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Archive for the ‘Disease’ Category

“When talking about climate change, we are not talking about something which is a future threat. We are not talking about something which may or may not happen in 50 years time, or 20 years time. We are talking about something which is happening now in terms of the effects of climate change on peoples’ lives now…” John Holmes, the United Nations undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and disaster relief told WorldNetDaily, (Dec.17 2009).

So while the politicians, activists and scientists continue the debate over carbon emissions and climate change, one issue which receives the least amount of public attention is the impact of global warming on health. Experts now believe climate change will make us sicker and the World Health Organization (WHO) is predicting fewer deaths as a result of extreme cold and more deaths as a result of extreme heat. Climate is an important factor in all sorts of things that our health depends on. The Global Humanitarian Forum claims that 300,000 people are already dying each year because of climate change induced malnutrition, diarrhea and malaria as well as extreme weather events. Rice yields are known to decline by 10 percent for each additional 1 degree celsius rise in temperature, and salmonella bacteria like hotter weather as do mosquitoes.

Predictions are that those hotter summers and milder winters will lead to an increase in mosquito-borne diseases. “Many diseases are ‘highly sensitive’ to climates and climate temperatures, and malaria and dengue fever can be expected to spread to new areas.” says Holmes.

Dengue fever occurs mostly in tropical and subtropical countries in Asia and Latin America but also affects countries like Australia (Queensland) and the United States (Puerto Rico, Texas-Mexico border, Hawaii and the US-affiliated Pacific Islands). In 2008 and 2009, severe dengue epidemics were reported in Mexico, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina. And in early 2009, Queensland experienced its worst dengue outbreak in 50 years with more than 1000 people infected and one woman killed. The spread throughout regional cities including Cairns and Townsville was so rampant, experts held a dengue summit, summoning experts from all over the world.

Dengue is spread by two mosquito species; the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). Both these mosquitoes are aggressive daytime biters and lay their eggs on the sides of any water-filled containers. However the Asian tiger is more cold-tolerant than Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, and can spread more easily. The Asian tiger mosquito is a disease bearer or ‘vector’ of over 30 arboviruses including West Nile virus, various strains of encephalitis and Chikungunya fever, making it the most significant nuisance mosquito worldwide. In the summer of 2007 the Asian tiger was responsible for the first Chikungunya fever outbreak in Italy – experts now predict that all of Europe will eventually become ideal habitat for the species through global warming. Efforts to wipe out the species in America have so far failed and the Tiger’s U.S. territory now includes the entire southeast, from the Gulf of Mexico across the south and more than halfway up the Atlantic coast. Chances of eradicating it from the US seem remote.

Because there are still no vaccines to protect against many mosquito-borne diseases, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advise that preventing the bite is the best protection:

o Limit outdoor activity around dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active
o Wear long pants and shirts and spray exposed skin all over with insect repellents like DEET before leaving the house
o Keep bushes trimmed and grass mown
o Use screens and mosquito netting to keep mosquitoes outside

Another way to reduce biting incidences and the risk from disease is to decrease the number of mosquitoes using mosquito traps. EnviroSafe Technologies, manufacturer of Mega-Catch(TM) mosquito traps, engaged Professor Yap Han Heng from the Vector Control Research Unit, School of Biological Sciences, University Sains Malaysia to advise on, and test trap designs in South East Asia. One of their primary objectives was to develop a trap which would attract and kill the Asian tiger.

What seems to make these traps particularly effective is that they employ a wide range of visual stimuli to attract mosquitoes. This is an important factor in the case of daytime biters like the yellow fever and Asian tiger mosquitoes who rely, not only on visual, but chemical cues, to find their targets.

Unfortunately there is no single solution that will rid you entirely of the little biters. However, a good mosquito trap looks like a pretty effective weapon to use in an open space like a back yard – because the most effective method of controlling mosquitoes seems to involve stopping them breeding. And two of the best ways of achieving this include:

(a) removing all of their most popular breeding sites – standing water, however little, anywhere; and
(b) daily trapping during the season – this will interrupt breeding cycles, reducing mosquito populations.

Global warming and climate change will mean an increase in overall temperatures and rainfall, which in turn means more mosquitoes. “You don’t need to be a scientist to work that out,” according to Mega-Catch(TM) general manager Michael Bremner. “Trap sales are up on the same period last year, in fact, existing customers are buying a second, or third trap in order to keep up with bumper mosquito crops,” says Bremner.

