Joeve's Blog: General Health

Scientists have created a mutant enzyme that breaks down plastic drinks bottles – by accident. The breakthrough could help solve the global plastic pollution crisis by enabling for the first time the full recycling of bottles.

The new research was spurred by the discovery in 2016 of the first bacterium that had naturally evolved to eat plastic, at a waste dump in Japan. Scientists have now revealed the detailed structure of the crucial enzyme produced by the bug.

The international team then tweaked the enzyme to see how it had evolved, but tests showed they had inadvertently made the molecule even better at breaking down the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic used for soft drink bottles. “What actually turned out was we improved the enzyme, which was a bit of a shock,” said Prof John McGeehan, at the University of Portsmouth, UK, who led the research. “It’s great and a real finding.”

The mutant enzyme takes a few days to start breaking down the plastic – far faster than the centuries it takes in the oceans. But the researchers are optimistic this can be speeded up even further and become a viable large-scale process.

“What we are hoping to do is use this enzyme to turn this plastic back into its original components, so we can literally recycle it back to plastic,” said McGeehan. “It means we won’t need to dig up any more oil and, fundamentally, it should reduce the amount of plastic in the environment.”

About 1m plastic bottles are sold each minute around the globe and, with just 14% recycled, many end up in the oceans where they have polluted even the remotest parts, harming marine life and potentially people who eat seafood. “It is incredibly resistant to degradation. Some of those images are horrific,” said McGeehan. “It is one of these wonder materials that has been made a little bit too well.”

However, currently even those bottles that are recycled can only be turned into opaque fibres for clothing or carpets. The new enzyme indicates a way to recycle clear plastic bottles back into clear plastic bottles, which could slash the need to produce new plastic.

General Health - April 17, 2018

Scientists Have Accidentally Created a Mutant Enzyme That Eats Plastic Waste

Scientists have created a mutant enzyme that breaks down plastic drinks bottles – by accident. The breakthrough could help solve the gl...

Babies get a lot of colds because their immune system is immature, making them more vulnerable to illness. Also, more than 200 different viruses can cause the common cold, and your child develops immunity to them one at a time. Think of all the colds you've had in your lifetime – your baby would have to get all those colds to build up the level of immunity you have by the time he's your age.

Growing babies explore a lot and grab everything, so it's easy for him to pick up a cold virus on his hands. Then he can get sick when he puts his fingers in his mouth or nose, or rubs his eyes.

But How Can I tell ?

It can be tricky to tell for sure. If your baby has a cold, she might have a cough or a runny nose with clear mucus that may thicken and turn gray, yellow, or green over the course of a week or so. Along with the cough or congestion, your child may also run a low-grade fever (but not always).

Parents often head straight to the drug store or pharmarcy when their child gets a cold. But experts warn that over-the-counter medications aren't effective for treating kids' coughs and colds and can be dangerous for children younger than 6.

But that doesn't mean your child has to suffer. Whether he has a cough, a cold, or the flu, you can try these gentle, safe home remedies. Although none of these will shorten your child's illness (which usually takes about 10 days to run its course), they may help him feel better.

Lots of rest (all ages)

It takes energy to fight an infection, and that can wear out a child (or an adult). When your child rests, he's healing, which is exactly what he needs to do. Studies show that stress plays a role in illness too. If your child is under pressure – because of school, or friends, or something happening at home – giving him a break may be just what he needs.

Steam (all ages)

Breathing moist air helps loosen the mucus in the nasal passages. A warm bath has the added benefit of relaxing your child.

Saline drops and bulb syringes (all ages)

When kids are too young to blow their nose well, saline drops or a bulb syringe can clear his nose. Using a bulb syringe works best for young babies, especially if a stuffy nose interferes with breastfeeding or bottle-feeding. (Try using it about 15 minutes beforehand.) But if your older child doesn't mind the procedure, there's no reason not to do it.

Extra fluids (all ages)

Drinking plenty of fluids prevents dehydration, thins your child's nasal secretions, and flushes them out.

Warm liquids and chicken soup (6 months and up)

Warm, clear liquids can be very soothing and help relieve congestion. Studies have shown that chicken soup, both canned and homemade, actually relieves cold symptoms like aches, fatigue, congestion, and fever. Broth is a good alternative for babies who are still getting accustomed to solid foods.

