Gum disease occurs when bacterial plaque builds up along and underneath the gum line. The bacteria produce toxins that irritate the gums and break down the connective fibers that hold the teeth to the gums. This causes “pockets” to form between the teeth and gums.

Do I Have Gum Disease?

The most obvious symptom is chronic inflammation of the gums. This causes the gums to bleed when you brush your teeth. The “pockets” between the teeth and gums, loosening of the teeth, and bad breath are telltale signs of the disease.

Keep in mind that most people won’t experience these symptoms until they are at least 30 years old. This doesn’t mean that younger people cannot suffer from gum disease; they just suffer from a milder form known as Gingivitis.

If you have any of these symptoms, speak to your dentist as soon as possible. Only a dentist or periodontist can diagnose gum disease and determine how far it has progressed.

Gum Disease and Heart Disease!

As if losing your beautiful smile isn’t bad enough, scientists have also found a connection between gum infections and heart disease.

Apparently, the bacteria that cause gum disease can get into the bloodstream and cause clotting and blockages in the arteries. This leads to heart attacks and strokes.

Sounds horrible, right? Let’s find out how to keep that from happening.

Preventing Gum Disease

It’s really easy to prevent gum disease; just get rid of the plaque!

Brush your teeth thoroughly twice daily. Brush the surfaces with short, gentle strokes, the top front teeth with downward strokes, and the lower front teeth with upward strokes. It should take you about two minutes to get it done.

Floss daily. Flossing removes plaque between your teeth. If you haven’t been flossing regularly, your gums may bleed a little in the beginning, but it should stop within a few days. If you don’t like flossing, get an interdental brush.

Rinse your mouth after meals with sterile water or mouthwash to remove food particles. However, be careful with mouthwashes as they can burn your mouth if used excessively.

Get regular dental checkups and cleanings, preferably once every six months. This helps to maintain healthy teeth and gums and catch gum disease early.

Keep Gum Disease at Bay with Proper Nutrition

Reduce your intake of soda, candy, baked goods, and other sugary foods. This keeps the bacteria in your mouth from feeding on the sugar and producing acids that break down enamel.

Eat foods that are rich in Vitamin C, A, and E because these antioxidants can prevent inflammation. Vitamin C also helps to repair any connective fibers that may have been broken by bacteria.

Don’t forget calcium and Vitamin D, too, because they keep the bones that support your teeth healthy. 500 milligrams of calcium twice daily can reduce bleeding of gums and prevent tooth loss for those who are already experiencing symptoms.

Have a brighter smile and a healthier heart by using these tips today!

The post How to Take Proper Care of Your Gums (AND Heart) appeared first on Lifestyle.

It’s a shame most of us take our feet for granted…until they start hurting, and by then, the problem is usually so far advanced that basic foot care isn’t enough to remedy the issue.

1. Foot cramps

Foot cramps, or charley horses, occur when the muscles of the leg and foot contract suddenly. They can be a single muscle spasm or come in waves that linger for a long time.

Foot cramps are often triggered by exercise and dehydration, both of which are minor issues that can be resolved quickly. However, frequent foot cramps can be a sign of calcium, potassium, or magnesium deficiencies.

2. A wound that won’t heal

A persistent wound at the bottom of your foot can be a sign of diabetes. Elevated blood sugar causes nerve damage to the feet, which causes scrapes, cuts, and sores to go unnoticed because you don’t feel the pain.

Some people have difficulty bending over to examine their feet because of limited mobility; a handheld mirror works great in this situation. If you notice a wound on your feet, especially on the bottom, see a doctor immediately. Do this even if you’re not experiencing other symptoms of diabetes, such as increased thirst, frequent urination, or fatigue.

3. Cold Feet

Are your feet always cold? Cold feet can be a sign of an underactive thyroid in women and/or a sign of poor circulation in both men and women.

Sometimes all you need are thick wool socks and slippers to keep your feet warm. However, if the problem persists, see a doctor and explain your symptoms.

4. Numbness

Loss of feeling or persistent “pins and needles” in both feet can be a sign of damage to the peripheral nervous system. Such damage might be the result of diabetes.

5. Sore Joints

If your toe joints are constantly aching or swollen, it could be a sign of rheumatoid arthritis or degenerative joint disease. Typically, the pain starts in the smaller joints before graduating to bigger joints.

6. Red and Blue toes

If your toes keep changing colors from white to blue and finally red in cold weather, it could be a sign of Raynaud’s disease. See a doctor to ensure that the symptoms aren’t a sign of an underlying autoimmune disease.

How to take better care of your feet:

• Wash your feet thoroughly and moisturize them regularly. This should take care of small issues like odor, bacteria, fungus, and dryness.
• Have at least two pairs of “work shoes” and alternate them. This is important because it takes at least a day for the sweat in your shoes to dry completely.
• Wear comfortable shoes that provide arch support. This reduces your chances of developing flat feet and related foot problems.
• Wash your socks after every wear.
• See a doctor immediately if you experience recurring foot cramps, sores that won’t heal, cold feet, numbness, sore joints or red and blue toes.

