The weather is finally getting better and you can’t enjoy it because allergies are troubling you? We have 6 tips to help you keep allergies at bay.
A cold nose, watery, swollen eyes and difficulty breathing? You are not alone in this. A study by Eucerin from 2017 shows that around 16% of Germans also struggle with pollen. However, the study also shows that those affected do not want to be restricted by their allergy. Just staying inside instead of enjoying the sun outside cannot be a solution either. We have 6 hacks for allergies and we know how to cope with everyday life despite flying pollen.

Allergy tip # 1: get out at certain times

Hay fever is caused by pollen from grass, trees and herbs. If these get into the mucous membranes, the affected person will experience an allergic reaction. In summer, this is usually triggered by grass pollen. In order to avoid the cause, you should know when the pollen concentration in the air is highest – or lowest.
In the city, this is usually the case in the evening, between 7 p.m. and midnight. Even in the early morning between six and eight o’clock there is less pollen in the air, especially in rural areas. You should remember these times – for the next walk, for the jogging round – or for airing! Or you can download a pollen app. This can give a very precise indication of the current load in your environment.

Allergy tip # 2: change bed linen more often

What is particularly important in the spring and summer months: Change your bed linen more often than usual. Pollen always sticks to the clothes and one or the other pollen finds its way into the bedroom when airing. Therefore, change and wash the bed linen more often than you would otherwise, preferably every four to five days.
This not only prevents constant sneezing and coughing, which keeps you from sleeping – it also makes you feel fresh. Because there is hardly a better feeling than lying in a newly made bed, freshly showered.

Allergy tip # 3: Don’t let laundry dry outside

Since you bring pollen into your home with your clothes, you shouldn’t leave your clothes in the same room where you sleep. Since you should wash your laundry more often during the high pollen season anyway, you can put them in the laundry basket right away. However, do not dry your laundry outside where pollen will re-infest your clothes. During the high pollen concentration, it is better to rely on the dryer – or on the classic clothes horse in the apartment.

Allergy tip # 4: shower before bed

The bed linen has been changed, the clothes in the wash – now it’s about you. The pollen also collects in the hair and sometimes on the skin. So if you want to go to sleep calmly, you should quickly jump into the shower before going to sleep. This ensures a restful night that is not interrupted by allergic reactions.

Allergy tip # 5: drink tea!

Green tea strengthens the immune system , ginger and nettle have anti-inflammatory effects, while peppermint tea reduces swelling. In order to support your body in defending itself, you should cook one of the above-mentioned teas every now and then – ideally also for prevention.

Allergy tip # 6: Diet rich in vitamins

Vitamins C and E act as antioxidants and prevent the allergy messenger substance histamine from being released. Allergy sufferers should therefore strengthen their immune system by making their diet as rich in vitamins as possible. Vitamin E in particular is said to be able to neutralize the red, runny nose during the pollen season. Vitamin E is mainly found in nuts and vegetable oils, while vitamin C is found in vegetables and fruit.

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A certain protection from Covid-19, we know, is already guaranteed after the first administration. But how much, to be precise? This English study tries to give an answer.

Vaccination against Covid-19 continues throughout Italy, despite the various difficulties related to the procurement, distribution and safety checks of the various types of vaccines. And so the number of those people who have received at least their first dose rises, and who therefore – as the experts explained to us during these – can already count on a certain degree of protection. But how much, specifically, are you protected from the risk of contracting Covid with a single dose of vaccine? And how can all this impact the safety of one’s family?

The English study

A single dose of the coronavirus vaccine can reduce transmission within a family by up to half, a study by Public Health England (Phe), a health institute linked to the UK Department of Health, found. It is worth remembering that the vaccination campaign in England is very advanced , with a large portion of the population having already completed the cycle. 

Well, people infected with the coronavirus three weeks after receiving a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine were between 38% and 49% less likely to pass the virus to their family contacts than those who did not. had been vaccinated, the Phe study found. As for the vaccinated, protection was observed for approximately 14 days after administration, with similar levels regardless of age or contacts. After a single dose – of both vaccines – the risk for a vaccinated person of developing a symptomatic infection is reduced by between 60 and 65%; the protection then becomes even higher following the recall with the second dose, which in Great Britain also occurs 3 months after the first. Several studies have already shown that being vaccinated significantly reduces the risk of being infected (and therefore the consequent risk of being contagious for others); the new study – reads the statement from Public Health England – shows that in the case of vaccinated people, three weeks after the first dose, the probability of infecting family members is also lower (between 38 and 49%).

