What You Can Do At Home
1. Eat a healthy and balanced diet
(See nutrition page for more details)
2. Exercise
Everyone should be doing a minimum of 30 minutes to an hour of exercise daily. To make it fun, do it as a group, or make it a challenge and set goals for yourself. There are a variety of ways to exercise including walking, running, swimming, yoga, pilates, sets of exercises, and more. For exercise that doesn’t require much space or many resources, check out our exercise cards here.
3. Limit drug and alcohol intake
Any drug ingested into the body has some level of toxicity, that when ingested takes a certain amount of time to circulate. Evidence shows that extended use of low dosage drugs (like ibuprofen) can eventually reduce effectiveness, and any extended use of drugs at high dosage damages the liver. Vitamins are only beneficial when you have a condition that would otherwise mean you can’t ingest these vitamins from food or other natural means. For example, it is often a good idea for older women to supplement their diet with iron and calcium vitamins. It is best to avoid drugs and alcohol as much as possible.
4. Sleep
Sleep is the way that your body resets and is very important for health. Adults should be sleeping at least seven to eight hours a night. Here is a video that talks about what inadequate sleep can do to your body.
Environmental Factors
The health of your surrounding environment can also affect human health. This is why it is important to take preventative measures to not only keep a safe environment but also protect yourself in an environment that might currently be polluted.
1. Air Quality
Indoor and outdoor air pollution cause an estimated nine billion deaths per year globally. Particles in the air are classified according to their diameter, and particles smaller than ten micrometers can pass into the lungs and cause serious health problems. Examples of such particles come from engine exhausts (petrol, diesel) and wood-burning emissions. Below, you can see a comparison between (from left to right) the size of the average hair follicle, fine-grained sand, a particle of ten micrometers, and a particle of 2.5 micrometers in diameter.
Protect yourself by limiting your exposure to polluted air – you can create DIY masks that limit exposure to harmful particles. For a no-sew mask, you can tie a bandana around your face or fold it and attach it with hair ties. To sew an emergency mask with fabric, check out these instructions.
2. Water Quality
Contaminated water is also a significant threat to human health, whether by ingestion or absorption through the skin (bathing or swimming). In 2015, polluted water caused 1.8 million deaths and every year it sickens about one billion people. Water can become polluted through runoff from farms and urban areas (excess fertilizer use, oils), improper sewage and waste management, and waterborne pathogens, to name a few. Luckily, the water in Armenia is known to be some of the cleanest in the world, which makes it even more important to protect this precious resource!
By following the tips on the waste page about the trash disposal, you can help keep your water sources uncontaminated. The sanitation & water page also lists tips for dealing with potentially contaminated water.
3. Biodiversity
Biodiversity is of the utmost importance in maintaining an ecosystem that can provide the goods and services you need to survive. Every species in an ecosystem is interconnected, and the loss of one species could cause the loss of another and which can compromise the functioning of these services. The greater the ability of an ecosystem to provide services like these, the less likely you are to see negative effects to health, and even the economy and politics. Examples of services that a biodiverse ecosystem provides are:
- Air and water purification
- Resilience against pests and diseases
- Soil maintenance
- Disaster mitigation and recovery
- Resources for traditional and modern medicine
One way you can help maintain local biodiversity is by planting. Plants are nature’s filters: they play a significant role in improving the Earth’s air and water quality. It is estimated that an acre of trees removes 80 lbs of pollution per year! They also have benefits such as creating oxygen, reducing erosion, cooling the area, storing carbon, and reducing UV exposure. Planting roadsides and unused fields with native plants is a great way to reduce pollution. Native plants also provide benefits to farmers by attracting pollinators, reducing pesticide use, and protecting arable land. The types of plants you can grow are highly dependent upon the climate region you are in. Tour Armenia provides lists of flora by region and Latin name.
The Armenian Tree Project not only plants thousands of trees in many regions around Armenia each year but also provides educational and work opportunities to local Armenians. Visit their website for more information.
Plants of Armenia Facebook page
Eye Health
Your eyes are a part of your body that are very hard to fix if they are treated poorly. Here are a few tips to help prevent you from needing any type of professional eye care.
1. Protective Eyewear
Wear safety glasses in areas where you are more likely to get debris in your eyes, like around construction sites, in your workshop, and in your garden. Almost half of all eye injuries happen due to a lack of protective eyewear! Wear sunglasses when the sun is bright – try to buy polarized lenses, as these reduce glare and thus excess strain that bright areas with lots of reflected light might otherwise put on your eyes.
2. Reduce Eye Strain
Always wear contacts and glasses if they are prescribed for all-day use – not using them will only put more strain on your eyes. If you feel like your eyesight is getting better and you don’t need them, don’t diagnose it yourself – visit the eye doctor to avoid making your eyes worse.
