Month: March 2014

Carbon monoxide poisoning: 5 things to know about the ‘silent killer’

Detectors and proper appliance maintenance essential to thwart danger posed by gas It has no smell, no taste and no colour, but its effects can be deadly when it seeps undetected through a home.

Carbon monoxide is considered the most likely cause of death for three members of a Brampton, Ont., family found unconscious on the upper floor of their home Monday morning.

Reports suggest the family’s furnace failed during a cold snap and propane heaters had been brought into the home for warmth. The latest deaths come less than three months after carbon monoxide poisoning was blamed for a number of deaths and near deaths during the pre-Christmas ice storm in Ontario.

“With carbon monoxide, it’s often called the silent killer,” says Doug DeRabbie, the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s director of government relations for Ontario.

“It’s an invisible, odourless, colourless gas and so that’s why it’s so important to have a detector.” Here’s a look at carbon monoxide and some of the practical measures that should be followed to ensure safety in the home.

How it’s produced

Carbon monoxide is produced when fuels such as natural gas, gasoline, oil, propane, wood or coal are burned. The danger is magnified when that combustion is not properly ventilated, or when the CO can’t dissipate because of a blocked or dirty chimney.

CO could also build up to dangerous levels when fuel-burning generators, space heaters, barbecues, grills or other appliances intended for use outside or in well-ventilated spaces are brought indoors or into less-ventilated areas such as garages.

Why it’s so deadly

According to Statistics Canada, there were 380 accidental deaths caused by carbon monoxide in Canada between 2000 and 2009.

CO poses a particular danger because without a working carbon monoxide detector in the vicinity, there are no obvious signs it may be building up around you. It is invisible, and can sap the blood of its ability to absorb oxygen.

“When you breathe in carbon monoxide, it builds up quickly and combines with the blood to produce ‘carboxyhemoglobin’ (COHb), which reduces the ability of blood to carry oxygen,” Health Canada says on its website.

Without oxygen, body tissue and cells can’t function. “The brain is extremely vulnerable to oxygen deprivation,” the Canada Safety Council says.

What the symptoms are

It could be easy to confuse the symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure with the flu or other medical problems. At low levels of CO exposure, Health Canada says, you might have a headache, feel tired or short of breath, or find your motor functions impaired.

At higher levels of exposure, or at lower levels for a long time, symptoms might include chest pain, feeling tired or dizzy, and having trouble thinking.

Convulsions, coma and death are possible with high levels of exposure, Health Canada says. If the levels are very high, death can occur within minutes.

What you can do to protect yourself

Fire and public safety officials make a number of recommendations aimed at reducing the risks posed by carbon monoxide. Topping that list is having carbon monoxide detectors in the home, ideally located outside every sleeping area.

“We’re a strong advocate of that,” says Chris Harrow, vice-president of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs. “These devices do and can save your life. It’s a small investment to have that protection for your family in the house.”

Fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces and wood stoves should also have regular maintenance, and ventilation should be checked, ensuring it isn’t blocked by snow or leaves.

“Often what can happen is the monoxide’s trying to get outside but it can’t and it just comes back inside the house,” says DeRabbie. As tempting as it might be to bring a barbecue, an outdoor heater or a generator inside when the furnace quits or the power is off, that’s also a bad idea.

“Most gas-fired appliances that are designed for outside have to stay outside just because they’re not designed and properly ventilated inside. Manufacturers’ specifications and directions will definitely tell you about how you properly use that,” says Harrow.

Safety officials also suggest not idling vehicles in the garage, especially with the door closed, and to wear proper respiratory equipment if working in confined spaces where CO could be dangerous.

What governments are doing about it

Only two governments in Canada have taken regulatory action on carbon monoxide.

In 2013, Yukon passed a law requiring every home with a fuel-burning appliance or attached garage to have a carbon monoxide detector. Yukon also introduced a website earlier this year laying out the dangers as well as tips to detect and prevent furnace and ventilation problems.

Late last year, provincial politicians in Ontario passed a similar law, known formally as the Hawkins Gignac Act and named after a family of four who died in 2008 from carbon monoxide poisoning in their Woodstock, Ont., home.

