Thursday, March 3, 2011

[Peckers_Pics] Muscle Wars, PICS; Mar 4, 2011-Safe PICS For All Ages



Muscle Wars, PICS; Mar 4, 2011 
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Health - Wellness - Exercise - Reflections:
Expert Tips to Avoid Colds and Flu

By Nancy Gottesman; March 03, 2011

Don't worry yourself sick avoiding colds and flu. Use these simple strategies to stay healthy...

Americans get 1 billion colds each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Adults average 2-4 colds a year, and women – especially 20- to 30-year-olds – catch more colds than men, possibly because of increased contact with children.

Ironically, being older is a bonus when it comes to this virus. Those over 60 get one fewer cold per year. That's because they've built an immunity and usually aren't around kids as often.

Seniors, however, are more susceptible to influenza, a complex disease that can be deadly for them, particularly those with chronic disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, emphysema and congestive heart failure.

Whatever your age, it's true that you're likely to get sick more often in fall and winter.

According to experts, a perfect storm of seasonal events makes us more susceptible to respiratory illnesses at that time, rather than other seasons.

First, it's cold outside. That reduces immune-system strength. Second, we're indoors with others, increasing exposure to germs. And then there's travel.

"People traveling during Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays can spread new viruses to previously unexposed areas," explains Mark B. Mengel, M.D., M.P.H., executive director of the Area Health Education Center Program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Ark.

Prevention is always the best medicine. According to the top doctors we interviewed, your grandma's home-spun advice – wash carefully, get lots of rest, and eat vegetables -- is still the most effective.

Here are their top strategies for staying flu-free: Stay-Well Strategy #1: Wash your hands -- a lot! Seem too simple to be effective? This was the No. 1 tip from doctors we spoke to.

"Hand-washing is the most important way to ward off illness," says Gregory Sonnen, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician in Rockwall, Texas.

"Running lots of water over your hands thoroughly dilutes viruses and sends them down the drain," Mengel says.

Lather with warm water and soap before touching your face, eating, blowing your nose, coughing or visiting a sick friend.

Stay-Well Strategy #2: Get a flu shot.
A flu shot does not prevent the common colds and viruses we call "the flu." This annual vaccination protects against influenza, specific viruses that can cause high fever, fatigue, respiratory illness, even death. In fact, 36,000 Americans die from complications caused by influenza each year.

That's why the CDC recommends that everyone six months and older get a vaccine annually. This year's seasonal flu vaccine protects against four flu viruses, including H1N1 "swine flu."

"Anyone who lives with, works with or spends time around the high-risk groups should get vaccinated," urges Janet O'Mahony, M.D., a board-certified internal medicine specialist at the Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Md.

"Studies show a clear benefit in preventing flu and its complications in patients who get vaccinated," she says.

Stay-Well Strategy #3: Take precautions everywhere.
At work: Sneezing, hacking employees don't help themselves or their employers by going to work. Not only will this prolong recovery time, but it also spreads illness to co-workers.

"If sick employees have to come to work, ask them to wash their hands frequently and clean surfaces they touch," Mengel advises. "If work isn't essential, ask them to stay home."If you're sick, stay home and rest until at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever (100°F or higher). Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and toss it into a trashcan right away.

When traveling: It looks funny, but wearing face masks (especially in communal settings) – also prevents flu transmission, according to a 2010 University of Michigan School of Public Health study.

When possible, travel to holiday get-togethers via train, bus or automobile, not plane. A report by Children's Hospital Boston found that a sharp dip in air travel after 9/11 slowed flu's spread during 2001-`02 season.

Outdoors: Grandma was right about bundling up.

People already exposed to a virus are more likely to get sick in cold weather, Mengel says. "Keeping warm – by wearing a hat and proper clothing – can help prevent this."

But don't worry about going from the frigid outdoors into overheated indoors. As long as you're appropriately attired for the cold, drastic temperature changes won't increase your vulnerability to viruses, Mengel adds.

At home: Disinfect. Rhinoviruses can live up to three hours on your skin and on common household objects such as phones, stair railings, doorknobs and computer keyboards.

The flu virus survives on surfaces for up to eight hours, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. So wash all surfaces with a general household cleaner to remove germs.

Here's an effective do-it-yourself disinfectant: Add 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 quart of water. Apply the solution to surfaces with a cloth; let it stand for 3-5 minutes; then rinse the surface with clean water.

