Daily Archives: February 12, 2021

Before, During and After A Storm: What You Need To Do

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Have you ever been caught in a heavy storm, like a hurricane, a flood, or a typhoon? If you have experienced one, you will know how utterly terrifying it can be and the devastating damage it can cause – billions of dollars a year across the world. There are, however, a few steps that you can proactively take yo to protect your family and your property before a storm takes hold. This can minimize the damage to your property and potentially even save lives.     

Here, we look at some of the things that you can do before, during, and after a storm to keep you, your family, and your property as safe as possible.

Image via Unsplash CC0

Before the storm

If you live in an area prone to extreme weather, it is a good idea to have a plan in place for storms anyway, but once one has been forecast, it is time to finalize it. Write it out and have it in a place that is accessible for everyone – taped up by the front door or in a cupboard in the kitchen. By doing this, everyone will know where to go and what to do should an emergency occur. You may want to identify a meeting place as well, just in case of separation. A known landmark is ideal for this. You also want all the emergency numbers in place such as your utility providers, insurance companies, and a Storm Damage Repair company.

It is also a good idea, if possible, to make a family member or friend who lives outside the city or state your emergency contact, just in case the worst happens, and make sure they know who to contact if you do not get in touch with them. Remember to give them a call or send them a message to let them know that once the storm has passed, you are safe, to avoid them unnecessarily worrying.

During the storm

It is important to stay away from any exterior doors, windows, and skylights, assuming you have not evacuated and have remained in your home. The best places to head to with pillows and duvets are usually an interior space, closet, or bathroom and curl up until it is over. Until you hear confirmation that the storm has passed, remain where you are – the storm’s eye will cause a misleading lull in the winds, and when it starts up again, you don’t want to be caught out! Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors shut if you lose power, to avoid spoiling any perishable food.

After the storm

The first thing you need to do is check that the structure is secure and look for any signs of gas or water leakage and electrical and sewage system disruption. Keep away and contact your gas and service provider to report the issue if you are uncertain, or you smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise. Keep away from any collapsed power lines. 

Being caught out in a storm is terrifying, but preparation can take some of the stress away. While you have survived the storm, it’s always a good idea to have an idea of what you may need to bring yourselves back up to speed. You will need to assess the damage afterwards, and contact the insurance company, but if if you start to think about the top recommended patio door company providers, roofing companies, and other aesthetic components, it can get you back on your feet quickly. It is so important to prepare for a storm, but a lot of the aftermath and admin can be reduced too! Good luck!

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3 Things You Need to Open Your Own Medical Practice

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So, you’ve gone to medical school, done your residency and now you’re a fully licensed medical professional. What do you do next? Do you find employment at the local hospital, or do you open your own practice and become your own boss? The latter is often the most popular choice. You can get to put your newfound knowledge into something you’re passionate about whilst doing things your way. That’s right, you don’t have management looming over you, and you don’t have certain policies you have to follow. You can manage your practice just how you would like to. But what does it really take to open a medical practice? This guide is here to help!

Human Resources

Of course, for any practice to succeed it needs people to work in it. Now, you can either create a solo practice, where you are solely in charge and have the employees work for you, or your can open the practice with other industry professionals and share the workload. It’s most likely that you’ll want to open a practice with a partner or even as a group. This means tasks can be delegated between owners and the workload is not unbearable. Together, you could also decide who else you need to hire for your practice. From doctors to nurses, clerical staff, and billing, you will need the right people for the job. Without these professionals, it’s unlikely that your practice will survive. This doesn’t mean, however, that you have to hire a lot of professionals. When first opening a practice, it’ll likely be quite small and intimate and as the practice grows, more staff can be bought on. Although essential, don’t overwhelm yourself with too many staff members.

Equipment

Although you and your staff members are completely knowledgeable in the field of medicine, you’ll still need specialised equipment to help you complete certain treatments. Whether it’s a sphygmometer to measure someone’s blood pressure or more advanced technology like an x-ray machine, your practice will need this equipment to treat patients properly. Medical equipment can often be expensive and that’s something every practice needs to take into account. Thankfully, however, Bosshard Medical pressure area care equipment can be rented or bought, depending on the financial status of a practice. In fact, many medical equipment suppliers will have the options to either buy or rent equipment. For beginning practices, renting is always a popular choice as it’s often more affordable than buying equipment outright. Similarly, to staffing processes, as the practice grows, more can be invested in different equipment.