Regulations are being drafted, and are expected to be published for public comment sometime this spring. The law could come into effect next year.

Source: CBC news

Tanzania: Millions of East Africans Are Eating Poison – but Are They Aware of It?

But now we have to contend with a new one that is demanding our attention as well – eating poison. No, our people are not swallowing pesticides to end their lives.

They are happily eating their maize, cassava, groundnuts, rice and other foodstuffs the way they have always done.

And there lies the problem, because these foods are killing them slowly. A workshop held in Bujumbura on 6-7 March was told that millions of East Africans are at risk of aflatoxin poisoning. Simply put, aflatoxin is a poison produced by a fungus that infects various plants, cereals and legumes.

This can be either in the farm or during storage. The toxin is responsible for serious public health challenges including liver cirrhosis and stunting in children. Livestock that feeds on contaminated produce also gets affected, leading to lower productivity.

Many countries around the world have established what they deem to be safe standards to protect their citizens from harmful imports, the most stringent of these being those imposed by the European Union.

This has obviously affected the acceptability of produce from East Africa, which is said to be one of the major hotspots of aflatoxin. But the crisis has not attracted headlines.

It is unfortunate that the vast majority of our people have never even heard of aflatoxin. Perhaps, this saves them from a situation they would seem helpless to do anything about since at the end of the day they will need to eat something, anyway.

And you cannot tell them the food in the family granary is slowly but surely killing them without offering an alternative. What about the urban poor?

Putting together one meal at the end of the day is hard enough for them, so telling them to watch what they are eating may seem equally cruel. Experts say that up to 100 per cent of the harvest in some areas is often contaminated.

There are occasional outbreaks and some deaths, but generally the effects tend to be felt in the long term, which perhaps encourages officialdom to feign ignorance.

Moreover, the symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning are similar to many other conditions, which again makes it expedient to do nothing and to assume that some other condition may be the culprit. But burying our heads in the sand won’t solve the problem.

Source: All Africa

 

 

Colon cancer rates declining in older Americans

Colon cancer incidence rates have dropped 30 percent in the U.S. in the last 10 years among adults 50 and older due to the widespread uptake of colonoscopy, with the largest decrease in people over age 65. Colonoscopy use has almost tripled among adults ages 50 to 75, from 19 percent in 2000 to 55 percent in 2010.

The findings come from Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2014, published in the March/April issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. The article and its companion report, Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures, were released today by American Cancer Society researchers as part of a new initiative by the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable to increase screening rates to 80 percent by 2018.

Colorectal cancer, commonly called colon cancer, is the third most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the United States. Its slow growth from precancerous polyp to invasive cancer provides a rare opportunity to prevent cancer through the detection and removal of precancerous growths. Screening also allows early detection of cancer, when treatment is more successful. As a result, screening reduces colorectal cancer mortality both by decreasing the incidence of disease and by increasing the likelihood of survival.

Using incidence data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Program of Cancer Registries, as provided by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), researchers led by Rebecca Siegel, MPH found that during the most recent decade of data (2001 to 2010), overall incidence rates decreased by an average of 3.4 percent per year. However, trends vary substantially by age. Rates declined by 3.9 percent per year among adults aged 50 years and older, but increased by 1.1 percent per year among men and women younger than 50. That increase was confined to tumors in the distal colon and rectum, patterns for which a rise in obesity and emergence of unfavorable dietary patterns has been implicated.

Most strikingly, the rate of decline has surged among those 65 and older, with the decline accelerating from 3.6 percent per year during 2001-2008 to 7.2 percent per year during 2008-2010. The “larger declines among Medicare-eligible seniors likely reflect higher rates of screening because of universal insurance coverage,” the authors write. “In 2010, 55 percent of adults aged 50 to 64 years reported having undergone a recent colorectal cancer screening test, compared with 64 percent of those aged 65 years and older.”

Like incidence, mortality rates have also declined most rapidly within the past decade. From 2001 to 2010, rates decreased by approximately 3 percent per year in both men and women, compared with declines of approximately 2 percent per year during the 1990s.

