Dumping A Threat to Human Health

Developing countries are threatened by waste management problems. Recently on a tour to a part of our capital city Nairobi, I was amazed by the utter neglect of decomposing waste lying next to a housing line. The residents were going around their business oblivious of the dangers to human health posed by the heaps of garbage next to their homes. I stop and ask myself is it the role of the city management authorities, who have failed to realize the hazards of these heaps to human health or it is the residents who have no idea of what threats there exists or both.

The world Health organization defines health as “the level of functional and metabolic efficiency of a living being. In this case human as the general condition of a person in mind, body and spirit usually meaning free from illness, injury or pain”. What then negates the above described well being is therefore a threat to human health. In this case a conducive environment for pathogens, emissions due to decomposing garbage and a breading place for all sorts of disease carrying insects, and rodents.

Generally the condition in which a person lives is of great importance on the health status and quality of his life. It is increasingly recognized that human health is maintained and improved not only through the advancement and application of health science, but also through the efforts and intelligent lifestyles of the individual society.

In our case though we might have put all the social, economic and physical measures in place, we have clearly ignored on great determinant of human health; the environment. It is true as argued earlier in this document I have no idea who to blame, but I want to point an accusing finger at each one of them; the authorities and the residents. Given a choice of keeping litter and garbage in ones house or the choice of dropping it in a litter bin, am sure 100 per cent of the residents would go for the latter. Advancing the same argument, given a choice between getting sick because of garbage and staying healthy because of cleanliness, the resident would go for the later.

However, may be these services are not provided for the residents to either make a choice or effectively manage their litter. Hence dumping garbage outside his house for he/she want to be clean and does not want to be UN healthy or sick. In this case the blame goes to the authorities. One may be for not educating its citizenry, and second for not providing the necessary infrastructure as well as policy to manage waste in the city.

Increasing number of studies and reports, without going into detail of mentioning, examine the linkages between human health and different factors, including lifestyles, environment and personal hygiene. The environment which is my concern, defines the surroundings of the human being, all the matters related to human health or body and over which the individual has little or no control at all. It is this environment if it is tempered with by dumping then becomes a threat to the very life line of the individual. My cry is to all the players in this city; let us know that unless we check our waste management, then we might be headed to managing diseases and lacking a healthy work force because we shall all be sick.

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How Unhealthy Habits Impact Your Financial Health

Life is a precious gift to the mankind. Although it is absolutely an individual’s choice as how he/she chooses to lead his/her life, it is necessary that they live a life of solid substance and purpose. There comes a stage in everyone’s life, where they sit back and rewind all the events of their life – one should make sure that they are not ashamed with their past choices.

During the course of lifetime we often tend to fall prey to many addictions and temporary temptations which would, in long run, ruin our life in more than one way. So, it is very important to stay away from unhealthy habits.

As the saying goes, “Watch your thoughts, for they become words; watch your words, for they become actions; watch your actions, for they become habits; watch your habits, for they become character.” Hence, the habits you inculcate will decide your character eventually. So naturally a person who falls prey to bad and unhealthy habits would inevitably end up with poor character.

Unhealthy habits will have an impact on several aspects of life. The obvious impact would be on health, career and relationships. Apart from these obvious ones, unhealthy habits do have a great negative impact on financial health of a person.

Unhealthy habits comprises of a long list. There are some habits that we are accustomed to so much that we tend to disregard the fact that they are potentially dangerous to our health in future. Skipping breakfast regularly, drinking wine excessively, and having interrupted sleeps, excessive intake of caffeine, eating quickly, sacrificing comfort and bearing a huge discomfort for the sake of fashion are some of the habits which seem very trivial but if ignored, would most certainly drill a huge hole in your pocket in the long run. But the major unhealthy habits that completely ruin your life are addiction to smoking, addiction to alcohol and drug abuse. These are serious unhealthy habits which can prove to be fatal.

Major influences of unhealthy habits on your financial health can be mainly categorized into five aspects.

High expenditure: Being a spendthrift is in fact an unhealthy habit which would have a negative impact on your financial health. It is very important to possess control over unnecessary materialistic attractions. Spending too much on not so necessary things may make you happy temporarily, but surely the day you regret your decision will just be round the corner. So, it is very important for you to assess your priorities and spend accordingly rather than succumbing to sudden temptations and having a negative impact on your financial health.

Apart from being a spendthrift, high expenditure can result from the above mentioned unhealthy habits. If a person is addicted to drugs or alcohol, he could pretty soon find his pocket burned up drastically. Once a person gets addicted to drugs, it is almost impossible to get out of the habit and he would constantly feel the pinch to get himself drugged even though it means he is being bankrupt. Drug addiction can make the person stoop down to miserable life, where he wouldn’t even mind to sacrifice his morals in order to get the drug he got addicted to.

