Avian influenza or “bird flu” has now caused more than 60 deaths worldwide, with the most recent epidemic in Indonesia, where four people have died. On a global basis, 60 deaths are not very many. So why are health experts becoming alarmed about the H5N1 (“bird flu”) virus? People are concerned because the virus has demonstrated the ability to kill a high percentage of the humans it infects. In addition, it has spread from birds to many other species, which is very uncharacteristic of viruses. The spread of infection in birds increases the opportunities for direct infection of humans. If more humans become infected over time, the likelihood also increases that humans, if concurrently infected with human and avian-influenza strains, could serve as the “mixing vessel” for the emergence of a novel subtype—with sufficient human genes to be easily transmitted from person to person.

Once the virus acquires the capability to “go human,” an influenza pandemic (that is, a worldwide epidemic) would likely ensue in a matter of weeks. To date, the vast majority of infections of bird flu in humans have been acquired by close contact with domestic poultry. However, there is one documented case of human-to-human transmission in Thailand. It remains a curious fact that most people who have worked with poultry infected with the bird-flu virus, culling infected birds for example, have not become infected—a fact that no one seems able to adequately explain.

The antigenic changes (that is, changes in the exterior proteins—Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase) in bird and human influenza viruses go on year after year. Annual influenza outbreaks typically do not cause severe illness and death, because people have built up natural immunity to the viruses over a period of years. Rapid spread of H5N1 viruses between humans, on the other hand, will led to explosive global expansion in which everyone is at risk for infection, illness, and death because of a complete lack of natural immunity to the virus.

Because avian influenza or “bird flu” is much more deadly than the regular annual flu in humans, coupled with the high infectiousness of influenza viruses in general, a bird-flu pandemic is potentially very deadly, causing many tens—or even hundreds—of millions of deaths across the globe. In September 2005, Dr. David Nabarro of the World Health Organization (WHO) stated, “A new pandemic would claim between 5 million and 150 million people.”

Once a flu pandemic starts, everyone will be at risk of getting pandemic flu, because no one has natural immunity to the virus. However, certain groups may be at greater risk of dying than others. There are strong indications that the coming bird-flu pandemic may be similar to the influenza pandemic of 1918 and, if so, healthy adults would be most at risk of dying, along with pregnant women and the elderly.

Why are healthy adults at greatest risk? It appears that the H5N1 bird-flu virus causes a massive immunological response against the virus in those with the strongest immune systems. Unfortunately, this causes the release of human enzymes called “cytokines,” which destroy lung cells along with viral particles. This, in turn, causes a deadly outpouring of fluids into the lung, which interferes with the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This reaction is frequently fatal. There are few effective treatments—one of the only treatments available is to place the patient on a ventilator, a mechanical respirator. Even with this treatment, patients often die from complications.

Bradford Frank, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A.

The Frank Group

P.O. Box 138

Lakewood, NY 14750

AvoidBirdFlu.com AvoidBirdFlu.com

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Tags: world health organization

Dealing with your sweet-tooth can be one of the greatest challenges to a successful weight loss or fat loss battle.

It has been suggested that drinking a large glass of water can help you get past a time when you were tempted to binge on sweets or some other unhealthy snack. While this is valid and true, sometimes water just doesn’t make the cut. We’re going to discuss some healthy ways that you can satisfy your longing for something sweet.

The World Health Organization issued an obesity alert suggesting that we limit our intake of “added sugar” to 10% of our total calories. Since most of us don’t eat granulated sugar by the tablespoonful, we need to watch carefully for sugar to rear its ugly head.

Sugar can be found in many processed foods, sauces, soups, condiments, beverages and just about anything you consume. The problem is that many times the product you purchase doesn’t have a flashing neon sign that says “SUGAR IN HERE!” You need to be a bit of a detective and check the ingredients for sugar.

Sugar is stealthy and operates under a number of different aliases. Watch for sugar to appear in the form of:

- raw sugar, cane sugar, white sugar

- corn syrup, high fructose variety or plain

- molasses or honey

To gauge how much of an issue this sugar problem has become, contemplate this… In 1980, the average American consumed approximately 123 pounds of sugar each year. As of 1999, this number increased to 158 pounds per person! That’s nearly a 30% increase over a 20-year period.

Here are a couple ways the experts at the American Dietetic Association recommend getting some extra sweetness without picking up a bunch of extra pounds.

This tip is found in the book titled 365 Days of Healthy Eating from the American Dietetic Association (Wiley 2004), Roberta Larson Duyff, MS, RD, FADA, CFCS.

“Have a sweet tooth? Nibble a sweet potato!

