You know the signs you're unhealthy, right?
You can't get off the sofa without breaking into a sweat. You're never more than a week from your next bout of the sniffles. You have the greyish pallor of the permanently unwell.
But how do you know if, actually, you're a pretty healthy guy? Apart from not feeling ill, the signs of good health are usually more vague and subtle than the signs of sickness.
Being healthy doesn't necessarily mean leaping out of bed every morning with an irritating joie de vivre, or never getting a cold, or being able to run ultra-marathons after two weeks of training. You can be healthy without feeling you've always got energy to burn.
So how do you really know that you're doing OK? Luckily, there are some clues. They are not definitive, but taken together - and in the absence of symptoms of illness - they do suggest a body in pretty good working order.
Here are a few of them.
1.
To test your fitness, you don't have to run for miles or do 200 push-ups.
Experts say that the average person should be able to walk a mile in 15 minutes, carry two bags of shopping to the car, and climb the stairs in a house without getting breathless.
But that doesn't take into account age or gender. More specifically, a 30-year-old man with above average strength and fitness should be able to do over 25 push-ups in a minute and over 35 squats.
2.
As long as you have a watch and the ability to count, you can measure a couple of your vital signs from the comfort of your armchair.
A resting pulse of around 70 beats per minute and a respiratory rate of around 16-20 breaths per minute don't make you an athlete, but they do make you a normal, healthy adult.
3.
Men don't pay much attention to their fingernails, but they can give vital clues to general health.
Yellow nails are suggestive of respiratory disease, spoon-like nails curving outwards can mean iron deficiency anaemia, and lines going across the nails may be a symptom of diabetes.
Go to the doctor if there's any major change in the look or feel of your fingernails. Firm, pink nails, on the other hand, can be evidence of a decent general level of health.
4.
If you're about to have lunch, it might be wise to skip this bit till you've finished. In a word, we're talking stools, because stools can speak volumes about overall health.
It's not so much how often you pass them that's important (unless this suddenly changes) - once a day, three times a day, or even every other day can all be healthy depending on the individual - but consistency and colour.
A good stool is torpedo shaped, soft and easy to pass. Colour can depend on what you've eaten, but it shouldn't generally be grey, very pale, too dark or bright red. A mid-brown stool, passed easily and regularly without any sudden change in bowel habits is one sign of decent digestive health.
5.
And to continue the theme, if you have pale yellow pee you're drinking enough fluids and - in the absence of other symptoms - probably don't have any urinary tract infections.
A good colour is also a sign that your liver is working efficiently. Don't worry if you drink a lot of water and you're urine turns almost clear - apart from the inconvenience of all those trips to the toilet, that's no problem.
A darker yellow probably just means you've been drinking less - drink more to avoid the symptoms of dehydration.
But dark or red-tinged urine - or pee with a sweet or strange odour - can be a symptom of health problems.
6.
A fine and luscious head of shiny hair not only looks good, it's also a sign that good things are happening in your body.
In particular, healthy hair can be a sign of a healthy diet. Dull, dry and brittle hair can be caused by a lack or protein, vitamin E or essential fatty acids. Hair so healthy women want to run their fingers through it may be evidence that you're absorbing plenty of body-friendly nutrients.
7.
Doctors can tell a lot from your tongue.
A tongue with a warm, pinkish colour is one clue that you are absorbing sufficient iron, folic acid and vitamin B12.
An overly pale and smooth tongue can be a sign of anaemia, while a yellowish tint can suggest fungal infection.
By Hugh Wilson, MSNhttp://lifestyle.xin.msn.com/en/health/wellbeing/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4506059
Visit the Singapore Food Blog for cooking healthy and delicious food.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
'Naked' airport scanners may be 'dangerous'
WASHINGTON (AFP) - – Some US scientists warned the full-body, graphic-image X-ray scanners now being used to screen passengers and airline crews at airports around the country may be unsafe.
