Exploring the Connection Between Mouth and Body

For many people, their oral health only acts as a barometer of whether or not they brush and floss regularly. However, your oral health can actually tell you a lot more about what’s going on with your overall health if you know how to read the signs.

When you consider that the mouth acts as a gateway to the body, it’s not surprising to realize that one of the first symptoms of a more serious underlying condition may manifest as an oral health problem. In recent years, researchers have dedicated more time exploring this connection, and have begun to gain a better understanding of what these different symptoms can point to.

Gum Disease

When it comes to the health of our bodies, no part gets ignored more frequently than our oral health.  Approximately 75 percent of adults in the U.S. suffer from some type of gum disease, which is caused by a buildup of bacteria in the mouth and ranks as the number one cause of tooth loss. Despite this overwhelming number, the majority of Americans probably don’t consider gum disease a serious medical condition. However, gum disease is an infection that can spread throughout your entire mouth. If an infection the same size as what gum disease can cause were to manifest on an arm or leg, you’d rush to the hospital for treatment.

The bacteria that causes gum disease can do more damage to the health of your body than just the loss of a few teeth. Mouth bacteria can also cause a variety of other serious medical conditions that can range from heart disease to diabetes. Researchers believe that bacteria from the mouth can enter the blood stream, which causes inflammatory reactions elsewhere in the body. Inflammation can cause a number of serious conditions, including arthritis, heart disease, and cancer. By not taking care of gum disease at an early stage, you might be setting your body up for a more serious problem later on down the road.

Diabetes

Perhaps no condition better exemplifies the mouth body connection than diabetes, a disease that causes an imbalance in an individual’s blood sugar levels. Individuals who struggle to keep down their blood sugar levels have a higher risk of developing gum disease. Individuals with gum disease have a harder time managing their blood sugar levels. So in other words, if you have trouble managing your diabetes you’re more likely to develop gum disease, which in turn makes it more difficult for you to manage your diabetes.

Dry Mouth

Dry mouth occurs when your body no longer produces enough saliva to retain moisture in the mouth. Without saliva, you’ll have a hard time chewing, swallowing, and even talking. While a number of fairly common conditions can cause dry mouth, including taking certain medications and wearing ill-fitting dentures, dry mouth can also be a sign of a more serious condition called Sjogren’s syndrome. An autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s causes the immune system to attack saliva ducts and tear glands in the body, which results in chronic dry mouth and dry eyes.

However, like all autoimmune diseases, Sjogren’s can progressively get worse, and cause debilitating joint pain and fatigue, blurred vision, frequent mouth infections, and occasionally lymphoma.

Gum Discoloration

A healthy set of gums should appear bright pink, and not red or swollen. Occasionally, gums can become sore and pale in color, which could indicate that you’re suffering from anemia. Generally the result of an iron deficiency, anemia causes the body to produce too few healthy red blood cells. Without enough red blood cells, your system can’t successfully transport enough oxygen throughout all of the organs in the body. Anemia can also cause fatigue, feelings of sluggishness, and swelling of the tongue.

Tooth Loss

While tooth loss is commonly associated with gum disease, it can also be the result of a variety of other serious conditions. Research has indicated that individuals who suffer from tooth loss have a higher risk of developing a kidney disease. Tooth loss can also be a early sign of osteoporosis, a disease that causes bone structures throughout the body to become weak and brittle. 

Hygiene Rules for Wearing Contact Lenses

If you’ve ever been on the wrong end of an eye infection due to a dirty contact lens, you know first-hand the importance of obeying contact hygiene rules. Even if you don’t get an infection, a tiny speck of grit can make it feel like you have something in your eye that just won’t go away. Obey some basic, but proven hygiene rules when you wear contacts and you should keep your eyes healthy and keep seeing clearly.

Clean Hands

Clean hands are a must, whether you use top of the line Acuvue contacts, or some discount pair you found online. Since you handle them before they go in your eyes, if your hands aren’t clean, some of that dirt could find its way into your eyes.

What you need to do is take the time to wash your hands thoroughly in warm, soapy water and then dry them well before you start handling your contact lenses. There’s no doubt that you’ll encounter instances when the last thing you want to do is wash your hands before you pop the contacts out for the night, but these are the times when it’s especially important.

Go Lint-Free

Since you’re taking the time to wash your hands so well, don’t add any lint to the equation when it’s time to dry them. Make the effort to use a lint-free towel for drying, so none will get onto your hands and potentially onto your contact lenses and into your eyes.

