Sunny Health

We often associate children and youthfulness with the word carefree. We call them our little rays of sunshine because they brighten up our lives with their funny antics and infectious laughter. Yet children have vulnerable emotions, and while they have comparatively less things to worry about than an adult, they can suffer from intense negative emotions that manifest into depression. Moreover, compared to the adults, they are far less inapt at managing their feelings. In Singapore, suicides are rarely reported by the mainstream media for fear that it may invite copycat suicides. That doesn't mean they don't exist. Samaritans of Singapore usually has fairly up to date statistics on suicides. In 2015, 27 children aged 10 to 19 committed suicide. This was found to be a record number.

In fact, this is not a unique situation to Singapore.  In high pressure societies like Japan, China and Korea, it is not rare to come across reports of children at youths at a school-going age committing suicide. In Singapore, high-profile suicides that had to be covered in the media often had to do with stress and feelings of inadequacy related to academic performance. Elsewhere in other countries, bullying and difficulty to fit in (i.e. due to racial discrimination, sexuality etc) are common causes of suicide.

As adults, it is important to help identify symptoms of depression in children and get professional help for them. Children exhibit similar signs of depression to adults, though they may be less capable of articulating or expressing their feelings. Some of these common symptoms include:
-Frequent displays of anger and irritability
- Problematic behaviour at home and towards peers, often mistaken to be acts of rebelliousness or
-Difficulty concentrating, which may lead to poor academic performance.
- Social withdrawal, wanting to be alone. Frequently hiding in room is one sign of it, if there is no valid reason for it i.e. chatting with a friend or studying.
- Fatigue and lethargy.
- Disinterest in hobbies
- Lack of appetite.
- Not wanting to go to school (common sign of bullying or failure to fit in)
- Complaints of physical problems such as headaches and stomachache
- Frequent signs of physical injuries e.g. bruises, scratches etc (possible signs of abuse)

Common causes of depression include:- Family history of violence and alcohol abuse
- Physical or sexual abuse
- Body image issues.
- Poverty
- Lack of healthy social life
- Bullying
- Lack of family support / poor family bonds
- Poor self-esteem

In Singapore, many children are lucky to come from healthy homes. Abuse is rare, and bullying, though unheard of, is rarely as extreme as it can be in other countries, thanks to the education system's emphasis on racial harmony and equality. Lack of self-esteem - often manifesting in the forms of body image problems and obsession in good grades, seems to be a more common trigger for depression and suicide among children in Singapore. These are factors that are highly preventable, but it boils down to the parents to impart the right values.

Many Asian parents believe in tough love and pushing their children to do what they as parents believe to be the best for their children. Indeed, success stories throughout history have proven that tough love has its basis and isn't a mark of bad parenting. However, it is important to note that no child is the same and the effects of tough love may vary from one child to another.

Moreover, children need to be made aware that their self-worth does not simply lie in what they can accomplish at school or how thin or beautiful they look. Establishing a good bond and communication with your children is a key to producing confident children who are aware of their self-worth, and who will not yield to external mainstream pressures, who knows what they want for themselves. And this, more than anything else, lays the foundation to becoming a successful adult.

The rate of childbirth in developed societies is declining, but the number of people turning to pets, sometimes termed as "fur children", are on the rise. Pet ownership used to be a symbol of wealth; pedigrees from the pet shops and their upkeep do not come cheap, but as more animal lovers turn to adoptions and rescues, pet ownership has become more affordable than before. And fortunately, the increased appeal of pets is justified; having one or a few animal companions at home has health benefits.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pets can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and feelings of loneliness. Indeed, after a rough day, cuddling your animal friend is enough to drive your frustrations away and calm you down. The act of stroking fur is therapeutic and soothing, and little wonder that animals like dogs, cats and horses have been used for Animal-assisted therapy to take the blues out of nursing home occupants and mental health patients. People who are going through a rough patch in life, like a divorce or passing of a close one, often find comfort and solace from their pet.

Having pets, especially dogs, motivates you to be more physically active, because it is a must to take your dog out on daily walks. Naturally, being active keeps your cholesterol levels down. You'd be heading to the parks more often, or going for hikes, and the fresh air and greenery are certainly the added bonuses for better health and mental well-being. In addition, pets are a great ice breaker among pet owners and animal lovers, opening up opportunities to socialise and even date. And if you look online, pictures of dogs, cats, and other cute animals are always popular among netizens. Possible tickets to online fame aside, a friendly comment or message could spark a friendship between two animal lovers.