“These continuing drops in incidence and mortality show the lifesaving potential of colon cancer screening; a potential that an estimated 23 million Americans between ages 50 and 75 are not benefiting from because they are not up to date on screening,” said Richard C. Wender, M.D., American Cancer Society chief cancer control officer. “Sustaining this hopeful trend will require concrete efforts to make sure all patients, particularly those who are economically disenfranchised, have access to screening and to the best care available.”

The data is being released at the launch of a nationwide effort to increase colorectal cancer screening rates to 80% by 2018. Public health leaders, including Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh, MD, MPH and American Cancer Society CEO, John R. Seffrin, PhD will join dozens of members of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT) at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on March 17th at 1:00 PM EDT. The NCCRT, an organization co-founded by the American Cancer Society and the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will focus on dramatically increasing colorectal cancer screening rates in the U.S. over the next four years, and increasing awareness of the potential for early detection and prevention of this cancer.

Source: Science daily

Scared of sexual intercourse? Don’t be!

fear of sex

Petrified at the idea of committing yourself sexually? It’s time to get rid of the “sex fears” and “sex blues” and enjoy the most natural act made by God. Fears of premature ejaculation, a traumatic incident in the past or hesitation towards sex, may be the reason why one fears sexual contact. Shove aside fear of sex, read MedGuru ways for overcoming the fears and spice up your sex life:

No Delay in sexual intercourse
Delaying having sex for a long time can result in an unnatural fear of the act. As time passes the anxiety levels start to pile up and the fear feelings become a natural part of life. Anxiety is a negative emotion that is not productive. It pushes one away from sex and dating the opposite sex. We at MedGuru attempt to make the fear of sex rush away and let the natural course of enjoyment take over.

Cope up with the lack of sexual knowledge

Face the matter of sex, maturely with a positive stance as it has to creep up in life one day or the other. Get prepared mentally for sexual intercourse and believe that the sexual activity will be a positive experience for sure. To make things easier and learn more about the issue you can grab a few books on fun tips for sex and sex education. You can also get prepared by reading medical facts on the issue on the internet.

Stay away from pornography

One needs to approach sexuality with maturity and not by watching pornographic material. Pornography offers a sex version that is extremely unrealistic and will scare one off the real thing. It’s the sex education books that can help or there is one innovative app like the “Explore Women’s Sex” etc. This highlights the details of the anatomy of a female, and similar apps on males are also available. Take it easy and look through carefully, there is no need to learn each detail the same day, pick up a single step at a time and then begin the process or you will end up overwhelming yourself.

Choose a caring partner

Tenderness and emotion is what a human being is about. Having a sexual relation with a person who is tender will reduce the anxiety pangs and give a boost to the confidence. Having a sexual relationship with a caring partner will make the sexual journey more enjoyable as both the partners will be bothered about each other’s needs during the act. Your partner should appreciate that this is your first experience and learn how to take you on the sex path with patience and make it special for you.

Understand that sex is a special connection

Sex is an intimate act that transports both the partners onto an altogether different level. One connects to one’s partner on an emotional, mental and a physical level. It’s the ultimate way of communicating with your partner and the most distressing and relaxing activity that the partners undertake. Tell your partner your fears and share with him or her the right way to deal with it. A loving partner will surely reassure you and lead you on into the act carefully and with love. Ask your partner the preferences and the right way to move on. Understanding the needs of the partner makes the act more enjoyable.

Leave your body insecurities aside

Do not have any insecurity regarding your own body. Remember that your partner may be sharing the same fears and will be behaving strangely because of this. Don’t be too hard on your self esteem by focusing on the flaws. It’s better to think about the connectivity you are going to experience. The most important fact is that the two partners are soon going to be bound together permanently in an emotional bondage. Just go ahead and feel sexy for your partner.

Make the ideal atmosphere

Spread some aromatic flowers on the bed and light a few candles to make the ambiance better. Change the sheets for some soft and satiny ones. It’s the fantasizing that is going to get you through the glorious act so why not fan your imagination by the low soft music and the subtle candle light.

