Ops, fat already!

Do you love your heart? Do you really care about what you've eaten/drink so far? :) Becareful, you may not see the effect now, but when you are getting older and older, you may suffers all kinds of diseases. 

Protect your heart

Sometimes, I do see a lot of health care ad. about hearty issues, stress management and stop smoking campaign at the Adventist hospital. I feel it is really useful information for me as ... you know lar, engineer life... will only go to the office, checking hardware in the lab, reply emails, meeting with colleagues and all the big BOSSES... most of the times are sitting. I also getting fatter and fatter now! Not sure if you also have similar situation like me? :(

This is the situation! haha...

"I'm ON DIET!" Well, this is the phrase that i keep in my mind for last 4 years, but seems like.... :P Next month will be my body checkout... I think i will score with "flying colours" haha.. Tomorrow, i must start my training again! Wish me and give me strength!! :D

Oh ya, actually, I read an article which i think is good for us. Check this out! 

How to prevent heart disease? 
1. Don't smoke or use tobacco. - I don't :D
2. Exercise for 30 min at least 5 times a week (err... seems like 2 times only)
3. Eat a heart healthy diet that is low in fat, cholesterol and salt includes fruit, vege, wholegrains, beans, fish and low fat dairy products.
4. Maintain a healthy weight and BMI (err... this one, gou li lor, i fully not met!)
5. Get regular health screenings (yes, i have, but rare)
6. Manage your stress levels (erm, guys, engineer stress or not? :P)
7. Monitor your alcohol consumption (yup, i seldom take)
8. Cut down salt (cook yourself, don't take outside food lo...)
9.  Check your family history (ops, my family has hearth disease background)
10. Recognize early sign of heart disease - tightness or discomfort in the chest, neck, arm or stomach when you exert yourself but which goes away with rest. This may be a symptom of angina. 

So, after reviewing these 10, do you think you have done enough for your heart? :D For me, definitely NOT!

I am BIG BIG GIRL... in a BIG BIG WORLD...

I am a BIG BIG girl.. in a BIG BIG world.. PART I

Abortion and abandoned young children become a social issue all over the world. When a woman is pregnant accidentally, she will be blamed and isolated by family. This is one of the reason abortion happened. This  is not an individual issue, but social. Our country citizen still conservative minded. Sexual education is important. But since young, we are not exposed with it. It become harder when parents are very shy to share the knowledge with their children. I had been through the period of dating, we are flesh human being. Sexual temptation is everywhere. Sexual education and religion are here to help. So i hope to share some tips on family planning (specifically method of contraceptives). But i am not encouraging youngsters to practice it. But, "prevention is better than cure".

When i was young, i ever asked my mom:"How do you bring me to this world?" She was very honest to me. But she did mention she did ask the same question to grandma. Grandma said she was from dustbin. haha.... :P We need to be honest to youngsters nowadays because they are generation of curiosity.Pregnancy happened when a guy (sperm) met with girl (ovary during ovulation) through sexual intercourse or intimacy. Ovulation is the time where egg is produced by ovary.If the egg does not meet the sperm, it will burst and become menstrual or what we called as period. 

Family planning is a new age concept whereby a couple takes measures to space out the birth of their child or opt for a gender specific child by using certain natural or artificial methods. The methods of family planning might involve using contraceptives, condoms or by surgical methods. The most important factor of family planning is the health of the baby and the mother. When a woman gives birth to a child she undergoes a lot of physical trauma or stress and if proper family planning is not done then it could be harmful to the health of both the mother and the subsequent child. According to UNICEF every year half a million women die due to pregnancy related complications.

Another important reason of family planning is that family planning reduces the rate of abortions. Unwanted pregnancy leads to abortions which are gruesome and it harms the body as well. A startling statistic which is given by the Center for Bioethical Reform is that every year around the world a total of 42 million abortions happen. Thus good family planning leads to lesser abortion and lesser harm to the body. In conclusion, family planning is to help a couple plan a suitable time to pregnant and to plan the size of the family. Below are five common methods: 

1. Natural Methods:
How does this method helps? It was done by avoiding sexual intercourse during fertile days of a woman.Below are three commons method used: 

Rhythm or calendar methods

Cervical mucus methods

• Changes in the amount and consistency of cervical mucus. 
• Accurate assessment free of semen, contraceptive gels or foams, and blood or discharge from vaginal infections for at least one full cycle. 
• Affected by: douches and vaginal deodorants, sexually aroused state, medications such as antihistamines.
• Dryness → sticky (but does not stretch) → cloudy raw egg white (increase in estrogen), clear, stringy, slippery (lubricative), and stretchable. Slipperiness and a sensation of wetness = ovulation is occur. 
• Sexual abstinence until the fourth day after the peak mucus sign. Sticky, thick, and cloudy and less in amount (under progesterone influence).