Few in the US would argue that the typical “mosquito season” appears longer than in previous years – mosquitoes are hatching earlier and staying around longer as the first frost is delayed. Given that mosquitoes remain active until temperatures drop below 50 degrees, ongoing precautions are essential. Because, just one bite is all it takes to transmit disease – and as the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Recent outbreaks have put avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu disease, at the center stage of the global health community. From relative anonymity, the disease acquired notoriety for itself when it claimed more than fifty human lives. The deaths from bird flu disease are relatively small when compared to the number of deaths from other diseases. However, the possibility of a global pandemic is serious enough that deaths caused by bird flu warrant a closer examination and alarm.

Another pandemic waiting to happen

Officials at the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the world is ripe for another influenza pandemic. An influenza pandemic occurs roughly every 30-40 years. The last influenza pandemic, which originated in Hong Kong in 1969, claimed 34,000 lives in the United States and even more in the Asian region. Although the viral subtype of the disease is still in circulation, the human body has already developed antibodies for it.

Historical precedence is not enough of a basis towards setting off global alarm bells. However, the patterns seen in the outbreaks point to the possibility of another influenza pandemic. There are an increasing number of cases wherein humans have been infected with the bird flu virus and the death toll from the disease is now more than 50.

One of the first signs of an impending pandemic is the crossing over of the disease from birds to humans. WHO is closely keeping its eye on the occurrence of a first case of human to human transmission of the bird flu virus. The human to human transmission of the disease will pose greater risks of infection to humans, which would effectively signal the start of a pandemic. To date, there are no recorded cases of bird flu being transmitted from an infected human to another.

To date, all human cases of bird flu were contracted by victims after having direct contact with infected animals and their secretions. However, the global health community is very much concerned because the bird flu virus mutates easily and is constantly evolving, and the first human to human transmission of the virus may just be around the corner.

Three global influenza pandemics: a brief history

Three major influenza pandemics have occurred: in 1918, 1957 and 1968. The first pandemic, the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919, had the highest mortality among the three pandemics. In less than a year, 20 to 40 million people died from the Spanish Flu, with over 50,000 lives claimed in the United States alone. Simultaneous outbreaks of the Spanish Flu were first detected in Europe and some parts of the United States. The infection spread to more areas through ships that traveled between the United States and Europe. Asia and Africa were eventually affected. The first wave of the pandemic was highly contagious although it was not deadly. The second wave, however, was deadly and occurred shortly in France, Sierra Leona and United States. It registered a ten-fold increase in mortality.

In 1957, a second pandemic occurred. Called the Asian Flu because it was first detected in Hong Kong and Singapore, it was much milder than the Spanish Flu, claiming between one and four million lives. When the second pandemic hit, the people were more prepared and knew what to expect. This was due largely to the world’s experience with the first pandemic. The Asian Flu virus was soon isolated in Japanese and Singaporean laboratories. The findings helped the World Health Organization alert the world about the onset of a pandemic and vaccines were immediately produced and distributed.

The most recent influenza pandemic happened in 1968 and lasted for a year. Dubbed as the Hong Kong Flu, it was first detected in China and later spread to Hong Kong where it escalated at an alarming rate. Like the Asian Flu, the Hong Kong Flu claimed between one and four million lives. It reached Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, particularly California.

According to the Center for Disease Control (the CDC), over 910,000 people die from heart disease every year. This makes heart disease the number one killer in America. While almost one million individuals die of heart disease annually, many more millions are stricken with the disease and some of them unknowingly. As a result, doctors and physicians alike encourage anyone, and especially those at risk, to understand the warning signs of heart disease and take measures to prevent the onslaught of the disease. But, as drugs, manufactured chemicals, and fatty foods inundate the marketplace it becomes increasingly more difficult to find natural preventatives. In recent years, doctors and scientists have come up with natural, effective methods to preventing heart disease.

The most obvious method to preventing heart disease is to have annual and regular check ups. This means that individuals need to seek medical attention prior to any symptoms. Like many diseases, patients can go years without showing signs of heart disease before being diagnosed with the condition. Blood pressure and cholesterol are the most widely known factors attributed to heart conditions but these are only some of the quantitative tests performed on patients. By scheduling regular checkups with doctors, patients can not only have their system’s checked, but also determine the effectiveness of other preventative measures.

