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How You Can Help Keep Your Child Safe At School

Primary school may be overwhelming for both pupils and their parents, and this is exacerbated even further during a pandemic. Parents are concerned about bullying, emergencies, and other frightening situations as their children navigate through school and important developmental years. Learn how to keep your child safe while at school in this post.

How to Keep Your Child Safe At School

1. Familiarize yourself with COVID-19 updates

We all have a lot of additional questions when it comes to the health and safety of our children this year.   Is there really anything done at the school to stop the spread of COVID-19? What happens if a student in my child’s class or at his or her school contracts the virus? What will the school do in the event that a teacher becomes unwell as a result of the virus? Is the school COVID safe in general?

Even as we all work together to negotiate these difficult decisions, you may take steps to equip yourself, prepare your children, and assist teachers in preparing classrooms. Remind your children of the importance of regular handwashing. They should wash up after using the toilet, before eating, after playing outside, and if they have sneezed or coughed.

2. Find out how schools deal with issues

It is critical to understand how a school handles emergency circumstances as well as the policies that students are required to adhere to. Every school year, take time to go over the school’s handbook with your child at the beginning of the year. Many questions are answered in this guide, which covers topics such as school uniform, visitors policy, disaster drills and routes, and the school’s position on bullying.

3. Talk to the teachers

Speaking with teachers and administrators on a frequent basis is the most effective approach to stay up to date on the school’s safety policy. Plus, it’s the best way to follow up on any safety issues that may arise. If your child is experiencing difficulties, these discussions may offer insight into the situation. In order to keep physical contact to a minimum during COVID-19, you can conduct them via Zoom, email, or phone.

If your child’s school does not offer parent-teacher conferences, ask for one with each teacher toward the middle of each term. Staying in contact will help your child succeed and stay safe at school.

4. Make sure your children’s records are up to date

When you first registered your child for school, you had to fill out a mountain of paperwork. However, it is easy to forget about updating their school files as the years go by. In the event that your child develops an allergy or if there is an emergency at the school, this can be a problem.

Additionally, if your personal or contact information changes, make sure that you notify the school as soon as possible. Review and update your child’s files at least once a year, or at the beginning of each term if possible. 

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Adulting Health Healthy Living Mental Health

4 Simple Hacks to Improve Your Health

Our health is so essential to our overall sense of happiness and wellbeing. The healthier we are, the more robust we feel, the more energy we have, and the less likely we are to fall ill. With so much attributed to good health, why do so many people take their health for granted? Bad health habits are detrimental to the way we feel, and they are so hard to break too. But that does mean that it is impossible to break them. By creating a few healthy habits, you can help conquer the bad ones and improve your health in the process.

How to Improve Your Health

Get More Sleep

A lot of people underestimate how important sleep is to their overall health. Constantly not sleeping enough over a long period can cause serious health issues such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, obesity, heart problems, and more. When the body is sleeping, the brain goes to work reorganizing and recharging itself. It transforms short-term memories into long-term ones, so not sleeping enough can cause memory problems, too. It also removes toxins from the body and repairs damage from the day. 

Eat More Raw Vegetables

Eating more vegetables has obvious health benefits, from helping the body become more regular, detoxifying, loading the body with healthy vitamins and minerals. However, eating raw vegetables maximizes these benefits. Since the vegetables have not been boiled or steamed, all the goodness remains intact. Eating vegetables raw can even stave off feelings of depression.

Hydrate

It may seem pretty unbelievable to find out that around 75% of adults in the US are dehydrated. Not drinking enough water can have serious health conditions, including a weakened immune system, weight gain, diabetes, and more. If you drink more water, you will hydrate your joints and have less pain from things like arthritis. You will enable the organs to work more effectively. You can lose weight, have better skin, and even smooth out fine lines on your face, which is always a bonus.

