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Featured Article - Swine Flu |
SWINE FLU
The latest on 5-1-09
Not to play down the
seriousness of the Swine flu, pandemics like this one cold be
disastrous if they continue. Think back to the 1918-1919 influenza
pandemic that killed more people than the entire First World War.
But in every flu pandemic since, the numbers have luckily dwindled.
The 1957-1958 pandemic flu took 70,000 deaths above the normal flu
season, and the 1968-1967 pandemic flu caused 33,000 more deaths
than the average flu season. The virulence of the virus does matter,
but public health measures can clearly make a huge difference.
As of today, 05-01-09 The WHO has officially confirmed 236 cases of
swine flu and eight deaths. The numbers increase according to each
country's official tally.
Mexico: 97 cases, 7 deaths. United States: 109 cases, 1 death
Austria: 1 case Canada: 19 cases Germany: 3 cases Israel: 2 cases
New Zealand: 3 cases Peru: 1 case Spain: 13 cases Switzerland: 1
case Netherlands: 1 case United Kingdom: 8 cases
How to Protect Yourself
The CDC recommends the following steps to protect yourself from flu.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you
cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
Doctors say the biggest mistake many make is to just do a quick
rinse under the faucet while washing their hands.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people. Influenza is thought to
spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of
infected people.
If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or
school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
What Are the Symptoms of Swine Flu?
The World Health Organization is working to develop a profile of the
"typical case" of swine flu, but thus far, the symptoms appear to be
essentially the same as those for the usual winter flu. Hallmark
symptoms of flu include:
High fever
Muscle aches
Headache
Fatigue
Coughing
Runny nose
Vomiting and Diarrhea (less common)
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Featured Article - Swine Flu
with a Twist |
We like to keep current with Dr. Blaylock's Health News articles and
find many of them very interesting, but most of all he manages to
put a spin on things that make us stop and think.
We encourage you to
read his news article on the swine flu, the pharmaceutical
companies, the rush to find a vaccine, politicized scientists, along
with his clearly informed opinions on the whole thing.
Is it smoke and mirrors
and is there truly a pandemic or (read
more)....
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Current
Month's Story - Colon Cancer |
Colon Cancer Tied to your Gut
Reaction
A medical doctor at the
University of Pittsburgh has
compiled evidence confirming
that what people eat provides
the link between diet and colon
cancer. The research learned
it's because diet has a direct
effect on the diversity of
microbes in the gut.
That may not be surprising to
most people. After all, the
typical Western diet, rich in
meats and fats and low in
fruits, vegetables and complex
carbohydrates, has been
recognized for years as a risk
factor for colon cancer.
Healthy diets with lots of
complex carbohydrates provide
the gut with significant numbers
of micro-organisms called
firmicutes. Those organisms use
starches and proteins to
manufacture short-chain fatty
acids and vitamins such as
folate and biotin to maintain a
healthy colon.
But the microbes in the gut also
produce toxic products from food
residues. Diets heavy in meats
produce sulfur, which decreases
the actions of “good” bacteria
and increases the production of
other possible carcinogens.
Colon cancer is the
second-leading cause of
cancer-related deaths in adults
in Westernized communities. The
research results suggest that a
diet that maintains the health
of the colon wall is also one
that maintains general body
health and reduces heart
disease.
A diet rich in fiber and
resistant starch encourages the
growth of good bacteria and
increases production of
short-chain fatty acids, which
lessen the risk of cancer, while
a high meat and fat diet reduces
the numbers of these good
bacteria.
Colons host more than 800
bacterial species and 7,000
different strains that could be
key to treating diseases.
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Male Impotence
Drugs for Women? |
Male Impotence Drugs May Work in
Women
New studies indicate that the three drugs used to treat male
impotence also appear to work in females, however just a little
differently, which should give the scientific community pause to
take a second look at their potential in the 40 percent of women who
report sexual dysfunction.
In one of the first studies of the effect of Viagra, Levitra, and
Cialis — on the arteries that supply the penis, vagina, and clitoris
the blood needed to produce a satisfying sexual experience,
researchers showed the drugs relax the artery in male and female
rats.
It showed the drugs need to be investigated more for women and small
alterations could make these medications more effective for women
living with sexual dysfunction.
Although there was talk years ago of a pink pill for women to
parallel the blue Viagra for men, early clinical trials found
essentially no response in women.
Researchers decided to look again, first giving a drug to constrict
the arteries in male and female rats just as they would be in a
non-erect state, then giving doses of each impotency drug to see the
impact. The arteries from male rats displayed a relatively standard
concentration-dependent relaxation — the more drug they got, the
more they relaxed. In females’ arteries, there was an initial
relaxation then an odd oscillation between relaxation and
contraction with subsequent dosing.
Although researchers don't fully understand the swing, the unique
female response probably provides more evidence that sexual function
is more complex in females. Scientists define female sexual
dysfunction as a multifaceted disorder that includes anatomical,
psychological, physiological, and social-interpersonal aspects.
Researchers have shown part of that complexity may be the smooth
muscle cells in the internal pudendal arteries of females
communicate, agreeing to contract and relax, while male smooth
muscle cells make independent decisions to just relax.
They found one other distinction: Females are more sensitive to
Viagra, or Sildenafil, while males are most sensitive to Levitra, or
Vardenafil.
Researchers in China may have found a method for male contraception
that is effective, reversible and without serious short-term adverse
effects according to a new study accepted for publication in The
Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
Up to this time the only options for men have been limited to
vasectomy, condom and withdrawal. The new study shows a male
hormonal contraceptive regimen may be a potential, novel and
workable alternative.
Males were injected monthly with 500 mg of a formulation of
testosterone undecanoate (TU) in tea seed oil for thirty months.
Results showed a cumulative contraceptive failure (pregnancy) rate
of 1.1 per 100 men in the 24-month efficacy phase. No serious
adverse events were reported and reproductive function returned to
the normal fertile reference range in all but two participants.
Despite the present encouraging results, the long-term safety of
this hormonal male contraceptive regimen requires more extensive
testing with a focus on cardiovascular, prostate and behavioral
safety.
The article “Multicenter Contraceptive Efficacy Trial of Injectable
Testosterone Undecanoate in Chinese Men,” will appear in the June
2009 issue of JCEM.
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Healthy Recipe of the
Month -
Mock Risotto |
Mock Risotto
Prep Time40 min Level-Easy Yield-4 servings,
1 1/2 cups each
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups instant brown rice
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 cups vegetable or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
1/2 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese, plus more for passing, if
desired
1/4 cup minced chives or scallion greens
Directions
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion
and salt and cook, stirring often, until soft and just beginning to
brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add rice and garlic and cook until the garlic
is fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add broth and bring to a boil;
cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove cover and spread asparagus and bell pepper on top of the
simmering rice—do not stir into the rice mixture. Replace cover and
continue simmering, adjusting the heat if necessary, until the
liquid is almost absorbed and the asparagus is bright green but
still crisp, about 5 minutes.
Add peas and cream cheese; stir until the mixture is creamy and the
cheese is incorporated. Return to a simmer and continue cooking
until the liquid has evaporated and the asparagus is tender, about 5
minutes more. Stir in 1/2 cup Asiago (or Parmesan). Serve topped
with chives (or scallions) and additional grated cheese.
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