Individuals need to take into consideration their overall health and maintain healthy habits while naturally preventing heart disease. This means that not only do they need to focus on healthier eating habits and exercise routines, individuals need to focus on specific foods and activities that regularly promote heart health. For example, maintaining low cholesterol is not, in itself, enough. Individuals need to focus on the different kinds of cholesterols and recognize that low-density lipoproteins (LDL) need to remain low while high density lipoproteins (HDL) can remain higher. Since they both perform different functions, its important to know how to maintain proper levels of both. This can be attained through both diet and exercise programs supported by the individuals doctor.

When considering regular exercise, individuals need to consider routines that involve cardiovascular workouts in addition to strength building. Since the health of the heart is the primary focus of preventing heart disease, individuals need to perform exercise routines that help strengthen the heart muscles and the surrounding tissue. Furthermore, by expanding the exercises to include the lungs, people can increase the oxygen capacity in their blood, helping build and heal cells throughout the body, including the heart.

In addition to regular diet and exercise, many people take supplements to help prevent against diseases. There are hundreds of different natural supplements available for people looking to prevent or treat all kinds of illness and disease, but few specific to heart disease. Although there are many different supplements designed to help with strengthening the heart, individuals may decrease the effectiveness of the supplements by taking them together in the wrong quantities. When combined, some of these natural vitamins can offset each other, resulting in little to no positive effect, and sometimes even negative effects in the patient. Consequently, Dr. Carlon Colker M.D. has produced an all natural supplement that contains a variety of ingredients balanced to enhance the effects each and create an environment in which the heart can flourish.

Doctors, physicians and scientists have developed a myriad of ways to help people treat and prevent heart disease, the leading killer of Americans today. As a result of this need, communities of professionals have come up with natural methods for individuals to prevent the disease by means of diet and exercise. By incorporating healthy eating habits, exercise, and supplements such as Lipistat (Visit: http://www.lipistat.ws ) into their daily routine, individuals now have the power to prevent this deadly disease.

The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention says about 1 out of 4 Americans are obese. The eye-opening thing is that dog obesity is about the same as that statistic, if not worse. What do you think one of the main reasons for this crazy dog obesity could possibly be? Yes, that’s right, its the dog food!

The head Veterinary Nutritionist from Natura Pet Products, Dr. Sean Delaney, says that “The debate among veterinarians is that pet food is to blame”. Canine obesity is quickly becoming the leading cause of many diseases in our canine friends. Canine obesity is also one of the main causes of premature dog deaths. But, according to Dr. Delaney, dog obesity is absolutely preventable.

The majority of the food made for dogs on the market today is the equivalent of “fast food” for dogs. Also, many people tend to unknowingly overfeed their furry friends which contributes greatly to this dog obesity epidemic. It only takes about 10 extra calories a day in your furry friend’s diet to have him gain 1 extra pound of fat per year. Portion control is key to preventing dog obesity. Consult with your veterinarian just to make sure you are feeding your dog the optimal amount of healthy dog food.

Healthy dog food is crucial to preventing dog obesity. You’d be surprised at just how many major commercial dog food brands are actually unhealthy for your dog. Therefore its critically important that you find out if the brand your dog is eating everyday is truly healthy or really just disguised fast food for dogs. Don’t believe the major commercial brand’s marketing pitches and commercials saying how healthy everything is, they are experts at persuasion and getting you to buy their food. Do some research, read a book and find out for yourself.

So the two major secrets to preventing dog obesity are portion control and the type of food you feed your canine friend! Also, don’t forget that exercise is a close third.

Numerous alcoholism treatment centers present in the society have been fighting hard to get rid of social nuisance called alcoholism for many years now. The practice of excessive consumption of alcohol over a period of time can lead to numerous side effects, known as alcoholism-induced diseases. The symptoms of such diseases can vary according to the level of consumption and the physiology of the individual. Some common psychological as well as physical disorders are general malaise, emotional outbursts, withdrawal delirium, intoxication delirium, and alcohol-induced persistent dementia. There are some more psychological as well physical disorders that are caused by high intake of alcohol. However, not all alcohol-induced illnesses are covered in the treatment centers. Some advanced conditions such liver or kidney diseases need to be deferred to a specialized treatment center for appropriate treatment.

