How Often Should You Get Tested for STDs?

Getting tested for STDs can feel like an embarrassing experience for many, but it really should not be. It is perfectly normal and a smart thing to do too. There are dozens of STDs in existence and there is nothing embarrassing about wanting to keep yourself safe from them.

Sex is fun and you should enjoy it to the fullest with your partner. But if it could get you in trouble, especially health-related one, you might want to consider taking extra caution. This is why safe sex is the best kind of sex.

Couple in bed

 

How Often Testing Should Occur?

If you are sexually active, you need to get tested regularly for STIs.

Some factors like your age and the number of sexual partners you have can determine how often you should get tested. But generally, everyone who is sexually active should be getting tested for STIs at least once a year.

Blood tests for sexually transmitted diseases

If an STI is detected early, you can start treatment immediately and it reduces the risk of long-term damage to organs and health complications like paralysis, dementia and infertility.

You can minimize the risk of getting an STI by sticking to one sexual partner. But the only way to be completely safe from getting infected is by complete abstinence from sexual contact.

If you are sexually active, you can enjoy sex while being safe. Know your STI status by getting tested regularly. Also use condoms and dental dams during sex, whether vaginal, anal or oral. Do not assume that a person cannot be infected because they look like a yummy snack.

 

Why you should get tested

It is simple. You need to get tested to keep yourself and your partner safe from STIs. No matter how observant you think you are, you may not always be able to tell that a person has an STI. This is because many STIs do not have any obvious symptoms, including the dreaded HIV. Some infected people may not even know that they have an STI. Not knowing does not absolve you of the consequences of an untreated infection. You can still pass on the infection to another person even without being aware of it yourself.

The only way to know your STI status for sure is to get tested.

Testing for sexually transmitted diseases
Testing for sexually transmitted diseases

 

Practising safe sex

Safe sex is about protecting yourself and your partner from STIs and even unwanted pregnancies while still having all the fun between the sheets.

Safe sex involves taking protective measures like using condoms, dental dams when you have sexual contact with other people and of course, getting tested often.

Condoms

If you notice any symptoms like itching, abnormal discharge or swelling in your private region, or you suspect that you might have been exposed to an STI, speak to a doctor on Doctall for advice as soon as possible.

Five Reasons Why You Need to Maintain Work-Life Balance

Are you that friend who is always missing in action? No one sees you at school reunions or family functions. You are out of touch on any news that is unrelated to work and can hardly even spare time for breakfast with family. Are you that one whose favourite tune is the chime of email notifications? Constantly brooding over targets and KPIs and making little time for self.

Early mornings, late nights, no breaks- this is the story of many young people. Yes, you love your job and building a flourishing career in that field is a dream you live by. You put in the work and invest time honing your craft. However, one important question to ask is if you can still carve out time to take care of yourself, breathe and just balance your life?

Self care is important if you want to maintain a healthy work-life balance while building a career. It is possible to get carried away with the hustle and bustle and forget to take care of yourself. Investing all your time in your job does not only impact your social life negatively, but it can also be detrimental to your health. Not only will your friends get tired of inviting you to hang out with them, but you will also feel a lot of mental pressure and stress.

 

If you need to be further convinced about why work-life balance is extremely important, here are five good reasons why you should make time for yourself:

  1. Work-life balance helps to maintain your physical health

An unhealthy balance leaves you prone to mental pressure and stress. Constant exposure to stress increases your risk of major health problems like heart disease and obesity. Having little or no time for yourself may cause you to neglect your wellbeing, begin to stress eat and cultivate other unhealthy habits that will be detrimental to your health.

When you have a healthy balance, you can allocate time to activities that enhance your health like going to the gym and cooking healthy meals.

2. It helps to increase your productivity

When employees are happy, they will be motivated and productivity will increase. Placing pressure on workers and having them devote all their time to work hardly ever yields the desired result.

If you can make time to do other things in your personal life and engage in your favourite hobbies, it will improve your creativity and leave you feeling refreshed and make you more likely to perform better at work.

 

Work-life balance also helps minimize the risk of frequent burnout

3. It gives you general fulfilment 

One of the most important reasons to maintain a work-life balance is for your fulfilment, peace of mind and happiness. When you can maintain a thriving personal life, you will feel in charge of your own emotions and ultimately happier for it.

 

4. Work-life balance helps you maintain your mental health

Spending too much time working can leave you with negative emotions like sadness, depression, anxiety and irritation that you may not even have time to process. These emotions remain bottled up and can cause your mental health to deteriorate pretty quickly.

5. Balancing your work and personal life helps improve your relationships

Maintaining relationships requires time and effort. Spending most of your time working implies that you have less time for your family and these bonds may suffer due to your tight schedule.

