Category: Wellness (Page 4 of 116)

Spread Of West Nile Virus Won’t Let Up Until October

September 9, 2012 / Staff

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Outbreak of West Nile Virus is unusually high this year, however, in 2003, 9,862 cases were reported and 264 people died, according to the CDC’s records.

This year’s outbreak is far from that, however, with human cases reported in 44 states it is still cause for alarm.

Although the disease can be deadly, not everyone will develop serious, neuro-invasive illnesses.

Some will have such light symptoms that they may not know that they are infected at all.

The nationwide numbers were up from 1,590 cases and 65 deaths reported Aug. 28, said Dr. Lyle R. Petersen, director of the CDC’s division of vector-borne infectious diseases.
“We expect this increase to continue for the next several weeks, probably until October,” said Petersen, who added that he was infected with the virus himself a few years ago. Many cases have not yet been logged because of the lag in reporting time, he said.
More than half the cases — 54 percent — are the serious neuroinvasive variety, which can lead to encephalitis or meningitis. The vast majority of West Nile infections, some 80 percent, are so mild that people don’t know they’re infected. About 20 percent develop symptoms and about 1 percent may develop serious, neuro-invasive illnesses.

The disease is spread by infected mosquitos which breed in water.

Unusual weather patterns, light winter and a hot, wet summer have contributed to a rise in the mosquito population.

See you physician if you feel that you may have any symptoms.

Health Care Policy, Quality Control, Wellness

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How To Be Environmentally Friendly With 33 Easy Tips

September 8, 2012 / Staff

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It’s the little things we do everyday that can add up to real change.

Using less, using smart and rethinking old habits can make a difference in your life and for the planet.

Environmentally friendly tips won’t just help the planet but can help you live a healthier life, as well.

Limiting your exposure to toxins, additives, factory farmed meats and dairy can whittle your waistline, improve your health and keep you in your budget.

Tip Number 1

Reuse it. Bring a reusable bag on your next shopping trip, and you’ve already helped out the planet. The U.S. alone uses about 100 billion new plastic bags each year, and (brace yourself) this massive production costs 12 million barrels of oil. Worldwide, only about 1% of plastic bags are recycled — which means that the rest end up in landfills, oceans or elsewhere in the environment. Why does it matter? Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, but light exposure can degrade them enough to release toxic polymer particles — most of which end up in the ocean. Approximately 1 million birds and 100,000 turtles and other sea animals die of starvation each year after ingesting after ingesting discarded plastics and other trash debris, which block their digestive tracts. And public agencies spend millions of dollars on litter clean-up each year. (In case you’re wondering, paper bags aren’t much better. Each year, 14 million trees are cut down to make paper shopping bags via a process that requires even more energy than the making of plastic bags.)

Read on for more.

Quality Control, Wellness

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The Battle Continues Over Sugar In California

September 5, 2012 / Staff

The sugar wars rage on.

California physician and councilman, Dr Jeff Ritterman, is proposing a tax on sugared drinks to be levied on retailers.

If successful this could become a model for the rest of the country.

Wellness

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High Blood Pressure Still Not Managed Very Well

September 5, 2012 / Staff

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The CDC has done a great job of making the public aware of the dangers of hypertension yet many don’t make the changes necessary to keep their high blood pressure under control.

High blood pressure quadruples the risk of a death from stroke and triples it for heart disease. So the CDC is pushing for more action.
Previously, public health officials and groups in the private sector unveiled Million Hearts, a campaign to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. One plank of that plan is to improve the proportion of people with controlled blood pressure to 65 percent from 46 percent.
So what will it take to achieve a goal like that? The CDC has some ideas.
Among them:
Take the blood pressure medicines you’ve been prescribed.
Lose weight and stop smoking.
Measure and keep track of your blood pressure between doctor visits.

Simple lifestyle changes like consuming less salt and sodium and sugar along with maintaining a healthy weight and getting regular exercise go a long way toward keeping your blood pressure down.

Hypertension is a contributing factor to stroke, and heart attack.

Research, Wellness

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