Health Care

Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.healthnfitnesszone.com.

Mrsa or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a bacterium that can and has caused serious infections. It is resistant to numerous antibiotics of the beta-lactam family, including methicillin and penicillin. It belongs to the large group of bacteria known as Staphylococci, often referred to as staph. About 25%-30% of all people have staph within the nose, but it normally does not cause an infection. In contrast, only about 1% of the population have mrsa.

Infections with are most common in hospitals and other institutional health-care settings, such as nursing homes, where they tend to strike older people, those who are very ill, and people with a weakened immune system. In health-care settings, it is a frequent cause of surgical wound infections, urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections (sepsis), and pneumonia.

These outbreaks, however, are appearing increasingly in the community. Infections can occur in people who have not been hospitalized or had a medical procedure performed in the past year, and who do not have immune deficiency. These infections are termed community-associated infections (CA-MRSA). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 12% of the infections are now community-associated, but this percentage can vary by community and patient population.

Community-associated infections usually affect the skin, causing pimples and boils in otherwise healthy people. Infected areas may be red, swollen, painful, and have pus or other drainage. Mrsa is typically transmitted from people with active infections. This and other staph infections are primarily transmitted by the hands, which may become contaminated by contact with colonized or infected people or items or surfaces contaminated with body fluids containing Mrsa. Skin-to-skin contact, cuts or abrasions of the skin, contaminated items and surfaces, crowded living conditions, and poor hygiene have all been associated with the transmission of this infection in the community.

If you believe you have a staph infection, visit your health-care provider. Most staph and mrsa infections can be treated with antibiotics, but skin lesions may also be treated by drainage of the lesion under sterile conditions. Infections that have been treated can recur and require further treatment. Good hygiene is the most effective way to prevent infections and to prevent the recurrence of treated lesions. Hands should be kept clean by frequent washings or use of hand-sanitizer lotions. Openings in the skin such as cuts should be kept clean and covered until healed. Contact with other peoples' skin wounds should be avoided, and personal care items such as towels and razors should not be shared with others.

Every year, the American cancer society releases facts and figures on cancer cases around the world. The figures explore subjects such as rates by region, leading causes of cancer, survival rate for each type and comparison between death rates for developing nations versus developed nations. The information gives us a fascinating look at the details of this deadly disease. In this article, I will explore some of the most interesting facts from the 2007 findings. We will focus mostly on statistics in developed nations, since rates of cancer are unfortunately statistically much higher in developing countries.

Cancer cases and mortality rate for 2007 and beyond
The findings estimate that for 2007 there was a total of 12 million new cancer cases worldwide. Out of these 12 million cases, 7.6 million resulted with the patients losing their lives. This figure amounts to an astonishing 20 000 deaths per day. This figure is expected to more than double by 2050. In 2050, there will be 27 million new cases per year and a total of 17.5 million deaths for the year. The article attributes this increase mostly to the world's aging population.

Cancer Trends
In underdeveloped countries, stomach and cervix cancers are some of the most frequent type of cancers. This is mostly due to chronic infections in these regions. These types of cancers are less common in developed countries where chronic infectious are not an issue. In developed countries, the use of tobacco, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity leads to other type's cancers such as lung & bronchus, breast, and colorectal cancers.

Preventing Cancer
The findings point to the fact that anyone, anywhere and at any time can develop cancer. But it is also estimates that 50% of cancers are avoidable. Some types of cancers can be prevented by eliminating tobacco or alcohol use. Healthy diets and staying in shape is also a great way of reducing the chance of getting cancer. Cancers like colorectal and cervix can be avoided by early detection and removal of pre-cancerous lesions.

Leading cancers for 2007
Worldwide the 3 most common cancers for women were Breast cancer with 1,301,867 new cases, Cervix & Colon cancer with 555,094 cases and Lung & Bronchus with 536,662 cases. For men, the most common cancers were Lung & Bronchus with 1,108,731 new cases, prostate with 782,647 cases and stomach cancer with 691,432 new cases. The article mentions that the risk of being diagnosed increases with age. In developed countries, 78% of new cancer diagnoses occur with individuals who are 55 years old or older.

The most important finding that we can obtain from these statistics, is the fact that worldwide 50% of all cancers are avoidable. With a combination of education and social policies that encourage healthy lifestyles, we could substantially reduce the amount of cases of this horrible disease.

1. Women should have a breast examination by a doctor every three years after the age of 20, and every year after the age of 40, and self-examination every month. Also, a woman after the age of 40 should undergo mammography every 1-2 years. It is an ideal tool for detecting breast cancer while a tumour is very small, less than 1.00 cm, before it can be felt. More frequent mammography is required in women who have a family history of breast cancer. It may be noted that with this procedure breast cancer can be detected almost three years earlier than it would otherwise be detected on physical I clinical examination. It involves a very low I limited as well as safe exposure to radiation. Mass realization in this respect is urgently required.

2. Self-examination of the testes should be done by men every month after the age of 40.

3. A Papanicolaou's smear (commonly called Pap smear) is recommended, every year, after the age of 40, for the exclusion of the cancer of the cervix in females. This test plays an effective role in detecting precancerous and cancerous cervical lesions. It is valuable in a cervical cancer screening programme. An ultrasound, preferably transvaginal sonography, should also be carried out to rule out the malignancy of the uterus, especially of the cervix.

4. Both in men and women, digital-rectal examination (DRE) and proctoscopy examination, should be done every year after the age of 40, to exclude the possibility of cancer of the rectum and the anal canal. DRE examination will also be useful for diagnosing the cancer of the prostate (especially those with a family history of prostate cancer). If possible, even though it is a bit cumbersome, a colonoscopy I sigmoidoscopy examination should be carried out every 3-5 years, to exclude cancer of the colon and of the rectum. A simple test of stool for blood or RBC, and if need be occult blood, is also required, at least yearly.