Building personal relationships and being able to spend time with them makes you happier and helps you de-stress.

 

You will feel so much better after having a swell time with your family or just catching up with the guys on a weekend.

Do you now see how work-life balance can help your career progress and also keep you happy? You do not have to sacrifice your personal time for your job. Learn to prioritize your tasks and know the limits of your body so you do not push too hard. Build strong, healthy boundaries too. Remember, your health is of utmost importance, so do not forget to visit your doctor regularly to get checked out. If you feel stressed and you require medical attention, speak to a doctor on Doctall for advice.

Best Foods to Build Your Immune System During The Pandemic

At the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, we heard of several mixtures which some people boasted could either cure or prevent the virus. From pungent garlic to salt and water mixture to turmeric and the good ‘Ol ginger. As ridiculous as these theories and concoctions sound, some of these food ingredients have their benefits in the fight against COVID-19 as they help in boosting your immune system, even though they cannot cure or prevent infection with the virus.

Staying safe and adhering to COVID-19 precautions is still the surest way to protect yourself, however, it is also important to keep your immune system in top form. It is your body’s best shot should you come in contact with the virus. Your body’s immune system is a defense mechanism against infections. A strong immune system protects you from viral and bacterial infections which come with symptoms like flu, fever and colds. When your immune system is weakened, your risk of getting these infections and falling sick will increase.

Boosting your immune system involves adopting a healthy lifestyle and eating the right foods. Some foods can give your immune system a stronger fighting chance and increase your possibility of survival.

 

Foods that boost immune system during COVID-19 include:

  • Citrus fruits:

Citrus fruits contain high amounts of Vitamin C and they help to build the immune system. This is why most people who have caught a cold or are generally sick are advised to eat them. Citrus fruits include oranges, lemons, grapefruits, lime, tangerine and lemons

  • Garlic:

Garlic is both a food ingredient and medicine. It contains compounds that boost the human immune system. These compounds work by enhancing the response of some white blood cells in the body and their ability to fight viruses that the body encounter, especially the ones that cause cold and flu.

  • Ginger:

Ginger is rich in gingerol which contains a lot of antioxidants. It helps fight inflammation and maintains a healthy immune system. Ginger is used as a home remedy for conditions like the flu, stomach aches, vomiting and common cold. Apart from strengthening the immune system, it can also help digestion and keep your blood sugar and cholesterol level within the normal range.

  • Yogurt:

 

 

Yogurts like Greek yogurt can help build your immune system and help fight infection. Yogurts are also a great source of Vitamin D. You can add fruits and honey to your plain yogurt to provide more flavour and even more nutrients to boost immunity.

  • Vegetables (Carrots, spinach, Broccoli):

 

 

Vegetables, especially the colourful ones like carrot contain a high amount of vitamin A, which is known to be an infection fighter. Sweet potatoes, pumpkins and dark leafy green vegetables should also be major and frequent parts of your diet to boost your immune system against COVID-19

  • Turmeric:

 

Turmeric contains high amount of curcumin which can help improve your immune system. Turmeric also possesses anti-inflammatory properties that can help remedy an inflammation of the sinuses.

  • Poultry:

Poultry products like chicken and turkey are rich in vitamin B6 which helps support biochemical reactions in the immune system. The protein in poultry can also help improve your immunity.

With the cases of COVID-19 steadily increasing, it is more imperative than ever to have a functioning, healthy immune system. Proper diet is important for maintaining and strengthening of your immune system. Although these foods or other supplements will not cure the infection, they will help your chances of recovery. Other tips that will boost your immune system and increase your chances include staying hydrated, exercising regularly, and getting a lot of rest and sleep.

Please visit Doctallpedia to read more on COVID-19. If you notice any symptom, book an appointment to speak with a doctor online using Doctall.

Five Reasons why You Should Never Skip Breakfas

Clock is ticking, you are almost late for work. What is breakfast when you could get a query? “Skip”, your mind tells you.

Should you listen? Should you not? Well, you should not.

There are tons of reasons why you should never skip breakfast even though many people are guilty of missing it. It is easy for you to get too busy in the mornings and tell yourself that you can always just wait till lunch. Ever heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? You probably have, but do you know why experts think it is that important? Eating breakfast makes you function a lot better during the day and is beneficial to your health as well.

Here are five reasons why it is important for you to never skip breakfast:

 

  1. Breakfast gives you energy

When you are not eating, your liver breaks down glycogen and releases it into your bloodstream to keep your sugar levels within the normal range. If you sleep for a while, say seven hours, it means you have gone at least seven hours or more without food. That is, of course, assuming you do not eat in your sleep. Your glycogen stores get depleted and when it has all been used up, your body begins to use fatty acids for energy. But these fatty acids do not get completely oxidized because there is no carbohydrate, and this can cause a depletion in your energy levels.

