Watermelon

An American favorite for meals and snacks. People can't seem to get enough of the sweet treat, and nutritionists have long appreciated the health benefits watermelon provides. Recently research has shed new light on its potential health benefits. Watermelon contains high concentrations of lycopene, an antioxidant that may help reduce the risks of cancer and other diseases.

Watermelon, the fruit that is really a Vegetable. Watermelon can be traced back to Africa and is part of the cucumber and squash family. Early watermelons were mainly rind and seeds. Today's varieties are larger, the flesh sweeter, the seeds smaller and the rind thinner. It is perhaps the most refreshing, thirst quenching fruit of all. Watermelon consists of 92% water and 8% sugar, so it is aptly named. Americans eat over 17 lbs of watermelon each year. The largest one on world record (Guinness Book of World Records) weighed 262 pounds.

Watermelons are available all year. The natural sweetness of watermelon makes it a favorite anytime of the year. It is a perfect addition to a salad, salsa, or cool drink. Top chunks of sweet watermelon with fruit flavored sherbets or sorbets.

Are cosmetics safe?

Yes, for the most part. Serious problems from cosmetics are rare. But sometimes problems can happen.

The most common injury from cosmetics is from scratching the eye with a mascara wand. Eye infections can result if the scratches go untreated. These infections can lead to ulcers on the cornea (clear covering of the eye), loss of lashes, or even blindness. To play it safe, never try to apply mascara while riding in a car, bus, train, or plane.

Sharing make-up can also lead to serious problems. Cosmetic brushes and sponges pick up bacteria from the skin. And if you moisten brushes with saliva, the problem can be worse. Washing your hands before using make-up will help prevent this problem.

Sleeping while wearing eye make-up can cause problems too. If mascara flakes into your eyes while you sleep, you might wake up with itching, bloodshot eyes, infections, or eye scratches. So be sure to remove all make-up before going to bed.

Cosmetic products that come in aerosol containers also can be a hazard. For example, it is dangerous to use aerosol hairspray near heat, fire, or while smoking. Until hairspray is fully dry, it can catch on fire and cause serious burns. Fires related to hairsprays have caused injuries and death. Aerosol sprays or powders also can cause lung damage if they are deeply inhaled into the lungs.

Dried Fruit

Drying is the oldest method of preserving food. The first European settlers in America often ate dried corn, apple, currants, grapes and meat. Sun drying of food was an easy way to prolong the life of food, but this form of dried food was different from what is available today. In different climates, the food dried differently because complete sun drying is dependent on very particular weather conditions. Drying eliminates moisture from the food resulting in a longer food life. Organisms that make food spoil require moisture to survive, so foods that have been completely dried have the longest life.

The methods of drying food, particularly fruits and vegetables, have become more sophisticated over time. The three most common methods used today are briefly described below:

• Solar: Solar dehydration of food requires 3 to 5 consecutive days of 95 degrees or above and low humidity. This climate is found only in limited areas in the United States.
• Oven: Foods are dried using a household kitchen oven. This method can be expensive as many hours are normally required to dry food. Oven dried foods are often times darker and more brittle than foods dried by other methods. This method is often suggested for first time dryers, as very little new equipment is required for this method.
• Dehydrator: This type of drying produces the highest quality product. An electric dehydrator may be purchased and various sizes and levels of quality are generally available.
  

Dried fruits and vegetables are high in fiber and carbohydrates and low in fat. However, dried foods are more calorically dense than their fresh counterparts. The recommended serving size for dried fruits and vegetables is half that of fresh.

Vitamin C is one nutrient that is destroyed by heat. Pretreating food with citrus juice can help increase the vitamin C content of the dried food.

Measles

Measles is a highly infectious disease caused by the Morbillivirus. The virus is spread from person to person through droplets in the air.

Symptoms take between 10 and 14 days to show after infection and include:

• rash;
• fever;
• cough;
• runny nose; and
• inflammation of the eye.
  

