How to Prevent a Cold

Cold is the most common infectious disease caused by the infection of virus that are present within the air. Cold mostly affects upper respiratory system showing some of the common symptoms like cough, runny nose, fever and sore throat. The viruses responsible for causing cold are coronaviruses and rhinoviruses. This article on how to prevent a cold gives you some natural ways to prevent cold.

The common cold resolves within 7 to 10 days if treated properly. Sometimes it lasts for many days and is accompanied by fatigue, body pain and shivering. The symptoms of viral infection are usually shown after 5 to 6 days of the infection and get severe thereafter. When the cough is accompanied by fever it is called influenza.

The first indication of cold is sore or scratchy upper throat. There are many ways that can help you prevent cold, here are some of the effective preventive measures.

How to prevent cold:

  • Avoid frequent touching of mouth, nose and eyes with contaminated hands. This increases the chances of the viruses getting transferred into your body. These viruses mostly affect the upper respiratory tract, but they are harmless when present on hands. Touching the mouth and eyes with such contaminated hands can cause cold.
  • Avoid contact with people who are affected by cold. Do not share food and utensils with such people. The infected person can transmit the virus in the form of droplets while he coughs and sneezes. Most of the cases of cough and cold are found to be droplet-borne infections. Whenever you come in contact with such a person, cover your nose and mouth using mask.
  • If you are suffering from cold then it is your responsibility to cover your mouth and nose by mask or with your hand while you are sneezing or coughing to prevent the transmission of the disease to others.
  • Wash your hands properly using an antiseptic hand wash. Do not touch any food items with dirty hands. You can also make use of warm water while washing; this will kill the infectious virus present on the surface of your hands.
  • Sometimes body cooling may also cause cold. About 10% of people are found to have cold because of body cooling. Try to keep your body warm by wearing woolen sweaters and keep your living space warm using room heaters.
  • Better immune system is very necessary to prevent yourself form the infection of the viruses. Fresh fruits and vegetables contribute a lot to give you a good immunity. The vitamins and minerals present within the fruits and vegetables are essential to maintain a good immune system. Include adequate amount of zinc in your diet. It helps in stimulating your immune system.
  • Vitamin C is also very helpful in reducing the intensity of cold. Eat lots of fresh fruits as fresh fruits contain vitamin C, which is helpful for you while you are suffering from cold.
  • Red wine will help in reducing the intensity of cold. Have a glass of red wine if you have cold. It is believed that alcohol when consumed in small amounts acts as medicine.
  • Garlic also has antibacterial properties. It is a very powerful natural antibiotic and anti-viral source that will help you in increasing your immunity. Your daily diet should contain at least one tablespoon of garlic.
  • Ginger also contains certain useful compounds like gingerols and phenolic compounds that will help you in reducing cold. If you are suffering from cold then add a small piece of ginger to the tea and drink it. This will give you relief from cold.
  • Turmeric is also an effective immune stimulator. It has certain anti-inflammatory properties that will help you in preventing cold.
  • Eating sugary foods and food that contain cortisone will suppress your immune system, so avoid eating such foods.
  • Lower level of vitamin D in the blood is also a reason for cold. Get adequate amount of vitamin D through your diet.
  • It also seen that getting less than 7 seven hours of sleep also causes cold. Get sleep for at least 7 to 8 hours. Good sleep is the solution to most of the disease.
  • Try to maintain a proper level of humidity in your home. It is observed that low level of humidity increases the transmission of the viruses.
  • Drink lot of fluids in the form of water or fruit juices to maintain the hydration of body. Proper hydration of body is very essential to clean the unwanted matter out of the body.
  • Gargling with warm water adding a tea spoon of salt to it will be very helpful to give you a relief for irritation in the throat. This also kills the viruses that are responsible for cold.

The suggestions given above are very helpful to prevent and minimize the effect of viruses responsible for causing cold.

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How to Prevent Bad Breath

Bad breath is a result of poor hygiene. Preventing bad breath is easier than you think if it is due to improper hygiene, but if you experience chronic bad breath then you will have to consult a dentist and get it treated. If you know the causes of bad breath then you will know how to prevent bad breath.

