Personal Hygiene

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Hygiene and Good Habits are commonly understood as prevention methods against infection. In broader call scientific terms, hygiene is the maintenance of health and healthy living. Hygiene ranges from personal hygiene in domestic realm to occupational hygiene and public health. Hygiene involves healthy diet, cleanliness, and mental health. One of the most effective ways to protect ourselves, from illness is good personal hygiene. This means not only washing your hands but also your body. Hygiene also means being careful not to cough or sneeze on others, cleaning things that you touch when you are ill, putting items such as tissues (that may have germs) into a bin, and using protective aids (like gloves or condoms) when you are at the risk of catching an infection.

Personal hygiene includes health practices such as bathing, washing your hair, brushing your teeth, and cleaning your clothes. Maintaining good personal hygiene helps to fight infection by removing essences that allow bacteria to grow from the surface of your skin.

Mouth Care

Food particles in the mouth decay and cause bacteria to develop, leaving a bad odour to a person's breath. These bacteria can also damage teeth and cause cavities and tooth decay.

Brushing your teeth at least twice a day, once in the morning and again before bed, is recommended. Some people brush their teeth after every meal. Brushing for 2-3 minutes each time is recommended. Toothbrush should be changed after 2 months. Apply a small amount of toothpaste on a toothbrush and gently brush a few teeth at a time on all sides in a circular motion. After brushing, you should rinse your mouth with water and spit the water out into a sink. Do not swallow the toothpaste.

Body Odour

Our bodies produce two kinds of sweat: eccrine and apocrine. Apocrine is the body-odour culprit. It is found in the groin and underarm areas. That well-known sweaty smell occurs only after apocrine reacts with the bacteria on our skin. Some of us are "cursed" with bigger and more active apocrine glands than others. And some of us simply aren't as successful as others in getting rid of the bacteria on our skin.

Try these tips:

• Bathe at least once daily with an antibacterial soap such as Safeguard or Dial. If the problem doesn't clear up soon, you might try a prescription soap such as pHisoHex.
• Use a deodorant with aluminum or zinc. Either of these metals should kill odor-causing bacteria. Extremely heavy sweaters should use an antiperspirant/deodorant containing aluminum chloride.
• Launder clothing more often. No matter how busy we get, that trip to the cleaners is a must. Wash clothes at home using an odor-fighting detergent such as Tide.
• Freshen up in the bathroom with a towel as many times as necessary during the day.
• Avoid the regular consumption of spicy or sharp-smelling foods. The odor will come through the pores.