How is this possible? According to a recently concluded study, denims just might help save your life in case you get bitten by a rattlesnake. Dr. Shelton S. Herbert and Dr. William K. Hayes from Loma Linda University in California did research on the effect of denim on rattlesnake bites. What they did was to use latex gloves in lieu of human legs (or arms). The gloves were filled with saline solution. They then covered some parts with denim.

The results were quite interesting. The parts that were covered with denim received less of the rattlesnake venom. In case you’re wondering just how much less, they received as much as two thirds less venom than those which were not protected with denim!

The implications are exciting, to say the least. If you decide to go out into the desert – or wherever there may be rattlesnakes lurking around – then you should throw away your nice shorts and put on some nice comfy denims instead. I can think of other reasons why denims are better – they will protect you from the sun and they will protect you from getting your legs scratched! Of course, in case you do get bitten by a rattlesnake or two, your jeans will absorb most of the venom and perhaps save your life.

Of course, the smarter course of action would be to avoid getting bitten by a rattlesnake, but if that cannot be avoided for some reason, then the jeans will be there to help out, even if just a little bit.

So who cares, right? I mean, despite the fact that he is the leader of the arguably greatest nation on Earth, he still is a private individual to a certain extent. Yes, he has made the lives of tobacco and cigarette companies hell lately, but he admits to smoking every now and then.

Barack Obama has never made it a secret that he is struggling with his smoking habit. Perhaps just like very other smoker who has been wanting to quit, the president is finding it quite hard to totally kick the habit. He says that he is about 95% cured but he finds himself slipping a lot. He goes on to say, however, that he does not do it in front of the children – just like many smoker parents that I know.

So why is this significant? I don’t think it is really – except for the President perhaps. He wants to quit smoking but is finding it hard – big deal! Of course, critics are quick to point fingers and highlight the fact that he is putting a lot of pressure on the tobacco industry while at the same time, patronizing their goods.

What does the President have to say about this?

“Once you go down this path it’s something you continually struggle with, which is precisely why the legislation we signed is so important because what we don’t want is kids going down that path in the first place.”

Yeah, I have to agree with him a hundred percent on this one. And yes, I am trying to kick the habit myself.

Are you one of the countless people wearing those facial masks when going out in public? If you work at an airport or a similar transportation hub, you just might be. Or maybe you live near the border with Mexico and you also feel the need to protect yourself.

Well, do it as much as you want to – it can only do you good anyway. However, if the World Health Organization is to be believed, the outbreak of swine flu, or H1N1 virus, may not be as serious as we all think it is. According to the Los Angeles Times, scientists are actually saying that this strain of the flu virus is actually mild; at least when compared to previous epidemics. This should be a good thing as a lot of people are panicking regarding the possibility of a widespread epidemic. After all, some people have died because of it already, so this is really understandable.

On another note, scientists are also saying that developing a swine flu vaccine could take some time. The Voice of America reports:

The World Health Organization says several laboratories around the world are developing a vaccination against swine influenza A-H1N1. The organization has raised its alert to level five, just below declaring the flu virus outbreak to be a pandemic. The process of vaccine development can take months.

By this time, this current strain could very well be gone and we might be facing a different strain in the future. In the meantime, we just need to be wary and try to keep healthy.

Everyone loves Coke, or at least a ginormous number of people do. That, however, does not exempt the company from being reprimanded for less than honest ads, at least in the eyes of the advertising watchdogs in Australia. Last year, the soda giant ran an advertising campaign dubbed Motherhood & Myth-Busting. The main idea of the campaign was to promote Coca-cola as being safe for children. The claims include the ideas that Coke will not make children fat, and that it would not cause one’s teeth to rot – common concerns for children. The company even got popular Australian actress Kerry Armstrong to be its spokesperson.

This did not sit well with the consumer watchdogs, however, and the main governing body has commanded Coke to correct its advertisement. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which is tasked with watching over cases like these, has declared that Coke should do something about it claims. According to Chairman Graeme Samuel, “Coke’s messages were totally unacceptable, creating an impression which is likely to mislead that Coca-Cola cannot contribute to weight gain, obesity and tooth decay.” He went on to say that “They also had the potential to mislead parents about the potential consequences of consuming Coca-Cola.”

While the Commission does have a point, I dare ask this question: What kind of parent will totally believe that drinking soda all the time is good for his or her child? Interestingly enough, Coke has agreed to publish corrective statements regarding their campaign. I guess there is no excuse for any parent to rely on Coke as his or her child’s refreshment of choice!

News about the woman giving birth to octuplets made the headlines about a week ago. Since then, people have been giving their own points of view regarding the matter. There have been supportive people while there have been people who criticized the woman for choosing be artificially inseminated with so many babies at once – especially since she already has 6 children. No matter how much noise was made about the multiple births, the mother kept mum for a while.

Now, she has come out into the open and spoken her piece. Nadya Suleman, the mother of 8 newborns and 6 other children, was interviewed today by Ann Curry of NBC. In the interview, she acknowledged that she had 6 embryos implanted – more than the standard recommendations of the fertility industry. However, she said that she was aware that multiple births were a possibility and that she wanted them all.

Nadya, together with the medical professionals involved, has been severely criticized for her decision. This is taking into consideration the fact that she is a single mother and unemployed at that. She stands by her decision however, and said that it has always been her dream to have a HUGE family, being an only child. She also said that her childhood was pretty dysfunctional and that she has always wanted to become a mom.

