Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. It is thought to be the leading cause of liver cancer.

The World Health Organization estimates that hepatitis B infections lead to more than one million deaths every year.

What causes hepatitis B?

The disease is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) that attacks the liver.

The virus is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids that contain blood.

This can occur through direct blood-to-blood contact, unprotected sex, and illicit drug use.

It can also be passed from an infected woman to her new-born during the delivery process.

Does the virus always pose a health threat?

It is thought that about one in three of the world's population is infected by HBV.

However, about 50% of those who carry the virus never develop any symptoms.

About nine out of ten people infected with HBV will eventually clear the virus from their bodies. But about 5-10% of infected adults will become chronic hepatitis B carriers, often without even knowing it.

What are the symptoms?

The virus can cause a range of problems, including fever, fatigue, muscle or joint pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting.

Chronic carriers have an increased risk of developing liver disease such as cirrhosis or liver cancer, because the hepatitis B virus steadily attacks the liver.

Chronic carriers will usually have on going inflammation of the liver and may eventually develop cirrhosis and liver cancer.

About 1% of people who are infected develop an extreme form of disease called acute fulminant hepatitis.

This condition can be fatal if not treated quickly. Sufferers may collapse with fatigue, have yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice) and develop swelling in their abdomen.

How is it treated?

There are several drug treatments available to treat hepatitis B.

Patients may be put on a four month course of injections of the drug interferon.

An alternative treatment is a drug called lamivudine which is taken orally once a day. Treatment is usually for one year. Sometimes lamivudine is combined with interferon.

Chronic patients may require a liver transplant.

Can it be prevented?

Yes, by the use of a safe and effective vaccine.

However, for the 400 million people world-wide who are already carriers of HBV, the vaccine is of no use.

Zeera Aloo - New Potatoes with Cumin

Serving Size : 4


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 lbs new potatoes, cleaned, cooked until tender --
then peel
salt
2 1/2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp chili powder
3 tbsps coriander leaves -- chopped

Put oil in large frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put
in cumin seeds. Let seeds sizzle for a few seconds. Now put in potatoes.
Turn heat down to medium. Brown potatoes lightly on all sides. Turn heat
to low and ad 3/4 teaspoon salt and ground cumin, garam masala and chili
powder. Cook, stirring for a minute. Add coriander leaves and mix before
serving.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


Per serving (excluding unknown items): 84 Calories; 9g Fat (92% calories
from fat); 1g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 6mg Sodium

Fruit Salad and Dip

Ingredients

For salad
Use a selection of the following fruits:

blueberries
strawberries, cut into small bites
cantaloupe chunks
raspberries
peach slices
apple slices
grapes
orange or tangerine slices


For dip

2 cups plain or vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup orange juice
honey
cinnamon

Directions

Choose fruits that are in season and wash, slice or chop, and combine in a bowl.

For about 2 1/2 cups of dip, combine plain or vanilla yogurt with orange juice. Add honey and cinnamon to taste — usually about 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. The dip can be made ahead of time.

WEST INDIAN RICE AND PEAS WITH TEMPEH

Yield: 6 servings

2 c Uncooked brown rice
1/2 c Unsweetened grated coconut
2 1/2 tb Vegetable oil
4 c Water
1 c Dried black eyed peas
-(soaked for 5 hours
- at least)
3 Bay leaves
1 md Onion; chopped
3 Garlic cloves; minced
1/4 c Vegetable oil
1 sm Chile; sliced
1/2 Red or green bell pepper
8 oz Tempeh; cubed
1 pn Fennel (generous pinch)
-salt & pepper to taste
2 Scallions; chopped

Saute rice & coconut in the 2 1/2 tablespoons oil for 2-3 minutes,
stirring constantly. Add the water & cinnamon stick. Cover the pot
&
bring it to a rapid boil. Do not peek at the rice, but when the steam
starts escaping, turn the heat down. Simmer for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the black eyed peas with the bay leaf in salted, boiling
water till tender (only takes abot 20-25 minutes). Drain them & remove
the bay leaves. Keep warm till the rice & tempeh are ready.
Saute the garlic & onion with the 1/4 cup of oil till the onions soften.
Stir in chile & bell pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Add fennel, tempeh,
salt & pepper. Lower heat, but stir frequently til tempeh is crisp &
golden.
Combine everything, mixing together well.

8 Ways To Banish Bad Breath

We've all found ourselves chatting with someone whose breath could easily wilt a flower. With more than 90 million people suffering from chronic bad breath (also called halitosis), that's a lot of wilted flowers. If you (or someone you regularly smooch) has an attack of bad breath that even Altoids won't fix, try these eight simple tips to fix the problem.


Don't let your tongue become a dirty carpet.

Bad breath often strikes when people aren't properly taking care of their oral health. The odor is usually caused by decaying food particles and bacteria in your mouth. That's why brushing and flossing your teeth is so important, but don't forget to gently brush your tongue to get rid of even more bacteria.

