Swine Flu Crisis Point for Healthcare

People around the world are trying to get their hands on more information about the newest crisis headlining the news, swine flu.  One source, the Wikipedia site has posted the following information in regard to the swine flu outbreak touching countries around the world:

“The 2009 swine flu outbreak is the spread of a new strain of H1N1 influenza virus that was first detected by public health agencies in March 2009. Localized outbreaks of influenza-like illness were detected in three areas initially in Mexico and soon after in the United States and Canada. Following the discovery of the new strain in the United States, its presence was quickly suspected on most continents, with over 1,800 candidate cases by April 27. Because it is not possible to confirm every one of such cases as being caused by an influenza virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) refers to them collectively as influenza-like illnesses (ILI).

Swine flu is considered widespread in the United States even though in North America pigs are routinely vaccinated for swine flu.  There is no vaccine for humans at this time.  The flu virus evolves quickly, making vaccines obsolete as almost as soon as developed.  There is no implication that the vaccine prepared for seasonal flu will defend against swine flu according to health officials.

Good hygiene is necessary in terms of prevention. Regular hand-washing and staying a safe distance from those infected are advised.  Q-Based Healthcare offers a variety of products to help with disinfecting needs.   PuraCleenRx READY-TO-USE Disinfectant Spray is designed specifically as a general non-acid cleaner and disinfectant for use in homes, hospitals, nursing homes, patient rooms, operating rooms, ICU areas, schools, transportation terminals, office buildings, manufacturing facilities, lodging establishments, retail businesses, veterinary clinics, pet shops, animal life science laboratories and athlete/recreational facilities where housekeeping is of prime importance in controlling the hazard of cross contamination. Go to http://shop.qbased.com/eco-friendly-environmental-cleaning-products-s/1.htm  for more information.

The new strain is derived in part from human influenzavirus A (subtype H1N1), and in part from two strains of swine influenza as well as an avian influenza.  In April both the WHO and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expressed serious concerns about this novel strain, because it apparently transmits from human to human, has had a relatively high mortality rate in Mexico, and because it has the potential to become a flu pandemic.

On April 25, 2009, the WHO determined the situation to be a formal “public health emergency of international concern”, with knowledge lacking in regard to “the clinical features, epidemiology, and virology of reported cases and the appropriate responses”.  Government health agencies around the world also expressed concerns over the outbreak and are monitoring the situation closely.”

So has Q-Based Healthcare.  Because of Q-Based Healthcare’s distinctive combination of scientific research and feedback from our customers, we have been able to perfect our formulations and regimens to meet the ever changing need of the public.  Since hygiene is an important factor in thwarting the spread of viruses we offer several products to incorporate into your regimen.   To get your hands on our products visit the following website:  http://shop.qbased.com/eco-friendly-environmental-cleaning-products-s/1.htm

Smiling through the Pain: Living with Arthritis

We have been covering arthritis and its effects since the beginning of our series and we will continue to do so.

Arthritis symptoms include inflammation of the joints and also limited movements of the joints that are infected. When these joints are inflamed because of arthritis, there will be a redness of the affected area as well as stiffness of the said joint (as mentioned above) and also swelling and warmth. Some forms of arthritis will actually affect the victim’s organs inside of the body. Therefore there will also be a medium grade fever in the victim as well as a feeling of tiredness, weight loss in some cases and sometimes the kidneys, lungs and heart will become affected. Some treatments for arthritis will depend on the type of arthritis that the patient has. You must be sure that your doctor has done all of the necessary tests in order to hone in on what type of arthritis that you have. The treatments that are available for arthritis patients include splinting, applying a cold pack to the affected area, physical therapy, anti inflammatory medications, parafin wax dip application, medications for the immune system, and in some cases surgery will be the only way that it can be fixed. As mentioned another form of treatment for rheumatic arthritis will be relaxation and rest, an improved diet, medications, exercise and also physical therapy so that the therapist can instruct you in the proper ways in which to use the affected parts (joints) in order to save energy and to bring the pain level down. Another sign that was already mentioned earlier of rheumatoid Arthritis is a feeling of fatigue. If you indeed have this then you should balance your work and rest for example, if you are in pain, then rest, when you feel somewhat ok, then it is alright to resume activity.

