Don’t let autumn bugs get you down

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Autumn is a beautiful time of the year, but the changing seasons, and the kids going back to school, means it also comes with a wave of health concerns. While a healthy diet, lots of water, good sleep patterns and exercise can keep you fit, bugs do come along so we have had a look at what they are, and what you can do to get things under control.

Coughs and colds
Coughs and colds make a sharp come back in the chillier months of the year and while they make you feel tired and sorry for yourself, fortunately they aren’t that bad and do go away. The common cold can’t be treated with antibiotics, so you don’t need to see your GP, and you can treat the aches and pains with over the counter painkillers. Keep fluids up, drink soups and smoothies, use a vapour rub and get some rest. Do remember to use a tissue to catch germs when you sneeze and cough and then bin the tissue and wash your hands to stop passing onto others.

Flu
If you have flu you will know it as you will feel terrible for several weeks. Flu can be serious for young children, the elderly, and anyone with a respiratory illness or disease. Flu gives you bad muscle aches and pains that prevent you from getting out of bed, you have a high fever, a raw throat and cough that can keep you awake at night. Again, there is no cure, but you can have the vaccination, which is free for vulnerable groups, otherwise it’s painkillers, rest, a hot water bottle and lots of fluids. If things do get really bad and your symptoms aren’t easing, speak to your GP and just check that you don’t have anything more serious.

Mental health
As the nights draw in, the hours of sunshine decrease and the cold hits our bones, some of us may well experience lower moods, increased anxiety and SAD. A healthy diet, exercise, time outside and a vitamin D supplement can help. If you feel down and just can’t shake this off, contact your GP and see if you can talk to someone and look at the options, but do not suffer in silence.

Sick bugs
Some viruses at this time of year will cause upset tunnies, vomiting, or both, which are pretty miserable, so stay in bed and rest up. Hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread of the virus, and you shouldn’t return to work or school until 48 hours after things have cleared.

Throat infections
Viral infections can cause sore throats that then become infected and inflamed. You can use painkillers from the chemist, but if you have difficulty swallowing, a temperature, painful and swollen glands, or white spots on your tonsils, you may have tonsillitis so will need to see your GP.

So, eat well, drink water, get lots of rest and keep the bugs away as much as you can.

Team Pure Beauty

Top tips for holiday health

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alcohol, anti-diarrhoea pills, anti-histamines, antiseptic gels and wipes, basic, bottled water, car, care, chill out, chlorine, citronella, cost, creams, Deep vein thrombosis, dirt, eating, energy tablets, ferries, first aid, food, fresh air, fresh fruit and veg, germs, ginger, heading off, healthy, ice cubes, Ill, illness, itching, legs, long-haul flight, loo, lurk, minor accidents, mosquitoes, nauseous feeling, online search, over-the-counter medicines, packing up, painkillers, partying, peace of mind, peppermint tea, planes, plasters, policy, Pre-holiday prep, protected, protection, redness, regular medication, rehydration salts, sand, school’s out, sick, sight-seeing, skin, STIs, strong smells, suffer, summer, swimming, symptoms, trains, travel bands, travel insurance, travel sickness, travel vaccinations, tummy bugs, walk, Warmer temperatures, wash your hands, well-earned holiday

School’s out for summer which means many of us are packing up and taking off for a well-earned holiday. With swimming, eating, sight-seeing and partying to do, the last thing you need when you go away is to be ill.

We have put together some top tips that will hopefully keep you healthy so you can chill out and get the break you deserve

Pre-holiday prep
Before you even get in the car, we would strongly suggest you have the following ticked off your to-do list:

Check if you need to have any travel vaccinations and get them done in plenty of time, the last thing you need is to get sick because you aren’t protected.

You might think travel insurance is a cost you can avoid, we think it’s something you can’t be without. Do an online search, find a policy that is right for you and you have the peace of mind knowing that if illness strikes, you can get care.

If you are on regular medication, make sure you have enough to take away with you, and a couple of days supply for when you get home.

In case of minor accidents, be sure to pack basic first aid items such as antiseptic gels and wipes, painkillers, creams, energy tablets, plasters, anti-histamines, and rehydration mixes.

Nip travel sickness in the bud
One of the first things that can go wrong on holiday, is when travel sickness kicks in. Cars, planes, trains, and ferries can all cause that horrible nauseous feeling and even lead to sickness, but you don’t have to suffer. Travel bands and over the counter medicines are one way to deal with this problem, as well as sipping on cooled ginger or peppermint tea. Sit somewhere away from strong smells in the fresh air and take deep breaths to help calm the symptoms.

Keep deep vein thrombosis away
Deep vein thrombosis is rare, but if you are taking a long-haul flight, remember to walk around the cabin and stretch your legs whenever you can. Drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol, and wear loose, comfortable clothes when you travel and if you are worried, there are special socks you can buy before you fly.

