Posts Tagged ‘Health’

Paints And Your Health

Have you just painted the walls in your house and are bothered by irritating odors, fumes, vapors and off-gassing? Wondering how long will you will be able to smell the paint, what the dangers and health effects are?

Different paint products such as epoxy urea-formaldehyde, latex, oil-based, etc. use differentingredients, so it is difficult to comment on the health effects of paint in general. However, health effects associated with the paint will be significantly diminished as the paint dries. The best thing that you can do is to create conditions inside your home which would encourage a more rapid drying of the paint and ventilate the odors out of the house.

The reason you can smell the paint when it is wet, but not when it is dry, is because the ingredients that make paint liquid (usually water, oil, or solvent based depending on the type of paint) become dispersed in air as they evaporate from the painted surface. The chemical process that occurs during the drying of paint is called evaporation. Evaporation is where the liquid portion of the product changes from being a liquid to being a gas.

Just because it vaporizes doesn’t mean it disappears altogether. For example, water liquid and water vapor are both still water, they just have slightly different properties. During the process of evaporation, another process occurs – dispersion. The best illustration of dispersion is when you take a bottle of cologne and open it in one corner of the room. Within a few seconds, you can smell that cologne clear across the room, even if the bottle has not been moved. That is because the cologne has changed state from liquid to gas, and then been dispersed (mixed in) with the rest of the air in the room. As the air flows through the room, it carries the odor of the cologne with it. Once you cap off the cologne (therefore removing the source), you will notice that the odor dissipates completely within a few moments. That is because as it mixes with the air in the room it becomes less concentrated and therefore your breathing in and smelling less of the cologne. This is what happens as paint dries. Eventually all of the liquid in the paint will evaporate and be dispersed, and there should be little or no odor remaining.

There are steps you can take to speed up the drying process. First, if you can wait until fall or winter,it is best to apply paint when the humidity is low. When the humidity is high, air has a harder time picking up excess moisture from paint, thus slowing the drying process. If you can’t wait until there is less humidity, you could purchase or rent a dehumidifier and place it in the room which has been painted. You can also use fans to help dry paint. Fans serve several purposes. First, air that is moving has a greater capacity to pick up moisture; and second, in conjunction with open windows, fans help move the inside air to the outside where it can disperse even more rapidly, and they can help bring in fresh air from the outside. The process of moving air through a room is called “air exchange,” and the more air exchanges you can accomplish, the faster you will remove the irritating odors.

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Internal Medicine Today : Health Care Reform & The Economy

Demographics

In the United States, the face of internal medicine is changing rapidly, as quoted from a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau, and the average age of Americans is also increasing dramatically. The age group of 65+ is going to double in the next quarter-century, peaking at almost one fifth of United States citizens. The 85+ group is also now becoming the fastest growing age group currently.
Older citizens are healthier than ever, however the numbers of disabled and chronic condition sufferers are on the rise. This will result in a relatively concurrent rise in the demand for healthcare. Of the fourteen million people in the 65+ range who reported a disability or partial disability of some kind, the conditions being suffered from were prevalently chronic arthritis or heart disease.
These factors are the driving force behind the continual growth for demand of physicians, which may result in shortages of available medical services. Other affecting issues include the rising demand for health care in general, the weakening economy, and the impending healthcare reform.

Primary Care Shortage

Up to 1/3rd of the current 650,000 practicing physicians will be considering retiring by the year 2020. A shortage of primary care physicians is a particular concern due to this, and also the choice of younger physicians to choose to further specialize. The reason behind this is that further specialization beyond, or a specialization instead of, primary usually results in higher salaries and more desirable employment locations. A population center, such as New York, Miami, Los Angeles, or Chicago is going to have need of highly specialized physicians, with much less competition for the available job opportunities. The shortage is expected to hit rural and underserved areas the hardest.
By the year 2020, the ACFM (American Academy of Family Physicians) have suggested that there will be a deficit of over forty thousand primary care physicians (Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, OBGYN, to name a few). Since med school students choosing primary care as a career / profession has dropped already by almost 52% since ’97, the decline is expected to increase if nothing is done to remedy this predicament. This could turn the tables, leaving primary care physicians with the higher salaries.

