Food and Safety - A Small Price to Pay to Keep Salmonella Away
It's not just cars and laptop batteries that get recalled anymore. They are doing eggs and even fresh produce that get tainted with horrible food poisoning agents like salmonella and E. coli these days. Most people don't really pay much attention to where they buy their meat and produce; the supermarket standards that they've grown used to usually do just fine. It is just the people who get unlucky and come by an infection that quickly learn how food and safety can completely depend on where they buy from.
Sellers at any farmer's market usually know when to expect the most demand for their wares - it is usually right after a major outbreak of something in the recall. Consumers quickly wised up that there is something about where they buy their food from that can affect their health, and come flocking to the places that sell organic produce. The wave usually lasts as long as a couple of months, before people get tired of paying three times more for organic and locally grown stuff, and go back to the supermarket. It's not just the expense either; caring about food safety requires that you take the time to use hydrogen peroxide, antibacterial soap, meat thermometers and all that. It's often more than anyone can take. Except of course for people who've actually experienced how terrible and E. coli infection can feel.
How many people actually experience it each year? It's not a small number - about 10% of the country lands in hospital after a food infection of some kind each year. And it can affect children more than most because of their weaker immune systems. And even once people do get better after infection, the lingering effects on their kidneys and other vital organs remain for life. The problem is so serious and so expensive for the country, that Congress is coming out with a food and safety bill soon that allow the government to order recalls, and to enforce strict standards. Until the government comes through, here are some of the best practices you can adopt to protect yourself.
Giving up eggs altogether would be the safest - no soft boiled eggs or cookie dough anymore. But if upu can'tbe that way, try buying pasteurized eggs They're the ones that have a big red P. printed on the box. Of course they cost a couple dollars more a dozen than regular eggs, but that's small price to pay to keep salmonella away.
There is a popular idea there that vegetarian food safety goes hand-in-hand. While that might be true to a certain extent, you do remember the time when Taco Bell got into trouble for food poisoning in its latest, don't you? Never buy bagged lettuce - and be sure to wash it thoroughly after you throw away the outer leaves. A $10 salad spinners should make things easier. Make sure that you use different cutting boards for meets and vegetables. At the end of the day, be sure to soak your boards in value to bleach. Leftovers are always to be dealt with very carefully. Nothing over a couple of days old should never be fit for consumption. Elderly people especially are a little prone to making little savings with such measures. You could make sure this never happens to any elderly person you know.
Saturday, November 6
Monday, June 29
Children's Mental Health
Parents worry more about Kids mental health
More evidence we are living in an ' age of anxiety.' Health experts surprised at the extent of concern more parents have about their children's emotional and behavior problems.
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A National Center for Health Statistics survey reports nearly one out of five boys and one out of ten girls have parents who are worried..
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Its good to see parents more willing to seek help and to ask questions. Because more of them are recognizing emotional and behavior problem symptoms. The increased practice of medicating children with ADHD and Anti-Psychotic therapy has skyrocketed.
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Some schools have helpfully increased their mental health services. And many pediatricians are bringing mental health experts into their offices or arranging a consultant service to help these kids and parents.
Thursday, August 31
Juice Drinking fights Alzheimers
Alzheimers risk lowered by drinking juice daily. Seeing how some of our friends have suffered from Alzheimers moves us to wonder if there is anything we can do to help prevent. Seems there is no cure. But what about prevention?
Several new reports show promise of things that might lower the risk. Good. One of them is as simple as drinking juice daily. Read this research that involved 1,800 people over ten years.
Those who drank either vegetable or fruit juice three times weekly lowered their risk of Alzheimers 76%. More work needs to be done but that would encourage many of us to drink more all natural juice. Peel or skin included. That is where most of the polyphenol anti-oxidants are, the part most of us throw away.
Alzheimers News here
Alzheimers Organization here
Several new reports show promise of things that might lower the risk. Good. One of them is as simple as drinking juice daily. Read this research that involved 1,800 people over ten years.
Those who drank either vegetable or fruit juice three times weekly lowered their risk of Alzheimers 76%. More work needs to be done but that would encourage many of us to drink more all natural juice. Peel or skin included. That is where most of the polyphenol anti-oxidants are, the part most of us throw away.
Alzheimers News here
Alzheimers Organization here
Wednesday, July 12
Bathroom Germs
Bathroom Germs
Do You Know What Is Lurking in Your Bathroom? No matter how clean you think you are, the quantity and variety of germs that you would find on your hands at any given time would shock you. Germs are spread every time we touch an object or a person. Not all of them are dangerous, and some bacteria are even helpful.
