Sunny Health

Every day in Singapore, more than 350 bags of blood are needed to save lives. Blood is not only required for accidents and emergencies, it is also for sustaining the lives of patients with disorders like leukaemia, thalassaemia and some types of disorders. In addition, any patient who is undergoing a major surgery would require blood transfusions. With our aging population which means more people living longer but requiring sophisticated health care services and treatments, not only might we expect an increased demand for blood, we may even see a decrease in the donor pool if younger Singaporeans are not stepping up to donate blood.

If the giving others the all-important gift of life is insufficient to persuade you to donate blood, perhaps some health benefits of regularly donating blood will:

- Reduce risk of heart disease and cancer brought about by excess iron.
Excess iron in blood oxidises, damages artery walls and promotes the growth of tumours. According to a study by the American Journal of Epidemiology, regular blood donors are 88% less likely to have a heart attack than non-donors. They also have lower-than-average cancer rates. Excess iron is usually attributed to existing health conditions or imbalanced diet.

- Burn about 650 calories per pint of blood donated.
The body will expend this amount of energy to replace the blood loss. However, you can only donate blood once every two months, so you probably shouldn't count on it as a weight-loss tool.

- Renews your red blood cells
The old has to clear out in order to make way for the new. Blood donation is a save way to remove a significant amount of old blood cells. The new blood cells that replace them will carry more oxygen, helping your body to work better.

Sounds tempting, isn't it? And donating blood on a regular basis really isn't as intrusive, time-consuming or painful as some people imagine it to be.


How long does blood donation take?

According to the Singapore Red Cross, the whole process including administrative procedures and health screening takes about 45 minutes, and the blood donation itself takes about 10-15 minutes. After that, you are free to do light activities. Physically strenuous activities (athletics, heavy lifting) are to be avoided for 24 hours. 45 minutes to save a life or more, that's hardly much to ask for.

Is it painful?
A local painkiller will be applied, so the pain should be very minimal, and only lasting for that brief period when the blood is being drawn.

Possible side effects and how to resolve them?
They vary from person to person, but these are the normal side effects:
- lightheadedness: Lie down with your feet up until the feeling passes
- Bruising where the needle was: apply a cold pack periodically during the first 24 hours after the blood donation
- Soreness in arm: You can take a pain reliever like acetaminophen. Aspirin and ibuprofen should be avoided for the first 48 hours after donation.
The staff at the blood donation drive will advise you accordingly, so don't worry.


You should not experience any prolonged/permanent side effect or scarring. For faster healing, you should drink plenty of water and consume an iron-rich die after donating blood.

Who can donate blood?
- Aged 16-60 (people below 18 will require parental consent)
- weigh at least 45kg
- in good health
- no symptoms of infection (e.g. sore throat, cough, runny nose, diarrhoea) for at least one week before
- did not have fever in the last three weeks
- have a haemoglobin level of at least 12.5g/dl (A test will be administered by trained nurses at the donation site)


Donating blood is very convenient. You can book an appointment via Singapore Red Cross's website.
There are not only 4 blood banks operating across Singapore, but regular community blood drives are also organised at various locations.

So if you have some free time and are in good health, think about the less fortunate struggling for their lives. A little sacrifice on our part can make a huge difference to their lives and earn you some great karma. Those with rare blood types especially should donate. We hate to think of the worst, but life is unpredictable but you never know when you'll also need blood from a fellow rare type.

References:
http://www.tesh.com/articles/donating-blood-can-help-you-lose-weight/
https://www.redcross.sg/give-blood/why-should-i-donate-blood.html

It's been almost 2 weeks since the school holidays ended. Many children would have adapted to their day-to-day school routine, albeit with some reluctance. However, some may have more than the usual back-to-school blues, especially the younger ones. Here are some issues you should take note of and tackle accordingly:

Sleepiness, difficulty in getting up on time
During the school holidays, your child would likely be getting up later than usual (since school hours for Primary and Secondary schools are notorious for being punishingly early), and sleeping later than usual. Having to adapt to a new sleep cycle, on top of stress from school work, can be difficult, resulting in lack of sleep. If you've travelled during the school holidays and only returned recently, jetlag may also contribute to the problem. Be understanding if your child has been cranky, which is typical behaviour related to poor sleep, and help your child to get better quality sleep. Popular remedies for sleep loss such as lavender scents, warm showers before bed and warm milk are usually effective. Being by your child's side at bed time would be soothing, especially for young children. It is also a good opportunity to bond. Keep electronic devices like phones and tablets away from your child before bedtime, as that will most certainly keep them up. Get your child to finish up their school work and revision early so that they can go to bed early.

