Eggs and Cholesterol: Studies Differ on Whether to Limit Egg Consumption

If we are to enumerate some of the good things about eggs, these three will come out on top of the list: delicious, nourishing, and cost little. Turning to a couple of their drawbacks, eggs are high in cholesterol and can cause certain illnesses if consumed undercooked or, worse, raw. While the latter drawback appears quite easy to address with proper cooking, it is the former, ranged against the mentioned advantages, that causes much uncertainty to many people as to whether they should indulge or limit their intake.

In the late 1960's, the American Heart Association (AHA) advised that people should limit their weekly intake of eggs to three. This medical advisory was the result of several scientific studies which showed that having a continuously high level of blood cholesterol can pave the way for the development of atherosclerosis, the accumulation of cholesterol in the blood vessel walls that causes hardening of the arteries. This condition is a major underlying cause of stroke and heart attack.

But an analysis of more comprehensive studies undertaken much later by epidemiologists proved that healthy people can actually consume an egg every day and this won't likely have any considerable impact on their risk of having stroke or coronary heart disease. Because of this, the AHA withdrew its earlier advisory, declaring almost thirty years later from its issuance thereof that it was "...no longer making any new recommendation as to the number of eggs a person should consume each week..."; it further issued a revised guideline, advising people to "...limit (instead) their intake of cholesterol from foods having a high content of animal fats." In this way, the AHA said that the dietary guidelines for the intake of saturated fat can easily be met even when a person consumes eggs periodically.

On the average, a whole egg has only seventy calories; yet it supplies approximately ten percent of a person's daily protein requirements, on top of providing generous portions of other nourishing substances. An egg's yolk has about two hundred fifteen milligrams of dietary cholesterol, while the whole egg itself has about two grams of saturated fat. As has been established in many studies, high cholesterol levels are caused by saturated fat and not dietary cholesterol. These same studies point to the findings that consuming three eggs daily had virtually no effect on the blood cholesterol of the healthy young people who were tested.

It is evident from all these that our body acts toward cholesterol from eggs in a different way from how it reacts to cholesterol derived from other animal products. It is also possible, according to some health experts, that the other healthful nutrients in eggs - particularly choline (an alkaline compound that acts as a fat emulsifier) - have an opposing effect on what cholesterol does to the body.

Most health experts now say that consuming four to five eggs a week is safe for a person whose blood cholesterol is in the normal level. On the other hand, the same experts advise people with high levels of blood cholesterol to limit their consumption of eggs, and that they should focus on lowering saturated fat in their diet and on shedding excess weight. [Read the Original Article]

Sources: http://www.annecollins.com/diet_news/cholesterol-eggs.htm and "The Truth About Eggs" by Sebastien Stefanoy at http://www.askmen.com/sports/foodcourt_60/66b_eating_well.html

Contact Lenses: Their Advantages and Disadvantages Vs. Conventional Eyeglasses

When my daughter pressed earnestly for me to switch to contact lenses from my regular eyeglasses about a year ago, I was rather hesitant. This should be quite understandable for me as well as for the many other people who grew up prior to the advent of contact lenses, when these became widely prescribed and accepted alternatives to the conventional eyeglasses.

My hesitation then was mainly because I still had in mind the complaints of discomfort from wearers of the early forms of contact lenses which were made of hard plastic. My daughter had to do a brief discourse, telling me that what's retained in my mind is no longer true considering that the newer forms of contact lenses are more comfortable and less irritating to wear. The newer forms of contact lenses include those with soft lenses, which are more easily tolerated when worn. There are also the types that are made of gas-permeable hard lenses, which permit oxygen to reach the eye's cornea; these are what I'm using today.

The popularity of contact lenses is due to several advantages they have over using conventional eyeglasses. To begin with, many people prefer the way they look wearing contact lenses than when they have their eyeglasses on. Unlike eyeglasses which tend to form steam easily, contact lenses stay clear even with long, uninterrupted use. Again unlike eyeglasses which are "fixed," contact lenses move with the eyes and offer a broader field of clear vision. A significant advantage of contact lenses is that they remedy many vision problems more effectively than regular eyeglasses do.

