Temptations & Ambitions

Some oral ulcers never seem to go away, with no signs (and symptoms) of healing. Of course, the stages may pass from a small bump to a small ulcer and subsequently to a bigger one, and possibly swelling. Then the swelling decreases as the ulcer gets even bigger, before it slowly heals thereafter.


There are all sorts of causes for your ulcer, from trauma, stress, dehydration, mouth breather to causes like SLE and inflammatory bowel disease. Treatment may varies, but I'm sure you know your usual treatment.


Being a typical mouth breather (and also because I seldom had enough fluids), I had all sorts of reason to have mouth ulcer. Various attempts had been made, from non-intervention (control sample), Listerine, salt water, drinking more fluids, ice-cream, watermelon frost to Bonjela. Sometimes this work, sometimes that work, sometimes all doesn't work. And that leads to frustration.


The worst ulcer progression would be those which swells and show no signs of it resolving as the ulcer enlarges. Those are usually the typical ones with the worst prognosis. It usually stays on for 1 week+ before it starts to resolve. So all in, the ulcer may stay for 2-3 weeks, being an annoyance for all sorts of oral activity.

And so I've found the most radical treatment that works for me. The ulcer usually resolves within 2-3 days totally, even if it's at its largest and swelling. The reasoning behind:

Step 1:
Apply salt on the ulcer. Yeah, salt on wound is sure painful. It stings too. But it burns through the whitish layer on top of the ulcer. Til it bleeds just a bit. Too profuse bleeding may indicate that you are overdoing it. Beware some may get high from the pain. If you can't stand the pain, try using salt water. The effect may differs depending on your salt concentration in the water.
Action: - reduces the swelling through osmotic effect + thins the protective whitish layer beneath to expose possible underlying infection


Step 2:
Use listerine. Gargle your mouth with the antiseptic. Kill off any underlying bacteria on the ulcer. Don't worry, at this stage, Listerine wouldn't hurt anymore. The salt had numb out all the possible pain. Make sure the oral ulcer is sterile.
Action: -Antiseptic

Step 3:
Apply a layer of watermelon frost just enough to cover the ulcer. It's rather cooling and it actually protects the ulcer just like how your whitish layer would do. Plus, it also has some osmotic effect to reduce any further swelling (though not as strong as your pure salt application).
Action:- protect ulcer base + mild anti-swelling effect.


With this, your ulcer will heal rapidly. Of course, remember to drink enough fluids, take enough vitamin C as well as other general preventive measures. You wouldn't want them to come back. :P


Disclaimer: This is not medically proven, just sharing some experience. Possibly just a cure to your normal (infected?) aphthous ulcer. The severity of pain may vary between people, so take your own risk should you attempt this method. n_n" Do see a doctor if you have recurrent mouth ulcers or if it is associated with any fever or rashes. You may have some sort of medical illness that requires medical attention. :P

PS: The author had just done this right before blogging on this.

As many would have known, there was a recent call by the government for women to carry condoms just so that women can avoid contracting HIV. As shown by Malaysian Aids Council in the HOPE conference in UPM on the 1st-4th May, most females affected are housewives. Does it mean that housewives should carry condoms anywhere even to the market? Or do their husbands have super high sex drive that they will be doing it anytime anywhere when the need arises?

And why would women have to carry it and not the men, if HIV/AIDS discriminates no one? Shouldn't we all carry a condom anywhere if that is what we fear the most? Is this the government's religious preaching again, as in women should wear full clothing (better if wrapped like a mummy) to avoid being raped?



Back to the main issue. Do you know that the police can arrest you if you are a female carrying a condom in your bag? As prostitution is a on the rise and the most worrying potential source of HIV infection, they should be the one who should carry condoms in their bags. The Pink Triangle Foundation had always been promoting the wearing of condoms to the sex workers to prevent the transmission of HIV, only to find a dead end due to the police restriction. Any of them found with a condom will be used as a reason to arrest them for soliciting for clients. Of course, this leads to them not carrying any condoms with them and they avoided being arrested, and causing rampant HIV transmission if any of their client is HIV positive.

Yes, you would disagree and said that the sex workers should be arrested. But what happens in real life is that the sex workers are extorted for money if they are arrested, or stay in the lockup, and released days after, free to continue their service to the others. There is no rehabilitation for them and no awareness of HIV if there are no groups to educate them. So, is that really the solution?

Plus, I think it can even promote rape if every female carries a condom. The male does not need to leave behind any evidence, and does not need to worry of any precaution.

So girls out there, don't go out at night too often with a condom in your bag. You might be regarded as a sex worker. I personally think that the guys should hold the responsibility should there be a need to carry a condom. Females should learn to negotiate and say no to sex with your partner if he does not wear a condom. Peace out.

As many would have known, medical students lead one of the most stressful lives, being under constant demand of their limited time and energy. Imagine being a houseman for 2 years where you'll have to work a 36-hours shift. This happens in Malaysia, and perhaps, in other countries around the globe. I'm sure the occupational hazard being in a setting where there is no window to the world makes one to be mental enough. The comfort from sunshine is what most doctors would be craving the most. The question is, is it necessary to put yourself in such a stress? A recent article from Medscape titled "Survey the Sex Lives of Medical Students" has put medical students in the limelight.

