Vitamin D Sources

There are few natural dietary sources for Vitamin D. It is primarily found in so-called fatty fish such as salmon and tuna. Vitamin D can be provided by supplemental fish oil capsules, over-the-counter supplements and as a prescription medication. There are significant concerns, however, about the absorption of Vitamin D supplements and nutritionists have still not yet agreed upon the recommended daily amount (RDA) of the vitamin. To further confound the issue, Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, stored in adipose tissue, and therefore has the potential for overuse or overdose. The only way in which a potential overuse or overdose of the compound can be avoided is through exposure of the human skin to ultraviolet radiation, i.e., natural or artificial sunlight. Adequate exposure to UV radiation prompts the body to produce the vitamin in the amounts most commonly needed and utilized by the body.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D is necessary for skeletal health, energy, metabolism and — as a steroidal hormone — works to turn hundreds of genes on and off, thus strongly influencing protein metabolism, muscle growth, hormone levels and other necessary body functions. Despite its importance to overall health, According to a 2005 USAToday.com article, “Vitamin D Research [sic] May Have Doctors Prescribing Sunshine,” Vitamin D deficiency is a common condition in the following subpopulations:

• The elderly whose skin loses some of the ability to produce Vitamin D
• Any persons with a greater degree of melatonin, which blocks some of the UV radiation from reaching melanocytes
• Obese or overweight individuals whose Vitamin D is unavailable or stored in their adipose tissue
• Those with diabetes or kidney damage have difficulty converting Vitamin D to its usable form
• Residents of northern countries and the northeastern part of the US rarely garner enough sun exposure during colder seasons to manufacture sufficient Vitamin D.

The Consequences of a Vitamin D Deficiency

At one time, Vitamin D was thought to be especially important only to pregnant women and growing children in order to support their skeletal growth and health. Rickets — a disease characterized by fragile bones and stunted growth — was known to afflict children with severe Vitamin D deficiencies. However, research discoveries began to indicate that a significant portion of the population had lower Vitamin D levels than had been previously described as the normal range. These patients reported with a variety of complaints including fatigue, weight gain, depression, lethargy and a loss of appetite. Milk was fortified with the vitamin and most of the patients obtaining supplemental Vitamin D reported a lessening of symptoms.

More than Bones

Current studies have lead some researchers to conclude that Vitamin D deficiencies may be related to increased rates of cancer, including lymphoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer and colon cancer. The current evidence is significant enough to grab the attention of the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society.

Exposure to natural or artificial UV rays may be one of many ways — including supplementation and dietary attention — for individuals to ensure adequate Vitamin D levels. As such, it may well be considered a preventative health measure.

By-line:

This is a guest post from Lindsey Harper Mac.  She can be reached at Harpermac11 (a) gmail.com or @harpermac11.

Signs and Symptoms

The symptoms of multiple myeloma depend the stage the disease is in.  A person in the early stages of multiple myeloma may suffer from pain in the ribs or back, suffer from broken bones, or feel tired or weak.  A patient in the early stages of the disease may also get repeated infections or have unexplained weight loss.

Once the disease advances, symptoms may include vomiting, nausea, problems urinating, constipation and numbness or weakness in the legs.  A person exhibiting these symptoms could also have something other than multiple myeloma, as these symptoms are also indicators of other problems, so proper diagnosis is crucial.

Treatment Options

Better supportive care, rapid advances in stem cell transplantation and medications have increased survival for patients with multiple myeloma, but at the same time treatment has become more complex.  Depending on the patient’s age and health, different treatments may be implemented.

• Chemotherapy drugs usually only partially control multiple myeloma, although there have been rare instances when this therapy alone has led to remission. The newer drugs — lenalidomide, thalidomide and bortezomib — are more aggressive and are used for those newly diagnosed with the disease, and for those who are in advanced stages of the disease.
• Radiation therapy targets cancerous cells with X-rays, which either kill the cells or inhibit growth. There are many side effects associated with this treatment, as the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor is damaged by X-ray exposure.
• Proton therapy is an innovative treatment that has gained acceptance with medical professionals who have expertise in cancer treatment. Every procedure uses an aperture which is custom-designed for the individual tumor, which allows for a higher-intensity, more focused beam used to target cancer cells.
• Stem cell transplantation doesn’t cure multiple myeloma, but it can prolong the life of some patients. The stem cells can come from a person’s own stem cells, those of a relative, or those of an unrelated donor, as long as the donor matches the patient. Stem cell transplant can be done in initial therapy or at the time the cancer relapses.

