1st Dec. -World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is observed every year on December 1st. The World Health Organization established World AIDS Day in 1988. World AIDS Day provides governments, national AIDS programs, faith organizations, community organizations, and individuals with an opportunity to raise awareness and focus attention on the global AIDS epidemic.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). By killing or damaging cells of the body's immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers.
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV is different from most other viruses because it attacks the immune system. The immune system gives our bodies the ability to fight infections. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells) that the immune system must have to fight disease.
AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. It can take years for a person infected with HIV, even without treatment, to reach this stage. Having AIDS means that the virus has weakened the immune system to the point at which the body has a difficult time fighting infections. When someone has one or more of these infections and a low number of T cells, he or she has AIDS.
Whereas there are symptoms of HIV, the only way to know that you are living with the virus is to be tested. Everyone should know their HIV status to protect themselves and others.

Over one million Americans are living with HIV/AIDS today. Worldwide, the figure is over 33 million. Effective HIV care—including antiretroviral drug therapies and regular access to primary health care—can help people manage their HIV disease and live longer.

Prevention & education:

HIV and AIDS are life threatening conditions. There is no cure yet for HIV/AIDS. The transmission of HIV occurs through three well documented means: 1) having sex (anal, vaginal, or oral) with someone infected with HIV; 2) sharing needles and syringes with someone infected with HIV; and 3) being exposed (fetus or infant) to HIV before or during birth or through breast feeding. HIV transmission can be prevented through avoiding behaviors that expose someone to the means of transmission and by taking preventive measures if identified risk behaviors occur.
To protect yourself, do not inject illicit drugs and remember these ABCs:
A=Abstinence
B=Be Faithful
C=Condoms
HIV is not transmitted through day-to-day activities such as shaking hands, hugging, or a casual kiss. You cannot become infected from a toilet seat, drinking fountain, doorknob, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets. You also cannot get HIV from mosquitoes.
There is no cure for HIV or AIDS yet despite the large efforts underway to develop a preventative and therapeutic vaccine. However, research has advanced HIV/AIDS treatments greatly since the early days of the epidemic, and HIV drugs can slow down the virus’s attack on the human immune system. People with HIV/AIDS can now live healthier, longer lives.
Living with HIV/AIDS requires consultation with an HIV doctor who can help individuals with treatment and drug decisions. The decision to start drug treatment is a very personal decision and one that should only be made in consultation with a health care provider based on clinical status (symptoms), immune system health (CD4 count and viral load), whether a diagnosis of AIDS has been made, and whether a treatment plan can be maintained (treatment adherence). While treatment has its benefits, it also has its risks, such as multiple side effects from HIV drugs and therapies, potential toxicity from drug treatments, as well as possible resistance of HIV to drugs over time.
As HIV attacks the human immune system, the immune system weakens over time and becomes more susceptible to opportunistic infections (OIs). Opportunistic infections are generally illnesses that don’t make people with a healthy immune system sick or don’t occur as often. There are many kinds of opportunistic infections, including other viruses, bacterial infections, and some types of cancers. Even common colds can become more dangerous and the flu is considered a serious condition in persons with HIV/AIDS.
To name just a few, common HIV/AIDS related health issues include:
Tuberculosis (TB)
Hepatitis C
Cryptoccocal meninigitis
Pneumocystis carinii pneumosia (PCP)
Cryptosporidiosis (crypto)
Toxoplasmosis (toxo)
HIV/AIDS can make treating opportunistic infections more difficult. The longer an individual’s immune system can be kept healthy through diet, exercise, and working with health care providers regarding making treatment decisions and adherence to treatment regimens, the less likely opportunistic infections may occur.

Let’s swear to get this world rid of AIDS, today.

On World AIDS Day - Dec.01, 2008

Hello !

This December 1st, 2008, ‘Friends-Love’s group requests its members to join the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of HIV/AIDS Policy’s AIDS.gov for Bloggers Unite For World AIDS Day.

