people are less keen to publicise, especially if they are in the midst of a legal dispute.

When it comes to the cosmetic procedures industry, there is far less protection for consumers and regulation by the authorities. After all, cosmetic procedures are usually considered an unwarranted desire, a luxury, and deserves less attention than other more pressing issues. This is despite the fact that some cosmetic procedures are potentially fatal or leave long-lasting negative consequences, even the ones that claim to be non-intrusive. While there is nothing wrong with choosing to turn to cosmetic procedures, it is prudent to make informed choices on something that will irreversibly change you forever. And for better or worse, that remains to be seen.

Exercise is a healthy distraction that does wonders to one's self-image. When you engage in exercise, dopamine, the happy chemical, gets released. Moreover, as you get stronger and fitter, and your body gets into better shape, you will feel  better about yourself. Leading a healthy lifestyle - eating healthily, getting sufficient rest and physical activity, engaging in activities that you are passionate about, practising good hygiene and grooming, is crucial towards looking good. In any case, there's no way those big beautiful peepers or firm skin that you paid for will last if you don't make the effort to love and take care of yourself.

 "Soapy hot water" is often the recommendation for washing just about anything that needs to be sanitized of dirt, from hands to milk bottles to the laundry. Indeed, heat is often associated with germ extermination. This is because many harmful pathogens are unable to survive at high temperatures in water. It is why we cook our raw food at boiling point, or add boiling water to milk for the baby - to get rid of bacteria that might otherwise make us sick.


Since high temperatures help to destroy bacteria, does it mean that washing in warm or hot water is more sanitary than washing in cold water? These days, we have the luxury to pick between either as most of taps at the wash basins at home have options to switch quickly between hot and cold water. But perhaps only if you use boiling or very hot water would it really make a difference, and I'm sure no one would want to scald themselves to kill some bacteria. Besides, bathing in hot water can be very drying on your hair and skin.

Rutgers University-New Brunswick did an experiment, which proved that cool water is just as effective as warm water for getting rid of bacteria when washing hands. And this is good news because warm water uses more energy than cold water. Even the amount of soap does not really have an impact on the effectiveness of ridding bacteria, though studies are still being done on the type of soap that would be most effective.

On a related note, soap and water triumphs alcohol-based hand sanitizers, which should only be used if soap and water are not accessible. Moreover, it should have an alcohol concentration of at least 60% to be helpful, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What is more important when it comes to hand washing, is the duration spent on it, and how thorough you are. You should wash your hands for at least 10 seconds to remove a significant amount of bacteria. There's a set of detailed instructions on how to go about it, but rather than making things complicated, just remember this:

When lathering soap around your hands, make sure that it covers the entire surface of your hands, including the palms, back, and all over and in-between fingers. Then rinse off with water. The whole process should take around 20 seconds.





In the case of laundry, the temperature of the water you should use would actually be dependent on the material of your clothing. However, drying them under the hot sun would help to eradicate moisture and prevent mildew from setting in.

The new policy that permanently allows personal mobility devices and foldable bicycles on the train has brought plenty of cheer to the users of these devices. My neighbour Clara was especially ecstatic about it. She couldn't stop gushing about how she could now wake up later than usual. The two stretches she goes on foot to the MRT station from home, and then from the MRT station to work, takes her about a total of half an hour if she walks with a fast pace. In contrast, zipping through them on her e-scooter saves her about 20 minutes. Not to mention, she would not be a sweaty panting mess by the time she reaches office. And multiply that by two to include the same route she travels home.

But a week later, Clara had a new concern. She was clocking far less "active" time and footsteps on her pedometer. Before she started using her e-scooter, she could easily accumulate 10000 steps a day and more, the recommended minimal amount of daily physical activity for an adult. Since then, she is barely making it to 5000 steps.

Clara is certainly not going to be the only person experiencing a dip in physical activity, following the new policy. With the exception of bicycles, most PMDs are merely small versions of cars to get you from one place to another. Hardly any physical effort is required, which means that one is not doing any work while operating these devices. So it is crucial that those who are ditching their daily walks in favour of PMDs make more time to exercise and stay active.

For starters, instead of using the e-scooter, go for the foldable bike instead, or better still, use one of those rental bikes like oBike and Mobike, which can easily be found around high human traffic areas like outside the MRT stations. Of course, that would possibly mean having to bring a change of clothes and footwear as there are some clothes and shoes that are simply not suitable for cycling. And it will probably also lead to perspiration and frazzled hair.

Another way is to incorporate daily walks, in the morning and evening after dinner into your lifestyle. On top of reaching your daily minimal physical activity quote, it would be a good opportunity to clear your mind and enjoy the fresh air from the outdoor greenery.

So go ahead and enjoy the convenience provided by your PMDs, but don't forget to keep walking!

In earlier posts, we went over some health benefits of chocolate. Now, a recent study of people's chocolate consumption habits in Denmark is adding on to the list of benefits by suggesting that eating a small amount of chocolate per week may lower the risk of atrial fibrillation. Atrial Fibrillation is a common heart problem characterised by abnormal heart beat rhythm. It often leads to blood clots resulting in strokes, heart failure and other heart complications.

It is not known why or how chocolate brings about the benefit, but past studies found that consuming chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, which is rich in flavonols found in cocoa, is correlated to better heart health, so perhaps the same reasoning applies here again.

The study was conducted on 55,502 people in Denmark, consisting of both men and women, between the ages of 50 and 64 years old. They entered the study between 1993 to 1997. It was found that
people who ate one serving of chocolate per week, which is about 28.35 grams (1 ounce), were 17 percent less likely to have Atrial Fibrillation, compared to those who ate chocolate less than once a month. Those who ate a little more chocolate than that - 2 to 6 servings per week, were 20 percent less likely to have the condition. In women, the greatest risk reduction came with consuming 1 serving per week, while in men, it came with consuming 2 to 6 servings per week.