Dyvine Silvestre

Published: February 22, 2012

Nail Biting

Everywhere I go, I always come across a person with a horrible habit - Nail Biting!
I personally cannot see my self pick up such habit. This is mostly like due to the fact that I have been educated on the negative effects that may arise from this soothing habit!

This habit is usually detected early in life - most likely when you are a young child, where if you refuse to acknowledge the problem, it will continue on to adulthood.

There is only a few questions left to ask - Why do people bite their nails? What are the effects of this habit? And, how can they be stopped?

There are multiple reasons why people pick up such habit - Nevertheless, stress and boredom are number one.
Stress gives you the urge to exert force onto something, and whether you are conscious or not about it, you are taking out the stress onto your nails! Boredom is also a big key factor as to why you bite your nails. Face it, when you have nothing to do, you want and need to do something. For many people, while searching for something to do - they come across nail biting! Most of the time people are biting their nails sub-consciously, slowly becoming a dangerous habit!

Some effects of nail biting include:

• Red & Sore Fingertips.
• Cuticle Bleeding.
• Infections on your nail bed and your mouth.
• Dental problems, infection of the gums. It damages in the long term the teeth, making them more prone to develop caries.
• Nail deformation.
• In rare cases it can be a symptom of Obsessive Compulsive disorder, and this must be treated with medications.

In order to understand the serious issues that may arise with nail biting here are some explanations.

Nail biting can result in transmission of germs that live beneath the surface of the nail to the mouth. Many pathogens have the ability to live within the nail, with that being said, the nail biting habit can increase the chances to cause damage to the health.
A compulsive nail bitter may not stop at only the nail but also the skin around the cuticle and breaking the skin. Broken skin is susceptible to opportunistic infections from microbes and viruses. These pathogens can spread between the finger and into the mouth.
Nail biting can also be negative for the restricting it causes to the hands. A compulsive nail bitter may have restricted his/her ability to work (eg, writing, typing, drawing, playing stringed instruments, driving) because of damage done to the nail or surrounding skin.
A long habit of nail biting can cause wear off the enamel of the incisor teeth, which can generate cavities in these areas.

Here are some tips on stopping:

• Girls can always keep their nails with nail polish - which often serves as a reminder that they can not bite their nails. Another alternative is to use nail polish that contains bitter flavors.
• Another tip is to put pepper on the nails, so that when you bite it will sting your mouth. This will affect your habit, encouraging you to stop.
• Or, wrap your fingertips with adhesive tape, also works.

I hope you enjoyed ...

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Published: February 8, 2012

Stop Your Foot Pain Today!

“Mom, can we go to the mall?”

“Too much walking sweetie, my feet are killing me”

Believe it or not, but this topic is discussed more than you think. In fact, it is due to this conversation - and partially my longing to go to the mall, that I have decided to do some research on what feet pain really is. In other words, how and why we get feet pain and the solutions that will help you and your feet.

Feet pain is a built of stress out on the muscles, bones and ligaments of your feet. Consider this; an average person takes about 10000 steps per day, and every time we step we put a force of 2-3 times our body weight on our feet, as result it is only normal to feel some type of pain at some point. However, a combination of factors can magnify this discomfort.

Here are some factors that may increase foot aches including some solutions that are guarantee to help:

1. Flat feet~ some people have feet that are not very arched or not arched at all. This foot causes the body to use more energy to walk resulting in more pressure on your feet, and causes more fatigue at the end of the day. To help this you can try buying shoes with great arch support, or talk to your family doctor.
2. Gender~ Females are at a higher risk of experiencing severe foot pains, which I think is partially a result of having to get everything for the men around the house. This is mainly because women usually wear high heels, and gain weight during pregnancy. Try to find a high heeled shoe that is stylish and comfortable all at once... and well, I don’t know any other way to help feet pain during pregnancy but I’m sure it could be a great excuse to make your husband do everything for you.
3. Age~ The older you get, the thinner the skin on your feet becomes due to it being worn down years after years after years after years... almost done... after years! Also your feet widen and flatten, putting even more pressure on your old, dry feet. This is why it is important to have a healthy diet throughout your life, and a frequent work out routine.
4. Dehydration~ there are about 250,000 sweat glands on your feet that release approximately a quarter of a litre everyday! Drinking the necessary amount of water a day (8-10 cups) can help your feet pain.
5. Insufficient amount of blood flowing to your feet also causes aches and pains. This is the symptom my mom has and this is her major cause of feet pain. Blood thinning foods and vitamins (consisting of omega-3, vitamin E, and Iron) can help the flow of blood to your feet. Foods such as salmon, olive oil, fish oils, strawberries, cinnamon, vinegar, honey, red wine, and blueberries are natural blood thinners.

