Archive for the ‘health’ Category

Why?

During a bird pandemic you should remain as isolated from everybody outside your family as possible. Therefore, you should shop only for necessities: food, water, fuel and medicine.

Where?

Therefore, you should go only to a supermarket, drug store, gas station, convenience store or discount store.

A bird flu pandemic is not the time to buy furniture, clothes, electronic toys or tools. It’s not a good time to hang out at the mall.

When?

Go during the slowest periods possible, so you will be exposed to as few people as possible. Check out your area to learn what stores stay open 24 hours a day. Which ones are open until late at night? Or start early in the morning?

Go at the time you’ll most likely be the only one in the store except for a few employees.

How?

Gasoline may be in limited supply or totally out of stock. So you should not drive far.

Of course, you must make trade offs. If there’s a Wal-Mart open all night but it’s 3 miles away, that’s worth driving to at 4 AM so you’ll be alone except for the cashiers and the floor cleaners. However, driving to a store twenty miles away would use up too much gasoline.

Also, if you’re going to walk to the store to save gasoline, do so only during the day. Yes, you may be exposed to more people, but they’re less likely to rob you or worse. During a bird flu pandemic you cannot depend on law and order, so don’t go out after dark unless you are in your car.

What?

Bottled water

Canned vegetables

Canned fruit

Sauerkraut — good for encouraging growth of favorable bacteria in you, to discourage growth of H5N1. If you’re in Asia, substitute Kim Chi.

Hand operated can openers

Garlic

Onions

Pre-cooked meats

Raw meat only for as long as you have electricity and/or gas to cook it with.

Fresh vegetables

Fresh fruit

Horseradish

Ginger root

Dried meat

Cheese — low-fat preferred

Eggs

Fresh milk

Canned and dry milk

Canned fish

Canned meat

Quality vitamins and supplements, especially Vitamin C, selenium, zinc, Omega-3, lysine, beta glucan, Vitamin E, beta-carotene, Vitamin Bs, super green foods containing chlorophyl, ginseng, reservatrol, magnesium, DHEA, quercetin, bioflavanoids

Yogurt

Soap

Alcohol wipes

Antiseptic hand lotions

Propane

Kerosene

First aid supplies, including tea tree oil and NuSkin

Cold packs

Vaporizers

Toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoos — all personal care items

Toilet paper and diapers

Household soaps and detergents

Magazines and paperback books to read

Leave behind:

Gimmicks herbs that don’t increase your immune system functioning

Sugar and all sweet snacks and candy

Bread

Rice

Spaghetti and all noodles and pastas

Cigarettes

Alcohol

Fruit juices

Soft drinks

Reduce your risk of catching bird flu and strengthen your immune system to survive in case you do catch it.

Anything that increases your risk of catching bird flu is bad, as is anything that weakens your immune system.

A bird flu pandemic is not the time to be undisciplined and self-indulgent.

The pandemic is out of your personal control — but you increases your odds of surviving by the actions you take.

Most resistance from smokers of regular tobacco-based cigarettes comes from the fact they believe the so-called smoke-less, or electronic cigarettes, won’t taste the same. Truth is, the electronic cigarettes have been designed to be a real alternative, both in taste and feel, to a regular cigarette while instantly providing the smoker with the same degree of nicotine they expect with each drag.

Smoking an electronic cigarette involves a slightly different technique, similar to that of pipe smoking. Once the smoker takes a drag, nicotine is released directly into a mist and the sensation of it hitting the lungs is virtually identical to it’s tobacco based counterpart. Nicotine, on average, reaches the lungs within five to ten seconds.

Afterward, smokers of the electronic cigarette typically don’t complain of the soreness that typically accompanies smoking a regular cigarette, although some do experience a slight dryness from the propylene glycol; but this quickly passes.

Some manufacturers of the electronic cigarette have striven to mimic traditional brands of regular tobacco based cigarettes. The NJOY electronic cigarette, for example, comes in four strengths, zero (no nicotine) through strong (Marlboro) as well as flavored brands including menthol, apple or strawberry.