A clean tongue goes a long way to warding off bad breath, says Stephen Z. Wolner, a dentist in private practice in New York City. "Your tongue microscopically is like a shaggy carpet. There are millions of filaments on your tongue that trap tiny food particles and bacteria," he says. Get in the habit of regularly cleaning your tongue using a toothbrush, the edge of a spoon, or a tongue cleaner. If you have any mouth guards or oral devices, make sure to clean them thoroughly before putting them back in your mouth.

Mouthwash isn't a bad idea, but it's only a temporary fix. Granted, a little mouthwash comes in handy before a romantic dinner for two, but it masks the odor instead of tackling the source of your problem.



Chew gum like it's going out of style.

Believe it or not, saliva is your best weapon against bad breath. That's why dry mouth, often caused by certain medications or medical conditions, leads to odor problems. By washing away food particles and bacteria, saliva helps to eliminate odor, too.

If you're wondering why your breath stinks in the morning, it's largely because saliva production slows while you sleep, allowing particles and odor to linger longer. That's where sugarless gum comes in handy, as chewing it will stimulate saliva production. Mints, on the other hand, don't usually stimulate saliva production and only temporarily mask bad odor.

"When you chew gum it makes you salivate, and the more saliva you have in your mouth the fewer bacteria you have. It not only mechanically washes bacteria out, but we have antiseptic and enzymes in our saliva that kill bacteria," says Wolner.

While anything that makes you salivate will improve your breath, a gum that is sweetened with xylitol is your best option. Xylitol is a sugar substitute that not only increases salvation but also works to prevent bacteria from replicating in the mouth.

Choose cinnamon -- it's sweeter.

A recent study of the cinnamon-flavored gum Big Red found that cinnamon might have breath-odor fighting abilities. Unlike other flavors, cinnamon is not just a cover-up, Wolner tells WebMD. In fact, he says, an ingredient in the flavoring appears to actually decrease the bacteria in your mouth. The only problem is that sugar gums are bad for your teeth, so stick to sugarless cinnamon-flavored gum instead.

Drink more water.

Wolner says the older you get the more likely you are to get dehydrated. You might not even notice you're thirsty, he says, so make drinking water a habit, because water will help keep the bacteria in your mouth to a minimum. Drinking water has a lot of health benefits, and preventing bad breath is one of them.

Rule out rare causes for bad breath.

While most bad breath can be banished with simple hygienic steps, there are times when dental or medical conditions might be the culprit. Make an appointment with your dentist if an unsavory odor takes residence in your mouth.

"If there is a persistent odor in your mouth, and you know it's not from the pasta you ate last night, see a dentist," Wolner tells WebMD. Your dentist will be able to pinpoint any cavities or decay, or even periodontal (gum) disease, that might be causing your bad breath.

Because on rare occasions bad breath can signal a larger problem, including infection, and even kidney or liver failure, you should also visit a doctor if your dentist doesn't find a cause for your bad breath problem.

Have a slice of bread.

If you're on one of the many popular low-carb diets, remember that bad breath or "ketone breath" is a potential side effect when you always have that burger sans bun. You can try different methods of masking the odor, such as gum or tart candies, but adding a few carbs to your daily diet might also do the trick.

Get a water pick.

You can't really clean your entire mouth with a toothbrush. "Using an irrigator or water pick cleans everything out around and under your gums and between your teeth," says Wolner. "If food lingers between your teeth where a toothbrush doesn't reach, it's fermenting." Next time you floss, take a whiff of your floss after you're done, and you'll have a good idea about what fermented or rotten food particles smell like.

Don't let bad breath go to your head.

If you think you have bad breath, get a second opinion. "A large proportion of people who think they're social pariahs with terrible breath don't have bad breath at all," says Wolner.

How To Tell When Your Food Is Spoiled

How To Tell When Your Food Is Spoiled

Whether you are a mom who cooks for many, a bachelor who cooks on rare occasions for himself, or a new college student who for the first time has his or her own refrigerator -- you will eventually all open the fridge one day and say to yourself, "Can I eat this or will it kill me?"

Well here are some guidelines to help you get through the crisis, so you will know what to eat and what to toss.

THE GAG TEST
Anything that makes you gag is spoiled (except for leftovers from what you cooked for yourself last night).

EGGS
When something starts pecking its way out of the shell, the egg is probably past its prime.

DAIRY PRODUCTS
Milk is spoiled when it starts to look like yogurt. Yogurt is spoiled when it starts to look like cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is spoiled when it starts to look like regular cheese. Regular cheese is nothing but spoiled milk anyway and can't get any more spoiled than it is already. Cheddar cheese is spoiled when you think it is blue cheese but you realize you've never purchased that kind.

MAYONNAISE
If it makes you violently ill after you eat it, the mayonnaise is spoiled.

