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Health Benefits of Using Timber in Your House

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Timber is one of the few natural, sustainable construction materials used in home extensions as well as for the main house build. The cyclical process involved in the harvest and regeneration of forests for timber production ensures that timber will last to be available. Every time a tree is harvested around ten trees are then re-established in its location; the renewable cycle starts again. Being a natural source, wood is not poisonous, and so is safe to handle and touch; it also ages naturally and does not break down into environmentally damaging material.

Carbon Favourable

Timber is a known as a Greenhouse Positive using a lower net environmental impact than most other building materials, like emission-intensive steel, aluminium, or concrete. It is one of the only building materials that bring about the long-term reduction of carbon emissions: favourably addressing climate change.

Carbon is an elemental building block of all living things in the world. As a forest grows, the trees absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide and store it in their leaves, branches, and trunks. Approximately half the dry weight of a living tree is carbon, kept for the life-span of the tree, and retained throughout the timber manufacturing process.

In 2015 Australia built 115,989 detached houses. If all of those homes were timber-framed, it might equal a total of 1,159,890 tonnes of carbon dioxide because the harvested plantations are replanted and start the cycle of carbon retention all over again.

Health Benefits

World studies have proven that being surrounded by timber in your home, work or school has positive effects our health. A recent report commissioned by Planet Ark has discovered that exposure to timber products and insides created similar health benefits to those made by spending time in nature. The report also including survey findings which revealed Australians are “innately drawn towards wood”.

Some of the reported health benefits include:

  • Improved emotional state, also self-expression
  • Increased air quality by moderating humidity, encouraging simpler breathing
  • Feelings of warmth and relaxation
  • Reduced blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety levels

Australians spend over 90 percent of the time indoors; bringing nature indoors is a positive step to a healthy future, for you and the environment.

Natural Insulation

Timber is naturally an insulating material that creates a barrier between cold and heat.

The key is seen in the many air pockets inside the cellular structure of timber products, meaning that light-weight timber is a much better insulator as thermal conductivity increases with density. Building design with a focus on energy efficiency through lightweight timber can greatly contribute to maximising comfort and minimising non-renewable energy usage. Additionally, timber beams and timber framed buildings may allow for extra insulation materials to be put in areas between framing members without increasing ceiling, walls, roof or floor thickness. The natural thermal components of wood also maximise the efficiency of insulation materials as wood won’t become cold or exude warmth, therefore requiring less power to keep warmth during a building.

Wood is Great For Your Brain and Body

Obtain the ‘Housing, Health, Humanity’ report from Planet Ark to find a more in-depth comprehension of the health and health benefits of hardwood insides in homes, businesses, areas of learning and areas for healing. It also includes the results of an independent survey which explains the perspectives and opinions of Australians on wood.

A Few of the findings include:

  • Residents in aged care facilities interact more with each other when surrounded by timber.
  • Students in classrooms that feature more wood have lower heart rates and pressure responses than those in classrooms featuring plastic and metal.
  • Two out of three employees prefer offices with wooden seats, desks and blinds over the same office with these items made from plastic.

Fire Performance

Yes, wood is a combustible material but it shines in a slow, predictable and measurable way. These variables mean that timber really performs strongly in flame events, when compared to other materials.

During the event of a fire, a charcoal layer will be formed on the surface of the wood and this coating will contribute to the fire resistance of the substance. The charcoal coating insulates the inner center of the timber and it will slow down the heat penetration, maintaining the temperate in the unburned material low and allowing the wood to carry its load considerably longer than steel. The protective charcoal layer created during a fire will also reduce the general combustion rate of the timber.

This natural self-defense mechanism raises the chance for a timber structure to survive a fire whilst preserving its strength and stability and is thus of great use in home extensions.

Low Energy Manufacturing

The practice of fabricating timber uses substantially less fossil fuel energy per unit volume than concrete, steel, or aluminium: minimising the quantity of pollutants created during the process. It follows that construction with a single cubic meter of wood, in place of other construction materials like concrete, blocks, or bricks, may save up 0.75 to 1 tonne of CO2 emissions.

To further minimise the environmental impact and increase your health and wellbeing consider options such as a solar power system or even changing the light bulbs to more energy efficient ones.