Elevating the head (12 months and up)

Elevating your child's head while she rests can help her breathe more comfortably.

Nose blowing (age 2 and up)

Clearing mucus from your child's nose helps her breathe and sleep more easily and generally makes her more comfortable.

Neti pot (4 years and up)

A neti pot flushes a mild saline solution through the nasal passages, moisturizing the area and thinning, loosening, and rinsing away mucus. Think of it as nasal irrigation.

According to one European report, researchers studied nearly 400 children ages 6 to 10 and found that a nasal spray made from seawater relieved cold symptoms faster than standard cold medications.

It's not certain whether the seawater simply helps clear the mucus or if trace elements in the water are beneficial. But other scientists who studied the effectiveness of saline nasal wash solutions also found benefits.

General Health - January 31, 2018

Infant Watch: Cold or Flu ?

Babies get a lot of colds because their immune system is immature, making them more vulnerable to illness. Also, more than 200 differe...

With all the information bombarding us daily about issues related to women's health, it's easy to feel overloaded and confused. Although each person has very individual needs, here are some top-rated health issues facing today's women and some positive steps that we can take to control them;

Disease Awareness, Diagnosis, and Treatment

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2009, the five” leading causes of death in females” are: Heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, and Alzheimer’s disease. It is important for each woman to know her risks for developing any of these or other conditions and take proactive steps to nurture better health for life.

Healthful Diet and Culinary Skills

Not everyone has to become a chef, but learning the basics of preparing well-balanced, healthful meals is an excellent way to provide the fuel necessary to be at your best. When you take your diet into your own hands, you also control a greater part of your weight management and any medical conditions you might have, such as diabetes.

Education

A strong education, formal or informal, can be tremendously empowering and translate to a better job which, in turn, can help a woman secure a better financial future, including the ability to pay for healthcare when needed. Also, ongoing learning is one of the tools that may help minimize the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, which is the fifth leading cause of death in women.

Stress Management

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the sixth leading cause of death in women is “unintentional injuries.” When we are under extreme stress, we may be more likely to have accidents, miss crucial details, or feel like our lives are spiraling out of control. Acquiring and applying tools to manage stress can greatly reduce these burdens and enable us to be more positive, productive, and safe.

Financial Literacy

Beyond clipping coupons or knowing about every sale at the mall, financial literacy helps us prioritize our budgets, plan for the future, and make decisions that can support our dreams and our realities. Knowledge and action based on sound financial literacy can make a big difference in reducing stress and other health-related issues, not to mention provide us with the money to pay for healthcare when we need it.

Spiritual Strength

When we are hurting, when pain or illness hit us hard, and when we feel most alone, we need inner strength and wisdom to get through the darkness. A strong spirit helps us promote health and resist activities and thoughts that are unhealthful. A strong spirit gives us the discipline we need to make good progress in health and life. And a strong spirit gives us courage to truly become the wonderful, health-filled and good women God means for us to be.

General Health - January 08, 2018

Top Health Issues Facing Today's Women

With all the information bombarding us daily about issues related to women's health, it's easy to feel overloaded and confus...

Today more than ever, office workers live sedentary lifestyles — and our lazy habits are aided by hundreds of websites and TV channels that stimulate the mind while our bodies stay at rest.

Office fitness is a new concept of physical fitness that recognizes the sedentary, repetitive nature of modern computerized desk work.

But exercise does much more than keep people slim — it also raises the metabolism, strengthens bones, builds muscle mass, and can even help prevent asthma and allergies.

Sitting at a desk all day, operating a computer for long stretches of time, is a relatively new behavior.

Knowing the health advantages of regular exercise can be a significant part of getting you motivated to begin incorporating it into your everyday life. By finding out on your own what benefits indeed Reverberate you, might be the start off in your quest to enhancing your health and wellness.

In our aging society physical exercise is playing a significant role in keeping folks healthy. There are many fitness programs available to individuals. The vital point to consider with any specific program is having a balance between exercise and nutrition.

We recognize the trouble of most working class people all over the world of being very busy to make it possible for them to workout and also prepare balanced meals for themselves. However, it is not a valid excuse to consume junk food and even just sit around pressurizing over work.

