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.

If you are committed to the low carb way of eating, but also craving some of your old comfort foods you may still be able to satisfy those cravings with a little bit of creative substitution. Some of the foods that you used to know and love, have a low carb alternative available - the taste might be a little bit different but you will soon get used to that and be well on your way to happier and healthier eating!

Here’s some tips you can use to make your low carb cooking easier and tastier:

1. Make low carb bread crumbs for breaded foods. Foods like chicken Parmesan and stuffed peppers need to have a bread crumbs to have that full taste. While you may be able to buy low carb bread crumbs, you can also make them by using low carb bread. Simply toast the low carb bread in the oven on a cookie sheet. Once it is hard, grind it up in the food processor or blender.

2. Use soy flour or bake mix. When you need to use flour for baking or coating breaded foods, substitute soy flour or a bake mix like Atkins bake mix. You can convert your favorite recipes that use white flour to use these.

3. Use low carb chocolate bars for cookies and muffins. Now that you’ve converted your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe using soy flour, you don’t want to put in those high carb chocolate chips. Chop up a low carb chocolate bar into small pieces and use that instead.

4. Use Splenda instead of sugar. Recipes that call for sugar can be modified to use Splenda instead. It is much lighter so you will have to expirement with it and it may not work for everything but if does bake up nice for the most part.

5. Make great smoothies with low carb yogurt. Ok, well it’s not technically cooking, but if you love smoothies you can make them with low carb yogurt and fruit. Just make sure you use fruit that is low in carbs and the whole fruit not the juice as the fiber will help keep down the net carbs. Check my site below for a list of low carb fruits. Add a dash of vanilla or flavored syrup to the smoothie for added flavor.

6. For a great low carb pasta substitute use spaghetti squash. We all know that low carb pasta tastes horrible so why not try a food that is low in carbs and natural too. Cut the squash in half and bake at 400 degrees F for about 40 minutes. The squash will scrape out in strings and gives the texture and feeling of spaghetti. Trust me, it taste a lot better than the low carb pasta and has about 7 grams carbs per 1 cup serving.

Lee Dobbins is owner and editor of Low Carb Resource a site which features articles on low carb and low glycemic index eating and where you can find a collection of low carb recipes

Smoking to lose weight? Am I getting it right, or are my ears playing tricks with me? I am still in a right frame of mind and my ears have lost no power of audibility, then it must be the gravity of the situation that has shocked me, shaking me violently off my reverie. It is a heart throbbing experience, contemplating on the means we use to get to our own selfish ends, trampling any opposition ruthlessly and giving a deaf ear to the pleas for mercy of the vanquished, forgetting that it’s our own body we’re crushing into bits and tatters, shattering into pieces.

I still cannot comprehend or come into terms with the maddening trend, where girls take up a wholehearted effort and dedicated approach to smoking in order to lose weight. The grit and determination of this young generation of self-assured bevy of teeny-boppers to lose weight is so intense, displaying a maturity beyond their years that even an older woman would pride to boot about. My heart goes out to them, they who are hot and happening and they who throng the hot and happening places, with cigarettes in their lips, puffing the thoughts of obesity and overweight away. I am not sympathizing with their cause, rather I understand their plight.

It’s we, the older generation that has left indelible marks and set umpteen numbers of examples, leading the misguided bunch of youngsters to the road to perdition. We have been living on a daily diet of chemical-laden pills for any and every little ailments that befall us. We are just a bundle of contradictions, a mixture of opposites, who preach what we don’t practice. We pass across the message to the young generation that smoking is injurious to health, though we keep smoking all along. Tired of our lip-service, they look out for ways to fend for themselves. And left to themselves, they are sucked in by the myth that smoking, an appetite killer, can contain obesity.