Complications of measles include ear, brain and lung infections, which can lead to brain damage and death.

Measles is a vaccine preventable disease. Measles vaccination is recommended as part of routine childhood immunisation. It is listed on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) Schedule and funded for children under the Immunise Australia Program. To receive measles immunisation, visit your local doctor or immunisation provider. It is important to note that the vaccine is provided at no cost, however a consultation fee may apply.

Doses are given at 12 months and 4 years of age. Immunisation against measles is achieved using combination vaccines. For information about immunisation in your area contact your State or Territory Health Department. For technical information or information about vaccines, refer to the measles section of the Australian Immunisation Handbook 9th Edition 2008 (NHMRC).

Brain Cancer

It is also called as Glioma, Meningioma. There are two main types of brain cancer. Primary brain cancer starts in the brain. Metastatic brain cancer starts somewhere else in the body and moves to the brain. Brain tumors can be benign, with no cancer cells, or malignant, with cancer cells that grow quickly.

Brain tumors can cause many symptoms. Some of the most common are

• Headaches, usually worse in the morning
• Nausea and vomiting
• Changes in your ability to talk, hear or see
• Problems with balance or walking
• Problems with thinking or memory
• Muscle jerking or twitching
• Numbness or tingling in arms or legs

What are the signs of depression?

Not all people with depression have the same symptoms. Some people might only have a few, and others a lot. If you have one or more of these symptoms for more than 2 weeks or months at a time, see your doctor.

• Feeling sad, anxious, or "empty"
• Feeling hopeless
• Loss of interest in hobbies and activities that you once enjoyed
• Decreased energy
• Difficulty staying focused, remembering, making decisions
• Sleeplessness, early morning awakening, or oversleeping and not wanting to get up
• No desire to eat and weight loss or eating to "feel better" and weight gain
• Thoughts of hurting yourself
• Thoughts of death or suicide
• Easily annoyed, bothered, or angered
• Constant physical symptoms that do not get better with treatment, such as headaches, upset stomach, and pain that doesn't go away.

Benefits of Exercise in a Weight Control Program

The benefits of exercise are many, from producing physically fit bodies to providing an outlet for fun and socialization. When added to a weight control program these benefits take on increased significance.

We already have noted that proper exercise can help control weight by burning excess body fat. It also has two other body-trimming advantages 1) exercise builds muscle tissue and muscle uses calories up at a faster rate than body fat; and 2) exercise helps reduce inches and a firm, lean body looks slimmer even if your weight remains the same.

Remember, fat does not "turn into" muscle, as is often believed. Fat and muscle are two entirely different substances and one cannot become the other. However, muscle does use calories at a faster rate than fat which directly affects your body's metabolic rate or energy requirement. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy required to sustain the body's functions at rest and it depends on your age, sex, body size, genes and body composition. People with high levels of muscle tend to have higher BMRs and use more calories in the resting stage.

Some studies have even shown that your metabolic rate stays elevated for some time after vigorous exercise, causing you to use even more calories throughout your day. Additional benefits may be seen in how exercise affects appetite. A lean person in good shape may eat more following increased activity, but the regular exercise will burn up the extra calories consumed. On the other hand, vigorous exercise has been reported to suppress appetite. And, physical activity can be used as a positive substitute for between meal snacking.

Stroke

A stroke occurs when blood supply to a part of the brain is cut off, and the cells in that part of the brain dies. When this happens, the functions that are controlled by that part of the brain are lost. Depending on which part of the brain is affected, a person may have different symptoms.

Blood is brought to the brain by blood vessels called arteries. A stroke happens when an artery to the brain is blocked or bursts. This may be due to high blood pressure or a weak artery wall from birth.

Causes & risk factors

Some risk factors for stroke are unchangeable (e.g. age and family history).

Others are related to our lifestyle. They include:

Smoking

Overweight
Being overweight increases your chances of getting other stroke risk factors like high blood pressure, heart disease, high blood cholesterol, atherosclerosis and diabetes.

