How to heal tender gums

• Lighten up. Over time, vigorous brushing can wear away enamel and create a little gap between the gum and tooth as the soft tissue recedes. That's a self inflicted form of gum disease, an invitation for infection to pool in the pockets. To clean safely, use a soft brush and liken your effort to wiping off a mirror, not scouring the rub.
  
  
• Go for quality, not quantity. Two thorough cleanings a day is better than four half-hearted attempts. It takes about two minutes to properly polish your pearly whites, and most people average a measly 37 seconds. Try brushing for the duration of a song or a commercial break on television.
  
  
• Don't get attached to your brush. Most dentists suggest switching to a fresh one monthly. Just a few weeks of use can turn the soft, rounded tufts into jagged clumps. Flared bristles mean it's time to say good-bye.
  
  
• Floss everyday - no excuses. Cleaning with jets of water may dislodge bits of dinner, and rinsing with mouthwash won't hurt, but only regular flossing can breakup the plaque party going on between your teeth. Yes, it makes a difference. A smug dentists like to say: Floss only the teeth you want to keep.
  
  
• If your gums still bleed after two weeks of flossing everyday, call a dentist; tissue that's red or sensitive may be a sign of infection. Checkups and cleanings every six months will help keep you and your gums in the pink.
  
  
  

Tennis tip

Athletic prowess begins with great eyesight. Here's how to improve yours:

• Problem : Returning a tennis serve
  Exercise : Put different-coloured dots on a bunch of balls and have someone serve them on you. After you hit each one, call out the colour. This will keep you concentrating on the ball.
  Tip : Following the leading edge of the ball instead of reactively "watching" it.

Sway your way to better abs

• Here's an activity that will take you back to the Arabian Nights. Belly dancing offers an intense workout that still manages to be easy on your joints. And it'll help sculpt those abdominal muscles. If you can learn it from a professional, so much the better.

Cold Comforts

Colds are miserable precisely because they're not serious. Anything worse would legitimately lay you up, but with a cold you have to soldier on. To soothe your symptoms....

• Avoid Milk.
  It's good to have a runny nose during a cold because you want to clear mucus out of your body. That makes drinking milk or eating other diary products counterproductive, since they thicken mucus and make it harder to blow your nose.
  
  
• Trigger coughing
  Productive coughing is another important way to move mucus out of your body. Take a deep breath and hold it for a count of three. This creates pressure in the body's airways; if there's mucus present, you'll cough it up.
  
  
• Hold the hacking
  If your cough isn't productive, there's no need to hack your throat raw. Calm the storm by drinking a cup of hot tea with a menthol cough drop dissolved in it.
  
  
• Use peroxide for throat pain
  To soothe a sore throat, gargle with an infection-fighting mixture of equal parts hydrogen-peroxide, antibacterial mouthwash, and water.
  

Finger snap

• Blister protection -
  First identify the irritant. A bunched-up sock? A loose-fitting shoe? Adjust it, then treat the blister. If it's filled with flied and painful, pop it by squeezing it between two fingers. But leave the skin on. Then take the sock off your other foot and wear it on the blistered foot for extra protection. When you reach home apply petroleum jelly and a bandage.

How to tame a bush

• Do you and your hair have a wrestling match with the brush every morning? A pomade will show your hair who's boss. SInce most pomades contain wax or oil, they remain pliable and don't harden on your hair. But don't use too much. When your hair's still damp, take a 25p-size dollop, rub it on your palms, and run your hands through your hair. One caveat : Oily pomades can cause skin breakouts along the hairline. If you're prone to acne, frind a product that's oil-free.

Sweat Blockers

• In very hot weather, avoid waterproof, oil - or -gel based sunscreens because they cause sweet to just slide off the body before it can evaporate, and result in over-heating.

Lice without Myths

• Myths: Head lice jump. hop, or fly
  Fact: They are transmitted via head to head contact and by sharring hats, combs, or towels with an infested persons
  
  
• Myths: Lice thrive on pets and other animals
  Facts: They are strictly human parasites.
  
  
• Myths: Lice are seasonal.
  Facts: They are spread year around and in any climate.
  
  
• Myths: A hair dryer will kill lice
  Facts: The heat needed to do so would burn the scalp.
  
  
• Myths: Lice are a sign of poor hygiene and poverty
  Facts: Lice infect all groups and even cleanest children
  
  
• Myths: Lice can infest furniture and carpets
  Facts: They need human blood to survive
  
  
• Myths: Home remedies such as vinegar rinses and vaseline will loosen lice from hair
  Facts: These do not work. Use an over-the-counter-lice shampoo conataining permethrin or pyrethrins, and follow the directions carefully.