Don’t hurry the act

Now hang on, a sexual encounter is not only penetration. It involves tender and exciting foreplay for a while. Then let the emotions rule and follow the commands of your heart. You can try a sexy massage, some warm hugs, kisses, fondling your partner and then finally get ready for the total commitment act.

Lastly breathe away dollops of air. Remember it’s the breathing that is going to relax your insides and just go with the flow of the moment. Go ahead, give it a try and act out your turbulent sexy emotions.

Source: the medguru

Breakfast Wheat Berries

Wheat berries sweetened with honey and perfumed with rose water and spices make a delicious breakfast on their own or stirred into yogurt. Whether you use farro,  kamut, spelt or wheat berries (and whether you are cooking them for breakfast or for dinner) the trick here is to cook the grains for as long as it takes for them to really soften and to splay (that is, to burst at one end).

Total time: About 1 1/2 hours, mostly unsupervised simmering (plus overnight soaking)

  • 1 cup wheat berries
  • 5 cups water
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/4 cup honey, agave syrup or brown sugar, or more to taste
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon rose water, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground anise or fennel seeds
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup raisins or other chopped dried fruit of choice
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or a mixture for garnish
  • 2 cups plain low-fat yogurt (optional)
  • Pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)

1. The night before, combine wheat berries, 1 quart of the water and salt and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Remove from heat, stir in the honey, agave syrup or sugar, rose water, anise or fennel seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins or dried fruit. Cover and leave overnight (or for 5 to 6
hours).

2. In the morning, add remaining cup of water to the wheat berries and bring to a simmer. Cook 30 to 45 minutes, stirring often, until berries are soft and splayed at one end. There should be some liquid surrounding the wheat berries (add more water if necessary). Taste and add more sweetener if desired.

3. Serve on their own with some of the liquid in the saucepan (stir in some milk if desired), or spoon about 1/3 cup yogurt into bowls and top with a generous spoonful of the berries, with some of the sweet broth. Top with a handful of chopped nuts and a few pomegranate seeds if desired.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Advance preparation: The cooked wheat berries will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. The dried fruit will continue to swell and will lose flavor, but it will
be captured in the broth.

Nutritional information per serving (4 servings): 358 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 75 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 9 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 6 grams protein

Source: The New York Times

Internet-derived health insights are now routinely sought by patients

People are increasingly turning to the Internet to share their health problems on the Internet, seeking insights and practical advice, an Oxford study has found. Researchers said the last decade has seen a remarkable shift in how people use the Internet in relation to their health, and it is now talked of as a routine feature of being ill.

The study examined patient interviews conducted between 2001 and 2013, and explored how people talked about the Internet, capturing changing attitudes towards the use of the Internet for health across the last decade.

In the early 2000’s, people who sought health information online saw themselves as particularly engaged, expert and activated patients.

By 2013, the web had become an almost routine part of many people’s experience of health and illness, researchers said.

“The Internet has transformed how people make sense of and respond to symptoms, decide whether to consult, make treatment choices, cope with their illness and connect to others,” said Professor Sue Ziebland from the University of Oxford.

The study found that people want more than just information online, they also seek reflections, insights and practical advice from other patients.

“Every year millions of people use sites such as Oxford’s www.healthtalkonline.org to learn about their health issues from other patients,” researchers said.

Film, animations, sound, pictures and personal experiences online make health information more digestible for people from all backgrounds.

“By helping people to learn about their condition, prepare for consultations and demonstrate to doctors their interest and involvement, the web may even help to undermine some health inequalities,” said Ziebland.

Increasingly, doctors are aware of the trend, and recommend useful sites to their patients. However, even in 2013, patients were reluctant to talk to their doctors about what they find online, fearing that such revelations might damage their relationship with their doctor.

“GPs and nurses who recognise that people are using the Internet when they are ill can support and discuss the information with their patients; those who do not recognise this shift can unwittingly undermine and patronise their patients,” Ziebland said.

Source: ndtv

11 Foods for Healthy Bones

Build a strong structure
When it comes to building strong bones, there are two key nutrients: calcium and vitamin D. Calcium supports your bones and teeth structure, while vitamin D improves calcium absorption and bone growth.

