Your health blog !

You can, if you ask the right question when you are going out to a restaurant. These simple questions will help guide you to the healthiest food choices.

* How has my meal been cooked? Was it baked, broiled, fried, sautéed, steamed or poached? Baked, broiled, steamed and poached are the healthiest cooking methods?
* What’s in it? Knowing the ingredients will help you avoid ‘hidden’ calories from dairy products or extra-fatty products
* Is it real or imitation? Especially with prepackaged, or ‘fast food’ like products. Real is always best.
* Do they use MSG? Choose another dish, or maybe even restaurant, they added risk of too much MSG is worth the hassel.
* What kind of oil do you see being used, or do they use in the kitchen? Olive oil is probably the best oil that a restaurant will use. If they don’t use olive oil, it’s proabably a highly refined partially hydrogenated oil.
* Is the meal prepared fresh, is it frozen, or was it canned? Fresh is best of course, frozen nexr and canned last. Try an avoid canned food as much as possible, and if you do need to use them check the cans for date of canning and make sure to look at the condition.

Blood pressure control involves several steps. One in particular is watching salt intake.

Adjusting to less salt takes time to retrain your taste buds. The taste for salt increases the more we use it, so decreasing it, takes time for the desire to drop.

Make the transition easier by seasoning with some alternatives:

* Lemon juice springs up the taste of fish, salad, rice or pasta
* Salt free garlic and herb seasoning can make soups, stews, and casserole spicier
* Flavored vinegar seasons potato salad, green salad, tomato slices and chicken
* Salt free herb blends can make potatoes, pasta and rice flavorful

Finally, don’t forget to check the labels of foods you buy to keep sodium in line.

Allergic reactions to latex (natural rubber) products can occur when items containing latex touch the skin, the mucous membranes (the mouth, genitals, bladder or rectum), or contact the internal organs or bloodstream (especially during surgery). Reactions can also happen when people breathe or touch the powder from inside latex gloves or balloons, or eat food that has been handled by latex gloves. These allergic responses can include:

* red, watery eyes
* wheezing
* hives, rash
* swelling, difficulty breathing
* vomiting, anaphylactic shock

What is latex ?

Latex is a natural product from the Hevea brasiliensis tree. Natural latex rubber is produced when chemicals to increase durability, elasticity, and strength are added to the latex. Natural latex rubber may be an ingredient of many products commonly used in the healthcare environment, in the community, and in the home, including: exam gloves, Koosh balls, balloons, rubber bands, pacifiers, urinary catheters,IV tubing ports, erasers,condoms, adhesive tapes, elastic bandages, tires, diaper elastic, clothing, dental dams,bottle nipples.

There are alternative, non-latex products that can be substituted for most latex items. Usually, these alternatives are made of plastic, mylar, vinyl, silicone or synthetic rubber.

What can be done about latex allergy?
If a person is suspected of having had a reaction of any kind to a latex product, or if there has been an unexplained allergic reaction during an operation, a dental or medical exam, please inform healthcare providers.

For individuals who are sensitive to latex products, we recommend:

* Avoiding all latex products. Use other kinds of gloves, pacifiers, tape, balloons etc.
* Talking with your healthcare provider about the possible need for

It used to be thought that the animal’s fur was the actual allergen, whereas it is mainly the means for transporting the following allergens produced by the animal:

* saliva (dog, cat, horse, etc.)
* urine (cat, dog, small animal, etc.)
* animal serum (=fluid portion of the blood)
* dandruff (particles of dead skin)
* epithelium (=outer skin surface)
* excrement (parrot, pigeon etc.)

The body usually absorbs these animal allergens in the form of dust by inhaling. The highest frequency are the allergens from cats, the allergen with the strongest effect from horses or small rodents.
Cats can be seen frequently licking their fur and spreading their saliva on it, which simultaneously is distributed into the air in the form of minute drops-a real allergen rain.

If you are allergic to a dog, you are not allergic to all dogs. Different breeds cause different reactions.

Allergies to birds are often indirect. It is not the feathers that cause the allergies, but the mites in them.

Allergies to animals mainly show up as asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and, less often, eczema.

Most people develop their over-sensitivity by living in close contact with their own house pets, however infrequent contact with animals can also trigger the illness.

The first treatment for animal allergies is to remove the animal from the patient’s environment, which is extremely difficult because of the emotional attachment to it. One must weigh the importance of the devotion to the beloved pet and the importance of one’s own health.

The most up-to-date studies have shown that by washing a cat once a week the allergens can be significantly lessened.
Even when the allergy-triggering animal is no longer in the home, it can take months or even years (especially in the case of cats) until the allergy spells stop, because the allergens are still present on furniture, carpets, curtains, etc. Only a rigorously thorough cleaning of the household can help.