A few tips for staying healthy on the playa while you attend Burning Man.
Use hand sanitizer:
Use the hand sanitizer after using the porta potties. Apply it faithfully and liberally. If a station is empty, locate a Black Rock Ranger and let them know so it can be re-stocked.
Running after the water trucks:
DO NOT run after water trucks that are spraying water on roads for dust control to cool down or bathe. The water in these vehicles is full of bacteria and could make you sick. The playa gets very slick when water is applied to it and falling is another risk.
Regarding food:
Drink only bottled water or water that you know the origin of. Do not accept water from camps that you have doubts about, and do not share water bottles and canteens with other people.
Keep the refrigerated food in your camp colder than 41 degrees at all time. Restock the ice frequently and use a thermometer to make sure it is staying cold. If it becomes warm, bacteria will begin to grow and multiply and you will get sick as a result of eating it. This precaution applies to cut fruits such as melon as well.
If you are heating food, bring it to a full rolling boil or use a stem thermometer to make sure it gets to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not undercook fish, chicken or other raw foods of an animal origin. They are especially dangerous.
Do not hold any food out of temperature more than 3 hours. Bacteria numbers by that time will be such that food borne illness will be very likely.
Keep the food surfaces in your camp as clean as you can. Wash your dishes in soapy water and rinse them in water that has 2 teaspoons of bleach added for every gallon of water. Dirty dishes can breed bacteria and make you ill.
Be cautious about where you eat and drink. While sharing is a great part of the Burning Man experience, food sharing has inherent risks associated with it. Be very careful about eating a food that you are offered if you are not sure that it has been prepared safely. Food sharing camps that are permitted by the Nevada State Health Division have been inspected and meet the minimum standards for cleanliness and food safety. We are on the playa every day. If you are unsure about a food sharing venue, ask us and we will try and assist you. If you want to have a food sharing camp, contact Bureau of Health Protection Services for the required permit prior to the operation of the food sharing venue.
If you exhibit symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, high fever, jaundice and malaise, you may be carrying a viral pathogen that is highly contagious to others. Seek medical attention immediately and do not prepare or handle food.
Regarding the sun:
The sun is not your friend on the playa. It is a brutal source of radiation that can make you very sick and ruin your playa experience. Use hats, shades, sunscreens and shelters to minimize your dose!
We'll be on the playa:
If you have other questions that you need assistance with, ask us. We are happy to help your time at Burning Man be fun and healthy. You will know us by the Nevada State Health Division logo on our shirts.
General Playa Health and Safety Tips
Healthy Eating For Kids
Children who are fifteen and older may be treated as adults for the purposes of diet. Green AppleFor those children ages fourteen and below, it is best that you consult your pediatrician to find out the appropriate caloric intake for your child.
For smaller children the following applies (but again, it's best to talk to your pediatrician):
The average 5 to 8 year-old needs about 40 calories per pound of weight, or 1,800 - 1,900 calories per day. Activity is going to have a lot to do with this, however. If your child is less active, they might need only 1,400 calories and if they are very active, they will need more.
Most dietitians recommend more than just three meals per day for kids. A good strategy is to use the 1,500 calorie eatTHISdiet plan as a guide and then supplement with nutritious snacks for your children when they are active. This means that your kids can eat the same healthy diet as you with adjustments for healthy snacks.
For healthy snacks consider the following ideas:
Grilled Cheese SandwichFor an active day:
* A half or whole peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread
* A half or whole grilled low-fat cheese sandwich using whole grain bread
* Fruit and nut blend trail mixes (check the package for added sugar and salt)
* A bowl of healthy cereal from The Quality Calorie Diet Plan breakfast choices
* Fresh veggies cut up and served with a dipping sauce and cubes of low-fat cheese
* Low fat cottage cheese with diced fresh or canned fruit
For a treat:
* Fresh fruit
* Jello Sugar Free Pudding cups
* Jello Sugar Free gelatin cups
* Yogurt cups (make your own with 1/2 cup non-fat yogurt, a teaspoon of honey and fresh fruit
* Graham crackers
* 1/2 cup low-fat sorbet
* 1/2 cup low-fat frozen yogurt
* A root beer float made with sugar free root beer and a half cup of low-fat, low-sugar vanilla ice cream
* Frozen sugar-free fruit juice bars
If you have any concerns about your children's weight, do check with their pediatrician. He or she can help you evaluate growth patterns, as well as height and weight for age and activity levels.
