Causes of Low Sperm Count

Posted by Neill Abayon

The leading cause of male infertility is low sperm count. Others may be low sperm motility, bad quality sperms, lack of semen. In general, most cases of male infertility are due to low sperm count. There are many biologic and environmental factors that can lead to low sperm count. Here is a list if conditions that may cause low sperm count in men.

Age

The effect of aging on male fertility is not clear, however, evidence is growing that it may be a factor. Fertilization rates are usually over 60% for men under 39 but for those over that age, the rates fell to slightly over half.

Temporary and Lifestyle Causes of Low Sperm Count

Nearly any major physical or mental stress can temporarily reduce sperm count. Some common conditions that lower sperm count, temporarily in nearly all cases, include the following:

1. Emotional Stress. Stress may interfere with the hormone GnRH and reduce sperm counts.

2. Sexual Issues. In less than 1% of males with infertility problems, a problem with sexual intercourse or technique will affect fertility.

3. Impotence, premature ejaculation, or psychologic or relationship problems can contribute to infertility, although these conditions are usually very treatable.

4. Lubricants used with condoms, including spermicides, oils, and Vaseline, can affect fertility. If you need a sperm friendly lubricant, the choice of many couples trying to get pregnant is Pre-Seed.

Testicular Exposure to Overheating.

Overheating (such as from high fever, saunas, and hot tubs) may temporarily lower sperm count. Work exposure to overheating may even impair fertility.

Substance Abuse

Cocaine or heavy marijuana use appears to temporarily reduce the number and quality of sperm by as much as 50%. Sperm actually have receptors for certain compounds in marijuana that resemble natural substances and which may impair the sperm's ability to swim and may also inhibit their ability to penetrate the egg.

Smoking.

Smoking impairs sperm count, sperm motility, reduces sperm lifespan, and may cause genetic changes that affect the offspring. Additionally, a 1999 study found that men who smoke have lower sex drives and less frequent sex.

Malnutrition and Nutrient Deficiencies.

Deficiencies in certain nutrients, such as vitamin C, selenium, zinc, and folate, may be particular risk factors for low sperm count in such cases.

Obesity.

Some studies, but not all, have found an association between obesity in men and low sperm count.

Bicycling.

Bicycling has been linked to impotence in men and also may affect the sperm count. Pressure from the bike seat may damage blood vessels and nerves that are responsible for erections. Mountain biking, which involves riding on off-road terrain, exposes the perineum (the region between the scrotum and the anus) to more extreme shocks and vibrations and increases the risk for injuries to the scrotum.

Genetic Factors

Genetic factors are proving to be important contributors to male infertility. Such genetic conditions may be inherited or caused by environmental assaults. Inherited disorders can genetically impair fertility.

Examples include the following:

Cystic fibrosis patients often have missing or obstructed vas deferens (the tubes that carry sperm) and hence a low sperm count.

Klinefelter syndrome patients carry two X and one Y chromosomes (the norm is one X and one Y), which leads to the destruction of the lining of the seminiferous tubules in the testicles during puberty, although most other male physical attributes are unimpaired.

Kartagener syndrome, a rare disorder that is associated with a reversed position of the major organs, also includes immotile cilia (hair-like cells in lungs and sinuses that have a structure similar to the tails of sperm). Germ cells may also be affected by this condition.

Environmental Assaults

Over exposure to environmental assaults (toxins, chemicals, infections) can reduce sperm count either by direct effects on testicular function or on the hormone systems, although the extent of the effect and specific environmental assaults involved are often controversial. Some chemicals that affect sperm production men are : Oxygen-Free Radicals, Estrogen emulation pesticidal chemicals (DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, PCPs, dioxins, and furans ), plastic softening chemicals like Phthalates, hydrocarbons (ethylbenzene, benzene, toluene, and xylene)

Exposure to Heavy Metals.

Chronic exposure to heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, or arsenic may affect sperm production and most often cause a reduced production in otherwise healthy males. Trace amounts of these metals in semen seem to inhibit the function of enzymes contained in the acrosome, the membrane that covers the head of the sperm.

Radiation Treatment.

Radiation treatments and x-rays affect any rapidly dividing cell, so cells that produce sperm are quite sensitive to radiation damage. Cells exposed to significant levels of radiation may take up to two years to resume normal sperm production, and, in severe circumstances, may never recover.

Low Semen Levels

A reduced amount of ejaculated semen (less than 0.5 milliliters per sample) may be caused by a structural abnormality in the tubes transporting the sperm.
Varicocele

A varicocele is a varicose vein in the cord that connects to the testicle. (A varicose vein is one that is abnormally enlarged and twisted.) Varicoceles are found in 15% to 20% of all men and in 25% to 40% of infertile men. It is not clear how they affect fertility, or even if they do at all.

Balance is key to good health

Posted by Neill Abayon

One of the fundamental concepts for achieving balance is the pursuit of harmony within the body and with the environment.
There are regiments you can apply to everyday life, extracted and distilled from the best Asian ways to achieve balance. You need not hie off to a place as remote and exotic as a Himalayan spa to recharge and rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit. This can be achieved right there in the city or in the privacy of your own home or any accessible place of retreat and relaxation.
Instead of seeking treatment, focus on a natural way of being that will allow you to become stronger and healthier

BE KIND TO YOURSELF
Often, we are too hard on ourselves. In daily life, an office worker will stay on the job an extra hours just to finish the paperwork even if he/she is feeling hunger pangs. An executive will skip breakfast just to make it to that important meeting or burn up his/her inner reserves by overloading the day with back-to-back meetings with hardly time to catch his/her breath. Worst of all, a businessman will bring the office-and paper work-to his house. Sounds familiar?

Begin by being kind to yourself.
1. Leave the office where it is. Don't take it home with you. The home is a place for relaxation.
Keep it that way.

2. Listen to the call of nature. If you are hungry, eat. If you have an urgent need to rush to the toilet, by all means go. Do not postpone the important or the inevitable.

3. In-between meetings, deliberations and negotiations, give yourself time for relaxation, enough to do this three-minute breathing exercise: Close your eyes. Sit back. Be comfortable. Recall your favorite music. Hear it in your head. Breath slowly. Exhale gently. Shut out the world. "Listen" to the song till the end.

4. Have five sips of water to energize yourself.

5. Face the world with a smile.


SEEK YOUR BALANCE
According to traditional Chinese medicine, everything in the universe consist of the yin and the yang.
Yin is feminine, cold, quiet, static, dark and wet while Yang is masculine, dynamic, bright, warm and dry. Without yin, there is no Yang and vice versa. True health can only be achieved if they are in harmony within us.
This equilibrium can be destroyed or disrupted by many internal influence (emotional upheavals like sorrow, worry, grief, fear, shock and, yes, even extrewme joy) and external forces (cold, fire, wind, dampness, heat, fire and dryness).


BEING ONE
Considered by the scholars as the oldest healing practice in the world, Ayurveda (ayur-life, veda-knowledge) and its belief centers on being one. The vibrations of creation produced five elements: space, water, fire heat that were reduced to three forces-vata=air, pitta=fire, kapha=earth. It ios the balance of these doshas that rules one's constitution.
What dosha type are you?> Vata = artistic, nervous/high-strung; Pitta = aggressive, hot-tempered, driven; Kapha = loving, affectionate, caring but prone to weight gain. All individuals possess these characteristics but one dosha will be dominant.


HEALING OIL TREATMENT
Vata-calming oils: almond, castor, olive, sesame, wheat germ;
Pitta-cooling oils: coconut, almond, sunflower, sandalwood;
Kapha-invigorating oils: canola, corn, mustard.

Warm without overheating your chosen oil. Rub onto your body from head to toe for 15 minutes. Take a hot shower. Feel relaxed and be still for a few minutes.

Note: Dosha preparations are available at Body Shop.


YOGHURT RUB
Get 2-3 cups of plain yoghurt. Coat your body from head to foot. Leave on for 10 minutes. Get a towelette and rub your body briskly. Rinse in cool water.

No treatment, no matter how simple or sophisticated, can help you feel better if your mind is not at peace. So, open your mind and allow the healing forces of nature to give you your much desired balance.
Love and light!

