tagged w/ Colds
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http://www.bodbeat.com There are some simple ways to help protect your immune system for the upcoming flu season and the threat of the H1N1 Virus. Dr. Loretta lists her top five tips, plus gives you some effective supplements you can take to help ward of colds, flus and flu pandemics.http://www.bodbeat.com There are some simple ways to help protect your immune system... more
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CHICAGO - Fluff up the pillows and pull up the covers. Preventing the common cold may be as easy as getting more sleep.
Researchers paid healthy adults $800 to have cold viruses sprayed up their noses, then wait five days in a hotel to see if they got sick. Habitual eight-hour sleepers were much less likely to get sick than those who slept less than seven hours or slept fitfully.
"The longer you sleep, the better off you are; the less susceptible you are to colds," said lead author Sheldon Cohen, who studies the effects of stress on health at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University.
Prior research has suggested that sleep boosts the immune system at the cell level. This is the first study to show small sleep disturbances increasing the risk of getting sick, said Dr. Michael Irwin, who researches immune response at the University of California, Los Angeles, and was not involved in the study.
"The message is to maintain regular sleep habits because those are really critical for health," Irwin said.
During cold season, staying out of range of sneezing relatives and co-workers may be impossible. The study, appearing Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, mimicked those conditions by exposing participants to a common cold virus - rhinovirus - and most became infected with it.
But not everyone suffered cold symptoms.
The people who slept less than seven hours a night in the weeks before they were exposed to the virus were three times more likely to catch a cold than those who slept eight hours or more.
To find willing cold victims, researchers placed ads and recruited 78 men and 75 women, all healthy and willing to go one-on- one against the virus. They ranged in age from 21 to 55.
First, their sleep habits were recorded for two weeks. Every evening, researchers interviewed them by phone about their sleep the night before. Subjects were asked what time they went to bed, what time they got up, how much time they spent awake during the night and if they felt rested in the morning.
Then they checked into a hotel where the virus was squirted up their noses. After five days, the virus had done its work, infecting 135 of the 153 volunteers. But only 54 people got sick.Meme-It
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CHICAGO - Fluff up the pillows and... more
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One sneeze can infect up to 150 people in a crowded commuter environment or a mall, but wait ... it's not ALL the sneezer's fault.One sneeze can infect up to 150 people in a crowded commuter environment or a mall,... more
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Scratchiness at the back of the throat, skin chills and shiver, body aches and headache—the all to familiar feelings of illness coming on. Sometimes it seems inevitable no matter how well we take care of ourselves.
The article today is about the difference between a cold and flu, what you can do to feel better at home, and tips on how to prevent or stave off getting sick.
Scratchiness at the back of the throat, skin chills and shiver, body aches and... more
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FTC: Maker Of Cold Supplement Falsely Claimed Product Fights Illness
If you have used the popular anti-cold supplement "Airborne" you may be able to get your money back, CBS station WFOR-TV in Miami reports.
The Bonita Springs based company has agreed to settle a Federal Trade Commission deceptive advertising suit and offer $30 million in refunds.
According to the federal suit, there is no competent and reliable scientific evidence to support the claims made by Airborne's makers that the tablets can prevent or reduce the risk of colds or sickness; help fight germs or reduce the severity or duration of a cold.
The suit claims the company's founders, Victoria Knight-McDowell and Thomas John McDowell, made false claims that Airborne products are clinically proven to treat colds.
"There is no credible evidence that Airborne products, taken as directed, will reduce the severity or duration of colds, or provide any tangible benefit for people who are exposed to germs in crowded places," said Lydia Parnes, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.
The class action settlement provides refunds for purchases of Airborne-branded products (including Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Airborne On-the-Go, Airborne Power Pixies, Airborne Nighttime, Airborne Jr., Airborne Gummis, and Airborne Seasonal Relief) made between May 1, 2001 and November 29, 2007.FTC: Maker Of Cold Supplement Falsely Claimed Product Fights Illness
If you have... more
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Last year, a design student at Cornell University designed a garment that can prevent colds and flu and, crucially, never needs washing, CNN reports.
Meanwhile, Textronics, a Delaware-based company, has developed a sports bra which monitors the heart rate and motion of runners. The company has patented stretchy textile electrodes that can be incorporated into the garments.
Perhaps one of the most exciting developments in this field is ongoing work on a breast screening smart bra which could allow wearers to detect breast cancer at the earliest stage.
Professor Elias Siores, of the University of Bolton, England, says the bra can detect cancer before the tumor can develop and spread into surrounding areas. Crucially, Professor Siores says the bra can also monitor the effectiveness of any breast cancer treatment the wearer is undergoing.
The smart bra works using a microwave antennae system device which is woven into the fabric of the bra. The antennae picks up any abnormal temperature changes in the breast tissue, which are often associated with cancer cells.
