The Health Blog

I visited my dentist today and while waiting for my turn, I killed the time browsing on some dental magazines. And I found a great article about oral hygiene - talking about how to brush and floss properly.

Plaque-covered teeth, inflamed gum, and smelly breath are due to poor oral hygiene. Hence, the importance of cleaning your teeth as soon as these appear or erupt in the oral cavity to achieve zero cavity.

Correct tooth brushing and flossing are the most effective mechanical defenses against gum disease and halitosis (smelly breath).

Here’s how to brush properly:

1. Employ a circular brushig motion at a 45-degree angle and move from the outside to the inside of the teeth.

2. Brush using upward stroke for lower teeth and downward stroke for upper teeth.

3. Pay particular attention to the chewing surfaces and in-between teeth.

4. Avoid the back-and-forth motion. It may cause your gums to recede and irritate the roots and surfaces of your teeth.

5. Brush at least twice a day for a full three to four minutes - the average song length. So why not tun on your radio while brushing?

6. Brush your tongue or you may use a tongue scraper.

Recent study says “no”.

Antibacterial soaps that contain triclosan as the main active ingredient are no better at preventing infections than plain soaps, say University of Michigan researchers who reviewed 27 studies conducted between 1980 and 2006 to reach their conclusion.

The team also concluded that these antibacterial soaps could actually pose a health risk, because they may reduce the effectiveness of some common antibiotics, such as amoxicillin.

That’s because — unlike antibacterial soaps used in hospitals and other clinical settings — the antibacterial soaps sold to the public don’t contain high enough concentrations of triclosan to kill bacteria such as E. coli.

A recent study found out that too much stress may not only spoil your mood, it may also spoil your smile.

57% of recent studies reviewed showed a positive relationship between gum disease and stress and related psychological symptoms like distress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

The elevated levels of cortisol, referred to as the “stress hormone” is said to play a role in these negative effects of stress on gums. Further, stress may make people more lax about their oral health habits.

WebMD reports about the recent food poisoning incident at this year’s Tase of Chicago Food Festival held from June 29 to July 2, which sent at least 10 people to the hospital and sickened more than 100 others. At least nine festival-goers were infected with salmonella, presenting as fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, which may be bloody.

Most people recover from salmonella infection within a week. But some cases may be severe and even life-threatening. Babies, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems are more likely to experience severe illness from salmonella infection.

Food poisoning incidents can happen everywhere, at a family reunion, at a festival, at a restaurant or even at home. The good news is, it can be avoided if people were cautious enough. Experts suggested ways to prevent food poising:

After delivering the baby, the perineum must be kept clean. Lochia may drain for up to four weeks, so pads should be changed frequently.

• Do not use tampons after delivery. Tampons may cause an infection.
• Take a bath or a shower once or twice daily. A sitz bath should be used after every bowel movement. A sitz bath involves sitting in shallow water, only deep enough to cover the hips and buttocks.
• Urinating can be painful after delivery. Squirting warm water over the perineum during urination may ease the pain. When finished urinating, gently pat the perineum dry.
• Cold sitz baths help reduce swelling and discomfort after delivery. Sit in a lukewarm or room temperature bath, and then gradually add ice cubes to the water. This prevents the uncomfortable, sudden sensation of ice water on the skin. Soak for 20 minutes at a time, up to three to four times a day. After the first two to three days, warm sitz baths will improve blood flow to the perineum. Check with your physician before adding medications such as epsom salts to the bath.

Hand washing is undoubtedly the best way to prevent spread of infectious diseases. Soap manufacturers always come up with innovative products that “enhance” this preventive techniques. We see ads on TV about how effectively hand sanitizers and antibacterial soaps prevent germs which almost always convince the consumers. Recent studies however say that washing hands with ordinary soap and water for 15 seconds reduces bacterial counts by about 90%. But even people who are conscientious about washing their hands often make the mistake of not drying them properly. Wet hands are more likely to spread germs than dry ones. Harvard Health Letter

Soap manufacturers found a good way to convince consumer more in buying their products through antibacterials additives. But experts fear that antibiotic resistance, which is now one of the major health concerns, might result from use of these antibacterial soaps. Further, research shows that these additives don’t add much on hand hygiene. Thus, this serves as a useful reminder that antibacterial soaps aren’t the all-purpose germ fighters that many people think they are.

Your moist and warm feet, socks, and shoes can be a perfect environment for bacteria to multiply, causing foot odor known medically as bromhidrosis. Thousands of sweat glands on the soles of the feet produce perspiration composed of water, sodium chloride, fat, minerals, and various acids that are the end products of your body’s metabolism. In the presence of certain bacteria (namely those found in dark, damp shoes), these sweaty secretions break down, generating foot odor.

Foot odor is preventable by simple home remedies:

1. Wash away the bacteria. Use a deodorant soap which can wash away the bacteria causing the breakdown of sweaty secretions which generates odor. Daily washing your feet, enough to remove the offending bacteria is recommended.

2. Soak your feet with salt solution. This is advisable to extra-sweaty feet. Add half a cup of ordinary table salt to a quart of water and soak your feet in the solution for 15 minutes. After soaking, don’t rinse your feet; just dry them thoroughly. Salt has a drying effect on the skin.