5. Examination of the urine for blood/RBC, or occult blood should be done every year in both sexes after the age of 40, for an early detection of cancer of the urinary tract. In females, urine tests should not be done during menstruation period as the blood may then contaminate the urine. More precisely, ultrasonography of the urinary tract is required.

6. Ultrasonographic examination of the abdomen may be done every year, especially after the age of 40, to exclude malignancy of the various organs of the abdomen, including prostate. It is a safe test and has no radiation hazards, unlike X-ray ICT scan.

7. Chest X-rays may be carried out yearly after middle age, especially of those who are prone to the cancer of the lings like chronic smokers, to exclude asymptomatic lesion of this disease.

It is important to discuss here some of the related topics, and provide some relevant information about the female breast and the use of female hormones with special reference to malignancy. However, it is no less important to study some of the details about the male breast, including carcinoma of the male breast, which, if it develops, spreads much more rapidly than cancer of the female breast.

If you have found mold in your home, then you need to get to work on question that how to kill mold? You think of getting rid of it as soon as possible. Mold is not only unattractive to look at but as well can be extremely dangerous to the health of you and your family. There are a few things that you are going to need to know if you want to know how to kill mold.

Remedies of how kill mold include, cleaning the area infested with mold with a mixture of water and bleach. Mix one cup of bleach with about a gallon of water and immerse or leave the bleach mixture for approximately 20 minutes and then thoroughly scrub the place down. It is also best to dry the area up by wiping it dry and blow drying it completely. This works well for smaller areas but if the extent of the damage is rather large, please leave it to the professionals.

The Well Accepted Answer to the Question of Does Bleach Kill Mold:

The most common answer to the question, "does bleach kill mold?" is a big no. A mixture of 1 cup strong bleach and a gallon of water with some detergent mixed in can get rid of molds, although, some house mold may still be present in the wood where they are attached. In cases like these where the molds have virtually seeped into the wood, you must change the wood of the ceiling or wall to avoid repeat infestation of the molds. Some house mold is resistant to disinfectant and may just be temporarily stopped from growing by the application of the disinfectant.

It is also best to expose the area infested by mold or any kind of mold to the sun or a bright light so as to dry them out. The area should also be ventilated so that the molds will not strike again. The safest way to treat molds is to assume that they are deadly to you. It is best to wear protective gear, like gloves and a breathing mask when cleaning.

A Complete Solution:

You also want to test the outward airflow from each heating and cooling duct register in your home, looking for elevated levels of airborne spores. This is because if there is a serious toxic mold infestation anywhere in the building, airborne mold spores from such mold locations will usually enter and contaminate the heating and cooling equipment present as well as the rest of the building.

Another important step when it comes to learning how to kill mold is to find and locate all of the toxic mold infestations, and you can only do this by completing a thorough, all-around mold inspection and through mold testing.

Safety is a priority when doing your own mold removal. Do not touch the mold or inhale in their vicinity since spores may enter your nasal passages or land on your oral cavity. Wear protective gear when doing your house mold removal.

By Benjamin Wise

Have you been following a rigorous diet for slim abs and not losing weight? More than likely it is possible that you are not following a proper diet. There may be some common mistakes that stand as obstacles to your goal of losing weight.

A lot of diet experts point out that even when you're "on a diet," it is possible that you may be eating a lot more calories than you believe. Sometimes, there will be a disconnect between what we believe is the right step to lose weight, and what we actually end up doing in the process of dieting.

In the process you tend to miss out on realizing just how quickly calories add up around your hips, waist and stomach. Do you know that eating while cooking, having the morning kick off with a great cup of coffee and eating the leftovers after dinner all go a long way to add to those love handles and excess fat around your stomach? These are the habits that you may overlook.

Always remember to have three meals a day. Start your day with a healthy breakfast so that you can eat less during noon and lesser during evening. Remember, a low-fat muffin for breakfast may actually add 400 calories so consider carefully what you eat for breakfast.

An ideal and healthy breakfast requires protein as well as fiber. Have an egg, a piece of whole-wheat toast, and a fruit for breakfast. It would be just 250 calories but you wont be hungry till after lunchtime. Here you are a couple of diet plans to give you an idea and help you on your way to loosing weight.

Diet Plan One

Breakfast Have just a bowl of oatmeal, using skimmed non fat milk.

Mid-morning A small bowl of active cultures yogurt.

Lunch A tuna sandwich, served with olives, salad, and capers.

Mid-afternoon A small bowl of flavored active cultures yogurt garnished with some toasted pistachios or almonds

Dinner Grilled fillet steak, grilled burgers with a table spoon tangy tomato salsa then a little baked potato with a table spoon of sour cream.

Dessert Garnish Grapes using a little sour cream and brown sugar, grilled.

Two hours before bed A glass of warm milk, two fruit slices.

Diet Plan Two

Breakfast A bowl of oats with nonfat milk.

Mid-morning A small serving of active cultures yogurt.

Lunch A tomato omelets (comprising 2 yolks, 3 whites) with a plain-dressed salad.

Mid-afternoon A glass of nonfat milk with half a teaspoon of honey.

Dinner Grilled chicken breast, baked potatoes with a dash of sour cream or carrot puree.

Dessert Fruit salad with 3 rings of roasted pineapple. No cream.

Two hours before bed Have an apple, a apple and three or four almonds. You can also have a small cup of milk with honey.

To learn more on how to lose abdominal fat select one of the links below. You will also get a Free Bonus ebook - "Training & Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body".

This Article is written by Tarun Gupta, the author of TestCountry Health Information Resources, a longer version of this article is located at Lead Poisoning, and resources from other home health and wellness testing sources are used such as Health Hazards Detection Kits.