ALZHEIMER'S REPORT

Posted by Neill Abayon

While many new medications for alzheimer's disease are being tested,donepezil hydrochloride (Aricept) recently received approval by the U.S. food and Drug Administration. The drug approved to be safe and effective in clinical trials of patients with mild to moderate severed disease.
Like tecrine hydrochloride (cognex) - the first medication approved for alzheimer's - donepezil hydrochloride blocks the breakdown of acetychlorine, a critical brain chemical associated with memory. But the new drug appears to have fewer side effects than tacrine, which can elevate liver enzymes, requiring regular blood testing.
Still other research, focuses on promising therapies that might delay onset of the disease. Recent studies suggest that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Ibuprofen, or the hormone estrogen might stave off Alzheimers. Also under investigation is vitamin E plus selegiline an antioxidant that boosts the brain chemical dopamine, and prednisone, a steroid that may have an NSAID-like effect.

SPINAL-CORD REGENERATION

Posted by Neill Abayon

Scientist at Sweden's Karolinska Institute have shown that a combination of nerve-implant techniques can restore partial use of the legs in rats whose spinal cords have been severed.
Henrich cheng, Lars Olson and Yihai Cao cut rat's spinal cord at chest level and removed a small segment. They then successfully grew new nerve connections across the gaps of the severed cords, restoring some motion and sensation of the animals paralyzed hind legs.
While the findings, reported in the journal science aren't immediately applicable to humans suffering from paralysis, they "nevertheless provides a strong basis for hope in the field" writes researcher Wise Young of New York University Medical Center. "The possibility of effective regenerative therapies for human spinal-cord injury is no longer a speculation but a realistic goal."

COLD COMFORT

Written by Neill Abayon


Each year thousands of people suffer severe head trauma in car crashes or other accidents. Most such patients require long-term care, and so far, treatments have been disappointing new researchers at several hospital are testing whether they can help more patients recover fully by cooling them with ice water.
The idea is to lower body temperature enough to slow a person's metabolism, thereby slowing a cascade of chemical reactions that immediately follow head injury and cause the death of brain cells. During hypothermic - or cooling - therapy, patients are covered with cool blankets attached to pumps that provide a constant infusion of water. The body temperature is lowered in four to six hours to about 33 degrees celsius - low enough to slow metabolism but not so low to cause life-threatening complications, like irregular heartbeat. Patients remain in this state for 24 or 28 hours.

Are You Allergic to Your Deodorant?

Posted by Neill Abayon

People use deodorant because they want to escape from odor. They don't like to smell sweaty to others. They place the deodorant under their arms and when they perspire, there is a much more pleasant odor to behold. But, what happens to the user, if the deodorant is not good for them, what if they have an allergy to their deodorant?

Having an allergy would mean that you would probably see some visible signs such as: red rash, bumps, or inflamed bumps. If there is anything out of the ordinary occurring with the usage of your deodorant; that may also be an allergic reaction you are having.

This does not mean that you will have to stop using your deodorant altogether. It simply means you need to watch it carefully and stop using it for awhile to be sure. If you are wanting to be sure that the signs you have experienced are to your deodorant, you may have to seek the help of your allergist.

After carefully testing you, your doctor may say you just need to change brands. Yours may be too harsh to your body. If after changing brands, you still experience some problems, there are other alternatives.

You may decide to try some talc or some baby powder. Both will leave you fresh, and make you smell much nicer after a sporting event. Just place some powder or talc under your arms and it will also help eliminate the amount of perspiration that you are having.

Allergies can be a result of a number of things. It may not be your deodorant at all, but the soap you are bathing in, or washing your clothes in. When you have exercised and are sweaty, the chemicals used in the washing powder may react on your skin.

If you have to give up your deodorant, remember there are many other choices available to you. So, check out the other alternatives, and stay cool.

Toxic chemical levels finally dropping in Arctic food animals, new study shows

Posted by Neill Abayon

After decades of concern about southern pollutants poisoning traditional foods that northern aboriginals depend on, a new government study suggests levels of toxic chemicals in a wide range of animals across the Arctic are finally dropping.

The study, the first large-scale attempt in a decade to measure contaminants in common Arctic food animals, found carcinogens such as PCBs and other toxins derived from pesticides sprayed in the south have largely levelled off or have begun declining.

"Organochlorines, like DDT or chlordane or toxaphene or industrial chemicals like PCB, are declining," said project leader Laurie Chan of the University of Northern British Columbia. "That's good news."

However, the study found that mercury, probably from the increasing use of coal in power generation around the globe, remains stubborn and is even rising in some animals.

Still, Chan said, the falling organochlorine levels are proof that international agreements on limiting the use of toxic chemicals can produce real improvements in food safety.

"It seems that the Stockholm Convention is having some effect," Chan said.

That convention - heavily pushed by Canada - came into effect in 2004 and limited the use of the so-called "dirty dozen" chemicals pushed into the Arctic and concentrated there by global air currents.

At one time, Canada's Inuit had some of the highest PCB levels in the world, up to 10 times the levels found in southern Canada. The chemical was even found in the breast milk of Inuit mothers.

A 2003 study found subtle but statistically significant nervous system and behavioural changes in Inuit babies that may be linked to PCBs.

But now, PCB levels in beluga, narwhal, walrus and ringed seal have fallen by an average of 43 per cent since 1997. Although it varies in different parts of the Arctic, the amount of the chemical that Inuivialuit or Inuit people are exposed to has dropped by an average of 20 per cent over the last decade.

Similarly, human exposure to toxaphene - an insecticide that can damage the lungs, nervous system and kidneys - has fallen an average of one-third across the Arctic.

The results from Chan's group, which are currently being prepared for publication in a scientific journal, echoed a smaller study released last fall.

That study found average PCB levels in the blood of pregnant women from 14 communities in the northwestern Northwest Territories fell 24 per cent between 2000 and 2007.

Mercury remains a problem. Levels of the toxic metal increased 42 per cent in ringed seal flesh, although the average exposure increase for humans was marginal.

"We don't see any decrease in mercury across the board," Chan said.

"The major source of mercury is air pollution, from coal-fired power generation. We know that is increasing all the time."

The study is good news for aboriginal people in the North, many whom still depend on food they harvest from the land and sea. A 2006 survey of 45 communities across the Canadian North suggested that between 20 and 30 per cent of the diet of aboriginal northerners consists of so-called country food.

Nutritionists say such foods are often healthier than the highly processed - and highly expensive - foods available in northern groceries.

Still, Chan acknowledges there's still more work to do. His research, for example, didn't include caribou, which many northerners eat on a near-daily basis.

A comprehensive health survey of all coastal Inuit communities is underway which will measure actual contaminant blood levels. That study, which is being done by researchers on the Coast Guard icebreaker CCG Amundsen, is complete for Nunavut and the results are expected next summer.

A similar survey in communities on the north coast of the Northwest Territories as well as Labrador will be conducted this summer.

Source:http://canadianpress.google.com

Study finds arsenic threats in Southeast Asia

Posted by: Neill Abayon

From ANI

Washington, July 14: A new model, developed by Eawag researchers, has shown that the contamination of groundwater with arsenic poses a risk to the health of millions of people, especially in the densely populated river deltas of Southeast Asia.

Till date, no method was available for identifying high-risk areas without conducting costly sampling campaigns, but now, the new model allows vulnerable areas to be pinpointed using existing data on geology and soil properties.

The new method has also allowed researchers to detect high-risk areas in regions where groundwater studies had not previously been conducted, such as in Myanmar and on Sumatra.

Arsenic is a geogenic contaminant, deriving from natural sources, which is dissolved in groundwater.

The team, led by geologist Lenny Winkel and environmental chemist Michael Berg, has described the method that enables high-risk areas to be identified relatively easily, without the need for expensive and time-consuming groundwater analysis.

For this purpose, researchers compiled existing geological data from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Sumatra (Indonesia) to produce a uniformly classified map.

The data related only to surface sediments and soil properties; surprisingly, this combination of data permits sufficiently accurate conclusions to be drawn concerning chemical and physical conditions in groundwater.

Then, the researchers studied the statistical relations between 30 surface parameters (geological, hydrological and climate data) and arsenic concentrations, and finally incorporated the eight most relevant variables into a logistic regression model.

In particular, young river deposits with organic rich sediments proved to be indicators of groundwater arsenic contamination.

This is apparent from the maps in which the probabilities calculated for elevated arsenic concentrations are presented in a graphical form.

Verification of the model using more than 1750 available groundwater data points from the Bengal, Mekong and Red River deltas showed that the predictions accorded well with reality.

However, in areas assigned a low risk by the model, the risk cannot be assumed to be zero.

"There is no such thing," Science Daily quoted Berg, as telling Nature Geoscience.

Berg added that, ultimately, even a refined model, e.g. including more data from deeper rock strata, could not serve as a substitute for analysis of water samples.

"But thanks to the maps, governments, local authorities or aid agencies can tell very quickly where it might be problematic to sink a well," he said.