Advances in Treatment

Because patients over 80 aren’t always in the best of health, medication doses are often modified. This demographic isn’t ideal for stem cell treatment because of the procedure’s overall aggressiveness. Despite this, it’s becoming more common to treat octogenarians, according to Greek researchers. Though older patients don’t have as high a survival rate as younger patients, new treatments can extend the lives of older patients. Medications that have been studied include Velcade (bortezomib), Revlimid (lenalidomide) and thalidomide (Thalomid).

In a study of 682 people who were newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma between 2003 and 2010, 23 percent of the patients were octogenarians. These patients had a higher rate of anemia, poorer overall health and more advanced stages of myeloma. Half of the patients 80 and older were given the aforementioned medications. Of those, 58 percent responded to the new treatment while 78 percent of the younger patients responded to the treatment. The patients who were given the novel treatment, whether Velcade, Revlimid or thalidomide, responded better than those who were given traditional treatment.

If a person has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, he or she should speak to a medical professional regarding various treatments. Advances will undoubtedly continue to be made in the treatment of multiple myeloma, which will improve and extend the lives of patients. If you or someone you know is affected by multiple myeloma, take the time to learn everything you can about this disease in order to make informed medical decisions.

By-line:

This is a guest post from Lindsey Harper Mac.  She can be reached at Harpermac11 (a) gmail.com or @harpermac11.

They don’t live in a fortress of solitude. Often, they can be found in hospitals and other closed settings. But they may be looking for new digs: Scientists last year found that the superbugs have taken up residence in bedbugs.

Bed Bugs and MRSA

Bedbugs come by their name honestly. They are small, parasitic creatures that are most often found in or near beds. Though not nocturnal, they often make their appearance at night, when their hosts are sleeping and still and they can dine on their flesh in peace.

Bedbugs can multiply rapidly, and they spread through infected furniture, clothing, and other personal items. They are often found in places where large quantities of people congregate, such as hotels, apartment buildings, and hospitals.

Last year, Canadian researchers found that some bedbugs in a Vancouver hospital were carrying some hosts of their own: The drug-resistant MRSA bacteria, which can be deadly if it spreads from the skin to the bloodstream.

Health Risks of Bedbugs

Bedbugs have not been known to traditionally carry disease, but the discovery of MRSA on the bugs has raised new questions about their health risk. Researchers said that there was no evidence the bedbugs spread the bacteria, and it’s unclear if the bugs were the source of the bacteria or if they were simply carrying it. If the bugs were the source of the bacteria, it could suggest the potential for the bugs to spread the bacteria.

The bites of bedbugs also cause severe itching, which can lead to incessant scratching that breaks the skin, leaving it vulnerable to infection from MRSA and other bacteria. Skin rash, pustules, and allergic reaction can also be caused by bedbug bites.

Though bedbugs have not been known to spread disease, they do carry 28 known pathogens, and they do pierce the skin when they bite. Time and further research may prove that they have been able to spread disease or serious infection.

Managing Bedbugs

If you suspect that you have bedbugs, you should act right away to treat them. They can multiply quickly and can become a major disruption, if not a health risk.

The primary treatments for getting rid of bedbugs include:

• Vacuuming seams of furniture and cracks in walls and baseboards to draw out bugs
• Using steam heat around cracks in furniture and walls to kill bugs
• Specially designed mattress cover to trap and kill bugs in mattress and to prevent new infestation
• Wiping down surfaces with rubbing alcohol to kill eggs and visible bugs
• Professional pesticide application

The earlier you act, the better. The longer you wait, the more they will multiply and the harder they will be to eliminate.