We Need Your Help!
Nearly half of all AIDS cases in the U.S. involve people 13 to 24 years of age, placing many of ‘Friends-Love’ members or their children in the highest risk age groups. More than 250,000 are estimated to be HIV positive and not know it. And more than 1 million are estimated to have AIDS.
Of course, AIDS is not limited to the U.S. There are an estimated 33 million people with AIDS worldwide. It affects every country, city, and town in the world. And, the most frightening thing about it is that is going largely unchecked. In fact, that is one of the reason that worldaidscampaign.org is continuing its "leadership" theme, which it developed after learning that many leaders who promised to support AIDS were not keeping their promises.
As always, what you choose to write about is up to you. However, you might consider checking the NIDA and AIDS.gov research and prevention resources on the Bloggers Unite resource page. Or, for a more global view, check out http://www.worldaidscampaign.org

Unlike most campaigns where we hope awareness led to action, this is one campaign where awareness is action! If even just 10 percent of our members get involved, we can reach an estimated 4 million Blog readers. And if half of our members participate, we can reach 20 million. And if all bloggers participate, we can reach the entire world. But more importantly than all that. If your post just touches even one person and convinces them to get tested or helps someone learn about AIDS prevention, won't that will be worth it? Your words, voices, videos, and actions can all help people become more aware about AIDS and how to prevent it. And by doing that, you might not only save someone, but save someone close to you.

Please join us. We look forward to reading all of your posts this December 1st!…

...The ‘Friends-Love’ Team

ऐसे भी फैलता है ज़ुकाम

सर्दियों के दिनों में बड़ी संख्या में लोग ज़ुकाम का शिकार होते हैं. अकेले ब्रिटेन में कुल आबादी का पाँचवाँ हिस्सा ज़ुकाम से पीड़ित होता है.
विशेषज्ञों ने चेतावनी दी है कि रिमोट कंट्रोल, बाथरुम के नल, रेफ़्रीजरेटर और दरवाज़ों के हत्थों के ज़रिए भी ज़ुकाम के वायरस फैलने का अंदेशा बहुत होता है.वर्जिनिया यूनिवर्सिटी के शोधकर्ताओं ने 30 घरों में ऐसे घरेलू उपकरणों की सतहों का अध्ययन किया और पाया कि उनमें 42 प्रतिशत बार ज़ुकाम के वायरस मौजूद थे. उनका कहना है कि हालांकि ज़ुकाम सबसे ज़्यादा खाँसने और छींकने से फैलते हैं लेकिन घरेलू उपकरणों की इन सतहों की भी नियमित सफ़ाई होनी चाहिए. संक्रमित होने वाली बीमारियों पर हो रहे एक सम्मेलन में शोधकर्ताओं ने कहा कि घरेलू उपकरणों की सतह पर ज़ुकाम के वायरस दो दिनों तक जीवित रहते हैं.
उनका कहना है कि घर का ही कोई सदस्य या बाहर से आने वाला कोई व्यक्ति दरवाज़े के हत्थों या नल के सतहों पर ज़ुकाम के वायरस छोड़ सकता है.
उन्होंने पाया कि वायरस से संक्रमित किसी सतह को छूने के एक घंटे बाद तक उंगलियों पर ये राइनोवायरस जीवित रहते हैं.
प्रमुख शोधकर्ता डॉ बरगिट विंदर का कहना है कि लोगों को पता होना चाहिए कि ज़ुकाम का संक्रमण इन स्रोतों से भी फैल सकता है.
उनका कहना है, "कुछ लोग संक्रमण ख़त्म करने वाली दवा का घर में छिड़काव करते हैं लेकिन यह समझने की ज़रुरत है कि ये वायरस हवा के ज़रिए नहीं फैलते. इसके बदले उन्हें सार्वजनिक रुप से उपयोग में लाई जाने वाली चीज़ों की सतहों को साफ़ करना चाहिए."
संक्रमण विशेषज्ञ प्रोफ़ेसर जॉन ऑक्सफ़र्ड का कहना है, "ज़ुकाम के वायरस बड़े जीवट क़िस्म के होते हैं क्योंकि ये किसी भी सतह पर लंबे समय तक जीवित रह लेते हैं."
उनका कहना है कि ठीक तरह से साफ़-सफ़ाई करके पूरे परिवार को संक्रमण से बचाया जा सकता है.
ब्रिटेन में नए नियमों के अनुसार डॉक्टर अब ज़ुकाम के लिए एंटीबायोटिक दवाएँ खाने की सलाह नहीं दे सकते, ऐसे में संक्रमण से बचने के उपाय करना ज़्यादा फ़ायदेमंद साबित हो सकता है.

