Women’s Health Information

We take electricity for granted. We flick a switch and the light comes on, we press a button and the dishwasher begins its wash cycle. We drop bread into the toaster and it begins to prepare our breakfast. We do it every day and we never stop to think where the electricity that powers those lights and appliances comes from.

Electricity is part of our daily life that we take for granted. But it doesn’t come out of thin air – electricity is the produced by power stations that can employ any one of a number of different methods.

Here in Australia much of our power comes from the burning of coal and the same is true in other countries too. Oil can also be used to produce electricity as can water, the sun and the wind. Unfortunately most countries depend on coal and oil and as those resources become more finite and more expensive we begin to look for alternatives.

Not every country has access to sufficient levels of sunlight to make solar energy a reasonable alternative and besides, generating the amounts of electricity that the western world needs to survive requires more generating power than the current level of solar technology can provide.

And it’s the same with wind generated electricity. Wind farms are beginning to appear but they are a long way for reaching the generating level that we need.

So it should come as no surprise that more and more countries are looking to nuclear power to supply the electricity that we need every day. But is that a wise alternative?

There are many who say that it is a wise alternative and that it is perfectly safe but to those people I say just four words – Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.

If you don’t think that a major accident could happen at one of the West’s nuclear power plants then remember Three Mile Island that happened in 1979 and seven years later Chernobyl spewed its deadly radiation cloud into the atmosphere.

Both were accidents caused by people who were either poorly trained or desperately trying to cut corners to save costs. The legacy of those accidents will haunt us for many years to come and the reminder of Chernobyl – a site still not stabilized 20 years after the event – will stay with the world forever.

If you think nuclear energy is safe to use then visit the site Chernobyl Revisitedand take some time to read the text and look at the photos taken during a journey through the dead zone.

Who wants to live in a world where there are dead zones?

And if Chernobyl Revisited is too graphic for you then visit Chernobyl: Ghost of the Soviet Union – it’s not quite so stark and threatening.

And once you have seen what simple accidents could do – accidents that came through cost cutting and poorly trained staff – you decide whether you want public companies (those very companies who cut costs to save money and improve their bottom line) to be allowed to build a nuclear reactor in your country.

A Fatal Slumber: What is Sleep Apnea?

Do you snore while you are sleeping? Do you wake up during the night sometimes with the sensation of choking or grasping for breath? Do you wake up with headaches and have trouble staying awake during the day?

If you answered yes to the questions above, chances are you may already be under a threat of a serious, potentially life-threatening sleeping disorder called sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. It comes from the Greek word, apnea, meaning “want of breathe.”

There are two types of sleep apnea: central and obstructive. Central sleep apnea, which is less common, occurs when the brain fails to send the appropriate signals to the breathing muscles to initiate respirations, usually with decreases in blood oxygen saturation. Obstructive sleep apnea is far more common and occurs when air cannot flow into or out of the person’s nose or mouth usually accompanied by a reduction in blood oxygen saturation, and followed by an awakening to breathe.

According to the National Institute of Health, sleep apnea affects more than 18 million Americans. It occurs in all age groups and both sexes but is more common to men over the age of forty. Sleep apnea seems to run in some families, suggesting a possible genetic basis.

Early recognition and treatment of sleep apnea is important because it may be associated with memory problems, weight gain, impotency, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.

Sleep apnea generally has the following symptoms:

• Loud, frequent snoring. This is probably the best and most obvious indicator. Though not everyone who snores has sleep apnea.

• Cessation of breathing during sleep.

• Excessive daytime sleepiness/fatigue.

• Un-refreshing sleep with feelings of grogginess, dullness, morning headaches and severe dryness of mouth.

Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. Several treatment options exist, such as behavioral therapy, physical or mechanical therapy and surgery. For many sleep apnea patients, their spouses are the first ones to suspect that something is wrong, usually from their heavy snoring and apparent struggle to breathe.

Friends or coworkers of the sleep apnea victim may notice that the individual falls asleep during the day at inappropriate times, such as while driving a car, working or talking. The patient often does not know he or she has a problem. It is important that the person see a doctor for further evaluation.

This article is courtesy of ProsShapeRX

The Black Dog Institute launches a bipolar disorder website. It is said to be a new internet based education program that will help thousands of Australians who suffer from Bipolar Disorder.

Sydney’s Black Dog Institute, are the producers of this program which says that there are up to 5 percent of Australians that may experience Bipolar Disorder.

For those who maybe wondering what Bipolar Disorder is… it is described as a set of ‘mood swing’ conditions with the most severe form called… manic depression.

You can read more about Bipolar Disorder here.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services offers a place for women at womenshealth.gov

I found an interesting page that gave lots of information that focuses on depression during and after pregnancy. This page is a frequently asked questions page and covered topics such as the symptoms of depression, the baby blues, postpartum depression along with the effects of depression and the causes of depression.

If you live in the United States of America you can check out The National Women’s Health Information Center.

Phone: 1-800-994-9662
TDD: 1-888-220-5446

Do women who own a small business really have a different view of that business than men?

A recent study conducted by the When it Comes to Selling a Business at Small Office, Home Office Information