Japan, Australia confirm first cases of swine flu

Quarantine officials with protective masks and outfits make their way to board a commercial plane that has just arrived for checking of its passengers at Narita International Airport in Narita, east of Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, May 9, 2009. Japan confirmed its first cases of swine flu Saturday in three people who recently returned from Canada, even as the disease's spread appeared to slow in the rest of the world. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
(AP) -- Japanese authorities scrambled Saturday to track travelers who arrived on the same flight as three people diagnosed with the country's first confirmed cases of swine flu. Australia also joined the ranks of affected countries with its first confirmed case.

US swine flu victims had chronic health problems

This undated photo provided by the Rudy Garza Funeral Home and taken by Ultrashots studio shows Judy Trunnell. Texas health officials on Tuesday May 5, 2009 announced the first death of a U.S. resident with swine flu, and said Trunnell was a 33-year-old schoolteacher who had recently given birth to a healthy baby. Health officials stopped short of saying that swine flu caused the woman's death. State health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said the woman had "chronic underlying health conditions" but wouldn't give any more details. (AP Photo/ Courtesy Garza Funeral Home, Ultrashots) .

NASA's ENose can sense brain cancer cells

(PhysOrg.com) -- An unlikely multidisciplinary scientific collaboration has discovered that an electronic nose developed for air quality monitoring on Space Shuttle Endeavour can also be used to detect odour differences in normal and cancerous brain cells. The results of the pilot study open up new possibilities for neurosurgeons in the fight against brain cancer.

Brain & Nervous System

How the Nervous System WorksThe basic functioning of the nervous system depends a lot on tiny cells called neurons. The brain has billions of them, and they have many specialized jobs. For example, sensory neurons take information from the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin to the brain. Motor neurons carry messages away from the brain and back to the rest of the body.All neurons, however, relay information to each other through a complex electrochemical process, making connections that affect the way we think, learn, move, and behave.Intelligence, learning, and memory. At birth, the nervous system contains all the neurons you will ever have, but many of them are not connected to each other. As you grow and learn, messages travel from one neuron to another over and over, creating connections, or pathways, in the brain. It's why driving seemed to take so much concentration when you first learned but now is second nature: The pathway became established.In young children, the brain is highly adaptable; in fact, when one part of a young child's brain is injured, another part can often learn to take over some of the lost function. But as we age, the brain has to work harder to make new neural pathways, making it more difficult to master new tasks or change established behavior patterns. That's why many scientists believe it's important to keep challenging your brain to learn new things and make new connections— it helps keeps the brain active over the course of a lifetime.Memory is another complex function of the brain. The things we've done, learned, and seen are first processed in the cortex, and then, if we sense that this information is important enough to remember permanently, it's passed inward to other regions of the brain (such as the hippocampus and amygdala) for long-term storage and retrieval. As these messages travel through the brain, they too create pathways that serve as the basis of our memory.
Movement. Different parts of the cerebrum are responsible for moving different body parts. The left side of the brain controls the movements of the right side of the body, and the right side of the brain controls the movements of the left side of the body. When you press the accelerator with your right foot, for example, it's the left side of your brain that sends the message allowing you to do it.Basic body functions. A part of the peripheral nervous system called the autonomic nervous system is responsible for controlling many of the body processes we almost never need to think about, like breathing, digestion, sweating, and shivering. The autonomic nervous system has two parts: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems.

Brest Cancer

What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) growth that begins in the tissues of the breast. Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells grow in an uncontrolled way. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, but it can also appear in men. In the U.S., it affects one in eight women.
Symptoms of Breast Cancer:
a lump or a thickening in the breast or in the armpit
a change of size or shape of the mature breast
fluid (not milk) leaking from the nipple
a change of size or shape of the nipple
a change of color or texture of the nipple or the areola, or of the skin of the breast itself (dimples, puckers, rash)
Read more details about symptoms of breast cancer

What is Cancer?

Cancer is a complex group of over 100 different types of cancer. Cancer can affect just about every organ in the human body.How Does Cancer Develop?
The organs in our body are made up of cells. Cells divide and multiply as the body needs them. When these cells continue multiplying when the body doesn't need them, the result is a mass or growth, also called a tumor.These growths are consider either benign or malignant. Benign is considered non-cancerous and malignant is cancerous.Benign tumors rarely are life threatening and do not spread to other parts of the body. They can often be removed.