"They say the risk is minimal, but statistically someone is going to get skin cancer from these X-rays," Dr Michael Love, who runs an X-ray lab at the department of biophysics and biophysical chemistry at Johns Hopkins University school of medicine, told AFP.
"No exposure to X-ray is considered beneficial. We know X-rays are hazardous but we have a situation at the airports where people are so eager to fly that they will risk their lives in this manner," he said.
The possible health dangers posed by the scanners add to passengers' and airline crews' concerns about the devices, which have been dubbed "naked" scanners because of the graphic image they give of a person's body, genitalia and all.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began rolling out full-body scanners at US airports in 2007, but stepped up deployment of the devices this year when stimulus funding made it possible to buy another 450 of the advanced imaging technology scanners.
Some 315 "naked" scanners are currently in use at 65 US airports, according to the TSA.
Passengers and airline crew members, including pilots, are randomly selected to pass through the scanners. They have the option of refusing, but will then be subjected to what the TSA calls an "enhanced" manual search by an agent.
"People are not reacting well to these pat-downs," said a travel industry official, who asked not to be named.
Government officials have said that the scanners have been tested and meet safety standards.
But Captain David Bates, president of the Allied Pilots Association, which represents pilots at American Airlines, urged members to avoid the full-body scanner.
"No pilot at American Airlines should subject themselves to the needless privacy invasion and potential health risks caused by the body scanner," he said in a letter this month, which was obtained by AFP.
"Politely decline exposure and request alternative screening," even if "the enhanced pat-down is a demeaning experience," he said.
A group of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) raised concerns about the "potential serious health risks" from the scanners in a letter sent to the White House Office of Science and Technology in April.
Biochemist John Sedat and his colleagues said in the letter that most of the energy from the scanners is delivered to the skin and underlying tissue.
"While the dose would be safe if it were distributed throughout the volume of the entire body, the dose to the skin may be dangerously high," they wrote.
The scientists say the X-rays could pose a risk to everyone from travelers over the age of 65 to pregnant women and their unborn babies, to HIV-positive travelers, cancer patients and men.
"Men's sexual organs are exposed to the X-rays. The skin is very thin there," Love explained.
The Office of Science and Technology responded this week to the scientists' letter, saying the scanners have been "tested extensively" by US government agencies and were found to meet safety standards.
But Sedat told AFP Friday: "We still don't know the beam intensity or other details of their classified system."
source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20101113/tts-us-airport-security-health-c1b2fc3.html
"They say the risk is minimal, but statistically someone is going to get skin cancer from these X-rays," Dr Michael Love, who runs an X-ray lab at the department of biophysics and biophysical chemistry at Johns Hopkins University school of medicine, told AFP.
"No exposure to X-ray is considered beneficial. We know X-rays are hazardous but we have a situation at the airports where people are so eager to fly that they will risk their lives in this manner," he said.
The possible health dangers posed by the scanners add to passengers' and airline crews' concerns about the devices, which have been dubbed "naked" scanners because of the graphic image they give of a person's body, genitalia and all.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began rolling out full-body scanners at US airports in 2007, but stepped up deployment of the devices this year when stimulus funding made it possible to buy another 450 of the advanced imaging technology scanners.
Some 315 "naked" scanners are currently in use at 65 US airports, according to the TSA.
Passengers and airline crew members, including pilots, are randomly selected to pass through the scanners. They have the option of refusing, but will then be subjected to what the TSA calls an "enhanced" manual search by an agent.
"People are not reacting well to these pat-downs," said a travel industry official, who asked not to be named.
Government officials have said that the scanners have been tested and meet safety standards.
But Captain David Bates, president of the Allied Pilots Association, which represents pilots at American Airlines, urged members to avoid the full-body scanner.
"No pilot at American Airlines should subject themselves to the needless privacy invasion and potential health risks caused by the body scanner," he said in a letter this month, which was obtained by AFP.