The findings from Southeast Asia are part of the Water Resource Quality (WRQ) project, an Eawag research programme studying the occurrence of geogenic contaminants in groundwater worldwide.

The study is published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

300-year-old Ginseng sold 3M Yuan in China

Posted by Neill Abayon


The 366 grams wild ginseng was found in Changbai Mountain (Changbaishan) in July 2007. The value of a wild ginseng is often determined by its age, shape and ‘completeness’.

Ginseng is a widely use herb in Chinese and Korean medicine for centuries. The popularity of ginseng is growing worldwide in recent decades, as studies have proven its medical value.

Most of the ginsengs these days are cultivated, but wild ginseng is commonly believed to have better medical value. A good piece of wild ginseng could worth thousands of dollars, and in this case… a whopping $400,000!

Does Your Skin Sag?

Posted by Neill Abayon

What really is 'anti -aging' all about ?

Most magazines would have you believe that all you have to do to keep "Father Time" from your door, is to cover yourself with cream. I don't know how many women find that this is the answer, but putting cream on your face certainly cannot do any harm.

I do believe that you are a product of your gene pool, if your mother and grandmother had good skin,then it is likely that this asset gets passed down the generations.

As an "older woman" myself I often wish that I had taken better care of my skin when I was younger.As a teenager of course, I never thought that I would change,skin was just something you had to wash or you got in trouble.

I have tried many different products in many different price ranges,creams to lotions etc and I must say I have not noticed a lot of benefits. I do think however, that mentally I feel better thinking that these treatments are working and therefore making me more confident in my appearance.

My mother always told me to rinse my face after cleansing, with hot water and then to splash it with cold water.She had beautiful skin even when she was in her eighties,so I really think ( now too late)that I should have followed her advice!

I would still recommend this as a nightly beauty routine,as the hot water opens the pores to let any dirt out and then the cold water closes them. It is also a very invigorating feeling.

I have at least one pet peeve when it comes to advertisers of anti- aging products. The women in the ads are nearly always very young, so I would like to see older women using these products, this would relate better to the subject of the advert. Maybe this is just jealousy on my part!!!

Feeling young is as good a tonic as anything out there,we can't change our image , unless we artificially do so,so we should be happy to have our health and to be able to enjoy life.

Eating right and drinking lots of water goes a long way towards the inner"anti-aging" which in turn reflects itself in our outer image.

It is too bad that in our society we are judged on our appearance and not on our experience.So many older people have so much to give to this world, but unless one is young and attractive, does anybody listen ?

"Beauty Foods" Can Help Slow Down the Aging Process

Posted by Neill Abayon

Anti-aging has been a very hot topic over the last 15 years, and we’ve made great discoveries about how to turn back the clock with natural hormones and cosmetic procedures. But who would have guessed that the most powerful way of prolonging your youth and enhancing your health was with “Beauty Cuisine”?

Beauty Cuisine is food which not only nourishes but strengthens the body, slows and reverses the aging process (entropy), and rejuvenates our cells allowing for a beautiful body inside and out. Beauty food was a natural part of our evolutionary diet as Paleolithic humans, but has become rare with our quest for fast foods with a long shelf life. The foundation of true youth, health, and beauty lies within consuming the right foods daily. Ideally, we need to pick foods which are fresh, unrefined, nutrient dense, organic, pH balanced, as well as high in enzymatic value, antioxidants, and phytochemicals.

Here are seven important qualities found in “beauty foods”:
1) A low glycemic index rating. Those with high ratings promote insulin secretion, a hormone which when in excess is known to age and destroy the body. For example, high fiber and low sugar foods are lower on the glycemic index and are more desirable.

2) Anti-inflammatory properties. Our most common ailments such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, and bowel disease are caused by inflammation. Consuming spices such as ginger, tumeric, cayenne, and oregano, as well as foods including salmon, garlic, and blueberries, have powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

3) An alkaline or neutral pH. Fast foods and processed, refined foods are acidic and promote deterioration and aging. Yet, foods such as green vegetables, salads, sprouts, watercress, mustard greens, seaweed, sesame seeds, and berries are alkaline and rejuvenating.

4) High enzymatic content. Many illnesses occur as a result of lacking enzymes. They are critical in our food for digestion and assimilation of nutrients, yet they are sorely lacking in our packaged and microwave prepared foods. High enzyme foods are energizing and invigorating, allowing the body to heal and recover significantly faster from injury or aging skin cells and organs. Foods high in enzymes include fresh raw vegetables and berries, as well as raw cheeses, yogurt, and wild game.

5) High mineral content. Foods such as arugula, hemp seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, broccoli sprouts, raw honey, aloe vera, papaya, berries, and burdock root are rich in minerals including silicon, biotin, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, and manganese, all known for their importance for strong hair, skin, and nails.

6) High Syntropy value. Stress, toxins, unhealthy food, and lack of fresh air and sun increase the aging process. They create destruction and disorder or entropy in our bodies, and few things actually work in direct opposition. Syntropy is an order-enhancing energy force stored in food which actually neutralizes entropy and releases the beautifying power in food from the sun. Thus, eating “beauty” foods results in a more youthful energy, body, and mind.

7) Naturally colorful. The vibrant colors of natural foods indicate their wide spectrum of antioxidants, phytochemicals, and nutrients which protect, nourish, and heal the body from disease and aging. From the deep blue blueberries, to the red sockeye salmon, choose a variety of colors each day to optimize your intake of beautifying foods.

“Beauty Cuisine” similar to Paleolithic nutrition, is undeniably the most important new trend for healthy living. It will first stimulate your taste buds and then support your body to eliminate toxins, rejuvenate skin cells, strengthen organs, and increase overall vitality, health, and appearance. Humans evolved on these highly energetic restorative foods for the last two million years, and in order to continue thriving, we must make it a priority to keep consuming the right foods.

Sperm count concerns specialists

Posted by Neill Abayon

Two years ago when fertility specialist Gil Wilshire came to Columbia from his practice in New Jersey, one detail jumped out at him. His male patients in Mid-Missouri were much less fertile than those he treated on the East Coast.

"Nobody I saw had a normal sperm count," said Wilshire, a reproductive endocrinologist at Mid-Missouri Reproductive Medicine and Surgery Inc. "It took about two or three weeks until a normal semen analysis came through the door. I kept asking myself, ‘Am I in a hellhole of toxins?’ "

Danny Schust, another endocrinologist who arrived here from Harvard University in 2006, had an almost identical experience. He was accustomed to treating men with low sperm counts, but those he saw in Missouri all had low counts.

"I went to" an andrologist at the Missouri Center for Reproductive Medicine and Fertility. "And I said, ‘Are you guys doing something different here because I never see normal sperm counts?’ " Schust recalled. "And she was like, ‘No, this is Missouri sperm.’ "

Their stories are part of a chorus of local people who work in the field of male fertility asking questions about low sperm counts in Mid-Missouri. Some suspect pesticides have percolated into ground water, but no definitive link is known. They say they are frustrated by the lack of attention to the problem and the lack of funding for further research.

"We don’t see very many normal samples. ... It’s completely a mystery," said Erma Drobnis, the andrologist working at Columbia Regional Hospital with Schust. She said in recent years, she and other researchers have tried repeatedly to get funding from the National Institutes of Health to examine the problem, without success.

The problem is not new.

In 1999, a group of researchers including Drobnis were working on a study comparing semen quality across major metropolitan areas, suspecting that sperm counts were dropping worldwide. They selected New York, Minneapolis and Los Angeles for their study. But reviewers of the grant application recommended adding add another, more rural town. They selected Columbia.

Researchers believed that including Columbia would serve as a baseline by which to judge the other cities. More rural settings, so the theory goes, tend to have fewer toxic pollutants such as smog in the air that impact reproductive health.

So researchers were caught off-guard when the Columbia sperm samples turned out to be significantly lower than samples from three other cities. The sample of Columbia men had average sperm counts of 58.7 million sperm per milliliter, or about 57 percent of those in New York. All cities studied were considered within the normal range, but Columbia pushes at the lower end.

"We were very surprised," said Shanna Swan, the lead researcher on the study who is now at the University of Rochester in New York.

Because the men in the Missouri study were from different backgrounds, variable ages and occupations, and they had lived in the area for both short and long periods of time, scientists labeled the cause for the low sperm counts "environmental." They said drinking water was the most likely cause.

After getting the initial results, scientists subjected the sperm samples from 50 men to a battery of new tests to look for pesticides. They found "significant" links between three common pesticides and low sperm counts in the Missouri men and possible associations with two other pesticides.