These nutrients are important early in life, but they may also help as you age. If you develop osteoporosis, a disease characterized by brittle and breaking bones, getting plenty of calcium and vitamin D may slow the disease and prevent fractures.

Adults up to age 50 should get 1,000 milligrams of calcium and 200 international units (IUs) of vitamin D a day. Adults over 50 should get 1,200 milligrams of calcium and 400 to 600 IU of vitamin D. Get these nutrients by trying these 11 foods for healthy bones.

Yogurt
Most people get their vitamin D through exposure to sunlight, but certain foods, like yogurt, are fortified with vitamin D.

One cup of yogurt can be a creamy way to get your daily calcium. Stonyfield Farms makes a fat-free plain yogurt that contains 30% of your calcium and 20% of your vitamin D for the day. And though we love the protein-packed Greek yogurts, these varieties tend to contain less calcium and little, if any, vitamin D

Milk
There’s a reason milk is the poster child for calcium. Eight ounces of fat-free milk will cost you 90 calories, but provide you with 30% of your daily dose of calcium. Choose a brand fortified with vitamin D to get double the benefits.

Can’t get three glasses a day? Try blending milk into a smoothie or sauce.

Cheese
Just because cheese is full of calcium doesn’t mean you need to eat it in excess (packing on the pounds won’t help your joints!). Just 1.5 ounces (think a set of dice) of cheddar cheese contains more than 30% of your daily value of calcium, so enjoy in moderation.

Most cheeses contain a small amount of vitamin D, but not enough to put a large dent in your daily needs.

Sardines
These tiny fish, often found in cans, have surprisingly high levels of both vitamin D and calcium. Though they may look a bit odd, they have a savory taste that can be delicious in pastas and salads.

Eggs
Though eggs only contain 6% of your daily vitamin D, they’re a quick and easy way to get it. Just don’t opt for egg whites—they may cut calories, but the vitamin D is in the yolk.

Salmon
Salmon is known for having plenty of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, but a 3-ounce piece of sockeye salmon contains more than 100% of your vitamin D. So eat up for your heart and your bones.

Spinach
Don’t eat dairy products? Spinach will be your new favorite way to get calcium. One cup of cooked spinach contains almost 25% of your daily calcium, plus fiber, iron, and vitamin A.

Fortified cereal
Certain cereals—like Kashi U Black Currants and Walnuts, Total Whole Grain, and Wheaties—contain up to 25% of your daily vitamin D. When you don’t have time to cook salmon or get out in the sun, cereals can be a tasty way to get your vitamin D.

Tuna
Tuna, another fatty fish, is a good source of vitamin D. Three ounces of canned tuna contains 154 IU, or about 39% of your daily dose of the sunshine vitamin. Try these low-cal Tuna-Melt Tacos as a way to sneak in vitamin D and calcium.

Collard greens
Like spinach, this leafy green often enjoyed south of the Mason-Dixon line is full of calcium. One cup of cooked collards contains more than 25% of your daily calcium. Plus you can easily sneak it into your favorite foods, like this über-healthy frittata.

Orange juice
A glass of fresh-squeezed OJ doesn’t have calcium or vitamin D, but it’s often fortified to contain these nutrients. Try Tropicana’s Calcium + Vitamin D to get a boost of these essentials.

Also, studies have shown that the ascorbic acid in OJ may help with calcium absorption, so you may be more likely to get the benefits of this fortified drink.

Source: health

Honey Could Be The Next Antibiotic:

From sea bacteria to veterinary pain medications, scientists have been looking everywhere for a solution to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. But a new study finds that the solution may be right inside their kitchen cabinets. Honey, which has already shown some promise in treating wounds, may also be useful for fighting infections.

In a way, it makes sense. If honey can help treat wounds and prevent infection on the outside, then it could probably fight infections on the inside too. “The unique property of honey lies in its ability to fight infection on multiple levels, making it more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance,” said study leader Dr. Susan M. Meschwitz,. Her findings were presented recently at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Council.

