Archive for December, 2010

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The Business of Sports and the Case Study of Michael Vick

Comments: 0December 31st, 2010 by admin

Many people separate business and sports and if you will note they are on separate sections of our newspapers. But the reality is that “sports is very much a business” in America. In the major leagues like the NBA, NFL, and to the Baseball Association, those are all very large franchises. So is NASCAR for that matter. And for these businesses it is all about branding, image, and marketing. If they don’t market themselves well to sports fans, those fans will not be interested and they will stop paying the fees to watch these events or buy logoed products.

Now let’s take the case study of Michael Vick, who was convicted of sponsoring dog fights, which obviously is unfortunate considering Americans love their dogs, and the reality of nonprofit groups like PETA, who love animals and don’t want any harm to come to them. PETA is a group that gets a lot of press and they often have riots and protests that make the headlines of the major media. Now that Michael Vick has been reinstated into the league, a team might pick him up to play for them.

It will of course, be interesting because he has a very good player, but whatever team picks him up, well they will have do a little damage control in the media and they might take a few fans and pet lovers refuse to watch their games. This is a serious issue, and one that will be very interesting to watch. You must remember that sports is a business, and Michael Vick is an awesome player, but he has also been convicted of cruelty to animals. Please consider all this.

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Posted in flu

Drug Addiction – Is it Hereditary?

Comments: 0December 31st, 2010 by admin



According to a research study conducted by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (NCADI), children of alcoholic parents are four times likely to be an alcoholic than any other children. It simply means that children of alcoholic parents are at higher risk of becoming alcoholic than children whose parents are not alcoholic. But, it does not prove that the problem of alcoholism is hereditary. If proper care and precaution is taken, it can usually skip from generation to generation. But, it is difficult to deny that alcoholism has genetic factors.

Following three major factors are responsible for causing drug addiction in a person:

Personal Habits:

Children of alcoholic parents see a lot of alcohol at home. They gradually get used to have alcohol everywhere. Chances are high of their picking and tasting drinks.

Surrounding Environment:

The environment is very much responsible for causing drug addiction problems in a person. Children, who see alcohol, at home everywhere usually witness unhappiness, bereft of love and care from family and feel insecurity often. So, an unhappy childhood contributes a lot in the development of alcohol problems at the adult age.

Heredity:

Heredity or family linage plays an important role in getting alcohol patterns in a person. Usually, sons tend to affect more than daughters of a family. Many studies have revealed that children face risk of almost 50% if their parents are involved in alcoholism. So, children of alcoholic parents must take care of themselves properly. They should monitor their behavior and actions closely to detect the possible signs frequently. If detected, look for effective solutions at the earliest.

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Posted in Alcohol

Ovarian Cancer Symptoms

Comments: 0December 31st, 2010 by admin



Cancer of the ovary, a disease affecting one of both of the ovaries, is one of the most serious and under-recognized ailments affecting women. In United States, it is considered as the fifth among the most fatal gynecologic cancers (affecting the female reproductive organs). It is said that in every 57 women, one may be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and almost half of those women diagnosed with the said cancer may die in a span of five years.

Ovarian Cancer: Overview

Ovarian cancer is characterized by the malignant growth of one or of the two ovaries. The cells in the ovary multiply progressively and abnormally to the point that they can no longer be controlled. As a result, excessive tissues start to form tumors, which may be benign or malignant. The malignant ones are those that cause cancer.

The growth of the tumor may not necessarily start from the ovary or the ovaries, but may have spread to the ovary from other parts of the body, oftentimes the breast. The malignant tumor in the ovary may likewise spread to other parts of the body. The most common cases of ovarian cancer arise from epithelial cancer, which affect the epithelial cells (cells found in the tissues covering surfaces of the ovary).

Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

It is important for women to be aware of the nature and symptoms of ovarian cancer as this deadly cancer can affect women of any age. However, women face higher risk of ovarian cancer as she gets older, particularly after she reaches the age of fifty.

Most of the time, the symptoms of ovarian cancer do not show up until the cancer is widespread or in its advanced stage. This makes a woman at higher risk since it can be too late before she may be able to detect symptoms of ovarian cancer. Moreover, there are only very few symptoms of the cancer, which may be mistaken as symptoms of other health conditions.

The very first symptom of ovarian cancer is vague abdominal discomfort and bloating, which is caused by the excess fluid in the abdominal cavity. One always feels full even when she has not eaten much. As time passes by the swelling of the abdomen intensifies that some of your clothes may no longer fit you. Usually, it is because of this unusual swelling (way different from a woman’s monthly water retention) that most women go to the doctor for check up.

