Summer has ended and a new season is upon us.  It’s not just autumn, but it is cold and flu season.  As we reluctantly put away our summer tees and shorts in favor of fall sweats and jackets, our own stubbornness causes many cold and flu infections we get at this time of year.  Very few like to see autumn arrive because most people prefer the warm climate to the cool climate.  We don’t like to admit that with the advent of autumn will lead us into the advent of winter, when ‘cool’ becomes ‘all out COLD’. 

If you allow your body to be vulnerable by wearing the wrong clothing, your body will become vulnerable and susceptible to being attacked by the ever-present common cold and the ever-strengthening flu virus.  I remember seeing an old saying at a doctor’s office and as I’ve gotten older I’ve found this saying to be true.  It is true that flu prevention takes just seconds, but flu recovery takes weeks.  I have found this saying to be true of more than just the flu.  This also applies to colds, or any other illness there is out there.

So basically that old adage that says the ounce of prevention is better than the pound of cure is really true.  It is far better to prevent colds and flu than to treat them, because once they get in your body they will not let go easily. So we can prevent these things.  Here are a few tips that should be useful:

1. Get a flu and/or pneumonia shot because having these in your system provide you with additional antibodies to fight these infections.  These antibodies will keep flu and other infections at bay and allow you to remain more flu free this season.

2. Dress for the weather, for example, if you get up and it is forty degrees put on a long tee or light sweater at the least.  If the temp is going to be in the sixties or seventies, pack a short tee to change into.  Under-dressing is a sure way to invite sickness in your body.

3. Drink or eat a lot of vitamin C because this is one vitamin your body cannot get enough of.  Vitamin C helps your immune system and the stronger your immune system is; the easier it is for it to fight off infections and strengthen your body.

If after all of this you still wind up getting the cold or flu, be sure to get a lot of rest, drink plenty of clear liquids, take vitamin C, eat chicken soup, and stay warm.  By doing this you will bounce back more quickly and be more prepared for the next volley of flu and cold assaults, and rest assured there will be a next volley.  Cold & flu is unrelenting in their attacks, just bear this in mind.

Ever since they began to demolish and remodel older buildings in recent years a new medical condition has hit the scene – Mesothelioma.  Mesothelioma has begun to occur in rising numbers across the country because of the greater number of asbestos removals occurring.  In many cities in lieu of razing entire blocks of classic structures, developers are remodeling them and literally gutting them putting everything fresh inside them.  As they do this asbestos is removed.  

Even with protective gear some exposure to it is imminent.   But in the like vein, in some municipalities they ARE razing entire blocks of classic structures in favor of building new ones.  As they do this asbestos comes out and becomes airborne.  Again the workers have safety gear on, but some exposure is imminent, yet in this case with it being airborne, who is going to protect the public?  What about the kids playing on playgrounds on neighboring blocks?  No child deserves to be exposed to this, albeit accidentally.  Which brings me to the next cause of Mesothelioma – schools.
 
Several of the older schools have had to be closed down to remove asbestos from them because of the risk to the children, yet there are still several more out there which are not having asbestos removed yet.   Originally Mesothelioma was a disease limited to those who worked in auto plants, shipyards, and the HVAC industry – but in my honest opinion I believe it encompasses much more than that.  I believe the areas I specifically mentioned are definitely just as much at risk of getting Mesothelioma if not more so due to the closeness and concentration of the particulate matter involved.
 
Mesothelioma is very difficult to treat.  It has symptoms similar to asthma and emphysema, but eats the body like cancer does.  There are a large number of fatalities due to Mesothelioma each year.  We need to do two things. First – we need to re-think methods we use for handling and disposing of asbestos, and second – we need to focus hard on an effective treatment for this disease.

With the ever-growing medical equipment market, new products are launched very frequently. However, it is tedious to comprehend the utility of these items especially when they are used for emergency purposes. For example, oxygen concentrator is one of the latest advances of medical equipments that have made the bulky oxygen cylinders obsolete even in hospitals. Let’s see some basic facts about some types of oxygen concentrators-

What are the portable oxygen concentrators?

The oxygen concentrators are required for the supply of oxygen in emergencies like sleep apnea or asphyxia. The patients nowadays even opt for such portable oxygen machines for their home use. Obviously enough the maintenance of bigger cylinders is difficult for home use. The portable models are therefore much in vogue especially in homes where there are patients of sudden breathlessness, sleep apnea, overt physical activities, etc. for hospitals too, it is very suitable device, as it operation is very easy and doesn’t require much maintenance. For anesthetists, the portable oxygen concentrators are very easy to carry even in air travels as they are mostly FAA certified for air travel. Here are many varieties of portable oxygen concentrators. Therefore a comparative study should be done before finalizing any model. Let’s see which different models available are-

1. Sequel eclipse- the oxygen concentrator by Sequel Eclipse offers pulse oxygen in when required. Its built is very classy with apt regard to portability. If you are a sleep apnea patient or need extra oxygen supply due to excessively strenuous activity, sequel eclipse oxygen machine will provide you up to 3LPM oxygen with a continuous flow. Because of rechargeable battery, it is very user-friendly. It is smaller in shape and weighs just 17.4lbs. This compact model is great if you desire to carry it during air travel. As it has very high altitude operating range, it is very useful at higher altitudes.

2. Respironics Ever Go – This is another model that provides you pulse dosed oxygen, especially if you have very active lifestyle. It is a very compact oxygen machine having weight just 8.5 lbs. one of the main features also includes a compact carry bag for the unit which can be extremely useful especially during air travel. The durability of this machine is more because it has water resistant touch screen device.

Thus, depending upon your requirements, you can decide which one to opt for and can just forget about the tensions that prevail during low oxygen concentrations!