The airwaves are full of MJ’s songs.

Samantha

Sydney: Tai Chi seems to ease pain caused by arthritis and improves overall physical health and satisfaction. Musculoskeletal pain, experienced by arthritis patients, places a severe burden on the patient and the community.

Exercise therapy including strengthening, stretching and aerobic programs, have been shown to be effective for arthritic pain.

Continue reading

http://lifestyle.indiainfo.com/article/0906021706_tai_chi_ease_pain_arthritis/367620.html

Samantha

http://www.wellnessnrecreation.com

Lifelines for smokers

By: Sabine Mauer (Mon, 22 Jun 2009)

EVERYONE knows that smoking is unhealthy. Nonetheless, one in every four German adults continues to smoke.

Quitting is easier said than done. The danger of relapse is very high.

The problems are often underestimated, says Rainer Mathias Dunkel, a doctor of psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy in Wiesbaden.

Men aged 35 to 45 are the most likely to smoke. In general, people have their first puff at age 13.

Weaning people off nicotine has shown some promise in patients who suffer greatly from breathing problems, lung infections or recurrent illness.

It’s best to try to find some help when on the path to becoming a non-smoker. There are ­numerous books on the topic, along with self-help groups and telephone hotlines.

The Internet is another good place to go when seeking advice. One of the biggest portals for such questions in German-speaking areas is www.nichtraucher.de, which has about 60,000 members.

Sven Lubek, a Berlin ­businessman, set up the site in 2004. Lively forums seek to link people fighting the habit or exchange tips on giving up the smokes.

It helps, says Lubek, who ­himself gave up smoking five years ago. “There are always groupings of four to five people who quit together and then try to motivate one another to stick to the plan.”

The worst phase usually lasts two to four weeks. Meanwhile, ­nicotine exits the system within a ­matter of days.

A balanced diet, minimising stress and exercise all help a person get through this phase.

Exercise is most ­important, since it has so many benefits. Like nicotine, activity can improve one’s mood. It also boosts a person’s sense of self-worth and burns calories.

That’s important because quitting usually leads to weight gain.

“Anyone who quits usually develops a huge appetite, especially for sweets,” says Dunkel. Chocolate, chips and other snacks are often used to replace cigarettes as a quick pick-me-up.

Other problems when quitting can include disrupted sleeping, ­digestion problems, nervousness and coughing.

Many ex-smokers often find the temptation for a cigarette ­overwhelming in the first weeks.

“Those acute spells usually lasts a maximum of five minutes,” says Dunkel.

During this phase, it’s best to go on a short walk or avoid tea. It’s also a good idea to pamper yourself during this time, either with a health vacation or a trip to the sauna.

It’s also a good idea to tell as many people as possible about your new life as a non-smoker. That makes it harder to backtrack.

And relapses can happen even years after quitting. “Once an addicted ­smoker, always an addicted smoker,” says Dunkel. – dpa

--- Article Information ---
This article was printed from Sun2Surf
Article's URL: http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=34886

Samantha

http://www.wellnessnrecreation.com

1.02 billion people hungry

One sixth of humanity undernourished - more than ever before

The faces behind the numbers

19 June 2009, Rome - World hunger is projected to reach a historic high in 2009 with 1 020 million people going hungry every day, according to new estimates published by FAO today.

The most recent increase in hunger is not the consequence of poor global harvests but is caused by the world economic crisis that has resulted in lower incomes and increased unemployment. This has reduced access to food by the poor, the UN agency said.

“A dangerous mix of the global economic slowdown combined with stubbornly high food prices in many countries has pushed some 100 million more people than last year into chronic hunger and poverty,” said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf. “The silent hunger crisis — affecting one sixth of all of humanity — poses a serious risk for world peace and security. We urgently need to forge a broad consensus on the total and rapid eradication of hunger in the world and to take the necessary actions.”

“The present situation of world food insecurity cannot leave us indifferent,” he added.

Poor countries, Diouf stressed, “must be given the development, economic and policy tools required to boost their agricultural production and productivity. Investment in agriculture must be increased because for the majority of poor countries a healthy agricultural sector is essential to overcome poverty and hunger and is a pre-requisite for overall economic growth.”

“Many of the world’s poor and hungry are smallholder farmers in developing countries. Yet they have the potential not only to meet their own needs but to boost food security and catalyse broader economic growth. To unleash this potential and reduce the number of hungry people in the world, governments, supported by the international community, need to protect core investments in agriculture so that smallholder farmers have access not only to seeds and fertilisers but to tailored technologies, infrastructure, rural finance, and markets,” said Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

“For most developing countries there is little doubt that investing in smallholder agriculture is the most sustainable safety net, particularly during a time of global economic crisis,” Nwanze added.

“The rapid march of urgent hunger continues to unleash an enormous humanitarian crisis. The world must pull together to ensure emergency needs are met as long term solutions are advanced,” said Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme.