Bloating is accompanied by digestive disturbances, unexplained changes in the bowel habits and urinary patterns. There are frequent trips to the bathroom even in the absence of a urinary tract infection or other health problems. One may feel nauseous, very tired and she may feel like vomiting at times. She may also feel discomfort and pain during an intercourse.

Pain and swelling in the pelvic area is also noticeable upon closer physical examination. This is due to the swelling in the pelvis. In very rare instances, a woman in her postmenopausal stage experiences abnormal bleeding.

Other vague and non-specific symptoms of ovarian cancer include back and leg pain, loss of appetite, undernourished appearance, weight gain or weigh loss, and unusual bleeding in the vagina (heavier and longer than the usual menstrual bleeding).

Detecting Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

Screening is a way to detect the symptoms of ovarian cancer. The earlier the patient is screened, the better so as to decrease the mortality and morbidity of ovarian cancer. One of the most effective ways to detect the cancer in its early stage is through pelvic and rectal exam.

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Posted in cancer

Enhance Your Room

Comments: 0December 30th, 2010 by admin

Everybody knows that room is the most sacred place in a house. It is simply due to the fact that we can only show our true self in room and no matter how the room looks like then it always resemble how we truly are. That is why decorating your room and create a better atmosphere will be very good to do to your room if you want everybody to judge you well and of course if you decorated your room well then you will not afraid in welcoming guest to come to your room but if your room is bad then you won’t dare to do that as that may makes you shameful.

Decorating your room will cost a lot of money because you need to buy furniture and better than that you need to have rugs. It is expensive but of course it will create a very good atmosphere inside your room and everybody who is invited to your room will have the same thing in their mind. They will think that your room is great. You can simply decorate your room and enhance the condition so it may be look like a king or queen room. You can do it by using area rugs.

There is however one problem if you want to enhance your room by adding rugs. It is the fact that rugs are not cheap and the higher you pay then the quality of the rugs will be better. It is also gives effect to your room because cheap rugs won’t make your room looks any better so in case you really want to enhance your room then it is very wise for you to find rugs groceries and search there for an affordable but high quality rugs. Room must be comfortable too so you must have a comfortable rugs too; once you have fulfilled all then your room will be never be  the same anymore.

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Iron Supplements For Breastfed Babies — Are They Necessary?

Comments: 0December 29th, 2010 by admin



Many parents are led to to believe that routine iron supplementation is required for breastfed babies once they reach 6 months of age. Some studies, however, suggest that iron supplementation is unnecessary, unless signs of iron-deficiency anemia are present.

Iron plays an important role in the development of a baby’s brain and a lack of iron can significantly affect a baby’s ability to learn in later life. Iron is also required by the body to make hemoglobin, which supplies oxygen — through the blood — to the cells of the body . In addition, iron gives red blood cells their color, which is why a lack of iron is often suspected when someone appears particularly pale.

Babies are born with stores of iron, obtained from their mothers during pregnancy. For full term babies, these stores will usually last for at least the first 6 months of life. Some babies, however, are born with inadequate iron stores and have an increased risk of developing iron-deficiency anemia. These include

1. Premature babies. Babies obtain the majority of their iron stores from their mothers during the final months of pregnancy. This means that babies born prematurely may be more likely to have lower stores of iron at birth.

2. Low birthweight babies (generally below 6.5lb). This applies whether or not the pregnancy was full term.

3. Babies born to mothers with poorly controlled diabetes.

At some point, these babies may require iron supplementation, on medical advice.

However, it is the ROUTINE supplementation of full term, healthy, breastfed infants at 6 months that many experts are calling into question.

Whilst you may hear that the iron levels in breastmilk are low, a fact very often overlooked is that iron from breastmilk is extremely well absorbed, at a rate of 49 percent of the available iron. This is because breastmilk contains lactoferrin and transferrin, two specialized proteins that ensure efficient delivery of iron from the milk to your baby. These proteins also prevent the growth of “unfriendly” bacteria, such as E. Coli, by ensuring that no iron is made available to them.

In addition, breastmilk contains high levels of vitamin C and lactose, both of which assist with efficient iron absorption.

For these reasons, many experts now feel that an exclusively breast fed baby receives sufficient iron to keep his levels within the normal range BEYOND the first six months of life. It is, of course, a sensible precaution to have your baby’s iron levels tested, to ensure that no deficiency is present.

