Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Food Poisoning Food Types


If you were asked, "What are the most common foods that give you food poisoning?" Would you know how to answer this? Well the newest studies show that the foods we are still worrying about homogenized and other treated products, that are no longer as much of a safety/health issue, and not realizing the products that have a true potential to make us sick.

Mayonnaise has long been considered as one of the most potentially dangerous foods, when it comes to food-borne illnesses. This is not the case anymore, though. For years now, food scientists have been working on making mayonnaise (which is a naturally made dressing from egg whites, vinegar, and salt) into a safe product. This has led to many preservatives and processes being used to ensure that that mayonnaise has to be far past its prime to be of any danger, even when left in the heat.

Chicken and other raw meats (especially fish) will always carry a risk of illness with them, as they are pieces of living creatures which had microorganisms living in them when they were killed. Cooking to the correct degree will ensure that these foods are safe to eat.

One food that you should very much be concerned with, though, is any product that is raw, and will not be cooked -- primarily fruits and vegetables. More people are sickened every year by fresh fruits and vegetables (that had been cross-contaminated), than by chicken, fish, and dairy products combined; though, it is essential to remember that those sickened by meats and dairy products had a much higher chance of death, than those sickened by fruits and vegetables.

CDC estimates state that 48 million Americans contract a food-borne illness every year -- with 128,000 of those sickened requiring hospitalization. The biggest concern for the CDC, in recent years, has not been for mayonnaise, or beef products, or poultry, or even shellfish... The biggest cause of sicknesses from food (including the Norovirus) is salads.

But, before your decide that salads are no longer healthy for you, realize that CDC experts stress that the dangers stemming from salads are only due to lack of correct handling, and that all of the ingredients in a fresh salad are much better for your body than any other choice. What they hope the public will realize -- consumers, growers, transporters, and purveyors alike -- is that much more care is needed when preparing these fragile foods. People need to realize that anytime they see a fruit or vegetable, it is "ready-to-eat," and it needs to be treated as such throughout all stages of preparation and cooking.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Drug Overdoses Increase in the Homeless and Impoverished


Impoverished and homeless populations have long had a tie to higher rates of drug use, abuse, and overdose; the most recent studies, show that these rates have skyrocketed in the past few years -- leading to "drug overdose" as the number one cause of death in the homeless and impoverished -- surpassing HIV/AIDS for the first time.

The results of this study came from over 5 years of data provided by homeless individuals participating in Boston's Healthcare for the Homeless program. An isolated case study in the Boston area, researchers promote that this trend can also be related to other urban areas across the United States.

There are a few certain aspects of this research study that do pose problems, however. Firstly, this only applies to those homeless people that took part in the program willingly while alive. There are no specifications as to whether or not all possible overdoses of homeless individuals were originally treated at a hospital -- under the Healthcare for the Homeless program -- or whether or not HIV/AIDS patients were able to migrate from the Healthcare for the Homeless program to other qualified programs. All of these un-specified aspects can definitely cause some wavering in the numbers, but the general concession is that these numbers are correct. More homeless people are dying of drug overdoses these days than from HIV/Aids.

While this does show that HIV/AIDS raids are beginning to slow, it also shows that drug use is quickly passing up traditional diseases as the leading cause of deaths in the US. While we have been making some headway for the past several decades, in offering more public health knowledge, warnings, and information about diseases (especially STDs such as AIDS); this also proves that we have turned a blind eye to those that are struggling with addictions to drugs and alcohol. Health officials are beginning to take the news of these studies as a sign that more needs to be done to offer more drug rehab classes, counseling, and 12 step recovery programs.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Vaccines? Safe? What is Your Stance?


Some say that vaccines are a health-danger. 
Others say that, without vaccines, we would see mortality rates the same as in the 1800s.

What is your opinion on vaccines?

We would love to hear your feedback, and will feature your response in a future article

Contact us for more information.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Baldness Tied To Cancer Risk


It seems like every week researchers are finding another health indicator that can be tied to increase risk for cancer. This week, we received a new indicator that could be a sign that you are at an increased risk of certain forms of cancer.

Baldness is a plight that affects both men and women, and have been a source of frustration for millions and millions of people throughout time. Mostly a vanity issue -- carrying with it little further health risk -- baldness has always been thought of as more of an unfair annoyance than a serious problem; but these new research studies show that men (out of 10,000 person study) who suffer "male pattern baldness" hair loss were more likely to be diagnosed with a malignant tumor.

There are several different thoughts on why there is such a strong link between prostate cancer and baldness, and most of the ideas center around hormones or age, as the proverbial x-factor. This is where the researchers and physicians begin to take one of two sides. Some health professionals believe that since both hair loss and cancer have proven links to genetics, that a combination of age and genetic history causes the link. Other health professionals believe that the links are tied more to hormones; whereas, excess testosterone can hinder and slow hair growth, this hormone also can cause or provoke the growth of cancerous cells. The hormone-side argues that prostate issues can cause increased testosterone, which in-turn cause the early baldness, and risk of prostate cancer later in life. The other side argues that the inherent genetic trait that causes male pattern baldness must also be tied to a genetically inherited risk.

