Hay fever survival tips
Summer can be tough for people who suffer from hay fever. Here are some tips for how to stop pollen from from getting into your body:
- When indoors, close windows to stop pollen getting through.
- When going outside, tie your hair up and wear a hat to prevent pollen particles being caught in your hair.
- Wear wraparound sunglasses to prevent pollen particles coming in contact with your eyes.
- Use an organic, drug-free allergen barrier balm on your nostrils to trap pollen particles before they enter the body.
- Dry clothes indoors rather than on a clothes line outside.
- Vacuum the house regularly, especially beds and fabrics to remove pollen particles.
- If you own a pet ensure that it is well groomed and shampooed to remove pet allergens and pollen particles.
- Shower at night before sleeping to remove pollen particles from your hair and body.
Summer sleeping
Summer is here and we are enjoying the longer warmer days, but the extra light and heat can make it hard for us to get enough sleep. Health psychologist, Professor Mark Cropley from the University of Surrey says “A lack of sleep can actually increase the risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes, and raises the risk of an early death by 12%.”
Professor Cropley’s tips to a better summer night’s sleep include:
1 Don’t be afraid of the dark. “There’s nothing worse than being rudely awoken by the early morning sun, so try blackout blinds or an eye mask. If you like to read in bed, buy a dimmer light. You can also purchase alarm clocks with handy light settings, which dim slowly to help you drift off, and then brighten to wake you gradually in the morning.”
2 Hit the off switch. “The biggest no-no is mobile phones and computer screens; these LED displays glow with blue light, which suppresses melatonin even more.”
3 Don’t get too hot in the bedroom. “The ideal temperature to sleep is around 17°C so if daytime temperatures are way over this keep the bedroom curtains or blinds drawn closed during the day to minimise the rise in temperature. Always try to keep the bedroom door open too as it allows the air to circulate.”
4 Play it cool! “Wear cotton pyjamas/nighties and thin pure cotton sheets for your bed. Soft, breathable and high quality cotton is the ideal bedding material to sleep between to stay cool.”
5 Get back to nature. “The herb Valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) is known for its positive effect on sleep structure, helping achieve deeper levels of slow wave sleep.”
Exercise linked to healthy arteries
A study carried out by researchers from the University of Texas, the John Peter Smith Health Network, and the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine and published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Physiology has revealed that people who exercised the most were more likely to have healthier arteries.
The researchers recruited 102 people who were already involved in the Cooper Centre Longitudinal Study – they measured body mass index (BMI), medical history, asked questions about smoking habits, and assessed for various health conditions. They then examined the health of the carotid arteries, which supply the brain. The group that were sedentary had stiffer arteries than people categorised as casual, committed and competitive exercisers.
People who did 6 or 7 exercise sessions per week had the healthiest arteries. Those who exercised two or more times per week received better results than those who did not exercise at all.
How do I recover from a nasty bout of food poisoning?
Naturopath Gemma Hurditch answers for College of Naturopathic Medicine
Good health starts in the gut so it’s important to get back on track quickly.
Staying well hydrated with pure filtered water, coconut water and cooled peppermint tea is very important.
Read the full story here...
Can folic acid prevent a stroke?
Researchers from Peking University First Hospital, Capital Medical University Beijing, Nanchang University, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Duke University and Johns Hopkins University in the US and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology looked at over 10,000 Chinese men and women aged 45 to 75 who had high blood pressure in order to find out whether taking a folic acid supplement lowered the risk of stroke.
Study participants were given either blood pressure lowering medicine or the same medicine combined with folic acid. After four years the research participants were examined for the stroke risk factors higher levels of homocysteine in the blood and lower levels of platelets. In participants considered to be at higher risk 1.8% of people who took folic acid had a stroke compared with 5.6% who did not. More study is needed, but the general advice for avoiding a stroke still holds – avoid smoking, aim for a healthy weight, exercise, follow a healthy, balanced diet, and limit your alcohol intake.
Read news stories from previous issues of Rude Health Magazine here
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