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Health Lifestyle Safety Equipment

How to Fight COVID-19 with Copper-Infused Disability Equipment?

When the scientific community found out last month that the novel coronavirus which led to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic can survive for a couple of days to a week on hard surfaces such as stainless steel and glass but will perish n just a matter of a few hours after landing on copper. 

This implies to us we still have a shining beacon of hope in our fight against the coronavirus if we’ll start to use copper as the base material for a lot of medical and hospital equipment. 

Consider walking through a hospital today and you will realize that an awful lot of the disability equipment they have and use is made either from stainless steel or aluminum. 

From bed sticks and rails to handrails, bed frames to equipment racks, and UV poles — everything is usually made either from stainless steel or aluminum, but none would be made from copper. In the hospital jargon, such surfaces where patients and staff alike are likely to have contacted more frequently than others are called touch surfaces. 

Hospital tools and equipment that are built using stainless steel are easy to clean and will never corrode. These inherent qualities they come in make them the choice material for use in the manufacturing of these so-called “touch surfaces”. Nevertheless, we can’t say with finality that they are the best material there is for the production of touch surfaces. 

What makes copper lethal to microbial life? 

Scientists are looking into this with their ongoing research works, and their efforts are paying off, the reason why they’ve come up with several theories.

One of these theories has something to do with the fact that living cells come with a small amount of electrical current. They also found out that there is a voltage difference between the outside and the inside part of the cell, which they refer to as transmembrane potential.  

Evidence is suggesting that when bacteria comes in contact with copper, it causes the metal to short circuit. When this happens, it will cause the cell membrane to weaken, creating a hole in the cell.  

EPA Testing

wheelchairs

In 1983., P. Kuhn made a study which had him measure brass and steel bacterial levels on doorknobs in a hospital. He was simply astounded by the outcome when he found out that brass doorknob exhibited very little to bacterial activity or growth. Contrary to this, the stainless steel door knobs are heavily infested by bacteria. 

The results of his study spurred scientifically controlled and in-depth study, making use of the test protocols laid recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency  (EPA) which is aimed at quantifying the copper and copper alloys’ antibacterial properties.

The EPA carefully looked at these studies, reviewed them, and came up with the conclusion that copper alloys that were not coated with anything are capable of exterminating disease-inducing bacteria by at least 99.9%. 

The action begins after 2 hours of contact. This suggests that copper and copper-infused materials qualify as the perfect base material to use for surfaces that are likely to be touched most of the time. This is offering us an extra layer of defense against bacterial infections. 

To preserve copper’s inherent antimicrobial property, it should not be painted on, varnished, or lacquered. It should not be coated with anything or waxed in any way. Doing so will run the risk of attenuating this important attribute of copper. 

Similar to gaseous and liquid disinfectants, it has been found out that antimicrobial copper alloys can lower the risk of microbial contamination but may not necessarily take away the risk of cross-contamination.  

If we can incorporate the use of copper as the base material in the manufacturing phase for disability equipment, or infuse the same in the production of their parts or components, we have greater chances of further enhancing our layer of security against harmful microbial life, including the coronavirus. 

But we can’t put everything up on copper alone, it won’t be able to do the job all by itself. Hospital tools and equipment that are made from copper need sustained cleaning with respect to regular hygienic practices. Besides, we need to keep in mind that these types of alloys are not intended for drinking water applications or food-contact use. 

Fabricators, suppliers, and manufacturers with an EPA registration may take advantage of their Cu+ mark and the Antimicrobial Copper™ to show that their product offerings are created out of EPA-registered antimicrobial alloys.  

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Health

How to Thicken Hair by Taking Vitamin Supplements

When someone starts to see the inevitable signs of aging catching upon him, from the thinning of hair volume in the crown area to the receding of the hairline, almost always the seeming course of action of that individual is to look for ways on how to thicken hair.

But the million-dollar question here is “how would I do it, what can I do”? If you check out the Internet and do some research on this topic, you will realize that there is a gamut of available options on hair loss treatment. You can try some and you can try them all. Yes, this is a matter of trial and error, when it comes to finding the right treatment for hair thinning and hair loss.

The human body requires a variety of nutrients so that it will glow in the pink of health and become well. It works pretty much the same way when it comes to hair. It also needs the right amount of nutrition so it will grow healthy and vibrant. As a matter of fact, the scientific community has verified that nutritional deficiencies are sometimes associated with hair loss.

While there is a gamut of factors that can impact hair growth such as genetics, age, and hormonal imbalances and changes, one of the primary causes would be optimal nutrient intake. Below are recommended vitamins and nutrients that have a significant role to play in hair growth.

1. Vitamin A

Every single cell in the human body requires vitamin A for proper development, nourishing, and growth. Cells that are responsible for hair production are no exemption here. Hair follicles are considered by science as the fastest growing tissue in the entire human body.

Vitamin A also has a crucial role to play in the production of an oily substance in the skin glands called sebum. This substance is responsible for moisturizing the scalp in the head and thus helping hair to remain healthy and strong.

Diets that are deficient in this vitamin can eventually lead to health issues, and hair loss is among those. And while it is of paramount importance to give the human body enough vitamin A, too much of it can be deleterious. Past studies are suggesting that vitamin A overdose can also exacerbate hair loss.

Pumpkins, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and kale are some of the vegetables that are good sources of beta-carotene which will be converted into vitamin A.

You can also source vitamin A from animal byproducts such as eggs, milk, and yogurt. One good source of vitamin A is cod liver oil.

2. B-Vitamins

A biotin is a form of B-Vitamins that can significantly help in the proper growth of strong hair. The deficiency of the human body with this kind of B-vitamin can lead to hair loss in most cases.

While it is a popular alternative treatment for hair loss, those who are found out to be highly deficient from it can expect to receive the best results.

But since biotin can be derived from a wide range of food sources, the deficiency is rare. There is also insufficient proof that biotin supplementation for healthy individuals can lead to hair growth.

Other forms of B-vitamins are used in red blood cell production. These are the components of the blood whose main delegation is to bring and carry nutrients and oxygen to hair follicles and the scalp. Such a process is of paramount importance to hair growth.

As stated earlier, B-Vitamins can be obtained from a wide array of food sources such as almonds, fish, meat, seafood, whole grains, as well as from dark and leafy greens.

When it comes to vitamin B12, the only good sources for this would be animal foods. If you are among those people who are strictly observing a vegan or vegetarian diet, you might want to consider taking a supplement for this vitamin instead.

3. Vitamin C

Cell damage due to free radicals can easily hamper the growth of hair and induce it to age. This can be reversed with the help of a powerful antioxidant in the form of vitamin C. It will help protect the cells of the human body against oxidative stress caused by free radicals.

Vitamin C also has an important role to play in hair structure. The human body is using it to create protein referred to as collagen. Furthermore, vitamin C is also helpful in iron absorption, a mineral necessary for hair to grow. You can obtain vitamin C from guavas, peppers, strawberries, and fruits.

How to Thicken Hair Fast

We understand that for someone to rely on supplements alone is a bit of a gamble, and may or may not yield positive results right away. In fact, it may even take a while to see good results.

So if you are lacking patience in that area, and want instead of a much faster and efficient way to conceal your thinning hair, we strongly recommend you consider the use of hair fibers.

Hair fibres Australia products are made from keratin protein strands, which is the exact component of human hair. Applying such a product will give you a natural-looking hair, almost undetectable even when you give it a closer inspection.