Author: VitaCare

High cholesterol is a condition when your total cholesterol or bad cholesterol ( LDL ) is too high. The national health survey in 2010 showed that 15.2 percent of Singapore residents aged 18-69 had high levels of LDL.

People who are at higher risk of getting high cholesterol include :

- Those with strong family history of high cholesterol

- People who do not watch their diet ie. taking large amounts of animal fat or who loves commercially produced food products like cookies, chips, biscuits and snacks.

- Those who do not exercise or exercise very little

- Overweight and obese individuals

- Diabetics/hypertensive patients

- Smokers

- Older age group

- Stress

When there are high amounts of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood stream, they tend to form “road blocks” in the blood vessels. 

These can results in very serious consequences like heart attack, stroke in left untreated for years.

A large majority of high cholesterol patients do not have any aches or pain. They can actually feel quite well until serious disease sets in.  Health screening is one of few tests that can detect high cholesterol. Early high cholesterol is very treatable and even potentially reversible.

The first thing to do is to identify why you have high cholesterol. 

After which, health care professionals will be able to advise on how you can change your diet and food intake and selection to treat and lower your bad cholesterol.

Starting an exercise plan or increasing the amount of exercise duration will also be very helpful. 

Lastly , there are medications to take to help improve the situation.

Try to stay off food that contain high amount of saturated fat and trans fat. Examples include: animal fat, lard, animal internal organs, chips, cookies, biscuits, butter.

Take more of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat such as : nuts, vegetables, fish. Choice of oil - choose vegetable and nut oil

When combating against bouts of diarrhea, it is always important to watch what you consume. Below is an infographic on what to avoid and to choose for your plate.

Things to avoid:
- Oily food
- Spicy food
- Excessive fructose load (like juices)
- Lactose containing milk if more than 2weeks of diarrhea (due to secondary lactose intolerance)

Things to recommend (essentially plain simple foods)
- Porridge
- Oats
- Boiled potato
- Yogurt (for probiotics)
- Banana

1) Influenza

Influenza, also known as the flu, is an infection caused by influenza viruses. Despite being commonly confused with the common cold which is caused by other respiratory viruses, influenza is usually more severe.

2) How Influenza Spreads

Influenza is spread from person to person through

● respiratory droplets propelled by coughing and sneezing.

● contact with contaminated surfaces, for example touching an object like a doorknob or telephone receiver that has been recently handled by someone who is infected with influenza and then touching the nose or mouth. Children and persons with weakened immune systems may be infectious for longer periods of time.

3) What to Do If You Have Influenza

If you suspect you have an influenza infection, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people except to seek medical care. You should also avoid strenuous physical activity such as jogging and running during the illness until complete recovery. Most people with influenza have mild illness and do not require medical care or antiviral drugs.

4) Precautions You Can Take

● Annual influenza vaccination is recommended to protect against influenza, especially for individuals belonging to populations at higher risk of complications of influenza.

● Practising good personal hygiene to prevent the spread of influenza. Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly with soap and water, especially before touching your eyes, nose or mouth

● Staying home from work or school when you are sick.