One More Reason for Women to Loose Weight

Aside from a sexier figure, fit body, decreased risk of diabetes and other illnesses associated with overweight and fat, women has yet another reason to shed excess weight – to keep healthy bones. Researchers recently found that excess fat around the middle increases the risk of developing osteoporosis or lower bone mass, directly contrary to what was always believed by professionals in scrubs uniforms that fat actually protects bone loss. At mayoclinic.com, frame size is listed as osteoporosis risk factor, stating that exceptionally thin body with BMI of 19 and lower or small body frames are at higher risk of developing the disease.

After spending much of her time wearing lab coat and staying in laboratory, Miriam A. Bredella, M.D., a radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston and study's lead author concluded, "We know that obesity is a major public health problem. Now we know that abdominal obesity needs to be included as a risk factor for osteoporosis and bone loss."

The risk is even higher among older women, for as we know, bones naturally weaken due to degeneration that comes with ageing. And if combined with excess belly fat, the risk soars. So while still young, keeping belly fat at bay would be necessary. People, especially obese women, must hear what their gym instructor and physician say. Even seemingly healthy individuals must watch other risk factors of osteoporosis and act to reverse conditions.

Being a woman is a big risk factor for osteoporosis. Further, people and or Asian and white women are at higher risk of developing osteoporosis. If one has a family history of osteoporosis, there is greater possibility for that person to suffer from osteoporosis. Too much thyroid hormone can also cause bone loss that leads to osteoporosis. Other risk factors of osteoporosis also include law calcium intake, tobacco use, eating disorders, sedentary lifestyle, excessive alcohol consumption, corticosteroid medications and other drugs, as well as medical conditions and procedures affecting bone health.

Mouth-to-Mouth or Chest-Only Compressions – for whom?

Growing evidence suggest chest-only compression is more effective than mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing. Just recently, a new study released by Arizona Department of Health Services also favored chest-only compressions instead of traditional CPR. The conclusion was reached by measuring survival based on hospital discharge among 4,415 cardiac arrest patients from 2005 to 2009.

From that number, 666 got traditional CPR, 549 got chest-only compressions, and 2,900 got no aid. Of those who received chest-only compressions, 13% were discharged from the hospital, while only 7.8% from those who received CPR with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and 5.2% from those who given no help at all.

Should you see somebody who obviously is unconscious, how would you know he or she needs CPR or chest-only compression? Chest-only compressions or hands-only CPR applies only to adults, and only those who are experiencing cardiac arrest. During Cardiac arrest among adults, heart stops before breathing, which means hard and rapid compressions could revive the patient by helping the heart to pump oxygen again and enable blood and oxygen circulation. With cardiac arrest on children though, rescue breathing is still necessary because it’s the breathing that stops before the heart. This is also true among those who were suffocated or drowned, and restoring respiration might revive them.

Chest-only compression is easy to administer and should not make you uneasy. Even if you don’t wear those Dickies uniforms or Adar uniforms, you could help revive anybody experiencing cardiac arrest. Here’s how to do chest-only compressions: Place the heel of your hand in the middle of the victim's chest. Put your other hand on top of the first with your fingers interlaced. Compress the chest about 1-1/2 to 2 inches (4-5 cm). Allow the chest to completely recoil before the next compression. Compress the chest at a rate equal to 100/minute. Perform 30 compressions at this rate. – about.com

West Nile Virus Death Rate Declined This Year

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) begins its WVN fact sheet with, “West Nile virus (WNV) is a potentially serious illness.” Seriousness of illness, according to Dr. John Balbus is when it kills people and has significant threat to the public. While the term serious defines severe negative effects in an individual’s viewpoint, it doesn’t directly say that the sickness is actually fatal, when in fact it is. Despite cases of deaths, it’s good to know that there’s been a decline of cases of infection as well as of death this year.