Perhaps for the animal lovers, what makes caring for an animal so much more engaging than other hobbies is the fact that it is human nature to want to feel needed, that they are responsible for something important. Taking care of a living thing is a stimulating and rewarding experience that few other hobbies can afford. After all, as veterinary consultant for Good Morning America and author of Your Dog: The Owner's Manual says, "A lot of it goes back to reducing stress: You might lose your job, your house, your 401(k)—but you'll never lose the unconditional love of your pet."


For someone dealing with chronic pain, the presence of pets reduces anxiety. According to a study from Loyola University, people who used pet therapy while recovering from a surgery may require significantly less pain medication than those who did not.

Young children too benefit significantly from growing up with animals. Learning responsibility aside, WebMD points out that exposure to animals from a young age have reduced risks of sustaining allergies and asthma. It would also improve the conditions of children with Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The soothing sensation of stroking a furred pet is calming to autistic children, while pet care encourages ADHD patients to focus on a predictable routine.

In fact, the health benefits of pet ownership are so apparent that Midland Insurance Company of Columbus, Ohio is more partial towards insuring clients over age 75 if they have a pet.

But before you run out to get yourself a pet, bear in mind that a pet is a heavy responsibility and you must be able to give it adequate care and housing for the entire duration of its lifetime. Pet abandonment is a significant problem in Singapore, and you would do well not to contribute to it. While per ownership is not necessarily a luxury, one must bear in mind costs of a life time supply of food, vet visits as well as the initial expenses for making the house pet-friendly. Like humans, your pet can suffer from health problems, and you will have to take it for regular health check ups to ensure your pet leads a long healthy life. You should do plenty of research and make sure you have comprehensive information about the animal you wish to have in order to make an informed decision.

Moreover, you should evaluate your own circumstances carefully and choose a suitable pet. An elderly person would likely do better with an adult cat that is independent and requires less attention and energy to care for, rather than an excitable puppy.

Never enforce pet ownership on someone else. Don't "surprise" your elderly parents with a pet unless you have spoken with them and are sure that it is a decision that they would welcome.

If you have not interacted with the animal of your choice, it would be advisable for you to do so before making the big decision of adopting. You can volunteer at animal shelters or care for your community animals. If eventually you feel that pet ownership is not for you, you still have these options to fall back on, and it would be a rewarding way of contributing to the community while enjoying those furry bundles of joy.

Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/health-benefits-of-pets#2
http://www.animalplanet.com/pets/no-1-keep-your-chin-up/
http://www.womansday.com/life/pet-care/a2352/10-health-benefits-of-owning-a-pet-116238/
https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/health-benefits/index.html

https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/health-benefits/

For those who celebrate Chinese New Year, Hot pots, or steamboats, are practically staples for the reunion dinner. And what’s not to like about them? They’re convenient, accommodate a large variety of ingredients and hence cater to different tastes, and are healthy. Well, healthier than the deep fried stuff, right? After all, it comes with a soup base and lots of vegetables.

This is indeed true for the most part, but as with most meals, it depends on the ingredients consumed and how they are prepared. A healthy cooking method is only half the battle won. For a truly healthy hot pot, the following factors count too:

Cut back on sauces.
Sauces like soya sauce and chilli sauce are rich in sodium, so you'd want to refrain from using too much of it. Instead, allow your tastebuds to enjoy the natural flavour of the food derived from the rich broth. 

Choose fresh, not processed.
Ingredients like fish cakes, crabsticks and sausages, while convenient, are processed, and would contain higher amounts of preservatives. Fresh meat like thinly sliced lean pork (also known as shabu shabu), and chicken breast, are much healthier alternatives, and they're easy to cook too.

Watch your prawn intake.
Prawn is a popular seafood ingredient for the hot pot, and if you’re the type of person who wants to have your money’s worth, this is one of the ingredients you’d want to zero in on at the buffet. But if you have heart problem, you’ll have to watch it. This seafood ingredient is high in cholesterol. According to Healthline, a small serving of 100g of prawns supplies about 200 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol. That’s a full day’s allotment for people with high risk of heart disease. People who suffer from high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes should moderate their seafood intake in general.


Eat your vegetables, and make it quick.
Sure they probably aren’t as value-for-money or delicious as the meat and seafood, but they are important for a balanced diet. Besides, just binging on meat and seafood is very highly to lead to indigestion and heart burn. However, it is also important to not cook your vegetables for too long. In fact, overcooking any sort of food, especially vegetables, leads to significant loss of vitamins and minerals.

