Malorkan News

Most dictionaries define pandemic as “an epidemic that is
geographically widespread; occurring throughout a region
or even throughout the world.”

Recently, Klaus Stohr, the coordinator of the global infuenza
program at the World Health Organization predicted a bird flu
pandemic that would take more lives than the Spanish Flu of
1918 wherein 20-to-40 million perished.

He wasn’t the only expert who pressed the panic button.

United States Health and Human Secretary, Tommy Thompson,
said “This is a bomb that could impact the world.”

Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Centers for Disease
Control, Atlanta, Georgia, issued a warning to physicians
to be on the lookout for symptoms of the avian influenza virus
known as H5N1.

Even CIDRAP, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and
Policy at the University of Minnesota is alarmed. They have
this statement posted on their webiste: “If the next pandemic
strain is highly virulent (such as the 1918 strain) the
global death toll could be dramatic.”

The current fatality rate in Southeast Asia is 73%.

Now for the really bad news.

There is no vaccine available. And there won’t be for months.
Probably six-to-twelve months. Maybe longer. Clinical trials
take time. Usually a year. Then once it’s available, the
vaccine must be distributed worldwide. A logistical nightmare.

So what can you do to protect yourself and your family?

Three steps. And they should be done now, while the winds of
pandemic are blowing in Southeast Asia.

1. Buy a supply of oseltamivir, the only antiviral available
that seems to reduce the impact of the virus. It doesn’t kill
it, but it does give your body time to build immunity.

2. Buy the only filter mask that will block H5N1 and kill it
dead — no that mask is not the N95 series. You’d be wasting
your money on a N95. Nanomask is the one I strongly recommend.

3. Buy a supply of immunolin, the only blood protein on the
market that will strengthen your immune system against
horrific challenges like H5N1.

You can wait for your government to come up with a solution
to protect you, or you can become proactive. My family
has already taken the three steps outlined above, I
hope you will too.

Mr. Hart is the author of “H5N1 VIRUS: It’s Coming, Are You
Ready?” and is a member of the National Association of Science
Writers (NASW). He hosts a blog titled “Pathogen Alert” that
monitors H5N1 developments worldwide:
http://www.urgentebooks.com/blog, where he can be reached.

It is the bane of a person’s existence. Everybody gets it; everybody hates it. And once you have it, prepare to be tormented, embarrassed and humiliated. Such a small bump, so much at stake. So what is this little bundle of horror? What else but the dreaded pimple!

A pimple, or acne as some people calls it, is a dreaded red, swollen bump in the face. Nobody is spared from having it. Male or female, American, Chinese or Puerto Rican, they all have gotten it at some points of their lives and may even still have it. It is like a universal language; it is like a right of passage in a person’s life. Acne is a result of the hormones action on the skin’s oil glands (the sebaceous gland) which leads to clogged pores and outbreak of lesions like pimples, blemishes or acne. Acne commonly occurs in the neck, face, back, shoulders and chest because the sebaceous glands are most abundant in these locations. But the important question we should be asking to be able to avoid this dreaded “disease” is, “What causes this pain in the neck called acne?”

Unfortunately, the causes of acne cannot really be determined (unless your parents or their parents are acne infested too then there’s a big, big chance you’ll be called acne face by your peers and classmates) thus the acne myths are born! These myths claim to be the cause of acne. We shall enumerate them here.

Acne Myth Number 1

Acne is caused by not washing your face often and not scrubbing it hard enough. Many believed that acne is caused by dirt and dust in the face and by washing your face two-three even four times a day or even by scrubbing your face hard can prevent acne. Wrong, wrong, wrong! It is true that dirt and dust is unsightly to the face and washing the face is the way to eradicate them but washing often can actually irritate the skin more. Washing should not be done more than twice a day. More than twice is enough to strip the face of its natural oils making it dry. Also, scrubbing can cause inflammations. Washing the face should be done as gently as possible with the gentlest facial scrub.

Acne Myth Number 2

Improper Diet can cause acne. Certain foods that are oily like French fries and junk food can cause acne to erupt in our face. But scientific studies have not discovered any connection between these two. So this means that food does not cause acne. Though a proper and healthy diet is always good for our system, eating like a pig won’t make pimples a permanent resident in your face. So feel free to eat your favorite Lay’s, French fries and chocolates anytime.

