10 Habits You Should
Cultivate To Stay
Healthy
Article contributed by:
Raffles Medical Group
Falling sick is costly
as you often end up
feeling too unwell to
work or to do anything
productive. What’s
more, rising medical
fees will put a dent in
your finances. So
what should you do?
Take a proactive
approach towards staying
healthy today! Give your
immunity a boost by
cultivating these 10
habits.
1. Wash your hands
properly
You will probably
remember the days when
your mother nagged at
you to wash your hands
before tucking into your
meals. As always,
mum was right!
Hand washing cannot be
sufficiently stressed
upon.
Here are the steps
involved in proper
hand-washing technique:
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Wet your hands with
warm, running water
and apply liquid
soap or use a clean
bar soap.
Lather well.
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Rub your hands
vigorously together
for at least 15 to
20 seconds.
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Scrub all surfaces,
including the backs
of your hands,
wrists, between your
fingers and under
your fingernails.
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Dry your hands with
a clean or
disposable towel.
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Use a towel to turn
off the faucet.
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Do this before and after
meals or before your
hands come in contact
with the eyes, nose
and/or mouth.
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2. Use an alcohol-based
sanitiser
When your hands are not
visibly dirty, an
alcohol hand sanitiser
is an acceptable
alternative to soap and
water for hand hygiene.
Alcohol concentration of
the hand sanitiser must
be above 60% for alcohol
rubs to be effective in
killing microbes.
“Alcohol rubs kill many
different kinds of
bacteria, as well as,
fungi. They also
inactivate many
different kinds of
viruses, including the
flu virus and the common
cold virus.
However, not all
pathogens are equally
susceptible. Certain
bacteria, especially the
spore-forming gram
positives (e.g.
Clostridium difficile,
anthrax), are relatively
resistant and remain
biologically viable,”
said Dr Wong Wei Mon,
Senior
Physician at Raffles
Medical.
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3. Throw used tissues
away immediately
It is a bad habit to
leave used tissue paper
lying around, instead of
disposing them in the
waste-bin. Used
tissues are sources of
virus that can
contaminate any surface.
As such, make a habit
out of disposing used
tissue properly and
promptly.
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4. Avoid foods that you
are allergic to
Many of us are not aware
that frequent flu,
throat infections and
even headaches may
simply be signs that we
are allergic to certain
food(s).
“I have observed so many
times when avoidance of
the offending food(s)
results in tremendous
improvement in some or
all of the above
problems. This type of
food allergy is termed
delayed food allergy or
sometimes also known as
food intolerance.” said
Dr Stephen Lee,
Specialist in ENT
Surgery at
Raffles ENT Centre.
Some examples of foods
which often cause these
symptoms include
commonly consumed items
such as milk, eggs,
wheat and soy.
This list is not
exhaustive. For
those who have allergies
to these item(s)
avoidance of particular
foods will often result
in an improvement in
their immune system.
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5. Eat healthily
A balanced diet keeps
you healthy as it boost
your immune system.
Dr Chng Shih Kiat,
Consultant at Raffles
Executive Medical
Centre, shares with us
the general principles
of a balanced diet:
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Reduce intake of any
fried and oily food
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Reduce intake of
high salt diet
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Reduce intake of
high sugar content
diet
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Increase intake of
fibres in terms of
fruits and
vegetables as they
also contain loads
of vitamins and
anti-oxidants
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Increase intake of
fluids daily to
about 1.5 to 2 L
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6. Use paper towels
Dry your hands with
paper towels after
hand-washing in the
kitchen and bathroom.
Germs can live for
several hours on cloth
towels.
Alternatively, have
separate towels for each
family member and
provide a clean one for
guests.
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7. Service your aircon
units
The central cooling
system, where air is
re-circulated, can be a
breeding ground for
bacteria and viruses.
It is also a portal by
which germs are
disseminated. “The
direction of the air
draft also makes those
who are indirect
recipients more prone to
aerosol spread of flu
viruses since the air
current carries the
germs to you,” said Dr
Wong.
Aircons should be
regularly serviced and
the air filters changed
according to
manufacturers’
recommendations.
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8. Keep household
surfaces clean
Surfaces such as tables,
counters, door knobs,
stair rails and floors
should be cleaned
regularly, preferably
three times a day, or at
least once a day.
All surfaces must be
dried after they have
been cleaned and rinsed,
as damp surfaces attract
contaminants.
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9. Drink up
Are you drinking enough
water? You
probably heard this many
times over, but taking
in sufficient fluids
does go a long way in
getting rid of toxins in
your body.
According to Ms Nehal
Kamdar, a dietitian at
Raffles Internal
Medicine Centre,
fluids include water
(always a great choice),
milk, fruit juice, tea,
coffee, soups, fruits
and vegetables and
desserts like ice
kachang.
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10. Find reasons to
laugh
Sadness and depression
can weaken your immune
system.
Researchers have found
that the positive
emotions associated with
laughter can decrease
stress hormones and
increase certain immune
cells. As such, if
you find yourself
slipping into states of
anxiety or depression,
remember the importance
of laughter. Catch
a comedy or meet up with
friends who have a great
sense of humour.
These will definitely
make you feel better.
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Article contributed by:
Raffles Medical Group
Dated: July 2011
|
Raffles
Medical
Group is
a leading
medical
group and
the largest
private
group
practice in
Singapore.
As a fully
integrated
healthcare
organisation,
the Group
owns and
operates a
network of
family
medicine
clinics, a
tertiary
care private
hospital,
insurance
services and
a consumer
healthcare
division.
Patients of
the Group
enjoy a
continuum of
care, from
having their
most basic
healthcare
needs met
through the
Group’s
islandwide
network of
Raffles
Medical
clinics, to
specialist
and tertiary
care at
Raffles
Hospital. |
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