Whether you have bedbugs or bedbugs with superbugs, you have a pest on your hands that will be a nuisance at best and a health hazard at worst. If you can’t get rid of the bugs on your own, call a professional for help.

Sarah Rexman is the main researcher and writer for bedbugs.org. Her most recent accomplishment includes graduating from Florida State, with a degree in environmental science.  Her current focus for the site involves researching bed bug sites and ways to pest control bed bugs.

Solar water disinfection method (SODIS) kills most pathogens that cause diarrhea by leaving the water in transparent plastic bottle in the sun for six hours.  However, such method does not work on those microorganisms hiding under the clay and avoid the UV.  This makes murky water more dangerous to drink, especially in developing countries where people fetch water from rivers, streams and boreholes.

Joshua Pearce and Britney Dawney of Queen’s University in Ontario discovered using simple table salt (sodium chloride) can carry out flocculation process that settle out clay and make muddy water clear enough for SODIS treatment.  The newly discovered method is published in June issue of Journal of Water.

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1.      Children exposed perinatally to dogs may have a decreased chance of developing allergies.

A review published last year found that children who come from families with no family history of allergies are much less likely to develop allergies and asthma if they own dogs and are exposed during the perinatal period (five months before birth and one month after). This may be because exposing a child to allergens while it is young enables her to develop an immunity against the allergens. What’s more, scientists have found that much more research has to be done before concluding, erroneously, that cats and dogs are prime sources of allergies.

2.      Owning pets can help ward off child obesity.

According to a study published in an Australian journal, warding off childhood obesity—a major epidemic in the United States—could be as easy as just getting a pet, particularly one that you have to exercise and play with on a daily basis.

3.      Interaction with pets helps children learn communication skills and empathy

Psychological development in young children is absolutely crucial in determining the way the approach challenges later in life. Several studies have shown that children owning pets helps them develop empathy—the ability to understand others’ feelings and show compassion—and nonverbal communication skills. What’s more, having the perceived unconditional love that a pet offers is important while a child may be having social difficulties at school and elsewhere.

4.      Pets have served in therapeutic roles, helping children with specific disabilities.

Not too long ago, the New York Times ran a long feature that told the story of an adopted Russian boy’s struggles with fetal alcohol syndrome. The syndrome severally effected the child’s mental development. He would often have extreme and violent tantrums well into his teen years, and had difficult interacting socially and performing well academically. It wasn’t until the boy was given a trained therapy dog that he finally showed signs of improvement in managing his emotions. It’s stories like this that demonstrate the immense impact our pets can have on our lives.

While we know from personal experience that pets can dramatically affect our lives for the better, science has finally showed us the benefits of pets are objectively true.

Author Bio:

This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs at accredited online colleges about education, college, student, teacher, money saving, movie related topics. You can reach her at nadia.jones5 @ gmail.com.

One of the reasons that a number of people are uncomfortable with the dentist is that they feel anxious about the concept of some stranger with a medical license fumbling around in their mouths with metal tools.  Indeed, it’s actually shocking how few people, out of all of the anxious dental patients in the world, actually ask questions about what’s specifically wrong with their teeth, and what specifically the dentist is doing to help.  Instead, most of us merely lay back and accept that there are problems, and that they are being fixed.  When put this way, it actually seems a bit silly to consider dentistry without at least some understanding of the science behind tooth problems and solutions.  You can do a bit of research on how dentists are able to help you at websites like topdentists.com.  However, for a bit of understanding on what’s behind some common issues, read on.