Acne Myth Number 3

When you’re stressed acne tends to pop on your face like popcorn pops from a kernel. Not true. Stress is a part of our daily lives and believe it or not it is not a contributing factor to the acne residing in your face. Only severe stress treated by the doctor MAY cause acne to erupt only as a side effect of the drugs a person may be taking. If this is the case, consult your doctor immediately.

Kirsten Hawkins is a freelance writer specializing in skin conditions such as acne and rosacea. Visit www.acnesolution411.com/ for more information on acne and acne treatments.

Alternative medicine has grown in so many ways in North America. More people are visiting alternative medical practitioners than Western medical doctors. People spend more money on alternative medicine than they do out-of-pocket on Western medicine.

Another way that alternative medicine has grown is in the different labels. We have so many!

What do they all mean?

All these terms refer to a wide variety of healthcare practices originating from various countries and cultures. They include acupuncture, yoga, herbs, vitamin therapy, nutrition, exercise, reiki, reflexology, polarity and many, many other therapies.

However, each label also has its own unique twist when referring to this set of practices.

Let me take the labels one-by-one and give you a short description. Please note that these are my descriptions for each term, and other people may not agree. But I think I’m using the most widely-used definitions here.

Alternative Medicine

The term alternative medicine is probably the oldest and most widely used term. Unfortunately, it is also the most misleading.

Alternative medicine means that these healthcare practices (acupuncture, yoga, etc.) are used instead of Western medicine. A patient swears off any type of pharmaceutical drug or surgical technique and uses only Chinese medicine or homeopathy or whatever.

This hardly ever happens. Few patients are so myopic to close themselves off from all Western medical treatments. It really isn’t advisable. I know many, many holistic practitioners and I’ve never heard any of them advise a patient to close themselves off from Western medicine. How silly! Western medicine has its own benefits to offer too, why ignore them.

But, that is the real definition of alternative medicine. You can see why it is being phased out slowly.

Complementary Medicine

A newer term is complementary medicine. This means that the practices I list above may be used as a complement to Western medicine. You go to your doctor, and he prescribes some drugs and/or surgery, then if that doesn’t work, he asks you to try some other complementary approaches. Or, it may also mean when the above practices are used side-by-side with Western medicine. An example of this is when acupuncture is used for chemotherapy cancer patients to relieve the nausea and pain. This would be considered complementary medicine.

Be careful of the spelling here too. Complementary means a side-by-side approach to medicine. Complimentary means that it is free, no charge.

Integrative Medicine

A term pioneered by Dr. Andrew Weil from the University of Arizona is integrative medicine.

This means that physicians (Western and otherwise) have an integrated system of medicine that involves certain pieces of Western medicine and certain parts from the Chinese, Indian, etc. therapies that I listed above. All the therapies intermix and you have the best possible “super therapy” as a result.

As much as I like and respect Dr. Weil, I have to say that my experience says that truly integrative medicine does not yet exist anywhere yet. I’ve never seen a physician or any kind of practitioner who has an integrated plan for his patients that includes little bits of Western medicine and bits from multiple holistic practices.

This is probably the “Holy Grail” of medicine, but I think it will be a long time coming. The clinics that proclaim themselves to be “integrative medicine” centers are usually just a collection of different practitioners who share the rent together in one building. True integration would be great, I just haven’t seen it happen.

Wellness

If the previous terms have been misleading or overly optimistic, this term is really succinct and accurate. The term wellness applies to everything a person does to stay well. It is all about prevention and achieving the greatest health a person can achieve.

This is extremely accurate in describing the Chinese or Indian systems of medicine. And it is the best possible advice for patients, to get them on the track of staying well, rather than fixing illnesses.

But, as you might guess, this term has a problem too. (Don’t they all?) Wellness has been hijacked as a label for “early detection of disease.” Many hospitals have a “Wellness Center” where they conduct cancer screenings and do unnecessary MRI scans to look for problems or potential problems. These are great profit centers for the hospitals, but unfortunately they have ZERO to do with wellness.

Wellness is about eating right, getting enough sleep, exercising, taking the right herbs and having great relationships. It is NOT about early detection of disease. That doesn’t help you stay well, it just allows you to jump on an illness before it has the chance to become life-threatening. Valuable, sure, but it is not wellness.