It is hoped the bra will be on sale in stores in a couple of years.
However, some remain doubtful as to whether the science behind the bra is achievable. There are also doubts whether the bra could replace traditional screening methods, such as a mammogram.
This is because the idea behind the bra supposes that as tumors grow, there will be a higher demand for blood flow. The increased blood flow then produces elevated temperatures around the affected area of the breast, sending a warning to the wearer.
Critics say blood flow rates could be increased for any number of reasons.
There are benign growths and nonmalignant inflammatory changes, which might also increase blood flow," said Anne Rosenberg, a breast surgeon at Philadelphia's Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
Despite the reticence from some quarters, work in this burgeoning field forges ahead.
Scientists in Europe are at at an advanced stage of developing outfits which they say will be able to monitor the body's vital signs and detect illnesses and infections at their earliest stages.
Would you wear health-check garments like this? Can you really rely on them? Is it better to go to the doctor for a check-up once in a while, or are garments like this necessary in a world where seeing a good doctor and getting decent care feels increasingly difficult? Is the development of this kind of clothing just evidence that we've become paranoid about our health, or a sensible step to looking after ourselves?
Last year, a design student at Cornell University designed a garment that can prevent... more
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Learn how to relieve sinus congestion with acupressure.
Wako Takayama
Berkeley Acupressure Teacher, Elephant PharmLearn how to relieve sinus congestion with acupressure.
Wako Takayama
Berkeley... more
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Researchers and scientists from Imperial College London have genetically engineered a mouse that is vulnerable to the virus responsible for causing most colds, which until now, has only affected humans and chimpanzees.
Scientists involved in the testing believe that the breakthrough may dramatically improve testing and research into other common diseases such as bronchitis and possibly even asthma.
The research has been funded by the Britain's Medical Research Council, who are reportedly happy with the findings, hoping that the discovery would "open up new paths to finding treatments which have been delayed for many years and provides us with the opportunities for further breakthroughs in the future".
Researchers and scientists from Imperial College London have genetically engineered a... more
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Besides the obvious reasons, here are some health related ones (for the ladies):
1. It Fights Colds and Flu. Sexual intercourse once or twice a week raises the body's level of the immune-boosting antibody immunoglobin A by a third, according to research at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania.
2. It's a Beauty Treatment. In a study at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland, a panel of judges viewed participants through a one-way mirror and guessed their ages. Those who looked seven to 12 years younger than their age (labeled "superyoung") were also enjoying lots of sexfour times a week, on average. OK, maybe they were having so much fun because they looked young. But it's likely the sex was helping, researchers say. One reason is that it raises a woman's estrogen level, which helps make hair shiny and skin supple.
3. It Burns Calories. A little over four calories a minute, or the equivalent of four Hershey's kisses in a half hour of love. Think of it as part of your weekly exercise regime, and burn, baby, burn.
Check that article for the other 3 :) Besides the obvious reasons, here are some health related ones (for the ladies):... more
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Natural honey is a more effective remedy for childrens coughs than over-the-counter medicines, researchers say. A dose of buckwheat honey before bedtime easily outperformed a cough suppressant in a US study.
Honey did a better job of reducing the severity and frequency of night-time coughs. It also improved sleep quality for children and their parents.
Dextromethorphan (DM), the active ingredient in many cough mixtures sold in chemists and supermarkets, had no significant impact on symptoms. Honey has been used in medicine for centuries, not only to treat coughs and bronchitis but also to assist the healing of wounds. For coughs it is often mixed with lemon, ginger or brandy.
Ian Paul, who led the researchers from Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, said: We hope that medical professionals will consider the positive potential of honey as a treatment, given the lack of proven efficacy, expense, and potential for adverse effects associated with the use of DM. DM can cause severe involuntary muscle contractions and spasms, the researchers said. Cases of teenagers using the drug to get high were also common, they said.Natural honey is a more effective remedy for childrens coughs than over-the-counter... more
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When the sniffles strike, many of us reach for a glass of orange juice or a vitamin C supplement. But are they really effective?
Oranges, grapefruits and other vitamin C-loaded foods have many health benefits. But study after study has shown that the vitamin does littleif anythingto cure, prevent or even shorten the duration of the common cold.
The most recent roundup of vitamin C research, published this spring in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, evaluated several decades of studies that included more than 11,000 subjects taking 200 or more milligrams of vitamin C each day. (The government's recommended daily allowance is 60 milligrams.) The research found that vitamin C did little to reduce either the length or severity of colds among the general population. However, studies have found that it may lower the risk of catching a cold among people whose bodies are under high physical stressthink marathon runners or soldiers on subarctic exercises. They were 50 percent less likely to catch a cold if they took a daily dose of vitamin C.....When the sniffles strike, many of us reach for a glass of orange juice or a vitamin C... more
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