Tag: Asthma

  • Why African Americans are dying at higher rates from Covid-19

    Why African Americans are dying at higher rates from Covid-19

    Why African Americans are dying at higher rates from Covid-19 1

    WASHINGTON: The new coronavirus isn’t biased about who it infects – so why does data emerging from some states suggest that African Americans are bearing the brunt of the pandemic in the US?

    Experts say blacks are disproportionately impacted by underlying health conditions linked to poverty, face discrimination in medical care, and are more likely to work jobs that require them to leave their home.

    “We know that blacks are more likely to have diabetes, heart disease, lung disease,“ the nation’s top doctor, Surgeon General Jerome Adams told CBS News on Tuesday.

    These chronic illnesses, which are in turn linked to poverty and structural racism, can lead to more serious forms of the COVID-19 disease.

    Adams, who is himself black and has high blood pressure and asthma, added: “I represent that legacy of growing up poor and black in America.

    “And I, and many black Americans, are at higher risk for COVID.”

    – Emerging trend –

    There is no nationwide data available on COVID-19 cases by race, but a pattern of over-representation by black Americans has emerged in states or jurisdictions that are sharing the numbers.

    Sixty-eight percent of coronavirus deaths in Chicago have been among African Americans, who make up just 30 percent of the city’s population.

    “Those numbers take your breath away,“ the city’s mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday at a coronavirus briefing. “This is a call to action for all of us.”

    The trend is repeated in North Carolina, Louisiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and the capital Washington.

    Doctor Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told AFP the issue was also linked to social class, with black people more likely to work jobs deemed essential that expose them to potential infection.

    “That population is more public facing,“ he said. “More bus drivers, more people taking public transportation to work, more people providing services in nursing homes, more folks working in grocery stores.”

    – Structural bias –

    The problem is compounded by implicit and explicit bias that African Americans face in the medical system.

    Doctor James Hildreth, president of the historically black Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee told AFP that in his city, most of the initial testing took place at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

    Most of the patients who go to hospital systems like these have insurance, and it was only recently that three assessment centers run by the city of Nashville were built for the underprivileged and minority communities — one of them located at Meharry’s campus and run by its staff.

    “My point is, depending on which community you live in, and whether or not you have insurance… the chances for getting assessed are much less,“ he said.

    What’s more, it’s well documented that when black people seek care, they are less likely to have their symptoms believed or get adequately treated, Doctor Ebony Hilton, an anesthesiologist at the University of Virginia Medical Center told AFP.

    For example, black women are less likely to have their breast cancer mammograms seen by a specialist as opposed to a general radiologist, according to a 2015 Duke University study.

    Black heart patients who present with elevated levels of a group of proteins indicating cardiac injury are also less likely to be seen by specialists, per a 2018 study.

    A civil rights group wrote this week to the US health secretary, Alex Azar, calling on him to “release daily racial and ethnic demographic data related to COVID-19 testing, disease burden and patient outcomes.”

    This, said the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, was necessary to ensure a robust public health response, and to make certain care and testing aren’t being administered in a discriminatory manner.

    The group said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was already collecting the information but deliberately withholding it.

    Hilton stressed that it was in the interests of Americans as a whole to address the problem, because — unlike high rates of heart disease or cancer — a wave of coronavirus spreading through the black and Hispanic population will ultimately impact everyone else.

    “When you have a system that’s not treating these people of lower social economic status and these minority groups, they are then not being tested, they’re sent back home to infect their community,“ she said.

    “Those workers who are now infected are going to the grocery store, and when the upper echelon of America are going to get their food, they will get infected too.” – AFP

    Why African Americans are dying at higher rates from Covid-19
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    https://www.thesundaily.my/world/why-african-americans-are-dying-at-higher-rates-from-covid-19-HX2231768

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  • Can Foam And Latex Pillows Be Dangerous To Your Health?

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    Memory foam pillows and latex pillows are the latest craze in pillow town. You couldn’t blame people who rush out to buy a set for themselves and the whole family. They’re extremely comfortable and without doubt provide excellent support that traditional pillows lack of. Other than they are a dream to sleep on, they are very economical as they last for years. Opposed to most pillows in the market, they don’t go flat over time. And you are guaranteed of pillows that are good as new every day for the years to come. That’s because of the technology applied in these pillows. The materials have the characteristic of being able to return to their normal shape and smooth out themselves from indentations left by your head. It’s as if they were never slept on!