"Politely decline exposure and request alternative screening," even if "the enhanced pat-down is a demeaning experience," he said.
A group of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) raised concerns about the "potential serious health risks" from the scanners in a letter sent to the White House Office of Science and Technology in April.
Biochemist John Sedat and his colleagues said in the letter that most of the energy from the scanners is delivered to the skin and underlying tissue.
"While the dose would be safe if it were distributed throughout the volume of the entire body, the dose to the skin may be dangerously high," they wrote.
The scientists say the X-rays could pose a risk to everyone from travelers over the age of 65 to pregnant women and their unborn babies, to HIV-positive travelers, cancer patients and men.
"Men's sexual organs are exposed to the X-rays. The skin is very thin there," Love explained.
The Office of Science and Technology responded this week to the scientists' letter, saying the scanners have been "tested extensively" by US government agencies and were found to meet safety standards.
But Sedat told AFP Friday: "We still don't know the beam intensity or other details of their classified system."
source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20101113/tts-us-airport-security-health-c1b2fc3.html
Monday, October 11, 2010
Why sex makes men healthier
Most men would agree that sex is a good thing (except when it's not, but that's another article). We like it. We crave it. We think about it quite a lot of the time.
So we really don't need another reason to have sex. The very squelchy, touchy, lovely-ness of it is enough for us. We need no more encouragement.
That's not always the case with the people we want to have sex with though. Sometimes, we want sex and they don't. Sometimes we really want sex and they want to watch Location, Location, Location.
Sometimes, having a spare 10 minutes and nothing better to do is just not a good enough reason for our so-called 'better' halves to head straight for the boudoir shedding clothes as they go.
If you find yourself in that situation, don't beg or plead, because it's undignified. Just tell them this: "If you want me to live for a long time (and let's assume for our purposes here that you do), you have to have sex with me a lot. It's a scientific fact."
And really, it is. Because not only is sex good fun, it's also really good for us. And the health benefits of a bunk up are, if anything, even more marked for men than for women.
So next time she brushes aside your amorous advances, remind her that it may be a matter of life and death. Here's all the information you need.
1.
Don't think for a second we're suggesting you lie to your wives or girlfriends about the benefits of sex, because quite frankly you don't need to. The evidence is pretty clear.
Take, for example, a study by researchers at Queen's University in Belfast, one of the most rigorous studies ever carried out on health and sex in men. The study tracked the mortality of about 1,000 middle-aged men over the course of a decade.
The results were unequivocal. The men who enjoyed the highest frequency of orgasms had half the death rate of those for whom episodes of sexual ecstasy were few and far between.
These may have been middle-aged men, but sexual patterns are often set in earlier decades. The more sex you have now - assuming you practise safe sex - the better off you'll be in a few years' time.
Then the researchers decided to do a follow-on from the original study and concentrate on cardiovascular health alone.
Again, the results were clear. Healthy men who have sex three or more times a week can reduce their risk of heart attack or stroke by half.
So if she's unimpressed when you ask her for a quickie before Match of the Day, explain that it's all part of your very keen desire to grow old with her. They love that sort of stuff.
Maybe you've put on a few pounds. Maybe you're not the sprightly young thing she was first attracted to. Maybe you've let yourself go. Well, if that's her excuse, tell her the best way to get you back the way she wants you is, by happy coincidence, to have more sex.
OK, having sex is not going to burn off as many calories as going for a run, but that hasn't stopped Men's Health magazine calling the bed the greatest piece of exercise equipment ever invented.
And that's because sex does burn calories - a vigorous session can knock off 200 of the blighters - and unlike running it's not something you'll put off every time you feel a tiny twinge in your big toe.
In other words, you don't need to motivate yourself to cuddle up in a nice warm bed in the same way you do to pound the rain-lashed streets.
And there's more. Sex works muscles in your buttocks, pelvis, thighs and arms, and raises your pulse rate to the level of an elite athlete training his socks off.
So you can imitate Usain Bolt, at least in the bedroom.
