oops............summer arrived

With temperatures regularly hitting gradually day by day in most parts of the world, summer isn't the favorite season for most people.Most people aren't aware of what heat does to them,until it's  bit late,because most people ignore  or aren't aware of the warning signs of  heat exposure or even heat stroke.If you're feeling any of the following symptoms, you need to start taking care of yourself a little  more and head to the nearest doctor.

• Head ache
• Nausea/ vomiting
• Dim or Blurred vision
• Profuse sweating           
• Muscle cramps
• Hot dry skin
• Exhaustion
• Dizziness /fainting
• Cold damp skin

Here are some tips which can easily be practiced to prevent heat related symptoms,particularly  during  the frequent power outages.Don't wait to call your doctor if you're not feeling well.Heat Strokes can be life threatening  and can hit quickly.

• Drink water sip all day, don't wait until you are thirsty.
• Avoid caffeinated beverages, sugarly soft drinks,and full strength fruit juices.
• If you're feeling lethargic, have salty lemonade or ORS,This will help you  to maintain the blood  electrolyte balance.
• Limit physical activity and cover your head when going outside to prevent direct  exposure to heat and the sun.
• Keep  shades down  and blinds closed, but windows should be slightly open to ensure constant ventilation
• Take baths,showers or to go for swimming.
• Wash your face frequently.This not only  cools you but also relaxes.
• Wear loose fitting,light colored,light weight cotton clothing.
• Eat light foods high in water content,such as fruits like watermelons,cucumbers,salads, and soups.Cut back on meat,greasy and spicy foods.
• Don't wait  or leave anyone unattended  in closed cars or other vehicles specially children.
• Don't take any medication without consulting your doctor but under no circumstances change your medication  on your own.
• Never go outside in direct sunlight if you are coming from your airconditioned room, take some time so that your body temperature rises according to ambient temperature.

Pet deaths prompt warnings on flea meds

EPA seeks to improve safety after increase in harm to dogs, cats

WASHINGTON - Products intended to treat cats and dogs for fleas and ticks kill hundreds of pets each year and injure tens of thousands, the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday as it outlined plans to make the products safer.

The EPA said it will develop stricter testing and evaluation requirements for flea and tick treatments that are applied to a pet’s skin. The agency also will begin reviewing labels to determine which ones need to say more clearly how to use the products.

The EPA’s effort follows increasing complaints from pet owners that the “spot-on” products have triggered reactions in dogs and cats, ranging from skin irritation to neurological problems to deaths. Cats and small dogs appear particularly vulnerable, the EPA said, especially when given products intended for larger animals. 

Steve Owens, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, said new restrictions will be placed on flea and tick products, with additional changes for specific products likely — including possible changes in some product formulas.

“These are poisons,” Owens said. “These are products designed to kill fleas and ticks — and they do their jobs.”

The EPA is committed to better protecting the health and safety of pets and families, Owens said, but added that pet owners “need to carefully read and follow all labeling before exposing your pet to a pesticide.”

The agency announced last April it was increasing scrutiny of topical flea and tick products because of the growing number of bad reactions reported.

The EPA said it received 44,263 reports of harmful reactions associated with topical flea and tick products in 2008, up from 28,895 in 2007. Reactions ranged from skin irritations to vomiting to seizures to, in about 600 cases, death of an animal.

An EPA spokesman said he did not have a breakdown of how many deaths were dogs and how many cats.

Dog and cat owners say their pets have suffered burns and welts on their skin; started to drool excessively; begun to shake uncontrollably; lost control of their legs or experienced other neurological problems after using the flea and tick treatments.

A 2009 study by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reported that the majority of illnesses linked to proper use of topical flea and tick products were mild. Cats were more susceptible than dogs to illnesses and deaths from misuse of the products, the report said.

“The important take-home message is that although adverse reactions can occur with all flea and tick products, most effects are relatively mild and include skin irritation and stomach upset,” said Dr. Steven Hansen, ASPCA veterinary toxicologist and senior vice president for animal health services.

Pet owners should keep using the products as directed when faced with a flea infestation, Hansen said.

 

Processed meat tied to ovarian cancer risk

Those who ate at least 4 servings a week had 18 percent higher risk

Women who eat a lot of processed meats, such as salami and hot dogs, are at a higher risk of ovarian cancer, according to a new Australian study.

At the same time, those who eat a lot of fish have a lower risk of the deadly tumors, Dr. Penny M. Webb of Gynecological Cancers Group at Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues found.

In their report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the team also found no link between red meat and the cancer, and just a slightly lower risk among women who consumed large amounts of poultry.