    However, there are a lot of speculations about the danger these pillows pose to human health. Although they are labeled to be hypoallergenic, a number of people have been claiming to have gotten sick since they have acquired of these pillows.

    Latex pillows are made of rubber foam produced by sap from rubber trees. They are resistant to dust mites and mildew by nature. However, synthetic latex can outgas chemicals that may affect the human health. These pillows are of materials formulated from petroleum products.

    Because of the strong smell it emits, there were some users who complained of dizziness, nausea, headache, migraine and difficulty breathing. The smell however was reported to have subsided after a month or so. There weren’t much complaint filed as monitored by FDA.

    There are pillows out in the market that are made of natural latex and claim to be so 100%. They are processed naturally, washed off of proteins that might attract dust mites and free of chemicals. However, the glue used for layering could provoke allergies among sensitive users. It is safe to warn individuals allergic to latex to avoid using latex pillows.

    Memory foam pillows are made of NASA invented polyurethane from petroleum products. This synthetic material generates toxic waste by-products. The fact that it isn’t biodegradable should ring alarms. These pillows outgas volatile organic compounds that are toxic to human health. Although the smell dissipates, the toxic chemicals may penetrate your immune system. That is why hypersensitive people easily get sick from breathing organophosphate chemicals that are not easily detectable. Aside from reported dizziness, migraine, headache and asthma attack, there were also incidence of heart attack and other autoimmune disorders.

    Despite a few negative feedbacks, there are a number of people who are very happy with their latex and memory pillows. A lot has found their perfect match with them and has claimed to have provided the perfect solution for their sleep disorders.

    Although there were no clinical studies published nor publicized complaints, it is always better to be safe than sorry. There’s no harm in trying. Purchase these pillows with warranty or with money back guarantee so you would be able to judge for yourself.

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    Source by Greg J Dawson

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  • How To Use Cayenne To Cure Bad Breath

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    Bad breath or halitosis is a common cause for worry and embarrassment for many people especially when the condition becomes chronic, meaning the person suffers from it all the time. It makes them very conscious of their surroundings and it may hinder the social life of the person. Those people may want to begin eating more cayenne pepper, as it has been proven to be a simple solution to many bad breath problems. While it will probably not work as a permanent remedy, cayenne pepper has been noted as a possible substance for treating mild cases of halitosis.

    Bad breath may have its origin associated with oral problems (teeth and gum problems), systemic problems (those arising from the respiratory tract, lungs, stomach and digestive tracts) or from illness such as cold, infections in the throat, tonsillitis, etc. It may also be caused due to drying of the mouth (xerostomia) and due to poor oral hygiene.

    If the condition is caused due to systemic problems, it can be reduced by removing or treating the systemic cause. Bad breath due to problems from the stomach is associated with conditions such as gastritis, reflux, heart burn, ulcers, etc.

    Treating such systemic conditions is done with the help of drugs that are prescribed by a physician. In addition to this, there are some herbal cures and some homemade remedies that help alleviate the problem to certain extent. One such option to cure systemic conditions arising from the stomach is Cayenne Pepper. Cayenne and bad breath are polar opposites. The chemicals in this food attack and can break down many of the internal gastrointestinal chemicals which cause bad breath. Again, while it may not work for all people, this is a fast and easy way to prevent bad breath problems from arising in the first place.

    Cayenne, whose scientific names are Capsicum frutescens or Capsicum annuum, is a hot pepper that is derived from capsicum and has an active ingredient called capsaicin. It is regularly used to treat a variety of conditions such as sinusitis, headaches, asthma, diabetes, pneumonia, arthritis, psoriasis, etc. It is helpful in improvement of blood circulation and the removal of toxins from the body. It is also helpful in treating a variety of gastrointestinal problems and aids in improving the digestion.

    This substance is used to combat bad breath both directly and indirectly. The peppers are used directly when the source for bad breath is a dry mouth and indirectly when the cause is an underlying gastrointestinal problem.

    Capsaicin in the pepper is helpful in combating bad breath by improving the flow of saliva and stimulating stomach secretions. In cases of dry mouth, chewing on some peppers of cayenne improves flow of saliva and thus reduces bad breath.

    Cayenne has been recommended in treatment of gastritis, ulcers and in dyspepsia (difficulties in digestion). It is also used to stimulate hunger by taking it in the capsular form before food. It helps in improvement in peristaltic action in the digestive tracts and in repair of the tissues of the stomach. It also helps the body in stimulating the release of hydrochloric acid that is necessary for digestion.