Stop stomach bugs before they start
Warmer temperatures, more people, differing cleaning standards and food being left out for longer than usual, are all reasons why stomach bugs can be rampant on holiday and they spread quickly too. The most important thing to remember is to wash your hands, or use an antibacterial gel, after going to the loo, as well as before and after preparing and eating food. Talking about food, while it might be tempting to try something new from a stall or market, this is where germs can lurk and as for the hotel buffet, just be careful about what you choose as you don’t know how long things have been sitting around.

Another really important thing you need to do if you want tummy troubles to stay away, is to only drink bottled water, try to avoid ice cubes from bars and if you’re going for salads and fresh fruit and veg, check they have been cleaned with bottled water.

If problems do strike, you will need to get some rest will the bugs and bacteria pass through your system. This really is the time for bottled water and while we would suggest keeping away from anti-diarrhoea pills, you might want to use rehydration salts. You can try drinking cooled chamomile or peppermint tea as this can be soothing and help you to sleep. If you can keep food down, plain toast and biscuits are a good idea – dairy products are not. If you can’t get things under control and are worried about dehydrating, find a local doctor and seek medical advice.

Mosquitos are not your friends
We know that you have to wear suncream, but you might also want to use an over the counter spray to keep mosquitoes away from your skin. You can also use a few drops of citronella: mix a little with your moisturiser, or use in a burner at night time (but keep an eye on this to be safe). However hard we try to keep safe, bites do happen and if they happen to you, go for an antihistamine tablet or try a cream as these will help to reduce annoying itching and redness, but also remember that aloe Vera products can help soothe bites. Try not to scratch as this can make things worse, and also leave you with scars.

Do not burn
When it comes to sunburn, prevention really is better than cure. Use a suncream that offers your skin the best protection, stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, and wear a hat for your head and glasses for your eyes. If you get burnt, take a shower to cool things down and wash away creams, sand, dirt, and chlorine, then apply an aloe gel to cool, calm and hydrate your skin. If things really have got out of hand, think blisters and sores, see a doctor, and don’t go out in the sun until things have cleared up.

Be protected
Coming back from a holiday with a tan is great, arriving home with an STI is not. By all means, go away and have fun, but take protection with you and use it!

Team Pure Beauty

These Unexpected Things Could be Making Your Complexion Worse

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Image Source: https://bit.ly/2UDC86F

If you suffer with acne or have a tendency to break out in spots, there’s a good chance that you’re religious about sticking to a skincare routine. However, if it seems like your skincare isn’t doing a good job, you could be missing one of these five things, which can all exacerbate acneic skin.

Dirty Glasses

If you wear glasses, the frames are probably in contact with your skin for most of the day and can harbour germs and bacteria from the sebum in your skin. Failing to disinfect your glasses can cause nasty outbreaks, but try to use a plastic-friendly cleaner if your frames aren’t metal as high alcohol content could make them brittle.

Wash Cloths

If you use a washcloth like the Dermalogica Ultimate Buffing Cloth or Elemis Luxury Cleansing Cloth Duo, they probably do a great job of keeping your skin clean. However, keeping your cloths clean is imperative, so make sure you put them through the washing machine at least once a week to keep bacteria at bay.

Spicy Food

Even if you don’t have a specific food intolerance, eating spicy food can cause an inflammatory response in your body, which can lead to spots and redness on your face. Try to avoid food which is too hot, or if you must indulge, use Dermalogica Breakout Control afterwards.

Hair Products

Hair products go on our head, not your face, right? WRONG! Hair products can spread onto your face throughout the day and can block pores and cause inflammation. Try to avoid hair products which are wax-based if you’re prone to acne, and ensure you wash your hairline thoroughly with Dermalogica Foaming Wash in the evening, once your hair doesn’t need to remain styled.

Beards

Got a partner with a beard, or worse, stubble? Well, we hate to break it to you, but spending an extended amount of time kissing and cuddling a person with facial hair can have a terrible effect on your complexion. As well as being abrasive to the skin and causing redness and irritation, beards can also harbour bacteria (unless the wearer is scrupulous about cleanliness) which can make acne worse.

Natural ways to deal with a cold

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When your nose is running, your throat is on fire and you can’t sleep for coughing, being told you just have a cold is little help.

People with a weak, low immune system as well as infants and children, are most prone to catching a cold and the most common kind is known as the ‘rhinovirus’.

When you contract a cold, for the first day or two you will feel fine, but the germs that escape your immune system, start to incubate and replicate in your body. Around day three, you will start to sniff and feel congested and this will be followed by a runny nose, headache, sneezing, as well as muscle aches which will all get worse, before they get better. After about a week, things will ease up and symptoms will disappear so you feel human again.

Most people find over the counter medicines, as well as lots of fluids and rest, help them to feel better, but natural products and remedies can help ease the pain, and we have had a look at a few ideas you might want to try if you do get sick.

A spoonful of honey
The nursery rhyme suggests that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, but we think that should be honey. Whether you take it straight from the spoon, add it to hot water or milk, honey is well-known for having natural healing and antiviral properties and can be a gentle way to treat a cold and sooth a nasty sore throat. It is thought that the antioxidants help the immune system deal with a virus or cold causing bacteria, and it is believed to be even more true of raw and organic honey.