Breast feeding

 

•  It works by suppress ovulation from happen. 
• But this method require consistent breast feeding.
• Once there is breakthrough bleeding or period, it is not longer effective. 

Advantages: 

• Accepted by religious groups that have  prohibitions against other types of contraception.

• Teaches a woman about her own reproductive physiology.

• Safe, inexpensive, or free.

• Teaches couples to work together on family planning. 

Disadvantages:

• Requires much information about physiological parameter.

• Monitored symptoms are sometimes vague or subtle.

• Women with irregular cycles may find the calendar and basal body temperature methods ineffective.

• Requires planning, partner cooperation. 
• May diminish spontaneity.   

Hormonal Contraceptives? Barrier methods? IUCD? Operation?
How does these method help? Stay tuned for more details and methods... ;) have a nice day..

Night in the hospital

Patient will always ask me.. nurse does not need to sleep? Most of the "ah po's" will say:" at night, i do not want to call the nurse because will disturb the nurse to sleep?" Sometimes i feel like laughing when heard this. But, dear patients... nurse do sleep. But different time. Sometimes i am sad when roey work, i am off. When i work, roey weekend. At the moment i choose nursing as my career, i expected this. It is not hard to care. Everyone has a caring heart, just you want or not. 

For me, night syif is harder than other syif. haha... because i like to sleep. My close friends knew it well.I need to battle with "zhou gong". Some people think night syif is scary. At first, i have such perception too.But what to do, my profession need me to work at night. I really thanks God for the passionate i have for my patient.Only then, i able to overcome.

The common problems that many night shift workers face are:

• Stress – Irregular working hours and pressure to perform better contribute to high stress and sometimes it could be even traumatic.
• Disorders – Various disorders like insomnia, fatigue and disorientation accompany night work
• Obesity – Physical inactivity, excessive eating, wrong food choices and irregular eating habits make one gain weight
• Gastrointestinal and digestive problems – Wrong eating habits contribute to indigestion, stomachache, heartburn and loss of appetite
• Cardiovascular diseases and blood pressure — Night shift workers are more prone to cardiovascular problems
• Behavioral and emotional disturbances – Night shift working causes many disturbances in one’s life like depression, decline in self esteem and resentment, anxiety, hopelessness, withdrawal from social interactions, strong urge to cry without specific incident, avoidance of previously enjoyed activities, phobia, fears and unwanted thoughts.

With a few essential changes, night shift workers can avoid the health complications of shift works and ease adverse symptoms. A healthy lifestyle and, most importantly, right nutrition choices help you save yourself from the adverse effects of night shift work.

Here are some healthy eating tips to stop weight gain and other health complications.

• Drinking at least two liters of water a day helps in improving digestion. Lack of water intake results in thirst headaches and fatigue.
• Balanced varied meals and regular meal timings keep up your health.
• Increase fibre content in your diet. Oat bran and ragi are rich in fiber content. Take in complex carbohydrates/whole grain carbohydrates instead of refined carbohydrate.
• Plan the time you take your meals carefully. Eat lightly throughout the night shift and take a moderate breakfast to prevent hunger while sleeping and get uninterrupted sleep and digestive discomfort.
• Keep a check on your fat intake: Keep out red meat and organ meat as they are high in saturated fat content. Instead opt for egg white, lean meat pieces or fish in your non-veg meal option. But, it should not be fried.
• Prefer buttermilk to aerated drink because it is a healthier and cooler option.
• Avoid heavy meals after midnight because they make you feel drowsy.
• Also avoid fatty, spicy and high fat foods during overnight for the same reason.
• Relax during meals and allow time for digestion.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol as they affect the rate of digestion.
• Limit alcohol intake to one or two pegs once or twice a week

Apart from the above diet tips, follow these tips and techniques.

• Always change shifts ahead and not backward. Rotate from mornings to afternoon to night and not in the reverse manner. It helps your body to cope up with the shift pattern.
• Have a good sleep in the day by setting up proper condition for sleep. Darken your room and put your mobile on a silent mode for an undisturbed sleep. Also, tell your friends and family how important is that few hours of sleep for you.
• Avoid excessive use of antacids, tranquilizers and sleeping pills.
• Learn relaxation techniques that help in healthy sleep.

Hope those above tips will help you who also work during the night. Gambatte!! :D