This summer, Swann will get the results from a follow-up test by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tested 400 other men for the same pesticides.

"If we see something similar in a larger data set, then people will really have to pay attention to it," Swann said. "We don’t know if it’s the water. We suspect that, but we really can’t say that until we have more information."

At the request of the Tribune, Barry Kirchhoff, city water plant superintendent, reviewed the findings. He said pesticides that show up in men’s sperm samples did not come from Columbia drinking water. He said he almost never sees restricted pesticides in Columbia water.

"We’re drawing water from 15 different wells scattered out over areas two miles wide and four miles long," Kirchhoff said. "So if it turns up in source water, it’s not going to be here one day, gone the next."

But one of the three pesticides that showed a significant association with low sperm counts also was found in 24 of the samples - an insecticide called diazinon, which is not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency in drinking water. In 2004, diazinon was banned from residential use, though it is still lawfully used in some agriculture. Another herbicide used for weed control - metolachlor - showed up in 34 of the Missouri semen samples. It also is on the EPA’s list of candidates for designation as a contaminant.

Researchers are not exclusively pointing fingers at water. They said any number of factors such as exposure to pesticides on farms, eating fruits and vegetables or even tobacco use could be the cause.

Drobnis said she trusts Columbia water. She doesn’t know the reason for the low sperm counts; she just knows it’s a problem she has seen ever since she arrived here to practice medicine in 1994.

"Environmentalists have said it’s usually not looking at one chemical, it’s when you combine everything that you get the problems," Drobnis said. "It’s the whole picture taken together" that "can end up giving you a reduction in health."

Source:http://www.columbiatribune.com

Beware of diseases as rainy season sets in

By Bernadette Parco, Chris Ligan
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 02:48pm (Mla time) 05/31/2007

CEBU, Philippines—With school opening in just a few days and the rainy season just around the corner, the health department is urging parents to take steps to protect their children from diseases.

Rennan Cimafranca, epidemiological nurse of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7), yesterday said the rains usually bring with it many diseases, such as influenza and leptospirosis.

He urged the liberal intake of vitamin supplements to raise resistance levels, and to always be ready with protective gear, such as umbrellas and rain coats.

Cimafranca, assigned to the DOH-7’s Regional Epidemiological Unit (RESU), said the frequent change in weather that comes with the rainy season usually render people susceptible to diseases.

The RESU notes an increase in the number of patients suffering from coughs, colds and fever during the rainy season.

Leptospirosis is also commonly reported, he said. The disease, commonly found in the urine of animals, is transmitted to humans by ingestion or contact with contaminated water.

The disease causes jaundice, nephritis, and the inflamation of the spleen. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, chills, aching muscles and vomiting.

Cimafranca said unattended cases could worsen and lead to meningitis, as well as respiratory and renal disease.

People who exhibit symptoms should seek medical attention immediately, Cimafranca said.

“The disease is common in places with poor sanitary conditions and affects people who walk around barefoot and wade in flood waters,” said Cimafranca.

This fact does not escape some informal settlers.

Gil Vega, operations officer of the Squatter Prevention, Encroachment and Elimination Division (Speed) of the Cebu City yesterday said that several informal settlers living along flood-prone areas and drainage canals in barangay Duljo-Fatima had voluntarily demolished their shanties after being urged by the city government to do so.

Vega said the actions of the affected residents in sitios Bohol and Sto. Niño surprised Speed personnel, who were expecting owners of shanties targeted for demolition to put up a resistance as with most demolition operations the agency had conducted in the past.

“We couldn’t believe they themselves destroyed their own illegal structures. We usually have a hard time carrying out a demolition,” Vega said.

Vega said he learned that it was even the informal settlers who asked barangay officials to tell Speed to help carry out a demolition.

The residents complained that stagnant water in the drainage system near their homes had caused skin diseases in children and served as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Some residents admitted that it was their own structures that hampered the flow of drainage, causing water to stagnate.

Residents also feared being swept away by floods as water levels had risen on several occasions since rains started to get more frequent two weeks ago.

Most of the structures demolished were extensions of larger shanties – restrooms, kitchens, and containment for pigs and chickens.

More than 20 structures were demolished by their owners yesterday, with the help of Speed.

Source:http://globalnation.inquirer.net

Discover Your Food Allergies and Accelerate Weight Loss

Posted by Neill Abayon

Some nutritionists estimate that up to 75% of all people have undiagnosed food allergies. They may not be allergies in the way that we commonly think of them – that is, we may not sneeze or get a rash, or go into anaphylactic shock. But they are allergies all the same, if these foods provoke a negative immune response in the body. A good example is lactose intolerance – sometimes called a ‘milk allergy’. People with lactose intolerance cannot digest one of the sugars that milk contains, and milk is harmful to their bodies. They might get a stomach ache, or they might develop a problem with phlegm in the lungs, windpipe or throat. Many people have a similar allergy to wheat or other grains, or to certain vegetables.

But what does this have to do with weight loss? Studies show that food allergies are a leading cause of weight gain. When you eat foods that you are allergic to, they aren’t metabolized properly, and your body will hold onto the calories in these foods for longer, according to one theory. Also, some nutritionists feel that there is a correlation between your food allergies and the foods that you crave or binge on. Often, they are the same foods. In fact, if you eat the foods that you are allergic to, you can develop an addiction to them. Apparently, this is often the case with wheat and other carbohydrates. Apparently, there are some people who are addicted to carbohydrates and sugar – if they eat just a little bit of these foods, they will lose control, and start to eat more and more. To make matters worse, these foods are not metabolized properly by those people, so the natural result is weight gain.

In most cases like this, the underlying cause may be an allergy to wheat and other grains. If you decide to eliminate these foods entirely, it will initially be difficult – just as it’s difficult for a smoker to stop smoking, or for an alcoholic to stop drinking. Once you do it, though, you will be able to reap the benefits. You will lose your urge to binge on these and other foods, and the weight will come off much faster.

If you are trying to lose weight, therefore, it is well worth your while to find out what your food allergies are, if indeed you have any. A naturopath will be able to help you discover this information, often using a process called ‘vega testing’. This may be a little costly, but as more people are doing it, the cost is coming down. At the end of the the visit, the naturopath will give you a printout of the foods you should avoid. You may be dismayed to find that some of your ‘favorites’ are on the list – but if you are committed to your health and weight loss, give it a try. You may be surprised by how little you actually miss the foods you are allergic to once they are gone from your diet altogether.

Some people are skeptical about this process and about the whole notion that so many people are allergic to common foods. Why would so many people have this disorder? It may seem strange – even counter-intuitive. Think about the great variety of foods we eat today, though. In the past, people generally stayed in the same part of the world in which they were born, and they ate the food that was indigenous to that region. Nowadays, that’s all but impossible. For one thing, people move around a lot more. Also, food doesn’t come from the region you live in - it comes from everywhere. Every food is available to everyone all the time, and that’s very different from what it was like in the past. Therefore, there’s a much greater potential for food allergies, because there are probably foods that you eat that your ancestors never would have seen. As a result, you may not have the necessary enzymes to digest them.

You could, of course, try to eat as your ancestors did. For many of us, though our ancestors came from a variety of places, and there’s no telling which set of genetics were passed on to us. Allergy testing, on the other hand, is individual, and may well give you the answers you need.

Mercury leaks found as new bulbs break

Posted by Neill Abayon

Energy benefits of fluorescents may outweigh risk

Compact fluorescent lamps - those spiral, energy-efficient bulbs popular as a device to combat global warming - can pose a small risk of mercury poisoning to infants, young children, and pregnant women if they break.

But the reports, issued by the state of Maine and the Vermont-based Mercury Policy Project, urged homeowners to keep using compact fluorescents because their energy-saving benefits far outweigh the risk posed by mercury released from a broken lamp.

They said most danger could be avoided if people exercised common-sense caution, such as not using compact fluorescents in table lamps that could be knocked over by children or pets and properly cleaning up broken bulbs.

The US Environmental Protection Agency and the states of Massachusetts and Vermont said yesterday that, based on the Maine study, they are revising their recommendations for where to use compact fluorescents in a home and how to clean up when one breaks.

"Using compact fluorescent bulbs is still the brightest idea out there," said Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project, a nonprofit organization that works to eliminate mercury use. "The message is: People should not be afraid but informed and prepared and learn how to dispose of them properly."

The two reports constitute one of the most comprehensive examinations of the dangers posed by the lights, which use about 1 percent of the amount of mercury found in old thermometers.