A step-by-step guide written by Dr. Katz known as “The Bad Breath Bible” will help you in identifying the exact cause of your bad breath. Once you find the cause of your bad breath you can try out some of the preventive measures given below.

Tips to prevent bad breath:

Brush regularly:

  • The first thing you need to do to prevent yourself from bad breath is, brush your teeth properly and regularly.
  • Practice brushing your teeth twice a day, once early in the morning when you get up and while going to bed.
  • While you brush your teeth do not forget to clean your tongue properly. Use a tongue scraper to clean your tongue.
  • The tongue scrapper will also help you in removing the tiny food particles and plaque that gets trapped in the fibers present on the tongue. These food particles are a major cause of bad breath.
  • When you have cleaned your tongue and teeth, rinse you mouth properly using water or mouthwash.

Avoid certain foods:

  • Certain foods such as garlic, onions, cabbage coffee and some of the spices are responsible for causing bad breath. If possible avoid these foods.
  • If you consume such foods, brush your teeth properly or rinse your mouth using a mouthwash.
  • Avoid drinking coffee. Instead of coffee drink tea as a refreshment drink. This will help you in preventing bad breath.

Use peppermint oil or tee tree oil:

  • Place some drops of peppermint oil on your tongue; this will help you in preventing the bad odor.
  • You can also use this peppermint oil on your toothbrush along with your toothpaste while brushing.
  • Using a few drops of tea tree oil is also very helpful in preventing bad breath.
  • Choose those toothpastes or mouth washes that contain these natural oils. These natural oils have antibacterial properties that will reduce and prevent bad breath.
  • They kill the bacteria responsible for causing bad breath within the mouth.

Avoid smoking:

  • If smoking is the cause of your bad breath then quitting smoking is the only solution of preventing bad breath. Smoking for a prolonged period is also a reason for periodontal diseases.

Use products that increase the flow of saliva in your mouth:

  • Bad breath sprays, sugarless gums and mints will increase the flow of saliva within your mouth. This is very necessary to keep your mouth clean.
  • Consuming fresh and crispy fruits and vegetables will also increase the flow of saliva in your mouth and reduce bad breath.
  • Breath strips will also help in reducing bad breath. These products eliminate bad breath temporarily, their effect is not permanent.
  • If you are using these products on a regular basis then consider using those products that contain natural sweeteners instead of sugar, because sugar from the sugar based products get accumulated in the fibers of the tongue inducing bad breath.

Keep your mouth moist:

  • Dry mouth is also a major reason for bad breath. This condition is known as xerostomia. To keep your mouth fresh drink plenty of water.
  • Chewing sugar free gums and mints will also help in keeping the mouth moist.

Use hydrogen peroxide:

  • Prepare a mixture of 50% hydrogen peroxide and 50% water.
  • Use this mixture occasionally to prevent bad breath. Rinse your mouth using this mixture.
  • Hydrogen peroxide helps in killing the bacteria present within the mouth and prevents you from bad breath.

Chew Parsley:

  • Parsley contains chlorophyll. The chlorophyll present within parsley acts as an effective breath freshener.
  • The chlorophyll present within parsley will add sweetness to your breath and it will also increase the flow of saliva in your mouth.
  • Just chew parsley after your meals to prevent bad breath.

Get your teeth examined regularly:

  • Visit your dentist regularly and get your teeth and gums examined.
  • Cleaning your teeth once in every six months by the dental hygienist is not a bad option. This will clean your mouth thoroughly and kill the bacteria responsible for spoiling the teeth.
  • If you are suffering from any dental disorder then get yourself treated.
  • Most of the dental disorders are responsible for bad breath and proper treatment is the only method of preventing bed breath.

Try these methods to prevent bad breath. These are very effective methods to prevent bad breath and have proven to be beneficial for most of the people.