As of September, CDC record lists 12 confirmed deaths among the 381 reported cases this 2010. If death of the elderly woman from Illinois is included, the country already has 13 deaths. These comprise 1.4% average deaths and 31.75% of new infections per month, a little lower compared to the deaths and infections last year, which are 2.7% and 60% respectively. Since 2006, this year’s number of reported cases is the least. Year 2003 reported the highest, which reached 9,862 infections, including 264 deaths. The highest number of WNV fatalities since the virus’ appearance in 1999, on the other hand was in 2002; among 4,156 reported cases, 284 died.

Less than one in one hundred individuals bitten by the vectors would develop serious complications like meningitis and encephalitis. And only about 3% to 15% of those who got severely ill end up dead. The elderly, who are 50 years old and up, are most at risk due to weakened immune systems. The public, in general don’t have to freak out. The disease is curable, and it can be prevented. When symptoms surface, visit the nearest clinic or hospital and get checked. Those professionals in scrub tops and scrub pants would determine illness, and advise you of the right things to do to get cured of the disease.

What you should know about West Nile Virus

Signs and symptoms of West Nile Virus infection

How to prevent West Nile Virus

How deadly is WNV?

Mosquito control

Binge Drinking Increases Mortality in Men with High Blood Pressure

While people know too much alcohol causes countless health risks, those who binge drink, particularly men, should think twice this time. According to scientists from Yosei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, men with high blood pressure of at least 168/100, have increased risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases.

Men who consume six drinks in one occasion, they have 4 times increased risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease compared to non-drinkers. Raising up to 12 drinks also elevate the risk up to 12 folds according to the research. However, among those with optimal blood pressure non-high blood pressure sufferers, the risk is only 1.66 higher than nondrinkers.

Just how much is one drink? A drink is equal to one 12-ounce beer, one 4-ounce wine, 1.5-ounce of 80-proof spirits or an ounce of 100-proof spirits, according to the American Heart Association. And in the US, binge drinking is having 5 or more drinks for men, and 4 or more among women.

If you binge drink but unsure whether you are a sufferer of high blood pressure, better pay the nearest clinic and have you BP checked by someone you see in scrub pants and tops there, a licensed nurse or doctor. Better yet, start cutting your number of drinks, be a moderate drinker or just drink occasionally.

Hastening to Death by Just Sitting

We know that a walk gives us a time to ponder on more important things, or fill our minds with more reasons to love life. A good walk provides some health benefits. We’ve known of this for years already. But researchers have unearthed yet another excellent benefit brought by walking. People who sit longer die earlier, the study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests.

53,440 men and 69,776 women participated in the study about sitting and mortality. For 14 years, all 123,216 participants were followed, from 1993 to 2006. The study found that people were more likely to die of heart disease than cancer. After adjusting a number of risk factors, including body mass index or BMI and smoking, women who spent 6 hours a day sitting had 37 percent increased risk of dying, and men with 17 percent increased risk versus those who spent less than 3 hours sitting.

Factors like exercise showed favorable effect, as it tends to lower the risk of mortality tied to sitting. Nonetheless, the risk remains significantly high even if physical activity is factored in. But without exercise at all, mortality risk climbs to 94 percent on women and 48 for men.

Should you want a reason to get up and walk, this must be it.

If your work requires a lot of sitting, what can you do to reduce the risk? According to the lead author of the study Dr. Alpa Patel, epidemiologist of the American Cancer Society, “the more time you spend sitting, the less total energy expended and you can have consequences such as weight gain and increased obesity." The reason behind is that it affects metabolism and so as the risk factors for various diseases. Meaning, you need to expend as much energy as possible.

Through simple walking, you can make sure your legs are worked out. Why is this necessary? According to Dr. Patel, physical inactivity, especially when the leg muscles are sitting, various hormones are either stimulated or suppressed. As a result, triglycerides, cholesterol and other markers of heart disease and other diseases are affected. Nurses in scrub tops and scrub pants, running around the hospital are won’t have to worry much about such a risk. On the part of other people who sit for long hours at work, walking to the workplace and back should help a lot.