However, your risk of getting sick is increased every time you use a public restroom, as evidenced by a 1996 study conducted by the American Society for Microbiology. They discovered that while 95% of the people surveyed said they washed their hands every time they used a public facility, only about 67% actually did. A recent nationwide poll showed that 39% of respondents are worried about the germs lurking in public restrooms. Is there a reason for concern? According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, infectious disease is the number three killer of Americans. They report that 40 million Americans get sick from hand-carried bacteria every year, and 80,000 people die from those germs.
Germs thrive in moist areas, and live off organic waste, which can be found in nearly every public restroom. What can you “catch” in a public restroom? Many illnesses that are transmitted in public restrooms include the common cold and flu bugs, intestinal illnesses, and skin infections. There is also a potential danger of picking up the bacteria that can be fatal, from streptococcus, staphylococcus, salmonella, E. coli and even hepatitis A.
People also worry about picking up STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) from toilet seats. Out of all the concerns about germs in public restrooms, STD's are actually the least likely to be a problem. This fear may be due more to urban legend than to anything else. Most of the bacteria and viruses that cause sexually transmitted diseases cannot live long enough outside the body for transfer to occur.
There is a far greater risk of coming into contact with the salmonella and shigella bacteria, which can be transferred by contact with feces. The infected person can transfer the bacteria onto any surface he touches – such as toilet handles, sink faucets and door handles. What should you look out for? Over-crowded restrooms, wet floors or puddles, lack of available supplies (toilet paper, soap and paper towels) and foul-smelling odors are all signs of improper maintenance and should be a cause for concern. Often the odor in public restrooms comes from dried urine in tile grout. Once dry, regular cleaners cannot remove the uric acid salts, and bacteria feed off them. (The odor comes from the bacteria’s digestive process.)
Germs – particularly fecal bacteria, can be shot into the air every time a toilet flushes. This bacterium settles on surfaces throughout the bathroom and is often enough to spread disease. How can you protect yourself?
First of all, your mother was right. Wash your hands frequently throughout the day, using proven methods of hand washing (see below). Do not touch your eyes, nose, face or mouth until you’ve washed your hands. Carry waterless antibiotic hand washing gel with you. If you’re going to be out and using public facilities, carry your own toilet paper with you. Try not to use toilet paper that is sitting on the top of the holder, on the back of a toilet or on a shelf.
Never use toilet paper that is wet or damp, or looks as if it might have been wet at one time. Because the inside surfaces of sinks harbor a large concentration of germs, don’t touch them. Do not use your hands when you flush the toilet, turn on or off a tap or open the restroom door when leaving.
Do You Know What Is Lurking in Your Bathroom? No matter how clean you think you are, the quantity and variety of germs that you would find on your hands at any given time would shock you. Germs are spread every time we touch an object or a person. Not all of them are dangerous, and some bacteria are even helpful.
However, your risk of getting sick is increased every time you use a public restroom, as evidenced by a 1996 study conducted by the American Society for Microbiology. They discovered that while 95% of the people surveyed said they washed their hands every time they used a public facility, only about 67% actually did. A recent nationwide poll showed that 39% of respondents are worried about the germs lurking in public restrooms. Is there a reason for concern? According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, infectious disease is the number three killer of Americans. They report that 40 million Americans get sick from hand-carried bacteria every year, and 80,000 people die from those germs.
Germs thrive in moist areas, and live off organic waste, which can be found in nearly every public restroom. What can you “catch” in a public restroom? Many illnesses that are transmitted in public restrooms include the common cold and flu bugs, intestinal illnesses, and skin infections. There is also a potential danger of picking up the bacteria that can be fatal, from streptococcus, staphylococcus, salmonella, E. coli and even hepatitis A.
People also worry about picking up STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) from toilet seats. Out of all the concerns about germs in public restrooms, STD's are actually the least likely to be a problem. This fear may be due more to urban legend than to anything else. Most of the bacteria and viruses that cause sexually transmitted diseases cannot live long enough outside the body for transfer to occur.
There is a far greater risk of coming into contact with the salmonella and shigella bacteria, which can be transferred by contact with feces. The infected person can transfer the bacteria onto any surface he touches – such as toilet handles, sink faucets and door handles. What should you look out for? Over-crowded restrooms, wet floors or puddles, lack of available supplies (toilet paper, soap and paper towels) and foul-smelling odors are all signs of improper maintenance and should be a cause for concern. Often the odor in public restrooms comes from dried urine in tile grout. Once dry, regular cleaners cannot remove the uric acid salts, and bacteria feed off them. (The odor comes from the bacteria’s digestive process.)
Germs – particularly fecal bacteria, can be shot into the air every time a toilet flushes. This bacterium settles on surfaces throughout the bathroom and is often enough to spread disease. How can you protect yourself?
