- By: Drew Anderson, 2008-09-24

Twice Chinese food and drugs have been found to contain melamine. First imported pet food containing melamine caused fatal renal failure in several thousand dogs and cats in the United States, then baby formula containing melamine sickened over 53,000 Chinese infants and killed at least four. What is melamine, why is it in food made in China, and how can you protect yourself from it?

What is melamine?

Melamine is a versatile and common chemical used to create plastics, concrete, ink colorants, and fertilizer. Melamine is also useful in synthesizing medicine for African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, and was formerly used as a nitrogen supplement to dairy cows’ diets. In these forms it is harmless, even beneficial.

On its own, melamine is essentially nontoxic. It is not a valuable additive to the human diet, but does not cause any harm. However, when combined with cyanuric acid–another essentially nontoxic food adulterant–melamine causes crystals to form in the urine, creating kidney stones that can lead to renal failure and death.

Why is it in food made in China?

Middlemen in the Chinese food industry are under pressure to produce enough food for an expanding market while keeping prices low. To stretch their food supply, unscrupulous middlement water down or thin out the food, then pour in additives to increase the apparent protein content of the food to acceptable levels. (The tests of protein content measure nitrogen levels, not protein.) One popular additive is melamine. Another, tragically, is cyanuric acid.

So far, Chinese-manufactured dairy products, wheat flour, wheat gluten, and rice protein have been found to contain melamine and cyanuric acid. Because both additives are common adulterants, it is unknown how many other Chinese-manufactured foods contain both melamine and cyanuric acid.

What are the symptoms of melamine poisoning?

Kidney stones are the sole symptom of melamine poisoning. The body can pass small kidney stones without difficulty, but large stones can become caught in the urinary tract. This causes severe pain, cramping, and difficulty in urinating. There may be blood in the urine, and the person may feel a burning sensation when they urinate. The person may also feel general symptoms of unwellness: nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills.

If you have any of these symptoms, go to the doctor immediately! Kidney stones are relatively easy to treat, but they can lead to dangerous, even life-threatening, urinary tract infections and can damage or destroy the kidney.

How can I avoid ingesting melamine?

Throw out any food you own that was made in China before September 2008, and consider avoiding all Chinese food products until your country’s board of food purity certifies Chinese imports as safe. The Chinese government claims that food purity controls are being tightened, but repeated incidents with a variety of food adulterants–and coverups by the Chinese government–suggest that the Chinese food supply currently cannot be trusted.

What should I do if I think I’ve ingested melamine?

Stop eating any foods that you suspect to be adulterated. If you believe you have been exposed for an extended period of time (say, several weeks), go to your doctor to be tested for kidney stones. If your exposure was shorter, don’t worry! It takes several weeks, and sometimes as long as six months, for melamine-induced kidney stones to develop, so shorter exposure should not be a problem. Drink lots of water to flush the melamine from your system, and rest easy.

Drew Anderson writes for Issendai.com, a site about Japanese pop culture and language, and Young and Broke, a job-hunting and home business site for students and new freelancers.

By: Eric Minden

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes pain, tenderness, and stiffness
in the muscles, joints, and tendons. This is also characterized by waking up
feeling tired, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and bowel function disturbances.
Fibromyalgia was formally known as fibrositis.

The cause of this disease is currently unknown, even though this is one of the
most common diseases that affects the muscles. The pain is not caused by tissue
inflammation. Therefore, anyone living with fibromyalgia will not develop any
type of deformation or body damage. Also, you can not develop any internal organ
damage, therefore this disease is different from any other rheumatic conditions.

In other rheumatic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, the pain is due to
inflammation and is the cause of pain, tenderness, and stiffness of the joints
and muscles. The pain associated with these types of rheumatic conditions can
cause damage to internal organs and muscles along with causing deformations of
the joints.

Since the cause of this disease is unknown doctors are unable to find a cure.
Patients have reported pain in response to stimuli that are not usually
perceived as a painful experience. There have been high levels of nerve chemical
signals, known as substance P, and even nerve growth factor in the spinal fluid
of fibromyalgia patients. The chemical in the brain known as serotonin is generally
low in these patients.

It has been believed that the pain of this disease is due to the central nervous
system having higher sensitivity levels. Some patients have reported having Non-
Rapid-Eye Movement, also known as non-REM. This could be why patients wake up
feeling tired and have feelings of fatigue.

There are treatment options available for those living with fibromyalgia. Since
the disease varies from patient to patient the treatments must be personalized
so that each person gets the treatment he/she needs.

Article Source: http://articles-mart.com

www.celluleanworks.com

Walk, Lose Weight, Gain Immeasurable Health Benefits

By: Mae Eslin

Lots of obese individuals understand that they need to modify their lifestyle. They must follow a proper diet together with regular workouts.
The drawback is, dieting entails a very strong sense of purpose, and workouts demand perseverance. Worse, exercise require that the subject invest a substantial amount of time each day to go through the steps essential to reduce his weight.
Many people will not posses the necessary willpower. Not everybody can possess such self-control. And not all people can allot the time needed for fitness and weight reduction exercises.
Thankfully, there is a more practical alternative.
Any doctor, gym trainer, or medical professional will be prompt to advise you that strolling - yes, plain and effortless walking- is the a good workout you can undertake to shed weight and to maintain a healthy body.
Consider this truth: 30 minutes of nonstop walking each day will make it possible for you to shed an average of 20 pounds each year.
Experts nearly always recommend that an individual should be able to take at least 10,000 steps per day. 10,000 steps is approximately equivalent to 2 kilometers. This may seem like an intimidating duty especially if we bear in mind that it is a daily necessity.
However, you don’t have to go out of your place to walk 2 kilometers to the next city. You can achieve those 10,000 steps without even leaving your home. Simply pace within your bedroom, without stopping, about an hour or so, and you will acquire the equivalent of 2 kilometers without having to get a bus ride home.
Walking is a practical and convenient type of exercise that will not only assist you lose weight, but will also offer your heart a proper exercise. Walking will assist you to fortify your cardiovascular system, making you more resistant to a variety of heart problems.
Walking likewise enables our metabolism to keep an efficient tempo. Metabolism is the answer to weight loss. Metabolism breaks down calories into usable energy. A fast metabolism is a sign that less calories will form as fat. A slower metabolism will mean more calories which will give rise to additional weight.
Walking will guarantee that your body’s metabolism will always stay healthy and effective.

Article Source: http://articles-mart.com

Mae Eslin, writer, entrepreneur and walker. Visit Insta-Health Quote & Wellness Guide www.tops-directory.com/instaquote/