Mercury is needed for the lamps to produce light, and there are no known substitutes. No mercury is emitted when compact fluorescents are burned, but a small amount is vaporized when they break, which can happen if people screw them in holding the glass instead of the base or drop them.

Mercury is a naturally occurring metal that accumulates in the body and can harm the nervous system of a fetus or young child if ingested in sufficient quantity.

For the Maine study, researchers shattered 65 compact fluorescents to test air quality and cleanup methods. They found that, in many cases, immediately after the bulb was broken - and sometimes even after a cleanup was attempted - levels of mercury vapor exceeded federal guidelines for chronic exposure by as much as 100 times.

There is no federal guideline for acute exposure. Some states, including Maine, use the chronic exposure level as their overall standard, while others, such as California, have chosen higher levels for acute exposure. Still, the mercury vapor released by the bulbs in the Maine study exceeded even those higher levels.

"We found some very high levels [of mercury] even after we tried a number of cleanup techniques," said Mark Hyland, director of Maine's Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management. He said levels were the lowest if the room was well ventilated after breakage.

The study recommended that if a compact fluorescent breaks, get children and pets out of the room. Ventilate the room. Never use a vacuum, even on a rug, to clean up a broken compact fluorescent lamps. Instead, use stiff paper such as index cards and tape to pick up pieces, and then wipe the area with a wet wipe or damp paper towel. If there are young children or pregnant woman in the house, consider cutting out the piece of carpet where the lamp broke as a precaution. Place the shards and cleanup debris in a glass jar with a screw top and remove the jar from the house.

more stories like this

Disposal regulations vary from state to state, with some requiring broken compact fluorescent light bulbs, to be disposed of as household hazardous waste. Most states allow intact compact fluorescents to be thrown away, but some - such as Vermont, Minnesota, and California - ban disposal in trash, according to Bender.

Some stores, such as Ikea, have set out recycling containers for fluorescent bulbs. In Maine, Hyland says, some 200 retailers are participating in compact fluorescent recycling.

Massachusetts is also ramping up a compact fluorescent recycling program and in May will ban disposal of any intact compact fluorescent lamp in trash. However, broken ones - because their mercury would probably have been vaporized - may be thrown away.

Sales are skyrocketing for compact fluorescent lamps, which use about 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs, as consumers become more aware of global warming and the long-term cost savings. More than 290 million compact fluorescents carrying the EPA's "Energy Star" label sold last year, nearly double the number in 2006. Compact fluorescents now make up 20 percent of the US light bulb market, and sales are all but guaranteed to grow: A new law requires lights to become much more energy-efficient starting in 2012.

According to the US Department of Energy, if every household replaced just one light bulb with a compact fluorescent, the United States would save more than $600 million each year in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to 800,000 cars.

But compact fluorescents can contain from 1 to 30 milligrams of mercury, according to the Mercury Policy Project. The nonprofit cited a New Jersey study that estimated that about 2 to 4 tons of the element are released into the environment in the United States each year from compact fluorescents. That number is expected to grow as sales do. In comparison, about 48 tons of mercury is released into the environment by power plants each year, according to federal statistics.

"People should continue to support CFLs until there are mercury-free alternatives available," said Cindy Luppi of Clean Water Action, a local advocacy group.

Spinning Exercise

Posted by Neill Abayon

Spinning exercise or studio cycling is not only popular these days it's an excellent form of fitness. It helps strengthen your heart, tone your glutes, calves, thighs in addition to being a great exercise to slim legs.

Spinning exercise classes usually consist of about 12 to 20 people. Classes range from 50 to 60 minutes and are set to music. The instructor takes the class on a ride that includes all types of terrain that produces a great spinning workout.

If you are the type of person who doesn't care for traditional exercise classes, this form of exercise is perfect for you. One of the many benefits of spinning is you will always feel like you're keeping up with the class because everyone finishes at the same time.

The special spinning bicycle that you pedal has a weighted flywheel in the front and makes you feel more like you're riding on a real bicycle. The spinning bike allows you to adjust the tension to keep pedaling within a comfortable range for your fitness level.

Adjustments can also be made to the handlebars and seat to make you more comfortable. Here are a few stationary exercise bike tips before you start.

Always bring a bottle of water to class and take frequent drinks while you ride. Spinning works up a sweat and it's important that you keep hydrated. Also bring a small towel to wipe away the sweat to keep more comfortable.

Learn to pace yourself because spinning exercise classes can be very high energy. Don't get caught up in the enthusiasm so much that you ride beyond your fitness level.

Wear padded bike shorts or consider bringing a seat cushion until you get use to the bike seat. They tend to be a little hard on your rear end until you get use to them.

The first step is to sign up for a class so you can start enjoying the benefits of spinning. Remember like any class, the instructors will vary on their focus. Some take you on an imaginary ride while other concentrate on a more rigorous variety of drills.

If you find you don't like the style of one instructor, try another class. It could be a completely different experience with an instructor you like better.

Using a spinning cycle will give you the aerobic burst you need to get your heart racing and boost your endurance. Just climb on and start pedaling to your limit for a spinning exercise workout you'll enjoy.

Australia world's fattest nation, U.S. 2nd

Posted by Neill Abayon

I have read an article from japantoday.com pulished June 20, 2008. Just read it and judge it by yourself.

SYDNEY —

Australia is now the world’s fattest nation, with 26% of adults labeled obese, a new report said Friday. The report, titled ‘‘Australia’s Future Fat Bomb’’ was undertaken by the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, and revealed that some 4 million Australian adults are now classified as obese. The alarming new figures mean the nation has officially overtaken the United States, which has a 25% obesity rate.

According to the report, some 1.5 million middle-aged Australians are currently obese, a figure the report predicts will result in an additional 700,000 cardiovascular-related hospital admissions in the next 20 years.

The report proposed a number of recommendations to curb the nation’s expanding waistlines, including a national weight loss strategy similar to the high-profile smoking and skin cancer campaigns and the subsidizing of gym memberships.

“If we ran a fat Olympics, we’d be gold medal winners as the fattest people on earth at the moment,” Institute preventative cardiology head Professor Simon Stewart told the Age newspaper.

While the report said Australia had overtaken the United States as the fattest nation on the planet, recent U.S. studies show around 34% of Americans are overweight or obese.

In all, there are currently 1.6 billion overweight adults in the world, a number that is expected to grow by 40% over the next decade, according to the World Health Organization.

Nutrition expert Rosemary Stanton said Australia needs to take urgent action to address growing obesity and re-think failed health messages.

“We’ve got to somehow or other get a message across. We’ve got to start taking this very seriously, rather than just talking about it,” Stanton said, pointing the finger at “huge resistance” in the processed and fast food industries.

The report proposed a number of recommendations to curb the nation’s expanding waistlines, including a national weight loss strategy similar to the high-profile smoking and skin cancer campaigns and the subsidizing of gym memberships.

The findings, which will be presented at a government inquiry into obesity, have drawn a sharp reaction from Health Minister Nicola Roxon, who labeled the results ‘‘staggering.’’

Speaking to reporters in Canberra, Roxon said the fight against obesity is a national priority and the government hopes to have an effective nationwide strategy in place within the next 12 months.

Source:http://www.japantoday.com

Natural Acne Home Treatments

Posted by Neill Abayon

There are a lot of different acne treatments, some of them natural acne home treatments, some uses different chemicals, some even involve surgery.

However, as the "natural" humans that we are, we most often want something similar, a simple natural acne treatment which we can do by ourselves at home, as being in the comfort of our own home is very important to a lot of us.

And to drill even further down in the natural acne treatments pit, there are even more kinds of different natural treatments for acne.

Today, I'm going to talk to you about one of the simplest of them all, and you've most likely never heard of it.

It's called The Water Method.

Guess what it involves? That's right, water.

For a Natural Acne Home Treatment, this is as cheap as it gets too. You don't even have to leave the house, as long as you have a kitchen with a common sink, I do prefer the bathroom though.

The problem with the Water Method is that it's not the most effective of all methods. But what do you expect? The only ingredient in the formula is WATER!

"Back in the day" when I got rid of my acne, I was, as you probably are, determined not to waste money on some expensive treatments that wasn't guaranteed to work.

Just as I was in my most critical stage and desperate for a solution... I came across two methods at once actually, and I found a way to make them compliment each other perfectly.

Of course, these two methods was #1, The Water Method, and then a, I guess, most powerful solution which was Chris Gibson's Acne Free In 3 Days eBook. So those two combined, was for me the ultimate natural acne home treatment.