If you indeed have Arthritis, don’t feel like it is the end of the world, you can still engage in sports and exercise, it actually helps to bring down the stiffness that you may be feeling in the affected areas. The exercise will also help bring down your body weight which in turn brings the pain level down also because the affected limb won’t have as much of a “heavy load” so to speak to carry. Some exercises that many doctors recommend are:  Stretching and dancing, these are what is known as range-of-motion exercises. It also helps to relieve the stiffness in the joint and helps you to keep your range of motion in the joint. Strengthening exercises such as weight lifting, this will help you to keep your muscle strength that you originally had and also helps to make you stronger. Endurance exercises such as aerobic or bike riding, even a brisk walk will help to improve your cardiovascular health. Make sure that you keep a good diet regimen going. This goes hand and hand with the exercising, it will help you to stay healthy and your body needs this to help fight arthritis.

I can hear you already, “But it hurts. I don’t feel like moving much less exercising or dancing!”

Fair enough, but know this: You have to stay active to stay healthy. Becoming sedentary because of the discomfort will only lead to more health problems. The easiest way to fight the pain is to use topical arthritis pain rubs (we will review some of these next time) to let you get enough mobility back to get off the couch.  So get out there and live.

So you can learn to live with arthritis, but the secret is to keep on living.

See ya!

HealthGeek

Bed Bug Treatment Advice – Do’s and Don’ts

Many of you out there are probably going nuts right about now and wondering what in the world you are going to do about your bed bug infestation. Here is the scenario, you just found out that there is a possibility of your home being infested with bed bugs. What do you do? There are a few pointers which we can share with you today to ensure that you make it through this “catastrophe” as unscathed and untouched as when you went in.

First of all, do you even know for sure that your home is indeed infested with bedbugs? Research has shown that bed bugs are more common in apartments and hotels and not as common in homes. One of the ways that you can tell is if household members complain of getting bitten by something while they are sleeping. If you are searching your home for the presence of bed bugs, make sure that you go over the bedrooms very carefully as this is considered the hot zone for bed bugs.

Be sure to search the bed linen very closely because these critters can hide in the creases and the folds in the linen. They also love to hang out inside of the mattress and the box spring, this is where you are most likely to find the bed bugs and their eggs. Another place that bed bugs also love to hide are in the loose sections of wallpaper that is closest to the bed and also in the curtains of the window closest to your bed.

Always center your search at the bed and then search outwards. They love to hang out in the corners of your dresser or desk and also any furniture that you may have that are made with wicker. The bed bugs will also hide in laundry or any items that are on the floor in and around the room. Sometimes you will find dark brown or reddish colored fecal matter which are signs that the bed bugs are near. Another sign that you have bed bugs hanging around your home is that you will smell a coriander type odor that will be a sure sign that you have a lot of bed bugs hanging around.

If you’re a renter, you might be wondering what your rights are as a tenant and what your landlord should do in this situation. The landlord and owners of the property have certain legal obligations that state that they must make sure that the property is safe to live in. When you have an infestation like bed bugs this constitutes an unacceptable condition and your landlord MUST do something to rectify the situation. If you are still wondering about your rights just contact the health agency or housing control board in your state or country.

If you are a tenant then you must cooperate with the landlord or the owner of the property. This would include cleaning the apartment or house so that the person from pest control will have an easier time to inspect the premises and decide what needs to be done for treatment. Some companies can offer advice, but we have only found one company that provides help for both the tenant AND the landlord. Bed Bug Bureau gives help and instructions on how to work together to clean entire buildings of the bed bug menace.

For one thing, if you discover that you have a bed bug infestation, first of all, don’t panic. Panicking will not get anything done and will just make the situation even worse, especially if you have kids, if you show that you are scared than this will make your children scared and they need you to be strong at this point. Bed bugs are annoying but remember that you can get rid of them and many people have over the years. If you feel that you must help in the battle, contact the right people. Don’t use pesticides! There are plenty of non-toxic treatments out there you can get for very cheap.

Talk soon!

HealthGeek

Getting Rid of Bed Bugs – Impossible?

Well I tried to get into the next article on Arthritis, but there is so much clamor on the news about bed bugs, I think it’s best that we get back to that subject. Stay tuned your arthritis sufferers.. Your next installment is coming next week I promise.

Bed Bugs are tough to control…

Now that we know just what bed bugs are and that they are nasty little critters that are like tiny vampires that feed on us while we sleep we will be discussing ways that you can detect bed bugs and ways that you can get rid of these little monsters if you find that you are in a position that you are sharing your home with them.

You should know that there are a couple of different types of bugs that will look like bed bugs so you should be especially careful when identifying them. Be sure that you compare the captured critter with good, clear pictures of what the real thing looks like.

For some of the best video and still images of real live bed bugs, go to DeadBedBugs.com and check out the library of images and eguides on their habits and breeding cycles.

