Daily Diet: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

While gathering the family at the dinner table seems to have fallen out of favor in recent years, due to working parents, children’s activities, and TV addictions, it is still a wise choice to make time to sit down, tune out the media, and concentrate on your family and what you put on your plate. Actually, not only what you put on your plate, but how much you choose to put there.

A typical family dinner entails 3 serving dishes: protein, starch, vegetable; some may add a bread basket, others a salad bowl. But by placing those serving dishes on the table, you run the risk of taking more food than you or your waistline need. In fact, if you leave those serving bowls in the kitchen, you are likely to eat 20 percent less food than if they make their way around the table.


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By Susan Brady

Choose Your Crowd!

Socializing is an inherent human need for survival. The kind of benefits you derive from other people's company is vital in keeping your mental health up and running smoothly. Despite the fact there are natural born loners, it never happens that any one of us could totally obliterate the presence of other people in one's life. At some point, you would eventually find yourself interacting and mingling with people.

However, as important and inevitable as their presence is, exposing yourself to certain personalities could actually poison your life rather than help you grow. Such people are those identified to possess toxic personalities capable of driving any one they come in contact with round the bend. All these personalities are united in their contagious negativity. Hence, prolonged exposure to them puts you at risk of turning into one of them!

For your sanity's sake, exercise your inherent privilege to choose your crowd wisely. Thus, you control your exposure to these kind of people and ensure your peace of mind. You don't have to be rude. All you have to do is keep your distance and restrict their presence only in areas or aspects where you can't help but have them around.

written by: Maris Modesto

Could Health Overhaul Incentives Also Hurt Some?

The new health care law promises to extend coverage to millions of Americans and to cut costs by cultivating healthy habits and preventive care. But could its emphasis on wellness undermine one of its central achievements: putting an end to the practice of charging sick people more for health insurance?

Workplace wellness programs are becoming more and more popular as businesses try to rein in runaway health costs. At American Express, for instance, employees are offered a $100 reward just for coming in for a health assessment; the company also provides an array of free support services, including health coaching, maintenance drugs and preventive care.

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By Roni Caryn Rabin

Newborn Heart Defects Linked To Maternal Obesity

US researchers found that the more obese a mother is when she becomes pregnant, the greater her risk of giving birth to a baby with a congenital heart defect.

You can read about the study, by investigators at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the New York state Department of Health, in the 7 April online issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

In the US, nearly one third of pregnant women are obese (with around one fifth already obese from the start of their pregnancy), and previous studies show that the condition leads to many congenital complications, including neural tube defects, serious malformations of the spinal column.

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Senate Passes Set of Changes to Health Care Overhaul

WASHINGTON — After running through an obstacle course of Republican amendments and procedural objections, the Senate on Thursday afternoon approved of a package of changes to the Democrats’ sweeping health care overhaul, capping a bitter partisan battle over the most far-reaching social legislation in nearly half a century.

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and ROBERT PEAR
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Meningitis Infections

Meningitis is inflammation of the thin tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called the meninges. There are several types of meningitis. The most common is viral meningitis, which you get when a virus enters the body through the nose or mouth and travels to the brain. Bacterial meningitis is rare, but can be deadly. It usually starts with bacteria that cause a cold-like infection. It can block blood vessels in the brain and lead to stroke and brain damage. It can also harm other organs.

Anyone can get meningitis, but it is more common in people whose bodies have trouble fighting infections. Meningitis can progress rapidly. You should seek medical care quickly if you have

* A sudden fever
* A severe headache
* A stiff neck

Early treatment can help prevent serious problems, including death. Vaccines can prevent some of the bacterial infections that cause meningitis. Parents of adolescents and students living in college dorms should talk to a doctor about the vaccination.


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Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye condition that develops when too much fluid pressure builds up inside of the eye. It tends to be inherited and may not show up until later in life.

The increased pressure, called intraocular pressure, can damage the optic nerve, which transmits images to the brain. If damage to the optic nerve from high eye pressure continues, glaucoma will cause loss of vision. Without treatment, glaucoma can cause total permanent blindness within a few years.

Because most people with glaucoma have no early symptoms or pain from this increased pressure, it is important to see your ophthalmologist regularly so that glaucoma can be diagnosed and treated before long-term visual loss occurs.


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Rabies

Rabies is a deadly animal disease caused by a virus. It can happen in wild animals, including raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes, or in dogs, cats or farm animals. People get it from the bite of an infected animal.

In people, symptoms of rabies include fever, headache and fatigue, then confusion, hallucinations and paralysis. Once the symptoms begin, the disease is usually fatal. A series of shots can prevent rabies in people exposed to the virus. You need to get them right away. If an animal bites you, wash the wound well; then get medical care.