But as in most other things, contact lenses have their own disadvantages, too. Foremost of these is that it takes some time to adapt to contact lenses; learning how to properly insert and remove them takes a considerable amount of practice. Compared to regular eyeglasses, contact lenses need to be handled more carefully, especially those made of soft lenses which tear easily. With the nature and size of contact lenses, they are much easier to be mislaid. Of course, contact lenses command a price higher than the regular eyeglasses'; on top of the price of the lenses, you will have to spend for the cost of the necessary adjustments, accessories or fittings, and cleaning materials.

Now for the cleaning part. It is decidedly more difficult to care for contact lenses. Whether you are using daily-wear soft lenses or gas-permeable hard lenses, you must remove and clean them every day. In fact, most optometrists suggest that even extended-wear contact lenses - those that have been certified for use for up to four weeks without interruption - should be removed for cleaning at least once a week.

The difficulty in cleaning contact lenses lies in carefully following certain hygienic procedures. For my contact lenses which, by the way, are the easiest to care for, the optometrist recommended the following series of cleaning steps after every use: wash them with a cleaning solution; using saline solution, rinse them off; finally, store them in soaking solution. Before reusing contact lenses, a wetting solution should be applied to moisten them.

In the case of soft lenses, mere washing and rinsing with solution are often not enough; they need to be sterilized after each use. Sterilizing soft lenses can be done either by immersing them for several hours in a sterilizing solution, or by placing them in a small piece of heating apparatus for an hour. Deviating from the cleaning method recommended by your optometrist can damage your contact lenses. Optometrists also require that you replace soft lenses every year. This is because soft lenses lose their clarity, as well as their ability to admit the passage of oxygen to the cornea, as they age.

If you are considering switching from eyeglasses to contact lenses, ask your optometrist to make plain to you all the advantages and disadvantages in greater detail. [Read the Original Article]

5 Kinds of Bacteria Your Cat Can Drag Into Your Home

Pets are said to benefit their owners' health in many ways. Some of the mentioned health benefits of caring for pet animals include decreased levels of blood fats and cholesterol in the bloodstream, slowing of heart rate, lowering of blood pressure, and stress reduction. But the health of pet owners also faces certain risks that can emanate from their furry friends. Allergies caused by pet animals have been shown to affect almost half of all the patients who see allergy specialists.

Of all the animals fondly cared for by pet owners, cats, especially males that have not been neutered, probably provoke allergic reactions the most. Studies show that dander and saliva, not fur, are the culprits. Dander (loose bits of dead skin) in particular can carry allergy-inducing substances, circulate with household particles or dust, and cause skin itching, sneezing, and watery eyes.

They are generally cuddly and gentle, but cats are known to carry a variety of bacteria that can cause diseases to humans ranging from the less severe to life-threatening ones. Five of these bacteria are identified here, each briefly discussed.

The bacterium Toxoplasma gondii, which causes the infection toxoplasmosis, can infect humans through contact with cat discharges or excrement, often from cleaning a litter box. The infection may present no symptoms; in pregnant women, however, it can cause birth deformities or defects or even miscarriage.

Bartonella henselae is the bacterium that causes cat scratch fever. The first symptom of this infection is swelling of the lymph nodes near the area of a cat scratch; pain in the joint may follow. Antibiotics are usually prescribed to treat this infection.

The cat-borne bacteria Bacillary angiomatosis and Rochalimaea henselae are transmitted either by eating contaminated food or through blood (penetrating through untreated cuts or wounds). The former causes skin and bone lesions, while the latter can serve as the inciting cause of chills and fever.

Cats are also known to carry salmonella. These bacteria can cause nausea, gastrointestinal inflammation, cramps, typhoid fever, and septicemia (blood poisoning). Salmonella is risky, at times even fatal, for three specific groups of people: young children, the elderly, and those who are immunodeficient. Extra caution should be taken, especially since, aside from cats, salmonella can also be carried by other pet animals like dogs and birds.

The essential point is that owners of pet animals must wash their hands thoroughly after handling their cats (or other pet animals) or cleaning a litter box, and especially before touching food or holding a baby. [Read the Original Article]

Sources: http://www.petstation.com/cat-zoonoses.html and http:baystatehealth.com/

Breakfast: Why Neglecting it is Deemed a Dietary Misdeed

If we are to describe a well-nourished person, we have to find someone who has these physical qualities: well-developed and strong muscles, well-structured bones, abundant vitality, a pleasing body contour, and an efficiently functioning body. Briefly mentioned, a well-nourished person is a healthy person. It isn't difficult at all to comprehend this, knowing fully well that the food a person consumes supplies the raw material out of which all body processes are sustained.