Myth |
Fact |
| It is harmful to the eyes to use a computer, video display terminal (VDT), or liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. | Using these screens can cause your eyes to feel tired or strained, but they are not harmful. To help reduce eye strain, there are special glasses you can buy for blue light. Similarly, there is not evidence that sitting too close to the TV will damage your eyes. |
| I won’t need glasses if I do eye exercises. | Eye exercises have nothing to do with the health of the eye. The physical qualities of your eye like shape and health of eye tissues are what affects eyesight. |
| Reading too much fine print and reading in poor light will damage vision. | There is no evidence that this has effects on your vision; it may cause eye strain but it will not wear your eyes out. |
| Taking a break from my glasses or contacts will give my eyes needed rest. | Trying to read or see close/far without wearing prescribed eyewear will only put more unwanted strain on your eyes. This is like trying to play soccer without a soccer ball! |
| Eating carrots will give me good eyesight. | The vitamin A in carrots helps eyes function, but this is only a very small part of having healthy eyes! |
| I don’t need an eye exam as long as my eyes are working well. | Eye exams are necessary for all ages regardless of any obvious signs or problems. Proper eye care means having annual or biennial checkups, especially if there is a history of eye problems in your family. |
If you do end up needing more extensive treatment for something, the Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP) has regional eye clinics as well as a mobile eye hospital that treat patients all around Armenia. The map below shows where they work. The AECP also has a number of programs, such as educational, community, and medical training, as well as an eyeglass program. Check out their website for more information.
Dental Health
It is important to know the major practices for maintaining healthy teeth, mouth, and gums. Eating a healthy diet and limiting the intake of sugary or acidic food and drink is a significant part of keeping your teeth healthy. See the Nutrition page for more details.
1. Brushing Your Teeth
You should be brushing your teeth at least twice a day, in the morning and at night, ideally after meals. Remember not to brush your teeth too hard, as this can hurt your gums and cause recession of the gums and lead to other tooth problems. Similarly, a toothbrush with bristles that are too soft will not be effective at scrubbing away bacteria and food particles in your mouth. Your toothbrush should be replaced when the bristles have started to lose shape and become warped, if you have been sick, or if you can’t remember the last time you bought a new one. A good rule of thumb is every three to four months, but this depends on the frequency of use and type of toothbrush. Use toothpaste with fluoride in it, unless your child is less than two years old. Fluoride strengthens teeth, protecting them from acid and thus preventing cavities and sensitivity.
2. See a dentist twice a year
Biannual checkups are important even if you see no warning signs or problems with your teeth. There are trained professionals for a reason!
Making dental care habits fun for kids will help promote their importance from a young age. Singing a song like the ABC’s or the Happy Birthday song are perfect ways to ensure they are brushing their teeth for long enough and will make it less boring!
Resources:
The Armenian EyeCare Project’s mission is to eliminate preventable blindness in Armenia and to make quality eye care accessible to everyone in the country. To complete our mission, we deliver care through a five-point strategy — direct patient care, medical education and training, public education, research, and capacity building.
Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment
This is an NGO that has many ongoing projects and activities related to Armenia’s environment and is geared towards empowering women to take action.
Այս կայքից կարող ես ստանալ օգտակար տեղեկատվություն, ինչպես նաև դիտել տեսահոլովակներ հղիության, հակաբեղմնավորիչների, սեռավարակների և վերարտադրողական առողջության հետ կապված այլ հարցերի վերաբերյալ
References:
Biodiversity. (2012, December 3). Retrieved April 27, 2020, from https://www.who.int/globalchange/ecosystems/biodiversity/en/
Davenport, T. (2019, December 11). 9 Common Dental Problems and How to Prevent Them. Retrieved from https://www.verywellhealth.com/top-common-dental-problems-1059461
Denchak, M. (2018, May 14). Water Pollution: Everything You Need to Know. Retrieved April 27, 2020, from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/water-pollution-everything-you-need-know
Eye Safety. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2020, from https://eyecareproject.com/about-the-eye/eye-safety/
Harvard Health Publishing. “Dietary Supplements: Do They Help or Hurt?” Harvard Health, www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/dietary-supplements-do-they-help-or-hurt.
Harvard Health Publishing. “How Much Exercise Do You Need?” Harvard Health, www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/how-much-exercise-do-you-need.
“Keep Your Eyes Healthy.” National Eye Institute, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/healthy-vision/keep-your-eyes-healthy.
Old Toothbrush [Photograph]. (2015). Retrieved from https://clintondentalcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/old-toothbrush.jpg
Vision Resource Center. “August Is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month.” Vision Resource Center of Berks County, 2 Aug. 2019, vrcberks.org/august-is-childrens-eye-health-month/.