Summer means travel. And for many of you that can mean motion sickness - be it travel by plan, train or automobile. It can even happen to people at an IMAX theatre. You may feel nauseous, dizzy, sweaty and uncomfortable. For most people the symptoms vanish once the offending motion stops - in other words, once you get off the plane or out of the car. But for some people the symptoms can last for a few days. This condition is called “mal d’embarquement.”
Just why do people suffer from motion sickness? Well, your body is constantly balancing a variety of sensations - signals from your inner ear, your skin, your eyes and your central nervous system. When these systems receive different messages, you can start to feel sick. One of the best examples is reading a book in the car. Your eyes - focused on the page - tell your body that you are stationary. But the fluid in your ears is telling your body a different story - a story of motion.
What can you do to prevent motion sickness?
- Don’t pick a window seat in an airplane. If you are seated by the window, don’t look out.
- Don’t read a book while in a car. Opt to sit in the front seat or drive.
- Get on the deck of the boat and take a good look around you. Watching the horizon will help.
- Don’t pick a backward facing seat on the train. Forward is best.
Certain medications can also help prevent motion sickness. The key is taking them well in advance of the motion. Antihistamines (such as Dramamine or Meclizine) or a scopolamine skin patch can prevent motion sickness. The skin patch is placed behind the ear and should be applied about four hours in advance of getting in the car, boat or plane. Some people also find that ginger ale helps an upset stomach, or even rolling down the window in the car. Experiment and see what works for you.
Finally, some people can actually teach their bodies to tolerate the conflicting sensory signals that make them motion sick. So, if you like reading in the car but start to feel woozy, try to extend your reading time a little longer each time. Eventually, your body may tolerate reading in the car.
The latest research indicates the link between tanning beds and melanoma may be greater than previously suspected. While only 4 percent of skin cancers are melanomas, 75 percent of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma. According to this article, the more time you spend in the tanning bed, the greater the risk. The World Health Organization has labeled tanning beds as carcinogenic and recommends banning them for children under the age of 18.
Ask most people how to avoid skin cancer and they’ll reply, “Wear sunscreen.” The fact is, although the use of sunscreen is on the rise, so is skin cancer - it now accounts for nearly half of all cancer cases and is five times more prevalent than breast cancer. Startling? Indeed.
The reason? Sunscreen may not be all it has been promoted to be. A new report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has found that the majority of sunscreens lack protection from all forms of radiation, that many make false claims or most contain harmful chemicals. Of the 500 sunscreens tested by EWG, only 39 were recommended by EWG.
Yes, sunscreens can protect you from sunburns. But experts are uncertain as to the benefits of sunscreen in preventing skin cancer. Further, scientists are still debating whether UVA or UVB is the most dangerous form of radiation. Most experts believe that it is a combination of UVA and UVB rays that lead to increased melanoma risks.
Notice more runny noses, sniffles and red eyes this year? Thanks to record levels of pollen around the nation, even those of us who haven’t experienced significant allergic reactions before may suffer from mild allergic symptoms such as headaches and irritated eyes and nasal passages.
Your immune system is your defense system. When it recognizes a threat, it takes defensive measures to combat that threat. In the case of allergies, your body is overreacting to an allergen - such as pollen - that is typically deemed a harmless substance. For someone not allergic to pollen, they inhale the grains and the grains are trapped in mucus that you then cough out or swallow.
If you are allergic to pollen, your body reacts differently - and defensively. Those same grains trigger your immune system to produce IgE - an antibody that attaches to mast and blood cells. The offending pollen grains become attached to the IgE and your body steps up its defenses - releasing histamines that attempt to eject the allergen via watery eyes, runny noses, sneezing or coughing. You may also experience itchy eyes, throat and nose or develop dark circles under your eyes due to restricted blood flow around your sinuses.
Blastomycosis - a fungal lung infection - can be difficult to diagnose. Some people experience no symptoms, others experience symptoms similar to a cold, the flu or pneumonia, while others may suffer from skin lesions. Also, it generally takes one to three months after exposure to the Blastomyces dermatitidis fungus for symptoms to appear. Further, while the fungus that causes Blastomycosis is most often found in moist, wooded areas with sandy soils or near bodies of water, people who garden and farm are often exposed to it as well. Anything that disturbs the soil or woods can release the fungal spores. Because it takes so long for symptoms to appear, it is difficult to determine the source of the exposure.
Most cases of Blastomycosis are found in the south-central and midwestern United States and Canada. While Blastomycosis is rate, in some cases it can lead to more serious lung and skin infections that become more difficult to cure if the infection is left untreated. Symptoms vary greatly depending on what organ systems become infected. Symptoms may include:
- Cough
- Chest pain
- Excessive fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Fever and sweating
- Joint stiffness and pain
- Muscle stiffness and pain
- Weight loss
- Skin lesions or rash that blister and ooze pus
Blastomycosis can be spread by direct contact with a rash or skin lesions caused by the infection.
In most cases, treatment with antifungals is effective in treating the infection. However, in some cases, the bladder, kidney, prostate and testes may be affected. If the infection is serious enough, a person may suffer scarring of the lungs, may become more susceptible to lung infection or be left with scars on the skin.
Those who are most at risk are people with weakened immune systems, those who have had an organ transplant and men.
If you do experience symptoms similar to those above, visit your physician. Chest x-rays, skin biopsies, sputum cultures or tissue biopsies will help your physician determine if you are indeed infected with Blastymycosis.
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