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One of the oldest known birth defects is achondroplasia syndrome. It is known to be around since the Egyptian times because people with the physical traits of this form of dwarfism are found in Egyptian art.

Physical traits

  • Normal size torso
  • Proportionately short legs and arms
  • Large head for body size
  • Forehead is very prominent
  • The bridge on the nose is flattened
  • Fingers are short and stubby
  • Index and ring finger point away from middle finger (trident hand)
  • Average height between 4’ 4” and 4’ 1”
  • Hump in back
  • Bowed legs
  • Broad flat feet

About 1 in 25,000 births will be diagnosed with syndrome.

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To stop the burning sensation and the bad taste that follows, use remedies for immediate relief. To avoid the heartburn from returning there are some changes that can be made immediately or over a period of time.

Options for immediate symptom relief:

  • Over the counter medications
  • A couple tablespoons of aloe vera juice
  • One tablespoon distilled white vinegar
  • Eat a carrot, potato, or an apple
  • Peppermint tea or candy
  • Club soda or baking soda mixed in water

Quick changes:

  • Eat smaller meals
  • Loosen pants or belt to relieve pressure on the stomach
  • Avoid foods that are known triggers
  • Don’t bend over too soon after eating
  • Remain upright and don’t lie down immediately after a meal

Long-term relief of heartburn:

  • Stop smoking-it increases stomach acid production
  • Reduce weight-to relieve pressure on the stomach

The types of foods most likely to trigger heartburn include fatty fried foods, alcoholic beverages, caffeine, spicy foods, and chocolate. Keeping a journal of what you eat and when heartburn strikes will help to identify personal triggers. Stress can cause heartburn because the hormones that are released trigger acid production.

Untreated heartburn can damage the esophagus, causing burns and sores.

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It’s all about wording.

  • Immunizations do not increase the risk of autism according to some studies.
  • Some studies suggest that high levels of toxic metals are common in those diagnosed with Autism.
  • Immunizations are made with toxic metals.
  • Babies are not tested to see if they have defective functioning of metallothionein protein (MT).
  • Defective functioning of metallothionein protein (MT) interferes with excretion of heavy metals.

Each of the above statements are worded to state a true fact. Isolated the above statements can effect a decision regarding immunizations in different way than when all the statements are brought together to make a choice regarding immunizations.

Source: Metal-Metabolism and Autism

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Sponges are often preferred over a cloth when cleaning. They are absorbent and can tackle tougher jobs with the built in scouring pad. The downside is the germs and bacteria they can collect and store, then cross contaminates areas.

A home remedy is available that does not include destroying the sponge with a bleach bath. Two minutes in the microwave will sanitize sponges. It is very important to make sure the sponge is WET! Fires and smoke in microwave ovens have been reported by people trying this with a dry sponge.

This simple method of disinfecting will reduce the use of disinfecting chemicals.

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Even though diabetic men are the largest group to suffer from ED (erectile dysfunction), having a 3x greater chance of having ED, they have not been able to enjoy the effective medications available on the market.

Diabetic men have continued to suffer, with their partners, due to the lack of drugs approved for use for men diagnosed with diabetes. Though there may be an increased risk of having mild side effects, the current information is that the ED drugs like Cialis, Viagra, and Levitra are not only effective for diabetics, they are safe to use. The study was done on men with type I and type II diabetes.

Most men will choose to tolerate the side effects in exchange to be able to treat ED problems.

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With frequent hand washing, health-care workers’ hands will often become dry and cracked. This can increase their risk of infection when exposed to infectious material. Health-care workers can’t just grab any moisturizer to provide relief from the effects of frequent hand washing and exposure to disinfectants.

The following conditions can be managed with proper moisturizers

  • Dry, flaky skin
  • Crusty bumps
  • Redness
  • Pain
  • Itching
  • Localized inflammation

Health care workers need special moisturizers that are approved by the Infection Control Department. Some moisturizers may not be compatible with latex glove use. Using the wrong moisturizer can put a health-care worker at risk if the moisturizer could compromise the integrity of the gloves used for protection from bodily fluids.

For severely irritated hands, glove liners may help to protect damaged hands from further irritation from the gloves until healing is finished. It will also provide a barrier if the gloves are the source of irritation.

