Understanding Swine Flu

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The never mentioned disease has become a death-threat in Mexico and caused panic through the rest of the world. Some state governments are geographically close to Mexico has issued a statement to their residents should not panic while they take the necessary actions.

Dr. Richard Besser of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that explains what needs to be known by the public about the swine flu.


Q: How can I protect myself and my family?
A: For now, better be alert. Close the mouth when coughing and sneezing with a handkerchief or tissue. Frequently washing hands, if soap and water if not available use a antiseptic gel. But stay at home if you are sick and keep children home from school if they if they are sick too.
Q: How easy way to infected by this virus?
A: Scientists can not yet explain how this vicious swine flu. But generally infection occur through coughing or sneezing - to the important wash your hand which is used to close coughing or sneezing. The virus itself can live a few hours in the environmental temperature conditions.
Q: In Mexico, officials use masker. Do I need to use them also?
A: The CDC says there is no evidence that the mask can help reduce the spread. The most important is to avoid close contact with someone sick, and avoid the crowd in the swine flu which is known to be spreading. But if you need to be forced in the situation, the CDC recommends to use face masks
Q: What is the swine flu can be cured?
A: Yes, use Tamiflu or Relenza, but not with two older flu medications.
Q: Can I use Tamiflu as a precaution if I have not contagious?
A: No. Use when you have just contagious. Dr. Marc Siegel of New York University Langone Medical Center said, "that is not controlled use of antiviral drugs may help the bacteria become resistant to the medicine itself.
Q: How much risk I contagious?
A: For most people, is very low, except when you are in Mexico some time ago.
Q: Do I have to cancel travel plans to Mexico?
A: The Indonesian government has already issued a travel warning as the United States did, better postpone and delay your trip first.
Q: What are the symptoms of swine flu?
A: Basically similar to the regular flu - fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people also have diarrhea and vomiting.
Q: Is there a vaccine to prevent infection of this new?
A: No. Temporarily not available
Q: How long will it take to produce the vaccine?
A: In a few months. CDC United States has created what is called " seed stock " so that vaccine can be produced massly.
Q: Does it safe to eat pork?
A: For now Yes, Swine virus does not spread through the food.

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Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, Which One?

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Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is a common disease which so disturbing for some men. But to note that at this time there are only three drugs recommended by the FDA, namely Viagra (sildenafil Citrate), Cialis (tadalafil) and levitra (Vardenafil Hydrochloride). What consumers need to determine whether differences in and similarities?

For newbies (people new ED), on the third drug is quite effective to prevent the PDE-5 (PDE-5 inhibitor). Whether PDE-5 is? PDE-5 is the enzyme that will neutralize cGMP (cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate) which functions in the form erection of male vital organ. Let us compare those three.

Manufacturer:
Viagra manufactured by Pfizer
Cialis manufactured by Eli Lilly and ICOS
Levitra manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer

Its generic name
Viagra - sildenafil Citrate (in Indonesia known as "blue pill")
Cialis - tadalafil
Levitra - vardenafil hydrochloride

Consumption of the recommended dose
Viagra. Tablet that has a size of 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg. most patients using 50 mg where decrease or increased doses are based by tolerance and effectiveness. Viagra should usually consumed at least 1 hour before sexual activities. However, some research recommends a range within 30 minutes to 4 hours before the intimate relationship be done.
Cialis. Sized tablet 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg. For a start usually recommended to consume 10 tablets. And a decrease / increase dose is determined and then based on the results obtained. Cialis is generally consumed about 30 minutes to 12 hours before the "activity".
Levitra. Tablet-sized 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg. As well as Cialis, DE recommended people consume 10 pills before and the increase or decrease the dose after the results are visible. Levitra themselves can be consumed 25 minutes to 1 hour before the sexual activities, even according to some experts can be consumed 15 minutes prior to intimate relationships.

Duration of effects
Viagra. Approximately 4 hours.
Cialis. Approximately 17 to 36 hours (so-called ordinary pill "last week").
Levitra. Approximately 5 hours.

Price
More or less the same though Cialis tends to be a bit cheaper.