You might not worry about your prostate now - heck, you might not even know you've got one - but you might in a few years' time. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.
With that in mind, some urologists believe that one of the best ways to ward off prostate cancer is to 'flush out' the prostate at regular intervals. And would you believe it, the best way to flush it out is by frequent ejaculation.
The sooner you start, the better. A study published in the British Journal of Urology International said that men in their 20s can reduce by a third their chance of getting prostate cancer by ejaculating more than five times a week.
If she's still not convinced that you absolutely must have regular sex for the sake of your health, a better tack might be to tell her that you absolutely must have regular sex for the sake of hers.
You can mention that sex improves pain relief for both of you, boosts both your immune systems, improves her bladder control and can reduce her chances of depression.
So there you have it. You can tempt her into bed with your raw sexuality, or romantic gestures, or by plying her with alcohol.
And if all else fails you can tell her that if you don't have sex right this very second (in a variety of positions and possibly involving handcuffs) you might not make it through the night.
How could she possibly refuse?
Source: http://lifestyle.xin.msn.com/en/sex-relationships/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4384890&page=6
So we really don't need another reason to have sex. The very squelchy, touchy, lovely-ness of it is enough for us. We need no more encouragement.
That's not always the case with the people we want to have sex with though. Sometimes, we want sex and they don't. Sometimes we really want sex and they want to watch Location, Location, Location.
Sometimes, having a spare 10 minutes and nothing better to do is just not a good enough reason for our so-called 'better' halves to head straight for the boudoir shedding clothes as they go.
If you find yourself in that situation, don't beg or plead, because it's undignified. Just tell them this: "If you want me to live for a long time (and let's assume for our purposes here that you do), you have to have sex with me a lot. It's a scientific fact."
And really, it is. Because not only is sex good fun, it's also really good for us. And the health benefits of a bunk up are, if anything, even more marked for men than for women.
So next time she brushes aside your amorous advances, remind her that it may be a matter of life and death. Here's all the information you need.
1.
Don't think for a second we're suggesting you lie to your wives or girlfriends about the benefits of sex, because quite frankly you don't need to. The evidence is pretty clear.
Take, for example, a study by researchers at Queen's University in Belfast, one of the most rigorous studies ever carried out on health and sex in men. The study tracked the mortality of about 1,000 middle-aged men over the course of a decade.
The results were unequivocal. The men who enjoyed the highest frequency of orgasms had half the death rate of those for whom episodes of sexual ecstasy were few and far between.
These may have been middle-aged men, but sexual patterns are often set in earlier decades. The more sex you have now - assuming you practise safe sex - the better off you'll be in a few years' time.
Then the researchers decided to do a follow-on from the original study and concentrate on cardiovascular health alone.
Again, the results were clear. Healthy men who have sex three or more times a week can reduce their risk of heart attack or stroke by half.
So if she's unimpressed when you ask her for a quickie before Match of the Day, explain that it's all part of your very keen desire to grow old with her. They love that sort of stuff.
Maybe you've put on a few pounds. Maybe you're not the sprightly young thing she was first attracted to. Maybe you've let yourself go. Well, if that's her excuse, tell her the best way to get you back the way she wants you is, by happy coincidence, to have more sex.
OK, having sex is not going to burn off as many calories as going for a run, but that hasn't stopped Men's Health magazine calling the bed the greatest piece of exercise equipment ever invented.
And that's because sex does burn calories - a vigorous session can knock off 200 of the blighters - and unlike running it's not something you'll put off every time you feel a tiny twinge in your big toe.
In other words, you don't need to motivate yourself to cuddle up in a nice warm bed in the same way you do to pound the rain-lashed streets.
And there's more. Sex works muscles in your buttocks, pelvis, thighs and arms, and raises your pulse rate to the level of an elite athlete training his socks off.
So you can imitate Usain Bolt, at least in the bedroom.
