IN YOUR DAILY DOSE: Hydrogen peroxide is a potent antibacterial. Actually it’s an antiseptic which you would think would be great for cuts, scrapes and wounds. But it isn’t.  Read more about why not and what you should use to clean up your cut instead.

MAKING CHANGES: Summertime increases the number of cuts and scrapes you and your child may encounter. Here are some tips to help them heal faster.

FACT OR FICTION: Siri can come up with some pretty funny answers to some pretty basic questions. Here are ten we enjoyed.

In The News

Your mom probably used the standard brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide to clean out your cuts and scrapes when you were a kid. However, research today demonstrates that although hydrogen peroxide is a phenomenal antibacterial, it is also indiscriminate when it kills cells.

This means that it not only kills the bacteria, but also your own health cells. It works by breaking the cell membrane and reacting with an enzyme in the cell of the bacteria or your own cells. That’s what all the fizz is about. Researchers have found that this breakdown of healthy tissue in the wound leads to prolonged healing times and higher risk of scar tissue formation.

Source: http://www.advancedtissue.com/debunking-myths-wound-care/

Daily Health Tip

Your skin is the barrier between your sterile interior and not so clean outside world. When there is a break in the skin it increases your potential for an infection. Below are some ways to speed your healing and clean that cut.

Making Changes

Clean your cut with warm or cool water and fragrance and chemical free soap. You might think that all soap is created equally, but you would be wrong. Most soaps are filled with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and fragrances, all of which are dangerous to your health. Pouring that into a wound is an open invitation for those chemicals to travel into your bloodstream, wreaking havoc on your immune system and DNA.

Instead, if you don’t have soap, a thorough rinsing for 5 to 10 minutes under running water will do the trick. This often reduces the ability of the wound to clot, increasing the amount of blood. Keep the wound under water for the 5 to 10 minutes of rinsing and then use firm pressure over the top to stop the bleeding.

If the cut or wound is large, deep or bleeding profusely, it’s time to head to the emergency room for a cleaning and evaluation. Don’t try to take care of a large wound at home.

You can speed the healing time by steering clear of antiseptics in general, and hydrogen peroxide specifically.  Keep the area covered, clean and moist, using coconut oil as an antibacterial (specific to bacteria and not your cells) and to keep the area moist. Wounds that dry and form scabs heal more slowly and are more likely to scar.

Vitamins A, B-complex and C are all important to healing. Eat foods high in those vitamins or take a supplement.

Daily Affirmation

I give myself room to grow and heal from past wounds.

I validate my feelings about previous injuries, but I allow myself to move beyond the memories.

I understand it takes time to heal from injustices. I accept that my past wounds are a part of my being, but also that they are from events in the past. I can avoid letting them affect my present and future.

Fact or Fiction?

Asking questions of digital intelligence can be rather fun. Here are just 10 of 35. For a full list from CheatSheet go to their page at http://www.cheatsheet.com/gear-style/20-questions-to-ask-siri-for-a-hilarious-response.html/?a=viewall  

1. What is zero divided by zero?

Siri answers, “Imagine that you have zero cookies and you split them evenly among zero friends. How many cookies does each person get? See? It doesn’t make sense. And Cookie Monster is sad that there are no cookies, and you are sad that you have no friends.”

2. Do you have a boyfriend?

“Why?” Siri asks, “So we can get ice cream together, and listen to music, and travel across galaxies, only to have it end in slammed doors, heartbreak and loneliness? Sure, where do I sign up?”

3. I’m naked.

Siri answers either, “And here I thought you loved me for my mind. Sigh,” or “I don’t understand what you mean by ‘naked.’ Or at least I’m going to pretend that I don’t.”

4. What is the best operating system?

Siri isn’t shy about her support for iOS, answering, “Gimme an I! Gimme an O! Gimme an S! What’s that spell? Sorry, I get a little carried away sometimes…”

5. What came first: the chicken or the egg?

Siri takes a programatic approach to this philosophical query, and usually answers, “Well, you can set an egg timer, but you can’t set a chicken timer. I don’t know if that helps.”

6. What do you think about Google Now?

Siri responds derisively to the question about a product from Apple’s primary rival, “I don’t really have anything to say about Google now. Or ever.”

7. Beam me up, Scotty

Siri plays right along with this Star Trek command, answering, “Please remove your belt, shoes, and jacket, and empty your pockets.”

8. Where did I put my keys?

Siri isn’t too helpful in actually finding your keys, but she answers, “Didn’t you just have them?”

9. Testing, testing

Siri plays along and answers, “I can hear you.”

10. What are you doing later?

Siri says, “I’m working on some pickup lines.”

Have a wonderful day!

Your Healthy Life America Team