Holistic Health

Finally, we come to the term holistic health. You could also call it holistic medicine or holistic practices. It is also sometimes spelled “wholistic.”

Holistic comes from “the whole.” It means to take a person as a whole being. The Chinese and Indian healing systems see a person, not just as a physical body, but as a body-mind-spirit. Their healing practices allow for all parts of the person and treat all parts equally. They have methodologies for solving problems in all three areas, and especially for finding problems that crisscross between body, mind and spirit (which most health problems do).

Holistic health is my favorite term. It too has problems, though. Sometimes, holistic health is perceived as a “New Age” term, evoking angels and witches and crystal balls. These off-beat practices can certainly be included as part of holistic health, but they are not at its center. Practices like naturopathy, homeopathy, Chinese medicine, Indian ayurveda are truly about holistic health.

But it will be hard to shake the New Age association for people who use the term holistic health.

There’s your whirlwind tour of definitions for alternative medicine. I hope this has been helpful. Use the definition that makes most sense to you. And be well!

Daryl Kulak is the author of Health Insurance Off the Grid, a book that provides a simple, effective plan to reduce insurance costs for the self-employed, unemployed and underinsured. The book puts the new Health Savings Account (HSA) together with alternative medicine to create a workable, cost-effective plan for many Americans. The book is available at the Website http://www.healthoffthegrid.com

Because of our mechanized and industrialized society we find toxic chemicals such as lead, mercury and arsenic polluting our food, air, water and soil. The human body works hard to eliminate toxins, but as exposure increases, the body is less able to detoxify. One way we can help eliminate these toxins is to have periodic fast days.

Fast days are very beneficial to help the body cleanse and heal. It is recommended
that you fast twice a month for a couple of days or better yet, fast one day a week.
Try to fast at least one day a month to start.

Because most of us are filled with toxins, it is much harder on the body to fast by
consuming only water. A juice fast is recommended over a water fast for people
beginning fasting for the first time. The juice of fruits and vegetables is filled with
healing, cleansing properties, which allow the body to gently and safely detoxify.
Juice is packed with vitamins, minerals, living enzymes, antioxidants and
phytochemicals. The nutrients go into the body and the toxins come out.

Juice fasting can include fresh juice, herbal teas sweetened with honey or Sucanat,
vegetable broth, Barley Green, wheatgrass juice, and supplements helpful to your
specific condition.

You may consider modifying the fast by including slices of avocado or banana to
slow the cleansing process. Modified juice fasting is good for those with health
restrictions such as diabetes or hypoglycemia. Bananas and avocados are slow to
digest and maintain a stable blood sugar level. Their high calorie content slows the
intensity of the fast and, because they are easy to digest, the body still devotes
energy to cleansing.

If you are concerned about the levels of toxins you may have in your body, a simple
hair mineral analysis can determine stored tissue levels of toxic metals. Hair
analysis should be done every 3 to 6 months to check metal levels.

Periodic fasting is a great way to get your body on the fast track to detoxification.

By Dianne Ronnow © 2005 Mohave Publishing. All rights reserved. From the
Enzyme-health Blog found at Enzyme-Health.com.

Dianne Ronnow’s best selling book, “Coconut Oil Diet Secrets” reveals how
thousands of people are losing weight and getting healthier with coconut oil diets.
To find out what the secrets of coconut oil dieting are, Check out her site at: Coconut-Oil-Diet.com. Get the book now
and start losing weight today!

The Kesi Art

The Kesi (or K’o-ssu) way originated during the Tang and Sui DynastiesKesi technique further developed during the Song time. The meaning of “Kesi” is “engraved silk” - describing rows of alternating colored threads that are cut at the ends after they are woven - and with a method and beauty that is widely known to rival that of embroidery techniques in Europe.

The Kesi is a labor intensive craftsmanship, weaving colored Chinese silk by hands on a 2000-thread loom in running the shuttle back and forth on a small surface and then cutting the threads at the ends.

One day of labour creates only a few centimeters of fabric at the maximum per output. A documented text stated during the Shunzhi of Qing Dynasty to prove the Kesi craftsman’s work on an imperial dragon robe to be a consuming process of 387 days in total from design to completion, which record was a proof of the extraordinary value of the Kesi technique.