With a sick family member around, "Clean surfaces two to three times a day," Sonnen advises. Utensils, dishes, towels and linens used by sick people don't need to be cleaned separately, but don't share them unless they've been washed thoroughly.

Also, wash your hands with soap and water after handling soiled dishes and laundry.

A few more precautions:

•Beware of double-dippers at holiday buffets. "The person who nabs a second and third dollop of ranch dressing on the same carrot stick may be passing a virus to those who eat afterward," Mengel warns.

•Don't lick fingers to turn pages. You never know who read the book before you.

•Don't touch your nose and eyes. Germs enter through those orifices.

Stay-Well Strategy #4: Boost your immunity.
Adopt the following health-boosting habits, and you'll increase the odds for fending off and weathering illnesses.
 
Eat lots of fruits and veggies. Plant foods – vegetables, fruits, beans and nuts – have antioxidants that help neutralize free radicals (toxic byproducts of cell metabolism caused by air pollution, junk foods and too much booze).

"Antioxidant foods keep your cells healthy, making you better able to fight off colds and flu," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D., spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and author of The Flexitarian Diet (McGraw Hill).
 
Vitamins A, C and E and selenium are big antioxidant disease-fighters – and they're found only in plant foods.

Another hat tip to Granny: Chicken soup has been a remedy for upper respiratory infections for centuries. Even scientists now recognize it as highly effective.Chicken soup was shown to relieve respiratory symptoms such as nasal congestion and sniffles, according to a Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, study. Researchers don't know which ingredients to credit, but they say that antioxidants – from veggies like turnips, parsnips, potato, onion, carrots and celery – could play a role.

Exercise daily (or as much as possible): Regular physical activity – even a casual stroll with Fido – can enhance immune function. If extreme cold or snow prohibits outside activity, take your workout indoors: Pop in a Pilates or yoga DVD. "The person who nabs a second and third dollop of ranch dressing on the same carrot stick may be passing a virus to those who eat afterward," Mengel warns.

Sleep 8-10 hours a night: A 2009 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people who sleep less than seven hours a night are three times more likely to develop a respiratory infection than those who sleep eight hours or more.

"You can't fight colds and other bugs if you become fatigued," Mengel says. "You need to get enough sleep to recharge your battery."

Reduce stress: Stress levels and immune system are intricately connected. When you're overextended and exhausted, your body can't mount a rapid response to germs, leaving you vulnerable to infection.

So go for your favorite stress-reducer. Some women like massages and baths, while others choose a thrilling novel or feel-good romantic comedy.

Whatever your pleasure, make time to de-stress daily.

Swap sunshine for O.J.: Even though vitamin C has been used to prevent colds for decades, there's no conclusive evidence that it works, according to the National Institutes of Health.What does? Vitamin D. Taking supplements or getting some sun in winter may help reduce incidence of colds and flu, according to studies published in Archives of Internal Medicine (2009 ) and in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010).

"Vitamin D plays a pivotal role in immune defenses," says Evangeline Lausier, M.D., assistant clinical professor in medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C. "Low blood levels of vitamin D in the wintertime might be responsible for the increase in colds and flu."
Take Action:

And Now, Our War of the Fittest!

This group is called "Peckers Pics."  The English -  slang definition of "pecker" is to pluck at the truth. Therefore, we peck at items such as Gay Men's Health, Male Fitness, Gay (LGBT) Politics & Issues.  In this section you may peck at each photo in order to decide the winner of the "war of the fittest!"  Whereas, you should select the guy that may inspire you to exercise and "get fit!"   Warning: This may stoke you!
 
Your participation in discussion of health / news articles - appearing in this message is greatly appreciated.
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True Blood
 
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Florian Reusch
 
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Alex Marte
 
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Steve Breci - Student
 
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Patrick Clark - student
 
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Bjorn Melander - student
 
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Frat Boy
 
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Reach out and touch someone...
 
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Frat Boy
 
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Nick Ayler
 
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You Decide!
Washington DC Pride; June 12, 2010
Stoked?
Washington DC Pride; June 12, 2010
Fallen Marine's father says anti-gay pickets will draw gunfire
(CNN) / Mar 3, 2011

A day after the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed Westboro Baptist Church's right to protest against homosexuality at military funerals, the fallen Marine's father, who unsuccessfully sued the controversial Kansas congregation, warned that the church's protests will eventually spark violence.