Apart from maintaining a healthy diet, lowering sugar intake, and also having a proper routine workouts schedule in your spare time, we have our buttocks glued to desk roughly 9 hours daily. To avoid any issue of overweight and stress, I am bringing to you a fresh approach to sneak in a workout (exercise) while at the workplace.

Corporate fitness fanatics are already spreading this trend across workplaces around the world. They refer to it as deskercise, a mix of the desk and also exercise. A lot of staff members have been trying it out in the workplace and have good results. I collected 5 of the easiest of practices about how to exercise at your desk.

5 ways to do a workout at work

1) Chair dips – 10 reps: With your legs out in front of you, grab the edge of a chair (or desk) and lift yourself down and back up. At the end, you’ll be conveniently back in your seat.

2) Walking – 10 minutes: Lap your block or a floor of your office. Try for a pace of 100 steps per minute, which is easy if you don’t stop to play with tchotchkes on other people’s desks.

3) Hamstring curl – 20 reps: Bend arms at the elbow. Bring one foot up toward your rear end while straightening your arms so that your hands are down when your foot is up.

4) Knee lifts – 20 reps: Just like hamstring curls, except you lift your knee up in front as your arms go down.

5) Desk pushup – 10 reps: Place hands on edge of desk, shoulder width apart, legs out behind you. Push off with as much force as you can.

“At your work desk, you can flex your muscles and do stretching on regular intervals as needed,” says Dr Jain. “The simple act of choosing the stairs over the elevator in your building can add up to positive momentum.”

General Health - December 29, 2017

Keeping Fit At The Workplace (Deskercise)

Today more than ever, office workers live sedentary lifestyles — and our lazy habits are aided by hundreds of websites and TV channels t...

I love feeling comfortable with what I wear and still look good. A good feel on the inside and same on the outside. So I thought I would put together a brief article about fashion and health as let’s face it, we all want to look fabulous, but not at the detriment to our health.

Many consumers use online shopping methods to select apparel, and it is anticipated that this method of shopping will increase with more people using online apparel ‘‘try-on’’ methods to assess and select apparel. As companies develop more sophisticated methods of portraying fit in the online shopping session, how will the standardized avatar or a shopper’s scanned body form displayed on the screen affect a shopper’s perception of self, possibly affecting body satisfaction and overall health? The ideal fashion body may continue to hold sway and influence people, especially women, in negative ways. As fashion companies and web developers focus on how to influence shoppers, we propose that apparel and textiles researchers should become more directly involved in collaborative efforts with companies to assure a healthy shopping experience.

Heels

Yes you knew it was coming! We all love our heels don’t we but unfortunately a lot of the time those little blighters don’t love us back! It’s not just the odd blister or “ball ache” as I call it that put a downer on our night; there are a lot more serious health issues that occur. A lot of ladies have been treated for foot and ankle injuries as a result of wearing heels including fractures and broken bones! Ouch! I learned that long term wearing of heels could induce bunions, shortening of the Achilles tendon (making it painful to wear flats), Metatarsalgia, Plantar Fasciitis, arched toes and even ankle, knee and back strain.

Put Your Feet Up

Easy ways you can look after your feet at home is to regularly treat yourself to a pedicure. Soak your feet (I’m relaxed just thinking about it!) and dry with a soft towel, then carefully pumice your feet to remove any dead skin and then moisturise. I like to moisturise my feet every night before I get into bed to keep them feeling soft. Carefully trim your nails – always go straight across the nails and then finish with nail file. For any ingrown nails, don’t leave them; take a trip to your local Podiatrist or Chiropodist.

Also when you hit the shops for some new steps try them on in the afternoon when your feet will be slightly more swollen to account for differing in size throughout the day. If you have wider feet, don’t squeeze them into narrow shoes, look for wider fittings for example from Duo Shoes.

Do You have Good Foundations?

Most ladies wear the incorrect size, style or shape of bra. A lot of young girls these days are also wearing cheaper fashion bras which provide very little support at all and are only meant to be worn as fashion – not support.

You see bras are there for a reason – to provide support, yet so many women I see have their boobs in the wrong place! The right bra will make your waist look slimmer, your boobs look more youthful and toned and improve your posture tenfold.

