Dirtiest Spots in your Home that you Never Notice

Usually we consider our home as a clean place free from any diet, bacteria and virus. But here we are going to tell you about dirtiest spots in your home that you never notice. Most of us consider kitchen to be cleaner place compared to bathroom, but this assumption will be no more after reading this article. The dirtiest spots are not the actual health hazard but your unknowingly treating them as a clean spot. Let us enlighten you about your own home !

What creates the dirt spots in your home ?

• Lifestyle
• Living habits
• Cleaning procedures

Your lifestyle and living habits are directly connected to hygiene. A hygienic place is made my good lifestyle, living habits and cleaning procedures. Most of lack some of these habits and thus make themselves prone to bacteria and virus. Very less people know the fact that some bacteria can double their count within 20 minutes if they the get proper environment. Good lifestyle, living habits and cleaning procedures can eliminate any such environment from your home. Some of the common germs that can make your home their habitat are Staphylococcus aureus or staph, yeast and mold, Salmonella, Escherichia coli or E. coli and fecal matter.

Dirtiest Spots in your Home that you Never Notice

We will start from the most important part of the home which is expected to be number one in cleanliness but usually its not. That part is your kitchen. Here are few items which can easily be a playground for germs in your kitchen.

• Dish Sponges and Rags: The always available moisture in them makes it good for germs to reproduce. When you use them to clean dishes and kitchen shelf, the germs are evenly spread across your kitchen. In a research done by NSF it was found that more than 75 percent of dish sponges and rags were infected with Salmonella, E. coli, and fecal matter. Dish sponges can be made germ free but putting damp sponge in microwave for a minute.
• Cutting Boards: Cutting boards directly come in contact with raw vegetables and any germ of these raw vegetables can stay on it if it is not cleaned with a disinfectant.
• Refrigerators: If you store unwashed raw vegetables in your fridge then you are making all food items stored in it accessible to germs. Best way to save yourself from these bacteria is to clean the vegetable chamber of your refrigerator with a disinfectant on regular basis.
• Kitchen Sink and Countertops: If you don't clean these surfaces regularly with some disinfectant then you are at risk. Regular cleaning of these surfaces is very necessary. 
• Refrigerator handles, Stove knobs and Microwave handles: These surfaces are often touched after touching raw food products and thus they are prone to germs.

Using disinfectant wipes, changing your dish towels regularly and washing your hands before and after handling food can make your kitchen germ free.
Now lets come to bathroom.

• Bath tub: If you take hot showers then it creates a perfect breeding place for germs with moisture and temperature. Not just bath tub, but all surfaces in bathroom that come is direct touch with skin should be cleaned regularly.
• Floor Area and drains: Floor area should be wiped daily just after taking bath and a proper cleaning with some disinfectant should be done weekly.
• Faucets: They can easily act as a germ carrier if not cleaned properly. Faucets should also be included in weekly cleaning.
• Toothbrush: Unclean toothbrush is very harmful for your dental health. You should change it every month. Usually moisture retains in bristles for a long time and make them a good habitat for germs. You should rinse them properly before using them on daily basis.
• Bath towels: These are one more moisture prone item used in the bathroom. These should be sent to laundry at least once a week.
• Washing Machine: Washing machine surface should be properly cleaned especially if you are using a shared one. You can use some disinfectant to clean a shared washing machine. If you let the wet laundry lie idle in the washing compartment for more than 30 minutes then germs can easily grow in them. In such case just let them enjoy one more round of washing and then dry them.

Let us now move to some other parts of your house.
Light Switches and Doorknobs: Light switches and Doorknobs are often touched just after coming from outside. Bathroom and kitchen switches/doorknobs are more prone to germs. These surfaces come in contact with different family members and can easily act as a carrier of germs.
Some other items that need regular cleaning (at least once a week) are:

• Remote Control (AC/ TV)
• Joy Sticks
• Cell Phones / Tablets
• Computer Keyboards
• Keys
• Wallets
• Bottom of purses
• Shoes

Very soon we will come back with an article on some daily habits to keep your home clean. In the mean time just clean the above mentioned item and keep visiting betterhealthfacts.com .

Note: Never forget to clean the floor and mats of your house which is most important if you have got kids.

Read More

HIV vs AIDS - They are different !