Get a step by step course on the Water Method, and actually read my complete review of Acne Free In 3 Days by Chris Gibson, it's right here --> http://acne-free--in-3-days.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kyle_Frice

Do You Know The 4 Easy Tips For Six Pack Success? It's Not Sit-Ups And Crunches

Posted by Neill Abayon

Let's face it you're here because you want to learn how to get six pack abs. It can be so confusing with all the products, gadgets, and pills offering a solution to six pack abs, you probably don't know where to start. It seems like everyone out there is constantly contradicting and disagreeing with each other over how to eat for optimal health and fat loss.

One thing I try to let my readers understand amid all the conflicting ideas that surround getting a visible six pack, is that you do not need any type of low-fat or low-carb or low-high anything fad diet to become successful and achieve your six pack. I think the biggest factor to success is balancing your diet so it is made up of good quality nutrient dense foods ,and is as close to its natural state as possible e.g. Unprocessed.

Processed foods are one of the major reasons there is an obesity epidemic in our society today. Most foods that are natural and unprocessed are inherently healthy for us, but there are exceptions. Eating eating a salad of poison ivy leaves is definitely natural and unprocessed but would not be very healthy for you.

Before I go I'm going a leave you with a couple of the most important nutrition and diet aspects to help you tone of your abs and get that 6 pack showing.

Aspect # 1: Make sure you get enough protein in your daily diet. Protein has a higher thermic effect than fats and carbs, which means you will burn more calories while eating and digesting it. Protein also helps maintain and build muscle which is one of the factors for keeping your metabolism in control.

Apspect # 2: Make sure that all of your carbs, or almost all them, come from high fiber sources such as vegetables and fruit and unrefined grains. Avoid refined grains and sugars because this is one of the top reasons why people are fat today. When looking for your sources of carbohydrates make sure each 10 g of total carbs has at least 2-3 g of fiber. Don't forget that fiber makes you feel fuller faster and it slows the glycemic response from all the food you eat, which is really great when you're trying to develop your six pack.

Aspect # 3: Fat can be good for you. Many times I see people go way too low on the daily fat they consume. Not only does not consuming fat greatly reduce certain hormone levels it can also cause tremendous cravings so make sure you eat enough healthy fats throughout the day. Some great sources are seed, nuts, avocados, organic meats, coconuts, olive oil, and virgin coconut oil.

Aspect # 4: Make sure you avoid these two things at all cost. Artificial trans-fats, like those found in margarines, hydrogenated oils which are in most processed foods, and shortening. Also avoid high fructose corn syrup. This is found in almost every sweetener on the market today. These two huge culprits and why the majority of people are overweight today.

Once you get these four areas in your diet controlled, your body starts does the rest by controlling your blood sugar, hormone levels, and your appetite. Soon you will have total control over how you want to look and how lean you want to get. Once you get control of this aspect of your life those six pack abs will finally be revealed.

If you're interested in taking your fat-loss efforts to an entirely new level, go to the following site and grab a FREE fat loss report which details 27 unique methods for boosting your metabolism and losing belly fat - http://www.TruthAboutAbsBlog.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Ward

FOR THE NEEDLE-NERVOUS

Posted by Neill Abayon

Here's a tip for easing the pain of an injrction. Press your thumb where the shot will be given until you feel resistance and hold it for ten seconds.
Researchers found that 48 patients who received the pressure treatment before a shot felt less pain than others who didn't.
In the study, nurses who gave the shots also provided the pre-injection pressure. but researcher Roberta Erickson, associate professor of nursing at Oregon Health Sciences University School of Nursing, says that self-administered pressure would likely do as well. The technique works for the same reason that rubbing your elbow helps if you've hit it: gently inhibit smaller pain fibers in the same area triggered by a sharp stimulus.

HEART AND MIND LINK

Posted by Neill Abayon

Reinforcing an association between psychological stress and cardio vascular disease, research has found that stress on the heart may predict subsequent cardiac events. A five year study at Duke University in the United States followed 126 coronary-disease patients. Those showing signs of reduced blood flow to the heart (myocardial ischemia) during mentally taxing tasks had almost three times the risk of suffering a heart attack, needing a procedure to unblock an artery or dying, compared with patients who didn't show signs of stress-induced ischemia.
The findings suggest that adding mental stress screening to exercise testing in cardiac work-ups may help identify people at risk of a stress-induced heart attack. Once these patients are identified, says lead researcher Dr. Wei Jiang, workshops on coping with stress may be "particularly appropriate."

THE RIGHT WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT

Written by Neill Abayon

By switching to the optional diet plus some walking, you can lose one to two pounds a week. That might not get you slim in time for summer, but it is a sensible health conscious approach to long-term weight management.

HOW FIBERS HELPS - One of the many virtues of fiber is that it acts as a safety mechanism to keep you from overeating. It helps you feel full before you can eat too many calories.
Fiberless foods lack this automatic shutoff, By the time you fell full, you've eaten enough calories for a family of five. Will power is the only thing that stands between you and obesity - and we all know how effective that is!

LOW FIBER FOODS - All animal products lack fiber. They include meat, milk, eggs, and cheese.
In addition, modern food - processing mills take the fiber out of many foods that used to have it. Sugar, white flour, oils and most packaged foods fall into this category.
Corn oils is a good example of this process. It takes 14 ears of corn to make one tablespoon of oil. Imagine trying to eat 14 ears of corn at one sitting. Impossible! Yet its easy to sit down and eat several tablespoon of oil in the form of salad and dressings and fried foods.

YOUR CHALLENGE - Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are high in fiber. Eat them in abundance. Start with this lowfat, high-fiber soup. Serve it with hearty whole-wheat bread and a salad. Eat all you want. You'll fill up long before you'll fatten up.
Eat whole fruits, with all their fiber, instead of drinking the juice.


THE SKINNY ON CELLULITE

* Thigh creams havent produced lasting results.
* There are no miracle pills. They don't slim down your pocketbook.
* Liposuction is expensive. The fat goes, but not the dimpled skin.
* Massages, wraps and such - save your money.
* With a lowfat, reduced-calorie diet you'll lose one to two pounds a week, and reshape your cellulite.

Best bet:lowfat optimal diet plus regular active exercise.

PSORIASIS AND YOUR HEART

Posted by Neill Abayon

Psoriasis is a risk factor for heart attack, greatest in younger patients with severe psoriasis, according to a study at University of Pennyslvania School of Medicine.
Psoriasis is a common, chronic immune disease that affects about two to three percent of the population. The study found that a 40-year-old patient with severe psoriasis had more than double the risk for heart attaack, while a 60-year-old
patient with severe psoriasis had a 36 percent increased risk. More studies are planned. Meanwhile the authors recommend
that patients with psoriasis be encouraged to aggressively address such cardiovascular risk factors as obesity and smoking.

TONSILS TRIPLE RISK OF STREP THROAT

Posted by Neill Abayon

Children with recurrent strep throat and whose tonsils have not been removed are three times more likely to develop subsequent episodes of strep throat than children who undergo tonsillectomy, according to a Mayo clinic study. "These results suggests that tonsillectomy is a useful therapy for treating children with recurrent strep throat infections," says Dr. Laura Orvidas, Mayo Clinic ear,nose and throat surgeon and senior study investigator.
Pharyngitis and tonsilitis are among the most common diagnosed paediatric illnesses, accounting for a large proportion of physician visits per year. Strep infections are responsible for 15 to 30 percent of all cases of Phayngitis. In
addition, 20 to 30 percent of children who are diagnosed with strep pharyngeal infection may experience a second infection with in 60 days of the initial episode.

How to Get Smarter, One Breath at a Time

Posted by Neill Abayon

Scientists find that meditation not only reduces stress but also reshapes the brain
By LISA TAKEUCHI CULLEN

At 4:30, when most of Wall Street is winding down, Walter Zimmermann begins a high-stakes, high-wire act conducted live before a paying audience. About 200 institutional investors — including airlines and oil companies — shell out up to $3,000 a month to catch his daily webcast on the volatile energy markets, a performance that can move hundreds of millions of dollars. "I'm not paid to be wrong — I can tell you that," Zimmermann says. But as he clicks through dozens of screens and graphics on three computers, he's the picture of focused calm. Zimmermann, 54, watched most of his peers in energy futures burn out long ago. He attributes his brain's enduring sharpness not to an intravenous espresso drip but to 40 minutes of meditation each morning and evening. The practice, he says, helps him maintain the clarity he needs for quick, insightful analysis — even approaching happy hour. "Meditation," he says, "is my secret weapon."

Everyone around the water cooler knows that meditation reduces stress. But with the aid of advanced brainscanning technology, researchers are beginning to show that meditation directly affects the function and structure of the brain, changing it in ways that appear to increase attention span, sharpen focus and improve memory.

