Somethings You Don't Know About Mosquitoes

Does wearing perfume attract mosquitoes? How about scarfing sweets? As the mosquito population continues to soar—threatening to ruin your hike, camping trip, or poolside cocktails—myths about the little buggers abound. One thing’s for sure: Mosquitoes carrying viral diseases, including West Nile virus, malaria, dengue fever and chikungunya, are more widespread than ever, and are poised to keep spreading, according to recent findings from Oxford University.

Getting your story straight is the first step toward staying safe (and picnicking in peace). Separate fact from fiction with the help of entomologist Joseph Conlon, technical advisor at the American Mosquito Control Association. 

True or False: All mosquitoes will bite you.

False. It’s only the female mosquito that bites, because she needs blood for protein and energy to produce eggs. Males feed on flower nectar. Then there are mosquitoes that don’t bite humans at all—they feed primarily on reptiles or birds and other mammals. Unfortunately, it’s just about impossible to ID the gender of a mosquito when it’s buzzing around your ear, and the ones that don’t bite humans have no easily identifiable traits, so go ahead and swat liberally.

True or False: Mosquitoes are attracted to perfume.

True. Mosquitoes do feed on flower nectar for their sugar nutrients, Conlon says, so it’s possible that wearing predominantly floral perfumes could put you at greater risk of being bitten. However, the mosquitoes that bite people are seeking a blood meal, so the aromas of rose, lavender, gardenia and other nectar-bearing blooms are unlikely to be a lure. If you choose to forego a floral fragrance, you’re probably still safe to spritz on other scents, such as sandalwood, patchouli, star anise, and cinnamon. 

True or False: Mosquitoes are more drawn to people who eat sweets.

False. It’s true that some people are inherently more attractive to mosquitoes than others , so you might assume that their blood is somehow tastier. But in fact, it’s more about how they smell, which is set by their DNA rather than by their dinner menu. “Attraction is determined by the whole panoply of odors someone exudes rather than one single factor,” Conlon says. “Just as dogs detect individual scents, so can mosquitoes.” The bugs are drawn to smells emanating from skin, warmth, moisture, lactic acid, carbon dioxide, and possibly other factors that are yet to be identified.

True or False: Mosquitoes Prefer Certain Blood types.

True. Studies show that mosquitoes like to feast on Type O blood, but only the portion of O’s who are “secretors,” meaning their bodies infuse blood-type-specific molecules into their saliva, sweat and mucus. Some 80% of the general population, across all blood types, are secretors, but mosquitoes seem to gravitate towards those O secretors in particular. 

True or False: Pregnancy Ups Your Chances of Getting Devoured.

True. A study published in 2000 found that mosquitoes tend to bite expectant moms more. You might think it’s because blood volume increases some 30 to 50% during pregnancy, but it’s more likely that you’re simply producing more heat and carbon dioxide, Conlon explains, which are key bait for mosquitoes. That’s also why mosquitoes are drawn to bigger people—because they give off more body heat, breathe out more carbon dioxide, and have more body to bite.

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Why You Have Bad Breath—and How to Get Rid of It

Bad breath stinks, but what can you actually do about it? Chew some gum? Suck on a mint? These strategies offer some benefit, but they’re short lasting.  And brushing your teeth? Very important, but not that effective as a treatment by itself, according to a scientific review by researchers in Brazil. 

Bad breath stinks

You need a Complete Strategy. 

So let’s start with the root cause of bad breath: volatile sulfur compounds (VSC). While they sound more like fumes you’d emit from your butt than your mouth, scientists say these substrates are what typically lead to halitosis. 

Smell your breath

Volatile sulfur compounds are thought to arise from the interaction of oral bacteria that occurs in conditions like gum disease and infections, and within pockets and crevices of your teeth. 

Decaying tooth

But your tongue is the real problem, according to a report in theJournal of Clinical Periodontology. Turns out, its large surface area—with all the tiny cracks and grooves—allow it to harbor lots of the microorganisms that lead to volatile sulfur compounds.

In fact, in separate studies, scientists in Japan found that “tongue coating” had the greatest impact on producing volatile sulfur compounds in people’s mouths. This would also help explain why your breath is most likely to stink in the morning, since the compounds build up over night. 

Smoking can give a really bad breath

1. Clean Your Tongue. 

This helps disturb and remove the bacteria that create volatile sulfur compounds, and leads to a reduction in their odor. You can do this by literally brushing your tongue, but an even better approach is to scrape your tongue from back to front with a plastic tongue scraper. 

