Thursday, January 31, 2008

Color blindness

Color blindness (color vision deficiency) is an x-linked recessive trait. It means it is a trait that sits upon the X chromosome. The girls are XX and boys are XY, and a recessive trait can only be shown on the person if TWO recessive traits are present in the genotype. Girls would have to receive this trait both from their father and their mother to be affected. Since boys are XY, they only need one color blindness trait to be affected. Hence there is a greater probability that they would inherit it from either their mother or father.
It is recessive in the sense that if you have 1 normal copy of the X chromosome and 1 affected X chromosome; you are still able to see normally. That's why few women are color-blind. But in men, there is only 1 copy of the X chromosome present so if it is affected, then he will be color blind.
Red/Green color blindness is by far the most common form, about 99%, and causes problems in distinguishing reds and greens. Another color deficiency Blue/Yellow also exists, but is rare and there is no commonly available test for it.
There is no treatment for color blindness nor is it any significant disability. However, it can be very frustrating for individuals affected by it. Those who are not color blind seem to have the misconception that color blindness means that a color blind person sees only in black and white or shades of gray. While this sort of condition is possible, it is extremely rare. Being color blind does keep one from performing certain jobs and makes others difficult.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

INSULIN

Insulin has two critical roles in the body that we cannot live without. It can be the root cause of many health problems, including diabetes. Insulin carries sugar (glucose), fat and protein into your cells where they are used for energy and the repair of your cells. When you eat, a certain amount of the food will be converted into glucose and enter the bloodstream. As the sugar levels are high, the body senses it and the pancreas secretes insulin to lower the sugar level. This is insulin's second main function.
If you eat too much of any food, especially carbohydrates (starch and sugar) the levels of glucose in the blood rise to very high levels. In turn this triggers a large release of insulin from the pancreas. Your cells will take what they need and then insulin will begin the process of converting the excess glucose, fat and protein into fat and then put it all away in your fat cells. By combining foods the right way for your body, you will maintain optimum levels of insulin throughout the day.
The best way to control insulin and fight sugar cravings is to eat protein snacks when you are hungry or when you have severe "sweet" cravings. Also, try to limit yourself to three carbohydrate-containing meals per day and try to eat vegetables with most meals and snacks. A particularly good snack is non-fat cottage cheese and salsa. The only vegetables to avoid in the evening are corn, yellow or orange squash, peas, beets and carrots. They have high simple carbohydrate (sugar) content.
Good natural sources of protein for meals or snacks are:
Chicken breast TurkeyFish Lean PorkLean Steak 7% or less Ground BeefEgg whites Egg BeatersTofu Non-fat cottage cheeseNon-fat cheese Non-fat cream cheeseNon-fat sour cream Fat-free Ham or Canadian bacon
The key is to eat frequently throughout the day and also have a real sweet treat once a week if that will help you stay away from sweets the rest of the week.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

HOW TO COMBAT VIRAL COLD??

It is true that there is not much you can do if you have a cold, other than looking after yourself and keeping yourself as comfortable as possible. You can't 'heal' a cold, as it has to run its course, but you can take measures to prevent catching a secondary infection. The vast majority of human viral infections can be effectively fought by the body's own immune system, with a little help in the form of proper diet, hydration, and rest. Remember to take-in plenty of fluids and vitamin C (best in the form of fresh fruit, especially oranges) and don't let yourself get overtired. Taking a couple of paracetamol a couple of times each day can help if you're experiencing aching limbs. The main things though, are fluids and rest - get some early nights. As you probably know, viral infections cannot be treated with antibiotics.
Vics vapo rub on every part of your body from the bottom of your feet to your head and keep warm.Lots of liquids specially lemonade and orange juice and if it’s too much on your stomach take some tums anti acid.Natural ginger boiled in water take the skin off the ginger and boil it for a long time the darker the drink the better add some sugar.

Friday, October 19, 2007

FOOD POISONING

Food Poisoning – Reasons
Food poisoning refers to poisoning that occurs due to eating foods contaminated with toxins or poisonous substances secreted by some bacteria. Food poisoning is more common in areas with poor sanitation or living conditions (often occurs in community feasts, cooked and served under unhygienic conditions or food stored under such conditions for several hours).

Food Poisoning - Occurance
Food or water can get contaminated due to its handling by a person infected with or carrying micro-organisms causing food poisoning. Improper cleaning and washing of fruits and vegetables, and improper cooking of food can also cause food poisoning.

Food Poisoning - Symptoms
Food poisoning generally occurs within 2 to 3 hours of eating or drinking infected food or water. The symptoms include nausea (a feeling of vomiting), vomiting, pain in the abdomen and diarrhoea. Other symptoms are fever, cold sweats, weakness, headache and dehydration.