Most of the people often consider both HIV and AIDS as same thing while there is a basic difference among them. HIV is a virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus. AIDS is the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, which is a disease caused by HIV. It is possible to get infected with HIV and yet live a complete life without AIDS. Before we proceed further with the difference between HIV and AIDS, it is important to know both of them.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)

HIV is a virus which is known to affect only humans. That is why it is named so. It can affect the immune system of a human being and destroys it to the level where human body can't resist from normal diseases and looses its capability to fight with normal bacteria. Being HIV positive does not mean that mean that you will definitely face such situation.

AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome)

When the HIV virus starts affecting and destroying the immune system of a human being then its is called AIDS. Our immune system protects us from different bacteria/ viruses by generating antibodies and thus saves us from different diseases. AIDS don't have its own symptoms as it depends on the other diseases that affect a person and last longer due to inability of the immune system.

After reading the above definitions you must have understood the fact that HIV and AIDS are different. HIV is a virus and AIDS is the disease/condition caused by that virus. It is not always necessary for a HIV positive person to suffer from AIDS.

HIV infection without AIDS

A a person is infected with HIV then this virus can't be removed from our body. Neither our immune system can flush it out nor any any medicine can kill it. But still one can live for years without getting AIDS. Today the medical science has developed so much that AIDS can be prevented for years if it is known on time that a person is HIV positive. Even some HIV positive people have lived their complete life without AIDS.

One of the important part of our Immune system are CD4 Cells, also known as T Cells, which are a type of white blood cells. These CD4 cells are able to detect any foreign bacteria or virus in our blood stream and send signals to activate the immune system. In a normal person the count of these CD4 cells range from 500 cells/mm3 to 1,600 cells/mm3. When a person is found HIV positive, then doctors usually prescribe him some health supplements to empower his/her immune system. If the CD4 cell count does not go below this range of 500 to 1600 cells/mm3 then it means that person is not suffering from AIDS. But if the CD4 cell count goes below 200 cells/mm3 the it is called AIDS.

If you have ever had unprotected sex then it is better get tested for HIV. Knowing that you are HIV positive, not only saves you from getting AIDS but can also protect others from HIV infection.

Read More

The Man who beat HIV AIDS : Andrew Stimpson

Andrew Stimpson is the only reported case where a person succeeded in getting rid of HIV AIDS. However more than one such cases were reported in Africa but with no proper medical reports to claim it. But the case of Andrew Stimpson is perfectly diagnosed. He was found HIV positive in year 2002, but after fourteen months he was found negative. At first he suspected the negative result and sued the hospital for the false results and giving false hopes as it is something impossible to happen. But in some more tests negative results were confirmed and he became the first ever person on planet to successfully getting rid of this deadly virus. We have collected some information about Andrew Stimpson.

Andrew Stimpson was born in 1980 at Largs, Scotland. He got infected from his boyfriend Juan Gomez in April 2002. At that time Andrew was just 22 while his HIV positive boyfriend was 44. It happened due to a condom split. However in such cases it takes at least 3 months to get the HIV positive result as the virus takes that much time to appear in tests results, but Andrew was having a gut feeling that he is infected. Later the results confirmed his belief. According to Andrew prior to getting infected with HIV he never get sick, not even cold or flu, but HIV totally changed his life and belief. Only his boyfriend Juan and sister Louise were aware of the fact. Andrew even started to plan his end as he never wanted to die on a hospital bed after going through painful illness. He continued to enjoy his life with his boyfriend with no protection as both of them were HIV positive. He was also having some health supplements to stay healthy but not taking any medicines to fight AIDS. Every 2 months he need to go through some routine checks of blood, liver, heart and immune system. In October 2003 the miracle happened and his test results came negative. At that time Andrew was in so much state of disbelief that he sued the hospital for false results, but some more results confirmed that he is really cured. What surprised him more was the fact that he was in constant touch of HIV through his boyfriend during that period.

People have their own theories about how Andrew was cured. Some say that its a mutated gene, while some say that the key lies in the supplements he was having. Some believe that his immune system was better that a normal human being and it found the way to kill HIV virus. Whatever the real reason was, but still we have not found the treatment to this disease even after 14 years of this incident. Lets hope that year 2017 can provide a breakthrough and hope for 40 million AIDS patients around the world.