Level success
They have the average success of the same at around 70 percent. How the 30 percent? They will be recommended to use vacuum pump or even penile implants

Side effects
Third DE medicine has side effects that are similar. Ranging from headache, back pain, runny nose, sore eyes and stomache or even changes in vision. The three drugs are not recommended consumed with drugs to increase blood pressure, which will result in heart attack. People with high blood pressure, also should be consult with doctor first.

Note
Although they effective enough to use for people with DE, levitra claimed to work more quickly after consumption. Viagra has been famous for long enough, proven track record and has been trusted by over 30 million men, while Cialis is known as durable.

Now depending on you, the coice is up to you ...

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Sleep for New Parents

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A Baby is a dream for a new couple who have been married. But whether they realize that with the introduction of the new home means that the consequences will arise. For the couple who just had a baby first, perhaps enough sleep is a dream. Wake up in the middle of the night when everyone asleep, not to mention the need to wake up tomorrow morning to leave for work. Here are some ways to get enough sleep time for new parents.

In the initial 3 months of age, babies will sleep at least 5 hours in the night. After reaching the age of 6 months, the baby will sleep better tonight, ranged from 9 to 12 hours. Here's the tricks for parents to find time to increasee quality of sleep in the lack of time.

There is no formula for getting good quality sleep, but some tips and tricks may be useful:
Sleep when baby sleeps. Turn off the mobile phone / telephone or at least activate the silent mode. Remove laundry basket and forget dirty dishes that have not yet had time to wash, you can delay it.
First get rid off other activities. If you or your friends you intend visiting, do not you become a master house. Let your friends to host in your home with their own self-serving. Tell them if they can pretend as they are in their own home. So you can use your time to have a baby and your rest time.
Organize your bed. Initially may feel strange to share the bed with your baby, especially if you are breastfeeding mother. If you are the baby's activities, the crib can be a possible option.
Sharing the night's activities. You and your partner can share the baby during the night, changing nappies or making a bottle of milk.
Do not be surprised and panic when the baby suddenly cry. Sometimes midnight your baby crying as a sign of just inconvenience, it is still small akan itself. Wait some time, the long run you will understand when you cry baby is only a sign of hungry or not.
When necessary, ask for assistance. Find a trusted person who can help you keep the small, such as parents or relatives. Assistance they may be very valuable to keep you stay fit with the rest of time limitations. When you are forced, hire a baby-sitter, but realize that her present is not able to replace the warmth of own parents.

Taking care of baby is easy and difficult, fatigue can make you easily fall asleep anytime, anywhere. If you have difficulty sleeping, make sure that the situation around to fit your bed. Select a mattress and pillow are you most comfortable, turn off the television. Rooms are cool and dark is easier to make your bed. Keep nicotine, caffeine and alcohol.

30 minutes if you can not fall asleep, find another activity. If fatigue and drowsiness came back to try and sleep. Difficulty sleeping if this happens more than a week, consult your doctor, you may need assistance therapeutist to help improve the quality of your sleep.

If you pair and expect the presence of the very small before, then wake up the night is not something that heavy. Happiness overcome your fatigue.

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Masturbation, Normal and Safe?

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Masturbation is stimulation (excitation) genital organs to achieve the personal satisfaction of sexual abuse, usually end with orgasm. Action stimulation was done with the, rub or squeeze the penis (in men) or klitoris (in women) to achieve orgasm. Some women stimulation can be done with the help of tools such as the vibrator.

Who?

Each person can do. Masturbation are many activities that are done by people who have reached sexual maturity both physically and mentally. Masturbation usually be the first experience of many men and women when young and according to medical science this is normal as part of a curiosity at children growing up. Some people still do this even though masturbation have grown and married.

Why?

Masturbation be to remove the option to increase sexual desire over time, especially for those who do not have a pair or pairs lack at that time. This is also often used as an alternative to avoid pregnancy and sexual disease transmission. On examination male fertility, the semen sample is also obtained in a way masturbation. In the case of sexual disfunction, masturbation sometimes used as a method of treatment by therapeutist to reach the orgasm (in women) or to delay orgasm (in men).

Is it normal?

For some people, masturbation action is not considered normal or sexual misuse. But over the development of culture and a more advanced understanding of medical science, masturbation normal can be considered as an alternative solution for safe and sexual desire.

