Your health and climate change

Climate change refers to the shifts in the earth’s climate and weather systems due to an imbalance in the carbon levels in our atmosphere. According to the World HealthOrganisation (W.H.O), climate change affects the social and environmental determinants of health, namely clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter. Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through better choices of energy-use, transport, food we can significantly improve our health outcomes. One notable way of reducing carbon emissions is to use solar panels in your homes and businesses. If you are a homeowner living in the U.S you are in luck because you can get the world's best solar panels installed on your home for $0 down payment. 

              Click here for an online solar savings estimate

How solar panels reduce climate change

Increase in greenhouse gas emissions is primarily due to human activities such as burning of fossil fuels to obtain energy. Solar panels utilise the energy from the sun instead of burning fossil fuels. Electricity generated by solar panels can replace or supplement that provided by your utility company. Not only will you make hefty savings on your electricity bill, you will be contributing to saving hundreds of thousands of lives in additional deaths per year, malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea all due to climate change. If you live in the United States

Effects of climate change on health

The overall effects of climate change on health are overwhelmingly negative according to the W.H.O. Extreme heat caused by climate change contribute significantly to increased deaths from cardiovascular diseases especially among the elderly. The levels of pollen and other air-borne allergens increase due to extreme heat and this triggers or aggravates respiratory conditions such as asthma which afflicts millions of people all over the world.

Climate change increases exposure to vector borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever. The Aedes mosquito vector of dengue and the Anopheles mosquito which transmit malaria are both highly sensitive to climate conditions. Climate change also widens significantly the geographical range of diseases transmitted through cold-blooded animals and snail-borne diseases such as Schistomiasis.

Climate change causes extreme weather conditions and rising sea levels. Since more than half of the world’s population live within the precinct of the sea, rising sea level is a major concern. Thousands of people are forced to abandon their homes for higher grounds. This in turn exposes them to a range of health conditions including communicable diseases. Resulting floods contaminate fresh water supplies and compromise hygiene. The risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera increases and the area becomes breeding ground for disease carrying insects such as mosquitos. Rising water levels also destroy homes, disrupts medical supplies and health services.

Paradoxically climate change can also cause drought in some geographical areas. This leads to water scarcity, drought and famine. Lack of access to safe drinking water increases the risk of diarrhoeal diseases. Drought and resulting water shortage leads to a decrease in the production of staple foods especially in poor areas.

How you can help

Although some people are more vulnerable than others, no one is spared from the adverse consequences of climate change. How can you help in reducing the impact of climate change? Power your home with renewable energy, invest in energy-efficient appliances, reduce water waste, buy better bulbs such as LED light bulbs, make your space more energy efficient by ensuring that it is adequately sealed to prevent drafts.

Health benefits of reading books

Many people love to read. It is undoubtedly a pleasurable experience for most but the benefits go beyond the enjoyment, and some of those benefits can last a lifetime. One of such benefits is the positive effect reading can have on the body and mind. Students who read books regularly are known to develop large vocabularies especially if they start at a young age. Such students have an edge with standardized tests at college admissions and job interviews. It has never been easier to access standard textbooks and reference materials because it is now possible to buy digital versions of standard school books, novels, reference books and other types of books at deep discount to their print versions.

Alleviation of depression

Depression often makes people feel isolated and estranged from others. Reading fiction books sometimes reduces this feeling by connecting the reader with characters in the book. They literarily get swept up with imagined experiences as they dive deeper into the stories. Literary stories help explore the inner lives of characters in books and readers are able to understand the feelings and beliefs of others better. Self-help and how to books also come in handy when trying to learn strategies that can alleviate symptoms of depression.

Stress Reduction

Stress levels can build up very quickly when attempting to resolve challenges, especially if constrained by time. This is most evident among students preparing for major exams and executives working on time bound projects. Reading for only half an hour can help reduce the feelings of psychological distress. Which is why reading is helpful as part of a regular sleep routine.

Effects of reading on the brain

Reading builds a complex network of circuits in the brain. The more one reads, the stronger and more sophisticated those networks become. Reading books and solving difficult problems keep the mind engaged and improves cognitive function. This is particularly important for seniors because engaging in mentally stimulating activities makes it less likely that they will develop diseases such as dementia.

They can survive for longer and in good mental health even after retirement. Seniors should be reading whatever books they can get their hands on. In times past, getting books into remote regions was a herculean task but this is no longer the case. Just about anyone can access vast library of books on any subject digitally. Developing a reading culture educates people and helps them live longer in good physical and mental health.

         

Woodworking for a healthy and prosperous life

Woodworking is a great way to get active and still enjoy what you love doing. Getting active helps you keep fit and healthy. What's more, it is an opportunity to turn your interest into profit and become prosperous indeed.                                                                                                                                                                                                
If you are presently active in woodworking or you have been thinking of starting a woodworking business or simply go into woodworking as a hobby, here is your chance. You can access thousands of woodworking plans, more than enough to ensure you don't run out of woodworking project ideas.  

                     Click here for woodworking plans

In fact, you can start and run a profitable home  based woodworking business if you follow a comprehensive start-up and growth guide.