With the description of a healthy person aforementioned, would you be able to confidently answer in the affirmative when asked if you're a well-nourished person? Quite surprisingly, a lot of people - in fact, even in countries whose citizens have a high standard of living - are not well-nourished. This is because there are certain dietary habits that cause this seemingly prevalent malnutrition.

Some of these practices (misdeeds actually) pertain to "eating too much," as in eating more food than the body needs, eating snacks between regular meals, and eating too much sugar and processed food. But among these dietary "sins," one stands out as that which is most often committed and is quite the opposite of the others - neglecting breakfast.

Not having the time is the usual excuse given for skipping breakfast. This justification is probably a sign of the lack of moderation in an individual's sleeping habits. Not getting to bed on time and thus lacking in sufficient sleep, the person gets up late, prepares in haste, and rushes to work (or to her first engagement for the day), completely neglecting breakfast in this dissipating routine.

This slighting of breakfast easily turns into a habit, the very reason why we hear many people say that they don't feel hungry for breakfast. But these very people who make such a claim become hungry before lunchtime and yield to a midmorning snack. This habit effectively removes the inherent craving for lunch, and a habit of impropriety eventually develops, with lots of calories being obtained from snacks rather than from nutritionally balanced regular meals.

Breakfast is very important in that, as the term itself suggests, it is the first meal of the day. During the night, the energy required to carry on essential bodily functions has been taken out from the body's reserves until these are, in some measure, depleted. It is therefore necessary to replenish them at the beginning of the new day. Obviously, breakfast has to be nutritiously sufficient; it should consist of more than just enough energy food (whole grain cereals are a good example) to sustain the person for the next two hours or so. This, of course, should include foods that are rich in protein (milk and meat), vitamins and minerals (fresh fruits), plus the right amount of fat.

Equally important is that breakfast has to have taste appeal. This encourages an attitude of cheerfulness and optimism which sets the tempo, mentally, for the many activities of the day. [Read the Original Article]

Choosing the Type of Air Purifier for the Kinds of Pollutants You Want Removed

We worry much about the air pollution outside our homes. There are dust, smoke, gases and chemical odors to justify our concern. But these pollutants, and maybe even more (animal dander, mold, and pollen), may also be present in the air inside our homes. It is for these different kinds of pollutants that the various types of air purifiers were made. Some types of air purifiers are effective in eliminating certain kinds of pollutants. It is therefore important that you first determine which pollutants you want to get rid of before buying a unit.

An air purifier that uses an activated carbon filter is best for ridding your home of noxious odors, such as those that emanate from tobacco smoke, perfume, formaldehyde, and pesticides. Those units without any special media (such as activated carbon) won't work against gaseous pollutants.

In reducing cigarette smoke, an electronic air purifier is most effective. However, this unit may not eliminate the odor. Two different varieties - negative-ionizing cleaners and electrostatic cleaners - charge particles in the air so that they can be collected by a special filter. While these units can counteract the obnoxious effect of some odors, they are not known to be effective in removing odorless gases (example, carbon monoxide). Also understand that these types of electronic air purifier won't work in relieving your allergy to dust, pollen, or animal dander.

A mechanical filtration system works best in trapping large particles, such as mold, pollen, and dust. An example of this type of air purifier is the high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) air filter. HEPA air filters, however, are effective in filtering only airborne particles; they are not as effective in getting rid of allergens, most of which quickly settle on surfaces. A hybrid unit that uses more than one type of filtration system is ideal for eliminating dust, pollen, gases, and odors.

The air purifier that you choose should match the size of your room. In order to know how many cubic feet of air per minute it can clean, look for the clean air delivery rate (CADR). Unless used in small areas, tabletop air purifiers are relatively ineffective. You also have to understand that no air purifier is effective on its own; it would therefore help a lot if the sources of the different pollutants are controlled.