Find Natutal Remedies

Many people take a pill when they have a headache, but many natural remedies are just as effective. If you take prescription mediation, you need to discuss with a doctor before trying a natural alternative such as natural blood thinners. However, for something like a headache, drinking water is a great remedy. Often a headache is caused by dehydration. There are plenty of natural alternatives for things like anxiety too. So, do a little research and have a word with your doctor to see if you can try a healthier alternative to medication. 

Improve Your Health

Do you have any other ways to improve your health? Leave a comment and let us know!

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Adulting Mental Health Parenting

4 of the Best Confidence Hacks For New Moms

Throughout your life, you’ll encounter various situations that will cause your confidence to take a hit. As we get older, our confidence can be impacted by professional and academic success. Furthermore, while welcoming a baby into the world is joyful, this could also harm your confidence. Your confidence decrease is due to the simple fact that babies bring a lot of change. Your body will look (and feel) different, your emotions will fluctuate, and you’ll find yourself questioning every decision you make for your baby. As a result, it’s hardly surprising that many moms report a distinct drop in their confidence once their baby arrives. These confidence hacks for new moms will help you overcome those feelings.

Confidence Hacks For New Moms

Attend all health appointments.

Health, happiness, and confidence are often much more intertwined than you may think. While you may focus on taking your babies to all of their postnatal appointments, it’s also essential that you keep your health in check. Keeping your health in check includes making the most of dental services and dental appointments that you may have put off during your pregnancy. 

Embrace your mom-bod. 

As mentioned previously, your body will go through many changes during pregnancy, including weight gain. While this is perfectly natural, it’s also understandable that your relationship with your body and confidence will change slightly during this time too. To feel confident once more, you must learn to love yourself and your reflection. Remember, your worth isn’t defined by the figure on the scales. Whenever you find yourself thinking negatively about your body- commend yourself on your strength and the fact that you brought life into the world. 

Develop a healthy routine.

Unhealthy habits are easy to slip into – whether you grab the takeout menu instead of cooking fresh meals or watch your favorite Netflix show instead of exercising. However, unhealthy habits can also hurt your confidence because they stop you from taking proper care of yourself. As a result, you should develop a healthy routine if you are looking to feel more confident. You can start by following a healthy diet and participating in mom and baby workouts.  

Know that it’s okay to ask for help.

One of the biggest mistakes that new parents make is believing that they have to do everything alone. However, this is not the case. It’s okay to ask for parenting help when you need it. Raising children means that you’ll deal with surprise after surprise – many of which aren’t in the pregnancy books you read. The people around you can provide you with the insight you need to thrive as a new mom. Plus, voicing your concerns to others will also help you settle your anxieties, letting you know that you are doing your best. 

Confidence Hacks For New Moms

Having a baby can interfere with your confidence levels, but these tips can help. Do you have any other confidence hacks for new moms? Leave a comment and let us know!

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Health Healthy Living How To

4 Guaranteed Ways To Help You Stay On Top Of Your Oral Health

Staying on top of your oral health is as important as maintaining your physical health. It will help to avoid any health complications and achieve optimal health overall. Getting lazy with your oral health routine can quickly cause your teeth to start to deteriorate. These tips are guaranteed ways to help you stay on top of your oral health.

How to Stay On Top Of Your Oral Health

Join a local dental practice

It is easier to stay on top of your health checkups if they are close by and convenient. You won’t want to drive or walk for miles if you have other things to do. Using local dental services will ensure that you don’t have to go out of your way to attend routine checkups. 

The appointments will be much more convenient, and you’ll have less of a reason to cancel them. Staying on top of your routine appointments and not delaying them will ensure that you maintain the best oral health and avoid any teeth or gum complications.

Eat the right foods

Surprisingly, many healthy foods can make your teeth look brown. Foods such as berries, beets, and soy sauce can change the color of your teeth. Although this color may disappear when you brush your teeth, it won’t if you lack a regular brushing routine. 

It is best to eat the right foods if you want to avoid your teeth from looking brown. Good foods for optimal oral health include:

  • Apples
  • Cauliflower
  • Pears
  • Cheese 

Should you eat foods that discolor your teeth, make sure to brush them as soon as possible to avoid staining. 