Academic stress
On the subject of stress, if the child hasn't been revising during the school holidays, catching up with the new lessons will be extremely daunting. If the school doesn't offer refresher lessons, and you’re unable to guide your child in that area, then you might want to hire a tutor, not to give extra workload, but to help revise those learnt but forgotten concepts. And then you’d do well to remember during the next long school break that all play and no work makes Jack a forgetful child back in school. While school holidays are the time to relax, it is important to not get too carried away.

They miss you
If you’ve taken leave off work to spend more time with your child during the school holidays, your child may not get used to the reduced amount of attention they’re getting from you once school reopens. Even as you’re up to your brows in work, do spend at least half to one hour a day having intimate conversations or play time with your child.

Lost friendships
Friendships at a young age are fragile. Not spending time together or being cast aside for a new bestie are common ways which little friends fall out of favour with each other. Don’t shrug aside your child’s friendship and insist that they focus on their studies instead, which is a common mistake parents make. Falling out with a good friend is something that makes us adults miserable and distracted, so why should it be anything different for a child? Encourage your child to talk to you about their unhappiness. If you can’t do anything to help salvage the friendship, the least you can do is offer a listening ear.

Contact with sick classmates and poor hygiene
The middle of the year is often flu season, which means it may be highly possible for your child to bring back the flu bug. Do remind your child about the basic hygiene practices, which would include washing hands after play and before food, not eating or drinking directly from another child’s meal or using their cutlery, and keep his/her immune system in good shape by ensuring sufficient sleep, healthy meals with plenty of fruits and vegetables, exercise and lots of water. If your child is sick, take them to the doctor and make sure they are well before letting them get back to school. Making sick children go to school is not only torturous for the child but also terribly inconsiderate to the other people at the school.

Going back to school is in itself stressful, but it can be made more manageable by ensuring that your child’s emotional and physical well-being are in tip-top condition.

With plans to make Orchard Road smoke-free by 2018, Singapore looks well on track to become a smoke-free nation. Since 30 June, there will be five designated smoking areas - Behind Somerset MRT station, Cuppage Terrace, Far East Plaza, Orchard Towers and The Heeren. But it won't be the entire area or shopping centre that allows smoking of course. The property owners are to set up designated smoking areas within their properties, complying with guidelines set out by the National Environment Agency (NEA). Existing smoking corners at food establishments along Orchard Road will eventually be banned from July 2018.

This has resulted in quite a hot debate online. The move has garnered plenty of praise, but also just about the same amount of complaints. This is rather worrying as it appears that the number of smokers and people who support smoking in Singapore is quite significant.

The hazards of smoking and second-hand smoking are already well-documented. But smoking has ways to make smokers overlook even the most dreadful health warning pictures on the cigarette packaging. To effectively reach out to the more stubborn smokers who cannot be deterred by costs or nightmarish pictures about their lungs turning black, it is important to understand the reasons why people smoke. For young people, especially those in their teens, it is usually attributed to peer pressure and the desire to look cool and mature. Smoking also relieves tension and improves mood due to chemical actions of nicotin. But this is only temporary and the stress will come back shortly after, along with the urge to smoke again. This is why some people easily smoke up to an entire pack of cigarettes in one day.

Finding other more meaningful and healthy ways to combat stress would be a good distraction from smoking, but many people would give cite lack of time as an excuse. It seems much more fuss-free to light up a cigarette, especially at the workplace, a common source of stress, than to head to the gym to work it out of your system.

Quitting smoking is difficult, especially if it has been a habit for years. But you don't have to do this alone.Call Health Hub's ​quitline at 1800 438 2000 for their free counselling service. They will give you advice on other free/affordable resources you can tap on if necessary. Finally, if stress and misery are making you turn to cigarettes, you might also want to consider professional stress management as part of your quitting regime. Many clinics provide this. The Singapore General Hospital offers consultation and treatment. You can make an appointment via appointments@sgh.com.sg or 6321 4377.

Health problems and money issues (cigarettes are expensive) cause even more stress. Get help from the right places before you get caught up in a vicious cycle!