According to the small scale of pilot project, it is definitely not an absurd case scenario where conservative minds would love to dwell in. There is a significant number of medical students suffering from sexual dysfunction without even realizing it, since they are too busy to bother about it.

With just a week into surgery posting, I can empathize what most are feeling. The everyday routine makes us too tired for anything, and we'll have to treasure our weekends as if they were sacred. We were thrown into a vast ocean and expected to swim ashore on our own, without knowing where we are in the first place. I've been up and out in the hospital from 6am-6pm with some rest during lunch time. Otherwise, we were supposed to be looking at procedures and sign our logbooks. I'll have to do venipuncture even without having done it before. I really pity those patients. *Sigh* Everything would have been fun if not for what that kills us: "Studies."

So, are there any advises for me to improve my love life? :P

I'm sure many of you readers have heard thousands and thousands of regimes to keep you fit and hassle-free. But of course, they are just advises which will not succeed most of the time. So, here's a few tips that will make you lose your weight for sure.

1. Lose your mind. Your brain is already 3 lbs of dead weight that craves for food when you're hungry. It's better if you lose your hands or your legs. It will be much lighter too.
2. Stop drinking water. Our body contain up to 75% water. So you can see how much weight we can lose by losing water. Sauna is one of the ways to lose your body water, as body fat is hard to be lost in sauna.
3. Get TB (Tuberculosis). You will experience weight loss with immediate effect. Side effects noted.
4. Get some mild form of treatable cancer. You will lose up to 30% of your current weight and be happy as an anorexic model.
5. Take some thyroid-enhancing pills or get hyperthyroidism. You will remain as slim as possible while chomping off the extra calories without worries, if bulging eyes is not one of your concern, which is one of the minor problems that you may face.
6. Take in as much sugar as you can and get be diabetic. Your condition will enable you to wear a size-zero, though you may not enjoy sweet stuff anymore.
7. Remove your gallbladder. You will not be able to digest fat anymore, so they don't get to be absorbed anymore. Well, that's a good thing if you're a fat lover, although you may find that your appetite for fatty food may not be as it was before.
8. Starve yourself and skip 3 meals a day. In no time, you will be a hardcore fan of World Vision's Skip-A-Meal Campaign and you can donate the money you save to them. A worthy cause huh? If you're lucky enough, you might as well make a will so that they inherit all your money after you had starve to death.
9. Go for liposuction. Let the doctors clean off your fat layer just like how you scrub your toilet floors. Minor bruises will be your slightest concerns.
10. Get addicted to love. Get yourself a boyfriend/girlfriend and be a hardcore lover. Get dumped and you'll find yourself losing weight rather quickly.
    

I guess that's all for now. This top 10 ways will guarantee you a 100% effective weight-losing regime, otherwise you can look for me. Of course, these methods are good if you're willing to compromise. So, enjoy your new 'regime'!

Disclaimer: The author shall not be held liable for any health-related problems caused by the above-mentioned regime, which covers aspects of physical, mental, social and spiritual health. Vaccination against idiocy is not provided if there is any reader who decides that the methods mentioned above are feasible. The author himself do not practise and do not actuallt support for such regimes, and decides that it is just a joke, Please do not take it seriously as they are just for gags.

Milk and Honey - Traditional Method to Sleep Better

What you need to cure insomnia without Chipster is just the normal method.

Recipe:
1 Glass of Milk
1 Tablespoon of Honey

First, warm the milk. I use microwave for mine though. Then add in a tablespoon of honey and stir well. It works for me. Doze off in 15 minutes and satisfied. All thanks to Pamsong. Next time, there'll be no problem with insomnia anymore!

GAY BOWEL SYNDROME : Think Twice Before You Turn Over to the "Other Side"
I have encountered a few gay friends of mine and share their experience VERBALLY. Well, of course, homosexuals are prohibited in this country, thus they are usually 'underground'. Ask them and they can tell you the secluded spots in shopping centers where the CCTVs are not present, be it Mid-Valley, KLCC or Times Square in KL. I'm sure there are more, but a few names here would be sufficient to generate some interests and to respect their privacy.

The first term you need to be well aware of, is the homosexuals' term which would be of severe repercussion to put it here. I am here to expose it here with intention to give some light and sight into their lives. Homosexuals DO have their cliche in Universities as well. They lead normal lives just like everyone else. And yet, they share a secret code between them. A CODE which no one shall know unless they are in the homosexuals cliche. And the code?

It's just as simple as asking another guy a harmless question, "Are you PLU?" A yes would confirm the identity while a blurred look would indicate otherwise. I'm not one of them, but I have indeed, been asked this question from a private HP number. Rest assured I am straighter than a straight line.

