Just a few months of peace and we are at war again. This time against Swine Flu or Mexican Flu or North American Influenza. Just when we thought that we had seen enough of the viruses with the SARS and Bird Flu, comes the recent threat – Swine influenza! World Health Organization has raised the alarm declaring it as Pandemic of Phase 5 status. Cases of this disease were reported from various states of Mexico including Mexico City.

People are tensed, scared and worried too. To go by the recent reports, Swine flu has spread to some of the states in USA. Isolated cases have been reported in the states of California, Texas and Kansas. It does not end here, there’s more to it. Cases of swine flu in King County and two cases of swine flu in Washington State are reported which is off course no good news. However there have been no reports of swine flu in Seattle .

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Despite the widespread fear of swine influenza, majority of the people infected with this virus have had full recovery without the need for medical attention or antiviral drugs. Since there are myths surrounding swine flu it’s time to burst the bubble and know the facts:
What is swine flu?
Swine flu is a type A influenza virus which is found in pigs. Human infection is uncommon except for people who work and live close to pigs.

What is unusual about the present strain?
The new strain is a hybrid of swine, human and avian flu viruses. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – “it can spread from human to human but the level of virulence is not yet clear”.

What are the symptoms of Swine flu?
Symptoms are very similar to regular human flu such as fever and chills, a cough, sore throat, headaches, aching limbs, and general malaise. However, there are reports of swine flu also causing vomiting and diarrhea. Respiratory failure and Pneumonia is also a symptom which can cause death.

Are there warning signs in children?
Children having averse to drinking, trouble in breathing, lethargy not waking up or not interacting, being so irritable that the child does not want to be held, flu-like are prone to swine flu. These symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough or fever with a rash.

Are there any drugs to treat swine flu?
Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) are the possible pharmaceutical drugs for cure of the disease and are effective in treating patients at an early stage . There is no vaccine for this flu.

Has the disease spread to the USA?
There have been cases in California, Texas, and Kansas, reported and tests are being carried out on students at a school in New York.

Equipped with the power of knowledge now off course we are ready too fight against swine influenza . After all, it is always easier to fight with a known enemy!

Teens complaint, their parents complaint too. Acne is a common skin problem not only the youngsters but also the elderly lot are tired off. Treating acne is a serious, time consuming affair. Acne occurs when the skin gets clogged with oil, dirt, sweat and dead skin cells. It is a skin disease which appears on face, neck, back and chest. 8 out of 10 teens and adolescents are affected by this but do not know how to treat cure this problem.

Here are some of the do’s and don’ts of treating acne:

Do’s
• Eat healthy foods including fresh fruits, vegetables, juices and herbs.
• Drink plenty of water around 2 liters everyday to wash off toxins from your body.
• Take a shower after a rigorous exercise session to remove the sweat produced during the session.
• Do wash your face properly before going to sleep.
• Take a steam bath once in a week to open the closed pores.
• Always use good quality cosmetics for your skin.
• Walk in the sunlight at least for 15 mins. This helps in Vitamin D production.
• Try to use natural and home made products for the skin.

Don’ts

• Consume junk foods, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, oily foods, pickles, sugar and aerated water.
• Take stress and sleep at least 8 hours everyday.
• Avoid pollution and constant change in temperature.
• Do not consume steroids, oral contraceptives and antibiotics.
• Do not pierce or squeeze pimples with your nail, tweezers or a pin.
• Avoid touching your face with dirty hands.
• Lots of caffeine intake causes acne, so avoid consuming tea and coffee.
• Don’t sleep with your make up on.

Glow with a radiant skin and guess what your mirror will have a tough time!

I don’t have stress. Have you ever come across a single individual off late who is lucky enough to make this statement? There is hardly any. Troubles at the work place, marital problems and chronic illness often lead to stress. Pre-marital tension or post pregnancy stress is also common. Your body strongly reacts in stressful situation like traffic jams, argument with a friend or jam packed schedule. So, the key question is that how do you find out that you are undergoing stress?

Do your family members, colleagues or friends often complaint that you have become short tempered and impatient? Then you are surely suffering from stress syndrome. Stress can disturb your physical health as well as your mental health. Stress affects the body, mind and behavior, an individual under stress tends to react differently in a normal situation. Common symptoms of stress are:
• Backache
• Chest pain
• Headache, high blood pressure
• Stomach upset and indigestion
• Insomnia
• Nausea, Dizziness
• Decreased immunity
These symptoms of stress are easily visible and your physical and psychological health gets affected by it. Other emotional symptoms of stress are:
• Restlessness, worrying, and depression,
• Lack of focus
• Burnout, irritability
• Loneliness
• Anxiety, anger
• Forgetfulness
Often you start with unusual habits of crying spells, smoking, alcohol or drug abuse, social withdrawal, angry outbursts and relationship conflicts when you are in stress. You also undergo nervous habits like nail biting and pacing. People even start grinding their teeth which is also a sign of stress. Consult a good doctor or psychologist and get yourself treated.

Keep heart disease at bay. Follow the tips.

Have Milk – According to a recent research people who took more than three daily servings of milk, yogurt, or cheese had almost four times lower systolic blood pressure than those who have half serving a day. It should be borne in mind that high blood pressure damages your arteries and increases the risk of heart attack.

Practice Martial Art – It has been found that 12 weeks of tai chi, a kind of gentle martial art, decreases the systolic pressure by almost 16 points.

Have Fishes – Studies have confirmed that higher resting heart rates increase chances of sudden heart attacks. But you can lower your heart rate by eating fish. In the recent times physicists have confirmed that people who eat five or more servings of fish (such as Tuna or Salmon) per month average 3.2 fewer beats per minute than those who eat less amount of fish.

Gulp Some Juices – The pomegranate juice doesn’t let your arteries harden. Some of the recent researches confirmed that pomegranate juice reduces the rate of cholesterol plaque build up by 30%. People who take juice regularly showed 50% increase in the production of nitric acid which helps in fighting plaque.

Daily Dose of Dark Soy – Having dark soy sauce in marinades, dipping sauces, salad dressing or soups can help fight the heart problems related to smoking, diabetes and obesity. It has to be taken into consideration that sauce has 10 times more anti-oxidants than wine which helps in keeping your heart healthy.

The Laugh Therapy – Did you know that the people who watch comedy films had better blood flow that those who watched grave and serious dramas?

Sleep Long – There are many people who have less than five hours of sleep, beware because according to a research people who have less than five hours of sleep each night are 30% more prone to heart ailments than those getting eight hours of sleep.

Take Deep Breaths – You can keep your blood pressure in control by taking 10 breaths per minute for 15 minutes a day for more than two months. Studies have showed that more beats per minute may delay your body’s excretion of salt and keep your heart safe.

Healing Music – Slow meditative musical rhythms is one of the ways by which you can keep your heart rate in check while fast and vibrant music can increase your heart beat.

So take care of your heart after all, prevention is always better than Cure!
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