Another big difference between tobacco and electronic cigarettes is price. To get started, a starter kit is priced at about $110. A replacement (rechargeable) battery runs about $15, and the nicotine cartridges cost $25 for a set of five. Each set is equivalent to about two packs of cigarettes. Dollar for dollar, the electronic cigarette is actually cheaper than their unhealthy counterparts over time.

Most users polled the electronic cigarette is as close to the real things by as much as 90-95%. The vapor actually looks like smoke but is made up of water and other ingredients generally regarded as safe. The cartridges contain no tobacco nor do they produce tobacco smoke or smoke of any kind.

Another pleasant difference between electronic cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes is the incredible strength of the smell of stale tobacco given off by smokers. The smell permeates clothes, cars, carpets and drapes. This vanishes completely with electronic cigarettes, since there is no actual fire or burning tobacco. You’re not inhaling (nor exhaling) all the oxidized compounds, therefore there’s nothing left to cause an odor.

The downside in all of this, as if there were any, is the electronic cigarette will more than likely ruin the smoker’s desire to return to typical tobacco based products. After using the smokeless electronic cigarette, taste buds regenerate. After a few months, if an electronic smoker picks up a regular cigarette it will more than likely taste vile.

An added benefit is the ability for the electronic smoker to smoke in virtually any place or environment. Pubs, Clubs, restaurants, theaters and airplanes, places which have banned cigarette smoke for decades are completely legal for electronic smokers since the e-cigarette produces no illegal by-products, and therefore no secondhand smoke.

Like many smokers out there you have probably been hearing about a recent invention called an electronic cigarette. You’re probably skeptical of nicotine products that claim to be safer than traditional smoking. After all, the tobacco industry has been rife in the past with misguided attempts at safer smoking. Ranging from light cigarettes to low-tar efforts, it is easy to dismiss new cigarette types such as the electronic cigarette as another example of simply repackaging the same-old risky, smelly cigarettes.

Times have changed and consumers are more intelligent about smoking and tobacco products. In addition, technology has allowed innovative companies to create new and improved smoking alternatives that are actually safer to use. One of these new products is the electronic cigarette. Thanks to its incredible design, smokers can now enjoy all the benefits of traditional smoking without the hassle or dangers of harsh tobacco.

Many smokers believe nicotine is solely to blame for the health problems caused by tobacco use. While nicotine may be linked to an increase in blood pressure and cardiovascular problems in some smokers, it is not the culprit behind the most dangerous consequences of smoking: cancer and lung disease. Realizing the difference between tobacco and nicotine is a fundamental to answer the question: do electronic cigarettes work?

The short answer is: yes. Electronic cigarettes eliminate tobacco from the smoking equation, giving the smoker a safer cigarette with far fewer health consequences than those caused by traditional cigarettes and cigars. It accomplishes this through a revolutionary system that allows the smoker to enjoy smoking even in restricted areas such as planes, restaurants, and bars.

Electronic Cigarettes deliver nicotine through interchangeable cartridges that are swapped in and out of the cigarette over time. An electric charge turns the contents of the cartridge into an enjoyable vapor that gives the same sensation as cigarette inhalation. The vapor lacks the carcinogenic additives and harmful chemicals found in other cigarettes while still providing the enjoyable benefits of smoking.

In addition, the electronic cigarette is non-flammable and lasts longer than traditional tobacco products. Electronic cigarettes will also save you money compared to the financial burden of traditional cigarettes. It is a safer cigarette that does not ash or cause annoying stains, odors, and discolorations. In more ways than one, the electronic cigarette is the best option for any smoker seeking a safer, cleaner alternative to traditional smoking that still provides an enjoyable experience. If you’re asking if electronic cigarettes work, The answer is a resound yes, they do work, and if you’re concerned about the risks associated with smoking, they’ll work for you.

Since the late 1990s, with the advent of so-called electronic cigarette, manufactures have striven to create the best tasting, similar feeling smokeless cigarette. At the forefront, e-cigarettes is one of the premier US brands of electronic cigarette, tailoring a variety of e-cigarette lines to millions of customers.

