Monday, July 26, 2010

Many people are unaware of the body odour problem, which is something that can easily be solved.!!!

Hidden truths on body odour

Sweat is a part of a daily occurrence, brought on when the adrenaline starts pumping. Our bodies are constantly producing sweat, but there are certain times when they produce a lot more. Sweat consists almost entirely of water, with some sodium and fat, none of which are toxic. It is not uncommon for one to feel discomfort caused by sweat and body odour (BO). The fact remains that many people are unaware of the body odour problem, which is something that can easily be solved.

Body odour is caused by a natural process that involves sweat, which occurs on the skins surface. The body sweats to control temperature and not to remove toxins. Additional sweat is produced to cool down our bodies when we are exposed to heat, physical exertion, stress or nervousness. When the sweat gland is stimulated, the cells secrete a fluid that travels from the coiled portion of the gland up through the straight duct and out onto the surface of our skin.

Many external factors contribute towards our self-esteem and the way others perceive us. If we are unaware of problems relating to BO, it can affect our daily activities and interaction with others. It is important to maintain good practices pertaining to hygiene and regulate issues connected to it.

BO is caused by a natural process that involves sweat, which occur on the skin's surface. Sweat itself is odourless, but if left on the skin for some time bacteria can form, therefore causing an unpleasant smell. It has been scientifically proven that people can become immune to their own body odour over time, resulting in the fact that they don't realise they have body odour, although they may notice it on others.

The body sweats about a litre a day, surprisingly the underarm sweat is about 1% of the body's sweat - we are just more aware of it because the sweat can't evaporate as easily from under the arm as from other areas of the body.

When the under arm area is washed with soap on a regular basis the skin loses its moisture or another word for this; it is in this environment that bacteria thrive. The bacteria feed on the sweat from the apocrine glands and on dead skin and hair cells which in turn is the primary cause of BO.

It is note worthy that much time and money is spent on personal grooming but an essential hygienic habit of eliminating body odour is neglected when it can be easily taken care of. Similar to shampooing and conditioning hair, manicuring nails and brushing teeth; using a deodorant is a necessity.

Personal hygiene experts have recommended, especially in tropical countries, that deodorants or antiperspirant deodorants be used after a shower, as these products combat the onset of sweat, thereby masking unpleasant odours. Deodorants permit the release of perspiration, but prevents odour by combating it with antiseptic agents, which remove odour-causing bacteria. Antiperspirant deodorants work by dissolving in sweat to produce a thin coating on the skin's surface that temporarily reduces underarm sweating, but do not alter the body's release of sweat to any significant degree.

Within such a hygiene-conscious society, it is important to step back and reassess hygiene practices and become aware of the issues connected to body odour and how it is produced. It is only by addressing the root cause of the problem that one can progressively move forward, build successful relationships and create a lasting impression.

dailynews.com

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Around 300 to 400 persons die of non-communicable diseases like high-blood pressure, diabetes, heart ailments, cancer and kidney failure everyday..!!!

Sirisena vows to battle non-communicable diseases
July 13, 2010, 9:33 pm


by Don Asoka Wijewardena



Around 300 to 400 persons die of non-communicable diseases like high-blood pressure, diabetes, heart ailments, cancer and kidney failure everyday.



Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Maithripala Sirisena has appointed a National Steering Committee to conduct effective awareness programmes to prevent such diseases.



Health Ministry spokesman W. Wanninayaka told The Island that the emergence of non-communicable diseases was in fact a cause for concern because unlike communicable diseases, most non-communicable diseases could be prevented by changing lifestyles.



The consumption of liquor, tobacco, junk food and high cholesterol foods could be some of the causes. According to the Health Ministry, The National Steering Committee on Non-Communicable Diseases will hold island-wide awareness programmes. The Committee comprises Secretary to Health Ministry, Director Medical Services and the Director General of Health Services.

island.lk
UPALI NEWSPAPERS (PVT) LTD
Copyright © Upali Newspapers (Pvt) Ltd.

Considering the high death toll in an ideal situation they should resign from their posts since there seemed to be no political will to rectify..!!!