Using disinfecting hand gels when possible will reduce damage from frequent hand washing. When using moisturizers in the workplace healthcare workers should choose water based moisturizers that are approved by Infection Control Department. Other moisturizers are best used at the end of a shift.

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Acupuncture can be used to manage pain and avoid the use of prescription and over the counter drugs. Acupuncture may be fairly new to the Western World, but it has been around for over 2,000 years in China, it has survived the test of time. As pain medications are being taken off the market and the safety of the medications still on the market questionable, alternative pain relief should be sought.

For chronic pain when there is the possibility of long-term use of pain medication and increase risk of side effects, it’s even more important to check into options such as acupuncture.

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Gonorrhea is a common sexually treated disease. Before HIV/AIDS, it was among the most feared to contract.

One of the symptoms of gonorrhea is local inflammation. This can affect the complete emptying of the bladder in men. It is not known if it’s the symptoms of gonorrhea or the disease itself, that increases the risk of bladder cancer in men. Being infected with gonorrhea can double a man’s risk of getting bladder cancer. Smoking also increases the risks, 65% of men who have bladder cancer, also have a history of smoking.

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We had about a year free of the bird flu, there were no cases of the H5N1 virus in humans or birds.

South Korea hasn’t had a case of the bird flu in three years, but since November 2006, they have slaughtered a million birds in an attempt to control the spread of the virus that has returned to their country. December 2006, in Viet Nam, the virus reared its ugly head again. The return of the bird flu was anticipated.

These outbreaks are infecting less poultry and fewer humans. With the return of the bird flu during the past few months, it’s clear that this is still a serious issue.The World Health Organization states that combating this flu will be a long-term challenge.

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Having children living in the home will influence what the adults in the home will consume. Adults who have children living with them will have a diet higher in fat. Adults will provide children with convenience foods, which tend to be higher in fat. Even though these foods may be originally purchased for the children, the adults will also consume them because of the availability.

Keeping the high fat foods out of the home and replacing them with low fat alternatives will help both the adults and the children in the home stay healthier. Even children who are not over-weight will benefit from the change.

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Prostrate cancer treatment has a high success rate. An alternative to one of the treatment options, surgery, is a radioactive “seed” (the size of a grain of rice) implanted into the prostate. This treatment is combined with radiotherapy for aggressive tumors and used alone as treatment for patients with a good prognosis. The study followed the survivors for 15 years and found that no other treatment surpassed the success rate of the radioactive seed treatments.

Due to variables with individuals and specific types of prostate cancer tumors all treatment options should be explored.

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Is it partly cloudy or partly sunny? If you live on the sunny side of life, you can increase the chances of having a healthy heart.

Even people, who are temporarily pessimistic, can increase their risks of dying of heart disease and other health problems. It has been common knowledge that depression will bring on all kinds of health problems. Now we know attitude plays a part in this as well. With a positive person when there is stress they look to the remedy, so the hormones that are released during stress that can negatively effect health are limited.

Source: New York Times

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With so many women following a fine tuned schedule of juggling family, work, and recreation, it’s not surprising to see the rise in planned caesarean births. This choice may be convenient for mom, dad, and doctor, but what about the bab?

Yes, a natural birth is stressful for the baby, but studies show it is healthy for the baby. A little over 5% of planned vaginal delivered babies will be transferred to the neonatal ICU with nearly 10% of planned caesarean delivered babies born ending up there. Lung complications also increase with the planned caesarean delivered babies.

Babies have fewer risks with planned vaginal deliveries.

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Many creams claim to remedy dark circles under eyes. Before you open up the wallet to buy them, there are a few things to try first and can be used in addition to under eye treatments.

Look at the causes of dark circles under the eyes:

  • Stress
  • Lack of sleep
  • Alcohol
  • Caffeine (ingested)
  • Sugar
  • Allergies
  • Food sensitivities
  • Lack of circulation

If you have black tea in your cabinet, you have a natural remedy to treat dark circles. Put briefly boiled, cool teabags on the eyes for about five minutes. Caffeine applied topically will reduce the swelling and will improve the eye’s appearance.

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