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July 28, 2009How to cure a sore throat
July 4, 2009Sore throats are one of the first signs of a cold. Let’s fight it straight away so you don’t get stuck with a bad cold!
What I recommend:
- A throat gargle (e.g. Betadine or Difflam): these contain antibacterial agents to kill off those germs and limit their spread. It doesn’t taste too great, but it’s worth it if you don’t want it to get worse. Remember not to swallow, but to spit out!
- Throat lozenges - if your throat’s still sore this is something extra you can try. There are many different throat lozenges out there. They can contain antibacterials, anti-inflammatories and anaesthetics. Use your anti-inflammatory and anaesthetic containing ones for the more painful sore throats. Be careful with hot drinks though as they may burn the throat if that anaesthetic is working.
Lollies – butter menthols, etc. They’re yummy…but they don’t contain much to battle your sore throat.
Keep rested and well hydrated and this sore throat will be gone before you know it.
Good luck!
Pick a chair
July 2, 2009My boy has back pains, and the physio has recommended that a desk chair is a high priority. It helps with posture. It’s important to choose the best chair you can possibly find (of what you can afford of course), because you are going to be using this chair for a very long time (unless some of us are serial chair buyers).
After shopping around at many different outlets, we came to the conclusion that there a 4 major points for choosing the best office chair.
1. It has to look good - there’s no point in getting the fluoro green pattern that fits in so well with your decor.
2. Price - it is true that the more you pay the more you get. We found there were 3 different types of chairs
- The ultra-cheap chair with only a gas-lift device to change height (that was fun to play around with!)
- The mid-range chair allowing both height change and lumbar support change
- The ultra-expensive chair – complete with extra padding as well as all the features mentioned above
3. Comfortable butt cushioning – if you are on your bottom end all day this is something you’ll need to consider
4. Lumbar support – excellent lumbar support helps to better your posture
We settled for a plain black chair. Boring yes, but you can do many other things to your room to spice it up. We decided to try the mid-range chair. Let’s see how that one goes. It has good cushioning and adjustable lumbar support – just what were looking for!
$150 spent later and we are still a happy couple 
Destressing – decluttering
July 1, 2009I find stress one of the greatest things that holds me back in life. Stress affects in me in such negative ways
- I can’t function normally
- I become more emotional and unhappy
- I rush without getting anything done quicker in the end
I thought I’d start finding things that make me stress less. I bought a set of filing drawers for only $10! What a bargain! Frugal and productive, I say.
As you can see, my beautiful desk is piling with a heap of books and paper work. I have all my notes from all four years at university, plus any paperwork I’ve gathered in between.
Now this is only a small step in decreasing clutter and reducing stress, but every little bit helps. I’ll now have a system where I can find all my paperwork at once and it also helps to clear the mess (slowly but surely) from my table.
I have labelled the five drawers:
- Receipts
- Insurance and bills
- Tax
- Certifcates
- Pay slips
With this system in place, I hope it does help. What systems do you put in place to reduce stress?
Messy desk
$10 Filing drawers
Need help with hangovers?
June 29, 2009Yeah, those hangovers are bad. So bad you don’t think you’ll ever drink again right?
Ooo, bad reflux – quick! Get some liquid antacids! (e.g. Mylanta or Gaviscon). Tablets take longer to work because they have to dissolve first. That liquid stuff will work fast and the yucky heartburny feeling will reside soon.
Dehydration – your throat and mouth feels dry. It’s because alcohol is a diuretic – in other words it makes the body lose water (do you remember how many times you went to the toilet that night?). Rehydration salts are a great fix here – they have the right combination of electrolytes, and together with water, will help to get your body rehydrated again.
Pounding headache? – some painkillers may help here.
I guess the best tip is not to have a big night out and drink too much. But for people who do have one, hope this helps! Keep healthy and happy everyone!
Safe alcohol levels
June 28, 2009No alcohol = safe alcohol levels, but some of us do like a drink every now and then.
For both males and females TWO standard drinks (or less) per day is the current guideline . This is not an average over a week. For example, if you have zero drinks during the week and then 14 drinks on a Saturday night, this is NOT considered safe drinking.
The standard drink in America is 0.6 ounces of ethanol.
The standard drink in Australia is 10 grams of ethanol.
Now this is just a guide. Some people are more affected by alcohol than others, so look after yourself. Hangovers don’t feel good. And living a happy, healthy life feels heaps better. Plus you save money if you drink less!
Preventing cancer
June 27, 2009Our TOP FOUR cancers killers are lung, bowel, prostate cancer and breast cancer for males and females respectively
The top two tips for reducing your chances of getting cancer
- Stop smoking
- Drink alcohol at safe levels (or none at all is even better)
ALL these cancers have screening procedures for prevention.
Do yourself a favour and don’t leave it to chance. Get a check-up. Re-style your life.
Helping with whiplash
June 26, 2009After your little car prangs, you feel fine. Besides feeling shocked, you don’t feel any pain. Wake up the next day, and man your neck is sore (I definitely know this from experience). Whiplash has set in.
See your doctor to make sure everything is A-OK first.
- Take an anti-inflammatory - A great piece of advice I got from the doctor was to take an anti-inflammatory medication (e.g. ibuprofen) soon after the accident. It works to reduce inflammation and reduce muscle spasms caused from the stress on the body due to the force of the car accident.
- Cold packs - You can apply to the area for 10 minutes and off for another 10 to help decrease pain and swelling.
Tips for driving a car with good posture
June 25, 2009Get rid of your back and shoulder aches! Bad posture whilst driving can lead to back and shoulder aches, which can be quite problematic for those of us who travel long distances and those of us who already suffer from pains.
Some Tips:
Rearview mirror
- Adjust your rearview mirror a bit higher than you have it now. This makes you sit up straighter because you often need to look at that mirror. Sitting up straighter = better posture = less pain!
Lumbar support
- Adjust your lumbar support all the way up. If this doesn’t suffice, you don’t need to spend big money for a commercialised lumbar support. A rolled up towel will do. Place this against the chair behind your lower back. Both this and the chair’s own lumbar support (if your car is fancy enough to have one) helps alleviate the pressure put on your back.
Get closer to the steering wheel
- Move your chair in a bit closer to the steering wheel. Now you don’t have to slouch to reach the pedals. Ta da!