Food Poisoning - Diagnosis
For diagnosis, the doctor reviews the symptoms, examines the patient and suggests laboratory testing of a sample of stools and the suspected food if available. A very important symptom for diagnosing it is that all the people who ate the same food get infected. In such cases, a careful analysis of food, to correlate symptoms to the food items consumed by those affected and those unaffected helps to pinpoint the most likely item which might have been infected.

Food Poisoning - Treatment
The treatment is mostly supportive i.e. treatment of dehydration and replacing salts. Some patients may need treatment of symptoms like drugs to treat vomiting. Occasionally antibiotics may be required if the organisms are demonstrated on laboratory examination; however most of the time these are not required because patients improve soon after initiation of supportive measures.The doctor may prescribe medicines such as metronidazole, diloxanide, fluroate or norfloxacin. All the medicines should be taken as prescribed by the doctor even after the symptoms are gone, as the infection may return due to the presence of the organism causing the disease in the body.Self care measures include drinking clean or boiled water with some salt and sugar at frequent intervals to prevent the patient from getting dehydrated because of diarrhea and vomiting.

Food Poisoning - Prevention
Drinking water should be clean and safe. Food should be kept covered while stored to avoid flies and insects from sitting on it. Buying food from roadside vendors should be avoided. Fruits and vegetables should be washed properly before eating. Food should be cooked properly.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Organic Foods and Health

Toxins are contaminants that assault us on a daily basis in a timely manner. These toxins are in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the foods we eat. Eating organic food greatly reduces the toxins which we consume in our food. The health Conscious people are making Organic food more popular. The government has set certain regulations for growing organic foods commercially. The very best example is eggs which bear an organic certification label.

What is organic food? Organic food is food that is grown naturally without the aid of commercial fertilizers and chemicals like insecticides, herbicides, and anti-fungal substances. Organic growers use only organic fertilizers and remedies for growing plants. These foods are natural and unrefined. Feeding the animals food that has no chemicals added to it in turn produces organic animal products such as meat, poultry and eggs.

Advantages of organic food: There are several advantages for us in eating organic foods:
• There are considerably less toxins in the food as it is grown without the aid of chemicals and Fertilizers
• It is often better tasting
• Better for you-there are more nutrients in organic foods and Omega 3 is often found in organic eggs.

How Organic food will improve your health: A natural diet consisting of unrefined foods, more fiber less chemicals and toxins will improve your overall health in several ways:
• More fiber from fiber rich foods and those that are unrefined will help your digestive system and allow your whole body to function better.
• Some organic eggs are produced from chickens that are fed on vegetarian feed. This will cut down trans fat and animal fat in the eggs. Omega 3 is found in organic eggs, this substance can be good for the heart.
• There is more iron in the yolk of an organic egg.
• Due to the absence of refinement in organic food it is more satisfying and will help you with any weight loss program by encouraging you to eat less.
• Organic fruits and vegetables have more nutrition than commercially grown ones so you will be feeding your body with better food and improve your overall health.

Organic foods are the wave of the future as more people become more educated about their health and the foods that are good for them. At present, prices are a little higher for organic products but it is worth it when you consider the benefits. By switching to organic food you will improve your health and wellbeing and you will also be able to boost your immune system and help your body fight off diseases and toxins.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Tips to be Young

Research has found that people who generally liv e longer do so partly because of good habits. Here, Dr Vernon Coleman and others provide some of the following good habits for longevity.

1) Laugh & fun, don't be gloomy

2) Let bygones be bygones. Dwelling on the past inflicts unnecessary stress.

3) Early to bed, early to rise, is healthy & wise

4) Stay lean, being just 30% overweight is bad.

5) Keep learning, reading & socializing - an alert & active mind keeps brain cells healthy.

6) Keep working, doing something you like. Don't retire, it slows down your body.

7) Be the boss of your own life. Letting others push you around produces stress.

8) Too many pills ruin your body, take just what you need.

9) Constantly alternating between weight gain & loss is bad

10) Exercise, quit smoking and eat less fatty foods

11) Do not worry about health & death, just get on with your life and enjoy it.

Friday, September 7, 2007

Babies have more BONES than Adults

Babies have more bones than adults because as they grow up, some of the bones fuse together to form one bone. This in turn is because babies have more cartilage than bones. New born babies have around 305 bones. A baby's skeleton is mostly made of cartilages. As a person grows up, most of this cartilage turns into a bone in a process called Ossification. By Adulthood, the skeleton has just 206 bones. Isnt it a real WONDER???