If not properly installed and maintained, electronic air purifiers and negative-ionizing cleaners may produce ozone, a known lung irritant. Further, negative-ionizing cleaners, particularly those that lack a collection system, may eventually produce a hideous black film on your furniture and walls. Likewise, most air purifiers that are designed to eliminate gases may in fact send the gases right back into the air over time.

If you have central air conditioning, you can have a mechanical or electronic filter installed in the ducts. This can be equally effective in filtering allergens from the air. [Read the Original Article]

Useful Suggestions for Freezing and Defrosting Food Safely

Back in the 1800's, an icehouse - filled completely with natural ice from lakes that are carved into blocks - served as the means for freezing food. With the modern food-freezing method, we tend to value too lightly the luxury of foods; this inspite of our being able to enjoy foods (even those that are not in season), the whole year round. But more than the convenience that frozen foods provide, freezing likewise affords us the best possible way of preserving the nutritive substances in fresh food.

Freezing foods (or buying frozen foods) requires that you observe certain safety measures. For example, have you noticed that foods which don't readily freeze, when thawed and then refrozen, develop large ice crystals? These crystals destroy the food's cell walls, making the food excessively tender. Water-soluble vitamins, especially vitamin C, are also absorbed by these ice crystals, which go down the drain when the food is defrosted. A good way of preventing ice crystals from forming is to maintain the temperature in your freezer at zero degree Fahrenheit (negative eighteen degrees Celsius).

Always keep your freezer full as this keeps food colder than a nearly-empty one does. But leave some space around the items in your freezer to hasten the freezing process. This way, you can stack the foods once they freeze. The best containers to place foods in when freezing are freezer-safe bags or wraps, heavy-duty aluminum foil, and those made of glass or plastic. If you choose to use freezer-safe bags or plastic containers, make sure that you get rid of as much air as possible before sealing them. This will keep air away from food and prevent freezer burn (depletion of food nutrients and liquids caused by exposure to air). A highly-suggested method is to secure foods in plastic wrap, then wrap tightly in foil.

Certain vegetables may require brief steaming or boiling, and then cooling quickly in an ice bath, before being placed in the freezer. This technique slows down enzyme activity that can cause the loss of nutrients in vegetables. Fruits, on the other hand, may have to be soaked in citric acid or lemon juice before freezing to ensure that their nutrients are retained.

Avoid buying packed frozen foods which have ice crystals on them, the reasons being those mentioned earlier in this article. Frozen foods should be bought at the supermarket last and unpacked at home first. Because supermarket wraps are usually permeable to fluids, it is suggested that you add another layer of wrap when freezing meats in their original supermarket wrap.

As important as strictly observing the safety measures when freezing food is making sure that defrosting them is done safely. In defrosting food, one rule that must not be ignored is to "never defrost food on the counter." Since the inside of food can remain frozen while the outside gets warm, bacteria can grow as the frozen food gets thawed on the counter. A method, which is considered the safest, is defrosting food right inside the refrigerator. However, this method defrosts food rather slowly, taking about a full day for every five pounds (about two kilograms) of food to thaw. Once food is defrosted this way, it can be refrozen.

A faster way of defrosting food is by means of a method known as cold-water bath. In this method, frozen food is sealed in a leakproof bag, and then immersed in cold water; water is changed every half an hour. Food defrosted this way should be cooked before refreezing.

The fastest way for defrosting food is through the use of microwave. In this method, the directions on the package or the microwave are simply followed; the food should then be cooked at once. As in the cold-water bath method, food defrosted by means of the microwave method should be cooked before being placed back in the freezer.

Another rule you must not fail to heed is that when frozen food begins to thaw as a result of power failure, cook it immediately. Food that has been above four degrees Celsius (forty degrees Fahrenheit) for more than a couple of hours should be thrown out. [Read the Original Article]

World No Tobacco Day, May 31: Urging People to Kick the Habit

Tobacco addiction is an epidemic involving the entire world. To an increasing degree, it devastates countries that can least afford its grievous price that is the three dreaded D's: disability, disease, and death; add to this lost productivity. It is unfortunate that the tobacco industry continues to place its own expansion and economic gains before the well-being of generations to come and human life itself. It proceeds and keeps up with its unilateral purpose of attaining for itself financial growth ahead of the sustainable development of struggling nations.