Whichever side you take on the argument, it is really just concentrating on the "chicken and egg theory," while ignoring the fact that this is a true indicator for increased risk. Though an individual is not going to be subject to a 100% risk for cancer, but males that lose their hair early in life should recognize the connection and consider themselves "at risk." These individuals should make it a priority to have more frequent prostate exams and screenings.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Addiction Treatment Magazine Offers Answers


Popular health and behavioral health publication Addiction Treatment Magazine recently gave itself a makeover and solidified its plans for a new direction in its format. The new format is driven to scope the website toward those that have questions related to health (including drug use and treatment) and other topics. The goal is to have a web-based resource, filled with thousands of articles and real-life stories that can answer the questions that individuals, teens, and parents have. By continually updating these stories and informational articles, Addiction Treatment Magazine hopes to be the destination for those with health questions to find the answers, without being led astray by any untrue, misconceived, or misleading information that is also found on the internet.

The truth of the matter is, people take their questions and go to the internet to find the answers. Most of the time, a solid, thorough, and truthful answer can be found. Other times, the internet has been packed with mis-information, dis-information, or confusing information. Addiction Treatment Magazine, will work hard to establish itself as a knowledgeable, and trustworthy source of information in a sea of "iffy" information.

In the coming weeks and months, Addiction Treatment Magazine will be filling its website new content, and establishing its authority online as trusted and "real" resource. Visit them online for more articles, stories, reviews, and more...

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The Tools of the Trade


Karl Storz, a physician that has often been called "The Father of  Endoscopy," began producing surgical instruments for ENT specialists in 1945. Storz' goal was to make his own surgical instruments that would give surgeons and physicians a unique view inside the human body while performing their surgical duties.

Nearly 70 years later, Karl Storz designed medical instruments are still the most popular type of devices in-use in hospitals and medical centers. The fluid designs of a Storz instrument is usually a smooth, flowing, thin, stainless steel lever with its appropriate head shape in a very tight and effective design. Storz was also one of the first doctors to experiment with image transition through bent scopes. This allowed for doctors to use "cold" light either emitted from an instrument inside the body, or emitted outside the body, and reflected downward into the body.

Karl Storz designed medical instruments, and surgical instruments and devices from the globe's top brands are available for purchase through the Medical Device Store. For pricing and a full catalog, visit them online at:

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Midlife Changes and Food Intolerance

Photo Courtesy of Histame.com

Food intolerance is still a part of nutritional science that baffles experts and nutritional scientists all over the world. Food intolerance and food allergies can either be inherent, or with an individual since birth, but they can also be developed later in life, sometimes seemingly-overnight.

The most popular food intolerance -- in terms of commonness -- is lactose intolerance: an intolerance to food made from dairy, intolerance to dairy products themselves, or an intolerance to products containing nutrients and vitamins commonly found in milk and dairy. Some scientists argue that the prevalence of lactose intolerance is so widespread because mammals are only supposed to have dairy in their diet during the initial developmental stages of life and growth. After this time period, we are supposed to switch to a "regular" diet. While this is a popular opinion, and is backed up by the fact that Native Americans were severely lactose intolerant when introduced to dairy products by the original American Settlers, no studies have proved this to be fact.

The truth of the matter is that the body has the last say in which foods we accept naturally, and which ones we grow an intolerance to. If the body does not accept a foreign food, it will produce histamine to fight off the foreign invader, causing a multitude of food intolerance symptoms.

To learn more about food intolerance, its systems, and ways that you can live a happy and healthy life while treating your symptoms of food intolerance, visit Histame online at:


Obesity's Effects on the Brain

Photo Courtesy of HealthyWomen.org

While it is a well known fact that the heart, liver, kidney, and lung functions of the body can be severely affected by obesity, new information is shining light on the effects that too much fat cause on the brain as well. The brain is our most sacred of organs, giving us the ability to think, ponder, and respond to all outside influences in our lives, so even the smallest affect on the brain is one to be concerned about, and take action against. 

What scientists found, was that eating high-fat diets can cause physical changes in the brain. These changes, have a shocking similarity to the changes that occur in the brain during the development to drugs, alcohol or other substances. These changes, scientists believe, is the actual physical formation of an addiction. These changes develop quickly, before the "addiction" has even fully matured. What this means is that: for a drug addict, the addiction is formed in the brain before the addiction has fully taken hold; and for an over-eater, the addiction to fatty foods is formed early, before the weight itself becomes an issue. This gives us so many clues as to why overweight individuals have such a hard time laying off of fatty foods, successfully diet, or strictly adhere to diet plans.

The article above is one of the many of articles on Healthy Women, a website exploring women's health, pregnancy advice and other topics related to women.

Read more great articles from Healthy Women at:

Friday, January 4, 2013

Imaging Technology Building Jobs

Photo Courtesy of Southwesternimaging.com

 The medical industry has seen a large expansion in the United States in recent years, with the opening of hundreds of hospitals, thousands of medical centers, and hundreds of schools and technical programs offering education for jobs based in the medical industry. Partially due to the rapid growth of medical knowledge and technical breakthroughs, health care and health care professionals are in high demand currently.