With the Internet opening floodgates of information, bordering on total insanity at times, the young crowds have their hands full with theories and axioms on weight loss. As they scratch only the rim, they have their eyes set on the toppings, never for a moment relishing the rotting taste inside. They follow a simple logic: smoking leads to no appetite, no appetite leads to no food, no food leads to weight loss. But, my dear girl, life would be a bed of roses, if things were that simple. The Mama Mias of the world are not that stupid. Smoking can have severe repercussions and ramifications on weight loss itself; your weight loss strategy might fire back its cannons making you all the more obese.

Anyone would call upon the heavens to stand by the fact that smoking kills appetite. But few realize that when they smoke to lose weight, they lose their body to nicotine. You are bargaining for a Faustian deal, exchanging the welfare of your body for a glamorous look that is momentary. Well, grow up, Dr. Faustus had no happy ending, and you are playing with fire that will only engulf you in its flames with time. Once nicotine gets into your system, it is hard to completely remove its toxins. Say, you have been smoking and you have regained the figure you would kill for, but what next??

Would you give up the means as you have got to your ends? Smoking is not a commodity you can pick and throw as you wish; it has its own set of rules. To enlighten you with a simple example, the craving for your usual after dinner smoke would haunt you like a recurring nightmare if you try to give up smoking. The only way out is to have a rich sugary food that can compensate for the decreased sugar level in your body after you have quit smoking. So, you either continue smoking or stuff yourselves with cakes and chocolates. Ahem, not a nice situation to be in.

There is nothing like a free lunch, it always comes with a bill attached. When you sell your body to nicotine for that glossy look, you are the ultimate loser. You end up smoking, and you are still overweight and obese. So girls, better keep away from smoking, if you don’t want to get into the vicious cycle of smoking and obesity. You don’t need logic to comprehend “Smoking can make you Obese.”

Naorem is a freelancer who writes on various health issues.For the latest writeups on weight loss, obesity, depression, anxiety and the likes, log on to http://www.phentermine-effects.com

The method know as three dimensional ultrasound is used during early pregnancy, it provides 3d pictures of the unborn baby. Most of the time the ultrasound images are collected and combined and animated to make a 4d ultrasound scan.

Three dimensional scans works in the same way to the normal ultrasound methods except that the ultrasound waves are directed from multiple directions. The ultrasound pulses can be reflected back then captured to provide info to construct a 3d picture in very much the same way as 3d movies. 3 dimesional ultrasound was devised in the usa.

It’s important to understand that sonologists worldwide always pictured 3d images of the body in their minds whilst doing 2d scans. However, until recently it was impossible to do this type of reconstruction on patient data acquired using ultasound scanning. With the introduction of ultrasound baby scans for the first time allowed us a peek into the brain of a sonologist and hence letting us view the images on the ultrasound machine.

3d imaging should utilize ultrasound energy following the same limits as conventional 2d ultrasound to create the 3d images. While there is no information of harm due to 3d ultrasound, its use in non-medical situations should be undertaken with an understanding of the risks involved.

What sank the “Unsinkable Ship” the Titanic was not the tip of the iceberg, but the
lurking 90% percent of the iceberg hidden under the surface. In the movie you see
the captain steer the ship clear of the block of ice on top of the water, but
underneath not known to the captain, crew or passengers, the razor sharp ice was
splitting the steel bottom of the vessel like a stick of melted butter. Only after it was
too late that the damage was known to all. Only a handful survived!

If you do not do something quickly, Diabetes is going to get you the same way the
ice berg sank the unsinkable Titanic. The scary part of Diabetes is you can not see
it. It doesn’t neccessarily hang on you out in the open. Yes, you have excess weight
on you, but the damage is being done down under. Sure you may realize it, but it
may be too late. So instead of a gigantic ice cube slicing through you, you get a free
trip to the surgeon’s room only to come out, one limb less than your trip in. Sounds
morbid, doesn’t it? But, this is reality. If you do not see the iceberg coming you’re
going to slowly drown.

Diabetes is a silent killer. The way things are going; survivors are going to be only
the ones looking of a lifeboat now. Do not be fooled. You are not exempt from this
happening to you. You are not an unsinkable ship! Your lifeboat only comes in the
form of exercise and eating right. You think health care is scary now, wait a few
years and see the life boats coming in with the wounded, frozen and emotionally
drained. But, there is hope for you; here is what you do;

• Realize you’re not protected from diabetes, take preventive measures.