Once iron supplements, solid foods or mixed feeding (ie breastmilk plus iron-fortified formula) are introduced to a baby, the amount of iron available to him from breastmilk actually reduces. This is because the specialized breast milk proteins can become saturated by the extra iron he is receiving. They then become less efficient in their job of delivering iron to the baby.

Therefore, it is very important to make sure that, when your baby is eating solid foods on a regular basis, his diet contains plenty of iron rich foods.

These will compensate for the reduction in the amount of iron he is receiving from breastmilk. Good sources of iron include

meat

peas

dark green vegetables

beans

tofu

avocado

yam

barley

whole wheat cereal

broccoli

blackstrap molasses

amaranth

quinoa

millet

It is useful to serve foods containing vitamin C along with iron rich foods, as this combination aids iron absorption . Cooking in cast iron pans is also helpful, as the acids in some foods will “pull” the iron from the pan.

It is important to remember that a nursing mother cannot increase the iron levels in her breastmilk by increasing her own iron intake.

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Posted in anemia

Baclofen – using skeletal muscle relaxants

Comments: 0December 28th, 2010 by admin

We all deal with muscle spasms in our lives and they may take different forms. Those of you who are exercising on a regular basis or those who have a sedentary lifestyle both experience stiffening in muscles and painful sensations in different parts of the body that affect the ability to move limbs and perform everyday activities. These are the most common causes for using muscle relaxant drugs, but they are not limited to that. Muscle relaxants are often prescribed for speeding up the recovery of patients who have undergone serious neurological condition treatment. Conditions like multiple sclerosis or arachnoid cysts can lead to muscle spasms and other similar symptoms, which require the use of muscle relaxant medications.

Quite often, muscle relaxants are given to speed up the recovery in patients who have undergone serious neurological surgeries in order to minimize the effects of such an intervention. Neurologists know that muscle spasms are often caused by dysfunctions in the nervous tissue that leads to involuntary contraction of a single muscle or a muscle group. And when recovering from a neurological condition, such symptoms can occur quite often. That’s why doctor prescribe muscle relaxants such as Baclofen that significantly improve the recovery process and make it much easier for the patient to re-gain control of their body after the main problem has been eliminated. Drugs like Baclofen work by relaxing the spinal chord and through that improving the ability of the brain to control muscles in different parts of the body.

Thousands of patients undergoing treatment of neurological conditions get prescribed with muscle relaxants every year. Typical muscle relaxant medications are administered either orally or by direct injections into the spinal fluid. Those who suffer from spasticity and severe muscle spasms are advised to choose the latter form of administration, because it lets the drug enter the spinal chord much faster and more effectively, even if it’s a bit painful for the patient. Baclofen is the most commonly prescribed muscle relaxant for such purposes because it helps overcome spastic symptoms much better than other similar drugs.

Skeletal muscle relaxants make part of a larger class of drugs called muscle relaxants and are used to reduce the unpleasant effects of muscle injuries and spasms. Most skeletal muscle relaxants affect the central nervous system in order to achieve the desired effect. They are usually available as pills or injections, and the dosage depends on the actual condition they are used to relieve. However, there are certain precautions that you should be aware, so you should inform your doctor if you have any of the following:

  • Kidney or liver problems
  • Substance abuse or history of
  • Porphyria
  • Epilepsy

Keep in mind that muscle relaxants are very potent drugs that can cause serious consequences if not used properly. If you need to take them for a long period of time then you should pay your doctor regular visits in order to professionally monitor your condition and make sure that the drugs aren’t causing any harmful effects. Doctors often discourage taking most muscle relaxants for a long period of time because they may develop dependency. Quite often you may be prescribed to switch between different types of skeletal muscle relaxants after a certain period of time in order to lower the risk of dependency.

Posted in Guest Post

Two Types of Foods That Can Lower Your Blood Sugar Levels

Comments: 0December 28th, 2010 by admin



We all know that diabetes is all about having too much glucose in the blood. If you are diabetic, I believe your primary concerned is the levels of sugar in your blood. You need to reduce the blood sugar levels in order to reduce the risk of developing more complications and also to improve your general health.

It is very common and effective to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your daily meals to help to reduce the sugar levels in your blood but by adding two more types of foods to your diet will help to stabilize and normalize the levels of sugar in your blood as well as your blood pressure.

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Posted in Diabetes

Timing Ovulation

Comments: 0December 28th, 2010 by admin



Whether you are trying to conceive or you are interested in natural family planning, you may be interested in timing your ovulation. This can help you to time intercourse around the time that you ovulate, or avoid it to lower your chances of getting pregnant.