The aim of World No Tobacco Day is to urge countries around the world to work towards stringent control of tobacco products. Governments can start by heightening cognizance of the existence of the wide assortment of deadly tobacco products. Strict regulation should likewise aid people in getting the correct facts about tobacco products by throwing off all pretenses and revealing the reality behind these commodities.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately one third of the world's adult population are smokers. Tobacco causes death to over three million people around the world each year; about a third of these deaths currently take place in developing countries.

To deal with this alarming problem, WHO sponsors yearly a World No Tobacco Day to call attention to the grievousness of the effect of tobacco on health. Created in 1988 through a Resolution by the World Health Assembly ("...the supreme decision-making body for WHO" - http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2005/wha58/en/), the World No Tobacco Day is one of the four United Nations agency-related world days. Observed yearly on May 31, the World No Tobacco Day is the only noteworthy annual global activity instituted to elevate awareness of the international impact of tobacco use and advance a healthy environment that's free from tobacco.

This annual event apprises people from around the world on the perils of using tobacco, the business practices of companies manufacturing tobacco products, what WHO is actually doing in its relentless battle against the tobacco epidemic, and what people can do to claim their right to healthy living and to protect future generations.

Figures supplied by WHO show that close to forty-eight percent of men and nearly fourteen percent of women around the world smoke. It is predicted that the worldwide tobacco epidemic will cause premature deaths to some two hundred fifty million children and adolescents, a third of whom are in Third World countries. It is further predicted that in the next ten years or so, tobacco will become the leading cause of disability and death.

A study conducted by the World Bank estimates that the health care costs associated with illnesses caused by tobacco result in a global net loss of two hundred billion dollars per year, half of those losses occurring in developing countries.

These gloomy realities should help us realize that a healthy environment free from tobacco should not just be a one-day observance. Rather, it should be a year-round commitment. [Read the Original Article]

The Role of the Human Body's Natural Reflex Mechanisms in Preventing Injuries

Have you ever experienced riding in a car under the low-hanging branches of a tree and then lowering your head quickly to avoid the boughs inspite of being safe inside the car? It happened to me countless times and I'm sure many have gone through this rather embarrassing scenario, too. Coming to our wits, we realized at once that there was really nothing so abashing about it. The reaction was a result of one of our body's natural reflex mechanisms coming to work.

Because of these reflex mechanisms, many injuries are prevented. Consider these other examples on how our body's automatic reflexes protect us from certain harm: When an insect threatens to enter a person's eye, he automatically blinks his eyelids. A person watching a ball game from the bleachers dodges instinctively when an errant ball flies too close to his head.

Reflex mechanisms are also at work even in the process of swallowing food or liquid. What happens during this simple process is that the whole voice box is raised in order that the entrance to the voice box is shut as food or liquid passes through the esophagus. Air is simultaneously carried into the windpipe and lungs by the opening through the voice box. If not for the reflex mechanism that shuts this air passage, stray food would find its way into the air passages. With the reflex mechanisms functioning perfectly, only food and liquid are allowed to pass through the esophagus, while only air goes into the windpipe.

In the event the usual reflex mechanism for preventing food and liquid from entering the windpipe malfunctions, a second reflex mechanism goes into work. This standby mechanism forces coughing and choking in case stray food gets into the windpipe or voice box. Consequently, air is forced out of the lungs instantly that it brings the stray food along with it.

The human body has been designed to confront unforeseen circumstances that might threaten its healthy state. For example, besides its ability to make its own repairs, such as healing bruises, mending lacerations, or even restoring broken bones to their normal state, the human body is likewise able to ward off in advance many injuries caused by accidents and diseases. Unfortunately, this is something we usually take for granted until the next baseball that goes awry passes several inches off our head, or a menacing fly attempts to enter our eye. Credit must go largely to the different reflex mechanisms of the human body. [Read the Original Article]

Hormone-Replacement Therapy and the Beneficial Effects of Estrogen in Women's Health

One of the most crucial decisions a woman has to make the moment she senses the onset of the "change of life" (menopause) is whether or not she should begin hormone-replacement therapy. This period in a woman's life, characterized by the dramatic reduction in the production of the woman's own hormones - particularly estrogen - which results to a number of discomforting symptoms, can be helped significantly by hormone-replacement therapy. It is likewise believed that this therapy can provide significant health benefits to a woman during this critical time in her life.