Acne Vulgaris, the 8 Stages of Acne, Skin Care, Adult Acne, and Scar Removal Options.
What is Acne Vulgaris? This is a medical term used to describe most cases of acne. It really isn't as bad as it sounds! Vulgaris doesn't mean that the acne is vulgar, only that it means that it is common.
Be aware that there are many factors that contribute to acne. First, research indicates a propensity for acne may well be inherited. Parents who had acne in their teenage and young adult years may have children who are likewise prone to having acne in their teen and young adult years.
Next, clogged skin pores are certainly a major contributing factor for acne out-breaks. When pores become clogged with an excess production of sebum and mix with dead skin cells or makeup that isn't sufficiently cleaned from the skin, problems start to develop. When skin pores are clogged, bacteria are produced and pus starts to form causing a pimple, a white head or a black head.
The most commonly accepted causes for acne are hormonal imbalances. Hormones in boys and girls may become unbalanced during puberty, during menstrual cycles, when starting or stopping birth control pills, during times of extreme stress, and at other times as well.
All of the above situations can cause the body to over produce a male hormone which causes the sebaceous glands to produce sebum. The sebum combines with dead skin cells to block pores and acne develops. So, basically, it still comes back to blocked pores.
Other causes for acne include a lack of vitamins, minerals and trace elements that the body needs to maintain a healthy skin. Vitamins A, E and B6 are especially important in maintaining healthy skin as are zinc, essential fatty acids (EFA), Chromium and Selenium.
Most diets of teenagers and young adults do not contain these vitamins, minerals, and trace elements in sufficient quantity to maintain healthy skin and to help prevent the onset of Acne.
Acne: The 8 Stages:
Full blown, Stage 8 acne doesn't usually develop overnight. Acne is progressive condition. Acne is one of the diseases that are so common that it is sometimes just disregarded as a serious problem...like the common cold. It has been estimated that 95 of people will have at least a mild case of acne at some point in their lives.
Acne, much like the common cold, is usually treated by the sufferer with over-the-counter medications that alleviate the symptoms of the disease in the belief that it will simply go away all by itself....eventually. And, it usually does but not always.
Most people throughout their life will have the occasional pimple, zit, white head or black head.
Although these pesky little outbreaks do seem to appear at the most inopportune times, they really aren't a serious problem that requires medical attention. A little over-the-counter acne facial wash to help prevent another outbreak will usually take care of the problem. It isn't a big deal. This kind of acne is referred to as Stage 0 and really nothing to be concerned about unless the acne progresses to subsequent stages.
Acne stages are graded from 0 through 8. Zero is the least severe and 8 is the most serious of the stages. The stages are as follows:
Stage 1: There will be white heads and black heads with some mild inflammation. The outbreaks will start to occur more frequently. Using products that contain Benzyl Peroxide are in order.
Stage 2: There will be some papules in addition to the white heads and black heads. Papules are skin lesions that are solid and raised but usually small. This is still considered to be a very mild case of acne. Treatment can be continued using over-the-counter products that contain Salicylic Acid.
Stage 3: Stage 3 is the same as stage 2 but with more frequent occurrences.
Stage 4-5: Pustules begin to appear. Now, it's time to schedule an appointment at a dermatologist.
Stage 6-7: Nodules and cysts are forming. Scarring is going to start happening at this stage. Your dermatologist will begin to take more drastic action.