Your ovaries produce at least one egg every menstrual cycle. The follicles in the ovaries will mature and release an egg. This is referred to as ovulation. Follicles form on the outside of your ovaries. They are essentially like tiny holes that grow and fill with fluid as the cycle progresses. The egg is housed inside of the follicle and protected by the fluid.

Over time, as the follicle matures and increases in size, it will get ready to burst open. When the follicle bursts, it sends the egg surrounded by fluid into the fallopian tube. The fluid protects the egg on its journey and also helps it to travel down the tube. If the mature egg encounters sperm, then this is when fertilization will take place. If the egg is fertilized, then it should implant when it reaches the uterus and pregnancy occurs.

Your menstrual cycle should be about twenty eight days long. Of course, some women may have longer or shorter cycles, so you will need to determine exactly when you ovulate to achieve the best results. Most women ovulate around day fourteen of their menstrual cycle.

To calculate when day fourteen is, you need to count from the first day that menstrual bleeding starts. This would be day number one. If your menstrual cycle is longer or shorter than twenty eight days, then you may want to count back instead of forward. Some women can have more than fourteen days between the first day of their menstrual period and ovulation. Some, of course, can have way less. Fortunately, you can count back from the first day of your period because almost every woman ovulates fourteen days before the first day of her period.

Irregular periods can make it nearly impossible to anticipate an ovulation. Basal body temperature and ovulation prediction kits can help you if you are having trouble pinpointing when you ovulate. Some women may rarely or never ovulate. If you are trying to get pregnant, then speak with your OB/GYN about irregular or missed ovulations. There are hormonal therapies that can help you get back on track and attain your goal.

If you are trying to avoid pregnancy, remember that sperm can live for days inside of the uterus and vagina. Diet, medications and lifestyle can change the date of your ovulation. You may not successfully avoid pregnancy by counting days alone.

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Posted in Alcohol

Erectile dysfunction risk factors

Comments: 0December 27th, 2010 by admin

The most common sexual problems that men complain about throughout the years are impotence and decrease of sexual desire. Impotence, also known as erectile dysfunction, is characterized by the inability to keep up or get an erection suitable for intercourse. It has various degrees of severity ranging from mild problems and inability to maintain an erection until orgasm to a complete inability to get an erection in the first place.

Erection is a very complex process that is comprised of both psychological and physiological events. First, the brain becomes sexually aroused by an external or internal impulse. This triggers a reaction that sends nervous signals down the spine and affects the blood vessels in the penile area. When these signals are received, blood starts flowing into the penis, forming a solid erection and making the penis ready for sex. As you see, it is quite a complex process and if anything goes wrong at any of the stages then the quality of erection is likely to decrease to various extents.

Surgical intervention into the penile area as well as the spine can lead to erection problems. Diabetes is another common cause for erectile dysfunction, with 35% to 50% of diabetes patients experiencing various degrees of impotence. Erectile dysfunction can also be cause by the use of certain medication that can influence erectile abilities as a side effect. Damage to the penis, pelvis, spine, tissues, nerves and blood vessels in the penile area can also cause erection problems. It is estimated that about 90% of all impotence cases have physiological causes behind them, while only about 10% are psychologically-induced.

Risk factors

The most common risk factors linked to male impotence include diabetes, smoking, alcohol abuse, hypertension and age over 50. This doesn’t mean that all men who are older than 50 and having diabetes will experience erectile dysfunction. But if compared to other statistic groups the frequency of impotent men in the groups mentioned earlier is much higher. Lack of proper physical activity and excessive weight can also increase the risk of experiencing erectile dysfunction because these factors contribute to the development of other health conditions that will ultimately lead to impotence (diabetes, hypertension, cancer).

Treatment

The most obvious way you can overcome erectile dysfunction is to eliminate risk factors. For example, if you suffer from diabetes, controlling your sugar levels properly will decrease the chance of experiencing erection problems. Those who have excessive weight will have to get rid of it if you don’t want to have erectile issues. However, with drugs like Viagra it has become much easier to deal with erection problems.

Ever since Viagra was introduced back in 1998 it has helped millions of men all over the world in getting their sexual abilities back. The blue pill has become a synonym for erectile dysfunction treatment, however most people don’t understand that it’s simply a measure to help get an erection, not an instant cure. If you want to experience good quality erections on a regular basis, you can do that without using Viagra each time. But this means that you will have to improve your health significantly in order to eliminate the risk factors contributing to the development of erectile dysfunction.