Man, your really need a tongue scraper

When you brush your tongue with a little toothbrush, you might just be moving smelly bacteria around to different places on your tongue. But the larger surface area and flat design of a tongue scraper allow it to carry more bacteria out of your mouth when you scrape it forward, says Denis Kinane, B.D.S., Ph.D., the dean of University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.

Look at those nasty stinky things

According to a Cochrane review of scientific literature, people who use a tongue scraper reduce volatile sulfur compounds by 42 percent, compared to 33 percent in those who brush their tongue. Plus, the effects of the tongue scraping last longer. 

A Strep Throat can cause bad breath as well

2. Brush and Floss Twice a Day. 

This isn’t a surprise, of course. You’ll remove tiny food particles and microorganisms that can lead to those volatile sulfur compounds. If you don’t floss, try it and then give the floss a sniff. Smell nasty? You’ve probably uncovered a breeding ground for unhealthy bacteria—and hopefully gained motivation to start flossing regularly. Keep in mind that gingivitis and periodontitis can lead to volatile sulfur compounds and bad breath, so regular dental checkups are a must. 

Protect your teeth

3. Keep your Mouth Well-Hydrated. 

When you experience “dry mouth,” dead cells on your tongue, gums, and cheeks might build up. Without enough saliva to wash them away, bacteria will begin to feed off the dead cells and multiply. This produces a bunch of sulfur-related molecules that trigger bad breath, Dr. Kinane says.

Drink more water

If you frequently feel like your mouth is dry, try an over-the-counter rinse like Biotene, which has been shown to help with dry mouth. If your breath really reeks and you don’t have a rinse around, simply swish your mouth out with plain water. The rinsing action will physically remove some of the stinky bacteria, says Dr. Kinane.

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4 Things Your Period Says About You

Periods are like snowflakes—you'll never find two exactly alike. Some women have heavy and short periods, some light and long, and others sometimes skip a month. Most of what we know about our menstrual cycles seems to be an average of all our unique flows. 

While your period may not follow the average flow—as very few do—it should be close. If you're noticing periods that fall to the extreme, like really heavy periods or no periods at all, you should check in with a doctor. Here, 4 things your period could be telling you: 

No Periods

Could be a sign of: Polycystic ovary syndrome, low body fat, thyroid dysfunction, stress

The most common causes of missed periods are obvious: pregnancy or menopause. But if you're too young for menopause and can't possibly be pregnant, missed periods could mean you have problems with your thyroid, have a hormonal imbalance that causes cysts to grow on your ovaries, or are just way too stressed. Another possible cause: your weight. "Someone who is underweight for her height can have no periods because there isn't enough fat on her body," says Rima Mehta, MD, director of gynecology at Pennsylvania Hospital. "Women who are athletes or run 3 to 5 miles a day are sometimes too lean to have a normal period, and my recommendation to them is simple: 'You need a couple of sandwiches.' "

Consult a doctor when: You've been without a period for 3 to 6 months. 

Painful Periods 

Could be a sign of: Endometriosis, fibroids, vaginal scarring

It's no secret that periods are painful. Every month your uterine muscles contract and release to push blood out—and those contractions mean just about everyone will feel some pain. It's only a problem, according to Mehta, when common medications like ibuprofen or Midol don't help and if you regularly avoid going out with friends or even miss work because of the pain. One of the most common causes of life-interruptingly painful periods, according to Mehta, is endometriosis, a condition that causes the tissue you shed with each period to grow outside your uterus in places like your ovaries, fallopian tubes, and lower abdomen. Endometrial tissue that grows outside your uterus still breaks down and bleeds during each menstrual cycle, but because it has no way out of your body, the tissue builds up and can cause pelvic pain. Although there is no cure for endometriosis, surgery or pelvic floor physical therapy has helped many women manage the discomfort. Scarring from previous surgeries or structural abnormalities in your uterus—usually caused by noncancerous tumors called fibroids—can also make periods painful. In both cases, doctors recommend minimally invasive surgery to remove fibroids and scar tissue.

Consult a doctor when: You've had painful periods for 3 months and can't get relief from over-the-counter pain relievers.