It is easy to see when leafy vegetables are overcooked. They lose their vibrant green sheen and turn yellow, and that’s when they’ve lost most of their vitamin B. Generally, green leafy vegetables are done cooking in 3 minutes or less. Hardier vegetables like cabbages, carrots and mushrooms tend to be cooked in ten to fifteen minutes. In fact, mushrooms are good choices for hot pots as not only are they rich in fibre, but according to Business Insider, it’s practically impossible to overcook them. This is because in the cell walls of mushrooms, there is a polymer called chitin, which is very heat stable. 

Don't drink too much soup.
We’re often bestowed the benefits of consuming soup. Soupy dishes are healthier. They contribute to water consumption and so on. However, when you leave your steamboat soup to boil continuously with its huge amount of ingredients, the soup becomes concentrated with nitrates, fats and excess proteins.  This coagulates into the white film you often see floating at the surface of your soup. Scoop it up so you can continue, but there will still be some remnants in the soup below, and eventually, it will have to be time to call it a night.

Go easy on the carbos.
Many hot pot eateries will offer rice or vermicelli to go with your meal. Why not reserve all that space for the ingredients, and cut down on piling on the calories? If you must have a staple to go with the ingredients, then opt for half a bowl or less.

For many travelers these days, a common concern is remaining connected. It has almost become a must for lodgings to provide free Wifi in order to remain competitive. Portable wifi or data sim have become a common travel-related expenditure. Many countries have wifi spots at places of interest to attract tourists.

Indeed, having internet connection on the go is very useful especially for those who travel free and easy. You would be able to rely on online navigation tools like Google maps, look a train timings, check out recommendations for good eating places near your location and so forth. Then there are the travel bloggers who provide daily or even 'live' updates of their adventures.

On the other hand, there are also the people who feel compelled to remain connected for reasons not related to travel. These are the people who have to check their work emails every so often, or who feel the need to see what their friends are doing on social media at the expense of being distracted from their own travels.

With connectivity becoming a need rather than a luxury, "digital anxiety" though not yet an official condition, is becoming a real concern among the technologically advanced countries, or a "first world problem". As the term suggests, a person with digital anxiety feels anxious to be separated from his or her communication devices. Apart from feeling stressed and being unable to focus, they may scratch or fidget, behaviours attributed to anxiety.

It is not as serious as addiction; most people with digital anxiety would agree that they should spend less time on their gadgets, but they find it difficult to execute this without breaking out a sweat over it. Much time and productivity is wasted each day as one succumbs to the urge to check out every notification from the phone or scroll through their social media feed every few minutes and add their own status updates to the feeds. It's as though one's hand and their phone are of opposing poles.

Staying connected is certainly not a bad thing. It is a convenient way to keep up to date with what all your friends and family are up to, even the ones you don't get time to hang out with often. Many people use social media to extend invites for outings and gatherings. Certain jobs and identities require a well-curated and active social media account. Moreover, social media is also a platform for entertainment and knowledge.

However, if you feel that you are no longer deriving fun and relaxation, or reading things that are worth reading (it seems that now every article shared on social media must be questioned for authenticity due to the proliferation of falsehoods), or worst, you're wasting your time arguing with people online or justifying your stand, then it's definitely time to cut back.

Being able to cease social media usage altogether, commonly termed a 'digital detox' would be the best-case scenario if you do not actually use it for anything concrete. You do not have to stop using it completely, but short periods of detox every now and then, for example, during a weekend or while you're on vacation, can help you be more in control of your impulses and appreciate life without social media. You can do this by uninstalling the relevant apps or even turning off your internet connection.

Another practical solution is to get to the root and analyse your motives for using social media, and then think about whether you are in fact achieving your goals through social media. Apart from entertainment and knowledge, many people use it because it helps combat loneliness. The thing about social media is that it gives one a sense of belonging without requiring that individual in-person interaction. Social media enables you to connect with like-minded people over topics you care about, and when you share your status updates, photos etc with people who "like" them, that gives the feeling of validation. While some people discover life-long friendships this way, few people would concur that they consider every follower on their social media account as "friends". Interactions online are also often artificial. People "like" your post in hopes for receiving a "like" back, rather than because they really appreciate it. Why should you waste time impressing people whom you don't consider to be your friends?

Just like getting rid of an addiction, achieving control over social media usage is challenging. Don't be too hard on yourself if you find yourself constantly grabbing your phone. Old habits die hard, but keep trying and you will eventually succeed, and the feelings more empowering than garnering a bunch of "likes" from people who don't really matter.

Many of us would have considered caffeine a life-saver at least a few times in a life time. From coffee to chocolate to energy drinks to painkillers, caffeine is found in many substances that have the ability to give us a surge in energy to complete that seemingly unthinkable task at hand, or simply to make us feel lifted ala chocolate.