"Something is going to happen," Albert Snyder told CNN Thursday. "Somebody is going to get hurt."

"You have too many soldiers and Marines coming back with post-traumatic stress syndrome, and they (the Westboro protesters) are going to go to the wrong funeral and the guns are going to go off."

"And when it does," Snyder said. "I just hope it doesn't hit the mother that's burying her child or the little girl that's burying her father or mother. It's inevitable."

In an 8-1 decision, the high court ruled Wednesday that Westboro Baptist Church has a First Amendment right to picket military funerals, no matter how "hurtful" the message may be. The decision ended Snyder's five-year court fight on behalf of his late son, Matthew, a Marine lance corporal killed in Iraq, whose funeral was picketed by Westboro church members.

Albert Snyder again slammed the high court justices for not having "the common sense that God gave a goat."

"I just can't believe that there was no common sense used in this decision," Snyder said.

Because of the ruling, Snyder will have to pay $116,000 in court costs to the Rev. Fred Phelps, the pastor of Westboro.

"The worst part of this," Snyder said, "is I know they are going to use that money to do this to other soldiers."

Snyder recalled his son's funeral.

"When my son died, I knew two days ahead of time that they were coming," Snyder said. "I had other children that I had to worry about that didn't know what was going on."

"Because of (the protesters') presence, I had police coming out of the woodwork, I had sheriffs. I had a SWAT team. I had emergency vehicles. I had media coming in," Snyder said. "All I wanted to do was have a private dignified funeral for my son.

"They turned it into a three-ring circus," Snyder said.

When asked what his next step will be, Snyder replied. "The thing that just hits me the hardest is all the hatred in this country."

"And I think if I wanted to look to what I'm going to do in the future, I feel like that maybe there's where I need to be," Snyder said, "to try do something with all the hatred that's in this country."
"Every gay and lesbian person who has been lucky enough to survive the turmoil of growing up is a survivor. Survivors always have an obligation to those who will face the same challenges."
....Jake
 

Important Notice: Our ObamaBiden2008 Group works hand - in - hand with Peckers PICS. Both groups were co-created to work with each-other.  To prevent duplication of articles and questions, all members of this group MUST Join ObamaBiden2008. It is unfair for members that belong to both groups to hear members of just Peckers PICS (only) to make statements when the ObamaBiden2008 has covered such topics.  President Obama has dismissed the constitutionality of DOMA and stated he will no longer defend it this aspect of it.  However, the Republican House shall have the legal right to fight it.   A few members of this group do not read such articles that I placed in this group -and such articles were further discussed in ObamaBiden2008. Yet, such members state the opposite about our president.  Therefore, members must join ObamaBiden2008 within the next 2 days, or I shall go through our member list and remove any member that does not belong to both groups. This shall clear up communications and confusion.  If you send a letter of protest, than you are being apathetic, and shall be banned.  The LGBT cause is too important and beyond 1 person's need to just look at pictures.

The Yahoo Invite program advices me of who is not a member.  I shall start banning 50 members per day as of Sat. Mar 5, 2011. The ban shall be permanent. It takes me only 3 minutes to complete the process. Recommend you join ObamaBiden2008 now.  No you don't have to read every article! But, it covers the LGBT community and includes updates on Health insurance; LGBT boycott list; Westboro Church; and the end of DADT, etc...Also, updates with state gov't war against unions and people with disabilities.  The group is created for you!  There are gay teen suicides going on. There are Hate crimes against gay people.  There are gays who are fired over their sexuality.  There are gay people who died for our cause!  This is not asking you too much to do! 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 



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All members of "Peckers PICS" are requested to join our "Obama Biden 2008" group as it runs in conjunction to this group.  Both groups shall not repeat articles from one group to another.  However, to gain full knowledge of Gay rights, members must belong to the Obama group as well as this group.  Therefore, please accept your invitation to join. 

To join the Obama group please click (or copy and paste the link into your browser) @  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ObamaBiden2008/join

Thank you!
 

"Every gay and lesbian person who has been lucky enough to survive the turmoil of growing up is a survivor. Survivors always have an obligation to those who will face the same challenges."

...Jake (Moderator)



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