In menopause, the supply of estrogen and the other hormones that trigger menstruation is greatly reduced, altering the hormonal balance in the woman's body. The woman begins to feel such uncomfortable conditions as vaginal dryness, hot flashes, incontinence, aching joints, mood swings, and insomnia, all of which are related to the depleted supply of estrogen in the woman's body. Hormone-replacement therapy was introduced primarily as a means of alleviating, nay, eliminating these symptoms of menopause by replenishing the body's supply of estrogen. In time, hormone-replacement therapy became an even more vital contributor in women's health.

The female hormone estrogen was chiefly used when hormone-replacement therapy first came into use more than forty years ago. Several research and studies reveal how estrogen plays an important role in women's health. This female hormone, for example, has been found to fend off osteoporosis, the bone-thinning condition that affects especially older women. It has also been found to reduce a woman's risk of heart disease, which happens to be the major cause of death among older women. Estrogen is likewise known to hasten the healing of wound, retard the loss of memory, and even lessen the risk of colon cancer, especially when combined with progesterone (another female hormone).

Here are the other beneficial effects of estrogen in women's health: It maintains vaginal lubrication, which is often lost after menopause; it helps in keeping collagen intact, thus making the skin's wrinkling less pronounced; it alleviates depression; and it may prevent Alzheimer's disease. Hormone-replacement therapy may also be beneficial in case any one of these conditions is present: early menopause, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.

Be aware, though, that hormone-replacement therapy also has known health risks and can present certain disturbing side effects. These include an increased risk of developing gallbladder disease and irregular bleeding. Further, long-term use of replacement estrogens alone may increase the risk of developing uterine cancer. The presence of such factors as liver disease and a history of blood clots may also mean that hormone-replacement therapy can be risky for you. It is therefore necessary for you and your doctor to carefully weigh up both benefits and risks before you start hormone-replacement therapy. [Read the Original Article]

Sponges and Cutting Boards: Notorious Repositories of Bacteria in the Kitchen

Among the different places and rooms in the house, the kitchen is probably that one area where bacteria grow vigorously. And of the many things found and used in the kitchen, two items notoriously stand out for their being repositories of bacteria: sponges and cutting boards. Many of the bacteria that harbor in cutting boards and sponges are those that are known to cause food-borne maladies.

Cutting boards and sponges used in washing dishes, pots, pans, and other kitchen utensils often contain two kinds of bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus (or golden staph), a bacterium which frequently dwells in a person's nose or on the skin, is known to cause minor skin disorders, such as boils, pimples, carbuncles, cellulitis, furuncles, and abscesses. In more serious cases, it can cause meningitis, pneumonia, septicemia, and toxic shock syndrome - diseases that are life-threatening. The other kind of bacterium that cutting boards and sponges in the kitchen usually contain is Salmonella, a motile enterobacterium that causes food poisoning, gastrointestinal inflammation, and typhoid fever.

Each year, millions of people get sick of the various diseases and disorders mentioned here because of those two bacteria found in sponges and cutting boards. To lessen the risks, there are some preventive steps that we can take. Sponges, for example, should be disinfected by soaking them in about one liter of water mixed with one teaspoon of any disinfectant, especially chlorine. Before using the sponges again, let them air-dry completely. There are antibacterial sponges sold in the market that are touted to be safer to use than the conventional or ordinary type of sponges. However, pertinent laboratory examinations done reveal that these antibacterial sponges are no better than the ordinary ones. We should, therefore, not have too much confidence on the safety of this type of sponges.

In wiping up raw juices from poultry, beef, fish, or shellfish, it is generally advised to use clean paper towels instead of sponges. The paper towels should be discarded properly after use. Also, try to minimize the use of sponges when washing dishes, pots, and pans. Whenever possible, wash these items in a dishwasher.

As for the cutting boards, it is highly recommended that you use one that's made of plastic instead of wood. This is because it is a lot easier to wash bacteria off plastic than wood. Besides this, bacteria can easily penetrate wood, lodge in it, become inert, and then reactive when dampened - this despite the fact that wood is known to have antimicrobial properties.