The effects on the pandemic

Johnson’s government health minister, Matt Hancock, hailed the study’s findings as “fantastic news.” “We already know that vaccines save lives, and this study is the most comprehensive compendium of data in the real world to show that they break the transmission of this virus as well. Which further reinforces the fact that vaccines are the best way out of this pandemic as they protect you and can prevent you from unknowingly infecting someone in your family, ”Hancock said urging everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

The empirical data confirm the coincidence between the widening of the vaccine basin and the collapse of cases of contagion since the immunization campaign began in December, which in Great Britain has already reached 34 million people and 13 million people with the first dose. the second. The Phe study, still in the pre-publication phase, involved more than 57,000 people from 24,000 households, noting that families are high-risk environments for transmission and provide early evidence on the impact of vaccines in preventing transmission. 

Similar results could be expected in other settings with similar transmission risks such as shared housing or prisons, Phe notes. According to Dr. Mary Ramsay, head of Phe immunization, vaccines are the viaticum to return to normal life, as well as confirm the new guidelines of the CDC, the US health agency, which have given the green light vaccinated to return to outdoor activities without a mask also with others. «Vaccines are essential – said Dr. Ramsay – to help us return to a normal lifestyle. Not only do vaccines reduce the severity of the disease and prevent hundreds of deaths every day, but now we see that they also have an additional impact in reducing the possibility of transmitting Covid-19 to others ». Some studies on empirical data collected by the CDCs in the US seem to indicate that after vaccination it is difficult to become contagious and even this English research would seem to corroborate them. 

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The so-called Beau lines, horizontal lines or real grooves on the nail, would be one of the effects of the coronavirus on the body. Here’s what the experts say.

The streaked nails could suggest that you have passed Covid-19 , perhaps even without your knowledge. It is a relief that comes from Great Britain – in fact it has entered a post-Covid phase, and where studies on the effects of the disease are multiplying. Through the Zoe Covid Sympton Study app, British researchers are now able to obtain information from a large number of people and “map” all symptoms related to Covid , including vaccine reactions. Professor Tim Spector, researcher of the Zoe app by posting a photo on Twitter has suggested that nails may be an important source for recognizing if there has been a Covid infection. The nails in fact “resume growing after the infection leaving a clear line.”

Also known as Beau’s lines, horizontal grooves or indentations appear on the nail plate – the outer surface of the nail that rests underneath the nail bed – and can be caused by stopping nail growth due to injury or illnesses, as happens for example with a certain frequency to athletes who, due to various bruises, have effusions under the nail, which becomes black as a bruise before falling. There the growth stops and when it resumes it will be very evident the concretion of the new nail along a horizontal line, precisely the line of Beau. In the case of Covid, without obviously falling of the nail, there would be a halt in growth and a signature when it resumes: prof. Spector noted that, in Covid patients, they can occur without the presence of rashes or other discomfort . This phenomenon has been commonly noted by various scientific observations. 

Beau’s lines, transverse indentations in the nail of many, or all, fingernails and sometimes toenails tend to appear, according to doctors and dermatologists, between two and three weeks after the disease in the case of the fingers. and a little later in the toenails , but they are completely harmless. They simply signal the sudden interruption of growth, but they are not an exclusive signal of Covid. According to the scientific literature, they can also appear for a wide range of other causes: as mentioned, for injuries and trauma to the nail, but also for eczema, severe malnutrition, Raynaud’s disease, hypertension, epilepsy, renal failure, Kawasaki disease and chemotherapy. They have also been associated with high fever, which is one of the key symptoms of the coronavirus in some, but also with many other ailments including scarlet fever, pneumonia and malaria. 

Researchers note that nails tend to return to normal if the underlying condition is resolved, as is the case with the regrowth of a lost nail due to friction or bruising. The regrowth is however rather slow and it will take no less than six months for the nails to grow and the scratches to completely disappear as the nail is brought forward. If, on the other hand, it does not grow or more lines appear it may be worth consulting a dermatologist or family doctor to find out what other underlying condition – which you do not know – could be the cause. Another nail change that appears to be linked to coronavirus is the presence of red crescent marks on the nails near the cuticles., although the researchers aren’t sure what to attribute them to: it is speculated that this symptom may have something to do with vascular inflammation caused by the virus.

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Many people work at home in conditions that cause back pain. With these expert tips you can prevent problems.

Working in the home office can not only be psychologically stressful, but also pose a challenge to the body: Many people sit in improvised workplaces, for example at the kitchen table or even on the sofa. 

In addition, many exercise routines are eliminated at home: if you eat, sleep and work in the same place, you only cover short distances. There is no way to and from the office, and there is no need to move around between meetings or lunch with colleagues.

