Sunny Health

The long holidays are over and school’s back, a period of blues for many school-going children and teenagers. After weeks of fun and freedom, it is rather trying to readapt to the highly disciplined and taxing lifestyle of a student. It is especially more difficult for those who are making a transition from a different education level, or those who switched schools.

At the start of the school year, students may feel stressed about their new lifestyle and the daily pressure from having to comprehend lessons and complete homework. They may miss the holidays and feel blue. Having to get up earlier in the morning, as compared to during the holidays when they could get up later, may make them grumpier and more tired.

While having to meet their classmates again is at least exciting for some, it may mean social pressure for others, especially the less sociable ones, and those moving to a new environment. All these pressures can be overwhelming for both children and teenagers. In more severe cases, they may feel depressed, or even develop headaches and health problems. Parents should not assume that prolonged displays of tantrums and surliness are normal. Furthermore, such behaviour could affect the student’s studies and ability to assimilate in class.

What parents can do to help:

Talk to your child – Set aside some time to ask your child about his day at school. It helps your child to get problems and worries off his chest, and knowing what ails him, you may then be able to offer solutions to help. If anything, it assures your child that regardless of problems faced at school, he has family to fall back on for support and friendship.

Preparing healthy food and herbal drinks – Making drastic changes to one’s lifestyle can have a negative impact on one’s health. After getting out of bed at 10am or later during the holidays, having to wake up a few hours earlier on school days is a torment. Your child may also have difficulty falling asleep at night, either due to needing time to adapt, or having to complete homework. Ensure that your child eats healthily and cools down the heatiness in his body with plenty of fluids and herbal drinks to cope with the upheaval. Breakfast is very important – it energises you and keeps you alert and focused throughout the day. Make sure your child has breakfast before going to school, no matter how early the hour.

Be your child’s alarm clock – Put a stop to it if your child is going to bed later than he should to achieve the required eight hours of sleep, or gaming when he should be doing homework. Do wake your child up in the morning to ensure that he gets up with sufficient time to have breakfast and get washed and dressed properly. Feeling ill-prepared for school can instil a sense of anxiety and insecurity.

Don’t deprive your child of his favourite activities – Just because he’s back to school doesn’t mean he should live like a jailbird. If he has finished his schoolwork, allow him some time to indulge in his favourite past times, like watching television or gaming. This will help him to relax and take his mind off the pressure and anxiety from school.

Observe their behaviour – It is generally normal for students to feel depressed for the first week or so, but after that, they should have adjusted rather well to school life, especially with the help of their classmates. If your child is still gloomy and upset about school after as long as a month, displaying lack of appetite and interest in his usual hobbies, complaining about feeling unwell and developing headaches, and yet refusing to open up to you about his problem, you might want to consider speaking to his teacher or roping in professional help from your General Practitioner, who might refer him for counselling if required.

Do look out for signs of bullying. Check if he has attained any mysterious wounds and bruises. Is he spending his pocket money too quickly? Victims of bully, especially young children, may not dare to seek help or get the attention of an adult as they may have been threatened against doing so.

How students can help yourselves:
 Make friends – Friends make even troubled times feel better. If you find yourself in a class with people you don’t know very well, introduce yourself. Chances are, your fellow classmates may be nervous about making new friends and shy to break the ice. Most people are willing to warm up if you display no ill intentions. If someone won’t accept your friendship, simply turn to another person, instead of indulging in self-blaming and feeling self-conscious. At least you tried, as there is bound to be someone who appreciates you.

Join clubs – Join a club with activities that interest you. It will give you something to look forward to in school, and you can also widen your social circle and make friends with people who have things in common with you.

Express your emotions – If you have problems or fears, it is healthier for you to get them off your chest. Talk to your parents, friends, or blog about it. You may get some solutions.

Have something to look forward to – As you attempt to drag your heavy feet to school, think about your favourite tv programme that night, mum’s delicious cooking or that movie you are going to catch with your friends on the weekend. Time passes more quickly and happily when you have something to look forward to.