Because of the fact that there are up to seven different kinds of bugs that look almost like the bed bug, be sure to have good pictures (as stated above) or if you really want to figure it out in a hurry, bring the captured bed bug to a certified entomologist (bug specialist in lay terms!) to have it examined, the entomologist will clarify if it is indeed a bed bug.

Once you know for sure that the critter you have found is indeed a bed bug then you have to create a plan of action. You are going to have to come up with a game plan on how you are going to eradicate the little buggers that won’t cost too much and that won’t put you in contact with any kinds of insecticides that will possibly make you sick. Word of advice though, don’t throw out any furniture and don’t try any treatments without first having a game plan.

Now comes the fun part of searching your home for tell tale signs that these bugs are living with you. Be sure to be careful as you inspect your furniture, everything from your mattress, bed frame and other furniture for the eggs and their bed bugs. You might even see the skins of these bugs and the occasional blood spot caused by the bed bugs and this is often the sign that you have an infestation, but don’t bank on it.

Sometimes this just shows that there was a presence of the bugs but it doesn’t mean that they are still in the area. You have to look for the live ones to be sure and of course, make sure that it is an actual bed bug before considering treatment. The best piece of advice to start which cleaning is to reduce the clutter in your home because this just creates hiding places for the bed bugs to go. Limit any spot where you think these critters can hide.

Of course the main point and the most important one I might add is to clean the rooms that have been infested by the critters. Make sure that you scrub down the surfaces that appear to be infested by these bugs. Use a stiff brush when scrubbing to help to loosen the eggs from where they are sticking. Then use the strongest vacuum that you can find to suck those critters up, go over the same spots 4 or 5 times to ensure that none of them got away and be extra sure to hit those crevices and cracks in the walls where they can hide.

Sadly, these steps alone will not guarantee you get rid of an infestation. Bed bugs are tough and you should consider using the toughest bed bug killing system around. The folks at All Stop do a really good job of packaging the perfect kit for any home owner. You can find it at their deadbedbugs.com website – linked above. If you live in an apartment or condo, have your landlord visit bedbugbureau.com to learn about how to control these critters in a multi-unit dwelling.

I’ll keep studying the beg bug crisis, but next week back to the series.

HealthGeek

Different Types of Arthritis. Really?

We know now what arthritis is and basically who is prone to getting it so today we will be covering the different types of Arthritis that affects us in this day and age. Now many of you out there in today’s reading audience are aware of what this disease is and how difficult it is to live with it but stop for a second and just think that there are over one hundred different types of arthritis. That is a big number! Of the more common types of arthritis there are: Osteoarthritis, Gout, and Rheumatoid Arthritis..

We will also be covering what the symptoms of arthritis are and what causes it. That is a question that I am pretty sure many of you out there have asked yourselves over the years. Maybe you watched someone that you loved dearly suffer with the effects of arthritis and felt powerless to stop it. You won’t be able to stop it but at least now you will be more prepared in that you will arm yourself with knowledge about this disease.

Osteoarthritis: As stated, this is the most common type of arthritis and it affects the cartilage that covers the end of the bones. This causes the cartilage to wear away slowly. If your bones don’t have cartilage at the end to protect them the bones themselves will start to rub against each other and this will cause pain and inflammation.

This can happen in any joint in the body but it is most common in the hands and any bones that have to carry weight like the knees, hips and the facet joints in the spine. Osteoarthritis will occur when the cartilage degenerates as a person gets older. Doctors also refer to Osteoarthritis as Degenerative Joint Disease.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: This type is an extremely long lasting disease that can attack the joints in any part of a person’s body, the most common places that it hits is the knees, wrists and the hands of the victim. The person’s immune system attacks itself when it thinks it is doing a good thing. In turn, it causes the lining of the joint to swell and cause the person more pain.

Gout: This is another very painful form of Arthritis that will take hold of a person’s body and causes it to stop getting rid of the substance known as uric acid. The uric acid that builds up in the body will then form crystals in the joint that will cause the person severe pain and swelling. Most of the time it affects the wrist joints, the knees and also a person’s big toe.

You may be wondering what the symptoms of arthritis are, well, we have put together a list of what the main symptoms are said to be. Remember that every type of arthritis is different and in that they all have different symptoms. These symptoms will range in severity from each individual, just like each individual handles a cold different than the other. Osteoarthritis doesn’t normally have any symptoms aside from the joint pain.

