Eight glasses a day keep the doctor away by Sarah Orr health page editor Water is essential to life, as they say, so getting enough of it everyday should be a priority. How many times have you gone to the refrigerator looking for something to quench your thirst and grabbed a cold soda, fruit juice, Kool-Aid, or a beer? I’m sure that this has definitely happened at least once in your lifetime. Next time this situation happens to you, maybe you should think about filling up a glass of cool, crystal-clear H2O. A myriad of health benefits accompany drinking water. The recommended daily intake is roughly eight glasses of water. One of the brightest spots (hey, girls, listen up!) is that frequently drinking water can help you lose weight. Water comprises approximately 60-70 percent of the human body. It is one of the main elements in sweat, digestive juices, blood, urine, and lymph. Water aids greatly in the body’s everyday processes. Water helps produce the body’s energy, formulates new cells, lubricates the joints, and eliminates by-products of the body’s functions, like waste. The human body loses its storage of water everyday due to necessary activities such as sweating, breathing, and eliminating waste products. Most us of take water for granted, but think of all of the things that you Don’t end up all dried ou by Sarah Orr health page editor We’ve probably all experienced it at some time or another. It’s pesky, persistent, and downright problem atic. It’s dry skin. It’s a common phe nomenon that is associated with dry weather, cold weather, and winter time. Various forms of treatment for it, and some are more successful than others. Your skin is the largest organ of your body. It protects your organs and encloses all of the body’s processes from the view of others, which is a very good thing. Taking care of it should be a priority. Red patches of dry, flaky skin can form on your body if you are not care ful. Using moisturizer is a popular choice for many trying to soothe irri tated skin. “Moisturizers aren’t enough,” says Dr. John A. Grossman, a board certi fied aesthetic plastic surgeon. Your diet can have a large impact on the prevention or existence of dry skin. Omega-3 fatty acids aid the skin by keeping it moisturized from the in side. Some of the very best sources of this essential oil are flaxseed, canola, pumpkins, walnuts, and soy beans. If those examples don’t ap peal to your appetite, then you can try the seafood way. Fish oils, found in salmon, cod, and mackerel contain different forms of Omega-3 oil. The most helpful forms for your skin are Omega-6 oils like black currant, bor age, and primrose oils. In the wintertime, especially, your skin needs special care and attention against the cold dry elements. Pre ventative steps are the surest way to keep dried skin at bay. Dry skin by Spring Break Bytes Many of you are probably going to exotic locations for spring break to booze it up, party, or cut loose. All of these are variations on the “theme ” of getting drunk. Here are some hints to keep yourself from feeling too terrbily ill after a night of unabashed drinking and carousing. • Make sure to drink water in between drinks. If you read the article at the top of the page, you would have already noticed the benefits of drinking water, but it helps dilute the alcohol and may prevent you from getting sick and vomiting. • Eat, eat, eat! This is a good way to keep from drinking too much, as well. Eating snacks, especially carbohydrates will fill you up, so you will be less likely to fill up on booze. Remem ber the old adage, “Never drink on an empty stomach. ” • Always drink with friends you trust. They will be less like to pressure you to drink past your alcohol limit. use it for each day. We use it for such activities as cooking, cleaning, bathing, heating, and drinking. The mention of weight loss may spark a few of you into action, but that shouldn’t be your only inspiration to drink a little H2O. However, here’s how it works. Filling up on water during the day, and especially at meals, will help suppress the body’s appetite. It also helps to bum fat just lying around in storage. The kidneys need tons of water to function to full capacity, however, when there isn’t enough water in the system, some of the workload is pawned off onto the liver. The liver is integral in metabolizing fat. While doing part of the kidneys’ job, the liver cannot metabolize fat as efficiently, and some of it is stored, causing an individual to gain weight. We’ve discussed the hydration of the skin in another article on this page, but the rest of the body needs hydration, too. If you are not receiving enough water daily, dehydration of the body can become a serious health issue. You should consistently replace water losses. Beverages that contain sugar don’t count! Many beverages that are laden with sugar also contain caffeine, which is a diuretic and will cause you to lose even more water. Fruit juices and sports drinks are helpful after a strenuous workout because they will replace electrolytes more quickly than PHOTO BY MIKE BELLO/BEHREND BEACON Jeanine Noce knows about the importance