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[H147]Health And Wellness Management

by Robert Baird, Rob

In their desire to make sense out of health information, people often oversimplify the truth. For example, potato chips have long been reputed as a junk food. Actually the quick cooking process of potato chips preserves its nutrients better than mashed, boiled, or baked potatoes. Ounce per ounce, potato chips provide more nutrients than other forms of potatoes. However, because potato chips are cooked in oil, they are high in fat and calories and are not recommended for people trying to lose weight. By being aware that the truth is not simple for most health issues, the tendency to oversimplify and over generalize health information can be thwarted.

Health Discoveries Take Time

Health discoveries often mean media headlines, but a cardinal rule of science is that findings must be replicable. Health information based on a dramatic discovery is not usually valid unless it is confirmed in several follow-up studies or experiments.

Criteria of Valid Reliable Health Information

Health information should be valid and reliable and based on scientifically controlled studies. In health research, validity means truthfulness. If a study is designed and conducted properly, its findings are likely to be valid. For example, it was found that adding vitamin E to human cells in the laboratory stimulated cell division and growth. This was used to support the erroneous conclusion that vitamin E would delay the aging process. This was not a proper generalization because a simple laboratory experiment is not a valid procedure for demonstrating something as complex as aging.

Reliability is another key criterion for evaluating health information and refers to the extent that health claims can be consistently verified. If a claim is reliable, it can be demonstrated to occur consistently in study after study. Researchers speak of findings as statistically significant when they are considered reliable. Statistical significance means that the probability that a study's findings are due to chance alone is less than 5%. That is, 95 out of 100 times similarly designed studies would yield similar results. Because thousands of studies are performed, however, some studies that yield statistically significant results eventually prove to be wrong. Consequently it takes hundreds of studies, many of them conflicting, to create a consensus on a particular health issue. Any health claim worth considering should be based on numerous studies or experiments conducted over many years.

Health information must also pass scientifically controlled, double-blind studies. The classic study includes at least two groups in which one is an experimental group and receives some form of experimental treatment and the other is a control group and receives no treatment. The double-blind feature of a study means that neither the researcher nor the subjects know who is receiving an experimental treatment. If a researcher wanted to prove, for example, that a particular brand of soap prevents athlete's foot, two groups would be needed. One would use the experimental soap, and the other would use a placebo or soap substitute. Researchers administering the soap treatment would not know which soap they were using, nor would the subjects in the experimental and control groups. Therefore if the experimental group has significantly fewer cases of athlete's foot, the results can be attributed to the treatment.

The experimental-control, double-blind requirement of scientific research is a difficult standard to pass. When evaluating new health claims, consumers should inquire about the nature and design of the study behind the claims.

A final consideration of a scientifically controlled study is characteristics of the study population. Scientific studies require random sampling of subjects that represent the racial, religious, gender, and cultural characteristics of the population at large. Medical breakthroughs should not be based on a small number of homogenous, or similar, subjects. Broadly designed human clinical trials that are randomized, placebo controlled, and double blind offer the strongest proof of reliable information. Remember, true breakthroughs in medical research are the exception rather than the rule. Be skeptical of headlines to the contrary.

While feminists and critics sneer at beauty for being only ?skin deep?, the continuous growth of the cosmetics industry proves that an increasing number of people are really taking effort, time, and money to invest on various beauty regimen and skincare. Nowadays, women are not the only ones who get conscious of their looks, but even some men, particularly the younger generation, have become advocates of pampering skincare.
Some people, however, are too absorbed in their busy lifestyles that they have no more time left to engage in proper skincare. Economy also plays a great deal on why people would refrain from availing those skincare services being offered in the media. The hard times take its toll on your skin. It is no longer as supple as that of a baby and has become thinner and wrinkled with age. Your skin is drier due to less oil production from the sebaceous glands and the decrease in the number of blood vessels has made your skin lackluster without youthful glow.
There is more to skincare than just a case of vanity. Unknown to many, all human beings, whether healthy or not, probably have some Staphylococcus aureus bacteria on their skin. These bacteria, simply called staph, are usually found in your nose or throat and may not really cause much problems except for minor skin infections. The skin serves as the body's first barrier against these bacterial infections. This is why it is important to have healthy skin in order to ward off bacterial infections. Once the skin is broken, cut or wounded, you are at risk for infection. Once these bacteria gets to burrow deeper into your skin and penetrates your body into the bloodstream, urinary tract, lungs, and heart, these seemingly harmless bacteria can become life-threatening.
History showed that most cases of fatal staph infections in the past have occurred in people who have been in the hospital or those who are suffering from chronic illness and faltering immune system. However, recent development proves that an increasing number of otherwise healthy people who have never been in a hospital are also acquiring these lethal staph infections.
Moreover, the usually powerful antibiotics no longer have an effect in fighting against certain strain of destructive bacteria that have evolved over time. Although as of now, most staph infections are still manageable and can be successfully treated, sooner or later, there will come a time that a new and deadlier strain of these bacterial infections will become resistant to most currently available skincare and medications.
The signs and symptoms of bacterial infections depends on the condition and affected area of the infection as well as the nature of illness if it is a direct infection from staph bacteria or from toxins produced by the bacteria. They may range from mild skin infections to food poisoning, deadly pneumonia, surgical wound infections, and endocarditis which is a lethal inflammation of the heart valves. Most skin infections caused by staph infections include the following: boils , cellulitis, impetigo, scalded skin syndrome, follicilitis, hordeolum, among others.
Most skin problems would require clinical care by medical professionals but it helps to take note of the following tips:
?Make sure to always clean and cover areas of skin that have been injured.
?Do not share towels, sheets, clothing until the infection has been fully healed.
?Do not touch to avoid spreading it to other parts of your body.
Always remember that cleanliness and good skincare hygiene is not just a form of vanity but it is a way of keeping your skin healthy and strong to be able to protect you in warding off bacterial infections as well as preventing many skin problems.

Article Source : watson wellness

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Both Robert Baird & Monch Bravante are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Robert Baird has sinced written about articles on various topics from Babies, Family and Pregnancy Problems. Learn about . Also get information on. Robert Baird's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.

Monch Bravante has sinced written about articles on various topics from Abortion, Other Conditions and Health. Monch Bravante is a writer and advertising practitioner with special interest in public health issues. is a reputable online drug store. From sexual healt. Monch Bravante's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.