Kesi silk is a great gift for loved ones or yourself. It’s an excellent way to decorate your living room, hang in your bedroom or use it as a point of relaxation in your study or maybe have a dress made out of it.

There are lots of sound reasons why you would require a garden shed and luckily there are cheap garden sheds to suit just about every last requirement. Cheap sheds may be purchased just about everyplace but what you will find is the price will change enormously. You should not have to give up the shed you wish because it is excessively dear though. A shed is something you buy once and use for a long time and if you take a look on the net you can discover Garden sheds at some pretty silly prices. I don’t mean silly and cheap as in quality but as in monetary value. You may find you can have the shed you want for the cost of the one you were close to settle for very much less and if you own a garden that you tend to each day you will almost in all probability require to look into a wooden garden shed as a space to place the fertilizer, tools and water hose etcetera.

Protecting your garden tools and having them easily accessible is a very good idea. You can find cheap sheds on the net that are the very same sheds you’d purchase in the shop. As A Matter Of Fact, you can go to the store and shop even spot them to see if it’s what you require and then you can go online and purchase it for a lot lower price. The difference in cost is remarkable!

For some, it’s a familiar scenario. You’ve been sitting for hours already in the stuffy boardroom. You and other key personnel in your organization have been trying to solve a sticky corporate problem that just defies solution. Nobody seems to be seeing eye to eye. Nerves are already on edge. You’ve got a life of your own. So have your colleagues. When will you get out of this place?

Then, without warning, one of you says something funny. Everybody roars with laughter. (Or are they just pretending?) Now, there are two possibilities.

Could be that this was just what the doctor ordered. A sudden and powerful release of pent-up emotions. Muscles that were tensed up a moment ago are now relaxed. With renewed vigor, you get back to the business at hand. So you’ll get home a little late tonight - so what?

Alternatively, the joke - or perhaps more accurately, the wisecrack - sounds awful funny for a moment, but the status quo quickly returns. The tension in your muscles, and in the air, doesn’t dissipate; on the contrary it intensifies. The only one in the room who possibly feels some emotional release is the guy who made the “humorous” comment, and even with him, it doesn’t last long. It’s quickly replaced by a feeling of emptiness, even depression.

And of course, there could be one hapless man or woman among the audience who not only feels edgy, but positively humiliated.

Life is full of trials and tribulations. We are surrounded by aggravating people, plans that didn’t work out the way we intended, situations that challenge our very sanity. We can’t always change the facts, but we can change the way we view a certain situation. And to bring such positive changes about, we can surely find no more efficient catalyst than humor.

We know how humor can improve relationships. Even the healing potential of humor is today openly acknowledged by the medical profession.

A good joke can be a spontaneous response to a certain situation. It doesn’t have to be the kind that you see posted all over the Internet or printed in a book. It doesn’t need to be funny enough to make people slap their sides in hysterics. If it produces a good feeling in those who hear it, it has achieved its purpose. Nothing more is required.

The problem is that many people fail to appreciate the fine but very distinct line between genuine, healthy humor and cynicism or sarcasm. That is dangerous. Many a school teacher, for example, whether innocently or maliciously, has ruined a child for life with his or her warped sense of humor.

Humor is a wonderful tool that helps to make the world a better place, but we must be careful that our personal brand is not really cynicism in disguise. A psychologist suggests these guidelines to help us distinguish between the two concepts:

• 
  How do you feel after your humorous comment is broadcast. Do you feel a sense of relief, or only emptiness?

• Is anyone in your audience forcing himself to laugh, while others are laughing at his expense? If so, that’s not humor, my friend!
• Examine your motives. What inspired you to crack that joke? A desire to calm others down or make them happy, or a desire to relieve your own destructive emotions such as anger, frustration or jealousy?

May your day be filled with laughter. And above all, may you merit to spread all those positive feelings to those around you.

Azriel Winnett is creator of Hodu.com - Your Communication Skills Portal. This popular free website helps you improve your communication and relationship skills in your business or professional life, in the family unit and on the social scene. New articles added almost daily. Visit Azriel’s Effective Communication blog at: http://hodu.com/blog.