You’ve probably heard about the many benefits of apple cider vinegar (ACV), such as how it aids weight loss and helps improve your complexion. With almost every article saying all of the amazing things about ACV, it almost sounds too good to be true. To kill all your doubts and ensure you get the most benefits from your ACV concoction, knowing the don’ts of taking it are just as worth knowing as its dos.

1. Drinking it straight
On one hand, it can do wonders for your health—from improving your heart health to losing weight. On the other, it smells and tastes awful. That is why many would prefer to take it in one, quick, undiluted shot, and then eat something else immediately to mask its awful taste. If this is how you prefer to take your ACV, it may do more harm than good to you due to its high acidity content. Do yourself a little favor and dilute your ACV with water. Not only will it be a lot gentler for your throat, it’ll make it more palatable, too.

2. Sipping directly from the glass
Even if it’s diluted, ACV is still extremely acidic. Because of its very high acidity level, it can damage your teeth. To keep ACV from thinning your tooth enamel, do not sip it directly from the glass. Drink it through a straw to minimize contact with your choppers.

3. Starting out strong
If ACV is miraculously good, the more you consume the better, right? Well, think again. Too much of good stuff is bad stuff—and ACV is no exception to that. Especially if you’ve just started ACV, make sure you’re not drinking too much of it. Ease into it. This helps you gauge how your body will react to it. The safest, don’t go more than two tablespoons at a time.

4. Drinking it right before bed
While drinking ACV before a meal is a good idea, drinking it just before hitting the sack is not. Taking it before going to bed is not advisable because it can creep back up your esophagus, even if it is diluted in water. Regardless what time of the day, remain upright at least for half an hour after drinking your ACV concoction.

5. Applying it directly on the skin
Drinking ACV isn’t the only way to enjoy its benefits: you can also banish acne and get clearer skin by applying it on to your face. But just like drinking it, there is a right and wrong way to do it. Stick to one part ACV to eight parts water for gentle cleansing with apple cider vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar could be the answer to your health needs, but only if you use it correctly. So, heed these advices to guarantee the most benefits from this miracle ingredient.

From the moment we were born, we’ve been feeling tactile sensations through others’ affections. These instances naturally connect us to others, hence making us feel better as people. As we grow old, hugging can be a great way for us to feel those sensations again and even bring us more benefits. So go out and get a hug! Remember though, in Singapore, “hugging without permission” has fines!

Lowers stress
Hugging helps reduce the tension in our muscles, helping us become calmer and more relaxed. It also reduces the amounts of the stress hormone, cortisol, that the body produces. If someone you know is in a stressful situation, give them a hug. Not only will they feel better, it will also reduce the stress that you have, even as the one who is doing the comforting.

Strengthens our immune system
Hugs have been found to enhance the immune system through the maintenance and control of our white blood cells. Enough increase of white blood cells in our system can give us better immunity, therefore keeping us healthy overall. Lower levels of cortisol also contribute to a strong immune system, all the while, serving as an aid to keep us generally healthy.

Strengthen relationships
Hugging can promote more trust and help solidify your bond with your family, partner, and even friends. Hugging induces oxytocin, sometimes considered the “love hormone”, which also governs our social interactions and our compassion towards others. Additionally, we come in contact with whoever we are hugging and make a physical connection strongly felt by both parties.

Pain reliever
Hugs have also been found to help ease pain through the emotional bonds we get through the sense of touch. This might also be because hugging increases the production of serotonin, which improves our mood and the circulation of blood around our body’s tissues. Of course, it can’t easily replace painkillers, but hugging can definitely help you feel a lot better.

Promotes happiness
Aside from serotonin and oxytocin, both of which improve our mood, hugging can also induce dopamine. Dopamine triggers our brain’s reward and pleasure centers. This means that we feel happier because of the pleasure we get emotionally and physically when hugging. Even with those three “happiness hormones”, the simple notion of touching and coming in contact with others can make us feel more positive.

Boosts self-esteem
Ever since we were young, we were already marked with the feeling of love, expressed through acts like cuddling, hugging, and kissing by our parents. So, as we grow older, we naturally desire a constant feeling of touch. When we hug, we can establish our self-image in connection to those sensations that we crave for. It also helps us recognize and mitigate the fear of death.

No one wants to see their child suffer from asthma, especially on days when they’re at school and you can’t be around with them to monitor their activities. Helping your child manage asthma effectively, however, will greatly improve his/her quality life.

Know Your Child’s Asthma Triggers
Knowing what triggers your child’s asthma can make management a lot easier. Compiling a list of the possible triggers and the accompanying symptoms will also be helpful during regular check-ups and for teaching your child what to do in case he/she is having an attack.

Make Your Home Asthma-Proof
If you know what triggers the child’s asthma, it would be easier to create a home that is safe for the child, because you have more control over your home than if the child is in school or other public places. Limit his/her exposure to such triggers and ask for cooperation from family and friends.

Share the Information with Concerned People
Long-term asthma treatments can be stressful for both the child and the parents, that is why you will also need the help of other people who will be around your child as he/she is growing up. Inform relatives, teachers, coaches, and friends of the child so that they can assist whenever an attack occurs. This will also educate other people about the illness and they will be more than willing to help create a safer environment for the child in the classroom.