Sri Lanka’s losing Battle against dengue

July 12, 2010, 6:10 pm



By Shyamalee Mahibalan



Why does a holiday have to be this stressful, especially if you have young kids? With an alarming rise in death toll I have to say Sri Lanka has lost the dengue battle or its losing it. The health ministry and the environment ministries have failed the young children of this country. Considering the high death toll in an ideal situation they should resign from their posts since there seemed to be no political will to rectify. This story was infact a plea from a mother of a 1 year old child who was a victim of dengue and was just released from the hospital. I do relate to her story .Three years ago I was living on a prayer inside the Apollo ICU, with my 5 year old daughter who was battling a strange combination of Chikungunya and Dengue (DHF) at the same time. An island wide blood drive and eight packs of platelets she was out of hospital. Since then I do have a travel advisory for parents with children, "please be careful and take plenty of mosquito repellents (never a believer of the latter but was forced to accept that repellents do work). How can any parent relax when you have to run around checking for mosquito bites and carrying thermometers around?



Within the last week alone 11dengue deaths most being children. Wonder who is responsible for this? Most certainly this should be the responsibility of the environmental ministry to implant a cohesive action plan to tackle dengue, but where are they? The past week I have heard from the health authorities that the children are brought to hospital at latter stages. Is there any literature indicating which stage that the children should be taken to hospital and how to monitor there progress? Or for that matter how to keep your environment clean. Needless to say an ailing sewage system in the city of Colombo and the suburbs with its swelling population, mountains of garbage pile ups and the many construction sites are definitely culprits. For years there seemed to be more talk on clearing up garbage and cleaning up the roads, people are yet to see the results. The garbage pile ups are all over Colombo including a mini one down my road, since it is a never ending battle with the CMC to collect the daily garbage the people seemed to have found a convenient alternative. Any empty space or a bare land is easily converted to a dump yard. With Dengue reaching pandemic levels and the rising of my husband’s stress levels my bags are packed and out of here, and I sigh in relief once I reach Changi. But what about all the parents who have to stay back and raise their children? Can the authorities fail them?



Its time Sri Lanka followed Singapore’s concerted efforts to control dengue. Singapore is not a dengue free country; even as I write this I could see the weekly fogging outside. During dengue peak times fogging is done on a regular basis. The National Environment Agency (NEA) adopts a multi-pronged approach to control dengue. Extracted from its web site

a. preventive surveillance and control;



b. public education & community involvement;



c. enforcement; and



d. Research.



Preventive Surveillance and control



Through data gathered during field surveillance and with the aid of the Geographical Information System, NEA conducts daily mosquito surveillance operations. The information enables NEA to move quickly into areas to do source reduction (i.e. remove/destroy breeding grounds found). These are important steps to prevent possible dengue transmission.


NEA's operations strategies are:



* Active surveillance in areas prone to dengue and/or where there is high mosquito population.



* Breaking the source of transmission as quickly as possible when cases (both suspected and confirmed) and clusters of cases emerge



* In 2006, NEA had doubled its manpower deployment for mosquito control to 500 officers and formed dedicated teams responsible for regular auditing, inspections and enforcement in each of the 84 constituencies.



* These teams, being familiar with the areas under their charge, are able to identify and pre-empt potential problematic areas quicker and more effectively.



* NEA had inspected 1.5 million premises and carried out more than 40,000 ground surveys in 2006, an increase of 60% and 29%, respectively, as compared to 2005.



* The number of breeding found in homes in 2006 was 44% lower than in 2005, this is observed despite the increase in inspections by NEA by 59%.



(b) Integrated Efforts with Other Agencies/Organizations



NEA works with various land agencies as well as private organizations and associations to ensure that there is a coordinated approach in keeping the mosquito population and dengue cases low. Some of the agencies NEA has worked with include:



i) Construction Sites



* Since 2001, an Environmental Control Officer (ECO) Scheme had been introduced in construction sites. Under the Scheme, construction sites are required to engage a part time or full time ECO depending on the cost of the development.



* These NEA-trained ECOs are responsible for maintaining the pest and mosquito control works within the construction sites.



* Today, only 6% of construction sites inspected were found breeding Aedes mosquito, down from 30% in 1999.
------------------------------------------------
island.lk
UPALI NEWSPAPERS (PVT) LTD
Copyright © Upali Newspapers (Pvt) Ltd.