Benefits of Rehabilitation Centres

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Whether the challenge is binge drinking, chronic drinking, heavy drinking, or alcoholism, the drinker who is seeking to locate balance in his life will more quickly and safely satisfy his goals by choosing expert alcohol therapy. Dependent upon the specific obstacles facing the individual as he quits drinking, a unique treatment program can be developed that will help them navigate them back into their everyday life, except with a sober lifestyle.

There are quite a few benefits to picking a professional alcohol treatment plan instead of trying an at-home detox and withdrawal process. Each one contributes to the capacity of the individual to not only stop drinking but also to remain sober in the long run.

There are lots of advantages to going into a treatment centre for alcohol or drug dependence. Below are a few of the advantages which are most valued by individuals globally. The best result of any center is helping the addict recover from alcohol or drugs and instructing them how to live a life free of dependence.

Benefit 1: Secure Atmosphere

The primary advantage of alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers is their secure environment they offer you. This is particularly crucial for a recently recovering addict of alcohol or drugs. A secure environment will have the ability to maintain any drug or alcohol addict away from any sort of temptations while being in a secure and safe atmosphere.

Benefit 2: Counsellors

Counsellors who know about dependence would be the best ones to assist any addict to get past their dependence and on to a better life. Providing the most appropriate counsellors may be the very best advantage any therapy centre can provide their patients.

Benefit 3: Learning

Learning about dependence, the way to conquer it, relapse prevention, and much more is just another advantage which helps individuals to realise there’s a means to live a life without alcohol or drugs. Finding the appropriate tools and how to use them is essential to any addict attempting to recover.

Benefit 4: Peer Support

Treatment facilities for alcohol or drug dependence are all people attempting to do exactly the same thing; seek help for their addiction. This implies that by going, a drug or alcohol addict is surrounded by men and women going through exactly the very same things. This will provide the patient the much needed peer support service that is proven to aid in this phase of recovery, and in precisely the exact same time they have the ability to provide and take guidance.

Benefit 5: A Daily Routine

Drug and alcohol rehab centers require their patients to take part in a daily schedule. The individual goes to group therapy, one on one treatment, alternative treatment, and 12 step support groups at a specified time. A fantastic treatment centre will also teach recovering addicts around good nutrition and also have patients participate in daily routine fitness.

Benefit 6: Zero Tolerance

A zero tolerance policy implies that nobody is permitted to bring alcohol or drugs to the therapy centre. Most rehabilitation treatment centers will request the individual to leave if they are caught with alcohol or drugs. Nobody wants to be enticed while in therapy; as getting off drugs and alcohol is their purpose for being there. This is the reason why rehab centres apply this policy so rigorously.

Benefit 7: Privacy

When selecting a treatment centre, many patients prefer to visit one that’s private. Privacy is something which provides most alcohol and drug addicts reassurance through their recovery process. Nobody should ever learn about anybody getting clean unless they need them to.

Benefit 8: Aftercare

Aftercare is the maintenance you need after therapy. Treatment facilities for alcohol and drug dependence know and comprehend the significance of aftercare. Aftercare planning starts when the addict is in the therapy centre. The centre will prepare the medication or alcohol addict for their transition back home, to help them remain free of alcohol and drugs. Aftercare is essential and needs to be a part of any therapy center’s program; it helps prevent a relapse, which prevents any addict from returning to their previous dependant state.

Understanding Mental Health Issues Gay Men Face

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Ongoing homophobia, stigma (unfair and negative beliefs), and discrimination (unfairly treating an individual or group of individuals) can have adverse impacts on your health. Research also demonstrates that, in contrast to heterosexual guys, homosexual and bisexual guys have greater odds of developing:

  • Depression,
  • Bipolar disease,
  • Generalized anxiety disorder.

Homosexual and bisexual men can also face other health dangers that typically occur alongside mental health issues. These include higher intake of Illegal drugs and also a higher risk for suicide. Gay and bisexual males are more likely than other people to have attempted to commit suicide and to succeed in doing so.

The emotional health problems gay men have to deal with are not confined to discrimination and stigma. According to a recent research, homosexual men are four times more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual men. Moreover, over half of those guys who identify themselves as homosexual suffer from anxiety or depression. In a nutshell, the emotional health problems suffered by homosexual men are a critical problem and finding ways to counter them is crucial in today’s society.