Masturbation not be normal if the lazy to be intimate with the pair. Not normal if done in ways that are not normal, which usually indicates a mental abnormality the way in public. Feeling guilty, guilty and ashamed also make masturbation not be normal. If so, then it is best to switch to the "energy" with the excessive exercise.

Is it harmful?

In general, medical science considers masturbation is normal and not harmful and does not cause physical damage or harm the body. Some experts even suggest that to improve the sexual ability of a person. By exploring the whole body, it is expected to be found erotic zones on the body the most inflammable.

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Why Men Snore

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O.k. women also snore, but men snore more than women, in fact four out of every ten men snore compared to roughly 3 out 10 women. At any one time around 25 per cent of people are habitual snorers.

Reasons why men snore are mainly related to differences in lifestyle although there may be clear physical reasons why snoring occurs. Snoring is noisy breathing that occurs as a result of partial obstruction of the air passages. It is usually due to the soft tissues of the palate, uvula, tongue and tonsils relaxing during sleep.


Snoring is a problem because it affects everyone in earshot, including the person who is snoring. Many a previously happy relationship has reached or gone beyond breaking point as a direct result of broken sleep patterns. For the snorer it can result in tiredness and irritability during the day which can increase the chances of accidents. Long-term it can cause circulatory problems such as high blood pressure, heart problems and strokes.

Snoring Facts

• Snoring is made worse by alcohol or sleeping tablets
• Overweight people are more prone to snoring
• Sleeping on your back increases the chances of snoring
• Colds, nasal polyps and allergies make snoring worse
• Older people often snore due to muscular weakness that occurs with age
• Medications may cause dryness or minor irritation of the nasal passageways and increase the incidence of snoring
• A larger than usual uvula can limit airflow
• Injuries to the nose that result in a deviation of the septum may result in snoring
• Smokers are twice as likely to snore

Sleep Apnea

Sometimes people who snore also suffer from sleep apnea. Apnea refers to periods of interrupted breathing which can last 10 seconds or longer. Essentially the same process as snoring occurs except that muscles relax so much they cause a complete rather than partial obstruction. When sleep apnea occurs a build up of carbon dioxide occurs in the blood stream. The brain detects the lack of oxygen and reacts by waking the person up in order that normal breathing can resume. Sleep apnea can occur several times a night and the effects of broken sleep are the same as with snoring. However, the chances of heart failure increase with sleep apnea as the heart has to work so much harder.

Self Help Ideas to prevent or minimize snoring

• If you're overweight try to lose some of it
• Avoid alcohol and rich foods like chocolates before bedtime and eat healthy foods generally
• Stop smoking
• Try raising your head by putting pillows under it
• Sleep on your side. Some people sew a tennis ball on the back of their night clothes to help them
• Blow your nose before going to bed
• If you are the partner of the snorer you may seriously need to consider options like changing bedrooms or going to bed earlier in order to get some sleep. Clearly these fall into the last resort category and unless your partner does something about their problem this could be the start of a slippery slope so far as the relationship is concerned

Medical help for snoring

If none of the self-help ideas work then you need medical advice. Advice may involve surgical intervention (e.g. removal of adenoids or tonsils) but in the first resort a mouthpiece could be recommended in order to keep the airways open. Other treatment options, such as nasal sprays or nasal plasters may also be considered.


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Can we choose the sex of our child?

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Yes, choosing the sex of your child is technically possible thanks to advances in fertility treatments that allow doctors to create or identify embryos of a certain sex. But today's sex-selection options aren't equally effective, affordable, or available.

The most accurate sex-selection methods are usually the most expensive (tens of thousands of dollars), often involving invasive infertility treatments and fertility drugs with side effects. If you're serious about trying one of these techniques, you'll have to meet strict eligibility requirements, too. In some cases you won't be eligible unless you're married and already have at least one child of the sex opposite from the one you're trying for. Some clinics also have age limits or require you to take hormone tests to prove you're not approaching menopause.

And keep in mind that Mother Nature has already tipped the odds a bit in favor of boys in the sex-selection game. According to data released in 2004 from the National Center for Health Statistics, approximately 1,050 boys are born for every 1,000 girls.