Stage 8: Breakouts are almost continuous and include nodules and cysts. There are modern technologies that will help and your dermatologist will advise you.
Acne Skin Care:
As we know, our hair follicles secrete sebum. Sebum makes its way up the hair follicles to the skin pores where it lubricates and protects the skin. Sometimes there are oil glands which get overworked, get enlarge, and produce too much sebum. The sebum can get trapped in the hair follicle.
When this happens the pores get clogged and black heads or white heads form and the bacteria start to multiply at an alarmingly fast rate.
Once you understand this process, you can see the reasoning behind the advice about caring for skin that has black heads, white heads and pustules on it.
The first piece of advice about caring for acne infected skin is to never pick at the pimples. Don't try to pop them and drain them. This will not cure them no matter what anybody tells you. Popping them will only serve to make them worse...not better.
However, there are things that you can do that really will help.
The first thing you can do is to wash your face with a mild soap or a sulfur based soap. Wash your face with just your finger tips. Don't ever use a wash cloth as it holds germs and bacteria. Rinse your face with clean water several times to ensure you remove all traces of soap, and then pat it dry with a clean towel. Do not rub your face with the towel and never use the same towel twice without it being clean.
Take a good multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplement every day and drink at least 8 full glasses of water (not soda) every day. The vitamins and minerals will supply nutrients that are absent from most diets and the water will help to hydrate the skin as well as to flush toxins out of your system.
If you use over-the-counter acne medications, be certain that you follow the directions carefully and that you use a good sunscreen when you are outdoors as some acne medications make the skin more prone to sunburn.
Adult Acne:
Acne is not just a problem for teenagers and young adults. Once a person survives the teenage years, you would think that they don't have to deal with the embarrassment of acne any longer, right? Well....not exactly.
The sad truth is that about 25 of women will have acne at some time in their 20s, 30s or even 40s. Although there has never been a real cause established, it is believed that most adult acne is caused by the same thing that causes teenage acne...hormonal changes.
A doctor will sometimes prescribe hormonal treatments that will clear a case of adult acne right up. As with teenage acne, adult acne is not caused by diet. Stress has often been cited as one possible cause of adult acne but that assertion has never been verified.
Treating adult acne is a bit more difficult than treating teenage acne. Adults have the concern of drying out their skin that teenagers don't normally have to deal with. Adults don't want pimples; but, they don't want wrinkles, either. A dermatologist should be consulted if the acne is long lasting or is severe.
There are many treatments that are available to adults who suffer from acne. Most of the effective treatments are only available by prescription. Adults should not use over-the-counter acne medications that are intended for the treatment of teenage acne. These products tend to dry the skin and adults need to be concerned about wrinkling as well as acne.
A case of adult acne is not a happy occurrence to say because those ugly bumps always seem to occur at the most inopportune times and while a teenager may be embarrassed by acne, an adult is even more devastated.
Fortunately, there are treatments and a dermatologist has a lot of weapons in his arsenal to fight adult acne.
Acne Scar Removal Options:
Life hardly seems fair sometimes! First, a teenager or a young adult must suffer through acne, treat it, and have to live with it...sometimes for years. Then the acne is gone; but, the scars are there as a painful reminder of the mental and emotional agony the acne sufferer had to endure.
You're right, life doesn't seem fair; but, acne is one of those sad facts of life that some if not most of us have to deal with. The good news is there is help; unfortunately, it isn't free or cheap!
There are two basic procedures that are used to remove ugly pits and scars left over from a bad case of teenage or young adult acne. Laser resurfacing is the least expensive of the two available acne scar removal procedures. Dermabrasion is the second procedure.
Laser resurfacing can be done in the dermatologist office instead of a hospital so that provides a much greater financial savings. A laser is used to remove the top layer of skin and also to tighten the middle layer of skin.
