The Health Blog

Electric wheelchairs are specially designed for those people who find it difficult to use manual wheelchairs. Electric wheelchairs don’t need any kind of physical power to be used in order to operate it. The invention of electric wheelchairs has been a blessing for many disabled people, because it considers and addresses the requirements of physically challenged people. With electric wheelchairs the disabled user feels competent to perform daily chores without any outside help. This makes a person feel more confident and helps to lead an independent life.

Models

Electric wheelchairs can be found in various different versions. The manufacturers consider the personal needs of different individuals. That is why they have come up with innumerous variations of electric wheelchairs. The different electric wheelchairs come in various sizes and weight options. This means there is an electric wheelchair for every individual of any height or weight. There are some specific electric wheelchairs that have been specially crafted for obese people and there are some that are designed mainly for the use of children. The options are also available in colors and foot pads and seats.

Laser acne treatment has gained a considerable amount of popularity among teenagers and adults who suffer from moderate to severe acne and acne scarring. There are a number of reasons why it has become popular, but before you rush into making a decision to use laser acne treatment, learn as much as you can about the procedure first. There are steps you ought to take prior to receiving laser treatments if you choose to use them, as well as steps you ought to take afterwards. This will increase the likelihood that laser acne treatment will be as effective as you had hoped.

Step 1: Learn as much as you can about laser acne treatment. There is nothing wrong with educating yourself about a particular medical procedure prior to making a decision whether or not it is right for you. Laser acne treatment is a relatively simple, commonly performed outpatient procedure and there is a lot of existing information available to you. There are a large number of informative web sites with good descriptions of the types of laser treatments available, the types of acne and acne scars best suited for laser acne treatment, and what to expect during a laser acne treatment procedure. If you do not have access to the Internet, or your Internet access is occasional, you will also be able to find information about the different aspects of laser acne treatment at your local library.

Not having your good night’s sleep is quite bothersome. Sleeping better usually brings a better day the following day. Imagine how frustrating it is when you wanted to sleep, yet you can’t? Been there!

Learn from the seven steps to sleep better, provided by the Reader’s Digest Asia.

One of the best ways to have a better sleep is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Avoid going to bed feeling stressed and worried. If you’re worried about falling asleep, it will be more difficult to fall asleep. Try not to eat too close to bedtime and avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks, as advised by the BBC Online.

We already have known some proven benefits of coffee. An additional benefit was found out in a recent report.

Participants reported their coffee-drinking habits. The data show that coffee drinkers were 41% less likely to have been diagnosed with liver cancer than people who don’t drink coffee.

For every daily cup of coffee people drank, their odds of having been diagnosed with liver cancer dropped by 23%, compared with people who never drink coffee.

People who drank a lot of coffee were 55% less likely to have been diagnosed with liver cancer than those who didn’t drink any coffee.

Because of the recent incident of food poisoning at this years Chicago Food Festival, parents were alarmed about the seriousness of this case, thus continue to seek immediate care for food poisoned patient. Here are some useful tips or home remedies while waiting for medical attention:

Short episodes of vomiting and small amounts of diarrhea lasting less than 24 hours can usually be cared for at home. Do not eat solid food while nauseous or vomiting but drink plenty of fluids.

• Small, frequent sips of clear liquids (those you can see through) are the best way to stay hydrated.
• Avoid alcoholic, caffeinated, or sugary drinks, if possible. Over–the–counter rehydration products made for children such as Pedialyte and Rehydralyte are expensive but good to use if available.
• Sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade are fine for adults if they are diluted with water because at full strength they contain too much sugar, which can worsen diarrhea.

Eating lots of sugary, starchy foods may make eyes more vulnerable to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), America’s top cause of vision loss - The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

AMD typically starts late in life. It affects the retina, located in the center of the eye. AMD can cause vision loss. Previous research shows that diets rich in antioxidants might help prevent AMD.

The new study adds one more diet tip: Go for carbohydrates that don’t make your blood sugar spike quickly.

Doing so might help prevent AMD, note the researchers. They included Chung-Jung Chiu, DDS, Ph.D., and Allen Taylor, Ph.D.. They work in Boston at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.

WebMD reports about the recent food poisoning incident at this year’s Tase of Chicago Food Festival held from June 29 to July 2, which sent at least 10 people to the hospital and sickened more than 100 others. At least nine festival-goers were infected with salmonella, presenting as fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, which may be bloody.

Most people recover from salmonella infection within a week. But some cases may be severe and even life-threatening. Babies, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems are more likely to experience severe illness from salmonella infection.

Food poisoning incidents can happen everywhere, at a family reunion, at a festival, at a restaurant or even at home. The good news is, it can be avoided if people were cautious enough. Experts suggested ways to prevent food poising:

A new children’s book written by award-wining writer Debjani Chatterjee encourages young people to follow their dreams and also provides self-management tips on asthma.

Funded by Asthma UK through the Challenge Fund, the book, entitled ‘A Special Assembly’, tells the story of a young south Asian boy called Raj, who has asthma and wants to follow in the footsteps of his favourite cricket player.

The book was commissioned by the Asian People’s Disability Alliance (APDA), a voluntary organisation managed and run by Asian people with disabilities. Alongside the story it provides information on managing asthma in a south Asian cultural and social context, with guidance notes for parents in English, Gujarati, Urdu and Bengali.

A breathing technique known as the Papworth method can cut asthma symptoms by a third, a new study finds.

The Papworth method is a sequence of breathing and relaxation exercises developed in the 1960s. The training involves a diaphragmatic breathing technique, emphasizes nose breathing and the development of a breathing pattern to suit current activity. The breathing exercises are accompanied by relaxation training and education focused on helping people integrate the exercises into their daily life and recognize the early signs of stress.

The study, published online ahead of print in Thorax, included 85 people with mild asthma. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either five sessions of treatment by the Papworth method in addition to their medical care, or to continue to rely on their usual drug therapy.

Healthday News - Pets can help build your child’s self esteem and self-confidence, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

They can also enrich your child’s emotional development by:

• Offering your child important exposure to issues like reproduction, birth, illness, accidents, death and grief.
• Teaching your child responsibility.
• Providing a connection to nature and teaching respect, empathy and patience for other living things.
• Offering unconditional love, loyalty, affection and comfort.

• Elevate your legs as much as possible. If you can take half-hour breaks during the day to rest, do it. It is important to raise your legs up above the level of your heart to get the maximum effect, and to do this for about a half-hour each time.
• Wear compression stockings (such as Ted Hose or Jobst stockings). The key is to put them on in the morning before you start walking around and before your veins become more swollen. If you try them and experience worsening pain, especially after you have been walking, remove them and see your health care provider. You may have problems with the blood supply to your legs (the arterial supply, which provides oxygen).
• If you are overweight, try to lose weight. A healthy diet high in fiber and low in fat and salt can help.
• Avoid alcohol, which can cause the veins in your legs to dilate.
• See your health care provider if you have problems such as chronic constipation, urinary retention, or chronic cough. Relieving conditions that are causing you to strain may help with the varicose veins.
• Avoid wearing tight clothing such as girdles or belts.
• Do not cross your legs when sitting.
• Walking is good exercise. It can help the muscles force the blood out of the deeper vein system.
• If you are driving on a trip or working at a desk all day, try to get up and walk around every hour or so to allow the muscles to pump the blood out of the veins.