Electronic cigarettes performs much the same way as does a traditional tobacco cigarette. Not only does the device resemble the look and feel of a cigarette or cigar, it delivers virtually the same pleasure without passing tar and other harmful carcinogens to both the smoker and the environment. The e-cigarette can be smoked just about anywhere their traditional counterparts have been banned, such as restaurants, beaches, the workplace and airplanes.

The non-flammable electronic cigarette is driven by safe, microelectronic technology, featuring a small rechargeable battery fitted in a cigarette-like device, which utilizes unique replaceable cartridges which contain water, propylene glycol (to simulate smoke), nicotine, a scene that emulates tobacco and other safe non-toxic flavorings.

The most encouraging aspect of electronic cigarettes is how the act of inhaling produces the same taste, feel and craving satisfaction traditional smokers are looking for, by triggering a vaporized mist that releases a simulated smoke. Nicotine reaches the lungs and provides its effects in less than ten seconds.

Electronic cigarettes are incredibly easy to use. It’s solid construction won’t crush or break like a tobacco cigarette. It can be stored in a purse, jacket pocket, glove box or any convenient location.

When you want to use the e-cig, all you need to do is unscrew the indicator light tip at the end of the device, insert a charged battery and screw the tip back on. Then, at the opposite end, screw on your choice of smoke cartridges. Now, you’re ready to go.

…It’s as easy as lighting up. Within a couple drags, you feel as if you’re smoking a regular cigarette. One cartridge will last the equivalent of about two packs (40 cigarettes) of traditional tobacco cigarettes.

Refill cartridges come in a variety of flavors ranging from typical tobacco brands, to menthol as well as fruit flavors. Cartridges also come in a variety of nicotine levels, aiding those who wish to quit smoking to slowly wean themselves off nicotine, in a similar but far more satisfying way than the traditional nicotine patches.

Other upsides of the electronic cigarette are simply financial. An average pack a day smoker will begin to see savings by the 40th day of using the product. Over the course of a year, the savings would amount to over $1000. Never mind the money saved in carpet, drapery and dry cleaning that comes from stale smoke that reeks in the homes and clothes of typical smokers.

If there was one reason, though, that should motivate smokers of traditional tobacco cigars and cigarettes to try the electronic cigarette, its for their health. More and more, cigarette companies use additives in their cigarettes that have been proven to be harmful to the smoking public.

For those most stalwart skeptics, a recent poll discovered that those who have switched to the electronic cigarette, report a 90-95% percent satisfaction rate.

Although many can benefit from a good air purifier, since most of us are exposed to both indoor and outdoor air that is polluted, if you have children, or are elderly, have asthma or other respiratory problems, allergies, cardiovascular disease or chemical sensitivities, you will especially benefits from breathing cleaner air in your home. However, selecting a good air purifier is not easy.

There are vast differences in air purifiers based on what types of irritants they clean, how efficient they are, how noisy they are and more. There are two basic categories of indoor air pollutants that air purifiers are designed to clean: particulate pollutants and gaseous pollutants.

Particulate pollutants can cause problems when they are smaller than 10 microns in diameter in particular because they can be easily inhaled into the lungs. The smallest of these tend to either get stuck in the lungs where they can remain for years or get absorbed into the bloodstream. The EPA has long recognized that fine particulate matter from smog and forest fires can be a serious health problem, exacerbating cardiovascular and respiratory problems and causing premature death. Numerous studies have associated particle pollution with increased hospital admissions, reduced lung function, shortened life spans, cancer and increased school absences. Most severely affected are children, the elderly, those with asthma and other respiratory problems, and those with cardiovascular disease.

Gaseous pollutants come from things like unvented gas cooking and heating appliances, cigarette smoking, vehicle exhaust, out gassing from furnishings and building materials like particle board & plywood, personal care items, cleaning products and paints and varnishes. Although paints and varnishes usually outgas fairly quickly, chemicals from furnishings like couches and mattresses, particle board and carpets can outgas for years. If you have a problem with gaseous pollutants because you have chemical sensitivities, asthma, or a new or recently remodeled home, you need an air filter that does a good job of removing these gases. If you can afford the additional expense, an air purifier that filters out gaseous pollutants and chemicals is probably good for all of us unless we have a perfectly “green” home, since we are all exposed to far too many chemicals today.