Follow Instructions

Different brands of contact lens will often have different instructions for solution times and processes, and it’s imperative that you follow them very closely. Trying to exceed recommended wearing times, or soaking your contacts for less time than is recommended can lead to trouble.

Keep in mind, the contact manufacturers do a great deal of research into their products and they want you to have the best experience possible. Following the instructions they include is one of the easiest ways to do that.

Try Disposable

If you really can’t get on board with the discipline required for contact lens hygiene, you can always give disposable contacts a try. As the name suggests, disposable contact lenses are disposable, meaning you can wear them for one day and then throw them out. The next day, you just open up a new package and start over. You’ll still have to give your hands a good wash and dry before putting them in, but there are no soaks or solutions to worry about at the end of the day.

Winter Brings more than Bad Weather

We all know that winter brings with it bad weather however it also bring sickness.

This article will look at some of the different sickness bugs that winter delivers to us and what we can do to combat the.

Norovirus

This virus is better known as the winter vomiting bug; Norovirus is the most common stomach bug in the UK and affects people of all ages.

The virus itself is highly contagious and you are recommended to avoid doctor’s surgeries when suffering from this virus.

There are some symptoms of Norovirus that will help you to diagnose if you have this bug

The first signs of Norovirus are

• Sudden sick feeling
• Watery diarrhoea
• Raised temperature (over 38C/100.4f)
• Stomach cramps
• Aching limbs

These symptoms can show 2 to 3 days before you can become infected, although there are no long term effects of Norovirus however in the short term there is a risk of becoming dehydrated.

Recognising dehydration is also important, the early signs of dehydration are

• Dizziness/Light-headedness
• Headaches
• Tiredness
• Dry mouth, lips and eyes
• Dark, concentrated urine
• Going to the toilet fewer than 3 to 4 times a day

Although there is no specific treatment experts recommend that you let the illness run its course as your immune system will probably fight the infection in a few days, however you should remember to drink lots of fluids and have paracetamol to hand.

Influenza

Commonly known as the flu is another infectious disease, the common symptoms of flu are Chills, Fever, Sore Throat, Muscle Pains, Headaches, coughing, weakness/fatigue and general discomfort.

 This infection is commonly mixed up with the common cold or man flu that some of the male population on the planet suffer from.

To help prevent catching the flu it is recommended that you get a yearly flu injection especially if you are in one of the high risk groups which include

• Over 65
• Pregnant
• Chronic health conditions (asthma, diabetes and heart or lung disease)

If you are suffering from the flu, common cold or man flu you should always take steps to avoid the spread of germs, these steps include

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when sneezing
• Wash your hands where possible or carry an antibacterial hand sanitizer with you
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
• Avoid contact with sick people

To help fight the man flu or the common cold you should stock up on hot drinks such as Lemsips or Capsules.

Flu however is different and a course of antiviral medicine will be required.

Steve Jones works for a medical consultancy that helps find Occupational therapy jobs for qualified medical professionals.

Getting Your Skin Back on Track After Damage

Your skin can be one of your best features or it can be one of your most hated. It doesn’t take much to make your skin look bad, but for some people it can seem like a lot of work to make their skin look its best. The truth is that when you neglect basic skin care your skin will rebel and you will end up with oily skin, dry skin, pimples, and other signs of neglected skin. It’s easy to take care of your skin, but it does take a little bit of time and effort. However, once your skin is back on track the upkeep is much easier than taking care of your skin when it’s in bad shape.

What Causes Bad Skin?

Depending on your skin woes there can be a number of reasons why your skin is not in the shape you want it to be in. Lifestyle can lead to a number of skin woes such as premature aging. Additionally, using harsh products on your skin can do more damage than good and you may find that these products will eventually dull your skin and make it appear lifeless. Some people are also predisposed to certain skin conditions such as acne or eczema, but even these conditions can be treated and overtime they can improve if you use the right type of products for your skin.

Bad Skin Fixes

The number one thing you can do to help your bad skin get into better shape is to understand why it is in bad shape to begin with. Do you smoke, drink and party, and tan religiously? While your skin will remain pretty resilient throughout your early 20s you will quickly find that the older you get the more these lifestyle choices will show on your skin. Smoking and drinking excessive alcohol in particular can wreak havoc on your skin. When you stop making these lifestyle choices you will find your skin begins to look better almost immediately. Below are a few more ways in which you can help get your skin back on track.