Caffeine makes us feel "high" because it is a stimulant, and stimulants have a large impact on our body. In high doses over a short amount of time, it can cause the heart to beat faster than usual and erratically, which can eventually be fatal.

This was what happened to a healthy teenager from South Carolina in April this year. He collapsed after drinking a latte from McDonald's, a large Mountain Dew soft drink and then an energy drink in a container the size of a large soft drink, in just under two hours. He died from a caffeine-induced cardiac event causing a probable arrhythmia (a condition whereby the heart beat is too fast or irregular)

According to caffeineinformer.com, a McDonald's latte has 142mg of caffeine, a 570ml (20oz) Mountain Dew has 90mg, and a 450ml energy drink can have as much as 240mg. This means that he would have consumed around 470 mg of caffeine within 2 hours.

Mayoclinic states that for most healthy adults, up to 400mg of caffeine a day is a safe amount to consume. Meanwhile, adolescents should limit their caffeine intake to under 100mg. So if you're someone who consumes energy drinks and/or several cups of coffee a day, especially black coffee, be sure to read the labels to make sure you stay within the safe range.

Caffeine overdose may produce the following symptoms, according to Healthline and Inc.com:

• dizziness
• diarrhea
• increased thirst 
• diuresis (increased urination)
• difficulty in falling asleep
• headache
• fever
• irritability / jitters / restlessness
• Heartburn / reflux

The above are not so severe and should go away when you limit your caffeine intake and drink more water.

• trouble breathing
• vomiting
• hallucinations
• confusion
• chest pain
• irregular or fast heartbeat
• uncontrollable muscle movements
• convulsions

The above are serious and immediate medical help must be sought.

Babies can suffer from caffeine overdose too if their breast milk contains excessive caffeine. Hence, it is important for pregnant and breast-feeding Mums to limit their caffeine intake.

Ultimately, if you find yourself having to rely on energy drinks or coffee to stay energised, a much healthier and more effective way in the long term is to get sufficient sleep. Check out previous articles here and here on how to fall asleep more easily and getting better-quality sleep. If all else fails, seek professional help as long-term insomnia has very harmful effects on the body.

The year-end is a time to drink and make merry, but we shouldn’t exclude the friends and guests who don’t drink due to health or religious reasons. Non-alcoholic drinks can be a healthier alternative, yet festive for the season, and they’re popular even in the restaurant holiday menus as well! Here are 3 easy ones for the upcoming New Year party. Now that you can toast all night without worrying about that beer belly or the health implications on your liver!

The following recipes are courtesy of BBC Good Food and Tania Glyde.

Fruity cranberry concoctions

The bright red colour cranberry resonates well with the festive mood. Cranberry is also a very tasty and nutritious fruit and would be the perfect holiday punch when mixed with other fruit juices!

Orange and cranberry spritz.
Mix together 500ml of orange juice and 500ml of cranberry juice in a large jug. Pour in sparkling elderflower drink to fizz it up. Mix together and serve in tall glasses with ice. If you can’t find elderflower drink, any other mildly sweet sparkling fruit drinks will do as well.

Driver’s punch
You will need 100g of cranberries, 100ml of cranberry juice, 500ml blood orange juice, 600ml sparkling apple juice, 1 lime, thin wedges of orange and some mint sprigs. Place the cranberry in a freezer container, cover with water (by about 2.5cm) and freeze till solid. Mix cranberry juice with blood orange juice. Juice a lime and add the juice in. To serve, smash the sheet of frozen cranberries into shards and put in the bottom of tall glasses. There should be about enough for eight. Put a wedge of lime and orange and a mint sprig in each glass, then pour in the fruit juices and top up with sparkling apple juice.

Something warm, sweet and cozy

Hot chocolate reminds one of winter and snow. It is a wonderful and cozy feeling to sit around a fireplace with mugs of delicious hot chocolate to warm your hands and insides. In Singapore, we have neither cold nor snow, but hot chocolate is still a very yummy drink that’s perfect for a party.

Peppermint hot chocolate
You will need 200g bar plain chocolate, broken into chunks, 600ml milk, 150ml pot single or double cream, Sugar to taste, 6 peppermint candy canes, a handful of marshmallows, to serve

Put the chocolate in a pan with the milk. Gently heat, stirring until all the chocolate has melted. Continue heating until the milk is steaming, then remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Divide the hot chocolate between 6 mugs, add sugar to taste and hang a candy cane on the edge of each. Pass the mugs round and let everyone stir their hot chocolate with their candy cane – letting as much of the sweet peppermint dissolve as they fancy. Put some marshmallows for a fuzzy feeling.