The symptoms of other forms of arthritis sometimes include a fever, rash and fatigue, and also have the signs of inflammation in the joint, also:

1.The pain (of course)

2.Swelling of the affected area

3.Tenderness of the affected area

4.Redness of the affected area

5.warmth of the affected area

Now many of you might be wondering about what it is that causes arthritis to begin with right? As explained earlier, there are many types of arthritis and even more so that the medical community has yet to diagnose. There are many different things that can cause it but some researchers have stated that heredity plays a big part in it and the lifestyle choices of the affected person.

On a personal note: You won’t  believe this but I was actually stricken with Gout during the production of the series of articles. It made my ankle swell to the size of a football and I could not walk for two days, but didn’t actually realize it was gout until I went to the doctor.  Ironic eh?

We’ll dig deeper next time. Thanks for reading my blog!

HealthGeek

Arthritis – Beyond the Pain

Many people suffer from Arthritis every day and yet we don’t truly understand what this disease really is or what exactly it is doing to our bodies. Millions of people every year are diagnosed with this disease and it has become as common as the common cold. Many people will think “oh, arthritis well, my sister has it” they act like it is such a common occurrence but they don’t really understand the pain that a person goes through with this and the fact that this person will suffer needlessly for the rest of their lives with it.

Arthritis is a very sneaky disease and many people will only start to feel their bodies have pain and stiffness over a period of time. It might start out just being a little stiff in your hands or hips, even your knees will be difficult to move. You know that feeling, when you wake up in the morning and you feel stiff and sore, not being able to get up very easy…that is arthritis!

It is also said that arthritis can cause swelling and pain in the joints. Joints are the places where two bones meet, for example at your elbow. There are certain kinds of arthritis that will cause problems in your skin, chest and even your eyes! These problems are of course caused by inflammation, which is a swelling in the joints or the muscle, it is also your body’s way of saying “hey, there is something wrong here!”

You can learn even more about this ailment and at the DermaTech Reseach Center. It’s a great free site complete with charts and illustrations to help you or a loved one deal with the crippling effects of arthritis. It’s provided by the folks at Q-Based Healthcare, who manufacture arthritis relief solutions available at their All Stop Arthritis website.

So What to Do Now?

Many people worry that if they have arthritis that they will never be able to work, which is definitely not true, they even think that they can’t take care of their kids or their family. While it is a well known fact that arthritis hurts it doesn’t mean that it is the end of the world. You can still live your life and do all of the things you want to do, you just have to do it in a more careful manner. There are also different things that you can do to reduce the pain which we will discuss in the next few articles.

Surely you were aware that there are as many as seven different kinds or types of arthritis but we will only name the two most common ones here today, the first one is Rheumatoid Arthritis and the other is Osteoarthritis. In the next few paragraphs we will discuss these two types and fill you in on information pertaining to them.

Osteoarthritis: This is the type of arthritis that is found in most people. Surely you can say it is the most common. Usually this is found in people who are older and who have lived a very long and active life, usually it is found in the person’s hips, knees, fingers, basically any place on your body where you have joints. If as a youngster you twisted your knee or banged it really bad then years and years down the road that is when osteoarthritis will set in. It is because you once had an injury in that area.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: This is the type of arthritis that happens when a person’s imune system is not working well. It will affect the organs of your body the bones and the joints (most often the feet and hands). You might feel tired and run down, running a fever and just generally feel lousy.

Other things that can cause Arthritis are:

1.Gout which usually affects the person’s big toe. Gout is when the fluid in the joints crystallize.

2.Lupus which sadly you tend to hear about very often, this is where your body’s immune system basically goes haywire and starts to attack your own skin, kidneys, heart, your joints and even other organs in your body.

3.Viral hepatitis is another infection which attacks the person’s liver, when it is finally put under control the fight is not ended, this usually causes arthritis.

We’ll continue this series next week with more information to help you diagnose and deal with arthritis.

–

HealthGeek

Bed Bugs – Nighttime Nightmare

Many of you out there in cyberspace are probably wondering what in the world bed bugs are. You have grown up hearing the expression from your parents and grandparents “night night, don’t let the bed bugs bite” and then you are trying to fall asleep but you are fearing that some little insectoid munchkin with razor sharp teeth will eat you while you sleep.

Pretty scary picture isn’t it? Today we will be covering just what exactly a bed bug is. Are they real? Where do they come from? What do they live on? We will be answering these questions and more as we go through these next five articles that are a series of sorts on bed bugs.

