Plastics in Microwave?

We all use microwaves for all kinds of uses, from heating a cup of coffee to seeing if an egg in a microwave can really blow up. But we often forgot (or forgo) to reading the safety manual. Well, at least heed this warning: do not microwave plastic things with your food! And that include syrofoam for your cup noodle, too. Why? Well, plastic is prone to heat, and during the microwaving the plastic (or part of it) may be heated enough to leach into the food, causing health hazard.

Well to be honest, there are 7 types of plastics being used in food utilities right now, but even the best of them (type 1) is only "May be safe if marked microwave safe". I don't know about you, but I'd keep them away from the microwave anyway.

So what can we use for microwaving those frozen waffles? Glass is a good option, virtually all of them are safe for microwave. Ceramics are also safe, but be cautious, sometimes there are metal mixed in the ceramics, causing electric arcs in the microwave, and shortening your microwave's life.

So remember, the next time you want to make a cup noodle, you better boil the water in a different container first!

Kidney Stones are formed HOW?

Lets start at the beginning. The so-called Kidney Stones are not always located inside the kidneys. In fact, most of them are outside it, either in the ureteropevic (that's the junction area between kidney and ureter), in the middle of the ureter tract, just as the ureter is crossing the iliac artery, or just before entering the bladder. Why? Because those three areas are where the diameter of the ureter are smallest.

Now, if you read on the article title, you'l probably wondering "but those aren't how kidney stones are formed!" Well OK, kidney stones are in fact made from the itty bitty things that are contained in your urine. More specifically, there are several causes to a kidney stone, such as increased urine calcium or uric acid concentration, infections, and lack of magnesium in the urine. Normally all those doesn't cause any trouble, but when something cause them to precipitate into crystal, things begin to get interesting. Now I can't write all the contents of the textbook, they'll expect me to pay for it. But I can tell you that the crystal serve as the nidus, or core, of the stone. Therefore when you have to have one of those PNL (percutaneus nephro litholapaxy), they will cut the stone to see what is the nidus is composed of, and therefore knowing what kind of diet you are to go on, either low calcium, low protein, hi magnesium etc. But we don't need to know too much about that. Just know that adequate intake of water (that's drinking water, kids), and regular voiding (and that's peeing, isn't it fun?) is what most people need to do to avoid the unwanted stones.

Contracting a cold?

Having a cold sucks, but did you know that most likely it's because you didn't wash your hand before picking your nose, rather than inhaling a virus? That's right, most mucosal disease (common cold, sore throat) are not due to airborne carrier, but rather bacterias in our hands and spoons. So remember, always wash your hands before putting it in your nose!

Relieving an earache on air travel

The following simple, four-step, five-second maneuver could help alleviate the ache on an airline when yawning, swallowing, or gum chewing fails, according to a report in the medical journal American Family Physician:

• Take a deep breath and hold it with the mouth closed.

• Press both nostrils closed with the thumb and forefinger.

• Block the opening of the unaffected ear with the forefinger of the other hand.

• Exhale forcefully and briefly as if blowing the nose.

Note: This maeuver should only be used for descents only and shloud not be attempted if you have a sore throat, fever, significant heart problem or circulatory disorder, or other serious health problem.

Infant Walkers: Useful or Harmful?

Infant walkers - seats on wheels - provide no proven benefit and can be dangerous.

• A survey of parents of 150 children aged 5 to 15 months, all users of walkers, found that 47 youngsters had suffered mishaps. Most had bruisers and abrasions, but some had serious injuries when the walkers either tipped over or fell down stairs.

• Report Drs. Carol A. Kavanagh of the Joseph C. Wilson Health Center, Rochester, New Your, and Leonard Banco of Hartford (Connecticut) Hospital, the two pediatricians who made the survey: Infants certainly learn to walk without the practice they get in infant walkers and some research even indicates that infants not using walkers may walk slightly earlier than users.
  

Prostate: A Tip for Coping with A Nightly Nuisance

Common in older men, nonmalignant prostate enlargement can be special nuisance at night when it leads to frequent wakings and trips to the bathroom to urinate.

Faced with the problem himself, waking every hour or two, and concerned he might have to have surgery, a retired physician decided to try a simple tactic: He deliberately spent at least a minute and even more voiding each time he felt the urge, carefully not straining, until no more spurts could be obtained.

"Results were immediate and dramatic," he reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. "I now sleep three or four hours at a time and occasionally get up only once in eight hours. If I am lazy and fail to take plenty of time to void, there is a prompt return of frequency. Months of this exercise may restore bladder tone so extra effort will not be called for, but even if that does not occur, taking extra time at each voiding is worthwhile since it improves the night's rest so much."

Be Careful Where You Park Your Car

Temperatures can go surprisingly high in a car parked in the sun. A study by Dr. J. S. Surpure of Oklahoma Children's Memorial Hospital, Oklahoma City, found the interior temperature reaching 111.2 F in the shade, 172.4 F in the sun! Such temperatures can mean potentially hazardous stress for pets, children, and older people left sitting in a car under such conditions. If possible, park in the shade. Leave both doors open for ventilation; open windows may not be enough.