The following gender-selection methods draw from two existing infertility treatments: in vitro fertilization (IVF) and artificial insemination (AI). IVF starts with a round of fertility drugs to stimulate your ovaries to produce several eggs for fertilization, instead of the single egg you normally release each month. Fertility drugs may also be used for AI. For AI, also known as intrauterine insemination (IUI), your doctor uses a catheter to insert a concentrated sperm sample directly into your uterus.

For IVF, fertilization occurs outside your body (in vitro means literally in glass). Your doctor gives you an anesthetic and removes your eggs from your ovaries by inserting a needle through your vaginal wall. Your eggs are then fertilized with sperm in a petri dish. Two to five days later your doctor places the fertilized eggs — now embryos — in your uterus by inserting a thin catheter through your cervix. The number of embryos inserted depends on your age, the quality of the embryos, and your reproductive history. As a general rule, if you're under 35 and the embryos look healthy, no more than two are transferred.

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)

An in vitro fertilization (IVF) technique in which embryos are created outside the womb and then tested for genetic disorders and gender.

When PGD was introduced back in 1989, it was used solely to help couples or individuals with serious genetic disorders reduce their risk of having a child who suffered from the same condition. Today PGD is still used for this reason, but is also used commonly when women are 35 or older and/or have a history of recurrent miscarriage. Only a handful of clinics offer the technique for sex selection for nonmedical reasons.

Effectiveness
Almost 100 percent effective.

How it's done
During an IVF cycle, eggs are fertilized with sperm in a petri dish. A single cell or cells are later removed from each of the resulting 3- to 5-day-old embryos and tested for gender.

In a regular IVF cycle scientists try to determine which embryos are normal merely by looking at them under a microscope. But with PGD, the embryos are tested thoroughly for genetic abnormalities and sex. By transferring only healthy embryos to the uterus, you're less likely to miscarry or have a child with a genetic disorder. Prenatal tests such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS) are still recommended if you're 35 or older because more genetic abnormalities can be detected later in pregnancy.

In a regular IVF cycle, doctors usually transfer two or more embryos to your uterus — the number depends on your age, the quality of the embryos, and your reproductive history. (If you're 40 or older, typically four or five embryos may be transferred.) But in PGD, doctors transfer no more than two because they've already weeded out embryos that are unlikely to implant or to result in a healthy pregnancy.

Pros

• If you do get pregnant, PGD guarantees with almost 100 percent certainty that you'll have a baby of your desired gender.
• Following a PGD cycle, remaining embryos of the selected gender are automatically frozen. These can used in another attempt, if you miscarry or decide you want more children down the road. Frozen embryo transfers aren't as successful as fresh transfers, but the procedure is less invasive and significantly cheaper.

Cons

• A single round of PGD can cost nearly $20,000.
• The procedure is invasive and the removal of eggs from your ovaries can be painful.
• The fertility drugs you have to take can have uncomfortable side effects such as weight gain, bloating, swelling, and blurred vision.
• As with any IVF pregnancy, you're more likely to have multiple births. According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 38 percent of infants conceived as a result of IVF and related procedures were twins.
• About 43% of fresh IVF cycles result in a live birth, and that figure goes down as you get older. But some doctors claim higher success rates with PGD because defective embryos are excluded.
• You'll need to decide what to do with the embryos of the undesired gender: freeze, destroy, or donate for other couples or research.

Cost
IVF cycles cost an average of $12,400. PGD adds an additional $3,000 to $6,000-plus to the tab. Check with your medical insurance company — part of the expense may be covered.

Availability
Most fertility clinics that provide PGD don't allow it to be used solely for sex selection. You must have a medical reason such as a family history of genetic diseases or repeat miscarriages, or be over a certain age, usually about 38, to qualify for the procedure.

That said, a few centers allow you to use PGD to choose the sex of your baby even if you don't have a medical reason to do so:

• Genetics and IVF Institute, with facilities in Virginia and Maryland. (To qualify, couples must be married, have at least one child, and desire a child of the opposite gender.)
• The Sher Institutes for Reproductive Medicine, with seven branches nationwide. (Prospective patients are screened on a case-by-case basis, and couples with no children are not excluded from consideration.)
• Reproductive Specialty Center in Newport Beach, California (restricted to couples who have at least one child and desire a child of the opposite gender).