You might not worry about your prostate now - heck, you might not even know you've got one - but you might in a few years' time. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.
With that in mind, some urologists believe that one of the best ways to ward off prostate cancer is to 'flush out' the prostate at regular intervals. And would you believe it, the best way to flush it out is by frequent ejaculation.
The sooner you start, the better. A study published in the British Journal of Urology International said that men in their 20s can reduce by a third their chance of getting prostate cancer by ejaculating more than five times a week.
If she's still not convinced that you absolutely must have regular sex for the sake of your health, a better tack might be to tell her that you absolutely must have regular sex for the sake of hers.
You can mention that sex improves pain relief for both of you, boosts both your immune systems, improves her bladder control and can reduce her chances of depression.
So there you have it. You can tempt her into bed with your raw sexuality, or romantic gestures, or by plying her with alcohol.
And if all else fails you can tell her that if you don't have sex right this very second (in a variety of positions and possibly involving handcuffs) you might not make it through the night.
How could she possibly refuse?
Source: http://lifestyle.xin.msn.com/en/sex-relationships/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4384890&page=6
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Build a Healthy Food Foundation
There are so many types of food you can eat each day and you have to make the right choices to stay well nourished. There is no one food that can provide all the nutrients your body needs. You have to eat a wide variety of food, all in moderation and in the right balance.
Made up of four 4 food groups stacked to form a pyramid, the Healthy Diet Pyramid serves as a guide to help you plan a healthy diet. Follow it and you will achieve a well-balanced diet that provides the nutrients you need, in the right amounts, each day.
Wonder why there is a range of servings recommended for the Rice and Alternatives and Meat and Alternatives food groups? Well, it is to reflect the different needs of individuals. Smaller and more sedentary individuals are better off sticking to the lower end of the range of recommendations, while bigger and more active people get to eat more servings or portions from these food groups.
2. Eat enough grains
Popular grain food such as bread, rice, noodles, pasta, biscuits, porridge, ketupat, idli, dhosai, and chapatti are great sources of complex carbohydrates. They are your body’s preferred fuel to support physical and mental activities. Fill your plate with enough grains at each meal to stay energized through out the day.Don’t forget the whole-grains
Eaten with the bran and germ intact, whole-grain food such as oats, wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholegrain noodles and pasta, deliver more vitamins, minerals, fibre and protective plant chemicals (phytochemicals) than refined grains like white rice and white bread. So, get the wholesome benefits by eating at least 1 serving of whole-grain food each day.3. Include fruit and vegetables
Naturally low in fat and rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre, fruit and vegetables add colour, texture and flavour to your diet. With so many fruit and vegetables in the market, mix and match your choices to get maximum benefit. Remember not to overcook vegetables, and go for whole fruit rather than juices.Eat colourful fruit and vegetables
Beyond the ‘greens’ that Mom and Dad told you to eat up, nutritionists now want you to add more colours to your plate with fruit and vegetables. The natural pigments in fruit and vegetables bring a host of benefits to the human body, protecting us from many common diseases such as heart disease and cancer.4. Get sufficient protein
Protein-rich food such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, lentils, legumes, nuts and seeds are placed at the third level of the pyramid. This means that while we need these nutrient-rich food, the number of servings recommended is smaller than that for grain food, fruit, and vegetables. To make a healthier choice, select items lower in fat and cholesterol.Focus on calcium
Calcium strengthens bones and teeth. Adequate intake throughout life reduces the risk of osteoporosis. The best sources of calcium are dairy food – milk, yogurt, and cheese. For those who cannot stomach milk and milk products, eat small fish with edible bones, tofu and green leafy vegetables. Our supermarkets are also teeming with innovative calcium-fortified food such as milk, soymilk, juices, bread, and biscuits. Add these to your grocery cart to top up your daily calcium intake.5. Reduce fat, oil, salt, and sugar
Seasonings are placed at the top of the Healthy Diet Pyramid to remind us to use them only in small amounts to make other wholesome food a little more enjoyable. Pay particular attention to selecting healthier unsaturated fats and oils and minimise intake of saturated and trans fats. When you buy food at the supermarket or at the restaurant, remember to select items that are lower in fat, salt and added sugars.6. Avoid or minimise alcohol
If you enjoy socializing over a drink with your friends, set your limit. Aim for no more that two drinks per day if you are a woman and three drinks if you are a man. A standard drink is ⅔ can (220 ml) of beer, 1 glass (100 ml) of wine or 1 nip (30 ml) of spirits. Beer, wine, and hard liquors contain alcohol, a concentrated source of calories. Regular drinking binges make it harder to keep your weight down.source: http://www.hpb.gov.sg/foodforhealth/article.aspx?id=2638
Monday, October 4, 2010
No laps for warm laptops; skin damage is possible
CHICAGO – Have you ever worked on your laptop computer with it sitting on your lap, heating up your legs? If so, you might want to rethink that habit.