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How to Prevent Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease. It is a condition in which there is inflammation in the bronchial passageways. This condition can be managed. In asthma the muscles of your air passageways tighten up that results in difficulty in breathing. This article on how to prevent asthma gives you some of the simple tips on preventing asthma letting you know the causes of asthma.

Some of the common symptoms of asthma include chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing. Asthma is more common in athletes. About 80% of the athletes suffer from this problem. There are five types of asthma such as, brittle asthma, asthma attack, status asthmaticus, exercise induced and occupational asthma.

The symptoms of asthma are more severe at night or early in the morning. Cold air and exercise also trigger the symptoms of asthma. In some cases of asthma people experience symptoms only when exposed to the triggers whereas in some of the cases the patient experiences continuous obstruction in the airflow.

Many a times asthma is a result of allergic factors within the environment at our home. Sometimes asthma can be because of certain genetic factors. Obesity can also be a reason for asthma. Diseases such as eczema and hay fever also increase the chances of asthma. In children it is found that the increased level of immunoglobulin and allergies are the major causes of asthma.

To prevent asthma you need to know the exact cause of your asthma. Here are some simple tips that will help you prevent asthma.

  • If you have allergic asthma then you need to know the allergic factors in the environment that trigger your asthma. Reduce exposure to such factors or whenever you deal with such allergic factors wear a mask to cover up your nose and mouth.
  • If you are a smoker then smoking can also result in asthma, so reduce smoking or quit smoking completely before your symptoms get severe. Major cause of asthma is found to be inhalation of smoke. Second hand smoke is also responsible for causing asthma.
  • You can use a breathing monitor to measure the breathing capacity of your lungs. Most of the people use these breathing monitors even if they do not have asthma to monitor the functioning of the lungs and the respiratory tract. Sometimes you don’t shown any symptoms even if your lung functioning is impaired. This can lead to asthma in near future. Using this breathing monitor you can check the functioning of lung and prevent asthma.
  • Even if you feel any slight symptoms of asthma such as slight shortness of breath, continuous coughing and wheezing then you might be at the risk of developing asthma. If you have any such symptoms for more than one month then immediately consult your doctor. He will prescribe you proper medication. Follow them regularly to prevent the symptoms getting severe.
  • Dust is the common trigger of asthma, so always keep yourself away from dust. Indoor dust can also be a factor for causing asthma. Clean your home regularly and allow fresh air to flow into your house.
  • Some chemicals and paints are also responsible for triggering the symptoms of asthma. While painting your house select a paint that you are not allergic to.
  • Perfumes and room fresheners also increase the chances of asthma. Avoid exposure to such factors. Certain hand lotions, soaps and deodorants are also responsible for asthma attacks. Avoid exposure to such factors.
  • The symptoms of asthma get severe particularly in cold seasons. These are the hard times for people who suffer from asthma. Always cover your mouth and nose to keep them warm and prevent them from getting dry. If the throat gets dry then it increase the chances of coughing which can increase the chances of asthma attack. Use a scarf to cover your mouth properly.
  • If you are taking medical treatment to get rid of asthma then it is very essential that you follow proper medication suggested by the doctor. It cannot be prevented by one time medication.

No matter how careful you are, you might still experience asthma attacks sometimes. You may get exposed to these factors by some or the other means. However using these preventive measures you can minimize the intensity of the symptoms. If you want to prevent asthma completely then you need to take prolonged medical treatment for it.

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How to Calculate Area of a Triangle

A triangle is a polygon with three sides and three vertices. It is the most basic geometrical shape. A triangle forms three angles at the three vertices. A triangle with three vertices as A, B and C is represented as ∆ABC. This article on how to calculate area of a triangle will help you in calculating area of a triangle in three different methods.

There are many methods for calculating area of a triangle. This article describes three methods for calculating area of a triangle. Area of a triangle is represented in square units.

Method 1:

The first method of calculating area of a triangle is very simple and is the most used method. The formula for calculating area of a triangle using this method is given as,

Area of a triangle = (1/2) b × h

In the above formula,

  • “b” is the base of the triangle
  • “h” is the height of the triangle

To calculate area of a triangle using this method you need to know the length of the base of the triangle and the length of height of the triangle.