GENERAL HEALTH

What is HIV?
In 1985, scientists discovered the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV is a virus that is transmitted from person to person through the exchange of body fluids such as blood, semen, breast milk and vaginal secretions. Sexual contact is the most common way to spread HIV, but it can also be transmitted by sharing needles when injecting drugs, or during childbirth and breastfeeding. As HIV reproduces, it damages the body's immune system and the body becomes susceptible to illness and infection. There is no known cure for HIV infection.
What is AIDS?
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, is a condition that describes an advanced state of HIV infection. With AIDS, the virus has progressed, causing significant loss of white blood cells (CD4 cells) or any of the cancers or infections that result from immune system damage. Those illnesses and infections are said to be "AIDS-defining" because they mark the onset of AIDS. Like HIV, there is no known cure for AIDS.
What Are the AIDS-Defining Illnesses and Infections?
Are HIV and AIDS the Same Thing?
Explore the HIV and AIDS Connection
How Long Does it Take for HIV to Cause AIDS?
HIV/AIDS - More Than Just a Disease
Soon after the emergence of the AIDS epidemic, it became evident that HIV was much more than just a disease. Unlike any other disease, HIV not only touches the lives of those infected, but it also impacts the lives of virtually everyone on earth. One would be hardpressed to find any group not affected by the HIV epidemic in some way. Simply put, it is probably the single most important public health issue of our time.

What Is the Cold/Flu?

What Is the Common Cold?
On average, American adults will suffer from 2 to 4 colds per year and children will get between 6 and 10 colds per year. The common cold is probably the most common illness in the United States today, but it is also the most common reason for doctor's visits, even though there is no cure for the cold.The cold, like the flu, is a virus and cannot be treated with antibiotics. Unfortunately, the only true treatment is to wait until has run it's course. Want to know more?
What Is the Flu?:
The flu is similar to the common cold but the symptoms are usually much more severe. Five to 20 percent of the American population come down with the flu each year. It can be very serious and even fatal.The flu is a virus called influenza. It cannot be treated with antibiotics, but may be prevented with a flu shot and new antiviral medications, such as Tamiflu, may help shorten the duration of the flu.

Dental Care

Easier - Care of your teeth includes following a good diet, cleaning your teeth after eating, and having regular dental checkups.Harder - Most tooth decay and gum disease could be prevented if people gave proper care to their teeth and gums. Dentists recommend that (1) you eat well-balanced meals that include a variety of foods and provide the nutrients (nourishing substances) needed by your teeth and gums, (2) you clean your teeth by brushing after every meal and using dental floss once a day, and that (3) you have a dental checkup at least once a year.

Drug

Drugs are chemicals that change the way a person's body works. You've probably heard that drugs are bad for you, but what does that mean and why are they bad?Medicines Are Legal DrugsIf you've ever been sick and had to take medicine, you already know about one kind of drugs. Medicines are legal drugs, meaning doctors are allowed to prescribe them for patients, stores can sell them, and people are allowed to buy them. But it's not legal, or safe, for people to use these medicines any way they want or to buy them from people who are selling them illegally.Cigarettes and AlcoholCigarettes and alcohol are two other kinds of legal drugs. (In the United States, adults 18 and over can buy cigarettes and those 21 and over can buy alcohol.) But smoking and excessive drinking are not healthy for adults and off limits for kids.Illegal DrugsWhen people talk about the "drug problem," they usually mean abusing legal drugs or using illegal drugs, such as marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, LSD, crystal meth and heroin. (Marijuana is generally an illegal drug, but some states allow doctors to prescribe it to adults for certain illnesses.)

INSIDE HEALTH

Allergies & Asthma
Bones, Joints & Muscles
Brain & Nervous System
Cancer
Digestive Health
General Health
Health Care
Healthy Living
Heart Health
Mental Health
Pediatrics
Sexual Health
Skin Health
Sleep
Women's Health

ALLERGY

What is an Allergy?The topic of allergies has become routine in our lives, and certainly most everyone has an idea of what an allergy is. Allergies are so common a subject in fact, it seems acceptable to discuss your allergies at a cocktail party with strangers.How do Allergies Start?The allergic person can make allergic antibodies, or IgE, against a variety of allergens, including pollens, molds, animal danders, dust mites, foods, venoms and medications. This occurs through a process called sensitization, where a person’s immune system is exposed to enough of the allergen to make the body produce allergic antibodies to that substance.When and Why do People Develop Allergies?It is unknown why some people develop allergies and some don’t. Allergies seem to run in families, and in some cases family members can share allergies to specific foods or medications. It appears that the allergic response was once meant to protect the body against parasitic infections, although now seems to be an abnormal response to non-infectious triggers.