• One thing that many patients have experienced, but few have asked questions about, is something called referred pain.  Essentially, this is when the pain you feel is coming from an area that has nothing to do with the cause of the pain.  This is quite common with toothaches and cavities, because teeth have nerves inside them, and these nerves can become infected when teeth begin to decay.  Essentially, this can trick your nerves into sending the “wrong” signals to your brain, meaning that you may feel pain from a different part of your mouth than that in which the infected tooth sits.  This is why, sometimes, a dentist will focus on what seems like the complete wrong area!
• Another common thing that you may have heard about, but never asked about, is the apparent correlation between weight gain and gum disease.  Indeed, gum disease has been linked to everything from obesity to heart problems, to the point that we know that many health problems will negatively affect our gums.  Specifically, it appears that weight gain leads to far more inflammation in the body, which in turn can directly harm the gums and cause a number of oral diseases and problems.
• You may also have wondered at one time or another how much mouthwash can actually benefit you, in terms of keeping your mouth clean and healthy.  Some people rely on mouthwash merely for a quick route to good breath, while others use it essentially as a substitute for brushing.  Ultimately, neither type of user has a correct understanding of the function of mouthwash. While it is not merely a tool for breath, it is also not a suitable substitute for brushing, thought it will help to keep your teeth white and clean.  Generally, common fluoride mouthwash can fight cavities and prevent tooth decay, while keeping your teeth white and strengthening tooth enamel.

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To pay homage to the expanding list of foldable items, here are the top five coolest foldable technologies that are unfolding in the near future (or have already unfolded):

1. Folding Bike

Foldable bikes are now popular all over the country, but when they were first released they were revolutionary.  Instead of chaining or locking your bike to a rack or a stairwell rail and risk having your bike stolen or vandalized, you could simply fold your bike in half and carry it with you into the office, your home, your boat—wherever!

2. Foldable Circuits

Most people probably won’t geek out over a foldable circuit, but the technological implications of a flexible circuit are impressive.  Applications of a foldable circuit included a personal computer than can be worn and health monitoring systems that can be implanted in the body for accurate and perpetual monitoring.  Circuits are conventionally installed on thick, rigid sheets of plastic, and their use was constricted to flat, structured surfaces.  But when installed on flexible rubber, the possibilities unfold incredibly.

3. Folding Solar Cell

Similar to the folding circuits, folding solar cells might only deeply excite the irrevocably nerdy, but they still represent a significant advance for the alternative energy field.  Not only are foldable solar cells more versatile in terms of where they can be placed, they are also more efficient collectors of the sun’s energy.  This little foldable could drastically change the way you use electricity in the future.

4. Folding Touch Screen

As if controlling your cell phone or tablet by touching the screen wasn’t cool enough, imagine if the screen itself were flexible!  Folding screens for smart phones and tablet devices are in the works now, with an as of yet undetermined release date, but the concept is certainly worth getting excited about, and cooler than a fold-over sandwich.

5. Folding Car

Yes, you read that correctly: a folding car.  The geniuses at MIT are developing a car that literally folds up to half its length, as a space saving measure.  Think of all the times you see a space on the curb between two vehicles that you could park in if only your car was three feet long instead of twelve—this foldable car may not be three feet, but it could revolutionize driving and parking in the city.  Oh, and did I mention that it’s electric?

As time goes on, there will probably be even more foldable objects that tech geeks will drool over, but for now, these are, in my opinion, the coolest foldables out there since the foldable lawn chair.

Author Bio:

Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she writes about education, online colleges, online degrees etc. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

It seems like an odd fascination to have, a love for the undead. Zombies are this year’s vampire, and for good reason. People love zombies. It’s an inexplicable attraction that draws you in like a rubbernecker on the freeway. Most people don’t know why they love to read about zombies, they just know that they do. Well, here are five possible reasons behind your necrophilia.

