5 Ways Being Outdoors Will Improve Your Health

Protection from sun exposure is important all year round, not just during the summer or at the pool. Any time the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays are able to reach the earth, you need to protect yourself from excessive sun exposure. UV rays can cause skin damage during any season or temperature.

Exercise and Physical Activity: Age Recommendations, Benefits, Risks and Tips

Doing regular physical activity can make you feel good about yourself and it can have a number of benefits for your health. For example, it reduces the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, many cancers, type 2 diabetes and 'thinning' of the bones (osteoporosis).

Home and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Recording

Blood pressure recording outside of the doctor's office is recommended in most people who are suspected of having high blood pressure. This is because readings taken while people are going about their daily lives are more accurate than those taken in a doctor's office. They may also be used to give the doctor information about how well a blood pressure medicine is working.

Living with High Blood Pressure

Your doctor has informed you have high blood pressure (also called hypertension). That is not the end of the world as you can live very healthily after this by making some lifestyle changes, such as loosing weight, increasing exercise, etc. Losing excess weight can make a big difference to your blood pressure. Blood pressure falls as each excess kilogram is lost. Losing excess weight has other health benefits too.

Medicines for High Blood Pressure

There are many different medicines for high blood pressure, and they work in various different ways. Your doctor will advise on the best one for you. For detailed information about your own medication, however, you should read the leaflet that comes inside the medicine packet.

The Purple Drink That ‘Significantly’ Lowers High Blood Pressure

HIGH blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can hike your risk of serious cardiovascular problems so it is vital to reverse a high reading. According to research, a purple drink "significantly" lowers a high blood pressure reading.

Mental Health Promotion and Strengthening: What You Need to Know

Mental health is an integral and essential component of health. The WHO constitution states: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." An important implication of this definition is that mental health is more than just the absence of mental disorders or disabilities.

How to Get Some Good Sleep in the Summer Heatwave

Summer is a great season but it comes at a cost. Many people love the outdoors and the sun during this period, but it can also have those heat waves which can be exasperating especially when you need to sleep.

Manufacturing, Safety and Quality Control of Vaccines

This article is part three in a series of explainers on vaccine development and distribution. Part one focused on how vaccines work to protect our bodies from disease-carrying germs. Part two focused on the ingredients in a vaccine and the three clinical trial phases. This article outlines the next part of the vaccine journey: the steps from completing the clinical trial phases through to distribution.

How are Vaccines Developed, Tested and Regulated?

This article is part two in a series of explainers on vaccine development and distribution. Part one focused on how vaccines work to protect our bodies from disease-carrying germs. This article focuses on the ingredients in a vaccine and the three clinical trial phases. Part three outlines the next part of the vaccine journey: the steps from completing the clinical trial phases through to distribution.

How Does Vaccines and Herd Immunity Work?

Lately there has been much talk about vaccines and herd immunity, with many expressing fears about taking the COVID-19 vaccine. This article is part one in a series of explainers on vaccine development and distribution. This article focuses on how vaccines work to protect our bodies from disease-carrying germs. Part two focuses on the ingredients in a vaccine and the three clinical trial phases. Part three outlines the next part of the vaccine journey: the steps from completing the clinical trial phases through to distribution.

Rehabilitative and Assistive Technology in Medical Care

Rehabilitative and assistive technology help people with disabilities to function more easily in their everyday lives and also for caregivers to care more easily for a disabled person. “Rehabilitative technology” sometimes refer to aids used to help people recover their functioning after injury or illness. “Assistive technology” may be as simple as a magnifying glass to improve vision or as complex as a digital communication system to improve communication ability.

Abortion and How it Affects Your Health: Choices, Procedure and Risks

An abortion is the medical process of ending a pregnancy, perfomed up to the 24th week of pregnancy, so it doesn't result in the birth of a baby. It is sometimes known as a termination of pregnancy (TOP). The pregnancy is ended either by taking medications (medical abortion) or having a minor surgical procedure (surgical abortion). One in three women will have an abortion in their lifetime.

Adolescent Pregnancy - Risk Factors, Adverse Effects, Advice on Contraceptive Methods

Most teenage girls do not plan to get pregnant, but in some countries, many do. Adolescent pregnancies carry extra health risks to both the mother and the baby. Often, teens do not get prenatal care soon enough, which can lead to problems later on. They have a higher risk for pregnancy-related high blood pressure and its complications. Risks for the baby include premature birth and a low birth weight.

Arthritis and Exercise: How Exercise Benefits The Different Forms Of Arthritis

Deaths from lack of exercise has been compared with deaths from cigarette smoking. See Lack of Exercise 'Killing As Many As Smoking'. Physical activity has an overarching benefit over and above the minor disadvantages that some forms of exercise may throw up. People with arthritis have been shown to benefit from a deliberate plan of physical exercise.

What is blood?

Blood is made up of liquid (plasma) and various different types of cells. An average-sized man has about 5-6 litres of blood in his body; a woman has slightly less. Blood has many different functions - see below.

The Ears, Hearing and Balance

Your ears do the remarkable job of allowing you to hear a huge range of sounds, from a whisper to a loud bang. To do this, the ear transforms sound energy into electrical signals which the brain can interpret. Your ears also help to maintain your balance.

Anatomy of the Eye

When you look at an object you see it because light reflects off the object and enters your eye. Your eye focuses this light into an image on the layer of the eye called the retina.

Female Genital Mutilation

Female Genital Mutilation refers to the deliberate cutting off of the genitals of a girl. It is practiced in various cultures across the world for several varied reasons.

Breastfeeding Dos' and Donts' You Need to Know

Breastfeeding is a vital part of providing every child with the healthiest start to life. It is a baby’s first vaccine and the best source of nutrition, and can bolster brain development. There are many benefits to breastfeeding, both for you and for your baby. If you want to breastfeed it's important not to be put off if it becomes difficult.