Use a fluoride-rich toothpaste

Although many of us might think that using any toothpaste will strengthen our teeth and make them look white and pearly, they aren’t all as effective as each other.

It is best to use fluoride-rich toothpaste as the ingredients will strengthen enamel and keep teeth in their best condition. Fluoride-rich toothpaste will also help your teeth stay white, which is essential to maintain your smile. 

Floss regularly

Along with brushing your teeth, it is essential to floss too. Some toothbrushes and brushing routines might not be effective enough to remove all plaque and food remains. The floss will loosen it and remove it from your mouth. A build-up of plaque or food can deteriorate the teeth as well as the gums.

Make sure to floss once a day and do it before you brush so that you can loosen anything that needs brushing and washing away. Taking it in your bag with you will also help you dislodge anything that gets stuck, which can deteriorate your teeth throughout the day. Or, you can use it to stay on top of the condition of your teeth and gums. 

Stay On Top Of Your Oral Health

Using these oral health tips can help you optimize and maintain the health of your teeth. Make sure to develop a good routine and check in with your dentist to avoid any oral health issues.

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Adulting Health Healthy Living Mental Health

5 Important Annual Checkups For All Women to Schedule

Annual health checkups can be scary for women, but they are essential to take care of your body and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Annual Checkups for Women
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Essential Annual Checkups for Women And Why They’re Necessary

1. Dental Checkup

Dental issues like tooth decay and infections can affect other parts of your body, such as your heart, lungs, kidneys, and brain. These chronic diseases also require medications that could interfere with other medical treatments (ex: antibiotics). Also, when you don’t use dental services, it leaves spaces between visits where bacteria can grow and lead to worse problems down the road.

2. Mammograms

Regular mammograms help detect breast cancer early on in its stages, which reduces mortality rates significantly. Roughly 1 in 8 ladies in the United States will develop breast cancer, but early detection by annual mammograms decreases the risk of death from breast cancer. 

The American Cancer Society recommends that women aged 40 to 44 get a mammogram every two years. Women over the age of 45 should start getting them yearly.

3. Cholesterol Screenings

This test measures your blood cholesterol levels to help detect if you have high amounts of bad cholesterol. High levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol can lead to a higher risk for coronary heart disease or stroke. 

A low-fat diet and regular exercise are key to maintaining good health and reducing your risk for high cholesterol, along with regular screenings.

4. Hearing Test

Hearing loss is caused by many environmental factors such as noise from work, home, or recreational activities. Regular screenings can determine if someone has hearing loss, and working with an audiologist for treatments can be helpful.

5. Gynecological Exams

These exams are necessary to check the health of a woman’s reproductive organ systems. They help detect diseases and infections early on to reduce your chances of infertility. 

The types of gynecological exams women receive are different depending on their age group (ex: annual exam vs. pelvic exam). Still, each test helps detect any problems that may arise affecting female fertility and overall health. 

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women aged 21-65 go for a well-woman visit every year. Healthy lifestyle choices such as getting regular exercise and enough sleep can also prevent many diseases and decrease risks for abnormal health problems.

Annual Checkups for Women

Annual Checkups are important because they help maintain your routine healthcare needs. Talk to your doctor about what tests they recommend for your age group. Also, try to find a doctor you are comfortable with because your relationship with them will help promote better health.

Tell your doctor about any changes in your body so they can treat you accordingly. Avoiding annual checkups robs you of early detection and it’s dangerous because these disorders can escalate quickly.

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Health Healthy Living Mental Health

4 of the Best Tips To Protect And Improve Your Mental Health

Most of us know that eating well and moving more can benefit our bodies, but you should know that you can also take steps to protect and improve your mental health. It’s not always possible to prevent psychological illnesses, but it’s beneficial to reduce risks. These simple tips can help you nourish your mental well-being

Protect And Improve Your Mental Health
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How to Protect And Improve Your Mental Health

Identify Triggers

Conditions and issues that affect our mental health are common. Many of us are prone to bouts of stress and anxiety, and 1 in 5 US adults are diagnosed with a mental health disorder in any given year. Try to identify triggers, which make you feel stressed, anxious, or low, and avoid them where possible. Perhaps checking your phone and reading work emails prevents you from sleeping, or scrolling through social media makes you feel anxious or worthless. 