As mentioned above, the mental health problems suffered by gay men are a severe problem where the best method to treat them is by spreading awareness about gay mental health as depression and gay men are correlated all too often. Spreading awareness about the mental health issues suffered by gay men can help to improve their health and permit them to live a stress free life. So, without further ado, let us take a look at the common mental health problems suffered by gay men.

Internalized Homophobia

Years of exposure to stereotypes, myths and homophobic rhetoric has compelled gay men to internalize this negativity and think, consciously or subconsciously, that these myths, stereotypes and homophobic rhetoric are true. This mental health problem suffered by homosexual men is called internalized homophobia. Internalized homophobia is known to worsen general stress which in turn leads to poorer physical health as well as the obvious, decline in mental health and well-being.

Body image and Femininity issues

If you surf gay dating/hookup sites, you will find many profiles with the statements ‘No Fats, No Fems.’ This statement essentially means that the person isn’t interested in dating guys with feminine qualities. This is an indication of larger issues in the gay male community for example overvaluing stereotypical heterosexual qualities and unreasonable body image expectations.

According to a recent analysis, the pressure of being masculine forces gay men to be less emotional and affectionate. Moreover, body image problems increase their risk of developing an eating disorder. As it contradicts the approval, quality, and openness the gay community should supply, through support groups such as Startout. The strain to be manly causes lots of homosexual men to feel frustrated and stressed.

Overworking to prove their worthiness to the world

Also based on the aforementioned study, normally homosexual men have a higher income and are more effective than heterosexual men. This may seem like great news but it is not. Some homosexual men see their sexuality as a deficiency. Thus, to compensate for their ‘lack’, homosexual men attempt to be high-achieving or perfect in different aspects of life. The pressure to be perfect in various elements of their lifestyle causes great stress and anxiety in gay males. This really is a mental health problem that troubles many homosexual men today in Australia and overseas.

The fear of bullying, being judged or rejected causes lots of gay men to isolate themselves or suffer from social anxiety. Additionally, legislations that restrict their right reinforces to gay men that they are not equal to heterosexuals. Each of these things lead to the previously mentioned mental health issues suffered by gay guys.

Fitness Tech Having a Real Positive Effect

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The widespread usage of fitness programs and wearable technologies has fostered the health and action levels of members of the British public, according to a new study.

Findings from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)’s first ever TCS Digital Fitness Survey have shown that including smartphone programs, fitness trackers, wearable devices, GPS trackers and heart-rate screens, 82 percent of individuals that filled in the poll today use some type of fitness technologies.

Three quarters of the surveyed stated that they exercise more because of utilizing fitness technologies; one in ten stated that they exercise at least two times as often, exercising at least once more a week for up to an additional half an hour. All promoted because of electronic technologies.

Shankar Narayanan, Country Head, UK & Ireland, TCS, believes that in TCS, they think that gaming mechanics is a wonderful example of how digital technologies through agile test management could fundamentally transform all facets of society. Social networking, smartphone programs, fitness trackers and wearables are merging to provide amateur athletes plenty of information and insight to help direct their preparation and enhance performance.

Wearable Technology May Be Used to Deceive Effects

One in ten of the surveyed did acknowledge to placing their physical fitness trackers on their furry friend to make it seem like they’d taken more measures or went farther. In addition to utilizing pets to enhance their physical fitness stats, 10 percent of individuals admitted to placing their physical fitness tracker on a kid to boost their own statistics.

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE, former Paralympic and London Marathon winner indicated that these physical fitness technologies are having an actual, and exceptionally positive, effect on people’s health and exercise despite those cheaters. Having the capability to monitor and analyse their particular physical fitness data is inspiring individuals to exercise more frequently and also to become more lively. This can just be a great thing — even though a tiny minority do confess to using their kids or household pets to artificially enhance their stats, more intelligent testing software may prevent future attempts.

The Effect on Positive Behaviour

With the simplicity of electronic technology, and how accessible they’ve become, from free programs, to pricey wearables, more folks are integrating them in their own lives, which is impacting behaviour. 59 percent of those surveyed stated that their physical fitness technology inspires them to train harder, with 57% stating that it compels them to exercise more frequently. The huge majority of those surveyed (93 percent) said that utilizing fitness technology has resulted in a change in their health and physical fitness behaviour.