Weak Economy and Aging Population

With the current economic hardship and enormous job losses across the country, these have unswervingly affected the cash flow to doctors and physicians. When jobs are lost, the loss of healthcare benefits is inevitable, and so access to health care is also. However, many doctors are postponing retirement since watching the stock market annihilate their retirement reserves. This delay will result in a much smaller number of employment opportunities being offered and graduating residents not finding as many available jobs as before. Residents today seem to prefer not to commit to less desirable jobs, and are choosing locum tenens opportunities. They are also putting off committing to full-time employment because of the scarcity and lower salaries. So in the near future, it appears there will be fewer and fewer good jobs available.

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Can Air Flights Create Health Risks For You When You Are On Vacation?

When flying on commercial airlines, airline passengers can develop some medical problems which tend to be minor. However, some symptoms may develop into more serious medical conditions, such as deep vein thrombosis, which can quickly become life threatening.

The following paragraph lists a number of the most common in-flight medical symptoms.

The usual in-flight symptoms you may experience are ear-popping, nasal congestion, dehydration, headaches, constipation or diarrhea, loss of appetite (possibly caused by the in-flight food), light-headedness, problems with coordination, concentration problems, confusion, irritability, anxiety, sweating, fatigue, swollen lower legs and feet, and motion sickness. Some of the above symptoms may also be associated with jet lag. In addition, jet lag can also affect your sense of orientation in terms of time and place, as well as disrupt your sense of well-being.

Some of these medical symptoms can be easily reduced or eliminated by doing a few simple things.

Drinking a glass of water, juice, or soda, every half hour or so can help you prevent dehydration and dryness in your throat, nose and eyes. Alcohol and caffeine should be avoided or consumed in moderation as they can cause dehydration as well as disrupt sleep patterns. By chewing gum you can help prevent your ears getting plugged and popping. A comfortable inflatable neck pillow can help prevent a stiff and sore neck. Wearing eye shades can make it easier to sleep on a long flight and ear plugs can reduce the constant cabin noise. Ask a flight attendant for a blanket to help keep you warm in the air conditioned cabin. It’s also a good idea to turn off the overhead air nozzle above your seat as cool air blowing down on you could make you feel cold.

Most people’s bodies tend to swell when they fly, so wearing loose clothing may help to relieve the swelling. It will also add to your in flight comfort. If you can, avoid salty foods. Excess salt in your body contributes to water retention which can also cause your body to swell when you fly.

Jet lag can also be a major problem when you fly. You may be able to lessen the effects of jet lag by adjusting your sleeping and eating patterns a few days before your flight to better reflect the time zone when you will arrive at your destination. This will take some discipline but it is well worth trying, as it can really make a difference.

There are some more things that you can do to reduce the effects of jet lag. If you can, try and catch a flight that arrives at your vacation destination in the daylight hours. Immediately fit into this new time zone and avoid going to bed. If you are feeling tired and wish to take a short snooze, then do it in a well-lit place. In the evening or at night, sleep in a darkened room. The darkness will quickly prepare your brain for sleep. Try to avoid watching television, or using a computer as their screens are bright and can easily over-stimulate your brain. It is not a good idea to consume alcohol or any drinks that contain caffeine such as soda and coffee, or eat chocolate, until your symptoms of jet lag wear off, as alcohol and food products that contain caffeine can disrupt your sleep.

Generally speaking, most travelers are not aware that they will only begin to experience the symptoms of jet lag as they leave their plane. That is when the passengers’ biological clocks start to make internal adjustments inside their bodies to more closely coincide with the local time zone at their holiday destination. When commercial airline travelers cross one, or even two time zones, they can usually adjust quite quickly. However, if they are experiencing poor health, or are not feeling well just before they fly, then jet lag can compound these problems.

What is deep vein thrombosis, or DVT?

Deep vein thrombosis is caused by a blood clot that starts forming in the lower leg. If this blood clot breaks off, it can then travel to the lungs which can be fatal. This is a very real, life threatening, medical emergency.

The usual symptoms of deep vein thrombosis are pain, redness, and swelling in the leg. Deep vein thrombosis has always been a major health risk for travelers, especially when they fly. Recent research has shown that airline passengers are at three times the risk of developing this serious life threatening condition when compared to the general population.

Here are some of the things that you can do to reduce your chance of developing this deadly condition. You should try to avoid crossing your legs as this can reduce or cut off the circulation in them raising the risk of DVT. To increase your circulation, wear loose fitting clothing and avoid tight fitting socks or stockings. You should also change your sitting position frequently, move your legs often when sitting, and get up and walk back and forth down the aisle. If you can, try and sit in an aisle seat so you can easily get up and walk around without disturbing your fellow passengers. These suggestions will help with the circulation in your legs and reduce the chance that you will develop deep-vein thrombosis.

