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Happy
New Year!
New
Year is often a time we look both at
the year we have had and the year ahead
of us, and most of us plan to take better
care of ourselves in the future. We
start diets, take up exercise, give
up smoking, cut down on drinking, in
fact we promise ourselves better health
for the New Year. But with all our good
intentions many of us fall by the wayside
and its not long before our unrealistic
promises bite the dust.
The problem lies not with the intention
wanting to increase our fitness or
better our health is a sensible and
admirable cause, but the way we go about
it is not always quite as sensible.
It makes no sense at all to set goals
that are unachievable or to give ourselves
deadlines that we know we just cant
meet.
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Failure
in achieving unrealistic targets only
leads to misery, frustration and a drop
in morale. So firstly promise yourself
that youre not going to get obsessive
about what you want to achieve. Treat
each day as a new day if you didnt
do as you were supposed too yesterday,
it doesnt affect what you will do today,
and hasnt hindered what you will do tomorrow.
If you need a little help to get organised
into new routines, you could pop into
Boots the Pharmacists and enquire about
their one thing at a time packages which
are full of useful hints and tips to get
you started and help you stick to your
new found good intentions. |
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If
youve been plagued by colds
and flu this winter its worth
having a look at your diet. People
who include a variety of vitamin
rich foods are less likely to
fall prey to winter illnesses
they tend to have less severe
symptoms and their recovery rate
is quicker. Although boosting
your vitamin intake during a cold
will help a bit, it is far more
beneficial to start boosting in
September/October time before
the winter germ invasion begins.
Including onions and garlic in
as many dishes as you can manage
is a fabulous way to ward off
winter ills, and although taking
a supplement can help it is much
more beneficial to eat the real
thing.
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It
can be a rotten time of year
for any sinus sufferers amongst us.
Most of us fall prey to the odd cold
or flu germs in winter but for some,
constant sinus problems are exacerbated
at this time of year with all the wet
and windy weather around. Chronic pain
around the cheekbones, eyes and forehead
are classic symptoms but pain can even
radiate to the front teeth and jaw line.
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Dealing
with sinus pain can be quite tricky
as many of the proprietary brands on
the market will only deal with a mild
attack. A more serious attack may result
in swelling of the eyelids or blood
stained mucus from the nose these
symptoms can only be treated by your
GP as a course of antibiotics are usually
needed.
Repeated sinus infections need investigation
as they can actually cause damage and
your GP may want to refer you to an
Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist. For
milder attacks, doctors agree that the
best form of treatment is inhalation.
Using a facial sauna or breathing from
a bowl of hot water is really effective
and can provide good relief but it does
require some effort. Inhalations should
be done every couple of hours whilst
you are suffering a bit tedious but
worth the trouble and if you are using
the central heating you should place
bowls of water near to the radiators
to try to keep some moisture in the
air.
Central heating and air conditioning
are particularly bad for chronic sinus
sufferers; try to do without these in
the bedroom especially as lying down
can make the symptoms more pronounced.
An extra pillow will help the sinuses
to drain a little and even the old fashioned
remedy of vapour rub on a handkerchief
next to the bed can work. (Do not put
vapour rubs onto the nose or face in
general as this can cause severe stinging).
Try to avoid going out in icy-wind condition
as this will really inflame the symptoms,
but if you must, then a hat is a must
and preferably a loose fitting scarf
over the nose and mouth area.
If any sinus symptoms continue or worsen
over three days it would be wise to
contact your GP.
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