Cut out actions, repeated behaviors, and activities that have a negative impact and try to be proactive by finding solutions. Speak to your boss about your workload if you feel like you’ve got too much on your plate. Or, set detox periods when you don’t use your phone. Simple strategies can have a dramatic impact on your well-being. 

Be Honest About How You Feel

Many people brush symptoms of mental health disorders under the rug, and we try to deny that anything is wrong. It is natural to experience emotions, reactions, and responses to different situations and scenarios. But, you must distinguish between a bad day or a bout of anxiety caused by a test or an interview and a prolonged period of feeling helpless, on edge, nervous, worried, or low.

If your symptoms have gotten worse, you’ve experienced long periods of feeling anxious or depressed, or you’re struggling to feel calm or switch off, be honest about how you feel and accept that you might need help. Most of us wouldn’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with a doctor for back pain, headaches, or a broken leg, but we’re reluctant to talk about mental health. Reaching out can make a hugely positive difference. There is help and support available.

Seek advice

If you struggle with your mental health, it is beneficial to see your doctor or visit a therapist or counselor. There are treatments and self-help techniques that could help alleviate or control symptoms. Reach out if your symptoms get worse or you find it tough to cope in the aftermath of trauma or difficult life events. Treatment options like rapid resolution therapy are designed to help those dealing with the effects of traumatic events. 

It’s also advisable to understand and recognize the benefits of talking, even if you don’t have a mental health disorder. Everyone can benefit from speaking about how we feel and having a shoulder to cry. It also helps to have a friend or relative to offer advice or reassurance. 

Devote more time and effort to your happiness

Many people rush around, trying to balance work with looking after other people. We don’t always have time to do things or see the people that make us happy. Try to manage your schedule so that you can socialize with friends, colleagues, and family members. Plus, you should make time to indulge your hobbies and enjoy time out to relax and recharge. 

Protect And Improve Your Mental Health

These tips can help you protect and improve your mental health. Do you have any other ideas? Leave a comment and let us know. 🙂

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Health Healthy Living

9 Surprising Foods That Can Make Your Teeth Look Brown

Most people’s teeth are a natural shade of white – not pure white, but something close. However, sometimes their diets can change the color of their teeth, making them look closer to brown than pearly white. 

What’s more, certain foods are worse than others. That’s because they’re higher in compounds called chromogens that give them their color. These pigments not only change the appearance of food but, over time, can actually adhere to your teeth as well.

So what are the most common tooth-staining foods that cause people to seek tooth whitening dental services? Let’s take a look. 

Foods That Make Your Teeth Look Brown

1. Beets

Beetroot is one of the healthiest foods on the planet. This brightly-colored root vegetable is packed with phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Unfortunately, it contains a lot of chromogens – something you’ll know all too well if you’ve ever spilled beet juice on the carpet. 

If you’re a fan of beets but also worried about your teeth, you can drink beet smoothies through a straw. Using a straw to bypass your teeth keeps them shiny and white. 

2. Berries

Berries are another superfood that you should have in your diet every day. As with beets, though, they contain pigmented compounds that can stain the teeth if you eat them regularly.

3. Curry

Curry is another source of tooth discoloration. The primary culprit is the spice turmeric – although many other ingredients in regular curries contain chromogens. 

4. Balsamic Vinegar

If you love putting balsamic vinegar on your salads, then you’re doing something healthy. However, like the other foods in this list, the rich color is also a source of staining compounds for your teeth. Balsamic vinegar is one of the worst culprits because not only does it contain deep tannins, but it is also acidic, which means that it softens the tooth enamel, making it easier to stain. 

5. Cola

It’s a similar story with Cola. It is highly acidic due to the phosphorus content, and it contains a lot of color compounds that give it its characteristically dark hue. 

