Fresh air needed

PEKING UNIVERSITY (Beijing) analysed the records of 389,000 people living in the UK over a 10­year period, estimating their exposure to air pollution.

This included PM2.5particles so small they can pass through the lungs into the bloodstream ­ and nitrogen dioxide emitted by vehicles.

Over this period 13,131 people were diagnosed with depression and 15,835 with anxiety. Those exposed to most air pollution were 16 per cent more likely to develop clinical depression and 11 per cent more likely to develop anxiety, the researchers found.

At one’s fingertips

USE the fingertip unit method (FTU) when applying an ointment or cream prescribed by the doctor. An FTU is the amount of any semi­solid that can be squeezed from the tip of an adult’s index finger as far as the crease of the first joint.

One FTU is enough to treat an area of skin twice the size of the flat of an adult’s hand with the fingers together or, in other words, ‘a handprint’.

Photo credit: Pixabay/Dietcheese

DAILY STEPS: 8,000 acceptable for those unable to reach 10,000.

“Our findings suggest that 8,000 steps on as few as one to two days per week may be a feasible option for individuals striving to achieve some health benefits.”