Read More

Those Para Athletes who inspire us to Be Healthy

Health is not just the body, it is the way you believe it is. It is not just being free from diseases, but believing that your body is capable of doing anything you can imagine. Health is in your mind, not just body. Even a little disability in your body can't make you underestimate its whole potential. There are a number of Para-athletes who inspire us to rethink about the capability of our body and inspire us to be healthy and don't waste the gift that the nature has given us. Here we will tell you about a few Para-athletes who can make you rethink about your body and make you not judging a person by his/her physical disability. Even the word "disability" takes "ability" to make it complete.

Kelly Cartwright: She is an Australian para-athlete, a mom and a motivational speaker. Her leg was amputated due to cancer in her right knee when she was just 15. But she not only came over that tragic moment but also made her prosthetic leg an instrument to success. Today she is a Gold and Silver medalist in Para-Olympic games.

 Kurt Fearnley: He is a three time Para-Olympic gold medalist. He was born with no lower spinal cord and started racing at the age of 14. He is also a motivational speaker who also motivates his fellow competitors. He is constantly active in advocacy work and member of various campaigns related to disabled people. He once said, "One of my biggest strengths is that I deal with discomfort better than most.".

Lex Gillette: He is an athlete, singer-songwriter, and motivational speaker. He is blind since childhood but still world champion and world record holder in the long jump. “No need for sight when you have a vision” is his motto which is sufficient to tell what he believes. 

Read More

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Causes Symptoms and Treatment

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is commonly found in women. Men are less prone to this disease. UTI is an infection in the urinary track usually caused due to bacteria called E-Coli. Almost 90% of UTI cases are attributed to E.Coli (Escherichia coli). But from where do we get this bacteria might surprise you.

• Around 40% of women and 12% of men are affected by UTI at some point in their life.
• Only 1 -2% children face UTI and it is more serious condition in them.
• UTI is more common in women compared to men. Experts say that its due to shorter urethra in women and bacteria has to travel a shorter distance to infect a women.
• More than 7 million cases of UTI are reported in US every year.

Organs that can be affected by Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

• Kidneys: Two small organs at waist level on both sides of spine. They extract the impurities/toxins from blood and make it clean. Thus it makes urine.
• Ureters: Two tube like structures around 10 inches long. They take urine from kidneys and fill it into bladder.
• Bladder: Its is a sac like structure. When urine get filled in it up to a certain level, then we feel an urge to pee.
• Urethra: It is the duct that leads urine from bladder to outside the body. Its shorter in women compared to men.

Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Symptoms of UTI depends on which part of urinary track is infected.
If the infection is in the upper organs i.e. kidneys and ureters then symptoms are:

• fever
• chills
• nausea
• vomiting

If infection is in lower organs i.e. bladder and urethra then symptoms are:

• Pain while urinating
• Burning sensation during urination
• Frequent urination with less amount of urine
• feeling to urinate urgently
• blood in urine
• mild fever

What causes Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) ?

As we told in the beginning that E.Coli (Escherichia coli) bacteria is responsible for almost 90% cases of UTI. This bacteria normally resides in our digestive system around colon (large intestine) and anus. In some cases it can easily travel from these locations into urethra. Shorter urethra of women makes then more prone to UTI infection. At the beginning of infection you may try to flush out the bacteria by frequent urination by drinking more water, but if the bacteria are more in count then they can still travel to bladder. Further the infection can spread over ureters and kidney which can become a serious problem if not treated properly.

What makes you prone to Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) ?

• Being a women
• Kidney stones
• Being sexually active
• Using a diaphragm for birth control
• Using  immunosuppressant medications
• HIV
• Diabetes
• Postmenopausal women
• Enlarged prostate in men
• Patients using catheters

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Treatment

Usually medical practitioners prescribe antibiotics to treat UTI as most of the infection are caused due to E.coli . They can also get your urine and blood examined to figure out the exact reason and place of infection in urinary tract. Depending on the symptoms pelvic examination may also be done to figure out any other reason reason of infection such as kidney stones. Urine culture may be suggested by some doctors to figure out exact bacteria and know if it is resistant to some antibiotics. A timely treatment can save you from a severe infection in upper urinary tract. So whenever you feel the symptoms of UTI, you must visit an expert within 24 hours.

Read More