6. Fruit Juices Make Your Teeth Look Brown

Fruits naturally contain many color compounds. Cranberry, grape, and blueberry juices coat the teeth and leave them looking stained over time. 

7. Red Wine

Red wine is another culprit because of the color pigments contained in grapes. While many people love to enjoy the odd glass of wine here and there, doing it every night can darken teeth and make them appear a different color. 

8. Coffee

Perhaps the biggest tooth-staining culprit is coffee – the world’s second-most popular drink after water. 

Coffee is made of roasted coffee beans. The roasting process brings out their pigment more. When mixed with water and drunk warm, it creates the perfect tooth-staining combination. Not only is it brown, but it is also highly acidic. 

9. Soy Sauce can Make Your Teeth Look Brown

Asian cuisine makes heavy use of soy sauce. However, as you might imagine from the color, it also can stain your teeth. Eating it with plenty of vegetables, though, can help counteract some of the effects by making it easier to flush it from your mouth once you finish chewing.

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Healthy Living How To Life Mental Health On My Mind

5 Ways To Love Yourself And Feel Better About Who You Are

Are you unhappy with the way you look? Do you find yourself admiring your friends or celebrities and wishing you looked more like them? You are not alone. Many people are unhappy with their appearance, but you must start loving yourself. These tips can help you love yourself and feel better.

How to Love Yourself And Feel Better About Who You Are

Focus on Staying Healthy

Beauty starts from within, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can make you feel better about your appearance. When you feel good about yourself, you tend to feel better overall. You will have more energy and fewer mood swings from eating lots of sugar and other unhealthy foods. A healthy lifestyle will also improve your physical appearance. It will help you maintain a healthy weight, and your skin will glow.

Think Carefully Before Making any Major Decisions

Many people have plastic surgery when they are unhappy with their appearance. While there is nothing wrong with this, you need to think very carefully before doing so. Will you be happy and content once you have had the surgery? Or, will there be something else you want to change? If something goes wrong, you will need a medical malpractice attorney to help you take legal action. Whatever you choose is fine, but make sure you think it through and consider these things. 

Take a Break From the Mirror

Are you constantly looking in the mirror all of the time? If so, it is time to take a break because obsessing over your appearance won’t help. Beauty is all about how you feel inside, not about what you look like in the mirror. Have you ever met someone who thought she was ugly when you thought she was beautiful? It shows how beauty comes from within – it is more of a personality trait if you think about it. You have to feel beautiful yourself, and that feeling comes from the heart, mind, and soul, not the eyes.

Wear Comfortable Clothes

Do you try to squeeze yourself into fashionable clothes that you don’t like wearing or wear high heels even though you hate them? Or, do you plaster makeup on and wear false lashes even though they irritate your eyes? If so, time to stop! You need to wear what you feel comfortable in if you want to feel beautiful.

Smile to Love Yourself And Feel Better

Last but not least, try to smile more! It is clichéd, but people do look much, much better when they smile. It doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, what you look like, or how bad you think your smile is; you are going to look and feel much better and healthier if you appear happy.

Love Yourself And Feel Better

If you follow these steps, you should start to feel better and more confident. Many people hate their appearance, but it is often due to misbeliefs and misconceptions we have planted in our minds due to society and social media. You are you. You are unique, and that is why you are beautiful!

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Health Healthy Living

Beneficial Drinks That Can Help You Improve Your Dental Health

When it comes to your oral health, many aspects can affect it. The drinks you choose each day can make a big difference, and some drinks assist your dental health. Increasing the amount of these fluids you consume will help you notice improvements to your overall oral health.

Drinks to Assist Your Dental Health

Water

Water is very beneficial in maintaining teeth. Drinking water helps flush food debris from the teeth and mouth and helps maintain high saliva levels in the mouth. Saliva contains proteins and minerals that can neutralize the acid that damages the outer layer of the tooth (enamel), and therefore, it is the best protection against tooth decay. Saliva contains more than 95 percent water, so if you want to avoid damage to your teeth, you should drink a large amount of water throughout the day to enjoy complete and lasting protection. Consider having regular checkups at your dentist to ensure that your teeth are in good shape. You could look at Morgan Dental, for example. You will be able to get the treatment that you may need.