Heavy Periods 

Could be a sign of: Fibroids, hemophilia, hormone imbalance, blood thinners

For most women, a period starts out heavy and then tapers off toward the end of the cycle. But "heavy" means you have to change your pad every couple of hours. If you find yourself changing your pad or tampon more than once an hour or if you have a steady flow for more than 7 days, your period crosses the line from "heavy" to "abnormally heavy." And if you're constantly on edge about whether you'll bleed through your pad and end up with an embarrassing bloodstain on your pants, it's considered "extremely heavy," according to Aaron K. Styer, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist at Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center and Harvard Medical School. If every period causes you this stress, it could mean you have either too much or too little of one of the hormones that regulate menstruation—estrogen and progesterone—or that you have fibroids (yep, those again). Abnormally heavy periods are also sometimes a side effect of nonhormonal birth control methods like intrauterine devices (IUDs). They can also be a sign of uterine cancer, though that's rare, Styer says.

 

Consult a doctor when: You're changing multiple pads or tampons every hour, regularly bleeding through your clothes, avoiding spending time with friends or going to work, or getting dizzy, weak, or short of breath.

Infrequent Periods 

Could be a sign of: Fibroids, hormonal imbalance, polyps

Aunt Flo doesn't always visit every 28 days. A normal menstrual cycle is anywhere from 21 to 35 days from the start of your period to the start of your next period. It's absolutely normal for women to have as few as nine periods a year, Styer says. Anything fewer than that could indicate you need to see a doctor. If you've noticed a sudden change in your menses, don't worry too much. Even women whose periods come like clockwork will likely miss a month or two at some point, and your period changes as you age, so a "normal" period for you could be something completely different at 40 than it was at 30. Hormone imbalances and fibroids again top the list of reasons periods can be few and far between, but polyps—benign growths on the inner wall of your uterus—can also be to blame. To treat polyps, your doctor might prescribe medications that regulate your hormones and lessen the symptoms, or might remove them through minimally invasive surgery.

Consult a doctor when: You have eight or fewer periods per year, or if your cycle was always regular but you've had no period for 3 months.

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The Best Migraine Remedy For You

Medication is a proven way to treat — and prevent — migraines. But medication is only part of the story. It's also important to take good care of yourself and understand how to cope with migraine pain when it strikes.

The same lifestyle choices that promote good health can also reduce the frequency and severity of your migraines. In fact, knowing how to manage migraine pain with lifestyle and behavioral measures, as well as medication, can often be the most effective way to handle migraines. Lets see what is the best migraine remedy for you:

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Mammogram Confusion - When Should I Do My Mammogram?

When do I start getting mammograms and how often should I get them?

When should I start getting mammograms? 

While many doctors say that 40 should be the starting age for mammograms, not everyone is on the same page. The American Cancer Society recommends that women should have their first mammogram at age 40 and then every year following. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends starting at age 50 and then every two years. "The problem is that the younger you are, the more dense your breasts," says Sara Gottfried, MD, an obgyn in San Francisco and author of The Hormone Reset Diet. When you start screening at a younger age, you are balancing the risk of the procedure—radiation and false positives, as well as false negatives due to dense breasts—versus the benefits of earlier detection." 

Breast anatomy

Can I figure out what my breast cancer risk is?

Yes, kind of. Risk is most commonly calculated using the Gail Model, which will tell you your 5-year risk of developing breast cancer and your lifetime risk. But it won't tell you when to start getting a mammo or how often to get it. There's currently no clear-cut way to do that. But research being done right now might lead to a future paradigm for weighing the relevant risk factors:

• Carriers of the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes 
• Having a mother or sister with breast cancer 
• Having your first period before 12 
• Older than 30 for first baby 
• Over 55 when starting menopause 
• Past or current use or oral contraceptives 
• Those who drink 2 to 5 alcoholic beverages a day 
• Dense breasts on mammogram 
• Greater bone density 
• History of a benign breast biopsy 

Angelina Jolie done two mastectomy due to discovery of BRCA gene carrier

Can I lower my risk for breast cancer? 

Yes. The following "protective factors" are associated with a lower risk of having breast cancer, says Jan R. Penvose-Yi, MD, from Tri-City Medical Center in San Diego, CA:

• Regular exercise
• Breastfeeding 
• Having several children 
• Keeping a healthy BMI 
• Having ovaries removed before age 35 

Breast feeding reduces the risk for breast cancer

What's this about dense breasts and mammograms? 

"Having dense breasts means that on a mammogram at least 50% of the breast tissue appears white," says Maggie DiNome, MD, director of the Margie Petersen Breast Center at John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. 

"That means a small breast cancer, which would also be white, might hide in those dense areas of tissue. It's like trying to find a polar bear in a snowstorm." Adding a second type of screening can overcome the limitations of a mammogram. 