So, just what are bed bugs exactly? We know we have heard of them growing up but have you ever stopped to think about just exactly what they are and where they came from? These bugs are about the same size as a poppy seed when they are first hatched, as adults they can get as big as a quarter of an inch. They have a flat (low to the ground) body and are oval shaped. Sounds pretty creepy right? Read on.

Bed bugs are said to be small (as explained previously) bugs that don’t have wings and they feed only on blood from a warm-blooded animal. Yes, you guessed it, they feed on us humans and anything else that has warm blood and a heartbeat. They are the descendants of what is known as nest parasites. Some of these species of bed bugs live in bird’s nests and where bats live, feeding on the blood of their host.

As mentioned earlier, bed bugs don’t have wings so of course they can’t fly, if they happen to be bothered they will run for cover and usually their cover will be dark cracks, for example cracks in the floor or walls, just to name a few places.

These bugs also shed their skin like snakes do, so sometimes if you look close enough you will find cast off skin of the bugs. If you do find these skins it doesn’t mean that the bed bugs are still around, sometimes they will cast off their skin and then move on because of lack of food or any other reason.

Many of us have grown up hearing all sorts of stories from the older generation about bed bugs and how they spread disease, but in fact, this has not yet been proven. As mentioned, bed bugs feed off of warm-blooded animals and this happens when the host is sleeping. When they are eating, the bed bug will inject a little bit of their spit (saliva) into the host’s skin.

Over time, as the bed bugs continue to do this, it might cause some people to become sensitized to the spit of these bugs, in turn the person might think that they have been bitten by mosquitoes or fleas. If you think that you have been bitten by a bed bug then you should talk to your doctor and let him have a look to be safe. The standard treatments for these types of bits is usually corticosteroids and antihistamines that stop inflammation and any allergic reactions that might occur.

But the best solution is to NEVER GET BITTEN! The only way to prevent bed bug bites is to detect them and destroy them before they get a foothold in your home. Next time, we’ll talk about some of the common solutions out there.

Sleep tight!

HealthGeek

Poison Ivy Season is Here

Well sitting down to compose this inaugural post of my new blog the subject was certainly a no-brainer. Summertime is now in full swing and with it comes the endless line of folks reporting poison ivy flareups. This party pooping affliction can strike anytime. Many people are immune to well known symptoms of contact with urushiol oil — the nitty gritty cause of poison ivy inflamation, but for people who develop painful itching contact dermatitis after a simple walk in the woods, summer is a very scary season.

Even more alarming is the fact that walking in the woods is just one of many possible activities that will expose your skin to urushiol oil. If you think about it, there are countless ways to make contact with the evil stuff that poison ivy flareups are made of.

For example, you’re tossing the kids grass-stained clothes in the washer… Gotcha!
Petting the family dog (who just came home from a walk in the woods… Gotcha!

You get the picture.

Of course the most obvious way to protect yourself would be not to touch anything. Isn’t that a lovely way to live? Since that might not be the best solution, we have to think about the best way to prevent direct and indirect poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac contact. Or better than that, lets think about how we can do anything we want and have fun this summer without living in fear of a week of hell caused by itchy, burning, leaking poison ivy boils.

Other bad ideas:

Dress up in a Taliban beekeeper suit? Nah!
Don’t let anything touch you? Good for some folks, but a few of us are the huggy-feely type.
Stay indoors all summer? Sounds fun… not!

A REAL SOLUTION

Luckily, there are now some treatments you can pick up that will prevent (yes prevent) poison ivy reaction. You still have to think ahead and apply them _before_ you head for the great outdoors, but of course I’m talking to intelligent beings from another planet so let’s assume you can handle the concept.

One example is a nifty little gel made by the All Stop people. It actually works to prevent poison ivy contact dermatitis. All you have to do is coat any exposed skin with a layer of the gel before you go into poison ivy country. The antiseptic gel (technically it’s called All Stop Healing Gel you can google it or click here for their page ) pulls a double duty. It protects you from urushiol oil reaction and it’s also one of the best treatments for poison ivy you can buy. You can get it from them in a couple sizes (the 2oz is perfect for a pocket).

I have used up several bottles and can’t say enough about it. I know we’re talking about poison ivy today, but believe me this gel works great on acne, burns (yes even sunburn), and minor abrasions. I keep a bottle in each medicine cabinet plus a few half full ones are buried somewhere in my camping gear. LOL

There are a few other treatments for poison ivy you can use after the fact, but this is the only one I have found that takes care of you before and after. Hey let’s face it, if you take the right steps before to prevent poison ivy, oak and sumac exposure, you’re already ahead of the game.

Now get out there and play — no worries!

HealthGeek