1. Violence – We all have the impulse. It might be directed through road rage or sports competition, but everyone has felt the need to lash out. Zombies give us a way to tear apart our enemies, limb by limb. Eating their brain, figuratively taking their intelligence, or tearing off their arms, taking their strength. Either way, we get the revenge we seek, releasing the anger without having to feel the effects.
2. Freedom – Speaking of not feeling the effects; zombies give us a sense of freedom. They have no moral compass, no right or wrong. They are utterly and completely free. They can do as they please without regard to the law or any form of punishment. They can act on their instincts without logic or reasoning getting in their way. They are the epitome of freedom.
3. Unreasonable/instinctive – You can’t reason with a zombie. There’s no talking sense into them or confusing them. They are like animals, free from any fear or pain. They go by instinct. There is no pesky superego telling them they need to stop. We love that single-minded pursuit of a goal. No wavering, no waiting, just instant gratification.
4. Invulnerable/inexhaustible – This, too, is a kind of freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from pain and exhaustion. We would all like to be free from pain. Without the fear of getting hurt, what would stop us? Without tiredness, what would slow us down? In that sense, zombies are the ultimate goal of humanity. To be free from anything that hinders.
5. Hungry – We are all hungry for something. It may be love, it may be attention, it may be money. Whatever it is you desire, zombies provide a way to express. Their untiring pursuit of brains mirrors our inner struggles for satisfaction. If only we could find/buy/create one more thing, that would make us happy. But, like the zombies, no matter how much you consume there is still a lingering hunger.

There you have it; five reasons to love zombies. They offer us a glimpse into the basics of humanity. Our darkest desires. The desire to possess, to consume, without fear or censure. The hunger for fulfillment, the drive towards a life without pain. All these things make up what it means to be a zombie, and they are all things we, ourselves, crave.

Author Bio:

Kate Croston is a freelance writer, holds a bachelors degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She writes guest posts for different sites and loves contributing home internet service related topics. Questions or comments can be sent to:  katecroston.croston09 @ gmail.com.

A team of researchers led by An Pan at the Harvard University School of Public Health in Boston found that increased consumption of unprocessed red meat by one serving daily will increase risk of dying from heart disease by 18% and cancer by 10%; One serving extra daily of processed meat like beef hot dogs and beef bacon will raise the risk of dying by 21% from heart disease and 16% from cancer.  The study included 37,698 men from the Heath Professional Follow-up Study and 83,644 women in the Nurses’ Health Study.  The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.  Although red meat is important in balanced diet, overeating of red meat will lead to diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancers according to existing studies.  Accuracy of the study is doubted by many, so does the tastiness of red meat.

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So what exactly is the deal with spider silk?

It conducts heat better than any living matter

A recent study carried out in Iowa State University by research engineers confirmed that the silk produced by spiders can conduct heat quite well. Those who carried out the study found that the dragline silk (the threads that keep giant webs in place) from a golden silk orbweaver spider had conductivity thousands of times that of human skin and other organic matters. Moreover, spider silk was even more conductive than many metals—including copper, which functions as a conducting agent in many common electronics and electrical wiring systems. Scientists found that spider silk became even more conductive when it was stretched and put under intense strain, meaning that it could be a great candidate for conductivity in small electronics in the future.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this story is that the leader of the study, mechanical engineering professor Xinwei Wang, tested the conductivity of spider silk purely on a hunch. If subsequent studies prove as successful as his, we might be seeing a lot more spider silk in innovative electrical engineering projects.

Spider silk offers insight into healing medicine

No, I’m not talking about spider silk having any supernatural healing powers. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Researchers in Akron, Ohio have reported that they are learning to develop a new type of suture for healing small wounds based on what they’ve studied in conventional spider silk. The silk from the silk orbweaver spider has shown these researchers how spiders utilize BOAS (bead on a string) engineering to produce highly adhesive silk. These researchers attempted to mimic the microscopic adhesive in spider silk to create small sutures and bandages imbued with medicines that help heal whatever wound needs redressing. The researchers basically create a sheet made up of small threads, each of which resembles a thread of spider silk. These threads have a microscopic coating of medicine on them which breaks down into small beads that act as capable binding and healing agents. Brilliant, right?

Spider silk and classical music

In perhaps the strangest recent story involving spider silk, a researcher in Japan had the idea to string together thousands of strands of the same dragline spider silk that I mentioned earlier to create violin strings. The experiment worked rather well, and the spider silk violin strings produce a unique sound all of their own. While the string may not be as strong as the conventional strings made of nylon, they’re an intriguing alternative for the curious violinist. If anything, they’re at least more appealing to imagine being played than old school violin strings made from sheep intestines.

Who knew that spider silk was so versatile?

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online courses.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: angelita.williams7 @gmail.com.