Octuplets being born – and living this long – are very very rare. In fact, multiple births are considered a rarity and usually attract a lot of attention, including sponsorships.

Photo courtesy of www.blahmerica.com/

Brain cancer cases are on the rise and the search for a cure is one of the most pressing undertakings of our generation. We have grown by leaps and bounds in our quest to understand the human brain and how it functions but it is still not enough to answer all our questions. Some of the best sources of information might be the most unlikely ones for as individual we are as our fingerprints, so does the manifestation of the disease and the best defense is access to the latest news and developments. Technology has greatly improved our access to information, through our computers, mobiles and portable computers we have with us each and everyday. On the road, we can get the latest information on diseases other news by simply logging into our preferred sites handing us information where ever, whenever you need it. You get the latest news about just about anything, even as you wait in line for the bus. Need the latest news on just about anything anywhere, then the internet is the place to go, so log on and start searching.

First there was the tomato scare, then there was the milk scare, now it’s the peanut butter scare. It seems that even when it comes to food, safety is not something we should take for granted anymore. The recent salmonella contamination of US-made peanut butter has sent people running around, trying to get rid of food products possibly made with contaminated peanut butter.

You’d think it would be easy but no, it is far from that. This recent issue has made one thing clear – food production is not as simple as some of us might have thought it was. The Food and Drug Administration has already pinpointed about 130 food products that have been recalled but you should continue to check that list as they say that more will be added as the investigation continues.

Before consuming any food product, you must take great care to examine the label and make sure that it is safe. Ironically, peanut butter in jars – which we normally buy at the supermarket – is deemed safe.

The most prominent brand of commercial peanut butter which has been linked to the salmonella outbreak is King Nut, which comes in packages anywhere from 5 pounds to 1,700 pounds – unlikely to be consumed by households but generally used in commercial production. Products which you should watch out for include peanut butter cups, ice cream, cereals, cookies, sandwiches, and the like. Fans of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Nutter Butter cookies have nothing to worry about, though, as Hershey’s and Kraft do not use King Nut peanut butter.

As much as I love Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, am an advocate of breastfeeding, and staunchly oppose animal abuse, I was quite stupefied when I saw an article on the Associated Press about the animal rights advocacy group PETA, asking the ice cream kings to use breast milk to replace cow in producing their ice cream.

Tracy Reiman, executive vice president of PETA, argued the dairy products have been linked to juvenile diabetes, allergies and obesity, saying:

“If Ben and Jerry’s replaced the cow’s milk in its ice cream with breast milk, your customers — and cows — would reap the benefits”

Ashley Byrne, a campaign coordinator for PETA added:

“We’re aware this idea is somewhat absurd, and that putting it into practice is a stretch. At the time same, it’s pretty absurd for us to be drinking the milk of cows…”

Its not surprising that the folks at Ben and Jerry’s responded without much enthusiasm. I just can’t help feeling that the PETA people are not doing a favour for themselves or their worthy cause by making statements like this. You don’t need to do a nationwide poll to find out what people (aside from babies) will think of this – and thats creepy, I’m afraid.

Whether or not its absurd for humans to be drinking the milk of cows is not really the issue. Its what generations of us have been used to. Besides, what I find more important is the logistical problems it would face – it takes 12 lbs or 1 1/2 gallons of milk to make a gallon of ice cream. When I was nursing, it took at least half an hour to express 6 or 7 oz. Can you imagine how long poor Mothers would have to be strapped to pumping machines just to meet the demand? Thats an even scarier thought.

They are known as man’s best friend and studies show that they are one of the best ways to get into better health. Having a dog improves ones mental and physical health. Study shows dog owners are in better health than being a cat owner.

The study conducted by Dr. Deborah Wells of Queen’s University, Belfast shows that people with dogs tend to have lower levels of cholesterol and blood pressure. This may be due to the regular exercise they get from walking their pet. She writes that dog owners also appear to experience fewer ailments both those that are minor and those that are more serious.

Dogs in fact seem to lower ones stress levels which is why dog owners recover more swiftly from heart disease. It’s also true that having a dog means that you have a constant, loyal companion that you can talk with about anything - just don’t expect an answer back.
Dogs generally increase ones social contact as well. Usually the more good looking and friendly the dog, the more people will approach to admire your pet and in the process, make friends.

Asked if their kitchen is clean, many would answer with a resounding yes. Unfortunately based on a study published in the American Journal of Environmental health, this is usually not the case. Most bathrooms are actually cleaner than the kitchens.

One cause of this is the way we clean the kitchens. We use soap, water, sponges and kitchen rags that we think are clean to get the job done. Actually all that happens is that the germs get swished around in the dirty water. We don’t even replace the sponges every month? while the bathroom cleaners are changed regularly.

It is important to get the kitchen clean because this is one of the best ways to avoid food poisoning. Nobody wants to have tummy troubles or worse.

An easy solution is to use the microwave and zap the sponges. Make sure that they are thoroughly washed then zap them in the microwave between 4 to 10 minutes while damp or until the sponge begins to steam. The study shows that most germs die after 2 minutes but stubborn germs such as E. Coli and salmonella take longer. Your microwave will actually decontaminate your sponges.