Treat Swine Flu – how to treat swine flu and health tips

The number adhering to all five “healthy habits” has fallen
BBC News

The number of US adults following a healthy lifestyle has fallen in the last two decades despite increasing public health campaigns, a study shows.

A review of two studies stretching back to 1988 found the proportion of obese adults has crept up to over a third.

Levels of exercise also fell, as did consumption of fruit and vegetables.

The American Journal of Medicine study found those with health problems were no more likely to follow a healthy lifestyle than their fitter peers.

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina compared two large-scale studies covering the period 1988 to 2006.

During those 18 years, the percentage of adults aged 40-74 years with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 rose from 28% to 36%.

The number of people exercising three times a week or more fell from 53% to 43%, while the number of people eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day fell by nearly 40%.

At the same time, smoking levels remained the same and moderate drinking slightly increased. Read more…

The number adhering to all five “healthy habits” has fallen
BBC News

The number of US adults following a healthy lifestyle has fallen in the last two decades despite increasing public health campaigns, a study shows.

A review of two studies stretching back to 1988 found the proportion of obese adults has crept up to over a third.

Levels of exercise also fell, as did consumption of fruit and vegetables.

The American Journal of Medicine study found those with health problems were no more likely to follow a healthy lifestyle than their fitter peers.

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina compared two large-scale studies covering the period 1988 to 2006.

During those 18 years, the percentage of adults aged 40-74 years with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 rose from 28% to 36%.

The number of people exercising three times a week or more fell from 53% to 43%, while the number of people eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day fell by nearly 40%.

At the same time, smoking levels remained the same and moderate drinking slightly increased. Read more…

Children of parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated against whooping cough are 23 times more likely to develop the disease than children who get the shots, according to a new study. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says whooping cough now infects more 5,000 children a year.

Parents who refuse to let their children receive a vaccination against pertussis — also known as whooping cough — may put their kids at a more than 20-fold risk of getting the illness, new research suggests.

(ABC News Photo Illustration)

Authors of the study, which was conducted at Kaiser Permante Colorado’s Institute for Health Research in Denver, say the results show a continued need to “to further understand why parents refuse immunizations and to develop strategies for conveying the risks and benefits of immunizations to parents more effectively.”

Whooping cough or pertussis — the medical name for the disease, causes a respiratory infection with an uncontrolled cough with a characteristic whoop or yelp — said Dr. Jason Glanz, the lead author of the study.

Parents may shun the vaccines over the fear of rare but serious side effects associated with the use of some vaccines in certain individuals. Read more….

Feeling crabby lately? It could be you aren’t getting enough sleep. Work, household responsibilities and child care can make sleep difficult to come by. Factor in other unexpected challenges such as financial worries, layoffs, relationship issues or an illness, and quality sleep may be even more elusive.

You may not be able to control or eliminate all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, but you can create an environment and adopt habits that encourage a more restful night. Try these suggestions if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep:

(1) Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, even on the weekends :-

Sticking to a schedule helps reinforce your body’s sleep-wake cycle and can help you fall asleep better at night.

(2) Don’t eat or drink large amounts before bedtime :-

Eat a light dinner about two hours before sleeping. If you’re prone to heartburn, avoid spicy or fatty foods, which can make your heartburn flare and prevent a restful sleep. Also, limit how much you drink before bed. Too much liquid can cause you to wake up repeatedly during the night for trips to the bathroom.

(3) Avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol in the evening :-

These are stimulants that can keep you awake. Smokers often experience withdrawal symptoms at night, and smoking in bed is dangerous. Avoid caffeine for eight hours before your planned bedtime. Your body doesn’t store caffeine, but it takes many hours to eliminate the stimulant and its effects. And although often believed to be a sedative, alcohol actually disrupts sleep.

(4) Exercise regularly :-

Regular physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, can help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep more restful. Don’t exercise within three hours of your bedtime, however. Exercising right before bed may make getting to sleep more difficult.