For those who drink water with lemon – lemon juice is an acidic drink. Acid (of any kind) damages the enamel layer of the tooth. The enamel is the coating layer that protects the tooth. Caries (holes in the teeth) occur when sugar residues remain on the teeth, and bacteria that consume this sugar residue in the fermentation process, produce acid as a by-product of the process. The acid (not the bacterium) that damages your enamel and forms a hole in your tooth. Drinking an acidic beverage frequently can cause damage to the teeth. You can reduce this damage if the consumption of water and lemon is through a straw, which will reduce the contact of the acidic water and the teeth. If you drink water with lemon every morning, rinse your mouth immediately after drinking the lemon water. It may be advisable to gargle with baking soda (an acid-contradictory powder). 

Green tea

Green tea is rich in antioxidants that inhibit the development of bacteria, causing gum damage and gum disease. The tea was brought to Japan by Buddhist monks more than 1000 years ago. The fluoride concentrations in tea are the same as those in the medical recommendations to prevent tooth decay. You can consume up to a liter of tea per day to maintain dental health. Of course, green tea is beneficial for many other things too!

Catechins and fluoride are two main ingredients in tea, and they work to maintain dental health. The catechins reduce the production of acid, which damages tooth enamel. Black, green and white tea extracts inhibit in vitro the proliferation of bacteria, which form acid. Consider drinking more green tea for better physical and dental health. 

Improve Your Dental Health

Your teeth are often the first things people see when they look at you or talk to you. Maintaining your dental health can make you feel better about yourself, but it can also improve your overall health. Are there any other drinks you can think of that improve your oral health? Leave a comment and let us know!

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Health Healthy Living

Why Visiting A Dentist Today Doesn’t Need To Be A Daunting Experience

There aren’t many people who love going to the dentist. Even if you haven’t had to have major dental work, going to the dentist causes anxiety and stress in many people. However, dental practices have changed dramatically over the years, with many advances in treatment making visiting a dentist more enjoyable. From giving your teeth a makeover to helping you stay happy and healthy, many benefits come with going to the dentist.

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Why Visiting A Dentist Doesn’t Have To Be Daunting

Practices are Becoming More Luxurious and Modern

Whatever memories you have of dental practices as a child, forget about them. Today, dental offices are sleek and modern, with many looking more like a spa waiting room than a dental practice. Dentists have adapted their practices to make them more welcoming and comfortable, helping you feel at ease.

Innovative Treatments Provide Better Results

Dental treatments have come a long way in recent years. Updated technology means dental treatments can be less painful or invasive, with better, more natural-looking results. The team at Centennial Periodontics & Implants provides a range of solutions to help you treat dental issues with excellent results. Your dentist can provide different solutions to treat your dental problems, helping you feel at ease with any necessary treatments.

You Can Make Effective and Affordable Changes to Your Smile 

If you’re unhappy with your smile, your dentist can provide treatments to help you improve it. Invisible braces are a modern and effective way of straightening your teeth, while veneers can also help make improvements. Even if you can’t afford a major transformation, you could try at-home solutions to help you make changes to your smile.

It’s Easier Than Ever to Take Better Care of Your Teeth

A trip to the dentist today can be much less daunting because of the improvements in-home dental care. From more effective toothpaste to electric toothbrushes that take care of the hard work for you, you can take better care of your teeth. Taking better care of your teeth means less intervention from your dentist. Even with the best oral care routine, you still need a great dentist for you and your family for cleanings.

Visiting A Dentist Doesn’t Have To Be Daunting

Some people hate going to the dentist because of past experiences or something they’ve seen. The truth is that going to the dentist doesn’t have to be as fear-inducing as it used to be. Thanks to appealing dental practices and groundbreaking treatments, you can feel much better about visiting the dentist in the future.