Keep Up Medication and Treatment
A detailed record of all your child’s medications, treatments, and information on what to do during an attack will greatly improve the child’s quality of life. You are responsible for making sure that your child is getting the best treatment possible and that his/her medications are up to date. It would also be helpful if you are familiar with the prescribed medications, the proper dosage, and possible side effects so you don’t panic when something goes wrong.

Encourage an Active Lifestyle
Even if your child has asthma, it does not mean you should keep him/her at home all the time. A growing child needs to live an active life just like every other child. Talk to the pediatrician about activities that can help improve the child’s condition such as outdoor and indoor sports. If you can, ask the help of a trainer or the school coach to monitor the child’s activities in case an attack happens.

Know What to Do During an Attack
You should always have an asthma action plan ready in case an attack happens. Make sure that your child and other people who will be monitoring him/her are also aware of what to do. First, memorize the symptoms of an asthma attack, then help the child to calm down and sit up straight. Next, help the child take a puff of the reliever inhaler (up to a maximum of 10 puffs) once every 30 to 60 seconds. Finally, take the child to a clinic or hospital if the symptoms do not improve.

Eating disorders are not uncommon and can affect anyone. Like other misunderstood mental health disorders, it’s not something that people can control. If there is no intervention, it could lead to other health problems.

These eating disorders are diagnosed based on the criteria manuals provided for doctors such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Anorexia Nervosa
The person experiences an intense fear of becoming fat and gaining weight. Even if he/she is losing weight, he/she does not recognize the danger and still pursues a specific body image by refusing to eat more. That means the patient is no longer aware of how to properly evaluate his/her weight prescribed for the age, sex and development of the body. Anorexia nervosa is not just avoidance of or restricting food intake. There is also a second type that resorts to binge eating.

Bulimia Nervosa
His condition is characterized by recurring episodes of binge eating. Binge-eating is uncontrollably eating more than what the person usually consumes. Later, the patient feels that he/she has to compensate for eating by vomiting, fasting, and excessive exercise to prevent weight gain. They do not significantly lose a lot of weight like patients with anorexia nervosa.

Binge Eating Disorder
Eating too much at one time until the person feels full and uncomfortable is binge eating. The person might also consume the food very fast and eat when not even hungry. This is accompanied by a feeling of guilt afterwards for eating too much. He/she might also attempt dieting sometimes. Persons with this disorder gain excessive weight. This condition is treated as a separate disorder from anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Both however can exhibit binge eating as a symptom.

Pica
The name is taken from the Latin name for the bird magpie. It’s notorious for its appetite. Pica is usually accompanied by other medical conditions like impaired functioning and mental health disorders. This is common among children. The child eats non-nutritive and non-food items like dirt. They crave for the item even if they are restricted.

Rumination Disorder
Rumination refers to the first step of the digestion process—chewing. A person with rumination disorder repeatedly regurgitates food even without retching, disgust or nausea. Sometimes the food is chewed again and swallowed. Like pica, this is also common among kids. It has no known causes.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
ARFID is characterized by the person’s failure to meet the nutritional and energy needs of the body. This might be due to weight loss, nutritional deficiency, dependence on other nutrient sources like supplements, and impaired psychosocial functions.

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder
OSFED is given as a diagnosis if the person has any one of the disorders listed above but fail to fully meet all the criteria. The disorder must be causing distress or impairment in other life functions. Examples of OSFED are night eating syndrome (excessive eating after dinner) and atypical anorexia nervosa (no noticeable weight loss).

Everyone here in Singapore should know the importance of breathing properly. We ignore breathing because we think that the body will regulate it without us commandeering. We have to know that breathing properly can give us a lot of benefits like improved health, less anxiety and greater harmony. For sure we can enjoy the benefits of breathing properly if we practice proper breathing every day.

That sounds simple, right? We only need time to get used to it. However, not all people believe that breathing properly has its benefits. For these people, perhaps they should first know the consequences of not breathing properly before they appreciate the value of breathing properly. This article will discuss about the consequences of not breathing properly.

• Imbalanced nervous system: We have to remember that every breath has an effect on our nervous system. If we have dysfunctional breathing (short or forced one), we unknowingly distort the function of nervous system. This will eventually lead to tensed body and higher stress levels.
• Airways get tighter: If we notice that we are breathing faster than normal, there is a possibility that our airways got tighter. If we have tighter airways, the air will have difficulty coming and going to the lungs. When this happens, we compensate by breathing faster just to get the work done.

• Blood vessels stiffen: If there is not enough air, the blood vessels stiffen. If it stiffens, there is a possibility that it can lead to elevated blood pressure. The heart will work harder if this happens.
• Less energy: Cells need oxygen to develop. If we are breathing improperly, less oxygen will be delivered to the cells and in return, it will not prioritize development. It will prioritize survival and it will get stressed.

We have to know that the processes in our body are highly dependent on oxygen. This is the reason why we should seriously evaluate our breathing patterns. For example, the brain uses about 20% of the oxygen we inhaled and if there’s shortage, the brain will be sluggish. If it is sluggish, other functions in the body will be affected. Our heart also needs oxygen. The heart is active 24/7 and if there’s shortage, it cannot pump effectively which will result to bad circulation that can lead to cold feet and hands.

If we constantly exercise, the muscles need oxygen. Shortage will make the muscles stiff, tired and tensed. We have to understand the importance of proper breathing and share it with other Singaporeans so we can all live happy and healthy.