Doing it a lot can lead to "toasted skin syndrome," an unusual-looking mottled skin condition caused by long-term heat exposure, according to medical reports.
In one recent case, a 12-year-old boy developed a sponge-patterned skin discoloration on his left thigh after playing computer games a few hours every day for several months.
"He recognized that the laptop got hot on the left side; however, regardless of that, he did not change its position," Swiss researchers reported in an article published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Another case involved a Virginia law student who sought treatment for the mottled discoloration on her leg.
Dr. Kimberley Salkey, who treated the young woman, was stumped until she learned the student spent about six hours a day working with her computer propped on her lap. The temperature underneath registered 125 degrees.
That case, from 2007, is one of 10 laptop-related cases reported in medical journals in the past six years.
The condition also can be caused by overuse of heating pads and other heat sources that usually aren't hot enough to cause burns. It's generally harmless but can cause permanent skin darkening. In very rare cases, it can cause damage leading to skin cancers, said the Swiss researchers, Drs. Andreas Arnold and Peter Itin from University Hospital Basel. They do not cite any skin cancer cases linked to laptop use, but suggest, to be safe, placing a carrying case or other heat shield under the laptop if you have to hold it in your lap.
Salkey, an assistant dermatology professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School, said that under the microscope, the affected skin resembles skin damaged by long-term sun exposure.
Major manufacturers including Apple, Hewlett Packard and Dell warn in user manuals against placing laptops on laps or exposed skin for extended periods of time because of the risk for burns.
A medical report several years ago found that men who used laptops on their laps had elevated scrotum temperatures. If prolonged, that kind of heat can decrease sperm production, which can potentially lead to infertility. Whether laptop use itself can cause that kind of harm hasn't been confirmed.
In the past, "toasted skin syndrome" has occurred in workers whose jobs require being close to a heat source, including bakers and glass blowers, and, before central heating, in people who huddled near potbellied stoves to stay warm.
Dr. Anthony J. Mancini, dermatology chief at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said he'd treated a boy who developed the condition from using a heating pad "hours at a time" to soothe a thigh injured in soccer. Mancini said he'd also seen a case caused by a hot water bottle.
He noted that chronic, prolonged skin inflammation can potentially increase chances for squamous cell skin cancer, which is more aggressive than the most common skin cancer. But Mancini said it's unlikely computer use would lead to cancer since it's so easy to avoid prolonged close skin contact with laptops.
By: By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer
source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101004/ap_on_he_me/us_med_laptop_toasted_skin
Doing it a lot can lead to "toasted skin syndrome," an unusual-looking mottled skin condition caused by long-term heat exposure, according to medical reports.
In one recent case, a 12-year-old boy developed a sponge-patterned skin discoloration on his left thigh after playing computer games a few hours every day for several months.
"He recognized that the laptop got hot on the left side; however, regardless of that, he did not change its position," Swiss researchers reported in an article published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Another case involved a Virginia law student who sought treatment for the mottled discoloration on her leg.