One recent study found evidence that the daily practice of meditation thickened the parts of the brain's cerebral cortex responsible for decision making, attention and memory. Sara Lazar, a research scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital, presented preliminary results last November that showed that the gray matter of 20 men and women who meditated for just 40 minutes a day was thicker than that of people who did not. Unlike in previous studies focusing on Buddhist monks, the subjects were Boston-area workers practicing a Western-style of meditation called mindfulness or insight meditation. "We showed for the first time that you don't have to do it all day for similar results," says Lazar. What's more, her research suggests that meditation may slow the natural thinning of that section of the cortex that occurs with age.

The forms of meditation Lazar and other scientists are studying involve focusing on an image or sound or on one's breathing. Though deceptively simple, the practice seems to exercise the parts of the brain that help us pay attention. "Attention is the key to learning, and meditation helps you voluntarily regulate it," says Richard Davidson, director of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin. Since 1992, he has collaborated with the Dalai Lama to study the brains of Tibetan monks, whom he calls "the Olympic athletes of meditation." Using caps with electrical sensors placed on the monks' heads, Davidson has picked up unusually powerful gamma waves that are better synchronized in the Tibetans than they are in novice meditators. Studies have linked this gamma-wave synchrony to increased awareness.

Many people who meditate claim the practice restores their energy, allowing them to perform better at tasks that require attention and concentration. If so, wouldn't a midday nap work just as well? No, says Bruce O'Hara, associate professor of biology at the University of Kentucky. In a study to be published this year, he had college students either meditate, sleep or watch TV. Then he tested them for what psychologists call psychomotor vigilance, asking them to hit a button when a light flashed on a screen. Those who had been taught to meditate performed 10% better — "a huge jump, statistically speaking," says O'Hara. Those who snoozed did significantly worse. "What it means," O'Hara theorizes, "is that meditation may restore synapses, much like sleep but without the initial grogginess."

Not surprisingly, given those results, a growing number of corporations — including Deutsche Bank, Google and Hughes Aircraft — offer meditation classes to their workers. Jeffrey Abramson, CEO of Tower Co., a Washington-based development firm, says 75% of his staff attend free classes in transcendental meditation. Making employees sharper is only one benefit; studies say meditation also improves productivity, in large part by preventing stress-related illness and reducing absenteeism.

Another benefit for employers: meditation seems to help regulate emotions, which in turn helps people get along. "One of the most important domains meditation acts upon is emotional intelligence — a set of skills far more consequential for life success than cognitive intelligence," says Davidson. So, for a New Year's resolution that can pay big dividends at home and at the office, try this: just breathe.

Source:http://psyphz.psych.wisc.edu

Testosterone and Sex Ratio

Written by Neill Abayon

The mother’s level of testosterone influences the probability of having a boy or girl.

This potent chemical hormone has important effects on human bodies. Even tiny quantities can change the physical and psychological characteristics of both men and women. It also affects the way people behave. Since testosterone influences people’s behavior in known ways, it is possible to get an idea of a person’s testosterone levels by asking them about some of their characteristics. Thus it is quite feasible that a psychological test will indicate whether a mother will have a boy or a girl.

After war, more boys are born than usual, and, today, fewer boys are being born throughout the western world.

For every 100 baby girls, there are 106 baby boys. Nobody knows why. It’s a puzzle because other animal species have half male and half female offspring, and human males produce equal numbers of x-chromosome sperms (which make girls) and y-chromosome sperms (which make boys).

Women have only one tenth the amount of testosterone that men do. In both humans and animals, testosterone has been shown to be related to dominance. There is evidence to suggest that testosterone in women rises during periods of chronic stress — the sort of situation that arises in time of war, famine or disease. There are several documented examples of more boys being born in such circumstances.

Although the sex ratio averages out everywhere to 106 boys for every 100 girls, researchers have found that men in some occupational groups, such as airline pilots, astronauts, timber workers and deep sea divers, have a tendency to have more girls.

Dominant female deer have more male offspring than non-dominant deer; far more than would be expected by chance. A famous study describing this phenomenon was published in the top science journal Nature in 1984. Since then there have been more than forty animal studies published in reputable scientific journals documenting unusual sex ratios. For most animals living in the wild — different kinds of monkeys, wild horses and even whales — dominant mothers have more male offspring. When the animals were kept in captivity, however, the sex ratios sometimes ran in the opposite direction and the dominant females had more female offspring. Caging is likely to have an effect on both social hierarchies and hormones.

WHAT TO DO WHEN SOMEODY HAS COLLAPSED

Written by Neill Abayon

Facing a situation where somebody has collapsed is frightening particularly if its somebody you know. However there are some very simple steps that you can take to help you decide the est course of action, which in an emergency could mean the difference between life and death.

1. CHECK THE SCENE - Is it safe for you to approach the person who has collapsed. Do not become a victim of yourself. Check for dangers such as chemicals, electricity, or traffic. If you can safely remove the danger, do so. If not, consider if you can safely move the person from danger or whether you need to call for additional help such as the fire service.


2. CHECK THE RESPONSE - Is the person who has collapsed conscious?

* Gently squeeze the shoulders and ask loudly, "Are you all
right?".

* Speak loudly and clearly.

* Always assume there may be a neck injury and squeeze gently.


3. IF THERE IS NO RESPONSE - If there is no response, the immediate danger is that the victim might e unconscious and may have a blocked airway or be in need of resuscitation.

* Shout for help.
* If possible,leave the victim in the position in which you found him and open the airway.
* When it is not possible to carry out an assessment of the victim in the position found, turn him onto his back and open the airway.


4. OPEN THE AIRWAY

* Place one hand on th forehead and gently tilt the head back.

* Remove any obvious obstructions from the victims mouth, including dislodge dentures,but leave well-fitting dentures in place.

* Place the fingertips of two fingers under the point of the victims and lift the chin, If injury to the neck is suspected, handle the head very gently and try to avoid tilting the head too much.

5. CHECK FOR BREATHING - Once the airway is open, the next priority is to check whether or not the person is breathing. Keep the airways open with one hand on the forehead and one head lifting the chin. Put your cheek to the victims face and look down the chest.

* Look for the movement of the chest and stomach.

* Listen for breath sounds.

* Feel for breathing on the side of your face.


If the victim is not breathing call 911 for emergency help.

THE WRONG WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT

Written y Neill Abayon

Here are three wrong ways to lose wight. Take a time to read at them.


1. DIURETICS (water pills) - Since the body is about 70 percent water,

it is relatively easy for such pills to remove several pounds of water

quickly. The scales look good - for a few days. ut gradually the body

balances itself y replacing the water, and there goes the weight loss.


2. EXTRA PROTEIN - An overdose of protei will accomplish asically the

same thing. The liver changes excess protein into the blood urea

nitrogen (UN), which causes the kidneys to force water from the body.

It takes much water to wash out the products of excess protein

metabolism than it does to take care of the breakdown products of

either carbohydrates or fats.
Some quick weight-loss diets take advantage of the fact that a

high-protein in take can cause spectacular weight-loss in a short time.

This is a dangerous practice, however. That is why such diets are

usually physician-supervised and limited to short periiods of time,

normally about two weeks. The scales show gratifyingly low numbers, but

most of the weight returns in a short time as the body replaces lost

water.

3. STARVATION DIETS - Many of the quickie diets drop daily intake of

1800 to 250 calories to less than 500 calories in a day. Some of these

starvation diets may go as low as 300 to 400 calories. The body

misreads this dramatic calorie drop as acute starvation and actually

begins to digest its own protein (usually in the form of muscle) in an

effort to protect more vital tissues. Careful testing has shown that

weight loss on these diets can come from both fat and muscle tissues.
So eware! When you think you're losing 14 pounds of fat for

example, you could actually e losing five pounds of fat, one pound of

protein tissue (muscle), and eight pounds of water.
If you feel you need to go on a diet, make sure that you get

enough calories from protein and carbohydrates to prevent muscle tissue

loss. For an average person this means at least 200 calories of protein

(50 grams) and at least 600 calories of carbohydrates a day.

How to Stop the Spread of Germs

Written by Neill Abayon

Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing

Cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw it away. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

The "Happy Birthday" song helps keep your hands clean?

Not exactly. Yet we recommend that when you wash your hands — with soap and warm water — that you wash for 15 to 20 seconds. That's about the same time it takes to sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice!

Alcohol-based hand wipes and gel sanitizers work too

When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using gel, rub your hands until the gel is dry. The gel doesn't need water to work; the alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands.