of hydration. She reapplies moisturizer frequently throughout the day to avoid chapped and sore hands, especially during winter months. itself isn’t much of a problem except for being a nuisance. However, if skin remains dry for too long, it can develop symptoms that may require medical assistance. Bathing habits need to be amended during the winter season. Frequent bathing and soap can be irritants and cause patches of rough, dry skin. During the colder months, decrease the frequency of showers or baths and limit bathing time to approximately 10-12 minutes. When skin is ex- PHOTO BY SARAH O! Allison Jawdy drinks as much water as she can, especially after a workout at the gym water. However, they also have because of fluid retention. You may more calories, so watch out! want to stop drinking water thinking Here are some tips that may come that it is the culprit. You couldn’t in handy when trying to incorporate be more wrong. The best way to more H2O into your life. If your get it out of there is to drink more schedule and habits permit, avoid water. It helps to release water that drinks with caffeine such as coffee is being stored. Salt may also be and soda. After a hard workout or the problem. Too much sodium an illness that is associated with requires more water to dilute it and diarrhea or vomiting, make sure to flush it out of the body’s system, drink a few extra glasses of water. That’s just another way in which Sometimes after drinking so water has proven its importance, much water, you may feel bloated The moral of the article: Drink tremely dry, be sure to use a mild soap to cleanse the skin. Wear gloves during household chores such as doing dishes or clean ing your shower. Household deter gents contain chemicals that may aggravate sensitive skin and cause an outbreak of dry skin. Be sure to wear gloves while outside in the cold weather and while driving a car. Using moisturizing lotions and creams may heal the cracked, red and flaking skin. It will temporarily al- Applications for the 2002 Tylenol brand health education scholarships are now available ; Applications are being accepted for the 2002 Tylenol brand health education scholarship \ through April 2002. The fund for this year is going to total $250,000, including 10 grant# of $lO,OOO each. Anyone majoring in or preparing for a career in a health-related field. s ' > McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals has awarded more than $5 million in scholar ships since 1992. The company makes Tylenol family products. This is the first year since its inception that the scholarships will be geared solely to health-related studies. Applications for those interested will become are now available and you can find information about the scholarship on displays at the following locations: Rite Aid, CVS, Eckerd, K-Mart, Target, Walgreen’s, Wal-Mart, Albertson's, and Kroger, as well as the Tylenol web site at www.tylenol.com. These scholarships are awarded in conjunction with local retailers participating at the local level. The winners of the scholarship will be selected on the basis of school activities, leader ship in the community, intended focus on healthcare-related areas of study, and grade point more water! leviate the problem, usually for about 12 hours, and will make the skin feel better overall. Use caution if you have sensitive skin. Some moistur izers contain lanolin, and for some this may cause an allergic reaction. In severe cases a rash may occur. This can be treated with at-home remedies or by seeing a doctor, pref erably a dermatologist who may be able to diagnose the condition. You can use an aluminum sulfate solution also known as Burrow’s solution to average. :hrend BE/ treat any unsightly rashes. The mixture contains calcium acetate and will help to soothe the burn ing and itching caused by infec tion and rashes. Use only diluted Burrow’s solution on the skin or it will cause further irritation. You should use approximately one part Burrow’s solution mixed with 10 -40 parts water. Do not cover the application, let the skin breathe. Be sure to change the dressing ev ery 5 - 15 minutes. You can also use a Hydrocorti sone cream. You can get them over-the-counter and are particu larly strong and very effective. Most are safe and non-toxic, and they treat the symptoms of most conditions, but do not cure them. Apply a small amount of the cream to the infected area, and reapply every 2-4 hours. Do not use hy drocortisone cream for longer than a two-week period, and do not ap ply around the eye area. Some rashes can be caused by an allergic reaction to laundry de tergents. Don’t rule this out as a possibility for aggravated skin, es pecially if you have recently switched laundry soaps. Try a mild detergent if you think this may be the problem. Dry skin isn’t terribly painful (only in extreme cases), and isn’t life-threatening. However, it can be somewhat uncomfortable and unsightly. By taking the proper precautions and protecting your skin during the cold and dry of the winter season, you can avoid rashes and dryness and keep your skin happy.
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