Dr. Kimberley Salkey, who treated the young woman, was stumped until she learned the student spent about six hours a day working with her computer propped on her lap. The temperature underneath registered 125 degrees.
That case, from 2007, is one of 10 laptop-related cases reported in medical journals in the past six years.
The condition also can be caused by overuse of heating pads and other heat sources that usually aren't hot enough to cause burns. It's generally harmless but can cause permanent skin darkening. In very rare cases, it can cause damage leading to skin cancers, said the Swiss researchers, Drs. Andreas Arnold and Peter Itin from University Hospital Basel. They do not cite any skin cancer cases linked to laptop use, but suggest, to be safe, placing a carrying case or other heat shield under the laptop if you have to hold it in your lap.
Salkey, an assistant dermatology professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School, said that under the microscope, the affected skin resembles skin damaged by long-term sun exposure.
Major manufacturers including Apple, Hewlett Packard and Dell warn in user manuals against placing laptops on laps or exposed skin for extended periods of time because of the risk for burns.
A medical report several years ago found that men who used laptops on their laps had elevated scrotum temperatures. If prolonged, that kind of heat can decrease sperm production, which can potentially lead to infertility. Whether laptop use itself can cause that kind of harm hasn't been confirmed.
In the past, "toasted skin syndrome" has occurred in workers whose jobs require being close to a heat source, including bakers and glass blowers, and, before central heating, in people who huddled near potbellied stoves to stay warm.
Dr. Anthony J. Mancini, dermatology chief at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said he'd treated a boy who developed the condition from using a heating pad "hours at a time" to soothe a thigh injured in soccer. Mancini said he'd also seen a case caused by a hot water bottle.
He noted that chronic, prolonged skin inflammation can potentially increase chances for squamous cell skin cancer, which is more aggressive than the most common skin cancer. But Mancini said it's unlikely computer use would lead to cancer since it's so easy to avoid prolonged close skin contact with laptops.
By: By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer
source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101004/ap_on_he_me/us_med_laptop_toasted_skin
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Give saturated fat a second chance
WASHINGTON: Researchers backed by the US dairy industry say saturated fat is unfairly blamed for causing heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems.
Instead of blaming whole milk and cheeses for clogging arteries, they argue, people should reduce carbohydrates and eat more fish - alongside a glass of milk.
That's the message from the Global Dairy Platform, promoting a series of research articles published in the October issue of Lipids.
"Although diets inordinately high in fat and saturated fat are associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk in some individuals, assuming that saturated fat at any intake level is harmful is an over-simplification and not supported by scientific evidence," said Bruce German, a food science professor at the University of California.
The dairy industry says saturated fat intake has a limited impact on cardiovascular disease risk. For years they have argued that dietary advice wrongly blames saturated fat as the major cause of heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure.
Still, the American Heart Association advises that no more than seven percent of daily calories come from saturated fat, which occur naturally in many foods, including fatty beef, pork, cream, butter and other dairy products.
The AHA says, for example, that people who need 2,000 calories per day should get no more than 140 of them from saturated fats, which translates to about 16 grams of saturated fats per day.
Total fat intake should not exceed 35 percent of daily calories, the AHA advises. Remaining fat should come from nuts, fish and vegetable oils, which are sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
Cardiovascular diseases accounted for one of three deaths in the United States in 2006, according to the AHA. Death rates from those diseases fell 29 percent in the 10-year period ending in 2006, it said.
Global Dairy Platform is an international non-profit organisation founded in 2006. One of its goals is "sustaining and expanding global demand for milk and dairy products," according to its website.
source:http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/health/view/1084635/1/.html
Instead of blaming whole milk and cheeses for clogging arteries, they argue, people should reduce carbohydrates and eat more fish - alongside a glass of milk.
That's the message from the Global Dairy Platform, promoting a series of research articles published in the October issue of Lipids.