"In addition to mammograms, there are further screening tools for dense breast tissue such as Tomography and the Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS). These are designed specifically for women with dense breast tissue," says Sonja L. Cerra-Gilch, MD, section chief of breast imaging and intervention at Aria Health.

Do dense breasts get less dense over time?

Yes, according to Claudia Mason, MD, a board member of Susan G. Komen South Florida. Thus, it's sometimes easier to detect cancer on mammograms as you age. This is one of the reasons some doctors believe in starting mammograms at age 50. If your breasts continue to be dense after menopause, you should be monitored closely by your doctor, says Wulf H Utian, MD, medical director of The North American Menopause Society.

Sp if I do have cancer, how likely is a mammogram to actually detect it?

The older you are, the more likely it is to successfully find cancer. "Randomized trials have shown that the sensitivity of mammography and clinical breast examination is higher in older women," says Penvose-Yi. "It has been estimated that mammography detects about 73% of breast cancers in women in their early 40s and 85% of breast cancers in women in their early 60s."

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One Glass Of Red Wine A Day Equals One Hour At The Gym?

Are you addicted to going to the gym? Look at those muscular monster working on their muscles and beautiful slim shape beauty jogging on the track. no matter what is your purpose to go to gym, what we actually have here is a wonderful discovery for regular gym-goers, but which is also good for people who do not go to the gym at all.

Gym Works

Are you sometimes the worse for wear to go the gym and have your regular ‘glass of workout? It’s not a big deal – you can have another equally effective glass. A new study suggests that a glass of red wine could mimic the benefits gained by going to the gym for an hour.

The researcher Jack Dyck, in his research conducted at the University of Alberta-Canada, discovered that a red wine compound called resveratrol provides some of the same benefits as an hour of cross training. 

“We were excited when we saw that resveratrol showed results similar to what you would see from extensive endurance exercise training. I think resveratrol could help patient populations who want to exercise, but are physically incapable. Resveratrol could mimic exercise for them or improve the benefits of the modest amount of exercise that they can do. We immediately saw the potential for this and thought that we identified a ‘improved exercise performance in a pill,”

says Jack Dyck’s, the lead researcher. So, next time if you decide you want to skip the gym session, and have a glass of wine with the girls you really have no reason to be guilty. But, there are many people who are physically incapable of hitting the gym that this discovery really could be beneficial for. Expectedly, your next question is:

Red or white wine?

Remember this: Only a glass of red wine counts because a glass of white wine or a shot of tequila will not have the same effect! So, drinking only ONE glass of red wine can improve your physical strength and performance.

But you must stop at the first glass and say: Let’s call it a day! You must not chug one, two or more glasses of wine in order to get better results! Because you will only get drunk and get more calories to burn next time you go the gym!

Only one Glass, I swear

And wine experts certainly know that grape sugariness is the most important thing for producing quality wine brands. The standards of performance that oenologists use to judge wine quality include the following:

Balance

The relationship of four components — sweetness, acidity, tannin, and alcohol — to one another. A wine is balanced when nothing sticks out as you taste it, like harsh tannin or too much sweetness.

Choose your Wine

Length

Used to describe a wine that gives an impression of going all the way on the palate — you can taste it across the full length of your tongue — rather than stopping short halfway. Many wines today are very up front on the palate — they make a big impression as soon as you taste them — but they don’t go the distance in your mouth. They are short.

Try not to Spills

Depth

This is another subjective, unmeasurable attribute of a high-quality wine. We say a wine has depth when it seems to have a dimension of verticality — that is, it does not taste flat and one-dimensional in your mouth. A ‘flat’ wine can never be great.

Color of the wine

Complexity

There’s nothing wrong with a simple, straightforward wine, especially if you enjoy it. But a wine that keeps revealing different things about itself, always showing you a new flavor or impression — a wine that has complexity — is usually considered better quality.

Smells it

Finish

The impression a wine leaves in the back of your mouth and in your throat after you have swallowed it is its finish or aftertaste. In a good wine, you can still perceive the wine’s flavors — such as fruitiness or spiciness — at that point. Some wines may finish hot, because of high alcohol, or bitter, because of tannin — both shortcomings. Or a wine may have nothing much at all to say for itself after you swallow.

Taste

Typicity

In order to judge whether a wine is true to its type, you have to know how that type is supposed to taste. So you have to know the textbook characteristics of wines made from the major grape varieties and wines of the world’s classic wine regions.

Spring seems to be delayed, so while there’s still a bit of chilly nip in the air treat yourself to a glass of a delicious full-bodied wine. Instead of going to the gym, warm up with your quality glass of wine!

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