(5) Make your bedroom cool, dark, quiet and comfortable :-

Create a room that’s ideal for sleeping. Adjust the lighting, temperature, humidity and noise level to your preferences. Use blackout curtains, eye covers, earplugs, extra blankets, a fan, a humidifier or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.

(6) Sleep primarily at night :-

Daytime naps may steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to about a half-hour and make it during midafternoon. If you work nights, keep your window coverings closed so that sunlight, which adjusts the body’s internal clock, doesn’t interrupt your sleep. If you have a day job and sleep at night, but still have trouble waking up, leave the window coverings open and let the sunlight help wake you up.

(7) Choose a comfortable mattress and pillow :-

Features of a good bed are subjective and differ for each person. But make sure you have a bed that’s comfortable. If you share your bed, make sure there’s enough room for two. Children and pets are often disruptive, so you may need to set limits on how often they sleep in bed with you.

(8) Start a relaxing bedtime routine :-

Do the same things each night to tell your body it’s time to wind down. This may include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music. Relaxing activities done with lowered lights can help ease the transition between wakefulness and sleepiness.

(9) Go to bed when you’re tired and turn out the lights :-

If you don’t fall asleep within 15 to 20 minutes, get up and do something else. Go back to bed when you’re tired. Don’t agonize over falling asleep. The stress will only prevent sleep.

(10) Use sleeping pills only as a last resort :-

Check with your doctor before taking any sleep medications. He or she can make sure the pills won’t interact with your other medications or with an existing medical condition. Your doctor can also help you determine the best dosage. If you do take a sleep medication, reduce the dosage gradually when you want to quit, and never mix alcohol and sleeping pills. If you feel sleepy or dizzy during the day, talk to your doctor about changing the dosage or discontinuing the pills.

If you’re having problems sleeping more than three times a week for a month’s time, see your doctor. You could have a sleep disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome. Identifying and treating the cause of your sleep disturbance can help get you back on the road to a good night’s sleep.

Most of our all body parts ages at different times.

(1) Liver :-

It starts aging at 70 years age.

This is the only organ in the body which seems to defy the aging process.

(2) Kidneys :-

It starts aging at 50 years age.

With kidneys, the number of filtering units (nephrons) that remove waste from the bloodstream starts to reduce in middle age.

(3) Prostate :-

It starts aging at 50 years age.

The prostate often becomes enlarged with age, leading to problems such as increased need to urinate.This is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia and affects half of men over 50, but rarely those under 40. It occurs when the prostate absorbs large amounts of the male sex hormone testosterone, which increases the growth of cells in the prostate. A normal prostate is the size of a walnut, but the condition can increase this to the size of a tangerine.

(4) Bones :-

It starts aging at 35 years age.

‘Throughout our life, old bone is broken down by cells called osteoclasts and replaced by bone-building cells called osteoblasts – a process called bone turnover’. Children’s bone growth is rapid – the skeleton takes just two years to renew Itself completely. In adults, this can take ten years.Until our mid-20s, bone density is still increasing. But at 35 bone loss begins as part of the natural ageing process.

(5) Teeth :-

It starts aging at 40 years age.

As we age, we produce less saliva, which washes away bacteria, so teeth and gums are more vulnerable to decay. Receding gums – when tissue is lost from gums around the teeth – is common in adults over 40.

(6) Muscles :-

It starts aging at 30 years age.

Muscle is constantly being built up and broken down,a process which is well balanced in young adults.However,by the time we are 30,breakdown is greater than build up.One adults reach 40,they start to lose between 0.5 and 2 percent of their muscle each year.Regular exercise can help to prevent this.

(7) Hearing :-

It starts aging at 50 years age.

More than half of people over 60 lose hearing because of their age.

(8) Skin :-

It starts aging at 20 years age.

The skin starts to age naturally in your mid-20s.

(9) Taste and Smell :-

It starts aging at 60 years age.

We start out in life with about 10,000 taste buds scattered on the tongue.This number can halve later in life. After we turn 60, taste and smell gradually decline, partly as a result of the normal aging process.