Show your feet a little love by doing what you can to keep them healthy!

The post What Your Feet Say About Your Health appeared first on Lifestyle.

The FDA, however, has a different opinion. Scientists have yet to find evidence that antibacterial soaps are any better than regular soaps. Some studies have actually shown that antimicrobial ingredients can have negative health effects.

This is why the FDA recently banned 19 chemicals that are used in these soaps. The ban includes triclosan, the most common antiseptic in hand soaps.

(By the way, according to the Mayo Clinic, triclosan is also found in certain older cookware, furniture, and toys to prevent or reduce bacterial contamination. Research has shown that it can be hazardous to human health and harmful to the immune system. It’s even been shown to affect hormone regulation in animals.)

Antibacterial Soaps Have to Adjust to New Regulations

Manufacturers have no choice but to remove the banned chemicals from their soaps. And while there are three chemicals that haven’t been banned – mainly because they are still under study – manufacturers have a limited amount of time to submit data on the safety and effectiveness of these ingredients to the FDA.

However, there’s absolutely no reason to worry. Regular soap and water are all you need to avoid spreading germs and getting sick.

Soap doesn’t have to kill germs to be effective; it just has to physically remove them from your skin!

As you go about your day, bacteria and viruses stick to the oil on your hands. Soap works by chemically breaking down the oil and “freeing” the microbes so that they can be rinsed away easily.

The more soap you use and the longer you scrub your hands, the cleaner your hands will be. This is why the CDC recommends scrubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds at a time before rinsing them.

Why Regular Soap is Healthier

Using regular soap is actually better for your health.

Antimicrobial soaps contain chemicals that cause mutation of bacteria and contribute to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These ingredients have also been known to cause allergies and disrupt hormonal processes.

Triclosan, for instance, has been detected in the urine, blood, and breast milk of people who use antibacterial soap. Studies have also shown that it can disrupt hormonal processes and impair muscle function by hindering muscle contractions at a cellular level. That’s a high price to pay for something that doesn’t even work!

What are the Alternatives?

You only need regular soap and water to stay clean and germ-free. However, since the effectiveness of hand-washing depends on how long you scrub, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer can come in handy when you’re “out in the wild.”

Hand sanitizers that don’t contain any of the banned ingredients will still be available in the stores. They’re also safer, healthier, and just as effective as antibacterial washes.

The post Regular Soap is Healthier and Safer than Antibacterial Soap? appeared first on Lifestyle.

With so much talk about the pandemic, it’s easy to forget that we’re in the cold and flu season.

We want to do everything we can to avoid getting sick because the last thing we need is to weaken our immune system further, especially right now.

BACTERIAL VERSUS VIRAL

Bacterial infections can be nipped in the bud pretty quickly with a round of antibiotics. But with viral illnesses like the cold or flu? Not so much. You pretty much have to let them run their course.

Sure, certain medications can ease their symptoms, and your immune system is probably strong enough to fight off a cold or flu virus. But Why not give your body a break by doing what you can to avoid catching something in the first place?

YOUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE

Wash your hands.

That is your first line of defense against catching a cold or flu virus.

And remember not to touch your face, especially your eyes, nose, and lip areas, with unwashed hands.

Whenever you’ve been out and about, wash your hands.

Whenever you’ve touched something while out and about, wash your hands.

Whenever you can throughout the workday, wash your hands.

And just like mom said, always wash your hands with soap and water before you eat or drink anything. If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

THE MOST LIKELY WAY YOU WILL CATCH THE COLD OR FLU

You are more likely to catch these viruses with your hands than any other way.

Sure, someone sneezing or coughing in your face is never a good thing, and although it’s pretty gross, the odds of getting the flu or common cold are much higher by grabbing a handrail or touching the handle of a shopping cart, or by closing a door behind you or touching a doorknob.

Don’t worry about the virus entering your body through your skin because it can’t. That’s not the problem. It’s your face. And we touch our face a lot more than we’re aware of.

We touch our noses, rub our eyes, or stick our fingers near our mouth when we eat or cough. Or we handle our phone with dirty hands, then wash our hands but then touch our phones again, recontaminating our hands, and then we touch our eyes, nose, and mouth. And the virus makes it to a mucous membrane in any of those areas, which is right where it wants to be.

So, please stop touching your phone and then touching your face.

Never touch your face after handling your mobile phone or smart device until after you’ve used an alcohol-based hand sanitizer on your hands.

FINAL WORDS

Washing our hands isn’t some impractical or irrelevant hygiene chore dreamed up by public health officials to trick you into believing you’re doing something to stay healthy.

Nope. Mom was right.

So, what are you waiting for? Go wash your hands right now before you thoughtlessly rub your eyes or scratch your nose because you’ve probably been reading this post on your mobile phone, tablet, or computer!