More back problems from working from home

And even if you have managed to set up a workplace at home away from the sofa, it is often not ergonomic. You can tell whether a table is too high or too low by your own posture: so that your shoulders relax, your arms should rest on the table at a right angle as possible. Otherwise you sit hunched over, your neck and shoulders tense – and pain occurs.

The chiropractor Dr. Lyana Nepia noted. She says, “There has been a massive increase in back problems in the past few months because most people suddenly start working at makeshift desks at home.” In the end she had to repeatedly explain the importance of good posture. 

The screen should be at eye level

How do you achieve a healthy posture at home? “First, check the height of your screen or monitor,” advises the chiropractor. It is important that this person is at eye level so that you can keep your head upright. (Similar Topic: Digital eye exhaustion: This helps with tired and stressed eyes)

“Your head weighs as much as a bowling ball,” says the expert. If it is not optimally aligned, but tilted forwards or backwards, this affects the entire body. “The joints and muscles of the spine are stressed and the jaw is blocked.” 

Bad posture has many effects

As a result, nerves in the spine become irritated, which can cause back pain and headaches. “Bad posture can also lead to more subtle changes, such as a drop in energy levels and focus,” says Nepia.

Anyone who already suffers from neck and back pain should do exercises regularly throughout the day. “This includes not only stretching, but also dynamic, mobilizing exercises that create movement between the individual vertebrae,” advises the expert. Cat-cow exercises from yoga or hip circles are suitable for this. 

Preventing pain through good posture

If you already suffer from pain, it is better to consult a registered chiropractor or osteopath who will examine the spine or see a doctor. The best thing, however, is not to wait for the pain to develop, but to take care of your spine every day.

It is best to check again and again whether you are sitting or standing upright: You should stand or sit in such a way that your chin is tilted slightly downwards and pulled backwards, so that you yourself have the feeling that you are doing a double chin. You should also pull your shoulder blades back and down – as if you wanted to put them in your back pocket. 

Imagination helps: a string pulls at the back of the head

When standing, you should also make sure that the tailbone is pulled down slightly so that you do not get into the hollow back. “It helps if you imagine that there is a piece of string tied to the back of your head and someone is pulling the string towards the ceiling,” says Nepia.

This also applies to sitting. “It’s also best here to lean back slightly instead of sitting completely upright,” says the expert. “This has been shown to be the least stress on the intervertebral discs in MRI scans.” 

Dynamic posture by working while standing

In any case, it’s best to keep changing your posture. “You can have the best chair in the world, but you end up not moving for hours,” says Nepia. “That’s why a standing desk is so much healthier: you change positions automatically during the day.”

Some manufacturers have therefore recently developed mobile solutions for standing desks. Among them is Harmoni . Founder and CEO Nathan Hornstein himself worked for many years in tech companies such as Myprotein or The Hut Group in England. “Often the equipment was not good there,” he says. “I also know that from co-working spaces.”

If you have poor equipment, your motivation suffers

The founder has also made the experience that only a few people find optimal conditions in the home office in order to be able to work healthily. “The result is poor posture, which often leads to back pain and headaches, right up to long-term damage such as cardiovascular diseases.”

And motivation also suffers: “If I have the feeling that I cannot work at home and at the end of the day I am plagued by back pain, work is less fun, of course,” says Hornstein. His company has therefore developed a mobile solution, i.e. a standing desk that can be set up and dismantled in a few simple steps. The aim is to motivate people to work while standing. 

Sitting for long periods is unfavorable

Working while standing makes sense because the body is anatomically not designed for long periods of sitting. It is not only important to move the joints, long periods of sitting are also fatal for the circulatory system: it puts the metabolism and the cardiovascular system on the back burner and reduces calorie consumption. As a result, a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and even diabetes. Sitting for long periods of time can also put strain on the leg veins and blood vessels, increasing the risk of thrombosis.

Anyone who cannot or does not want to work standing up at home should therefore get up regularly and move around briefly – at least once an hour. It makes sense to set a reminder if you otherwise work past this point in time.

More tips to keep fit in lockdown at home:

1. Go for a walk during your lunch break. Motivation increases when you set up a step challenge with colleagues.

2. Drink at least two liters of water a day and, above all, make sure that coffee is not the only liquid that you put into your body. It can help to set a timer here, but there are also a number of apps that remind you to drink and with which you can record the amount of drink.

3. Invest in a good daylight lamp to stay awake and increase serotonin levels.

4. Ventilate regularly to combat fatigue and get adequate oxygen. The room temperature should also not be more than 22 degrees Celsius.