Small Air Cleaners

Very small air cleaners are simply not effective in eliminating pollen and dust. They also are not made to clean fine particulate matter or gaseous materials.

Electronic Air Cleaners and Ion & Ozone Generators

According to the EPA, electronic air cleaners and ion generators use an electronic charge to remove airborne particles. These devices may also produce ozone, which is a lung irritant. The EPA has specifically said that ozone generators are ineffective and a potential health hazard.

HEPA (Mechanical) Air Filters

High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters are used in industrial and medical clean rooms, and are increasingly used in residential air cleaners, as they are extremely effective in removing particulate matter, such as pollen and particulates from smog and forest fires. These filters are only “true” HEPA if they remove at least 99.97% of all particles larger than 3.0 microns. If the filter you are looking at calls itself “HEPA-type”, it may not be true HEPA. Always ask if you’re not sure.

Some air cleaners remove gaseous pollutants along with particles if they have some other special material in addition to HEPA-type filters. Often this is accomplished with activated carbon.

Top Rated Air Cleaner: IQ Air

In our opinion, one of the best brands of air purifiers is IQ Air. It is the top rated air cleaner according to Test (Stiftung Warentest), the prestigious German government funded testing agency. In fact, in their comparison of 10 air purifiers, IQ Air was found to remove airborne dust particles twice as quickly as the next best device. IQ Air is especially good at removing fine particulate matter from the air, which can be especially helpful to allergy or asthma sufferers. In addition, the IQ Air HealthPro and HealthPro Plus models will achieve at least 99.5% efficiency on particles of 0.16 micron and smaller. This is very important as these are the sizes that tend to lodge in the lungs. They also make a model that takes out gaseous pollutants as well.

In conclusion, it is important to decide if you need to have an air purifier that removes gaseous pollutants and well as particulate pollutants. The best type of particulate pollutant remover is a true HEPA filter. There are many brands out there, but none as highly rated as the IQ Air, made in Switzerland.

Since 2006, the electronic cigarette has attracted millions of people around the world who have switched from traditional cigarettes to the e-cigarette, also referred to as the “safe cigarette, the e-cigarette, and the smokeless cigarette”.

Electronic cigarettes share some aspects of there traditional counterparts, such as appearance, feel and taste of a normal cigarette. But the differences are substantial in that the “safe cigarette” gets it’s name because it produces none of the negative aspects of traditional smoking like tar, ignition (heat), up to 4000 types of chemical additives that often lead to respiratory and cardiac system diseases, nor the carcinogenic effects of traditional cigarettes.

Ever since the Surgeon General determined that cigarette smoking is hazardous to your health, cigarette companies have searched for ways to reduce tar and nicotine levels, in efforts to create a more safe smoking experience. Nothing, however, has ever come close to the electronic cigarette.

This revolutionary new smoking alternative, not only simulates cigarette smoke but also the temperature associated with dragging off a common cigarette (50-60 degrees Celsius), thus adding to the psychological habit without adding the hazardous substances which have proven to cause cancerous, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, hydrocyanic acid, acrolein, arsenic, lead and hydragyrum.

Smokeless cigarettes were first viewed with trepidation but more and more have become embraced by the public as well as the Medical Association. E-Cigarettes are now manufactured by a number of different companies throughout the US and China and are readily available across the United States and Europe, even the some of the most ardent skeptics have become believers once they try the electronic cigarette.

Adding to the safety benefits, the electronic cigarette has also been proven as a way for smokers to quit the habit, as the level of nicotine can be carefully monitored, thus giving the smoker the option of gradually lowering the level until he/she can quit without fear of withdrawals. Most electronic cigarette refill cartridges are available in full, medium, light and none, and while electronic cigarettes are not yet approved as smoking cessation devices, the potential for the devices to be used as such is somewhat obvious.

It’s recommended that people who have demonstrated a sensitivity or allergy to nicotine, pregnant or breastfeeding, or who have unstable heart conditions should discuss the use of an electronic cigarette device with a doctor before using one. Additionally, electronic cigarettes may not be used by anyone under the legal smoking age in your state.