The wrong bra on the other hand will make you look bigger, older and will make all your clothes look saggy and shapeless and the effect is that you look saggy and shapeless! Horror! Not only that but the effect of the bad posture may cause you shoulder, neck and back pain later in life, so better to get regularly fitted and spend a little more on your underwear which will give you a whole body lift! A cheaper and less painful alternative to plastic surgery I say!

Corsets

The Kardashian clan are “obsessed” with using corsets to “train” their waists. (Basically using a corset to squeeze your weight into submission). There’s essentially no evidence the process works, but efficacy aside, wearing corsets can be painful, make it hard to breathe, and could possibly result in rib damage according to some experts.

Neck ties

A small amount of evidence suggests wearing a neck tie that’s too tight could elevate intracranial pressure (though the study found that the raised levels were still within normal range), and possibly increase blood pressure in the eyes to unsafe levels. A couple studies by no means make neck ties a risk factor for serious health problems, but those who choose to don them may want to give themselves some breathing room.

Skinny Jeans

a case report published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry chronicles the woeful tale of a 35-year-old woman whose legs went numb while she was wearing skinny jeans. “Her legs and ankles had become so swollen that emergency room staff had to cut her jeans off. Her ankles and toes were weak, but the rest of her legs, including her knees and hips, were working normally,” Alice Park wrote. The perils of tight pants have been noted by health experts as far back as 1993, as the Wall Street Journal reports, internist Dr. Octavio Bessa coined the term “tight-pants syndrome” in a medical journal after reporting several men coming in with symptoms like abdominal discomfort. When Bessa compared the size of the pants to the abdominal girth, he found there was often a discrepancy. Men needed to loosen up. Tight pants are currently a trend among both men and women, and perhaps it’s not worth the fashion points.

General Health - December 11, 2017

Fashion and Health

I love feeling comfortable with what I wear and still look good. A good feel on the inside and same on the outside. So I thought I woul...

General Health - December 06, 2017

Sleep and Health

It can be tempting to trade sleep for a few precious hours of wakefulness, but it is important to consider the hidden costs. Sleep is pr...

Water is life, currently, nobody can underestimate the efficacy and relevance of good and quality water system. It is needed by plant and animals for survival, healthy growth of hormone, most significantly during reproduction. Good and clean water is odorless, tasteless, sparkling and above all colorless. When water is contaminated, it may cause diseases that are referred to as water-borne diseases.

Water-borne diseases are diseases that are mainly caused by drinking or using contaminated water. The causative organisms (organisms that cause it, known as pathogens), are present in such water. Getting clean and safe water for use in many parts of our country is a major problem, especially in the rural areas during the dry season. In rural areas the commonest water sources includes springs, wells, rivers, streams and rain water. Most of these sources may contain microbes that are responsible for one disease or the other. Examples of water-borne diseases are Cholera, diarrhea, typhoid fever, dysentery and guinea worm.

Cholera

The causative organism of cholera is vibro cholera, a bacterium, which was discovered by the German bacteriologist; Robert Koch. The only means by which a person can be infected by Cholera is from contaminated food or water

The symptoms of Cholera can include the following ;

1. Frequents stooling that is sometimes called ‘rice-water stool’.

2. Vomiting

3. Loss of water and salts in the stool (dehydration)

4. Fever

5. Weakness and stomach upset

If the victim is not treated promptly cholera could lead to death.

Treatment of Cholera

Cholera can be treated orally or by intravenous replacement of fluids and salt.

Antibiotics, which are prescribed by a medical doctor, can also be used.

Prevention of Cholera

Cholera can be prevented by

1. Boiling water before drinking and covering of food.

2. Maintaining a high level of sanitation.

3. Immunization of children and adults.

Diarrhoea

Diarrhoea is a disease that causes abdominal pains nausea, vomiting, watery stool, and low fever. In severe cases, exhaustion and dehydration may occur.

In most cases, diarrhea may occur when the alimentary canal gets rid of anything irritating or dangerous to it, as a result of contamination with poisoning food or beverages.

Thyhoid fever

Typhoid fever is a disease that affects the intestinal tract, and occasionally, the bloodstream. The disease strikes when the bacteria responsible are passed out in the stool of an infected person, and the germs contaminate food or drinking water.