Hunger on the rise

Whereas good progress was made in reducing chronic hunger in the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, hunger has been slowly but steadily on the rise for the past decade, FAO said. The number of hungry people increased between 1995-97 and 2004-06 in all regions except Latin America and the Caribbean. But even in this region, gains in hunger reduction have been reversed as a result of high food prices and the current global economic downturn (see background note).

This year, mainly due to the shocks of the economic crisis combined with often high national food prices, the number of hungry people is expected to grow overall by about 11 percent, FAO projects, drawing on analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Almost all of the world’s undernourished live in developing countries. In Asia and the Pacific, an estimated 642 million people are suffering from chronic hunger; in Sub-Saharan Africa 265 million; in Latin America and the Caribbean 53 million; in the Near East and North Africa 42 million; and in developed countries 15 million in total.

In the grip of the crisis

The urban poor will probably face the most severe problems in coping with the global recession, because lower export demand and reduced foreign direct investment are more likely to hit urban jobs harder. But rural areas will not be spared. Millions of urban migrants will have to return to the countryside, forcing the rural poor to share the burden in many cases.

Some developing countries are also struggling with the fact that money transfers (remittances) sent from migrants back home have declined substantially this year, causing the loss of foreign exchange and household income. Reduced remittances and a projected decline in official development assistance will further limit the ability of countries to access capital for sustaining production and creating safety nets and social protection schemes for the poor.

Unlike previous crises, developing countries have less room to adjust to the deteriorating economic conditions, because the turmoil is affecting practically all parts of the world more or less simultaneously. The scope for remedial mechanisms, including exchange-rate depreciation and borrowing from international capital markets for example, to adjust to macroeconomic shocks, is more limited in a global crisis.

The economic crisis also comes on the heel of the food and fuel crisis of 2006-08. While food prices in world markets declined over the past months, domestic prices in developing countries came down more slowly. They remained on average 24 percent higher in real terms by the end of 2008 compared to 2006. For poor consumers, who spend up to 60 percent of their incomes on staple foods, this means a strong reduction in their effective purchasing power. It should also be noted that while they declined, international food commodity prices are still 24 percent higher than in 2006 and 33 percent higher than in 2005.

The 2009 hunger report (The State of Food Insecurity in the World, SOFI) will be presented in October.

Adapted from http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/20568/icode/

Download Press Release

http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/newsroom/docs/Press%20release%20june-en.pdf

Samantha

http://www.wellnessnrecreation.com

Date: Sept 21 - 25, 2009

Event: 24 European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition

Venue: Hamburg, Germany

URL: http://www.photovoltaic-conference.com/

Date: Oct 11 - 14, 2009

Event: ISES Solar World Congress 2009

Venue: Johannesburg, South Africa

URL: http://www.swc2009.co.za/

Date: Nov 17, 2009

Event: Malaysia National PV Conference 2009

Venue: Putrajaya, Malaysia

URL: http://mbipv.net.my

Date: Feb 16 - 20, 2010

Event: Trade Fair: Solar Energy 2010

Venue: Berlin, Germany

Date: Feb 25 - 28, 2010

Event: Solar Energy & Technologies Fair

Venue: Istanbul, Turkey

Samantha

http://www.wellnessnrecreation.com

Just a gentle reminder. Posted on March 21st 2009.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In late April, WHO announced the emergence of a novel influenza A virus.

This particular H1N1 strain has not circulated previously in humans. The virus is entirely new.

The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another, and from one country to another. As of today, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countries.

This is only part of the picture. With few exceptions, countries with large numbers of cases are those with good surveillance and testing procedures in place.

Spread in several countries can no longer be traced to clearly-defined chains of human-to-human transmission. Further spread is considered inevitable.

I have conferred with leading influenza experts, virologists, and public health officials. In line with procedures set out in the International Health Regulations, I have sought guidance and advice from an Emergency Committee established for this purpose.

On the basis of available evidence, and these expert assessments of the evidence, the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met.

I have therefore decided to raise the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6.

The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic.

We are in the earliest days of the pandemic. The virus is spreading under a close and careful watch.

No previous pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely, in real-time, right at the very beginning. The world can now reap the benefits of investments, over the last five years, in pandemic preparedness.

We have a head start. This places us in a strong position. But it also creates a demand for advice and reassurance in the midst of limited data and considerable scientific uncertainty.

Thanks to close monitoring, thorough investigations, and frank reporting from countries, we have some early snapshots depicting spread of the virus and the range of illness it can cause.

We know, too, that this early, patchy picture can change very quickly. The virus writes the rules and this one, like all influenza viruses, can change the rules, without rhyme or reason, at any time.

Globally, we have good reason to believe that this pandemic, at least in its early days, will be of moderate severity. As we know from experience, severity can vary, depending on many factors, from one country to another.

On present evidence, the overwhelming majority of patients experience mild symptoms and make a rapid and full recovery, often in the absence of any form of medical treatment.