Think about this. One-half cup of sweet potatoes delivers more beta-carotene (antioxidant) than 12 cups of broccoli. Sweet potatoes also supply vitamin E, another antioxidant, and potassium, too. Raw sweet potatoes make an easy low-calorie, nearly fat-free snack. They deliver fiber, even more than with the peel on. Sweet potatoes give a no-sugar-added sweetness to a meal, and cooking makes them sweeter yet.

Sometime this week, do this with sweet potatoes:

- Blend cooked and chilled sweet potatoes in breakfast smoothies.
(Quick tip: Use canned sweet potato puree.)

- Cut them in strips for oven-baked fries.

- Substitute sweet potatoes for white potatoes or apples in recipes.”

Another great source of sweetness-without-guilt can be fruit juice. It comes in dozens of delectable flavors and combinations, but beware… all fruit juice is not created equally! Check the labels and purchase only juice that contains “100% Fruit Juice”.

Fruit that is used for juice can ripen well beyond the point that it’s store-bought whole fruit brothers and sisters can ripen. Because of this, you can get all of the sweetness you desire, without any added sugar.

According to the American Dietetic Association, it is possible to convince your taste buds that you’ve added sweetness to your food by pairing up certain spices with certain foods. The idea here is that we might be able to ward off the desire for sweets by “convincing” your palate that you’ve already had some.

The philosophy is that certain spices will enhance the natural sweet flavors of certain foods, thus making you feel as though you have experienced sugar or honey, when in fact you have not.

If you don’t mind the thought of playing head-games with yourself, read on…

1. Use ginger in combination with fruit and fruit glazes to accentuate the natural sweetness of the fruit.

2. Try adding cinnamon to your morning breakfast cereal or oatmeal. Breakfast cereal can be a good and filling morning meal as long as it isn’t heavily sugared when it is made or prepared. Cinnamon, sprinkled on top of the cereal, will complement the starches in the grains in a way that accentuates the sweetness.

3. Add some nutmeg or cinnamon to cookies and rice. The nutmeg produces a flavorful “bite” that enhances the sugar, while the cinnamon does the same for cooked rice. The rice/cinnamon combination can even be enjoyed as a dessert.

4. If you haven’t given up caffeine, adding some spice to your coffee or tea that might preclude the need for cream or sugar. Try mixing and matching the following as you brew up the next pot: cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice and ginger.

5. Use vanilla to add a sweet flavor to things. Vanilla can be added to coffee, puddings and baked goods of all types.

6. Try seasoning cooked carrots with cinnamon. Steam the carrots, drain them, then sprinkle with cinnamon, toss and serve. If you have kids, reserve some without cinnamon and give them a few of each. Ask them whether they prefer the “regular” carrots or the “sweet” carrots. Giving them a choice will help to prevent them from rejecting them outright as something “strange” or new.

7. Serve sweet potatoes instead of potatoes or rice. Adding some cinnamon to the sweet potatoes will help accentuate the natural sweetness and might remind you of a Thanksgiving treat! No marshmallows though!

You will have to experiment with the amounts and types of spices that you use. Start with a little and add more as you go. Variety is the spice of life. Let spice add variety to your healthy cooking so that your life can be longer and healthier!

References:
American Dietetic Association
eatright.org eatright.org

Michael Callen is the author of the Weekly Weightloss Tips Newsletter (ccwebgroup.com/tips) and the Chief Technology Officer for WellnessPartners.com, an online retailer of dozens of health and wellness products such as wellnesspartners.com/conjugated_linoleic_acid_tonalin_cla.shtml conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), wellnesspartners.com/ralapure_r_alpha_lipoic_acid.shtml r alpha lipoic acid (R ALA), and wellnesspartners.com/green_tea_plus_green_tea_extract.shtml Green Tea Extract.

Tags: antioxidant, diet, obesity, weight Loss, world health organization

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The American Dental Association has been sued for encouraging people to have amalgams put into their teeth. The ADA issued a press release stating that they are “concerned that misguided fears about the safety of amalgam, coupled with the added costs of the more expensive filling options, may cause people to forego necessary dental care.” The following groups have publicly stated that dental amalgams are safe: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS), National institutes of Health (NIH) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Yet some people claim that dental amalgam is responsible for diseases such as autism, Alzheimer’s and Multiple Sclerosis because it is an alloy with mercury.