The symptoms of typhoid fever include:

1. Chills followed by a high fever.

2. Headache

3. Abdominal pain

4. Vomiting and diarrhea

Note: if the disease is not treated in time. It may progress to sepsis that is an infection which produces pus, intestinal hemorrhage, and eventually death.

Treatment

The disease can be treated when the physician places the victim on certain drugs.

Prevention

Typhoid fever may be prevented by

1. Compulsory inspection of water supplies.

2. Boiling of water before drinking

3. Washing of hands after using the toilet

4. Immunization against typhoid fever

5. Improvement of Sewage facilities.

Possible Sources of clean water

Water is a liquid substance at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Water is essential because we use it every day. It is needed for life on earth by plants and animals.

There are many sources of water. Examples are rain, wells, streams, rivers, seas and springs. Not all these sources are clean.

Sources of clean water include the following:

1. Pipe-borne water

2. Spring water

3. Rain water

4. Certified, treated bottled water

5. Certified, treated sachet water

Pipe-borne water could be referred to as a source of clean water, because it is a source of treated water from the water works. Sometimes, pipe-borne water may be dirty, and that is when it is passed through rusty pipes.

Certified bottled water and sachet water may also be taken as sources of clean water, because it is treated water authorized by a government by a government agency.

Rain water, if collected directly from the sky, may also be considered as a source of clean water because it is formed by condensation of water vapor.

Springs are a source of cleans water because they are formed when rain water seeps through the soil and reaches a layer of rock, which it cannot pass through. It then accumulates and later reappears as spring when it finds an outlet.

Water treatment process

Water is essential for life, everybody knows, Water has to be purified or treated to make it safe for drinking, domestic and industrial purposes.

Impurities in water collected from unclean sources such as rivers, streams, lakes and wells, can be grouped into two:

1. Visible impurities, e.g. debris, leaves, stories and sand.

2. Invisible impurities e.g. Microorganism.

Depending on the quality of water to be treated and the source, there are different ways by which water can be treated or purified.

In rural areas, water can be treated by filtering and boiling it before use, to remove visible and invisible impurities.

The steps to be taken are as follows:

1. Collect water from a source

2. Add little alum for dirt to flocculate (settle) and gently pour out the water.

3. Boil the water for about thirty (30) minutes

4. Allow the water to cool

5. Tie a clean sheet of cloth around the mouth of a pot

6. Pour the water gently into the cloth and allow to seep into the pot, so as to have filtered water.

In cities, water is usually treated and distributed to different homes and industries at water works (stations and where purification of water is carried out). The following steps are taken in water treatment at water works.

1. Collection of water from sources such as rain, rivers, and lakes, and storing in large settling tanks.

2. Coagulation/flocculation: Chemicals like potash are added to water to cause the clumping together of suspended particles like sand (coagulation). The dirt now settles down rapidly at the base of the tank.

3. Filtering water through a filter bed: The water is passed through a filter bed to remove the remaining fine particles of dirt and make it colourless and odourless.

4. Distribution: a calculated amount of Chlorine is added to the water to kill germs. Addition of chlorine may make the water slightly acidic. To remove this effect, and improve its taste, time is added.

5. Sedimentation: The water is now passed into a sedimentation tank where the lime is allowed to settle.

6. Addition of food supplements: Clean water is led into high tanks (reservation) where chemicals like sodium; fluoride and iodine are added in the right amounts to prevent tooth decay and goiter respectively.

The clean water is now stoned and ready to be distributed through pipes to different homes and industries respectively.

Most pipe-borne water supplies are quite safe because the water has been treated and tested. However, sometimes before it gets to your home. It may pick up particles, especially if the pipes are rusty. So it is advisable to check and boil water before drinking.

Water can be purified in the laboratory either by filtration or distillation.

Advantages of Using Pipe-borne water

Pipe-borne water has the following advantages:

1. It is safe to domestic use, because it has been treated to remove disease causing microorganisms.

2. It contains food supplements such as sodium fluoride and iodine, which prevent tooth decay and goiter respectively.

3. It is more convenient and readily available for use at home.

4. It reduces the risk of water getting contaminated, because water is confined within the pipe.

General Health - November 30, 2017

Water Borne Diseases

Water is life, currently, nobody can underestimate the efficacy and relevance of good and quality water system. It is needed by ...