First of all, your mother was right. Wash your hands frequently throughout the day, using proven methods of hand washing (see below). Do not touch your eyes, nose, face or mouth until you’ve washed your hands. Carry waterless antibiotic hand washing gel with you. If you’re going to be out and using public facilities, carry your own toilet paper with you. Try not to use toilet paper that is sitting on the top of the holder, on the back of a toilet or on a shelf.
Never use toilet paper that is wet or damp, or looks as if it might have been wet at one time. Because the inside surfaces of sinks harbor a large concentration of germs, don’t touch them. Do not use your hands when you flush the toilet, turn on or off a tap or open the restroom door when leaving.
Tuesday, June 20
Avoid Tick Bites
Tick Bites
Do you love being outside in the summertime, running through theyard with bare feet or planting in your garden? The whole family can benefit from quality time spent outdoors but certain precautions should be made to avoid tick bites.
Do you love being outside in the summertime, running through theyard with bare feet or planting in your garden? The whole family can benefit from quality time spent outdoors but certain precautions should be made to avoid tick bites.
Ticks are miniscule bugs that thrive in tall grass, brush, orwoodland areas and some are carriers of Lyme Disease, which, ifleft untreated, can be quite harmful. They do not fly but tickscan latch onto your skin if you rub against them. Most people donot notice when they have been bitten and the longer they areattached, the greater risk you run of contracting a tick-bornedisease.
If you expect to go camping or hiking in the woods, take theseprecautions to avoid tick bites and stay healthy this summer:
1. Tuck your lightweight long pant legs into your socks and tuckyour long-sleeved shirt into your pants. This will keep ticks onthe outside of your clothes. Clothing should also be tightlywoven so ticks do not find their way through the clothing to yourskin. 2. Wear light-colored clothing so ticks can easily be seen. 3. Wear repellants with DEET and apply to clothing BUT do notspray your child's hands or face. A concentration of 24% DEET hasbeen shown effective for five hours of protection but do notspray more than once each day.
4. Carefully inspect your entire body when you return inside.Deer ticks are especially small so ask someone to help you. Take extra care to check the scalp since hair can easily hide a tick.Repeat this procedure with your pets that go outside. Long fur also provides the perfect hiding place for ticks.
5. Since deer are carriers for ticks, make your landscaping asdeer-resistant as possible to keep the ticks out of your yard. Plant shrubs the deer will not eat, keep your grass cut short,and remove any leaves and debris that often act as a tickbreeding ground.
If you are bitten by a tick, carefully remove the tick with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and as quickly as possible. Be sure the entire tick is removed; if you are unsure,seek medical attention. You may also want to keep the tick in a container for identification.
The most common symptom of Lyme Disease is a reddish, roundbulls-eye mark at the site of the bite. Other symptoms are fever,joint and muscle pain, sore throat, fatigue, swollen glands, anddizziness. If you think you have any of these symptoms, contactyour medical provider as soon as possible. The sooner antibiotictreatment begins, the better the chance for full recovery.
Wednesday, May 31
Stress vs. Blood Pressure
Does STRESS on job cause Chronic High Blood Pressure ? This report says NO.
Dr. Samuel Mann (Cornell Medical) says job stress does not cause chronic high blood pressure. Studies of over 100,000 people now prove it. A job flare up will certainly raise our blood pressure short term but that in itself is not a reason to change jobs for medical reasons. This seems to disprove what others have tried to prove over 40 years of research.
No doubt job stress can cause other problems but chronic high blood pressure is not one of them.
Job Stress Blood Pressure report.
Dr. Samuel Mann (Cornell Medical) says job stress does not cause chronic high blood pressure. Studies of over 100,000 people now prove it. A job flare up will certainly raise our blood pressure short term but that in itself is not a reason to change jobs for medical reasons. This seems to disprove what others have tried to prove over 40 years of research.
No doubt job stress can cause other problems but chronic high blood pressure is not one of them.
Job Stress Blood Pressure report.
Monday, May 29
Heart Doctor stops surgery to donate Blood
Heart Doctor stops surgery 20 minutes to donate pint of blood. The 12 hour surgery was going well except for the fact the young boy was losing blood. And the hospital was about out of his rare type. Which the good doctor just happened to have. Doing this saved the boy from bleeding to death.
Dr Weinstein, a New York Heart surgeon, is a member of Heart Care International. Doctors, nurses, and other health care people donate their time to fly way off to some foreign country to assist local doctors and their patients. They are an impressive group. Many of them actually use their vacation time to perform such a wonderful service for others.
I love stories like this and hope you do to.
Click Here for more.
Dr Weinstein, a New York Heart surgeon, is a member of Heart Care International. Doctors, nurses, and other health care people donate their time to fly way off to some foreign country to assist local doctors and their patients. They are an impressive group. Many of them actually use their vacation time to perform such a wonderful service for others.
I love stories like this and hope you do to.
Click Here for more.
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