Germs and Children

Written by Neill Abayon

Remind children to practice healthy habits, because germs spread, especially at school.

The flu has caused high rates of absenteeism among students and staff in our country's 119,000 schools. Influenza is not the only respiratory infection of concern in schools — nearly 22 million schools days are lost each year to the common cold alone. However, when children practice healthy habits, they miss fewer days of school.

Stress-Reduction Techniques

Posted by Neill Abayon

Practice the "Relaxation Response" and Similar Techniques

Recognizing that some people who practice meditation are capable of reducing their heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen consumption, Harvard's Herbert Benson, M.D., set out several decades ago to understand how they do it. He developed a simple practice that focuses on the qualities in meditation that create relaxation and reduce stress.

Here's how: Every day, plan to spend some time at rest (not asleep). Sit somewhere comfortable, close your eyes and relax your muscles. Focus on breathing regularly. Continuously repeat one word. Repeat it aloud or in your mind. It should be a simple word, such as "relax" or "easy," a religious word or phrase, or a meaningless word like the "om" used in transcendental meditation. Continue regular breathing with your muscles relaxed.

Learn Progressive Muscle Relaxation

This technique allows you to relax your entire body. Start at your head. Tense your facial muscles by clenching your teeth and furrowing your brow. Hold the tension for five to 10 seconds, and then release it. Next, tense your shoulder muscles by shrugging them and tucking in your chin. Hold the tension for five to 10 seconds, then release. Next, tense your arm muscles by making fists. Hold the tension for five to 10 seconds, then release. Continue to tighten and release each group of muscles in your body until you have worked all the way down to your toes. Picture the tension evaporating as you release each muscle. Focus on the warmth and heaviness of the body parts as they relax.

Do Visualization

Visualizing is a good way to remove yourself mentally from a stressful situation. Sit or lie somewhere comfortable. Close your eyes. Practice the progressive muscle relaxation exercise outlined above. Allow thoughts to pass through your mind without actually "thinking" about them. Imagine you are somewhere that makes you feel good, such as the beach or the woods, a spot where you have spent a restful vacation or a beautiful place you can picture even if you have never visited. Breathe slowly and deeply until you feel relaxed. Focus on all five senses. Imagine what you see, feel, hear, taste and smell. Continue to visualize yourself in this place for five to 10 minutes. Then gradually return your focus to the room you are in and end the visualization exercise.

Practice Relaxed Breathing Exercises

Take a deep breath in and out. Did you feel your chest expand and contract? Did your shoulders go up as you drew air into your lungs? This is how many adults breathe. But to breathe more efficiently — and to promote relaxation — we need to look to the way we breathe while asleep.

When in a relaxed sleeping state, we usually breathe from our diaphragm, which is the muscle between the abdomen and the chest. When breathing through the abdomen, the chest and shoulders remain relatively still while the abdomen rises and lowers with each breath. The type of breathing we do while sleeping takes less effort and is typically more efficient than the breathing we do while awake. As a result, abdomen breathing is more relaxing.

How can you practice relaxed breathing?

Lie flat on your back. Place your feet slightly apart. Lightly rest one hand on your abdomen, just near your navel. Rest your other hand on your chest. Inhale through your nose and calmly exhale through your mouth until you've emptied most of the air from your lungs. Focus on your breathing and watch which hand is moving.

As you slowly count to four, gently inhale, slightly distending your abdomen to make it rise. Imagine warmth flowing into your lungs and to all parts of your body. Pause for one second. Then as you slowly count to four, gently exhale, letting your abdomen slowly fall and your diaphragm relax. Pause for another second. Repeat this process five to 10 times. When you become familiar with the process, you can practice relaxed breathing while seated and, then, while standing.

Write About Your Stress

A study published in 1999 in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested that writing about stressful experiences may help reduce the symptoms of common diseases, such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. One group of patients wrote about their most stressful life experience for 20 minutes a day over three consecutive days. The most common experiences were the death of a loved one, relationship difficulties, a serious problem affecting someone close to them and their involvement in or witness to a car wreck or other disaster. Another group spent an equal amount of time writing about a neutral topic.

The results:

• Forty-seven percent of the group who wrote about stressful experiences showed "clinically relevant improvement" in their conditions four months later.
  
• Only 24 percent of the second group showed a similar improvement.

This study held out the promise that a simple technique could improve immune function, lead to fewer visits to the doctor and offer an increased sense of well-being.

Subsequent efforts to repeat this study have produced mixed results. Some research shows that this writing technique brings about little apparent health benefit. A combined analysis of several studies showed a positive effect, but it was small. Scientists working in this area urge more studies to determine how helpful this technique might be. It is, however, an easy method to try, and because it has no known negative effects, it may be useful to try when you're stressed, especially under the guidance of your therapist, counselor or doctor.

Deflate the Danger of Your Fears

The next time you find yourself in a stressful situation, look closely at your thoughts to see whether the situation merits as much stress as you feel. Ask yourself these questions:

• What is the worst that can happen?
• Is it likely that the worst outcome will occur? If so, how likely is it?
• How would such an outcome change your life?
• Is there anything else you can do to influence the result, or have you done all that is possible?

Asking yourself these questions can help you reduce stress to a more manageable size.

Remove Stressors

Are you someone who says, "Sure!" when a boss or colleague asks you to take on another project, but then feels a knot in your stomach? Do you already have more responsibilities than you can comfortably handle? If so, you may need to set some limits.

Stop promising more than you can realistically handle. Be polite, but just say, "No. With the current responsibilities I have, I cannot take on more at this time." Be open to the observations other people make about your workload. If they see that your workload is over-burdensome, try to accept their view without getting angry or self-critical. Try to figure out what their feedback means.

Manage Your Time

Think ahead to reduce stress. Or, as one expert puts it, "Knowing what is happening is better than being in the dark, having a strategy or defense ready is better than being unprepared, and being able to avoid or eliminate stress is better than sitting there suffering."

One way to manage your time is to set priorities. Write a to-do list and schedule time to work on top priorities first. This can help you get the most important tasks done, while controlling the stress you feel about them.

Maintain a Healthy Diet

Like many people, you may have a favorite comfort food you reach for when you're stressed. Whether it's ice cream, potato chips or a juicy hamburger, chances are it's high in fat, sugar or salt. From a health perspective, your comfort food is bad for your health.

Several studies suggest that a good diet may reduce stress. And while it is difficult to give up a comforting treat, treats may backfire, making you feel worse. Less comfort food may actually result in you feeling more comfortable.

Exercise

Numerous studies show that exercise can reduce stress. For maximum effect, try an aerobic exercise (such as running, swimming or brisk walking) for 20 minutes or more. If you can't do that, even a 10-minute walk can help. Yoga and nonaerobic movement such as stretching can reduce stress by inducing a calmer, meditative state.

Exercise reduces stress partly by turning your attention away from the causes of your stress. It has a calming effect, decreasing emotional suffering and enhancing concentration. You feel proud about doing it, so it improves self-esteem.

Working out also helps counter possible diseases that are made worse by chronic stress, such as heart disease.

It is difficult to start or maintain an exercise routine, especially when you are depressed. Nonetheless, exercise can help you handle stress and is good for your general health.

Socialize

Discussing your difficulties with someone you trust helps relieve tension and may help you solve your problems. You may prefer a larger community, such as a spiritual group, an interest or hobby group, or a sports team.

Happy hour might not be the best way to reduce stress. Having a glass of wine with dinner may have health benefits, but excessive alcohol consumption can make matters worse. Be choosy about which groups you socialize with. Stay away from situations that make you feel uncomfortable or that reinforce unhealthy habits, because those may increase your stress.

Seek Therapy

If you've tried numerous stress-reduction techniques but continue to feel overly stressed, you could talk to a therapist about:

• How to improve you ability to cope with stress
• How to better handle conflicts, manage anger and communicate with others
• How to approach problems that cause stress

A therapist can help you to understand how your thoughts influence your stress level. You can learn to change your thoughts and your experience of stress. Cognitive behavior therapy is one approach that is popular and has been proven effective.

Cognitive behavior therapy seeks to control negative thoughts and beliefs and encourage positive ones. Imagery or role-playing can help you rehearse for when stress actually occurs, teaching you what to expect and how to respond. If anger is a problem, a therapist can teach you to be more aware of how your anger comes about and help you to express your anger more constructively.

If your chief source of stress is a relationship at home, try couples therapy or family therapy. A therapist can address sexual problems, and help you manage the stress that comes with the birth of a child and the loss of a parent. Therapy can help you deal with a particularly rebellious adolescent or a family member's emotional problems.