The most common form of alcohol-induced illness treated in the alcoholism treatment centers is alcohol dementia. Alcohol consumption directly contributes to the deterioration of the brain cells, ensuing poor judgment and a flawed sense of prioritization. As a result, people have difficulty in taking the right decisions and fail to act with insight. Another dangerous side effect of alcohol is malnutrition. The malnutrition can go to such an extent that some portions of the patient’s brain gets damaged due to acute vitamin deficiency. A common issue faced by people with dementia is their lack of ability to learn new things and learn from examples. In such conditions however, the other mental abilities would be in a completely functional condition.

Alcoholism treatment centers have also indicated a major turndown in cognitive skills followed by major changes in personality in the patients suffering from dementia. Alcoholism-induced illnesses have a deep impact on the patient’s psyche, making him vulnerable to nervous breakdowns and emotional outbursts for the slightest issues. The most common and evident sign of dementia is confusion that accompanies memory issues. The patient may be remembering all details of events that took place some time back in the remote past, but the challenge is in remembering recent happenings. The symptoms are quite similar to temporary amnesia or what is known as short-term memory-loss, where the patient fails to remember things that took place seconds back.

Some alcoholism treatment centers also calls the illness of dementia as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Although, alcohol dementia and the syndrome of Wernicke-Korsakoff are completely two different disorders in reality, chances are that some treatment centers may be tagging them as the same and follow the same treatment procedure. However, that is why it is necessary to confirm whether the treatment center in question has a specific treatment program that addresses the issue of dementia. The treatment center needs to have a program, which takes care of all the psychologic conditions associated with alcoholism to be effective.

A suggestion will be to make a note of all possible symptoms of any disorder by doing proper research on it, before admitting the patient for the same. Another noticeable symptom of dementia induced by extensive abuse of alcohol will be the act of repeating the same stories, or the same line of questions repeatedly by the patient. The patient fails to have absolutely any recollection of the conversation that took place seconds ago. Such an incident can repeat itself over twenty times suggesting a sure sign of dementia. There are some more psychological illnesses caused from alcoholism that are treated in the rehab centers. However, proper precaution needs to be taken by the patient’s family members and inquiries need to be done so as to ensure whether the particular disorder is treated in the rehab center.

Recent statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that there are about 45 million Americans who are not covered by dental insurance. While government efforts are underway to address this problem, it looks like it will take a long time before dental care will become affordable to millions of Americans.

Most adults who are covered by private medical insurance also have dental policies, but most health plans only cover oral health care for children, and not for adults. Adults with employer sponsored medical health plans do not necessarily have dental insurance, unless they pay for the extra dental insurance premiums themselves.

Yet, dental care is one of the highest health related expenses for most families. Improper care of the teeth has also been found to be related to other chronic disease such as heart disease and diabetes. Although an alternative is Medicaid which provides dental insurance to about 45 million people, it is not really easy to avail of this service, because it is quite difficult to find dentists who will accept Medicaid payments.

If you are one of the millions who are searching for affordable dental insurance, here is a good piece of advice that may help you in your search:

1. Just like any medical insurance, you would always have to consider the premium cost, if it is within you budget. How much do you think can you put aside for the premiums every month?

2. The extent of your coverage will determine the amount of your premiums. Do you need an affordable coverage for yourself alone, or should you consider buying an insurance for the whole family? If you have small children, it is important to get your children secured as well, so that you would not hesitate bringing them to the dentist when they need to go.

3. If you are employed, check with your company Human Resources Department if you and your family maybe covered by dental insurance as well. You may have to pay for the extra premiums yourself, but if this still means saving some money compared with paying for the full dental coverage yourself, then go for it.

4. Do some comparison shopping by checking the websites of the dental insurance providers in your area and find out what types of insurance coverage do they provide. It may be a good idea to ask for referrals from friends or relatives who may have discovered a good dental insurance provider in your area.

While you may think dental insurance is only trivial, wait until you suddenly have to go to the dentist because of an extreme tooth ache. You will then realize how important an affordable insurance is, after you see your bill.