Author: Staff (Page 86 of 158)

Germs on a Plane

December 24, 2011 / Staff

Knowing where germs lurk on a plane can help you to avoid catching illness while traveling.

Much of the danger comes from the mouths, noses and hands of passengers sitting nearby. The hot zone for exposure is generally two seats beside, in front of and behind you, according to a study in July in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A number of factors increase the odds of bringing home a souvenir cough and runny nose. For one, the environment at 30,000 feet enables easier spread of disease. Air in airplanes is extremely dry, and viruses tend to thrive in low-humidity conditions. When mucous membranes dry out, they are far less effective at blocking infection. High altitudes can tire the body, and fatigue plays a role in making people more susceptible to catching colds, too.

The holidays are stressful and coming into contact with germs is an unnecessary hazard, if you know were to look.

Read the whole article for tips to avoid illness and where the real dangers lie.

Quality Control, Wellness

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The Nation is Less Secure from Bioterrorism Threat

December 24, 2011 / Staff

Budget cuts have forced state and local health departments to cut thousands of health officials making monitoring more difficult.

The result is state labs that conduct tests for nerve agents or chemical agents such as mustard gas, have less ability to rapidly distribute vaccines during emergencies.

Biological warfare is more of a threat than during the post 9/11 preparedness.

“Our concern this year is that because of the economic crisis… we may not be as prepared today as we were a couple of years ago,” he said.
Once lost, medical capabilities take time and money to rebuild, the report says.
“It would be like trying to hire and train firefighters in the middle of a fire,” Levi said. “You don’t do that for fire protection, and we shouldn’t be doing that for public health protection.”

Quality Control

bioterror bioterrorism chemical warfare chemical weapons mustard gas nerve gas

Holiday Migraine Triggers and How to Avoid Them

December 23, 2011 / Staff

Holidays can be stressful and for those who suffer migraines excesses can make matters worse.

Listed below are just a few of the things that can trigger migraines.
Read the whole article for more.

Pine scents

What to try: Avoid it! Seasonal scents including pine and cinnamon are a big headache trigger for some, making common spaces (offices, churches) a challenge.

Caffeine

What to try: Moderation. A little coffee, tea, or cocoa can actually help headaches, but too much can trigger them, New York City neurologist Dr. Audrey Halpern, says.
“I find that when I drink less coffee, my sinuses are a lot happier,” says blogger Lauren Levine. “I think this is because caffeine dries everything out. I find that my headaches are less frequent when I’m drinking green tea and water instead of tons of coffee (which is how I normally operate). It’s difficult but definitely worth it.”

Holiday foods

What to try: Some foods are known to trigger headaches for many people—and others (especially those rich in magnesium) seem to help prevent them.
Try to avoid red wine, beer, MSG, chocolate, aged cheese, sauerkraut, and processed meats like pepperoni, ham, and salami. Eat more spinach, tofu, oat bran, barley, fish oil, olive oil, white beans, and sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

Research, Wellness

causes of migraines food alergies headaches holiday stress migraine triggers Migraines

Security Cameras Ensure Hospital Employees Wash Their Hands

December 23, 2011 / Staff

Proper hand washing is the easiest way to prevent the spread of illness.

100,000 people die every year from hospital-acquired infections, and many of these could be prevented if more medical workers simply remembered to wash and sanitize their hands.

North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) in Manhasset, NY, is one of only a few hospitals that has decided to take this more drastic measure to increase hygiene levels among medical workers — but it is one that has had incredible success. According to a controlled, peer-reviewed study on the hospital’s video monitoring system recently published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, watching employees through the Big Brother-esque video monitoring system has increased the overall hand washing rate by nearly 1400 percent, taking it from 6.5 percent to nearly 88 percent.

Health Care Policy, Hospitals, Nurses, Quality Control, Research, Wellness

Hand washing Hand washing in hospitals hospital infections

Chickens Destroyed By the Thousands as Bird Flu Threatens Hong Kong

December 22, 2011 / Staff

Thousands of chickens were destroyed after bird flu is discovered in Hong Kong.

The territory’s Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation declared the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market an infected place, the government said in a statement.
Local farmers will be prevented from sending chickens to the market for 21 days.
The government said that it was working to trace the origin of the chicken, which was infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus, but that it did not know at this point whether it was from a local farm or imported.