"Although diets inordinately high in fat and saturated fat are associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk in some individuals, assuming that saturated fat at any intake level is harmful is an over-simplification and not supported by scientific evidence," said Bruce German, a food science professor at the University of California.
The dairy industry says saturated fat intake has a limited impact on cardiovascular disease risk. For years they have argued that dietary advice wrongly blames saturated fat as the major cause of heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure.
Still, the American Heart Association advises that no more than seven percent of daily calories come from saturated fat, which occur naturally in many foods, including fatty beef, pork, cream, butter and other dairy products.
The AHA says, for example, that people who need 2,000 calories per day should get no more than 140 of them from saturated fats, which translates to about 16 grams of saturated fats per day.
Total fat intake should not exceed 35 percent of daily calories, the AHA advises. Remaining fat should come from nuts, fish and vegetable oils, which are sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
Cardiovascular diseases accounted for one of three deaths in the United States in 2006, according to the AHA. Death rates from those diseases fell 29 percent in the 10-year period ending in 2006, it said.
Global Dairy Platform is an international non-profit organisation founded in 2006. One of its goals is "sustaining and expanding global demand for milk and dairy products," according to its website.
source:http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/health/view/1084635/1/.html
The Claim: Gargling With Salt Water Can Ease Cold Symptoms
THE FACTS Nothing but time can cure the common cold, but a simple cup of salt water might ease the misery this winter.
A sore, itchy throat and respiratory congestion are some of the more common symptoms of a cold, and gargling with salt water seems to help for several reasons. A saline solution can draw excess fluid from inflamed tissues in the throat, making them hurt less, said Dr. Philip T. Hagen, editor in chief of the “Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies,” which is due out in October. Dr. Hagen pointed out that gargling also loosens thick mucus, which can remove irritants like allergens, bacteria and fungi from the throat.
In a randomized study published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2005, researchers recruited almost 400 healthy volunteers and followed them for 60 days during cold and flu season. Some of the subjects were told to gargle three times a day. At the end of the study period, the group that regularly gargled had a nearly 40 percent decrease in upper respiratory tract infections compared with the control group, and when they did get sick, “gargling tended to attenuate bronchial symptoms,” the researchers wrote.
Other studies have also found gargling helpful against sore throats and congestion.
According to the Mayo Clinic, for best results, dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a full glass of warm water and gargle the solution for a few seconds before spitting it out. Adults who want a more palatable remedy against cough and sore throat can try mixing warm water with lemon and honey. No need to spit it out.
THE BOTTOM LINE Gargling with a saline solution can ease symptoms of a cold.
ANAHAD O’CONNOR scitimes@nytimes.com
source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/health/28real.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=homepage
A sore, itchy throat and respiratory congestion are some of the more common symptoms of a cold, and gargling with salt water seems to help for several reasons. A saline solution can draw excess fluid from inflamed tissues in the throat, making them hurt less, said Dr. Philip T. Hagen, editor in chief of the “Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies,” which is due out in October. Dr. Hagen pointed out that gargling also loosens thick mucus, which can remove irritants like allergens, bacteria and fungi from the throat.
In a randomized study published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2005, researchers recruited almost 400 healthy volunteers and followed them for 60 days during cold and flu season. Some of the subjects were told to gargle three times a day. At the end of the study period, the group that regularly gargled had a nearly 40 percent decrease in upper respiratory tract infections compared with the control group, and when they did get sick, “gargling tended to attenuate bronchial symptoms,” the researchers wrote.
Other studies have also found gargling helpful against sore throats and congestion.
According to the Mayo Clinic, for best results, dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a full glass of warm water and gargle the solution for a few seconds before spitting it out. Adults who want a more palatable remedy against cough and sore throat can try mixing warm water with lemon and honey. No need to spit it out.
THE BOTTOM LINE Gargling with a saline solution can ease symptoms of a cold.
ANAHAD O’CONNOR scitimes@nytimes.com
source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/health/28real.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=homepage
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