(CNN)Tens of millions more Americans now have high blood pressure. Almost half of all Americans -- 46% -- are now considered to be in the high blood pressure category based on new guidelines released Monday.

High blood pressure should be treated at 130/80 rather than 140/90, according to the new parameters set forth by the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and nine other health professional organizations.

Practicing physicians and the public are "going to be a little bit shocked or taken aback by a diagnosis of Stage 1 hypertension with a blood pressure of 130/80, which historically has been considered a normal, well-controlled blood pressure," said Dr. William White, a professor in the cardiology center at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

"That will involve 50% of men and 38% of all adult women in the US," estimated White, who was not involved in writing the guidelines. "So it's a huge number of people."

One in three Americans had previously been diagnosed with the condition, but now 14% more Americans will be diagnosed with high blood pressure. The new guidelines will classify 103.3 million people as having high blood pressure, while the previous guidelines placed only 72.2 million Americans in this category, according to the authors of the report.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is second only to smoking for causing preventable heart disease and stroke deaths, the authors said.

What are the guidelines?

The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association certainly grabbed the attention of us busy primary care physicians with the recent release of their updated blood pressure guidelines.

The new guidelines – the first comprehensive set since 2003 – lower the definition of high blood pressure to account for complications that can occur at lower numbers and to allow for earlier intervention. The new definition will result in nearly half of the U.S. adult population (46 percent) having high blood pressure, with the greatest impact expected among younger people. Additionally, the prevalence of high blood pressure is expected to triple among men under age 45, and double among women under 45, the guideline authors note. However, only a small increase is expected in the number of adults requiring antihypertensive medication.

Blood pressure categories in the new guideline are:

Normal: Less than 120/80 mm Hg;
Elevated: Systolic between 120-129 and diastolic less than 80;
Stage 1: Systolic between 130-139 or diastolic between 80-89;
Stage 2: Systolic at least 140 or diastolic at least 90 mm Hg;
Hypertensive crisis: Systolic over 180 and/or diastolic over 120, with patients needing prompt changes in medication if there are no other indications of problems, or immediate hospitalization if there are signs of organ damage.

The guidelines eliminate the category of prehypertension, categorizing patients as having either Elevated (120-129 and less than 80) or Stage I hypertension (130-139 or 80-89).

While previous guidelines classified 140/90 mm Hg as Stage 1 hypertension, this level is classified as Stage 2 hypertension under the new guidelines. In addition, the guidelines stress the importance of using proper technique to measure blood pressure; recommend use of home blood pressure monitoring using validated devices; and highlight the value of appropriate training of health care providers to reveal "white-coat hypertension."

Other changes include:

Only prescribing medication for Stage I hypertension if a patient has already had a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke, or is at high risk of heart attack or stroke based on age, the presence of diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease or calculation of atherosclerotic risk (using the same risk calculator used in evaluating high cholesterol).
Recognizing that many people will need two or more types of medications to control their blood pressure, and that people may take their pills more consistently if multiple medications are combined into a single pill.
Identifying socioeconomic status and psychosocial stress as risk factors for high blood pressure that should be considered in a patient's plan of care.

The authors, who include a panel of 21 scientists who reviewed more than 900 studies, believe the impact of their new guidelines will be greatest among younger and middle-age adults, with prevalence of high blood pressure expected to triple among men under 45 and double among women under 45.

Drugs will now be recommended for patients with related health problems coupled with high blood pressure, as defined by the new guidelines. Worldwide, as well as in the US, high blood pressure is "sorely undertreated," Frieden said. "This is unacceptable, and we're committed to seeing this change."

General Health - November 19, 2017

Nearly half of Americans now have high blood pressure, based on new guidelines

(CNN)Tens of millions more Americans now have high blood pressure. Almost half of all Americans -- 46% -- are now considered to be in t...

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, more commonly referred to as CPR, is a lifesaving technique commonly used in many emergency situations, such as near drowning accidents and heart attack. You’ll more than likely recognize what it looks like, perhaps from learning the basics in 9th grade health class or watching multiple medical procedures.

Unlike what many think, CPR training is not just reserved for medical professionals—anyone can become certified with this practice and be equipped to possibly save a life in the event of an emergency wherever they go.