Finance

As you’ve probably guessed by now, you’ll need some significant funding if you want to open your own practice. From payroll costs, equipment costs and then the costs of training, the premises, and insurances, you’re talking about a hefty sum. Although daunting, there are plenty of loans available

for physicians to look into to fund their dreams but there are also private investors out there too who are willing to invest in a start up practice. These investors can have an input in the business if that’s what’s agreed upon, or they could be an angel investor and simply supply the necessary finances and leave the running of the practice up to the medical professionals. There’s no right or wrong way to finance a new practice, it’s all about finding what option fits best.

There is a lot to do when opening a new practice and it can be an intimidating process for a lot of industry professionals. However, it’s also incredibly exciting being able to let loose with all of this new knowledge you have. There are plenty of advisors out there who can guide you when you may need a helping hand so don’t think you have to go through this alone. The time and effort you put into the practice will certainly show.

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My Top Six Car Maintenance Tips

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Vehicle maintenance is paramount to extend the life of my car. It also ensures that my vehicle doesn’t breakdown when I’m heading to work or in a remote area miles away from home. For proper car maintenance, I have these six tips up my sleeve, and they have enabled me to maintain my vehicle’s high quality for years. Just remember to keep in contact with your mechanic of choice too, whether that be enginecarbondetox.co.uk or any other expert out there.

1. Inspect My Car Often

Regular inspections help me ensure my car is in great condition at all times. Here’s what I do. Every week, I move around my vehicle to check if there is any body damage. I confirm that the tires don’t have any punctures or cuts. Additionally, I examine the windows, locks, and sunroof. If there’s an issue, I contact a trustworthy and budget-friendly technician to fix it.

2. Ensure the Engine is Functional

I maintain my car’s engine because I know the vehicle would not function properly without it. The first thing I do is to clean the engine’s exterior and interior. Then, I change the engine oil often to lubricate the moving parts and minimize wear and tear. I also clean the air filter or change it if it’s too old. This increases airflow and helps the engine to breathe. Other activities I prioritize to guarantee my car engine’s perfect condition are:

Check the belts

Exchange the fuel filter after a while

Consult a technician when the check engine light comes on

Ensure the PCV valve is okay

3. Protect My Vehicle’s Interior

The interior of my car is just as important as the exterior. Hence, I take several measures to ensure the former looks good at all times. One of them is covering most of the surfaces using seat covers and floor mats. I have declared my vehicle a no-drink and no-food zone. In addition to that, I vacuum the automobile frequently. To see to it that my leather seats don’t dry up or become discolored, I

gently wipe them with some oil after every fortnight.

Also, I noticed that grime accumulates incredibly fast on the glass and windshield. So, I purchased a quality glass cleaner to remove it. If I don’t have my favorite cleaner, I don’t mind using a microfiber cloth.

4. Check Fluids

I inspect my car’s fluids regularly. These include the engine oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, coolant, and transmission fluid. My fluid inspections enable me to know if there are any leaks and prevent them because they can affect how I drive my vehicle. I always recommend that people who do not know how to differentiate the fluids by their colors seek an experienced technician’s help. It’s always great to know how your car operates.

5. Drive Carefully

This tip is on my list of effective car maintenance strategies because it counts. What I do to take care of my vehicle doesn’t matter if I’m a reckless driver. So, I avoid habits such as quick braking, hard shifting, and riding over bumps at incredibly high speeds to reduce wear and tear. This also minimizes my fuel expenses.

On top of that, I’m focused when I’m on the road. I don’t drive while drunk, and I keep my smartphone away. It enables me to observe all traffic laws, know the condition of the road I’m on and what’s happening around me. It helps me prevent accidents and get home safely, with my car in good condition.

6. See an Expert

Apart from doing the activities mentioned above to maintain my fancy vehicle, I also take it to a professional after some months. It doesn’t even need to have a noticeable problem for me to do so. I understand that I might miss some issues since I don’t know everything about cars.

The technician checks all the components of the vehicle and confirms that they are functioning well. If there is a problem I didn’t know about, they tell me how we can solve it within the shortest time possible.

These tips have enabled me to spend less on both fuel and car repair. With them, I’ve managed to save up for other things since my car is in excellent condition and I don’t need another one. Undoubtedly, car maintenance is vital.