Epsom bath salts
This might seem old fashioned, but adding one mug of Epsom salts to a bathtub of warm water and soaking in it for around 20 minutes, can help you feel soothed when you have a cold. Keep the water as hot as you can, and it is thought that this natural mineral will go some way to easing those uncomfortable muscle aches and also help you to sleep which can in turn lead to a faster recovery.

Apple cider vinegar
Mix one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with a glass of warm water and then drink it down, adding some honey to taste. Drinking this mixture two or three times a day, can help to re-balance your body’s pH levels making it harder for the virus to survive.

Essential oils
Mixing a few drops of peppermint and eucalyptus essential oil together and applying a little to your chest, neck, and forehead, can help when you have a cold and are feeling under the weather. You can also put this blend into your bath, or add to a bowl of hot water and breathe the vapour in through your nose and benefit from this natural decongestant!

Go for ginger
Sipping ginger infused water, with a teaspoon of honey, might sound like a basic approach, but it’s a popular one that works. The reason ginger offers relief from cold symptoms, is that it warms up the body, the potent natural anti-inflammatory properties sooth and it’s spiciness helps to clear congestion. Simply crush up a thumbnail of ginger and let it seep in hot water for five minutes before straining and then adding to honey in a new cup. You can also add ginger to warming vegetable soups and super green smoothies and let all that natural goodness help your body bounce back from the germs that are attacking it.

So, wrap up, eat well, drink plenty of water, wash your hands often, carry an antibacterial gel in your bag, and if you do get sick, try some of these ideas to help you on your road to recovery.

Team Pure Beauty

The Smart Guide to University Health

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anti-depressants, antibiotics, antiseptic cream, be careful, big day, booze, cans of baked beans, chips, coffee, contraception, daunting, diabetes, epilepsy, exciting, Exeter, February half term, first aid, free and single, Fresher’s Flu, Fresher’s Week, fun, germs, halls, hangovers, health, Ibuprofen, ice, immune system, inhaler, laptop, life changing journey, long-term relationship, measles, meningitis, mum, mumps, new people, next of kin, NHS Website, NOK, Paracetamol, parties, pizza, plasters, plasters and antiseptic, pregnancies, red book, regular medication, research, safe, say cheese, shared house, St. Andrews, STIs, Student Union, taking out insurance, teeth, tetanus, UCL, University Medical Centre, Vaccinations, vitamin supplement, wash your hands, yoga mat, young

Whether it’s UCL, St. Andrews or Exeter, leaving home to go to university and making it on your own can be exciting and daunting in equal measures.

As well as taking out insurance, packing your laptop, cans of baked beans and yoga mat, we think it’s just as important to take a look at your health before you get in the car and start this life changing journey.

Life in halls or a shared house can be fun, but with mum not there to tell you to wash your hands (we know she still does) or your best mate to remind you to ‘be careful’ when you go on a date, things can soon slide, but we are here to make sure they don’t.

Vaccinations
Your red book will probably be safe in the loft, but before the big days arrives, do some research and just check that your tetanus, measles, mumps and meningitis jabs are all up to date. While you’re at it, the NHS website gives some pretty good advice on what to look for when it comes to symptoms for these illness, so grab a coffee and have a read, just to be on the safe side.

First Aid
Yes, we know this is boring, but packing a mini first aid kit might be a good idea. Paracetamol, ibuprofen, plasters and antiseptic can all be added to the family shop before you go away and you can store them in a biscuit tin and use when the need occurs.

Let’s Talk About Sex
Whether you are in a long-term relationship or are young, free and single, it is worth having a chat with your practise nurse about contraception for when you are away. There will lots of parties, and booze, when you hit Fresher’s Week and while hangovers go away STIs and pregnancies will last for longer, so be safe.

Regular Medication
If you take any other regular medication, maybe anti-depressants or you have an inhaler, make sure you get a supply of these before you leave and then find out who your local GP is or sign up with the University Medical Centre and store their numbers in your phone. Now, if you do have a long-term condition, such as diabetes or epilepsy, you don’t need to broadcast it to the world, but it might be worth giving your flatmates the low down and letting them know where any vital medicines are kept.

Say Cheese
Your teeth are important so have a check up and get any treatment done before you go to uni. You can also use this as a chance to book your next appointment for February half term and if you don’t think you’ll be back, ask your Student Union about local dentists and register, fast, and do the say with the local GP or

Get the Digits Down
Keep a number for next of kin in your mobile phone under NOK or ICE (‘next of kin’ or ‘in case of emergency’) and find out where the local A&E and drop-in health centres are and make a note of the numbers because you never know when you might need them.

Fresher’s Flu
You’ve probably heard the rumours about this one but many freshers go down with a cold type virus in the first half term simply because they are coming into contact with lots of new people and their germs. Try to eat a good diet (not just pizza and chips at midnight), drink plenty of water, take a vitamin supplement and if you can, do get some sleep as all of this will help keep your immune system strong. If you fall ill with a virus, antibiotics won’t help, so wrap up, get some rest and head to that first aid box you thought we were making a fuss about.

Whatever else you do, have fun and enjoy!

Team Pure-Beauty