Diet
Eating foods which have excess salt and are high in saturated fat can lead to high blood pressure and thus increase your risk of stroke.

Sedentary lifestyle
Being inactive increases your risk of being overweight and having other stroke risk factors.

Alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol increases your risk of stroke.

Stress
Stress, if not managed properly, can lead to high blood pressure.

Some medical conditions if poorly controlled can increase risk of stroke. These include:

• High blood pressure
• Atrial Fibrillation (a heart rhythm disorder)
• High LDL cholesterol
• Diabetes

Balanced diet

A balanced diet means getting the right types and amounts of foods and drinks to supply nutrition and energy for maintaining body cells, tissues, and organs, and for supporting normal growth and development.

Function

A well-balanced diet provides enough energy and nutrition for optimal growth and development.
Food Sources

Milk group (dairy products)

• Cheese: fat-free or reduced-fat (1%)
• Milk or buttermilk: fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%)
• Yogurt: fat-free or low-fat, regular or frozen
  

Meat and beans group

• Legumes (including beans, lentils, peas, and split peas)
• Meat (beef, pork, poultry with skin removed, game meats, fish, shellfish): select lean cuts; trim away visible fat; broil, roast, or poach
• Nuts and seeds (including almonds, hazelnuts, mixed nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, walnuts)
• Tofu, tempeh, and other soy-protein products
  

Fruit group

• Apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, berries, dates, grapes, grapefruit, mangos, melons, oranges, peaches, pineapples, raisins and other unsweetened dried fruits, tangerines
• 100% fruit juice
  

Vegetable group

• Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, collard and other greens, cucumbers, green beans, kale, lettuces, potatoes, radishes, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes
• 100% vegetable juice
  

Grain group (breads and cereals)

• Enriched, whole-grain breads, rolls, English muffins, bagels, cereals (hot and cold), and pasta
• Grits
• Rice
  

Oil

• Light or low-fat salad dressing
• Low-fat mayonnaise
• Vegetable oil
  

Side Effects

An unbalanced diet can cause problems with maintenance of:

• Body tissues
• Brain and nervous system function
• Growth and development
  

It can also cause problems with bone and muscle systems.

Chikun gunya

Chikungunya also known Chicken Guinea is a kind of viral fever caused by alpha virus
which is called Chikungunya Virus or Chicken Guinea virus. Chikungunya got its name from the
Makonde word which develops in Chikungunya victims as a result of Chikungunya symptom like
arthritis.

The disease is spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which are active only during the day time. These mosquitoes lay their eggs is fresh water only. Its been over six months since the Chikungunya fever outbreak was found in India. In India, the disease first started in Tamil Nadu, South India and gradually spread to the North.

Symptoms:

Chikungunya (Chicken Guinea) is not a fatal disease, but if the affected person has other
complications, the Chikungunya disease symptoms may aggravate and may result in complications and may even pose threat to life.

The main symptoms include severe temperature, body pain, pain in all the major joints with swelling, due to arthritis affecting multiple joints. In some cases, skin rashes, severe headache and conjunctival infection can also be found. Usually the body temperature or Chikungunya fever will be completely normal within 2 to 3 days, but the joint pain and swellings will last longer, usually 7 days to even 2 to 3 months.

Prevention:

The best way to avoid CHIKV infection is to prevent mosquito bites. Infected persons should
be isolated from further mosquito exposure in order to avoid transmission of infection to other
people. Stagnating water, a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, is the main cause for the scattering of the disease. Preventive measures for controlling proliferation of mosquitoes are eliminating stagnant water, getting rid of containers like food cans, used tyres, buckets, barrels etc which will retain water in the outdoor surroundings, covering water tanks properly etc.

Other precautions

• wear long sleeved clothes that will cover arms and legs for for protection against mosquitoes
• use mosquito repellent products or nets
• use insect repellents over the exposed parts of the body
• secure screens on windows and doors