The medical imaging sector has seen a good portion of the overall growth, with more students seeking education for nuclear medicine service degrees than any other sector in the medical industry. It is a very good thing that so many students have decided to go down this avenue of medical studies, because more and more medical centers are beginning to house their own medical imaging centers on premises, rather than referring patients to another location to have their scans done. This means that many more technicians are needed globally that have been trained in CT scanner processes.

It isn't just medical professionals who are reaping the benefits of job availability, technicians are also needed who can service and repair the actual imaging machines as well. These machines, such as PET scanners, Cardio MDs, Gamma cameras, and Biograph 16 machines, are highly technical and require skilled workers to be able to rectify any problems or glitches that the machines may encounter. With so many of these machines popping up around the country, engineers that are trained in maintenance and repair of the devices are highly sought after.

To learn more about medical imaging, imaging machinery, or occupational information, visit Southwestern Imaging online at:

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Synthetic Marijuana Side Effects Coming to Light

Courtesy of DrugRehab.us.

Several years ago, when synthetic marijuana (Often called K2 or Spice) began to gain popularity all over the United States as a legal replacement for marijuana, many users of the drug felt that since the desired affects obtained from smoking synthetic marijuana so closely resembled actual marijuana, that the negative effects would also be low and not serious. Now, as users have been abusing the drugs for some time, we have some insights into what the short and long term effects of synthetic marijuana use can include.

Circulatory

As it turns out, smoking synthetic marijuana has a devastating effect on the circulatory system as a whole. Depending on the strength of the "spice blend," a user's blood pressure can rise to dangerously high levels after just one "hit" of the drug. Not only does the inhaled smoke of this drug dilate the blood vessels to extreme levels, but the smoke also irritates the lining of the lungs so much, that the tissues begin to swell immediately have inhaling, inhibiting strong, deep breaths.

Skin

Drug rehab treatment centers treating addicts who have been smoking synthetic marijuana for extended periods of time have noticed skin issues in addicts that mirror the issues seen in users of methamphetamine. Burns and sores are common, as the chemicals cause a numbing sensation to the skin as it is leaving a user's body. These "down times" when an abuser is not using synthetic marijuana, the skin gives a crawling feeling, causing the individual to pick at or peel skin.

While these are just a few of the synthetic marijuana side effects found, side effects are plentiful with this drug. It is arguable that synthetic marijuana causes more common, acute, mild, and severe side effects than any other drug on the market. Ranging from constant pain, COPD, Hypertension, low blood sugar, atrophy, and more, these side effects are not light side effects -- these are quite serious. In light of these findings, drug addiction rehab professionals are shocked, and are striving to get users of this dangerous drug into addict treatment immediately, before additional damage to their bodies is done.

For more on synthetic marijuana, its dangerous side effects, treatment options, or counseling, call:
855-251-4307 
or visit online at:

Hypnotism For Addiction


The prospect of it has doctors and non-professionals buzzing all around the world; could it be possible to cure addiction, simply by hypnotizing the addict out of a yearn-for or dependency-to drugs?

The question is being asked, and quite seriously, by some researchers. In an article on Hypnosis addiction treatment from Addiction Treatment Magazine, proponents of the treatment tout the practice's ability to lessen and/or alleviate stress, manage pain, improve health, and positively affect one's overall mood and stride. Not only does the hypnosis provide successful cessation from drugs and alcohol, but also helps the patient feel more under control of his/her addiction recovery program.

While the practice is still in its infancy, preliminary results have been exceptionally promising, and could usher in a brand new way of thinking when it comes to treatment of addiction.

Read the entire article on hypnosis addiction treatment at: 



Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Guns Vs. Drugs: The Biggest Danger in Schools

With the horrors that unfolded only a few weeks ago in Newtown, Connecticut, many parents are holding a more vigilant eye out for dangers hidden within their children's schools. But are the worries about guns in schools outshining the more common and very real danger of drugs in schools?

The debate over gun control and the danger guns pose to school students has literally overtaken the airwaves for several weeks now and has some parents wondering why this one incident is overshadowing the constant threat of drugs in educational facilities and campuses.

It estimated that over half of all drug purchases and use by students in grades 1-12 take place on school campuses. The social, educational, and recreational center for kids ages 8-18 is the school, so it is no surprise that if a young adult or child were to come into contact with drugs and/or alcohol, it would likely be on school grounds. This, however, is still an unacceptable statistic, and proves the necessity for a hard look at exactly what we are doing to ensure our children's safety in schools.

While minimal efforts have been made to curb drug possession and use in schools, many feel that the efforts simply do not go far enough. Some parents feel that drug counseling programs in schools would be sufficient, while other parents feel that this is not necessary.

As it stands, if a student is caught with drugs or alcohol on campus, zero-tolerance policies simply expel that student, and the student must go to school elsewhere. Absolutely no sorts of drug rehab or drug counseling programs are provided nor offered.

While the recent school shootings are spurring reform in keeping students safe from the extreme chance that a mentally-troubled student will bring a gun onto campus, absolutely no changes are being looked into for the common problem that a perfectly normal student might bring drugs onto the campus.