1. Using a serum like hyaluronic acid serum can help your skin get back into its normal glowing and healthy state. This serum is good to use when your skin looks dull or when the fine lines in your face appear to be getting deeper. While using hyaluronic acid serum will not perform miracles right away using it overtime will soften the appearance of your skin and any skin conditions that you‘ve had trouble with in the past should naturally balance after regular use.
2. Another important ingredient in your skin care kit is antioxidants. Whether you choose an antioxidant rich serum or even a skin cleaner using antioxidants will help your skin renew itself at a much faster rate and your skin will begin looking fresher and newer as you keep applying antioxidants.
3. Lastly, if you aren’t already hydrating regularly by drinking water throughout the day begin immediately. Why is it that all the beauty magazines keep telling you to drink water? Because it works. Will you wake up looking like a movie star after chugging water all day? It’s unlikely. However, try not drinking water and waking up to dry and dehydrated skin. Drinking water will keep you and your skin hydrated and will naturally lead to better looking skin.

If you have tried the above tips and your skin is still looking worse for the par then it may be time to make an appointment with your dermatologist. They may need to prescribe you with medicated ointments until your skin is back to normal after which you can use the tips above to maintain your skin in its best state.  

Home Remedies for Neck Pain

When you ask some people how something is, they may simply tell you that it’s a pain in the neck, but do they mean this literally or figuratively? Neck pain is something that is fairly common and nothing to mess around with. If you are someone who is experiencing horrid neck pain, you may be desperate to find a way to get rid of it. There are many medications your doctor can give you, but there are also many things you can do at home as well. Read on for some home remedies for neck pain. 

What To Do

One of the best things that you can do if you are experiencing a sore neck is to just rest it. That’s right. Go lay down and let your neck muscles get some rest. They will thank you for it later. If your neck is really sore, you should not hesitate to put some ice on it while you lay down. The ice will reduce inflammation if there is any and ultimately feel really good. If your neck muscles seem like they’re really tight, you could apply heat to your neck instead. You could use a heating pad on the back of your neck or you could even stand in the shower for a few minutes. When you’re done using the heat, you could try applying the cold for better results. Additionally, if your neck is really sore, just chill out and relax. If you’re all stressed out, that’s not helping anything!

Other Ideas

All of the above mentioned remedies will work to make your neck feel better but you may also want to take some sort of medication for your neck. Be careful of what type of medication you're taking and how much so no overdose can happen especially with over the counter pain relief products like Tylenol or Advil will work great. Advil may work better than Tylenol because it’s also an anti-inflammatory so if you are torn on which to take, Advil is probably the best bet. Don’t be afraid to use some sort of medicated lotion on your neck either. Perhaps some AsperCreme will help but if you want something a little better, a product called BioFreeze may be your best bet. Icy Hot will also work great because it will take a lot of the pain away and numb your neck a little bit. 

Neck pain is not something that you should have to deal with at all! There are many things that you can do in the comfort of your own home to relieve neck pain however and these are just a few ideas. If your neck is causing you pain, try these remedies and see how they work for you. You may be surprised at how good your neck feels afterwards!

About the Author: Casey McNeil is writer, avid learner, and a mother of a beautiful little girl.  Like any mother she trusts LIfe Source to keep her and her family healthy. 

Healthy eating tip 4: Fill up on colorful fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet. They are low in calories and nutrient dense, which means they are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.
Try to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day and with every meal�the brighter the better. Colorful, deeply colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants�and different colors provide different benefits, so eat a variety. Aim for a minimum of five portions each day.
Some great choices include:

• Greens. Branch out beyond bright and dark green lettuce. Kale, mustard greens, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage are just a few of the options�all packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, and K.
• Sweet vegetables. Naturally sweet vegetables�such as corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, yams, onions, and squash�add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for other sweets.
• Fruit. Fruit is a tasty, satisfying way to fill up on fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Berries are cancer-fighting, apples provide fiber, oranges and mangos offer vitamin C, and so on.

Healthy eating tip 3: It's not just what you eat, it's how you eat

Healthy eating is about more than the food on your plate�it is also about how you think about food. Healthy eating habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between meetings or on the way to pick up the kids.

• Eat with others whenever possible. Eating with other people has numerous social and emotional benefits�particularly for children�and allows you to model healthy eating habits. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.
• Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes. Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of our food. Reconnect with the joy of eating.
• Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty instead of hungry. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.
• Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.