Personal Health Care

Majority of couples conceive without difficulty or undue delay. However one in six to seven couples may experience problems and this is generally termed medically as Subfertility. The definition basically means difficulty conceiving despite having regular unprotected sexual intercourse for two year. However treatment is usually commenced after one year of subfertility. This does not include couples / partners who have sexual dysfunction resulting in being unable to consummate or maintain an erection or have an ejaculation.

One of the main reasons for infertility is because couples defer starting a family to a later age. This is an important factor for women. The fertility rate drops with increase in age. For women aged 35 till 39 years the chance of conceiving is about half that of women aged 19 till 26 years of age.

Causes of Difficulty Conceiving

Among the causes for women infertility are problems related to ovulation, the fallopian tube structure and uterine cavity distortion. Ovulation problems can be due to polycystic ovarian syndrome, hormonal disorders (high prolactin level, abnormal thyroid level), premature menopause, underweight or overweight, chronic illness, ovarian surgery. In relation to the fallopian tube, it could be due to blockage or damage. This could be a result of infection (sexually transmitted disease), previous surgery or endometriosis.Among men the problem is usually with abnormal sperm levels. The abnormality could be in the number of sperm count, sperm movement and/or sperm form. This is either a result of congenital abnormality, hormonal problems, infection of the testes (eg chicken pox, mumps), undescended testes, exposure to radiation or chemicals, smoking, overweight, varicocele.

In a proportion of couples there can be no identifiable cause and are grouped as unexplained subfertility. Stress can also be factor but it is difficult to categorise.

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Hair dyes are used to change hair colours. Hair dyes may be made of natural ingredients or synthetically derived.

How do hair dyes work?

1. Synthetic hair dyes
*They are hair dyes with chemicals which open up the cuticle scaleson the outside of the hair shaft.
*The cuticle scales slose again after processing
*If the hair is processed too often, the cuticle does not close as tightly and the hair shaft becomes
very fragile.

2. Natural hair dyes
* The hair dyes with natural ingredient, however coat the outer scaly layer of the hair shaft instead of
penetrating the hair shaft.
* The natural pigments of the hair shine through the colour layer,thus the new hair colour is the resultant of the combination of the original colour and the applied hair colour layer.

Hair dyes Treatment

There are basically three types of hair dyes as listed below:
1. Temporary hair dyes
*They are in the forms of gels, mousses, sprays and rinses.
*They simply stay on the surface of the hair.
*They are washed out with the next shampoo, therefore they need to be re-applied after each shampooing.

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A Pap smear test is a screening test to check for changes in the cells of your cervix which may develop into cancer later. It is a simple procedure where cells are collected from your cervix and sent to a laboratory for analysis. The test takes only a few minutes and can be done by a nurse or a doctor.

How often should you go for a Pap smear?

All woman aged between 25 and 69 years old who ever have had sex are advised to have a Pap smear done once every 3 years.

Where can I have a Pap smear done?

The Pap smear is available at general practitioner clinics and all polyclinics.

Pap smear was introduced in 1943 to detect possible cancer causing cells in the cervix. Cervical cancer is caused by a common virus known as human papillomavirus (HPV)

How do I prepare myself for the Pap smear?

*Schedule your appointment 2 weeks after the start of your menstrual period
*Avoid sexual intercourse 48 hours before the test
*Do not use spermicides, vaginal creams, lubricant jellies, vaginal medications or tampons two days before the test.
*Wear a two piece outfit as you would need to undress from waist down. 

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Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) with activity against influenza viruses. These medications must be prescribed by a health care professional. Influenza antiviral drugs only work against influenza viruses — they will not help treat or prevent symptoms caused by infection from other viruses that can cause symptoms similar to the flu.

There are four influenza antiviral drugs approved for use in the United States (oseltamivir, zanamivir, amantadine and rimantadine). The influenza A (H1N1) viruses that have been detected in humans are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine so these drugs will not work against this virus. Laboratory testing on these influenza A (H1N1) viruses so far indicate that they are susceptible (sensitive) to oseltamivir and zanamivir.

Benefits of Antiviral Drugs

Treatment: If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious influenza complications. Influenza antiviral drugs work best when started soon after illness onset (within two [2] days), but treatment with antiviral drugs should still be considered after 48 hours of symptom onset, particularly for hospitalized patients or people at high risk for influenza-related complications.

Prevention: Influenza antiviral drugs also can be used to prevent influenza when they are given to a person who is not ill, but who has been or may be near a person with influenza. When used to prevent the flu, antiviral drugs are about 70% to 90% effective. When used for prevention, the number of days that they should be used will vary depending on a person’s particular situation.

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Acne is parennial problem with teenagers, but it has been known to plague adults too. What is it that causes these unwelcome skin eruptions? Stress, oily food, hormanal changes and pollutants in the environment will aggravate our skin unnecessarily.

When our skin is exposed to these aggressors, our oily glands go into overdrive to produce too much sebum, which then accumulates on the skin surface, along with dead skin cells. Both of these clog up our pores, making it easy for bacteria to become trapped. When the bacteria starts multiplying and our skin becomes infected, there is swelling and redness, marking the start of acne. Here is top 5 tips to prevent acne.

top 5 tips to prevent acne.

1.Drink lots of water every day to flush out toxins from your body system. There are many health benefits of drinking water.In order to remain healthy,water gains and losses must be balanced- this is good hydration.

2.Make sure you get enough sleep every night. This gives your skin a chances to heal itself from the day’s activities.

3.Wear a water based sunscreen every time you go out. Too much exposure to the sun can aggravate your skin.

4.Clean your face every time you exercise. Sweat and dirt can accumulate and clog your pores.

5.Eat a balanced meal to maintain the optimum nutrients needed by your body to work.

Personal health care and healthy lifestyle is important for us to prevent acne and also other common diseases.