"This suggests that by following common dietary guidelines to reduce the intake of processed meats and increase the intake of poultry and fish, women may also reduce their risk of ovarian cancer," Webb and colleagues write.

Researchers re-analyzed data from older studies from more than 2,000 women with ovarian cancer and nearly 2,200 without it who were asked about their diets.

They found that women who ate four or more servings per week of processed meat had an 18 percent higher risk of ovarian cancer than those who ate one or fewer servings per week. Also, women consuming four or more fish meals per week had 24 percent less risk of ovarian cancer than those who ate less than one fish meal per week.

The absolute risk difference, however, was quite small: "In Australia, the risk of developing ovarian cancer before the age of 75 for a woman who eats a lot of processed meat is about 1 percent, compared to about 0.8 percent for those who eat little processed meat," Webb told Reuters Health by email.

Most studies of ovarian cancer risks have focused on lifetime exposure to estrogen, according to Marji McCullough, of the American Cancer Society, meaning women who enter puberty early, and go through menopause late, have a higher risk. "Very few dietary risk factors have been identified for this highly fatal cancer," McCullough told Reuters Health by email.

It's unclear why processed meats and fish would have any effect on ovarian cancer. "There are many theories, but no good evidence as yet," Webb said. "Processed meat contains compounds that could damage cells and thereby cause cancer. Conversely, the omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish are thought to be good for health in many ways and may possess anti-cancer properties."

McCullough noted that processed meats preserved with nitrites and nitrates can form nitrosamines, known causes of cancer in animals.

Click for related content

Slash hidden salt, medical panel urges FDA
School lunches called a national security threat
Is your boyfriend making you fat?
Eating well on a food stamp budget: $68.88

So should women cut out cold cuts? "The association we saw with processed meat is not that strong, so I do not think that women should immediately stop eating all processed meat to reduce their risk of ovarian cancer," Webb said.

"However, we know that there are also other health benefits associated with eating white meat and fish so I think that women should aim for a healthy diet that includes less processed meat and higher levels of poultry and fish," she continued. "This will have a number of health benefits and may also lower their risk of ovarian cancer."

McCullough said the findings are consistent with existing American Cancer Society dietary recommendations: limiting red and processed meats in the diet, and consuming a wide variety of vegetables and fruits.

She noted that there already are good reasons to limit consumption of red meat and processed meat to lower risk for colon cancer and heart disease. "It would be wise to limit processed meats to the occasional event, rather than to consume them as part of one's usual diet," McCullough said.

 

Nasal spray makes men more sensitive

Just a whiff of oxytocin may boost male empathy, study says

It is a common experience for many men: A girlfriend or wife starts crying out of nowhere and suddenly the guys are being accused of being insensitive.

Women are whizzes at reading, and even predicting, emotion in others. And they often expect their partners to be, too. Scientists, however, have joined the men's side, saying such expectations are unreasonable for the male kind.

A nasal spray that works like a performance enhancer for empathy brain circuits could render the bickering unnecessary, a new study suggests. 

Its key ingredient is oxytocin, a hormone known to promote social bonding. Men and women both have endogenous levels of oxytocin naturally created by the body — it likely helps them fall in love, spurs parenting instincts and makes orgasms, well, more orgasmic.

But women tend to have a special relationship with the hormone. It reaches particular highs during pregnancy and lactation, cementing the mother-infant bond. It might also help women be so adept at reading social cues.

To see whether men could acquire this same emotional expertise, the researchers gave 48 men and 26 women two empathy tests. One required using social cues (happy, angry or neutral facial expressions) to figure out the right answers in a game. The second test used pictures of various scenarios and asked subjects to rate how much the scene emotionally moved him or her (considered a test of "emotional empathy"). Participants were also asked to name the primary emotion of the main character in the scene (a test of "cognitive empathy").

As expected from previous studies, the women excelled at both tests. The men did well when it came to identifying the emotions of others, but not so hot at tasks that involved responding to, or learning from, emotional displays.

That is, not unless they had been sprayed with the empathy enhancer.

After being given oxytocin through a nasal mist, write the researchers this month in the Journal of Neuroscience, "emotional empathy responses in men were raised to levels similar to those found in untreated women." Not only were the men more affected by emotional scenes, but they also were better at learning tasks that required social cues.

The effects didn't last long though. The men needed another squirt two hours later.

Currently only available in lab settings, women can't exactly use the spray like feel-my-pain mace. But someday, write the researchers, "[oxytocin] may be a useful therapy in enhancing socially-motivated learning and emotional empathy in men."