To help prevent rabies

* Vaccinate your pet. Rabies vaccines are available for dogs, cats and farm animals
* Don't let pets roam
* Don't approach stray animals. Animals with rabies might be aggressive and vicious, or tired and weak

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Diarrhea

Diarrhea is an increase in the frequency of bowel movements or a decrease in the form of stool (greater looseness of stool). Although changes in frequency of bowel movements and looseness of stools can vary independently of each other, changes often occur in both.

The most common cause of acute diarrhea is infection--viral, bacterial, and parasitic. Bacteria also can cause acute food poisoning. A third important cause of acute diarrhea is starting a new medication.

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More Benefits Of Good Oral Health

There's more to good oral hygiene than just a perfectly close-up smile. Having a good oral healthcare can greatly improve one's overall well-being. It does not only reduce the risk of serious health conditions, but it can even help promote sharp memory in the latter years.

Gum disease and a bad set of teeth due to cavities are not only unsightly, but bad breath can rob you of confidence and self-esteem. However, having a healthy mouth allows you to eat properly and sleep better without getting distracted by toothaches and mouth infections.

Experts believe that there is an association between gum disease and cardiovascular problems like blockages of blood vessels, heart disease, and strokes. Other studies link bad oral healthcare with pneumonia in older people as well as rheumatoid arthritis. When bacteria in the mouth travel to invade other parts of the body, infection and inflammation may occur.

According to a report in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, older people suffering from gingivitis performed worse on memory tests and other cognitive skills compared to those with healthier gums and mouths.

In conclusion, most of these studies include maintenance of good oral hygiene to protect general health and well-being.

Fever Attack

ever refers to an elevation in body temperature. Technically, any body temperature above the normal oral measurement of 98.6 F (37 C) or the normal rectal temperature of 99 F (37.2 C) is considered to be elevated. However, these are averages, and your normal temperature may actually be 1 F (0.6 C) or more above or below the average of 98.6 F. Body temperature can also vary up to 1 F (0.6 C) throughout the day.

Normal body temperature may change during any given day. It is usually highest in the evening. Other factors that may affect body temperature are.

• In the second part of a woman's menstrual cycle, her temperature may go up by 1 degree or more.
• Physical activity, strong emotion, eating, heavy clothing, medications, high room temperature, and high humidity can all increase your body temperature.

Fever is an important part of the body's defense against infection. Many infants and children develop high fevers with minor viral illnesses. While a fever signals to us that a battle might be going on in the body, the fever is fighting for the person, not against.

sunburn

sunburn is a burn to living tissue such as skin produced by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, commonly from the sun's rays. Usual mild symptoms in humans and animals include red or reddish skin that is hot to the touch, general fatigue, and mild dizziness.

Sunburn is literally a burn on your skin. It is a burn from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The consequence of this burn is inflammation of the skin. Injury can start within 30 minutes of exposure.

headache

Headache is defined as pain in the head or upper neck. It is one of the most common locations of pain in the body and has many causes.

There are three major categories of headaches:

1. primary headaches,
   
   
2. secondary headaches, and
   
   
3. cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches

Headaches can have many causes, but serious causes of headaches are rare. Sometimes headaches warn of a more serious disorder. Let your health care provider know if you have sudden, severe headaches. Get medical help right away if you have a headache after a blow to your head, or if you have a headache along with a stiff neck, fever, confusion, loss of consciousness or pain in the eye or ear.

Asthma Attack

Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways. Your airways are tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways become sore and swollen.

When the airways react, the muscles around them tighten. This causes the airways to narrow, and less air flows to your lungs. The swelling also can worsen, making the airways even narrower. Cells in the airways may make more mucus than normal. Mucus is a sticky, thick liquid that can further narrow your airways.

Red Wine Improve a Woman’s Waistline

According to researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, light to moderate alcohol consumption in general can lead to a trimmer waistline for women. The results of their study were recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

For their study, the researchers followed 20,000 slim women who were middle-aged and older. Around 38 percent of the women were not drinkers, while about 33 percent drank less than 5 grams daily. Another 20 percent drank between five and 15 grams daily, with six percent consuming between 15 and 30 grams per day, and three percent drank 30 grams or more daily.

Heart Attack?

A heart attack occurs when blood flow to a section of heart muscle becomes blocked. If the flow of blood isn’t restored quickly, the section of heart muscle becomes damaged from lack of oxygen and begins to die.Also known as myocardial infarction, or coronary thrombosis, is when part of the heart muscle dies because it has been starved of oxygen.

Symptoms of a possible heart attack include chest pain and pain that radiates down the shoulder and arm. Some people (the elderly, people with diabetes, and women) may have little or no chest pain. Or, they may experience unusual symptoms (shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness).

Women are more likely than men to have symptoms of nausea, vomiting, back or jaw pain, and shortness of breath with chest pain.