Miscellaneous
Insomnia – How “Sleep Debt” Affects Your Health
William Shakespeare, in his play Julius Cesar, referred to sleep as "the honey-heavy dew of slumber". Just reading this makes me drowsy. But for millions of people a good night's sleep is elusive. And new research shows that insomnia may lead to several chronic diseases. A report from Tufts University reminds us that the greatest disasters in recent history, the explosion on the Challenger space shuttle, the crash and spill of oil by the Exon Valdez and Chernobyl nuclear disaster were related to sleep deprivation and fatigue. And that thousands of car accidents share the same cause. Dr. William Dement, a renowned sleep researcher at Stanford University in California, says there is compelling evidence that how well and how long you sleep...Read More
Miscellaneous
Can You Keep These 10 New Year’s Resolutions?
Napoleon Bonaparte, reminiscing to Gaspard Gourgaud, his artillery officer, on the island of St Helena, remarked, "If you want to get on in this world, make many promises but don't keep them". Every New Year millions of people make promises which few keep, to their regret. But if you're steel-minded here are 10 resolutions that will help you attain a long and healthy life. Get an Annual Flu Shot Readers have written asking if I get an annual flu shot. The answer is yes. Even in a good year, without a 1918 type epidemic, 20,000 North Americans die from influenza. I prefer not to be one of them. It's not late for a flu shot and 75,000 deaths are predicted this year. Count...Read More
Miscellaneous
Beware of these Hazards
The worst injury or death is the one that is preventable. And every year such tragedies happen because no one thought they could. For instance, did you know that you're toting a .367 magnum gun when you're cutting the grass? Most people consider cutting the lawn a routine task, not a dangerous one. But a report from The Mayo Clinic shows it involves more than just keeping fingers and toes away from rotating blades. Surgeons report that a four-year old boy was watching his father cut the grass with a tractor mower. He suddenly cried out that he had been hit by something and was taken immediately to the local hospital. Examination revealed only a tiny three millimeter cut so the boy was...Read More