Honey commits a multi-pronged attack on bacteria, as it uses hydrogen peroxide, acidity, osmotic effect, high sugar concentration, and polyphenols to kill bacterial cells. Together, these antibacterial properties make it difficult for the bacteria to adapt. Osmotic effect works particularly well due to honey’s high sugar concentration, which sucks water out of the bacterial cells, dehydrating them, and leading to death.

Honey also inhibits a bacterial cell’s ability to communicate with other bacterial cells, known as quorum sensing. This renders them unable to form communities, and therefore unable to attack in large numbers, where they would normally be stronger. Meanwhile, polyphenols, or antioxidants, such as caffeic acid, p-coumaric, and ellagic acid contain antimicrobial properties. “We have separated and identified the various antioxidant polyphenol compounds,” Meschwitz said in the release. “In our antibacterial studies, we have been testing honey’s activity against E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.”

Bacterial resistance, Meschwitz says, occurs when bacteria adapt to the antibiotics that are supposed to inhibit their growth processes. As their DNA adapts, they become immune to the antibiotic’s effect, and therefore become even more dangerous. It has been said that if we continue using antibiotics unsparingly, previously eradicated diseases will come back and wreak havoc. In an effort to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, which occurs in doctor’s offices as well as industrial farms, both the health care community and the nation’s regulators have been taking action, and calling for reduced use.

source: Medical daily

 

10 Tasty Anti-Aging Foods

There are so many products that claim to combat aging, and many of them aren’t cheap. But a simpler and potentially more effective way to look and feel youthful is to take control of what you put in your body. Here are nutritious foods that research has found to have anti-aging qualities.

Carrots

Carrots are a sweet and crunchy snack that contains loads of beta carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. That stimulates skin cell growth (for healthy scalp and shiny hair) and builds collagen. Beta carotene also is packed with antioxidants, which protect the skin from free radicals–molecules associated with aging. Carrots are also nature’s toothbrush because they clean and whiten teeth with each munch.

Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are also rich in beta carotene, which helps balance the skin’s pH and combats dryness, resulting in improved skin texture and tone. As an added benefit, sweet potatoes are loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, making them a nutritional winner.

Nuts

Nuts are an excellent source of protein, calcium, vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids – all of which promote healthy, youthful skin. Essential fatty acids also help reduce swelling and inflammation, which is a common side effect of many skin conditions. Nuts also are packed with the mineral selenium, which helps repair cell damage and slows down the skin’s aging process.

Red wine

Yes, it’s true that a glass of red wine a day can protect you from heart disease. To sweeten the benefits, red wine also contains the antioxidant resveratrol, which can help prevent blood clots and soaks up free radicals that can damage your both your appearance and your health.

Avocados

This delicious fruit is packed with vitamin E, which protects against free radicals, and potassium, which helps maintain heart and bone health. It also contains antioxidants, which can ward off disease and slow the aging process.

Garlic

Garlic packs quite a healthy punch as it is an anti-viral, antibacterial food that can boost your immune system, and may also help reduce the spread and growth of cancer cells and lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.

Blueberries

Blueberries contain more antioxidants than all other berries which makes them excellent for fighting free radicals. They also have strong anti-inflammatory properties that reduce skin redness and wrinkles. Perhaps most surprising is that they may also help reduce the mental effects of aging because of the ingredient anthocyanin, which can slow the deterioration of mental function.

Leafy greens

Leafy greens are packed with lutein, an antioxidant which protects skin from sun damage and wrinkles. Leafy greens, including kale and spinach, are also rich in vitamin C, which is essential in building collagen. That can break down as we age, giving skin a gaunt, dull appearance.

Citrus

As with leafy greens, citrus fruits are high in vitamin C which boosts collagen production. Citrus fruits such as blood oranges and lemons are also rich in bioflavonoids that help defend the skin from sun damage.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes contain the powerful antioxidant lycopene,  which reduces skin redness and prevents UV damage. Tomatoes can make an excellent face mask, but will still work for your skin if you choose to just eat them.

 

Source: health central

Aquarium pumps saving babies’ lives

When Chokonjetsa was born, he weighed just over 2 pounds. His tiny, underdeveloped lungs struggled for each breath. Then doctors in the hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, put Chokonjetsa on a breathing machine made out of aquarium pumps.