Ericsson
What it is
A technique that aims to separate faster-swimming boy-producing sperm from slower-swimming girl-producing sperm. Sperm of the desired gender are inserted directly into your uterus via artificial insemination (AI).

Effectiveness
Ericsson claims his technique is 78 to 85% effective when it comes to choosing boys and 73 to 75% effective for girl babies.

How it's done
This technique, which has been around since the '70s, attempts to separate boy and girl sperm by pouring a sperm sample on a gluey layer of fluid in a test tube. All the sperm naturally swim down, but the boys tend to swim faster and reach the bottom earlier. Once the fast and slow swimmers are separated, you're inseminated with the sperm that will enable you to conceive the gender you desire.

Pros

• Inexpensive compared to higher-tech methods.
• Noninvasive.
• Relatively safe.

Cons

• There's no guarantee of success. The technique's pioneer, Ronald Ericsson, has published extensively and claims a success rate of approximately 75 to 80 percent. But some fertility doctors dispute this figure and say that it's no higher than 50 percent.
• AI is not as effective as in vitro fertilization (IVF), and it may take many cycles to achieve a pregnancy, depending on your age and fertility.

Cost
Approximately $600 per insemination.

Shettles method
What it is
Timed intercourse on specific days of your cycle.

Effectiveness
Shettles proponents claim the technique is 75 percent effective, but other experts dispute this. Keep in mind that you always have about a 50 percent chance of conceiving the sex you want.

How it's done
The theory is that sperm bearing Y chromosomes (for boys) move faster but don't live as long as sperm that carry X chromosomes (for girls). So if you want a boy, the Shettles method argues, you should have sex as close as possible to ovulation. If you want a girl, you should have sex two to four days before you ovulate.

Pros

• Requires no drugs or invasive medical procedures.
• Free or low cost.
• Relatively safe.

Cons

• You must take your basal body temperature every day to figure out when you're ovulating, or use an ovulation prediction kit.
• There's no guarantee of success.

Availability
Anyone can try it.


Whelan method
Timed intercourse on specific days of your cycle.

Effectiveness
Whelan claims her technique is 68 percent effective for boys and 56 percent effective for girls, but many experts dispute this. Keep in mind that you always have a 50 percent chance of conceiving the sex you want.

How it's done
The Whelan method directly contradicts the Shettles method. The theory here is that biochemical changes that may favor boy-producing sperm occur earlier in a woman's cycle. So if you want a boy, you should have intercourse four to six days before your basal body temperature goes up. If you want a girl you should have sex two to three days before you ovulate.

Pros

• Requires no drugs or invasive medical procedures.
• Free or low cost.
• Safe.

Cons

• You must take your basal body temperature every day to figure out when you're ovulating, or use an ovulation prediction kit.
• There's no guarantee of success.

Availability
Anyone can try it at home.

Sex-selection kits
These at-home kits are based on the Shettles theory. Separate girl and boy kits include a thermometer, ovulation predictor test sticks, vitamins, herbal extracts, and douches that are supposedly gender specific.

Effectiveness
Kit makers claim a 96 percent success rate. But the American Society for Reproductive Medicine tells consumers not to bet on it. Some medical experts go a step further and say the kit maker's claims are without scientific merit.

How it's done
You track your cycle using the thermometer and ovulation predictor test sticks (which you urinate on). Following the Shettles method, you have intercourse two to four days before ovulation if you want a girl and as close as possible to ovulation if you want a boy. The douche is intended to change the vaginal environment to "influence the chances that either an X-carrying sperm or a Y-carrying sperm will be successful in fertilizing the egg." Vitamins and herbal extracts are also included to supposedly boost your odds of getting the gender of your choice.

Pros

• Requires no invasive medical procedures.
• Convenient.

Cons

• The success rate claimed by the makers is questionable.
• Expensive

Low-tech sex selection has not sparked the same controversy, probably because these methods are far from foolproof and the assumption is that couples practicing them are investing less — both financially and emotionally — in their success. But do they work?

These techniques range from Shettles and Whelan to folk wisdom such as making love standing up and eating more meat if you want a boy, and eating lots of chocolate and having sex in the missionary position if you want a girl.

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