Be Prepared for Any Situation

Emergency situations don’t follow a schedule; you never know when someone may start having a heart attack. You could be on vacation, at work or at a little league game when previous CPR training could make all the difference in saving someone’s life. Anyone can administer basic, hands-only CPR, so if you’re trained but someone else has begun providing CPR, you can offer assistance. The more people there are on hand to respond to an emergency situation, the better. If you can administer CPR, someone else can focus on calling 911.

Put Your Family, Friends and Coworkers at Ease

Most cardiac arrests occur outside the home. If your loved ones and coworkers know you’ve been trained in CPR, they’ll have peace of mind if an emergency arises. With the accessibility of Atlanta CPR classes through Executive CPR, training for your workplace should be a must.

In some cases, you may know CPR, but it’s been awhile since you’ve received training—perhaps it’s time to brush up on your CPR knowledge. Re-training every few years will reinforce CPR methods in your mind and make you an even better expert at administering this lifesaving practice.

Shockingly, it is often seemingly healthy people who suffer from cardiac arrest due to extreme situations or accidents. The truth is that the majority of these people will die. More often than not, if you witness a cardiac arrest, this will happen to someone that you know, as four out of five cardiac arrests occur at home. This means that learning how to correctly and effectively administer CPR has a good chance of one day saving one of your loved ones’ lives.

What Is Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

Cardiac arrest is not necessarily a heart attack. Although a heart attack affects the heart, it is different because the heart keeps beating; cardiac arrest can, however, occur because of a heart attack. This diagnosis encompasses many different kinds of heart failure where the heart stops beating. For example, this could be a cardiomyopathy, electrolyte disturbances, or a blockage in the artery.

All of these cardiac crises occur when the electric impulses that control a heartbeat become chaotic. Often this happens to people who have no previous diagnosis of heart disease or risk factors.

The odds of survival go down 10 percent every minute.Between five and seven minutes after cardiac arrest there is a chance of resuscitation with advanced drugs. (This is the time window that emergency response vehicles target.)After 10 minutes, there is a high risk of permanent brain injury.

CPR Training

The American safety and health institute (ASHI) and the American Heart Association's (AHA) Basic Life Support Course, First Aid Course, First Aid CPR & AED Course, Airway Management Course, ECG Pharmacology Course and the Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Course (ACLS) has been updated to reflect new science in the 2015 Guidelines Update for First Aid, CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care.

General Health - November 16, 2017

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, more commonly referred to as CPR, is a lifesaving technique commonly used in many emergency situations, s...

Foodborne Germs and Illnesses

Foodborne diseases encompass a wide spectrum of illnesses and are a growing public health problem worldwide. They are the result of ingestion of foodstuffs contaminated with microorganisms or chemicals. The contamination of food may occur at any stage in the process from food production to consumption (“farm to fork”) and can result from environmental contamination, including pollution of water, soil or air.

The most common clinical presentation of foodborne disease takes the form of gastrointestinal symptoms; however, such diseases can also have neurological, gynaecological, immunological and other symptoms. Multiorgan failure and even cancer may result from the ingestion of contaminated foodstuffs, thus representing a considerable burden of disability as well as mortality.

What Causes Food Poisoning?

Many different disease-causing germs can contaminate foods, so there are many different foodborne infections.

CDC estimates that each year 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die.

Researchers have identified more than 250 foodborne diseases.

Most of them are infections, caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

Harmful toxins and chemicals also can contaminate foods and cause foodborne illness.

Common Symptoms

Common symptoms of foodborne diseases are nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. However, symptoms may differ among the different types of foodborne diseases. Symptoms can sometimes be severe and some foodborne illnesses can even be life-threatening.

Although anyone can get a foodborne illness, some people are more likely to develop one.

Those groups include:

· Young children

· Older adults

· Pregnant women

· People with immune systems weakened from medical conditions, such as diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease, organ transplants, HIV/AIDS, or from receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

· Most people with a foodborne illness get better without medical treatment, but people with severe symptoms should see their doctor.

