Elakiri Biggest Health Thread ๏๏๏๏

sirajstc · May 11, 2012

Wash Your Sheets!

The Importance Of Washing Bed Sheets Regularly

They say you spend a third of your life sleeping, which means that you spend a third of your life in bed. If you’re spending that much time in one place, it’s important to make sure that it’s clean. There are all sorts of things lurking in your sheets that you may not be aware of, and they could pose a threat to your health if cleanliness isn’t maintained. Let this guide help you understand the importance of washing bed sheets regularly.
What’s In Your Sheets?

If you could put your sheets under a microscope, you might be surprised – and a little freaked out – by what you would see. Almost very bed has dust mites, which are microscopic bugs that feed off of dead skin cells. These little things live, die and reproduce in the same bed sheets that you sleep in. The only way to keep these creatures under control is to wash your bed sheets on a regular basis. Otherwise, you may develop an allergy, or even a lowered immune system. As gross as dust mites are, they aren’t the only things hiding in your bed sheets. Here’s what you also may be sleeping in:

Dead skin cells – Your body sheds about a million skin cells a day, so some of those are bound to come off when you sleep. Unfortunately, dead skin cells are a tasty snack for dust mites.
Oils – Your body secretes natural oils as you sleep, which, of course, end up on your bed sheets.
Sweat – If you get too hot during the night, your body will sweat to cool off.
Bodily fluids – Saliva, blood, urine, fecal matter and bodily fluids from intercourse are all liable to show up on your bed sheets.
Food crumbs – If you like to bring that midnight snack to bed, there’s probably crumbs and other food particles that are begging to be eaten by bugs.

How Often Should You Wash Your Bed Sheets?

If you’re washing your sheets only once a month, that’s not going to cut it. Your sheets need to be washed at least every other week, but weekly is ideal.
It’s also important to wash your pillow at least twice a year. Pillows can harbor mold, yeast and bacteria, which can cause diarrhea, asthma or bronchitis. If you have never washed your pillow, you may want to consider throwing it away and getting a new one.
If you are taking care of someone who is sick, you should try to wash the sheets every day so that person isn’t recuperating in a germ-filled bed. If you aren’t able to wash them every day, then just changing the pillowcase daily should suffice.

How to Wash Your Bed Sheets

The key to keeping bedding clean is to know how to clean it. It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s care instructions, but if you aren’t familiar with them, then follow these tips to clean everything from sheets to comforters:
1) Bed Sheets

Wash them in hot soapy water and let them dry completely in the dryer.
Don’t wash them with clothes as it might damage the sheets or cause them to become fuzzy.
If the sheets have a stain, tend to it before washing.
For a natural way to brighten white sheets, add a quarter of a cup of lemon juice to the wash and wash with warm water.
Use medium or low setting when washing or drying. High heat can cause the fibers to weaken, which can lead to rips and tears.
Ball your sheets up when you put them in the washer. This will prevent them from stretching out and losing shape.

2) Blankets

Wool blankets should be washed in cold water and put on a low spin in the dryer.
Electric blankets should not be dry-cleaned since the solvents used can damage the wiring.
If you don’t want to wash your blankets often, vacuum them in between washings to remove dust and lint.
Mend any rips or tears before washing blankets.

3) Comforters/Bedspreads

Test your comforter or bedspread for colorfastness before washing it. Dip a corner of the bedspread or comforter into a bit of the detergent to see if the color bleeds. If it does, have it dry-cleaned instead.
Consider cleaning your comforter or bedspread in a commercial washer and dryer. Your own appliances may not be able to tolerate the wet weight of the bedding.
Wash your comforter in cold water and dry it on low heat. Or, hang it on a clothesline and let it air dry.

4) Quilts

Wash quilts the same way as a comforter.
If the quilt is filled with batting or is old and fragile, hand-wash it.
If the quilt has silk or velvet on it, do not wash it.

5) Pillowcases

Machine-wash pillows in cold water and dry them on a cool setting.
Fluff pillows daily to get rid of lingering dust and dead skin cells.
Air out your pillows frequently to freshen them up. Hang them on a clothesline or near an open window.

