Influenza is commonly known as flu, it is an infectious disease of birds that can cause by RNA viruses. It is a contagious respiratory illness that is caused by influenza virus. Actually it is a viral infection that affects throat, nose, bronchi and in some cases it also affects lungs.

Influenza is a serious disease and every year about 5%-20% of United States population infected by this disease. Sometimes, more than 200,000 of people are hospitalized as they are having infection of influenza. The flu can be serious or even deadly for elderly people, newborn babies and people with certain chronic illnesses. The influenza even has its own season generally from November to April, with most cases occurring between late December and early March.

Symptoms of influenza

The infection is sometimes confused with common cold but its symptoms are more severe than typical sneezing. Infection of influenza lasts for about a week and sometimes more. It is characterized by sudden onset of high fever, muscle ache, feeling chills, body ache, headache, severe malaise, sore throat, rhinitis and non-productive cough. Dizziness and loss of appetite is another cause of influenza. Sometime vomiting, weakness and ear pain can prove associated symptom of influenza.

Causes

The flu virus travels in air droplets when any infected person sneezes. One can easily inhale these droplets and affected by disease. You can even pick up the germs by sharing things with the infected person such as telephone, towel, computer keyboard etc.

Treatment

The main thing to keep away from flu is to get a yearly flu vaccine. Whenever you get the flu, your health care provider may prescribe medicine to help your body fight the infection and lessen symptoms. You can do some practical ways to prevent the spread of influenza. You should wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. Don’t pick up the used tissues as this may lead to infection. Never share utensils and towels with infected person; infection may travel through this way. You should cover your nose and mouth at the time of sneezing as the inflectional bacteria travels in the air and can cause another person.

With the global credit crunch hitting many people’s disposable income, this winter’s clothing trends and the Christmas season to come came seem like horrible expenses but if we take a look at what the fashion world has thrown at us we can see that it has moved away from impractical styles that were afforded less than a year ago. Instead the top fashion houses fall 08 collection has been to focus on sharp style such as military style wool coats and stripes which all points to one thing, smart style and hard work is the in thing. With high collars and zips (although styled not centrally) in an attempt to help stimulate the nation’s workforce to ward off colds and flu and continue working hard.

The high street shops have adapted to this, just look at Burton and Next’s winter collection, they have followed this same trend for the men out there who are struggling hard to keep their jobs. Fashion has predominantly been based on economy, various people in the 1900s favoured denim because of its high durability for the labourers who endured very tough working conditions; it was also favoured by fishermen.

The winter collection for many style houses is a walk in the right correct away from outlandish trends that all of a sudden feel like they were from another decade let alone a different financial climate; things such as men’s tights belong to a different age now. It is a stark reason to be thankful that we all still have jobs and we need to protect ourselves against prolonged work absences

Have you ever wondered which foods are best to avoid when trying to prevent cancer?

The secret is to be able to identify which foods contain ingredients that are carcinogens, or cancer promoters. Once you know which ingredients will end up giving you cancer, you can read labels and avoid those foods altogether.

So, what are the ingredients to avoid?

Let’s start with sugar. One of the ways cancerous tumors develop is by feeding on sugar in the bloodstream. If you are continuously overloading your body with sugar you’re giving your body what it needs for cancer to flourish.

Next is sodium nitrite. This chemical is added to certain foods… mostly lunch meats and bacon…on purpose in order to make it look reddish and fresh. Once upon a time, meats were preserved with salt, but manufacturers eventually switched to this much more dangerous form of meat preservation.

Then there’s hydrogenated oils. When oils are heated in the presence of hydrogen and metal catalysts, it makes them hydrogenated. this preserves the shelf life, but also creates trans fats. Aside from causing cancer, trans fats are bad for your heart and can even interrupt metabolic processes.

Finally, there’s the acrylamide factor. Acrylamides are created during the frying process, when starchy foods are subject to high temperatures.

And so, taking all of the above into consideration…the top 5 cancer causing foods are:
Hot Dogs – Usually preserved with sodium nitrite and full of fat (among other things!) Donuts – These contain hydrogenated oils, sugar, white flour and acrylamides. Talk about the perfect cancer causing food! French Fries – Often made with hydrogenated oils. There would also be acrylamides present. Processed meats and bacon – Lots of saturated fat and nitrites. You can find some without, but you’ll have to ask. Chips & crackers – Usually have white flour, sugar, and trans fats. many manufacturers also hide MSG in the form of yeast extract, and mess around with serving sizes so you actually take in a lot more bad stuff than you think.

There you have it. Avoid these foods most of the time and you’re well on your way to avoiding that dreaded ‘C’ word altogether.

Diet is a double edged sword. Improper diet increases the risk of cancer but a proper, well balanced diet reduces the cancer risk.

Diet is one of the most important lifestyle factors and has been estimated to account for up to 80% of cancers of the large bowel, breast, and prostate. Diet affects the risk of many other cancers, including cancers of the lung, prostate, stomach, esophagus and pancreas.