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Vitamin D & Depression: Fighting the Winter Blues

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                Source

What Does Vitamin D Actually Do?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble that is naturally present in certain foods and is also produced when ultraviolet rays from sunlight land on the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis. The body producing vitamin D in response to sun exposure is why vitamin D is nicknamed the “sunshine vitamin”. Vitamin D has many important functions in the body, including maintaining healthy bones and teeth through calcium absorption, promoting bone growth, protecting against diseases and conditions, and reducing inflammation.

Vitamin D and Depression

Research has connected a link between people with depression and vitamin D deficiency. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide and spikes in colder months, known as seasonal affective disorder. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is not considered a separate condition, but a type of depression with a seasonal pattern. Weather affects people’s moods. Dull, cold, rainy days make us feel gloomy and unmotivated, while sunlight breaking through the clouds can lift our spirits and give us a little feeling of hope. In fact, the vitamin D receptors in our brain are in the same locations in the brain associated with depression (i.e. the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, cingulate gyrus, thalamus, hypothalamus, and substantia nigra)

Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency

Limited Sunlight

Sunlight can be an individual’s primary source of vitamin D. During colder, darker months there is less access to the sun’s ultraviolet rays to trigger the vitamin d synthesis in the body.

Diet

There are actually very few foods that have high amounts of vitamin D. Without adding any of these foods into your diet there is a high chance that you are not getting proper amounts of vitamin D in your meals.

  • Milk
  • Fish
  • Red meat
  • Egg yolks
  • Fortified foods – certain cereals and juices

Age

Older adults have an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency because the skin’s ability to synthesize vitamin D declines with age.

Greater Amounts of Melanin

Greater amounts of the pigment melanin in the skin reduces the skin’s ability to produce vitamin D from sun exposure. 

Obesity

Obesity does not actually affect the body’s ability to produce vitamin D, but the higher levels of body mass and fat sequestered requires higher levels of vitamin D for the vitamin to work properly.

Diseases/Conditions

Since vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, conditions that affect fat absorption also affect the production of vitamin D. For example, conditions such as liver disease, cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, and Crohn’s disease all have a negative effect on vitamin D. 

Signs of Deficiency:

  • Aching bones
  • Fatigue or drowsiness
  • Weak muscles
  • Headaches

Signs of Depression:

  • Insomnia or hypersomnia
  • Loss of interest in activities you’ve previously enjoyed
  • Feelings of sadness and hopelessness
  • Loss of appetite
  • Excessive weight loss of weight gain
  • Forgetfulness
  • Struggle concentrating
  • Anxiety
  • Thoughts of suicide

Reach out to a doctor if you are having signs of depression. If you or anyone you know are having thoughts of suicide here are some support resources: 

  • Call 911
  • Go to an emergency room
  • Text HOME to 741-741 to connect with a crisis counselor at the Crisis Text Line from anywhere in the U.S.
  • Call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to be connected with a trained counselor at a crisis center anytime. People are standing by, ready to help without judgment
  • Call Samsha. 1-800-622-HELP (4357).  SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.

Solving Vitamin D Deficiency

To treat your vitamin D deficiency the obvious answer is to increase your intake of vitamin D, but how? Ways to increase your intake are:

  • Adding foods with larger amounts of vitamin D into your diet
  • Vitamin D supplements
  • Increasing your sun exposure
    • Natural sources on sunny days
    • In-home light solutions

Helpful Tips for Combating Winter Blues

If the lack of sunlight and lack of vitamin D is affecting your mental health and causing symptoms of depression, the first (and best) thing to do is always talk to a doctor and seek professional help. Outside of that, here are some self-care tips during the colder months especially that can help combat the winter blues:

  • Exercise regularly
  • Maintain a sleep schedule
  • Communicate with loved ones and keeping a support system present
  • Join a support group
  • Stay tuned in with your body
  • Create a mindfulness moment

All in All:

Vitamin D and depression have been linked through various studies, making vitamin D essential for not only your physical health but mental health as well. Getting the proper amounts of vitamin D can be hard, especially in the colder, darker months, but making efforts to include vitamin D in your diet or through supplements will help prevent a vitamin D deficiency. The winter blues can get the best of us, but if we take care of our bodies and our minds we can make it through the gloomy days and get back to the sunshine! 

Remember to please seek professional advice or help if you are experiencing any symptoms of depression. 

This article was originally published at iveeapp.com.

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