    Combating these gastrointestinal problems helps in indirectly reducing bad breath as these problems are a cause for halitosis. In addition to helping you get more saliva in your mouth, this substance is also helpful in improving the clearance of waste from the system thus reducing intestinal gases that may cause bad breath.

    Cayenne, though a hot pepper, is a helpful ingredient in reducing gastrointestinal problems and is frequently used by many people suffering such problems and associated problems such as bad breath.

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    Source by Richard Wilkins

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  • Benefits Of A Healthy Lifestyle

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    Here are 8 benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

    This Article is written to reach the public with a simple and clear method to point out and to reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle while reducing the risks of chronic diseases such as diabetes.

    With the increased understanding of our bodies that we have gained from science over the past few decades, the benefits of a healthy lifestyle are becoming more apparent, along with the reasons why we should detoxify the body at least once a year to remove harmful bacteria, and even worms, from our digestive system. For people of all ages, weights, and abilities the benefits of a healthy lifestyle are endless. But for now let’s look at eight simple benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

    1. Your Health:

    Good Health is not something that you buy from a drug store or a department store, but can be achieved by practicing collective patterns of health-related behavior, based on choices made from available options. Following this logic, if you wish to realize the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, you have to repeat some healthy pattern as a part of your daily or weekly activities, some patterns like eating right and exercising. Other benefits includes: Reduced health care costs, reduced illness and injuries, reduced doctors visit, Keeps you employed and improved employee/employer relations.

    2. Weight:

    Managing your weight is the key to attaining all of the health benefits of a Healthy Lifestyle. A weight reduction of just 10 percent will significantly reduce risk of heart disease and other obesity-related illnesses. Obesity/overweight is the second leading contributing factor to many childhood diseases such as orthopedic disorders, sleep apnea, type II diabetes mellitus, asthma, high blood pressure and cholesterol, skin disorders, emotional and psychosocial problems (Spigel, 2002), and many more. Weight-bearing exercise such as walking and strength training helps slow the onset of and/or prevent osteoporosis and some research shows that participating in such activities can actually build bone density and begin to reverse the disease. Other benefits are: Weight reduction, reduced tension and stress, improved well-being, Enhanced self-image and self-esteem and improved physical function.

    3. Exercise:

    Although drugs alone can often bring cholesterol down to normal levels, diet and exercise provide benefits that drugs don’t. They’ll lower blood pressure, reduce weight, and lower the risk of developing diabetes. A sedentary lifestyle is a dangerous risk factor for disease. Exercise and a healthy diet helps the body use insulin more efficiently and can help control, alleviate and prevent many diseases. Exercise, cessation of tobacco consumption, eating a high-fiber, low-fat diet, controlling body weight, and learning to cope with stress, reduce the risk of heart disease.

    4. Medical:

    We all want a trim and have healthy body for a variety of aesthetic, social and medical reasons. Healthy living is truly the best medicine. In a study conducted by Tufts University at the New England Medical Center, among patients with cardiovascular disease, an exercise program was shown to significantly reduce LDL cholesterol and other risk factors beyond what’s provided by drug therapy. Even modest weight loss can help reduce medical and pharmacy costs, help avoid bariatric surgery, and co-morbidities such as asthma, hypertension, and diabetes.

    5. Wellness:

    Wellness is about being comfortable in your space: your body, your attitude, and your environment. A healthy lifestyle can greatly increase a person’s longevity. And even though catching something contagious like a cold or flu is sometimes unavoidable, having the wisdom that feeling healthy is a better way to live should have you asking yourself why you are not taking action to live each day as beneficially as possible. The issue with a lot of people nowadays is that they are so busy working and/or taking care of everyone around them, that they neglect their own health and wellness. Make sure your heart is healthy and your bones are strong and Keep it that way to see the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

    6. Care:

    The best way to ensure good health is by taking care of yourself. The Care stakes are high but the potential rewards are great-preventing premature death, unnecessary illness, and disability, controlling health care cost, and maintaining a high quality of life into old age. With a healthy lifestyle, you are who you are and you don’t have to be self-conscious about those things that you otherwise would be if you didn’t care about your lifestyle

    7. Control:

    With a healthy lifestyle, you have more control of your life as you work with your body against those aspects of living which may work to hold you back if you would let them. With a healthy lifestyle, you have control over your sleep patterns so that you feel generally well rested throughout the day. With a healthy lifestyle, everything works together to help other aspects of your lifestyle make sense and benefit you. Science has proven that healthy weight loss, healthy eating and fitness routines make dramatic improvements in health, and help control common chronic illnesses like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, stress, and general lack of stamina.