The dermatologist will use a local anesthetic to help reduce the procedure pain. It usually takes several days for the skin to heal after a laser resurfacing procedure is completed. Very often, multiple resurfacing treatments must be done to achieve the desired results.
The second procedure used to remove acne scarring is called dermabrasion. In this procedure, a rotating wire brush is used to remove the top layer of skin. The body continually produces new skin and the new layer will be smoother than the layer that was removed. It usually takes between 10 days and 3 weeks for the skin to heal after a dermabrasion treatment. Once again, multiple treatments may be required to eliminate the scarring.
Acne may seem to be a devastating condition but with proper skin routine, vitamins, and over the counter products, most cases will not be severe. Remember, proper cleansing goes a long way towards minimizing outbreaks, so don't be afraid to cleanse your face 5 - 6 times a day of more if needed.
Fight acne by being smart. Take as many preventative steps as possible to avoid situations that create the opportunity for acne to develop. If acne does afflict you, consult a qualified medical professional before deciding on a course of action.
by :
Stephen M. Seabrook, MBA
President
Nice Specialty Gifts, L.L.C.
How To Make Your Liver Burn Fat For You Automatically?
The main function of liver is to convert food to energy, and produce chemicals and enzymes necessary to burn fat.
Liver stores iron reserves and vitamins and minerals and makes bile to digest food. It also manufactures cholesterol.
It filters and detoxifies – alcohol, wine, harmful drugs, stores energy or glucose and removes the poisons and toxins that you breathe.
Your Liver is the key organ responsible for breakdown of fat.
It is a common fact that large percentages of overweight people have malfunctioning livers.
The liver produces bile, a byproduct of blood filtering. Bile leaves the liver and is stored in the gall bladder.
When fat is eaten, the gall bladder releases bile to emulsify the fat into tiny droplets.
Without bile, fat digestion is impossible.
Since the liver is the key organ for fat digestion you must make an effort to keep the liver in very good health if you want to loose fat.
You can take care of your liver in the following manner.
Avoid unnecessary drugs.
Avoid alcohol.
Dont mix alcohol with drugs and medication.
Please be careful when using aerosol cleaners, wear a mask if possible.
Increase intake of high-fibre foods such as fresh fruits & vegetables, whole grains, breads, rice and cereals.
Avoid rich desserts, snacks and drinks.
Avoid steroids as it causes fatty liver.
If you need a natural solution for rejuvenating your lever, I recommend Aloe Vera to you.
Aloe Vera has been highly recommended by Ayurveda for rejuvenating the cells of the lever.
You must be aware that the extract of Aloe Vera has been used world wide by the cosmetic industry for rejuvenating skin cells.
Ayurveda practitioners have utilized the same cell rejuvenating property of aloeVera in India since ages.
Aloe Vera is a plant belonging to lily family that grows upto 2-3 feet tall. This plant grows mainly in hot climates.
The gel in the leaves is used for internal consumption.
Aloe Vera gel supplies the nutrients required by the internal organs of the body and speeds up the healing process. It contains the following nutrients:
Vitamins B12, C, E And Beta carotene.
Enzymes, the life force of any living being, helps to digest the foood.
Contains 20 essential Amino acids required by the body as the essential building blocks for protein.
Contains minerals like iron, manganese, potassium, calcium, chromium, copper, zinc, magnesium.
Contains powerfull anti-inflammatory agents known as plant sterols.
Contains Lignin, this is a woody substance which allows Aloe to penetrate the skin.
Salycylic acid in Aloe acts as an anti-inflammatory which helps to break down the dead tissues.
Contains natural pain killers known as Anthraquinones.
Saponins are the soapy substances which have anti microbial action.
Aloe Vera strengthens the bodies immunity and gets rid of all the sludge and waste material from areas of the bowel and liver. It supplies the liver with all the required nutrients and regulates its functioning and repairs it from inside.
Once the liver starts its normal function, fat dissolves automatically.