Eating breakfast provides the carbohydrate for complete oxidation and a boost in your energy levels.

 

2. Breakfast improves your mental ability

Being hungry in the mornings can make you feel slow and unable to concentrate because your brain lacks the glucose it needs to get to work. Having breakfast helps maintain your blood sugar levels and this can help improve your attention span and ability to focus. It might even help you get more creative and productive at work.

 

3. It can help to maintain your weight

You might think skipping breakfast will help you control your weight, but in reality, it can do the exact opposite. Not eating for a long time can affect your body’s insulin response and cause it to store more fat. Skipping breakfast can also increase the possibility that you will be desperate for a quick bite. Extreme hunger can make you do unhealthy things even when you want to be conscious of your diet

 

4. Healthy breakfasts reduce the risk of chronic diseases

Maintaining good dieting habits and eating healthy food can reduce the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes. Your diet largely determines the state of your health. So, if you eat healthy, you will be more likely to remain healthy.

 

5.Eating breakfast is heart-friendly

You want to keep your heart healthy, right? Skipping breakfast can increase your cholesterol levels, which can lead to heart disease. It can also cause your blood pressure to rise. Breakfast can help reduce your blood pressure and make your heart function better.

 

Now you see why breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Even when you are tempted to ignore it because you are not hungry, try to get something healthy into your body to keep your brain going. If you want to be productive at work and have a good day, having breakfast is a good step in that direction. Do not be in so much of a hurry that you forget what your body needs. Your health is your wealth and should always be your priority. Stay healthy, stay active and eat your breakfast today and every other day!

Genotype and Sickle Cell

Healthy and active children can be a handful but not many parents will have it any other way. Deciding to have children biologically is a big deal. It is your responsibility as a parent to ensure to the best of your ability, that you have a healthy child. This is why you and your partner should determine your biological compatibility before having a child to ensure you give that child the best chance at a healthy life.

When a child is born, they normally inherit two copies of the gene that produces a protein called beta-globin. This protein is needed to produce the normal haemoglobin, which gives the genotype AA. Haemoglobin functions as an oxygen transporter to all parts of the body.

 

Sickle Cell Trait

Having a sickle cell trait implies that a person inherits one copy of the genotype for sickle cell (S) from one of their parents and the normal gene A from the other parent.

People who are born with a sickle cell trait do not usually experience any problems because the amount of sickle haemoglobin is not sufficient to cause sickle shaped cells. However, they can pass this gene onto their children.

 

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)

Having sickle cell disease means that the person inherits an abnormal haemoglobin gene from both birth parents. When a person is born with sickle cell disease, it means that the haemoglobin is sickle shaped. Normal haemoglobin should be round and smooth but sickle cell disease makes it curved like a sickle and sticky. This makes it difficult for the cells to move through blood vessels and they may clog up the vessels. As a result of this, oxygen is not transported to the tissues and this causes severe pain and in some cases damage to the oxygen deprived areas.

 

Sickle cell disease is characterized by symptoms like:

  • Anemia: This is due to the premature death of red blood cells usually leading to a shortage in the amount of red blood cells in the blood
  • Swollen limbs due to the obstruction of blood flow to the hands and feet
  • Frequent infections in cases where the spleen becomes damaged, leaving the individual vulnerable to infections
  • Delayed growth caused by the inability of red blood cells to effectively transport nutrients and oxygen

 

Types of Sickle Cell Disease

The common types of sickle cell disease are:

  • HbSS (SS genotype):

    This kind of SDC is usually called Sickle cell anemia and it occurs when an individual inherits a sickle cell gene (S) from each parent. It is the most severe form of SCD

  • HbSC (SC genotype)

    : This is caused by inheritance of the genotype for sickle cell “S” from one parent and another abnormal gene called ‘‘C’’ from the other.

  • HbS beta thalassemia

    : This is caused when a person inherits the S sickle cell gene from one of their parents, and from the other, gets a beta thalassemia gene. Beta thalassemia is a kind of anemia.

There are other rare kinds of SCD such as HbSD, HbSE and HbSO. People born with any of these types of SCD inherit the “S” sickle cell gene and another abnormal gene like “D”, “E” or “O”.

The only effective cure for SCD is a bone marrow or stem cell transplant.

People who intend to have children biologically are advised to talk to a doctor on Doctall and know their genotype and that of their partner to completely avoid the risk of having a child with sickle cell disease.