                    Click here for the start-up and growth guide

To set up the ultimate woodworking shop, you need to know where to buy the best tools at deep discount. Click the link below to find out where.                  

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You don't have to start from scratch when you can follow exact step-by-step blueprint for almost any woodworking project you can think of. It is the quickest, easiest and smartest way to build thousands of dazzling projects easily without fancy woodworking skills or expensive tools. You can also obtain in-depth woodworking lessons with videos and create fantastic projects if you are new to woodworking. 

       Click here for woodworking lessons.

               

Care of the Skin

The skin covers the entire body and acts as a shield against injury, heat, light and infection. It also acts as a sensory organ, helps in regulating the body temperature and in the storage of fat, water and vitamin D. It is therefore a very vital organ in the body, requiring special care. 

The structure of the skin

The skin basically has three layers. The outermost layer called the epidermis which acts as a tough protective layer and contains melanin producing cells. The layer beneath that is the dermis which contains hair follicles, sweat glands, oil glands and nerve endings. Beneath these two layers is the fatty layer which is called the subcutaneous tissue. 





Why undertake skin care routines

As pointed out above, the skin is a great barrier for the body against infection and so keeping the skin moist and healthy at all times helps the body ward off infection, among other functions. The skin of  the face deserves special attention. 

Although people should not be judged by their looks, it is difficult to ignore the way a person looks. Good-looking people are attractive, and most people find it difficult to take their eyes off good-looking persons. Keeping to a regular skin care regimen with the use of high quality  multitasking moisturisers and other similar products will help in maintaining a good look.

How do others assess us?

Appearance is the first thing we assess people with and this can affect how people engage with us. An attractive face tends to be symmetrical but this symmetry rule has limits. Paying attention to one's face by routinely taking care of it is one way of making a face more attractive. 

Both men and women tend to conclude that people with attractive faces are more intelligent, and so people with pretty faces are more likely to get jobs and earn higher than their less attractive colleagues. It is essential to be aware that these biases do exist and to ensure that we take positive steps to keep our appearance, especially the face, as attractive as possible at all times. 

Migraine sufferers get a reprieve

Migraine is a debilitating neurological disorder characterized by throbbing or pulsating headaches, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. It is not a headache sufferers can just ignore because its effects can be so incapacitating that the sufferer is neither able to perform routine tasks of daily life or interact with others. Ability to tolerate light, noise or even touch may be greatly impaired during an attack. 

Its cost to individuals and employers in productivity terms is mind boggling. In spite of the efforts of medical experts in this field and the variety of available prescription medicines, migraine is still poorly controlled. Many migraine sufferers with debilitating pain still end up in a hospital's emergency room. 

                                               

The good news is, an innovative, non-invasive, wearable, smartphone-controlled device has been approved by the FDA. According to an article published by an online platform, MigraineAgain, Paula Dumas pointed out in her article that the FDA-approved device called Nerivio has been described by the Time Magazine as one of the best inventions of 2019. Click on the link below to read the full text of Paula Dumas's article:

 New Wireless Armband for Migraines Wins Time 'Best Inventions 2019' 

Surviving the escalating costs of health insurance

According to the Census Bureau, the number of uninsured Americans has gone up 2 million. The reason is simple. Employee’s premium and deductible contributions in the 10 year period between 2008 and 2018 have grown almost 6% per year while median household income in the United States in the same period grew only 1.9% per year.

                                                              

Without expandable income, coupled with rising premium and deductible contributions, people have had to delay or completely abandon recommended tests. Some have gone without prescription medicines while others resorted to crowdfunding campaigns to cover their healthcare expenses. Many have been driven into debt. Erin Schumaker, in an article in the online publication abc NEWS narrates the experience of some individuals with rising cost of health insurance.

                                       

                       Click here to access the article

But you will be pleasantly surprised that a variety of affordable individual and family health insurance plans are now available.

Back brace for posture correction

Bad posture is the cause of most back pains, and a good posture helps the back in the long term. Keeping the body in perfect alignment maintains the spine's natural curvature.This entails keeping your shoulders parallel with your hips and your neck straight. Posture correction is the responsibility of every individual and there is no tool better for this purpose than a back brace. Getting a back brace is easy, but obtaining one with a 'smart' posture sensing technology is crucial for physically pulling those shoulders back in alignment.

                   Get a 'smart' back brace. Click here

How a 'smart' back brace works
Slouching may not cause discomfort at first, but over time, this position places strain on muscles and tissues, increasing tension in the muscles and leading to painful shoulders or back. A 'smart' back brace worn around the shoulders pulls them back in alignment and with special sensors inside the back brace, slouching is accurately detected. When slouching exceeds a certain value which is pre-set in the app, the unit vibrates, alerting you to the situation while the standard clavicle brace kicks-in by physically helping you to pull those shoulders back.




Back Brace for Work
If you have a sedentary desk job or you work where you are constantly lifting heavy objects, it is likely that you will be susceptible to pain in your shoulders or back. If you are engaged in a job where your body is hunched over or you stand in the same place for a prolonged period of time, it will begin to affect your posture and cause pain. Wearing a back brace will go a long way to relieving this pain. In addition, posture correction brace helps you get into the habit of sitting correctly, making you look better and feel better. Get a posture correction brace. Click here.