    8. Strength:

    Another benefit of a healthy lifestyle is a steady flow of stamina and strength; you can perform activities and exercises that will enhance your flexibility. With a healthy lifestyle, you have a balanced and varied diet that provides your body its needed nutrients and energy as well. You have strength to train to help build the muscle that supports the bones and joints; therefore decreasing the risk of falls and fractures. Cardiovascular exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, strengthens the heart muscle, therefore increases the heart’s efficiency. As we age, our bones biologically begin to lose mass and strength. Weight-bearing exercise such as walking and strength training helps slow the onset of and/or prevent osteoporosis and some research shows that participating in such activities can actually build bone density and begin to reverse the disease.

    The good news is you don’t have to train like an Olympic athlete to enjoy the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. The secret and logic are repeating a chosen healthy pattern as a part of your daily or weekly activities. We hope that this will get you to a healthy lifestyle if you are not there already. A healthy lifestyle is a way of life.

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    Source by Fortune Ezeoha

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  • Heal Yourself With Water – The Water Cure

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    Most people have figured out by now that medicine does not cure disease. Medicine isn’t necessarily bad; it just isn’t necessary. Do not let your fear of disease make you forget that humanity wasn’t exactly dying off when pharmaceutical companies saw a financial opportunity and exploded onto the scene. You need to know the facts; then, if you still choose to be ill, it will truly be a “free choice,” and not one born of the absence of awareness.

    You are mostly water. You are made of cells (30-50 trillion of them); and they are mostly water. You need to replenish the water in your body in order to keep it fresh and clean, so that you can stay fresh and clean – healthy. Water cleans you, nourishes you, energizes you, cools you, lubricates you, supports and sustains you, and is truly most of what you are. And water is simply Hydrogen and Oxygen; both of which are atoms – which are simply Energy. You are Energy; but between pure Energy and the form you have currently assumed, there is water.

    When I say, “Water,” I do not mean to say, “Coca cola, Gatorade, Milk, Diet Coke, Orange juice, Beer, or any other liquid solution; these do not clean and support your body. These substances add chemicals to your body which alters the way you feel. Drinking water helps cleanse these chemicals and other toxins from your body returning you to your natural state of health – a state which most Americans have truly not seen since they were very, very young (if then!).

    It is estimated that most Americans are chronically dehydrated. How do you know if that’s you? If you don’t drink 2-3 liters of pure water each day (an estimated one-half your body weight, in ounces), you are most likely dehydrated. Even if you do, you may still be dehydrated depending on your weight and the amount of other solutions, salts, and sugars in your diet. You are mostly water; and good health is primarily predicated on the maintenance of your water level and the cleanliness, or purity, of the water in your body. If the water is heavily-laden with suspended materials, you are toxic. If you are toxic, you are sick, overweight, or on your way to both of these conditions. There are no other options; and there is no escaping this simple reality.

    “But I don’t like drinking plain water!” I hear it all the time; but what most people have been conditioned to Not Realize is that this statement is only an indicator light that you are addicted to the flavoring and chemicals in the beverages you do consume. In the absence of true awareness, what we LIKE is what we choose. If I told you that drinking coffee would make you explode, and then the guy next to you took a big drink of coffee and exploded, I bet you a dollar you’d put your coffee cup down. But what if it took 20-years for you to explode? Would you start drinking water instead of coffee today, or would you put it off hoping you could quit nineteen-years from now and be none the worse for wear?

    I know the things we drink taste good; and I’m not saying that they are “bad.” But there is an obvious effect from the chemicals in the things we drink; and you are definitely not doing yourself any favors by not drinking enough water. I am not necessarily trying to change anyone’s ways; but some of you do indeed want to feel better and have simply never been told anything other than what you’ve been told – none of which contained the answers to your problems, or you wouldn’t have them right now. If you want different, you must think and do different; and yet most people simply can not do this – and don’t even realize it.