The mercury in dental amalgam combines with other metals to form a stable dental filling, similar to the way that sodium and chlorine (both hazardous in their pure state) combine to form harmless table salt. A minute amount of mercury vapor may be released by amalgam fillings during vigorous chewing or grinding, but there is no scientific evidence that this negligible amount will harm you. Many people have had fillings removed from their teeth because they thought that mercury from the fillings was poisoning them and causing them to be exhausted and their muscles to hurt. Two studies from Sweden and Finland support the position statement of the American Dental Association that chronic tiredness and muscle pains are not caused by mercury in dental fillings and that removing the fillings does not relieve tiredness or muscle pain. If mercury in dental amalgams caused tiredness and muscle pain, then dentists, the people who are exposed to the most amalgam, should have the most symptoms and they do not.

Millions of North Americans suffer from tiredness and muscle pain and they go from doctor to doctor, begging for help. Since most doctors offer no help whatever and often tell them that they are just depressed, these patients look elsewhere. Some dentists in the 1980s felt that they could help people with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia by removing their amalgams and replacing them with weaker fillings made from other materials. They would ask their patients with amalgam fillings to chew, insert a special machine and analyze the air blown out for mercury content. These machines showed that chewing markedly increases the mercury content of the air in the mouth. However, the mercury released by chewing is breathed out, not retained by the body, and therefore is not harmful.

To show that a person is poisoned by mercury, a researcher must show increased amounts of mercury in tissues in the body or urine, and people with dental fillings do not have increased amounts of mercury in their tissues or urine. The position statement from the ADA, that chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia are not caused by dental amalgams, shows that they have high morals at a time when most dentists could use the extra business of removing dental fillings and replacing them for big bucks.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at drmirkin.com DrMirkin.com

drmirkin.com/email/newssign.asp Free weekly newsletter on fitness, health, and nutrition.

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We live in a marvelous time when technology has become man’s servant. For the average person, everyday living has become more a matter of pressing buttons than a matter of hard physical labor. Meanwhile, advancements in technology have crossed the digital divide. There are far fewer barriers to communication now. Also, it is now possible to diagnose most serious diseases. In many cases we can even cure these diseases.

Some of these diseases can be fatal and spread quickly. One of the short-term outbreaks of recent history was SARS. One of the diseases not yet cured is HIV/AIDS. Bird flu, or avian influenza, is one of the diseases that medical science has targeted as likely to spread from human to human soon, unless a more effective immunization or other cure is discovered first.

A plain description of the bird flu threat

In very general terms, bird flu is an infection of a flu virus that originally spread among birds. Avian influenza viruses can spread around the globe because birds migrate great distances. These viruses are typically found in the bird’s intestines. Many of these viruses do not cause severe symptoms in the birds. When birds are packed closely together, such as in poultry farms with chickens and turkeys, the avian influenza viruses spread very rapidly among them.

Bird flu crossing the species barrier into humans was first confirmed in Hong Kong in 1997. Since that time the World Health Organization (WHO) has worked with government and private health agencies around the world to try to monitor the disease. Many of these agencies are seeking remedies for human cases of the bird flu, while monitoring for any mutations in the disease that might lead to a spread among humans or change how the disease can be remedied.

There is currently little risk of bird flu for most people, as it requires close interaction with infected birds or bird feces. However, for those who have constant contact with birds, the risk becomes very high during outbreaks in local poultry. This is particularly true for the current strain of bird flu known as H5N1, or avian influenza A. The alarm was sounded around the end of 2003 when H5N1 infected poultry in several Asian countries led to several human infections. About half of those infected died.

Know the symptoms

Bird flu spreads by contact with an infected bird’s saliva, nasal secretions, or feces. Other birds appear to have little resistance to the disease when they come in contact with the virus and are quickly infected. Hence the more closely birds interact the more quickly it spreads. Humans who interact with these birds without proper protective gear are also susceptible to the disease.

It is important to know the symptoms of bird flu so that you can respond quickly and appropriately if you see these symptoms. In birds the H5N1 strain can cause diarrhea, difficulty breathing, excessive shedding, and a swollen head. Of course if you’re not a bird expert you’re unlikely to be able to differentiate these symptoms from normal bird behavior, save the difficulty breathing. And you certainly won’t note these symptoms unless you’re up close to see the bird.

Some of the more general symptoms of bird flu are the same symptoms you’d likely see in any flu strain. These symptoms are cough, headache, fever, sore throat, chest pains, muscle aches, and lethargy. Some severe symptoms that may be an alarm for bird flu are pneumonia, eye infections, acute respiratory problems such as breathing difficulties, inflammation of the heart, and inflammation of the brain.

As noted, many of the symptoms of bird flu can be confused with a normal flu. Many of the other symptoms are hard for anyone but a trained health care worker to identify. However, if you have any reason to suspect these symptoms are present, you should seek immediate medical attention for the sake of the infected individual and everyone else who might become infected if H5N1 should make the human to human leap.

Niall Cinneide publishes an

Tags: Heart, world health organization

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