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What Would President Obama Health Care Plan do For American Citizens

Global economic meltdown has eroded assets and cash savings for general American citizens, since president Bush was sworn in American started to lose job due to Outsource Call Center and the measures taken by the US government did not result in good results for economy, the worst happen after 9/11, America went to war in Middle east, defense spending went on top of the roof, the US government could not spend more money on Free Healthcare, the hospitals and insurance companies could not manage the loss of government funds from private investors.

The new bill president Obama passed Last week will make insurance more affordable by giving huge tax cut for health care for middle class citizens, the law has provision to reduce insurance premium for no income family and small business owners, thus making insurance affordable to 32 million Americans who don’t have insurance policy. This law will insure 95% of American population.

Currently the law which governs American Healthcare system is outdated, with no logics to meet current economic situation, the new rules will allow insurance companies to charge low premiums and prevent insurance industry abuses and denial of medical care. It will end current discrimination by insurance agency against Americans under pre-existing medical conditions.

Some additional benefits where for children who will get access to better quality health insurance to 11 million kids, currently 4 million are un-insured. This bill has given great relief to families who could not afford rising health care costs, guarantee choice of doctor and assure high health care for all fellow Americans. United States has most expensive medical health care in the world, because the legal laws allows people to sue the hospital/doctor for reasons beyond their control and the settlements in the law suites allow them to charge more for from American citizens to cover the liability aspect.

There are several companies like Call4health.com which offers low cost Physicians Answering Service at reasonable prices throughout the United States, and has track record of excellent customer service as the company is committed to ensure patients and their families are treated with respect, empathy and compassion on every call they handle.

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Using Health Food Supplements The Right Way

What is a food supplement? Food supplement is a complement, nutrition and not a substitute for food. Food supplements in general, including vitamins (eg vitamin C) and minerals, Botanical (eg herbs and plant products), and the substance or substances derived from natural sources (eg, milk whey and glucosamine).

Supplements are not drugs. Drugs are chemicals that are used to cure a disease and ease the pain inflicted. Drugs are substances that work hard enough for the body and often have side effects. Therefore, the uses of drugs usually have a doctor’s prescription. While most of the supplements work as nutritional supplements in addition to the food consumed daily. People consume food supplement in some health conditions. Consumption of multivitamin and multimineral dietary supplements useful for and prevent disease. For example Vitamin C is believed to prevent and relieve fever.

Supplements are also a substance that helps optimize the body function and hormones.

Are health food supplements safe to consume?

Overall, health experts claim that dietary supplements are safe for consumption. The reason is that the substances contained therein are natural substances. Moreover, some supplement manufacturers have been doing intensive research on the various products of their supplements.

However, even though dietary supplement proven safe and efficacious to prevent the disease does not mean you can avoid conventional medicine and only relying on regular food supplements. Always consult your doctor first, especially if you intend to combine food supplements along with medicines for your health care. For example, the consultation is very important for pregnant woman and breastfeeding mothers.

Examples of the use of food supplements, such as to strengthen the immune system used supplements of vitamins A, vitamin C. To eliminate toxins (detoxification) is used supplements beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and chlorophyll, overcoming inflammation of vitamin E supplement use and vitamin C.

Who needs food supplement?
Supplements needed by all ages, whether young or old. Older people tend to decrease production of hormones and body functions, so the need supplements to help the body function optimally and prevent disease.

As for the children supplements are usually given if the child’s diet daily menu incomplete. If the child has a good appetite and has a complete daily menu certainly does not need food supplement. Children need food supplements if they are not getting adequate vitamin intake, for example picky eater.

But not all supplements are safe to consume excessive (megadosis). Group vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E and K are fat soluble should not be consumed excessively. In certain circumstances, consultation with a doctor about the appropriate use of supplements is very important.

Importance of quality

It is important for you to get the food supplements of high quality because the quality of each supplement is different. So many big and small companies who produce the food supplement. Buy health food supplements from companies with a good reputation is one alternative for the selection of quality supplements. It is important to check the contents and expiration date on the packaging. Even though as a complement, of course you better get the best food supplement.

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