    In the Declaration of Independence, there is a line which reads: “…and, accordingly, all experience has shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.” I realize that words do not teach, and that you can lead a horse to water, but you can not make that horse drink water when it could have a Diet Coke instead; but maybe nobody ever told you what happens when you don’t drink enough water, so here goes…

    If you do not drink enough water, you could quickly experience any of the following, in any combination: Dyspeptic pain, Colitis pain, False Appendix pain (of course the surgery will be real…), Hiatus Hernia, Rheumatoid arthritis pain, Low back pain, Angina, Headaches (one of the first signs of dehydration), Stress, Depression, Asthma, Allergies, Excess body weight, High blood pressure, High cholesterol, Diabetes, Fainting, Insomnia, and many other serious and not-so-serious symptoms. If you have any of these symptoms or conditions, they could have been brought on by not drinking enough water; and some of them could be caused by the drugs you are taking for problems you could be drinking water to get rid of. Yes, there is a good chance you are treating “thirst” with prescription drugs that only “clog your filters” (liver and kidneys) and give you the added bonus of “side-effects” which could actually kill you. I’ll just have the water, please…

    The bottom line is that you are water and need to renew yourself daily. Failure to do so is typically the result of ignorance and addiction; one of which should have been remedied by the last paragraph. Chronic (constant/ongoing) cellular dehydration is a painful way to die prematurely of outward symptoms and manifestations which have, until recently, been thought to be diseases of “known” and unknown origins. Until you are properly hydrated and oxygenated, you have absolutely no way of knowing what is causing your pain and illness, regardless of what you have been told about your health up to this point. You are water. You have a choice. What kind of ending do you want for your story?

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    Source by Pete Koerner

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  • 5 Best Homeopathic Medicines for Asthma

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    Homeopathy is a secure science that offers an everlasting therapy for asthma. Homeopathic medicines work splendidly nicely to remove asthma at the root. Those treatments activate the body's own restorative processes, mainly strengthening its natural recuperation system to make it strong sufficient to combat the situation. In case asthma is allergic in origin, Homeopathic start by way of treating the hypersensitive reactions inflicting the asthma to completely uproot the disease. Homeopathic medicine treatments are herbal, safe and free from any adverse side effects. They may be prescribed to people of all age groups. Top listed Homeopathic medicines for asthma encompass Arsenic Album, Antimonium Tart, Spongia Tosta, Ipecac and Drosera Rotundifolia.

    Homeopathic Medicine for Asthma

    Arsenic Album
    Arsenic Album is one of the best Homeopathic medicines for asthma. The signs and symptoms indicative of use Arsenic Album are suffocative cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath. That receives worse round midnight is likewise dealt with nicely with this medicine. Every other critical guiding feature for the use of Arsenic Album is bronchial asthma that alternatives with skin rash or eczema.

    Spongia Tosta
    Spongia Tosta is a help for asthma with dry cough. The cough in this situation can be deep, barking, hacking kind. The cough is attended with excessive dryness of all the air passages. Together with dry cough, whistling from the chest on inspiration in noted. Respiratory is likewise tough. In most instances, warm liquids deliver remedy from the cough.

    Antimonium Tartaricum
    Antimonium Tartaricum is an extremely good for asthma with immoderate, rattling cough. The cough is loose, rattling and the lungs experience complete of mucus. Mucus from the lungs is raised with lots trouble. Respiration is rapid and difficult. Excessive suffocation is located. The suffocation worsens on lying down, with a need to sit up.

    Ipecac and Sambucus Nigra
    Ipecac and Sambucus Nigra are tremendous for treating asthma in kids. Ipecac works well when there's excessive cough with mucus rales in chest. The cough is observed by means of suffocation, shortness of breath and gasping for air. The kid may additionally emerge as blue and stiff all through the assault. Homeopathic medicine Sambucus Nigra is indicated for night time episodes in kids. A child in want of Sambucus Nigra wakes up abruptly at night time, with cough and suffocation.

    Dulcamara and Natrum Sulfuricum
    Dulcamara and Natrum Sulfuricum are very beneficial for asthma in damp weather. Amongst them, Dulcamara is the high quality prescription for loose, rattling asthmatic cough in damp weather where the person has to cough a long time to expel phlegm. Natrum Sulfuricum is the maximum beneficial Homeopathic medicinal medicine in which cough with thick, ropy, inexperienced phlegm is present. Natrum Sulfuricum also works properly in which the asthma worsens round 4 am and 5 am. Natrum Sulfuricum is also most of the top grade Homeopathic medicines for treating in kids.

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    Source by Praveen Kumar

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