One would ask, how is a life of a gay would seem to be like? As males had always been the ones with high sex drive, 2 males would mean disaster. Of course, though, I can name a few girl friends of mine who would have an even higher drive than males. But the point is, homosexuals has always been linked to sex. This is partially true though. There are also gays who would seek a 'love' relationship just like between a male and a female. Understanding, caring, loving, you name it, they got it. The challenge is worse than females for this kind of men as they typically face gays who seek sex more often than love. What is hope when you have to meet so many sex maniacs in hope of looking for a Mr Right one, which possibly would not show up anyway?


Now, the main topic of the day: The repercussion of being a gay. Apart from AIDS, there's always this condition called Gay-Bowel Syndrome, a medical condition discovered and named in 1976. These men have an unusually high frequency of anorectal and colon diseases in a typical clinical pattern, although it is not restricted to males homosexuals only (I think you readers know why).

Well, sexually transmitted diseases usually happen in the genitals area. But since MSMs (Men who have sex with men) do not practice the conventional way, the anorectal and colon became a new site for such diseases. Among the maladies include HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, amebiasis, shigelosis, hepatitis, showing a range from bacteria, protozoa to viruses.

However, angered homosexuals activists had took the effort to bring this issue public as they felt that this gay bowel syndrome is a bias and violation of human rights for them. Gay Bowel Syndrome had almost become obsolete and seldom used. Most online articles are brought done as such not to insult the homosexual community. Yet, one could not deny the fact that there is a high risk of this condition among male homosexuals, MSMs)

Therefore, think twice of this condition if you have ever considered 'switching' over to the other side.

Bedtime Snacks to help induce sleep

Below is an article from Yahoo regarding food snacks that aid a person to sleep (By Joy Bauer):
One of the best natural sedatives is tryptophan, an amino acid component of many plant and animal proteins.

Tryptophan is one of the ingredients necessary for the body to make serotonin, the neurotransmitter best known for creating feelings of calm, and for making you sleepy.However, the trick is to combine foods that have some tryptophan with ample carbohydrate. That’s because in order for insomnia-busting tryptophan to work, it has to make its way to the brain.

Unfortunately, all amino acids compete for transport to the brain. When you add carbs, they cause the release of insulin, which takes the competing amino acids and incorporates them into muscle…but leaves tryptophan alone, so it can make its way to the brain, be converted to serotonin, and cause sleepiness.

Serotonin-producing bedtime snacks should be no more than 200 calories and should be eaten at least 30 minutes prior to bed.

Here are a few great ideas:

Bedtime Snacks for Adults

• 6-8 oz container of non-fat, flavored yogurt topped with 2 tablespoons low-fat granola cereal
• Sliced apple with 1-2 teaspoons natural peanut butter
• 3 cups low-fat popcorn sprinkled with optional 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Bedtime Snacks for Teens

• One cup healthy cereal with skim milk
• Low-fat granola bar
• Scoop of vanilla or strawberry low-fat ice cream

Bedtime Snacks for Children

• 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla pudding
• 1/2 banana with 1-2 teaspoons peanut butter
• One cup skim milk with a bunch of grapes (or other fruit)

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Now, I'm not really encouraging you peeps to eat more to help you sleep. It may be one of the many ways to help insomnia, but don't be too dependent on it. The very 1st reason is that you might convert the extra bedtime snack into fat (or cellulites for female.) The snacks suggested looks harmless, but they do pack a punch if you do it long enough. Here's a few extra ways to help you sleep better.

1. Exercise regularly. Exercise should be sufficient if you manage to sweat it out 3 times a day, 20 minutes per session. Exercise aids in releasing chemicals like endorphins which stimulate our brain and has euphoric effects. Plus, when it drains enough of your physical energy, you tend to sleep better as you won't be feeling physically restless but mentally tired, a usual symptom of insomnia for some.
2. Do Yoga. Yoga has been proven to help relax the mind, so it really does help cure insomnia. Avoid those radical instructors whose aims are to break your bones and dislocate your joints.
3. Read a book. Get the most boring book ever that would make you sleep. It can be your course textbooks or any classic literature. For beginners, I would recommend Shakespeare for maximal effect. At least if it doesn't work, your friends would be impressed with your knowledge of Shakespeare's work! How bout that!!
4. Chat with your grandparents. No offense, but I bet most youngsters would be bored out, so this is a good effort for grandchild-grandparents bonding time. Your grandparents would understand if you had fallen asleep, and you might get a bigger Ang Pow for your next Chinese New Year because you might be your grandparents' favourite grandchild! For adults above 35, try your parents. *smirk*
5. "Fasten" your time sense. A human's time sense has an internal biological clock, so try tricking it. For example, if it's 11pm, tell yourself that it's 3am. It may not have immediate effect, but the time you needed to fall asleep would decrease slowly.
6. Avoid stress. Yes, stress is a major risk for insomnia. So avoidance is beneficial. So, put your books or work aside for a few days and relax. Go for a vacation. Avoid girlfriends or wives. They can be another stress-inducer. Caution: Your stress level may increase after you come back to work.
7. Drugs. This is a last resort as it can cause dependence. Consult your family physician before considering to take them.

Hope my advise could help you!

(Disclaimer: Do not treat the advice seriously as it may not work for certain people. If you have a serious insomnia, consult your doctor. Readers' discretion is advised)