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Blood Disorders That Can Affect Patients with Lupus

Comments: 0December 27th, 2010 by admin



It was shown that, even if it seems hard to believe, the initial signs of lupus may appear in the blood, a blood disorder can be the first sign that comes in patients having systemic lupus erythematosus.Systemic lupus erythematosus can show hematological symptoms like anemia, thrombocytopenia, low white blood cell counts and clotting disturbances. That is why, specialists in disorders of the blood can be of real help.

One of the most usual hematological abnormalities that can appear in persons having lupus is anemia. Anemia consists in a reduction in the number of red blood cells and it is recognized by some tests, such as, the hemoglobin concentration in blood, the hematocrit and the red blood cell count.It is known that anemia can have many causes, and in what concerns persons with lupus, anemia can appear because of a chronic inflammation, iron deficiency, prolonged uremia or hemolytic anemia. It is also known that fatigue, which is suffered by many patients having lupus can contribute to the apparition of anemia.

Prolonged uremia, which appears because of an impaired kidney function can lead to anemia. Anemia caused by prolonged uremia can be treated with androgens or erythropoietin, a recently developed hormone having role in the stimulation of red cell production. Sometimes, chronic uremia can determine the apparition of more severe forms of anemia, and that requires blood transfusions.

Prolonged inflammation, which is an important cause of anemia in patients that have lupus, hinders the production of red blood cells by the bone marrow. Because of this inflammation, iron, which is very important in the production of hemoglobin accumulates unused in the marrow tissue. The solution to restore normal red blood cell production is to ease the inflammatory condition.

Iron deficiency is another cause of anemia that can appear because of the blood loss from the body. Drugs that are used in the treatment of lupus can irritate the stomach and produce bleeding and from there results iron-deficient anemia. Iron deficient can become also women that have heavy or frequent menstrual periods.Anemic patients should take some tests for blood loss from the stomach or intestines. It is important to do that, because the source of bleeding must be found and treated.Iron deficient anemia can be corrected in a short time by taking iron tablets.

Hemolytic anemia is a condition that can appear in some people with lupus, usually due to antibodies directed against red blood cells. In this condition, auto-antibodies interact with the red blood cells, and the result is that the red blood cells are removed in the spleen or liver by scavenger cells.Usually, steroids like Prednisone are effective into treating this type of anemia, but there are cases of patients that do not respond to the treatment, and surgical removal of the spleen may be required. Also in severe cases, it is needed a blood transfusion.It is known that a deficiency of thrombocytes, which are tiny particles in the blood, essential for blood clotting causes thrombocytopenia. This leads to bleeding from the gums, nose, or intestines and excessive skin bruising. As some typical signs of thrombocytopenia, we can mention petechiae and pinpoint hemorrhages in the skin.In person with lupus, usually occurs immune thrombocytopenia. This appears because antibodies destroy the platelets, similarly with the destruction of the red blood cells in the autoimmune hemolytic anemia. As a treatment, we can mention steroids like Prednisone and in severe cases splenectomy may be needed.

It was discovered that patients that have lupus produce an antibody called the lupus anti-coagulant. It was seen that some patients with the lupus anti-coagulant tend to form clots abnormally condition called venous thrombosis. That is a paradox that science can’t explain yet.Sometimes, venous thrombosis can associate with pulmonary embolus, and particularly that situation requires treatment with anti-coagulant drugs such as heparin and Coumadin. Lupus anti-coagulant was also detected in cases of recurrent fetal loss, but it is not known if it causes the so-called habitual spontaneous abortion.

Patients with lupus can experience also some abnormalities , like granulocytopenia, which means there is a low granulocyte count, and lymphocytopenia- when there is a low number of lymphocytes. Usually, these abnormalities are harmless and without symptoms, but there can occur severe granulocytopenia, which is usually caused by a reaction to medication. In this case, there must be stopped the intake of the causative drug, and if there is an infection, treatment with antibiotics is required.

Nowadays, there is a great concern about the risk of getting AIDS by blood transfusions. It is good to know that there were developed tests for antibodies against the virus that causes AIDS, and all the blood donors are screened for such antibodies.Of course, the safest thing that can be done is to store your blood for later transfusion, but this is not always practical.It is also possible in some blood banks to designate a member of the family to donate blood for you, but it must be taken in consideration the possibility of blood incompatibility.

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Posted in anemia

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