  • The height of the triangle is the perpendicular height. While calculating the area of triangle, you need to draw a perpendicular on one of the sides of the triangle considering it as the base of the triangle.
  • If you have a right angled triangle than you need not draw a perpendicular on the base of triangle. You can simple measure the length of this perpendicular segment as the height of the triangle.
  • Consider the side that is adjacent to this perpendicular and is making an angle of 900 as the base of the triangle.
  • Before drawing the perpendicular you need to take a look at the triangle. Sometimes simply looking at the triangle you can identify whether it is a right angled triangle or not.
  • If you are not confident, use a protractor to measure the angles of the triangle.
  • Place the measured values of base and height in the above formula and calculate area of a triangle.

Example:

Suppose the length of base of a triangle is 4 cm and the length of height of a triangle is 5 cm and you have to measure area of that triangle.

Using the above formula,

Area of a triangle = (1/2) b × h

= (1/2) 4 × 5

= 10 cm2

Method 2:

The second method of calculating the area of triangle can be used if you know the coordinates of the triangle. Using this formula you can directly use the coordinates of the triangle instead of using the measurements of sides of the triangle.

The formula for calculating area of triangle using this method is,

Area of a triangle = (xB - xC) × (yA - yC)/2 – (xA - xC) × (yB - yC)/2.

While using the above formula to calculate area of a triangle, sometimes the value may come negative depending upon the coordinates of the triangle, so we need to take the absolute value of the area of the triangle.

Area of a triangle = abs ((xB × yA - xA × yB) + (xC × yB - xB × yc) + (xA × yC - xC × yA))/2

We know that the triangle has three vertices. Let the three vertices of the triangle be A, B and C. Then, A = (xA, yA), B = (xB, yB), C = (xC, yC) are the coordinates of the vertices of the triangle.

  • If you have got a graph paper then, draw a triangle on the graph paper and note down the values of the co-ordinates of the triangle.
  • If you already have a triangle drawn on the graph paper then simply note down the values of the vertices.
  • You can also measure the area of a triangle without drawing the triangle on the graph paper if you know the values of the coordinates of the vertices of the triangle.
  • Place the known values in the above formula and calculate the area of the triangle.

Example:

Suppose a triangle of vertices A, B, C has the values of coordinates as A = (4, 3), B = ( -2, 4 ), C = (-1, 3) and you have to calculate the area of the triangle.

Then simply put the values of the coordinates in the above formula. The values of coordinates are as follows,

  • xA = 4 and yA = 3
  • xB = -2 and yB = 4
  • xC = -1 and yC = 3

Area of triangle = abs ((xB × yA - xA × yB) + (xC × yB - xB × yc) + (xA × yC - xC × yA))/2

Therefore,

Area of triangle = abs (((-2) × 3 – 4 × 4) + ((-1) × 4 – (-2) × 3) + (4 × 3 – (-1) × 3))/2

Area of triangle = abs (-24 + 2 + 15)/2

Area of triangle = abs (-7)

Therefore,

Area of triangle = 7 cm2

Method 3:

This method can be used to calculate area of an equilateral triangle. An equilateral triangle is the triangle in which the measure of all the three angles is 600.

The formula for calculating area of an equilateral triangle is given as,

Area of an equilateral triangle = (√3 × s2)/4

In the above formula, “s” is the measure of the side of the triangle.

  • Measure the length of one of the side of the triangle and multiply it by √3.
  • Divide the obtained value by 4 and you will get the area of the equilateral triangle.

Example:

Suppose the value of side of a triangle is 6 m whose angles are of equal measure and the sum of the angles is 1800 and you want to calculate the area of the triangle.

The sum of the angles is 1800 and all the angles are of equal measure. Therefore measure of each angle is 600 i.e. the triangle is an equilateral triangle.

Therefore,

Area of an equilateral triangle = (√3 × s2)/4

= (√3 × 62)/4

= 36√3/4

= 1.732 m2

You can use any of the above methods depending upon the data available with you and calculate area of a triangle.

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