Hope this can help your feet pain. Tomorrow I’m going to make my mom a salmon with chopped strawberries, sauced with vinegar, honey, cinnamon, and a glass of red wine... then we can go to the mall for sure! wish me luck!

By: Dyvine Silvestre

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Published: January 31, 2012

Headache Day!

        The most common phrase I hear on a day to day basis from my Mama is “I have a headache”, hopefully not ALL of it has to do with putting up with me :). A headache, or as I like to say “the reason not to ask Mom for anything today” is a common symptom in both Men and Women- but mostly in Women. It is a built up of many components such as stress, certain foods/smells, lack of sleep, bad posture and smoking.

Stress derives from many circumstances like a tough day at work, overbooking, personal problems, or as I have learned, your teenager. Headaches that come from stress are called tension headaches. They can be a build up of stress or a migraine (in which the brain releases chemicals that can alter blood vessel dilation). Different foods and smells can trigger different people, so it is your responsibility to realize which might trigger you to have a headache, and avoid them all together. It is very important to get 8 hours of sleep daily.

If you have fast paced life like my parents, it is completely understandable that this is hard to achieve. Working out a steady deadline to get things done daily can help ensure you will have enough hours of sleep. Most jobs in a developed country involves the usage of computers, in fact right now you are probably reading this on some sort of electronic device. Look at your posture right now, posture can easily affect your headaches. Slouching, staring at a screen that is too low or too high, a chair with bad lumbar support, all add up putting pressure on your head and neck muscles- this causes your headache. Once in a while, if you have been sitting for too long get up and stretch.

Another great reason for one not to smoke is because of the amounts of Nicotine that are contain in cigarettes, it causes blood vessels in the brain to narrow, allowing for little oxygen to pass through. The cause of headaches is another reason why smoking is a big NO NO!

Some solutions to free headaches include:

• Meditation/ breathing exercises (try Tai Chi)
• Drinking lots of water (keep hydrated)
• Getting enough hours of sleep (about 8)
• Good Nutrition
• A couple of ours to yourself, and to yourself only!
• Watch movies at home not at the theatre- this comes from personal experience. Many perfumes and flashing lights = Mom with a headache.

I hope this blog will help you avoid or treat your headache symptoms so you can enjoy life to its fullest :). Luckily, today wasn’t a “headache day” for my Mama, I got new ear rings ;).

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Published: January 25, 2012

Having Problems with Knee Joints? Here is a Few Tips to Help You.

What are Joints?
Joints are places where bones meet allowing movement and stability to the human body. There are many types of joints and about 400 of them in the human body. Synovial joints are surrounded by cartilage and the joint spaced is filled with a fluid called synovial fluid. One time of synovial joint is a hinge joint, where as you can imagine acts like the hinge of a door, allowing the the bone to swing to and from in two directions.The knee joint is the largest hinge joint in our bodies.

How does the knee joint begin to hurt?
The cartilage surrounding the joint is worn down by pressure from getting up and sitting down, walking, biking, running, etc. This is why older audiences usually experience pain in their knee joints. This symptom is called osteoarthritis. For the knee joint to work well, the muscles around it need to be strong as well. The knee joint is one of the joints that can be replaced with an artificial replica if the pain gets severe. My mom, suffers from osteoarthritis on her knee joint, but she is still fairly young. This comes from genetics.

How Can Knee Joint Osteoarthritis be prevented and helped?
1.Obesity can cause osteoarthritis, so losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight can prevent osteoarthritis.

2. Exercise- If the muscles around your joint are strong, you will rely less on the joint, relieving it from pressure.

3. Avoid Injuries, or if you get hurt- treat them!

4. Eat Healthy-
~omega-3 fatty acids such as fish oil, and other plant/nut oils including walnut, canola, soybean, flaxseed/linseed, and olive.
~Vitamin C. You can get more vitamin C in your diet by eating green peppers, citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, turnip greens and other leafy greens, sweet and white potatoes, and cantaloupe.
~Vitamin D. Vitamin D rich foods include fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and herring; vitamin D-fortified milk and cereal; and eggs.

How can it be healed?
-medicine injections.
-replacement of the joint (artificial joint).

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