Some Important Foodborne Germs

The top five germs that cause illnesses from food eaten are:

· Norovirus

· Salmonella

· Clostridium perfringens

· Campylobacter

· Staphylococcus aureus (Staph)

Some other germs don’t cause as many illnesses, but when they do, the illnesses are more likely to lead to hospitalization. Those germs include:

· Escherichia coli

· Clostridium botulinum (botulism)

· Listeria

· Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157

· Vibrio

The only treatment needed for most foodborne illnesses is replacing lost fluids and electrolytes to prevent dehydration. Over-the-counter medications such as loperamide (Imodium) and bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol and Kaopectate) may help stop diarrhea in adults.

General Health - November 14, 2017

Foodborne Germs and Illnesses

Foodborne Germs and Illnesses Foodborne diseases encompass a wide spectrum of illnesses and are a growing public health problem worl...

Does Sex Really Trigger Cardiac Arrest?

It's a common Hollywood trope -- an older guy is having enthusiastic sex with a gal half his age when he suddenly flops over dead.

But in real life, sexual activity very rarely causes cardiac arrest, a new study reassuringly reports.

Sex was linked to only 34 out of more than 4,500 cardiac arrests that occurred in the Portland, Ore., metropolitan area between 2002 and 2015. That's a rate of just 0.7 percent, the researchers noted.

Of those cases, 18 occurred during sex and 15 immediately after sex. Time couldn't be determined for the last case.

"I'm a little surprised at the really tiny number," said study senior researcher Dr. Sumeet Chugh, medical director of the Heart Rhythm Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. "But mostly I feel it's reassuring data."

The news is most welcome for patients with heart problems who aren't sure if sex could be dangerous, Chugh said.

"Previously we would say the risk is probably low, but we don't know how low," Chugh noted. "Now we have data and we can say to them the risk is very low."

The new findings are part of a 16-year study of heart risk factors involving about a million people living in and around Portland.

"Sexual activity is just one variable in the whole big picture" of cardiac risks, but one that hasn't been studied in depth, Chugh added.

Men are more likely than women to have their heart stop as a result of sex. Just two of the 34 cardiac arrest patients were female, the findings showed.

But overall, sex was linked to only 1 percent of all cardiac arrests that occurred in men.

Sex just isn't as strenuous as people believe. The aerobic activity associated with sex is equivalent to climbing two flights of stairs, explained Dr. Nieca Goldberg. She is director of the NYU Center for Women's Health and an AHA spokeswoman.

Dr. Martha Gulati, chief of cardiology for the University of Arizona College of Medicine, said, "Although a lot of us think sex requires an intense level of activity, even in the most extreme situations it's not as intense as people imagine it."

The safety of sex comes up from time to time with patients who've suffered a heart attack or have been diagnosed with a heart problem, Goldberg and Gulati said.

Sex generally is safe for most heart patients, unless they are unable to maintain even low levels of activity or have symptoms that keep them from doing daily chores like making the bed or cleaning the house, the heart experts noted.

Goldberg suggested that "doctors really should be discussing this information with their patients to allay their fears they may have after a cardiac diagnosis, that most people return safely to having sexual activity."

There's one silver lining for people who have a cardiac arrest from sex -- they're almost twice as likely to survive, Chugh said.

About 19 percent of the patients in sex-related cardiac arrest cases survived their ordeal, compared with an average survival rate of around 10 percent nationwide, he said.

"By now, there is recognition from a lot of research that if someone is around when you have your cardiac arrest and provides CPR while the ambulance is getting there, it can be potentially lifesaving," Chugh said. "You're pretty much guaranteed to have a witness if sexual activity is involved."

Yet only one-third of those witnesses in the study attempted CPR, which suggests a continuing need for public education on the importance of CPR, the study authors noted.

The study is scheduled to be presented Sunday at the American Heart Association's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif. It will also be published simultaneously in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

SOURCES: Sumeet Chugh, M.D., medical director, Heart Rhythm Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles; Nieca Goldberg, M.D., director, NYU Center for Women's Health, New York City; Martha Gulati, M.D., chief of cardiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix; Nov. 12, 2017, presentation, American Heart Association annual meeting, Anaheim, Calif.; Nov. 12, 2017, Journal of the American College of Cardiology

General Health - November 13, 2017

Does Sex Really Trigger Cardiac Arrest?

Does Sex Really Trigger Cardiac Arrest? It's a common Hollywood trope -- an older guy is having enthusiastic sex with a gal h...

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