What can block the airway?

The airway is made up of the nose, mouth and windpipe (trachea). These carry air, containing oxygen, to the lungs and remove the waste product carbon dioxide from the lungs. If the airway becomes blocked, the oxygen levels in the body drop and eventually the vital organs such as the brain and heart stop working. Death will follow unless action is taken.
A number of things can block the airway: blood, food and vomit are among the main culprits. In an unconscious person, however, the biggest risk is from the tongue. When a person loses consciousness the muscles relax. If the person is lying on his back the tongue will fall to the back of the mouth, blocking off the windpipe and stopping oxygen getting into the body.
Clearing the airway is the first step of the essential ABC of first aid. The method of clearing an airway blocked by the tongue is very simple. By tilting the head back and lifting the chin, the tongue is prevented from falling to the back of the throat and the windpipe remains clear.

Open the airway
• Place one hand on the forehead and gently tilt the head back.
• Remove any obvious obstructions from the casualty’s mouth, including dislodged dentures, but leave well-fitting dentures in place.
• Place the fingertips of two fingers under the point of the casualty’s chin and lift the chin. If injury to the neck is suspected, handle the head very gently and try to avoid tilting the head too much.
For a baby, use only one finger to lift the chin and take particular care not to overtilt the head.

Check for breathing
Once the airway is open, the next priority is to check whether or not the person is breathing. Keep the airway open with one hand on the forehead and one hand lifting the chin. Put your cheek to the victim’s face and look down the chest.
• Look for the movement of the chest and stomach.
• Listen for breath sounds.
• Feel for breathing on the side of your face.
If the casualty is breathing, turn into the recovery position.

If the casualty is not breathing
• Call for emergency help.
If you have not already done so, make sure that an ambulance has been called.
• Start resuscitation.

Those Annoying Flakes

An itchy scalp, a feeling of tightness, visible white flakes-if you’ve ever had dandruff, you’ve got plenty of company. It is a persistent skin disorder of the scalp caused by a tiny yeast fungus called pityrosporum ovale, or P. ovale. This fungus lives on our bodies and scalp all the time, usually without incident. Yet stress, perspiration, hormonal fluctuations, a diet heavy in fat and sugar, or something else entirely can lead to a surge in the amount of P. ovale on your scalp. Although dandruff is associated with dryness, people with oily scalps are not immune-in fact; slick scalps are especially attractive breeding grounds for P. ovale.    
There are numerous dandruff treatments available. Different individuals respond to different types of treatments, so you may want to experiment with the following:
1. Ketoconazole The active ingredient in many dermatological formulas and in the over-the-counter products. These products are generally used one to three times a week, as long as needed.
2. Salicylic acid the beta hydroxyl acid you may have read about in the skin-care chapters. When used to fight dandruff, it loosens the flaky scales stuck to your scalp and hair, so that these flakes can easily be washed away. Some dermatologists believe that removing a large portion of these scales makes it uncomfortable for fungus to continue breeding in large amounts.
3. Selemium sulfide and zinc pyrithione two ingredients used in dandruff shampoos such as Head and Shoulders. Both ingredients decrease the number of pityrosporon cells on the scalp.
4. Tar Found in dandruff shampoos and topical scalp lotions such as T-gel. It is thought that the ingredient is an anti-inflammatory that makes the scalp inhospitable to pityrosporon growth.
5. Topical steroids Anti-inflammatary and anti-itch ingredients that are available in shampoos and lotions prescribed by your doctor.
If your scalp is pink and you notice scales that are yellower and greasier than normal dandruff scales, you may have a severe form of dandruff known as seborrheic dermatitis and you should see a doctor immediately.

How to protect your skin from water?

Tap water can be good for your skin depending upon the skin type and hardness or softness of water. If your skin is extremely dry, washing the face with tap water will not be helpful due to the presence of salts and calcium in water, which will dry the skin.
Remember the following points:
. Use water-softeners. Bath salts or oils are softening substances and useful for bathing the body.
. Beware of using hard water on the face. Sea water is helpful for the body. It cleanses the skin, firms the muscles, stimulates the circulation and tones up the body. After having a bath or swimming in sea water, wash yourself with fresh water.
. Rub a little almond oil in the skin after having a bath in the sea. Do not forget to protect your hair with a water-tight cap when swimming in the sea.

A negative chemical reaction

Tobacco + Alcohol = Two poisons that feed off each other. That’s the verdict of Duke University researchers, who say that even a little alcohol can increase the pleasurable effects of nicotine. In their study, 48 smokers drank either booze or a placebo beverage and then lit up. Those who drank alcohol felt calmer and found their smokes more satisfying than those who had no hooch. Nicotine stimulates brain pleasure receptors, and “alcohol has been shown to prolong the activation of those receptors”, says Jed Rose, M.D., the study author. If you want to kick the cigs, lay off alcohol for the first few weeks, when nicotine withdrawal symptoms may be at their worst. You are more likely to suceed in giving up the habit.

Health Care Discounts: Weight Watchers Promotion Code

Ever heard of this support group helping those that want to lose weight? They are known as Weight Watchers. For 40 years, they developed a safe and effective weight losing system that includes a dietary plan, a point system, free recipes and other guidelines that rid much of the trouble from the tedious job of dieting. They even offer weight watchers free recipes, a point guide and a point chart to complement more the assistance they provide those hopeful Weight Watchers members.

And now, what do you think is their recent offer? Weight Watchers promotion codes! Promotion codes are a variation of promotional discounts offered by different online stores. Sometimes websites only present these promotion codes as links to help customers save time and money. They are like havens of on-sale or promotional items or services offered by different establishments. They often include various promotions from a number of markets ranging from fitness, dietary plans, apparels, accessories, etc.

Weight Watchers promotion code include the choice between a Flexible Points Plan and a No Counting Plan. This is a promotion involving those two Weight Watchers Turnaround approaches. This Weight Watchers promotion code, with those two approach options, makes an easy jumpstart for those who want to lose weight. Both approaches offer weight loss while still allowing the person to eat real food so no pre-made or frozen food is required to be purchased.

Another Weight Watchers promotion code is a free personal assessment. This is where a person that is interested with weight losing is queried for the perfect Weight Watchers plan that will suit his or her needs. A Weight Watchers meeting or a forum from Weight Watchers online will further be of help in asserting which step-by-step plan will work on him or her.

Is There An Ice Cream Headache?

Yes. When cold foods and liquids come with the roof of the mouth, they trigger a reaction in the fifth cranial nerve, a branch of which runs form the mouth’s surface to the head and is primary nerve responsible for sending headache pain. Not everyone however experiences “ice cream headache”, which something of a mystry, although studies have shown that about 90 % of ice cream headache sufferers are also prone to migraines.

To alleviate the problem, eat or drink cold foods slowly, warming them in the front of the mouth to cool gradually. Its the initial “shock” of the cold that causes the pain.

Home remedy for headache

High IQ equals to Low Happiness Level?

Being intelligent may have helped you move faster up the corporate ladder; it may even have made you rich. But intelligence doesn’t guarantee that you will be happy, says a report in the British Medical Journal.

In the study, 550 participants took the same IQ test at ages 11 and 79. As seniors, they also completed a satisfaction with life scale. The results showed that happiness late in life had no correlation with IQ. The author say that intelligence can be mixed with blessing: On the one hand, it can help you succeed, while on the other, it can make you more aware of how much you still haven’t achieved.

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