Chokonjetsa is one of dozens of newborns in the African country who have survived thanks to the ingenuity of students in a senior design class at Rice University in Houston. The overall survival rate of babies with respiratory distress at the Malawi hospital increased from 44% to 71% with the use of the students’ breathing machine, according to a recent clinical trial.

Using aquarium pumps, the students have designed a low-cost version of a breathing device called a bubble CPAP, or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, machine. Traditional bubble CPAP systems used in developed countries can cost upwards of $6,000; the students’ machine can be manufactured for around $350, providing big savings for hospitals in poverty-stricken areas.

Malawi has the highest rate of preterm birth in the world, 18.1 per 100 live births, according to the World Health Organization. Babies born too early often have underdeveloped lungs that don’t inflate easily.

Premature babies struggle to breathe in part because they don’t produce enough lung surfactant, a naturally-produced chemical that keeps the tiny air sacs in the lungs, called alveoli, from collapsing. A lot of these babies die because of the stress struggling to breathe puts on their bodies.

Second baby possibly ‘cured’ of HIV

In Malawi, when a newborn is suffering from respiratory distress, he or she is typically provided extra oxygen via tubes placed gently in the nose. But doctors don’t add air pressure to help inflate the infant’s lungs. This is the way respiratory distress was treated in newborns, even in developed countries like the United States, until the 1970s.

With a CPAP machine, gentle air pressure is pushed via tubes into the nostrils and/or mouth to help facilitate breathing.

To understand how a bubble CPAP works, think of a straw that is partially submerged in a glass of water. When you blow into the top of the straw, bubbles come out of the bottom of the straw and bubble up.

“When lungs are underdeveloped, it’s like when you’re blowing up a completely deflated balloon and that first breath to inflate the balloon is really difficult,” said Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum of Rice University, who helped facilitate the design of the students’ bubble CPAP machine. “For a baby with underdeveloped lungs, every breath is like that.”

Doctors and nurses know that it takes very little air pressure to assist newborns. The design students found that two aquarium pumps provided the perfect amount of gentle pressure for delicate lungs. In the original prototype, the machine was housed in a clear plastic shoebox from Target.

The device’s latest casing box is made from bent sheet metal specifically designed for usability, funcation and durability, said Dr. Maria Oden of Rice University, a co-author of the device’s clinical trial along with Richards-Kortum.

“Having used bubble CPAP myself, the (low-cost aquarium pump) machine uses the same general principles,” said Dr. Andrea Trembath, a neonatal specialist at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland who was not associated with the device’s design. “We’ve found bubble CPAP to be very beneficial in infants with respiratory distress. … After taking a look at the photos, the low-cost machine doesn’t seem to be very different.
”
Jocelyn Brown, a former student who helped design the low-cost bubble CPAP machine, has lived in Malawi for almost two years. She is collaborating with aid organizations and using a transitions grant from USAID in hopes of rolling out the device across the country — first in government hospitals, and then in private and rural hospitals.

So far, the machines have been implemented in nine government hospitals, she said.
Mysterious cluster of birth defects stumps doctors
Brown said one major challenge to the rollout in Malawi is a lack of nurses and physicians; the high turnover rate makes training difficult.

“Many district hospitals have maybe one doctor, who may not even be a neonatal specialist,” Brown said. “Much of the care is provided by nurses, but one nurse could be taking care of 40 patients at a time.”

Another challenge, Brown explained, is that parents in Malawi are sometimes reluctant to allow the bubble CPAP machine to be used, perhaps because nasal tubes and masks used in respiratory therapy are associated with death — usually, only extremely ill patients receive breathing assistance.

Fortunately, baby Chokonjetsa’s family allowed him to receive the respiratory therapy. His name, which means “thrown away” in Malawi’s Chichewa language, was chosen by his grandmother. She feared he had been thrown away by God, as she didn’t expect him to survive.

But with the help of a breathing machine made of aquarium pumps, Chokonjetsa is now a healthy, thriving 7-month-old baby.

Source: CNN news