FROZEN FOODS
Frozen foods that have become an integral part of the defrosting problem in your freezer compartment will probably be spoiled (or wrecked anyway) by the time you pry them out with a kitchen knife.

EXPIRATION DATES
This is NOT a marketing ploy to encourage you to throw away perfectly good food so that you'll spend more on groceries. Perhaps you'd benefit by having a calendar in your kitchen.

MEAT
If opening the refrigerator door causes stray animals from a three-block radius to congregate outside your house, the meat is spoiled.

BREAD
Sesame seeds and Poppy seeds are the only officially acceptable "spots" that should be seen on the surface of any loaf of bread. Fuzzy and hairy looking white or green growth areas are a good indication that your bread has turned into a pharmaceutical laboratory experiment.

FLOUR
Flour is spoiled when it wiggles.

LETTUCE
Bibb lettuce is spoiled when you can't get it off the bottom of the vegetable crisper without Comet. Romaine lettuce is spoiled when it turns liquid. (We didn't think you needed guidance with this one)

CANNED GOODS
Any canned goods that have become the size or shape of a softball should be disposed of.
Carefully.

CARROTS
A carrot that you can tie a clove hitch in is not fresh.

RAISINS
Raisins should not be harder than your teeth.

POTATOES
If it looks like it is ready for planting, toss it.

CHIP DIP
If you can take it out of its container and bounce it on the floor, it has gone bad.

EMPTY CONTAINERS
Putting empty containers back into the refrigerator is an old trick, but it only works if you live with someone or have a maid.

UNMARKED ITEMS
You know it is well beyond prime when you're tempted to discard the Tupperware along with the food. Generally speaking, Tupperware containers should not burp when you open them.

GENERAL RULE OF THUMB
Most food cannot be kept longer than the average life span of a hamster. Keep a hamster in or nearby your refrigerator to gauge this.

LIFE'S BIGGEST PROBLEMS AND THEIR SOLUTIONS :

LIFE'S BIGGEST PROBLEMS AND THEIR SOLUTIONS :

1. Tunnel Vision : The tendency to focus only on the immediate crisis or sore spot . Under stress, things look worse or more complex than they really are.

The solution
Perspective : Ask if it will matter in 6 months . Ask what else is going on? How did I create this situation and, in an ideal world, what would I like to do about it?

2. Fear : The anxiety or terror that things will go badly, that we will fail or be embarrassed.

The solution
Humor and Curiosity : Modern life has very few saber-tooth tigers . The situation is rarely life or death . Ask, What's the worst that can happen? What's the best? What can I learn? What would I do if I had no fear?

3. Confusion : The sense of being lost or unclear about our direction . The sense that we don't know our own priorities anymore.

The solution
Responsible Choices : Choose your values and priorities and set your own path . Your life is yours . Check your moral compass, pick a direction and do something extraordinary!

4. Guilt : The belief that we have hurt or failed or sinned and deserve punishment . Guilt is either accurate, because sometimes we do behave badly, or it is false and simply an illusion.

The solution
If we have transgressed, we must make restitution, ask forgiveness, learn from our error and move on . If it is false guilt, set it down as an unnecessary and irrational burden.

5. Shame : The belief that we are worth-less than others, that we have a terrible, incurable flaw . It is not that we have done something wrong (guilt), but that we are bad or wrong.

The solution
Clear, rational thinking : Everyone has behaved badly, but no one was created badly! Any flaws only serve to make you stronger, more heroic or more compassionate toward others.

6. Loneliness : The belief that no one loves us, that no one cares and we must desperately cling to anyone who finds us attractive or acceptable . This creates dependency, not intimacy.

The solution
Accurate Self-Assessment : Not everyone will love you, but many people will if they meet you, get to know you, and spend time working/playing along side you.

7. Resentment : Holding anger and refusing to move beyond real or imagined mistreatment in the past . Some people spend their whole lives as "victims", nurturing a terrible event in their past.

The solution
Let go! Life is not fair and people do not always behave well or kindly . Use your trauma to make you wise, kind, gentle, and strong . Holding anger will not work.

8. Self-Doubt : The repeated, endless questioning of your own abilities, opinions or actions . The inability to take a stand, to act boldly, or to follow-through.

The solution
Action! Think clearly, then take action and follow-through : Start small, but do it! You are the world's expert on your life! Use your wisdom to live well.

9. Stubbornness : The refusal or inability to re-assess a situation, change your mind, or admit you were wrong.

The solution
Wisdom and Humility : Only a fool stays on a course that is headed for disaster! Search for new and better information, remain flexible, open and creative . When the situation changes, adjust accordingly and set a new course.

10. Addiction : Humans become addicted to drugs, but we also become addicted to our jobs, our opinions or our lifestyle . We can be addicted to people and need them rather than love them.

The solution
Take a vacation! Periodically, walk in someone else's shoes . Break your habits, re-arrange your schedule, delegate those things that only you can do "right" . Use habits and traditions to set you free, don't let habits enslave you!