Since bacteria can contaminate cutting boards and spread from one food to another, it is suggested that you use a separate cutting board for each type of food. For example, use one cutting board for poultry, meats, and fish; for other foods, use another cutting board. Here's a typical unhealthy example which, obviously, you should avoid doing: A cutting board is used to cut raw poultry containing raw eggs; this same cutting board is then used to cut raw salad ingredients.

With the use of hot, soapy water, wash all cutting boards thoroughly between uses. Rinse them thoroughly, and then let them air-dry, or use clean paper towels to pat them dry. If your cutting boards are made of plastic or acrylic, you can wash them in the dishwasher. Ideally, you should sanitize your cutting boards by pouring forth on their surface about three cups of water mixed with one teaspoon of bleach; let them stand for several minutes, and then wash them thoroughly. This procedure should be done at least once in a week. Also note that deeply-scarred cutting boards should be discarded in favor of new ones. This is because bacteria can become imbedded in the deep grooves of old cutting boards and may befoul food later on. [Read the Original Article]

Chlorine Everywhere: Should We Be Concerned?

More than two hundred years ago, a Scottish chemist named Charles Tennant mixed limestone and chlorine gas and came up with the chemical compound sodium hypochlorite (formula: NaOCl). On April 30, 1799, Tennant was granted patent #2312 for his creation of a powder bleach which is commonly known today as chlorine bleach. With this development, the world has become a cleaner, safer place to live. Today, chlorine bleach is widely used to whiten clothing and writing paper. It is also used on washable surfaces to remove mildew.

Chlorine, a greenish-yellow diatomic gas, has many uses: as an oxidizing agent, as a disinfecting agent in water purification, and especially as a bleaching agent. It is added to so many things that we use everyday, including household cleansers, washing machines, plastics, recycled paper, and swimming pools. In very small amounts, chlorine is used to disinfect or purify drinking water. For a time, the chlorine added to drinking water was thought to be harmful to health. This anxious concern was based on the fact that chlorine goes through numerous chemical transformations once added to water, resulting to the formation of small amounts of certain by-products that may cause cancer. However, researches and studies that are being undertaken continuously for close to three decades now all indicate that it is probably time this fear is put to rest; chlorinated drinking water isn't likely to increase cancer risk.

Chlorine bleach, on the other hand, is not totally exculpated. In fact, certain household hazards are associated with it. As examples: chlorine bleach dissolves out the dyes in non-colorfast fabric; it can discolor clothing, especially if the water used contains iron in large amount; and it gnaws through the fabric if not diluted properly.

But these household hazards may be insignificant if we compare them to the risks posed by chlorine bleach to our health. Some people, for example, may inadvertently combine chlorine bleach with other household products that contain acids or ammonia. Such combinations can emit deadly fumes. It is, therefore, necessary to always check the labels on, say, detergents for acids and ammonia before you add chlorine bleach to them.

Some people may find that fabrics washed in chlorine can be nettling to their skin, although chlorine is not known to be one of those substances that induce allergy. It's quite a relief to know, too, that the environment is safe from any possible threat of hazard from chlorine bleach that is used for laundry since this biodegrades innocuously into water and oxygen. [Read the Original Article]

When Should a Woman Begin Having Mammogram Tests?

My sister, who's three years older than me, had her second annual mammogram test last August. Before going through her first test last year, she consulted a number of friends in the medical profession to find out from them the benefits and risks of a mammogram test. Besides being assured of mammogram's safeness and of its benefits, the one advice she received which she remembers the most - and which made her decide on having that very first test - was that since she turned fifty then, it was all right for her to have annual mammogram tests, beginning that year.

Mammogram is one of the subdivisions of diagnostic radiology - specifically, a form of X-ray. It is used to visualize the breast's inside and aids a doctor in detecting malignant tumors with an accuracy of up to ninety-five percent, often in their earliest developmental stages when they can be dealt with medically without much difficulty. Medical experts have already confirmed the safeness and medical worth of mammogram, and there have been no significant opposition towards this professional assurance. The opposing views, rather, focus on when a woman should begin having mammogram tests.