Prostate Cancer:

High consumption of meat, especially red meat, substantially increases the risk of prostate cancer.

Vegetables, especially cooked tomatoes, reduce the risk of prostate cancer. In one clinical trial, the role of Vitamin E as a prostate cancer reducing factor was established. In this study there was a 32% decrease in prostate cancer incidence and 41% decrease in prostate cancer mortality in people receiving Vitamin E supplements when compared to controls.

Breast Cancer:

In Japan, people consume Tofu, a soya product. It contains isoflavones that moderate the estrogen receptors in the body such as breast tissue. The incidence of breast cancer is low in Japan when compared to Western women; only 1/4th of the mortality rate of Western women. Japanese women’s low fat diet, high fish consumption and drinking green tea also decrease their breast cancer risk.

One case control study found that regular consumption of soy foods was associated with a marked decrease in breast cancer risk in premenopausal women. No effect in post-menopausal women.

A Japanese case-control study also found that tofu intake (3 times/wk compared with less than 3 times/wk) was associated with decreased risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women. Again, soy intake was not protective against post-menopausal breast cancer.

In one study conducted in America, the relation between soy intake and breast cancer risk found that tofu consumption was protective in both premenopausal and post menopausal Asian women.

Lung Cancer:

Lung cancer risk is substantially decreased by a variety of carotenoids. Carotenoids act as antioxidants and thus minimize cell damage.

One study in Boston focused on the effect of different types of carotenoids on lung cancer risk. It was observed that lung cancer risk was significantly lower in subjects who consumed a diet high in a variety of carotenoids. This was especially true with non-smokers who had 63% less risk.

One study conducted in Hawaii reported further evidence for a protective effect from certain carotenoids against lung cancer and that greater protection was afforded by consuming a variety of vegetables compared to only foods rich in a particular carotenoid.

Stomach Cancer:

Nitrates in food and other preservatives added to food including meat are converted into ‘nitrites’ in the human stomach. The nitrites undergo nitrosation to form ‘nitrosamines’ and ‘nitrosamides’. This increases the risk of stomach cancer in people eating vegetables from nitrate rich soil.

In one study, Vitamin C appeared to protect against the risk of stomach cancer by inhibiting formation of nitrates in stomach.

Cancer of the stomach is 5 times more common in Japanese people compared to Western populations. When Japanese people migrated to the United States, they progressively acquired the low incidence of the US due to changes in their diets.

In one study conducted in Hawaii that involved both Japanese and Caucasians, the stomach cancer risk was associated with consumption of rice, pickled vegetables, and dried/salted fish, and a negative association with vitamin C intake.

One ecological study in Belgium showed a relation between the nitrate and salt consumption and stomach cancer. The analysis of this model showed that the significance of nitrate as a risk factor for stomach cancer mortality increased markedly with higher sodium levels.

Dietary habits and stomach cancer risk was studied in Shanghai, China. According to this study, risks of stomach cancer were inversely associated with high consumption of several food groups, including fresh vegetables and fruits, poultry, eggs, plant oil, and some nutrients such as protein, fat, fiber, tea and antioxidant vitamins.

By contrast, risks increased with increasing consumption of dietary carbohydrates, frequent consumption of preserved, salty or fried foods and hot soup/porridge, with irregular meals, speed eating and binge eating. This provides evidence that diet plays a major role in stomach cancer risk.

No single food can completely prevent cancer but a balanced combination of different groups can help. Appropriate diet can prevent 3-4 million cancers each year.

In India, the rates of heart disease, Alzheimers disease and cancer are much lower than the United States. It is thought that diet accounts for the differences. One particular yellow spice used in India is gaining a lot of attention from medical researchers.

Turmeric (curcumin) is the Asian spice that turns curry yellow. It is also added to yellow mustard to make it, well yellow. The turmeric plant is a relative of ginger and its medicinal qualities have been known for years. The German Commission E, an authoritative guide to herbal medicines, lists turmeric as effective for stomach (dyspeptic) conditions. Its actions which include increased bile flow and anti-inflammatory actions are well documented in experiments.

Turmeric prevents cystic fibrosis and Alzheimers disease in mice but some of the most impressive data involves cancer. Research at the University of Alabama demonstrated decreased production of the MDM2 cancer protein which then caused prostate cancer cells to die. More studies have demonstrated an impressive array of inhibitory effects on cancer cells at all three phases of carcinogenesis; induction, growth and metastasis (eCAM 2007;4:181). Not only can it prevent cancer formation but it also has activity to decrease cancer cell growth and prevent spread of cancer cells. The data are so impressive there are 7 clinical trials in humans studying the effect of turmeric on cystic fibrosis, chronic psoriasis, colon cancer and pancreatic cancer according to the National Institutes of Health.

So add a little exotic turmeric spice to your life and help prevent disease. Good health never tasted so good.