Low income due to loss of productivity and absenteeism: A drug addict or an alcoholic addict, who consumes alcohol or takes drugs every other night, would hardly remember his assigned work in the office. Neither would he remember his duties nor would he be in a position to complete them on time, which ultimately results in unsatisfactory performance, lack of respect at the workplace and eventually low-income. Thus it affects ones financial health along with social image.

Cost of illnesses: It is just a matter of time before one gets affected with a major ailment if he is addicted to unhealthy habits. Once you are affected with a major ailment it would eat off your savings just like a group of hungry termites on a piece of wood. Generally, we never hold back at spending for our ailments and hence you would end up with a weak financial health by the time you get back to strong physical health.

Legal bills: However cultured and well-mannered a person is, once drunk he is a different person altogether. There would be many instances where one may end up breaking laws or get involved in some anti-social activity, from which he would otherwise stay out completely. Hence these habits could land you up in lot of trouble apart from making you pay for your premature and unlawful actions. In some cases, these bills could run into very heavy amounts.

Apart from monetary loss from these unhealthy habits, you may also be branded as a bad or characterless person which I feel is the greatest price you will pay for being addicted to unhealthy habits.

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Better Sleep and Better Health for a Better Life

Health is one of the most talked-about topics in popular culture, with a barrage of television shows, books and websites attempting to educate or provide relief from ailments. Weight gain or loss, lack of focus, lack of energy, irritability and depression are some of the most common issues people face on a daily basis and all can potentially be rooted in a lack of sleep. The degree to which our lives are impacted by sleep makes getting proper rest every night imperative to a happy and productive life.

Unfortunately, few people consistently get a good night’s sleep. Night after night people toss and turn and morning arrives with aches and pains. Many attribute this, and sometimes correctly, to externalities such as stress, diet or other medical issues. However, the inability to enjoy a refreshing sleep can also be directly connected to a sleeping surface not providing your body with the unique balance of comfort and support it requires. For individuals who have difficulty sleeping well with a standard mattress, a customized foam mattress provides individualized comfort that can target areas of the body that need specific levels of support or cushioning.

Foam is an incredibly versatile material that encompasses a wide range of physical characteristics to provide what innersprings, waterbeds and air mattresses cannot. A wide variety of firmness’s can be used in a foam mattress, from incredibly soft foam, up to ones that surpass the firmest traditional beds. This is just conventional foam, as there are also multiple varieties of latex foam and memory foam that can be made into custom mattresses. This range of material types and their ability to be combined into a single mattress ensures that your needs will be met, regardless of your demands or preferences.

Because of the nature of the material, custom foam mattresses also excel in applications where custom size is needed as much or more than custom feel. Many individuals have imported, antique or custom-made beds that for one reason or another, cannot properly house one of the standardized mattress sizes. Or, if an individual is lucky enough to find a mattress that does fit an atypical frame, the comfort selection is often limited, forcing them to choose between enjoying the bed for its aesthetics and sentimental value or enjoying it for the rest it provides. Custom foam mattresses can be made to any dimensions because of their manufacturing process, as they are cut from a large bulk form. And because of the versatility of the product, manufacturers are willing to cut special sizes because irregularly-sized leftover foam material can be easily re-purposed into many other applications. This means the mattress can be tailored in size to the bed and frame you love as well as to the comfort and support you need.

Custom foam mattresses don’t necessarily need to be made of a single foam type either, creating greater customization possibilities than traditional materials. Actually, combining multiple foam types into a single foam mattress is more common than a mattress of one solid foam type. Foam of any variety is able to be layered and bonded for a hybrid sleeping surface that combines the comfort and support of different styles of foam in a single, individualized product. Manufacturers place almost no restrictions on customers for foam mattresses. This means beds can be made to have firm base layers with a conventional, memory or latex foam top layer in any thickness for a comfortable sleeping surface. Layers will cease to have an impact on the performance of a mattress if too many layers or foam types are included in a single mattress, but reputable retailers and manufacturers work with customers to create their ideal mattress and let them know if their customization idea would only result in a lighter wallet without any extra benefit.

Layering is just one way foam mattresses can be customized to an individual’s needs. Many manufacturers have the ability to create bonded mattresses that provide different characteristics across its surface, providing custom comfort and support to different areas of the body. The most typical configuration for mattresses of this type has medium-feel foam around the head and neck, firm foam for the torso, back and hips and soft, cushioning foam for the feet and lower legs. Any combination can be created though, with as many or as few comfort zones as desired. A third variety of customization is the cutting of patterns and striations in the surface layer to create a zoned comfort setup, similar to one previously mentioned, but out of a single foam section. These zones are incredibly helpful for people who need targeted comfort or support in one area, but don’t want an entire mattress with that feel. Depending on the patterns used, these can also offer cooling airflow in a mattress, beneficial to those who “sleep hot.”

A mattress is one of life’s most important investments, considering the effect sleep has on our lives, and the amount of time we spend doing so. If you have difficulty getting to sleep, staying asleep, waking up refreshed or avoiding aches and pains, a custom foam mattress may be the solution to your problems.

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