Before tackling the age issue, it is important to first understand how a mammogram test works. As in the other types of X-ray, radiation is the key process on which a mammogram depends to take pictures of the body's interior; hence, the mammogram we ordinarily know is called film mammography. But in the case of digital mammography (which is the more advanced form of mammography) pictures are passed along directly to a computer screen, and then enhanced to produce more accurate pictures.

It was thought in the early years of mammography that annual screening may pose risk of cancer (particularly breast cancer) due to the radiation involved in the process. But this concern was promptly put to rest by the numerous trials and tests conducted, all of which proved that the slight exposure from such modern apparatus or machine such as mammogram hardly causes even the least of risks.

As to the question on when a woman should start to have annual mammogram tests, doctors suggest the age of fifty, although other medical experts say those in the age bracket of forty to forty-nine can start having the annual tests. For younger women, the value and reliability of mammogram remains a question. This is because the breasts of younger women are generally compact or predominantly filled, making the tests more difficult to analyze or interpret.

In general, doctors recommend that all women aged fifty to sixty-nine should undergo a mammogram test each year. The test should be in conjunction with a physical examination of the breasts to be conducted by a health professional trained in this specific field. This pair of procedures is meant to diagnose breast cancer at its very early stage which can lead to a significant betterment in survival.

There are at least three conditions under which a woman of any age should consider having regular mammogram tests. These conditions, according to doctors, are: if the woman's breasts are large, which makes examination difficult to carry out; if the woman has cysts or other conditions related to her breasts; and if the woman has a premenopausal breast cancer history in her family. Doctors likewise emphasize on at least two other reminders or instructions to women when having a mammogram test, both of which are intended to increase the accuracy of the picture or image to be taken: On the day of the test, do not wear deodorant or creams of any kind on your underarms or torso. Have your test scheduled during the two weeks immediately following your period; it is easier to detect any disorder during this time. [Read the Original Article]

Menopause: a Natural Occurrence at a Critical Time

The menopause is a natural occurrence or condition that happens to every normal woman who lives out an average lifetime. Yet it is a critical time as well - the reason why the menopause is likewise referred to sometimes as climacteric - that a woman, before reaching this condition, should take all the necessary care to ensure that the perturbing influences are prevented, as well as to put her body into the best possible condition. She has to be completely aware and fully prepared of the fact that troubling symptoms often accompany the menopause. (In men, the condition is called andropause, but this will not be taken up here.)

Except during pregnancy or lactation (the period of milk secretion), menstrual cycles normally take place about once a month from puberty to the menopause stage. As the inevitable period of menopause draws closer, there is often an irregularity of the menstrual flow. It could either be too profuse/too frequent flow, or a missing of a period. Usually, the menopause occurs between the ages forty-five and fifty-five.

As the menopause nears, the pelvic organs start to become smaller. The sex organs begin to lose their reproductive power, too. Also at this time, the woman often experiences hot rushes accompanied by chilliness. In some cases, a woman may lose weight or fail in overall health, or she may have a poor appetite. There exist the conditions of weakness, nausea, belching, and manic depression. Symptoms that commonly burden women during the menopause include severe headache, pesky backache, constipation, digestive interference, pain in the breasts, and even fainting in some instances. There may even be a consistent feeling of uneasiness at times.

The menopause differs to a great extent in duration from woman to woman. Some women stop menstruating abruptly with no discomposing symptoms. Irregular menstrual symptoms ordinarily last from a few months to about a couple of years. But with some women, the symptoms may continue for years. To avoid the pains and distresses that normally accompany the menopause, there should be a conscious effort to treat the menstrual disorders ahead of time and to maintain good health.

Health experts suggest outdoor exercise, light work, healthful diet, and adequate sleep to improve overall health. Tonic treatments (example, cold mitten frictions applied daily) can make the menopausal symptoms less severe. Your doctor may also prescribe certain medicines, such as estrogen or other synthetic or semisynthetic steroids. However, before beginning with such hormone therapy, you and your doctor should thoroughly discuss and carefully consider its benefits and risks. For instance, hormone therapy can help retard the progress of osteoporosis by slowing down the accelerated loss of bone minerals (in some women, this problem occurs to a serious degree after menopause). But the same therapy may heighten the risk of developing uterine cancer. [Read the Original Article]