If you’re washing sheets for someone who is sick, hold the bedding away from you and make sure you wash your hands afterward. Wash the sheets in warm water and dryer them on a high setting.

sirajstc · May 11, 2012

Its the sniffling, runny, fever,

With no cure in sight for the cold or the flu, current treatments can at best bring symptom relief or shorten the duration of those symptoms. You can take one of a variety of medications that may help relieve your symptoms. Or you can take the natural approach. WebMD went to Charles B. Inlander, president of The People’s Medical Society, for some home remedies that may help you feel better along the way.
No. 1: Blow Your Nose Often — and the Right Way

It’s important to blow your nose regularly when you have a cold rather than sniffling mucus back into your head. But when you blow hard, pressure can cause an earache. The best way to blow your nose: Press a finger over one nostril while you blow gently to clear the other. Wash your hands after blowing your nose.
No. 2: Stay Rested

Resting when you first come down with a cold or the flu helps your body direct its energy toward the immune battle. This battle taxes the body. So give it a little help by lying down under a blanket.
No. 3: Gargle

Gargling can moisten a sore throat and bring temporary relief. Try a teaspoon of salt dissolved in warm water, four times daily. To reduce the tickle in your throat, try an astringent gargle — such as tea that contains tannin — to tighten the membranes. Or use a thick, viscous gargle made with honey, popular in folk medicine. Steep one tablespoon of raspberry leaves or lemon juice in two cups of hot water; mix with one teaspoon of honey. Let the mixture cool to room temperature before gargling. Honey should never be given to children less than 1 year old.
No. 4: Drink Hot Liquids

Hot liquids relieve nasal congestion, help prevent dehydration, and can soothe the uncomfortably inflamed membranes that line your nose and throat.
No. 5: Take a Steamy Shower

Steamy showers moisturize your nasal passages and relax you. If you’re dizzy from the flu, run a steamy shower while you sit on a chair nearby and take a sponge bath.

WASH YOUR HANDS!!!!!

No. 6: Use a Salve Under Your Nose

A small dab of mentholated salve under your nose can open breathing passages and help soothe the irritated skin at the base of the nose. Menthol, eucalyptus and camphor all have mild numbing ingredients that may help relieve the pain of a nose rubbed raw.
No. 7: Apply Hot or Cold Packs Around Your Congested Sinuses

Either temperature may help you feel more comfortable. You can buy reusable hot or cold packs at a drugstore. Or make your own. Take a damp washcloth and heat it for 55 seconds in a microwave (test the temperature first to make sure it’s right for you.) Or take a small bag of frozen peas to use as a cold pack.

No. 8: Sleep With an Extra Pillow Under Your Head

This will help with the drainage of nasal passages. If the angle is too awkward, try placing the pillows between the mattress and the box springs to create a more gradual slope.
No. 9: Don’t Fly Unless Necessary

There’s no point adding stress to your already stressed-out upper respiratory system, and that’s what the change in air pressure will do. Flying with cold or flu congestion can hurt your eardrums as a result of pressure changes during takeoff and landing. If you must fly, use a decongestant and carry a nasal spray with you to use just before takeoff and landing. Chewing gum and swallowing frequently can also help relieve pressure.
Remember, serious conditions can masquerade as the common cold and a mild infection can evolve into something more serious. If you have severe symptoms or are feeling sicker with each passing day, see a doctor.

So what home remedies can you share with the class Obots? What sass, herb remedies did Big Mama rub you down with? What concoction that could heal a limb, were you forced to swallow?

sirajstc · May 11, 2012

Kidney Disease and Us

How many of you can name a close family member that’s on dialysis right now? I can name more than my fingers and toes combined. I live in a city where dialysis centers are as prevalent as McDonald’s. It seems like everytime I talk to my parents, someone else has just started their dialysis treatment. What is going on?

Ten Facts About African Americans And Kidney Disease

Due to high rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, African Americans have an increased risk of developing kidney failure and requiring dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant to sustain life. African Americans need to be aware of these risk factors and visit their doctor or clinic regularly to check their blood sugar, blood pressure, urine protein and kidney function. The following are ten facts about African Americans and chronic kidney disease:

African Americans suffer from End Stage Renal Disease disproportionately. The incidence of kidney failure per million population is 998 in African Americans, compared with 273 in white Americans. African Americans constitute about 29 percent of all patients treated for kidney failure in the U.S., but only about 14 percent of the overall U.S. population. The incidence rate of diabetic end stage kidney failure has increased steadily among African Americans.
African Americans also develop kidney failure at an earlier age than white Americans. The mean age for African-Americans at the start of treatment for kidney failure is 56 years, compared with 66 in white Americans.
The death rates per 100,000 population from high blood pressure is 15.6 for white males, 51.1 for black males, 14.3 for white females and 37.7 for black females.
Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure in African Americans. The prevalence of diabetes in African Americans is much higher than in white Americans. Approximately 14.7 percent of all African Americans over 20 years of age (3.7 million) have diabetes. On average, African Americans are twice as likely to have diabetes as white Americans of similar age.
National surveys show that the number of cases of diabetes among African Americans has doubled. Yet, about a third of the diabetes cases among African Americans are undiagnosed.
The most common type of diabetes in African Americans is type 2 diabetes. The risk factors for this type of diabetes include: family history, impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes during pregnancy, hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance, obesity and physical inactivity.
African Americans with diabetes are more likely to develop complications of diabetes and to have greater disability from these complications than white Americans. African-Americans experience kidney failure about four times more often than white Americans with diabetes. They are also more likely to develop other serious complications such as heart disease and strokes and to experience greater disability than white Americans with diabetes.
High blood pressure is the second leading cause of kidney failure among African Americans, accounting for 34 percent of the new cases each year. However, high blood pressure remains the leading cause of death overall in African Americans because of its link with heart attacks and strokes.
It is not known for sure why African Americans are more prone to develop high blood pressure. More than 40 percent of African Americans are believed to have high blood pressure, however. African-Americans also have higher death rates from causes related to high blood pressure.
Many African Americans may be unaware of the connection between high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease. Reports indicate that about 43 percent of African Americans who are on dialysis were not aware they had kidney failure until about one week before starting dialysis.

GET CHECKED! Watch your blood pressure, drink plenty of water, if you have diabetes make sure you are in control of it. We must do it for them:

sirajstc · May 11, 2012

Sleep Requirements by Age
Newborns (0-2 months old) 12-18 hours Infants (3-11 months old) 14-15 Hours Toddlers (1-3 years old)l 12-14 Hours Pre-schoolers (3-5 years old) 11-13 Hours School-aged Children (5-10 years old) 10-11 Hours Teens (11-17 years old) 8-9 Hours Adults 7-9 Hours

sirajstc · May 11, 2012

Hearing loss affects 1 in 5 Americans, study finds

If you think hearing loss is just an inevitable part of aging, think again.

More than 48 million Americans over age 12 have trouble hearing in one or both ears, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. And the way we listen to music is partly to blame.

“Aging and genetics do sometimes play a role, but what we know now is that environmental exposures - like listening to music too loudly - can contribute to long term hearing damage over time,” says Dr. Frank R. Lin, lead study author and assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “It’s a growing concern.”

Here’s how hearing loss happens with headphones: You have your headphones on and are jamming to your favorite tune on maximum volume. The sound waves enter the ear, travel thru the ear canal all the way to the hair cells located in your inner ear. Hair cells help convert sound energy into electrical signals sent to the brain. This, in return, allows you to hear the music clearly. But when the volume is too loud, those hair cells get damaged and never grow back.
“The tricky thing about loud noise exposure is that most people won’t see the impact for many years later,” says Lin. “So consumers aren’t aware they are damaging their hearing until it’s too late.”

Hearing loss is gradual. And people's susceptibility to permanent hearing loss depends on several factors including their own genetics, the background noise they are exposed to and how loud they are listening to music, according to Lin.

So how loud is too loud?
Experts don’t yet have an exact calculation as to how loud, for how long, is too much. But researchers do know that the louder the noise, the less time it takes to cause damage to your hearing.

Remember this number: 115 decibels (dB). That’s how loud the average MP3 player is playing music at maximum volume. According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology, listening to an MP3 player at 100db for just 15 minutes can cause hearing loss. Also, music at 85dB for prolonged, repeated times can cause damage.

“What’s important to remember is that once the hair cells in your ear have been damaged, your body can’t replace them. It’s permanent hearing damage,” says Lin, whose research is the first comprehensive national estimate of hearing loss in the United States.

So for those who want to try to keep from joining the one in five Americans with hearing loss, turn the volume down a notch and choose headphones that rest on the ear, versus ear buds that sit in the entrance of the ear canal. And a good rule of thumb for parents: If you can hear your kid's music through their headphones, it’s probably too loud.