Bones, Joints & Muscles

What is Back Pain?
Back pain is an easily recognizable problem that can bring on a number of sensations. It can present itself in any location along the spine, a stack of 26 bones connected by ligaments, muscles and shock-absorbing disks.
Back pain is one of the most common complaints brought to doctors in the United States. Over six million cases are seen annually, with the majority being in the lower back. It's expensive, too, ranking 3rd after heart disease and cancer. Around 80 percent of people get back pain sometime in their lives. Although back pain can be categorized in a number of ways, the most obvious is by location. Many types of back problems can occur almost anywhere along the spine.
Herniated Disk
Spinal Fractures Neck or Back Sprain
Spinal Cord Injury
Scoliosis
Adult Scoliosis
Causes of Poor Posture
Spinal Stenosis
Chronic Pain
Bulging Disk
Degenerative Disk Disease
Persistent Pain
Spinal Anatomy
Parts of the Spinal Bone
The Significance of Spinal Curves

Physical Therapy Blog

Knee replacement surgery is becoming more and more common. This surgery can help reduce knee pain from arthritis as well as increase day to day activity. Recovering mobility in the replaced knee is crutial for a good outcome after this surgical procedure. For this reason physical therapy begins one day after the surgery
Regaining knee flexion is an important way to ensure a complete recovery. Gentle movement of the knee is one way to start this rehabilitation program. Eventually the goal should be to regain at least 90 degrees of motion in the replaced knee.

Exercise Injury Prevention - 10 Tips for Injury Prevention During Exercise

Have a Routine Physical / Fitness Test.Visit you doctor before beginning a new exercise program. Any new activity can stress your body. If you have undiagnosed heart disease or other conditions, you should modify your exercise accordingly. Your doctor can let you know what your limits might be and suggest an appropriate amount of exercise for you.
Gradually Increase Time and Intensity.When starting an exercise program, many people have lots of enthusiasm initially, and go too hard, too soon. Begin with moderate exercise of about 20 minutes, 3 times a week and gradually build upon this. You can also use the perceived exertion scale to determine the best exercise intensity for you.
Visit a Personal Trainer.If you just don't know what to do or where to begin, a good trainer will get you started safely and help you learn enough to work out on your own if you choose. A few initial sessions may be all you need.
Warm Up Before ExerciseA proper, gradual warm up goes a long way to prevent injuries. The warm up can consist of walking, jogging or simply doing your regular activity at a snail's pace.
Don't Workout on Empty.While you don't want to exercise immediately after eating a large meal, eating about 2 hours before exercise can help fuel your exercise and help you avoid bonking during your workout.
Drink Before You Exercise.Dehydration can kill your performance, so stay well hydrated. Try to drink 16 oz. of water in the two hours before your workout and then take in water during your workout to replace any lost fluids.
Listen to Your Body.If you experience any sharp pain, weakness or light-headedness during exercise, pay attention. This is your body's signal that something is wrong and you should stop exercise. Pushing through acute pain is the fastest way to develop a severe or chronic injury. If you don't feel well, you should take some time off until your body heals.Also See: Should I Exercise with a Cold or the Flu?
Take Time for Rest and Recovery. In addition to getting enough sleep, it is important to take some rest days. Working out too much for too long can lead to overtraining syndrome and possibly reduce your immunity.
Cross Train.In addition to helping reduce workout boredom, cross-training allows you to get a full body workout without overstressing certain muscle groups.Dress Properly for Your Sport.This includes using appropriate safety equipment for your sport, choosing proper footwear, replacing running shoes as needed and weaing clothing that wicks sweat and helps keep you cool and dry. Read more about how to layer clothing for cold weather exercise.
Dress Properly for Your Sport.This includes using appropriate safety equipment for your sport, choosing proper footwear, replacing running shoes as needed and weaing clothing that wicks sweat and helps keep you cool and dry. Read more about how to layer clothing for cold weather exercise.