Set yourself some goals for the year – Going to school should not be perceived as a torture that you are forced to go through. Learning academic skills and working with others are beneficial to you and a crucial part of growing up. Think about how less fortunate children from around the world are deprived of an education, or have to travel far to take lessons at a dilapidated school, and you would feel more fortunate about being able to attend school.

Consider some school-related goals you would like to achieve in school, for example, scoring better in certain subjects, adding all your classmates to your Facebook friends, or being picked to play in the school team, and focus on working towards them. The process of achieving your goals will make your school life more meaningful.

Have a healthy, happy school year ahead!

The supposed link between cancer and cosmetics was once again thrown into the limelight following a study by the NTU which was published in the Straits Times. The study said that zinc oxide, a common chemical used in beauty products such as cosmetics or even sunblock, could be cancerous. The notion that cosmetics contain cancerous products is not new. Years ago, researchers have brought up the link, but have always been disputed. Sadly, nobody seems to be able to make up their mind or say for sure whether the link between cosmetics and cancer exists. A lot of research findings are in premature stage, and there has yet been any study that demonstrates a direct link between cancer and cosmetics.

Still, it is better to be safer than sorry. There are some products in cosmetics that have potential to be cancerous. When taken in significant amounts, they may eventually cause cancer.

Here are some chemicals in cosmetics that are known to be harmful to health.
· Fragrances: May cause allergies and cancers
· DMDM hydantoin and imidazolidinyl urea: Comes with toxic contaminants.
· Hydroquinone: May lead to allergies and cancer.
· Oxybenzone: May lead to allergies, developmental toxicity and hormone disruption.
· Triclosan or triclocarban: Contains thyroid.
· Triethanolamine (TEA): May lead to allergies and comes with toxic contaminants.
· Parabens or -paraben: May lead to cancer or hormone disruption.
· PEG or -eth: These ingredients can come with hidden toxic contaminants.

Products that may have adverse effects on health in the long-run:

· Anti-aging creams with lactic, glycolic, AHA and BHA acids.
· Hair dyes, especially dark permanent dyes.
· Liquid hand soaps with triclosan/ triclocabron.
· Nail polish and removers with formaldehyde, DBP or toluene.
· Skin lighteners with hydroquinone.
· Heavily scented products.

Mercury is well-known to be toxic. In significantly high amounts, it can cause brain damage and death. Mostly found in household cleaning products, it has recently been introduced as an additive for the cosmeticsindustry. Mercury is found in eye products such as mascara, eyeliner, and eye shadow. While exposure to mercury is not initially harmful in small quantities, mercury does accumulate in the body and could cause health risks in the future. Unfortunately, not enough people are taking this threat seriously, Minnesota, USA, is the only place that has banned mercury in cosmetics this year.

This lack of interest and caution is also attributed to the fact that many young people think that they have a good immune system, and therefore, not likely to contract cancer or diseases in their youth. But this is clearly not true, as people in their teens are known to contract cancer as well.

That said, this article does not mean to scare you off grooming and using make-up. Just remember to read the ingredients of the products you are buying and lay off those that are known to be potential health hazards. There are also organic and natural beauty and skin products that utilize more health friendly ingredients. Of course, they also tend to cost more, but health is more important than money after all! Bodyshop, Botani, Logona, Living Nature, Nature's Essence are some examples of more health-friendly beauty and body care products, just to name a few. Unfortunately, many organic brands hail from overseas and are more costly. It may be cheaper to purchase direct from the retail websites of these brands, and get some friends to join you and save on shipping fees.

So, is there such a thing as cancerous cosmetics? Well, there's a popular saying, "There's no smoke without fire." One can never be too careful!

For many young people, moving to a new home is usually an exciting experience. More often than not, a new home means a more refreshing environment, more privacy, perhaps even bigger space. New is generally perceived as something novel and better.


Deciding what to move over