• Just start being active; get moving, increase your circulation.

• Control your complex carbohydrate intake, especially at night.

• Cut out or down on the soft drinks.

• Join a support group or get a workout partner to walk with.

• Get your blood checked often for diabetes.

• Check your body-fat levels: 30 percent of more equals obesity.

• By the sugar busters book, read it and start doing it.

Diabetes is such a sneaky dangerous disease. Today, you may be ok, tomorrow you
may fall prey to the iceberg. With diabetes it’s not what you see that can sink you!

START LOSING WEIGHT THE RIGHT WAY FOR GOOD TODAY!
click here http://www.resolutions.bz Discover the common sense way to lose
weight with out dieting that the doctor’s DON’T want you to know.
Greg Ryan is a best selling author, former employee of Kathy Smith,
and high profile fitness expert.

In recent years the issue of Alternative Healing has
skyrocketed to the forefront of the medical field.
A 2004 government survey concluded that more than one
third of adults use alternative medicine and healing.

One facet of this burgeoning interest is Herbal Medicine.
While it may seem “trendy” to some, Herbal Medicine has
been around for thousands of years. In fact, many of
the familiar pharmaceutical medications we use today
were originally created from “natural” ingredients.

Drugs like opium (from poppies), aspirin (from willow bark),
digitalis (from foxglove) and quinine (from the
cinchona tree.) Interestingly, the synthetic version
of “aspirin” is credited with the beginning of the
pharmaceutical industry. A chemist working for the
Friedrich Bayer Company in Germany created the synthetic.
The company registered the term “aspirin” as a trademark
but Bayer lost the patent rights when the Allies seized
and resold its foreign assets after World War I.

Here are 3 herbal remedies to help with popular conditions:

1. Arthritis.

The term Arthritis literally translates to “joint
inflammation.” If you suffer from Arthritis, chances are
you have taken drugs to combat the effects or tried other
“home remedies.” If you haven’t yet tried “Urtication,”
it might be helpful. The term “Urtication” comes from
the botanical name, Urtica dioica and dates back some
2,000 years to biblical times. Urtica dioica is
“Stinging Nettle. The treatment is to grasp the nettles
in a gloved hand and swat the sore joints with the nettles.
This may seem bizarre, but the practice has proven to be
so effective for some sufferers of arthritis that they
now maintain a nettle plant on their window sill.

2. High Blood Pressure.

Try vegetable soup. Yes, vegetable soup. Add any of the
following: Celery, Garlic, Hawthorn, Kudzu, Onion,
Tomato, Broccoli, Carrot, Purslane (any anything else
that contains magnesium), Saffron, Valerian, Fennel,
Oregano, Black Pepper, Basil and Tarragon. Consume on
a regular basis. Eliminate pork, beef, and alcohol
from your diet. Eat more plant foods and herbs and
use a good vitamin regimen.

3. Dandruff.

Create an herbal scalp rinse. Add one teaspoon of Potassium
Chloride (find in salt section at the supermarket) into
6 cups of water. Heat until the Potassium Chloride
dissolves. Chop four ounces of fresh Celandine (if
fresh is not available use a half cup of the dried
herb instead).Add Celandine to the solution. Allow to
stand for two hours. Then boil slowly for 20 minutes.
Strain out the plant material, and simmer reducing to one
and one half cups. Add eight ounces of glycerin and
continue simmering reducing the liquid slowly to two cups.
Strain the result and bottle it. Store in cool place.
Use once or twice a day as a hair rinse.

Lastly, make certain that both your physician AND your
herbalist are fully aware of all medications and/or
herbal treatments you are using.

Tony Newton publishes the popular health and wellness
website - http://www.1st-for-health.com
With lots of informative articles on low carb diets,
hair loss, arthritis pain relief, acne and lots more.