The post How To Protect Yourself From The Cold & Flu appeared first on Lifestyle.

Most parents wish they could do more to protect
their children.

Even worse, kids bring these illnesses home and
infect their siblings, parents, and other family members, which can be
dangerous if there’s an infant or elderly family member in the home.

There are three reasons why school-age kids catch infections so easily: Their immune system is still underdeveloped, they’re in close contact with other sick and unhealthy kids all day, and they tend to have germy habits like touching their faces and sticking things in their mouths. To protect your kids at school, you must deal with these three issues.

Strengthen their
Immunity

Vaccination is by far the best way to boost
immunity. It not only keeps your kids from getting sick but also protects other
family members whose immune system is weak or compromised, which is why many
pediatricians are big fans of the flu shot!

However, there’s a timing challenge with the flu shot. It can take up to 12 weeks to build immunity after getting vaccinated, so ideally, you should get a flu shot towards the end of fall and beginning of winter. Getting the timing right sometimes means that parents must make a special trip to the doctor or pharmacy.

Encourage them to wash
their hands

Washing your hands is pretty basic, but it
works! You wouldn’t believe the number of kids who don’t wash their hands
despite knowing better. One study by the CDC found that 97% of kids know that
handwashing prevents illnesses, but most still need encouragement to do it!

Make sure your kids wash their hands as soon as they come home from school. If possible, set up a handwashing station right inside the door to help them remember; consider letting them choose a favorite soap.

Secondly, provide hand sanitizers for older
kids. They’re a cheap and easy way to kill germs when hand washing isn’t an
option. However, they’re not ideal for young kids because, apparently, children
love swallowing hand sanitizer! But if it’s the only thing you have, use it!

Teach them not to
share personal items

It might go against the golden rule of
‘sharing,’ but your kids need to know what to share and what not to share.
Teach them not to share personal items like water bottles and lip balms. If
possible, pack water bottles for your kids until they learn how to drink from
water fountains without putting their mouths on them.

Keep them home when
they’re sick

As much as possible, sick kids shouldn’t go to
school until they’re well. If they have a fever, keep them home until they’ve
not had a fever for at least twenty-four hours. Protect healthy kids, and any
children with compromised immune systems by keeping your lovable, cuddly,
charming little petri dish at home

The two lines of defense that usually never fail when it comes to protecting kids from illnesses are vaccinations and good hygiene. The latter is more challenging because you can’t follow your kids around all day, reminding them to wash their hands, cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough, and not stick things in their mouths.

It takes a while for certain habits to take hold – especially when a kid doesn’t like doing them or finds them unpleasant. But, keep teaching them until it sticks and be a good example when they’re home.

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

The post Keep Your Kids Healthy & Germ-Free at School appeared first on Lifestyle.

Remember the old saying that you shouldn’t put anything smaller than your elbow into your ear? Well, it’s true. Your ears are self-cleaning. Through a variety of processes the excess wax and skin debris is deposited into the outer ear where you can easily reach it with a washcloth.

Forget Q-Tips

Most of us are grossed out by ear wax so we try to clean our ears using Q-Tips. Unfortunately, Q-Tips aren’t meant for cleaning ears; it even says so on the package.

It’s very easy to damage your eardrum and little bones in the middle ear (ossicles) with a Q-Tip. If this happens, the inner ear will start leaking fluid, putting you at great risk of hearing loss.

Q-Tips can also push the ear wax deeper into the ear causing buildup and blockage. If the thought of having a little ear wax grosses you out, imagine how much worse it will be if you keep pushing the wax back in.

The bottom line is that it’s a bad idea to insert anything into your ear canal, be it a Q-Tip, bobby pin, key or fingernail.

Forget Ear Candling!

Ear wax may be gross, but is it gross enough for you to consider sticking a lit candle into your ear? There are lots of anecdotal tales out there about how ear candling can get rid of wax buildup, stop ear ringing and even cure cancer! The theory behind it is that the candle creates a vacuum which draws wax towards it.

If the threat of catching fire doesn’t deter you, you should know that there is absolutely no scientific evidence that ear candling works. However, there have been many incidents of ear drum perforations and infections from ear candling.

At the end of the day, ear wax is very sticky and the temperatures produced by a burning candle aren’t high enough to melt it.

Safe Ways to Remove Ear Wax 

The safest way is to remove it with a washcloth once it reaches the ear canal. However, if the ear wax builds up too fast and it bothers you, you can try some over-the-counter wax softening drops like Debrox or Murine. The oil-based drops loosen the wax and help it slide out of the ear.

Mineral oil will also do the trick if you do not have wax softening drops. Just put a few drops of mineral oil into your ear and then lay your head on a towel-covered pillow. The wax should slip out.

If these DIY methods don’t work, seek medical treatment. Your doctor may choose to irrigate your ear with warm water or remove the wax with a small plastic spoon. But most of the time, your self-cleaning ears will do just fine all on their own.

The post How To Clean Your Ears Safely appeared first on Lifestyle.