Worldwide, the number of deaths is small. Each and every one of these deaths is tragic, and we have to brace ourselves to see more. However, we do not expect to see a sudden and dramatic jump in the number of severe or fatal infections.

We know that the novel H1N1 virus preferentially infects younger people. In nearly all areas with large and sustained outbreaks, the majority of cases have occurred in people under the age of 25 years.

In some of these countries, around 2% of cases have developed severe illness, often with very rapid progression to life-threatening pneumonia.

Most cases of severe and fatal infections have been in adults between the ages of 30 and 50 years.

This pattern is significantly different from that seen during epidemics of seasonal influenza, when most deaths occur in frail elderly people.

Many, though not all, severe cases have occurred in people with underlying chronic conditions. Based on limited, preliminary data, conditions most frequently seen include respiratory diseases, notably asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and obesity.

At the same time, it is important to note that around one third to half of the severe and fatal infections are occurring in previously healthy young and middle-aged people.

Without question, pregnant women are at increased risk of complications. This heightened risk takes on added importance for a virus, like this one, that preferentially infects younger age groups.

Finally, and perhaps of greatest concern, we do not know how this virus will behave under conditions typically found in the developing world. To date, the vast majority of cases have been detected and investigated in comparatively well-off countries.

Let me underscore two of many reasons for this concern. First, more than 99% of maternal deaths, which are a marker of poor quality care during pregnancy and childbirth, occurs in the developing world.

Second, around 85% of the burden of chronic diseases is concentrated in low- and middle-income countries.

Although the pandemic appears to have moderate severity in comparatively well-off countries, it is prudent to anticipate a bleaker picture as the virus spreads to areas with limited resources, poor health care, and a high prevalence of underlying medical problems.

Ladies and gentlemen,

A characteristic feature of pandemics is their rapid spread to all parts of the world. In the previous century, this spread has typically taken around 6 to 9 months, even during times when most international travel was by ship or rail.

Countries should prepare to see cases, or the further spread of cases, in the near future. Countries where outbreaks appear to have peaked should prepare for a second wave of infection.

Guidance on specific protective and precautionary measures has been sent to ministries of health in all countries. Countries with no or only a few cases should remain vigilant.

Countries with widespread transmission should focus on the appropriate management of patients. The testing and investigation of patients should be limited, as such measures are resource intensive and can very quickly strain capacities.

WHO has been in close dialogue with influenza vaccine manufacturers. I understand that production of vaccines for seasonal influenza will be completed soon, and that full capacity will be available to ensure the largest possible supply of pandemic vaccine in the months to come.

Pending the availability of vaccines, several non-pharmaceutical interventions can confer some protection.

WHO continues to recommend no restrictions on travel and no border closures.

Influenza pandemics, whether moderate or severe, are remarkable events because of the almost universal susceptibility of the world’s population to infection.

We are all in this together, and we will all get through this, together.

Thank you.

WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan

Reported by Samantha

http://www.wellnessnrecreation.com

World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September promotes worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides. On average, almost 3000 people commit suicide daily. For every person who completes a suicide, 20 or more may attempt to end their lives.

With the sponsoring International Association for Suicide Prevention, WHO and other partners advocate for the prevention of suicidal behaviour, provision of adequate treatment and follow-up care for people who attempted suicide, as well as responsible reporting of suicides in the media.

At the global level, awareness needs to be raised that suicide is a major preventable cause of premature death. Governments need to develop policy frameworks for national suicide prevention strategies. At the local level, policy statements and research outcomes need to be translated into prevention programmes and activities in communities.

Samantha

http://www.wellnessnrecreation.com

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 120 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration made by WHO and UNICEF policy-makers in August 1990 to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is the best way to provide newborns with the nutrients they need. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding until a baby is six months old, and continued breastfeeding with the addition of nutritious complementary foods for up to two years or beyond.

The theme of World Breastfeeding Week 2009 is “Breastfeeding - a vital emergency response. Are you ready?”. It highlights the need to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in emergencies for infant and young child survival, health and development.

Children are among the most vulnerable groups during emergencies, and small children are the most vulnerable of all, due to increased risk of death due to diarrhoea and pneumonia. During emergencies, unsolicited or uncontrolled donations of breast-milk substitutes may undermine breastfeeding and should be avoided.

As part of emergency preparedness, hospitals and other health care services should have trained health workers who can help mothers establish breastfeeding and/or overcome difficulties.

Samantha

http://www.wellnessnrecreation.com

WHO chose 14 June as the day to recognize the millions of people who save lives and improve the health of others by donating blood. The Day highlights the need to regularly give blood to prevent shortages in hospitals and clinics, particularly in developing countries where quantities are very limited. Out of 80 countries with low blood donation rates (fewer than 10 donations per thousand people), 79 are developing nations.

The annual event focuses on motivating more people to become blood donors. It demonstrates how health systems and policy-makers work to make blood transfusions safe and accessible to people worldwide.

Samantha

http://www.wellnessnrecreation.com