For the non-sweet tooths, here is another alternative for a rich, hot drink.

Hot apple pie punch
You will need: 1½ tsp ground cinnamon, a good pinch ground cloves, ½ whole grated nutmeg, 2 litres of apple juice, 2 tablespoon vanilla extract, 6 scoops vanilla ice cream

Place the cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, apple juice and vanilla extract in a large saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer.  When the apple juice has warmed through, add the vanilla ice cream and whisk vigorously with a balloon whisk until melted and combined with the hot apple juice – the ice cream should make a frothy top on the juice.

Faux alcohol is better than no alcohol

You can make your own non-alcoholic “mulled wine” with the follow recipe.

You will need: 2 litres apple juice, 2 litres cranberry juice, 1 stick cinnamon, 2 oranges, 1 lemon (unwaxed), 1 teaspoon honey, Quarter teaspoon ground nutmeg, about 20 cloves

Slice the oranges into halves. Scrape the rind off about half of the lemon and then quarter the lemon. Stud the orange and lemon rinds with the cloves – it looks great and will infuse wonderfully.
Pour one of each of the cartons of apple juice and cranberry drink into a large pan with all the other ingredients and put over the lowest heat you can get. Leave it to heat slowly until it reaches the point where it is starting to steam, then three minutes longer. This takes about 10 to 20 minutes in total – it should not boil at any point. Switch off the heat and serve into small glasses.

Have a very Happy New Year!

http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/boost-adult-immunisation-rates-doctors-suggest-free-flu-vaccines-and-targeting-patients

(Picture from Pixabay)

There are no known specific causes of eye cancer, though as with most cancers, genes play a role. Risk factors include:

• Growing dark spot on the iris
• Flashing lights sensation
• Change in the shape of the pupil
• Poor or blurry vision in one eye
• Loss of peripheral vision
• Sensation of flashes and specks of dust (floaters)

Image Credit


 
Improved technology has made it possible to create contact lenses that are thinner, contain more water content and hence more comfortable to wear. Sometimes they are so thin that the wearer does not even feel them. But the downside to this is that the lenses may slip further into your eyes and you may not even realise it!

In July this year, a woman made news for the discovery of 27 contact lenses lodged in her eyes. She wasn't even aware until she was due to go for a cataract surgery and her surgeons found the unexpected. Certainly, it seems incredulous that anything can go into the eye undetected, let alone to have so many lenses stuck in the eyes over a span of wearing disposable contact lenses for 35 years. But ask any regular daily disposable users and they will likely have some anecdotes about losing a contact lens in their eye or near-misses to share. 

Personally, I can relate. I was having a hard time removing my daily disposable lens in one of my eyes due to the lack of moisture. As I had a finger tip to the lens trying to move it around, my eye suddenly felt free, but I couldn't see the lens anywhere. I assumed that it had dropped somewhere. Shortly after, I started having this feeling of "something in my eyes". I attributed it to irritation from long wear of the lenses. It also felt as though an eyelash or dust particle had fallen into my eye. Eye drops did little to relieve the grittiness. A couple of days later, I was pulling down my bottom eyelid, trying to locate that mysterious eyelash that might have lodged itself in my eye, when I spotted a dark coloured film (I was wearing coloured lenses) at the bottom edge of my eye. I gently prodded at my bottom eyelid, and it eventually came out. I was very lucky that it didn't have to take an infection to set in before I'd have to seek professional help. I can imagine how much easier it is for a clear contact lens to go detected. I made up my mind to be more careful and to never to let that happen again.

Here are some ways you can protect your eyes from similar accidents:

When removing your lenses, make sure there is sufficient moisture. If your eyes are too dry, the lens will not come off easily and trying to force it out could aggravate the situation. Always have a bottle of eye drops meant for use when wearing contact lenses, so that you can lubricate your eyes anytime when wearing lenses.

Don't rub your eyes when you're wearing lenses. You could dislodge the lens, or worst, tear it, resulting in multiple fragments in your eyes that may be impossible to remove without surgery.

Don't sleep when wearing lenses. You'd be depriving your eyes of oxygen and that's a sure recipe for a red eye and consequently, an infection. The lenses may also move out of place when you sleep.

If a lens appears to be missing when you're trying to remove it, and you can't find it anywhere on the floor, don't take for granted that it's simply left your eye, like I did. Go to the optometrist. Your vision and eye health, and peace of mind are far more important than the possible time and costs incurred.

If you're a frequent wearer of contact lenses, do attend regular optometrist appointments to ensure that your eyes are healthy.

Our eyes are fragile organs and vision is a priceless asset. We should never take them for granted.

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!

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.