Can Smoking Help You Lose Weight?

Can Smoking Help You Lose Weight?

Smoking is highly damaging to your body and it is not an activity I recommend you participate in. However, there are limited advantages associated with this habit. One such advantage is that smoking can help you lose weight. In this article I discuss how it helps you lose weight and compare this with the damage it can cause.There are a number of reasons that smoking helps you drop the pounds and I have listed these below:1) Smoking Damages Your Taste Buds:- The more you smoke the more damage you do to your taste buds. Over time the chemicals and tar in cigarettes coat the inside of your mouth and cover your taste buds meaning that they become less and less effective. As your taste buds become progressively hampered the food you eat becomes increasingly bland. Therefore, you do not enjoy your food as much as you once did and there is less temptation to carry on eating. You start to eat until your hunger is satisfied and not for enjoyment which means you eat less. Since you are eating less the logical result is for you to lose weight.But is it worth damaging your taste buds just so that you eat a little less each day? In my opinion definitely not. I really enjoy tasting all the different flavours that food has to offer and would not like to have that taken away from me. I would much rather discipline myself to moderate my eating than damage my taste buds so much that I do not enjoy my food anymore.2) Nicotine is an Appetite Suppressant:- Studies suggest that nicotine acts as an appetite suppressant. Therefore, the more you smoke the less hungry you feel and the less you are likely to eat.However, nicotine is a very dangerous substance. Certain reports suggest that there may be a link between nicotine and kidney disease, that nicotine damages the inside of your arteries and that nicotine can increase your risk of heart disease. Furthermore, withdrawal from nicotine can lead to irritability, headaches, poor concentration, insomnia, constipation and it can even increase your appetite. Therefore, whilst you may feel less hungry when you have a steady supply of nicotine you quickly become reliant on this substance to suppress your appetite, all the time doing increased damage to your body.3) Smoking Increases your Metabolic Rate:- Smoking cigarettes makes your heart beat faster, meaning your body expends more energy and burns more calories. Therefore, when you smoke you will burn more calories than when you do not smoke. Heavy smokers are believed to burn up to 200 additional calories each day as a result of this.However, the extra pressure placed on your heart by smoking does not just burn calories. It also increases your risk of heart disease which is one of the most common causes of smoking related deaths. Is it really worth putting your heart in this much danger just to get a slight daily boost in metabolism?As I have already mentioned smoking is not a good habit and is something that I suggest you avoid. Nevertheless, I am prepared to offer a balanced argument and I admit that one of the few benefits of smoking is that it assists weight loss by boosting your metabolism and suppressing your appetite. However, when you balance this against the negatives which include damage to your lungs, arteries, veins & heart, bad breath, wrinkled skin and poor health smoking is not such an attractive weight loss solution.

मोटापे से बचना चाहते हैं तो धीरे-धीरे खाना खाइए...

एक जापानी शोध में कहा गया है कि जो लोग अपना खाना तेज़ी से खाते हैं उनमें वज़न बढ़ने का ख़तरा लगभग दोगुना बढ़ जाता है. ओसका यूनिवर्सिटी के वैज्ञानिकों ने कोई तीन हज़ार लोगों के खाना खाने की आदतों का अध्ययन किया और अपने शोध के परिणामों को ब्रिटिश मेडिकल जर्नल में प्रकाशित किया है. ब्रिटेन के एक आहार विशेषज्ञ का कहना है कि समस्या एक हद तक इस बात से भी हो सकती है कि शरीर यह संकेत देना बंद कर दे कि कब खाना पर्याप्त हो गया. उनका कहना है कि यदि खाने की रफ़्तार जानबूझ कर धीमा कर दिया जाए तो इसका असर वज़न पर हो सकता है. ताज़ा शोध में खाने की रफ़्तार, पर्याप्त खा लेने का संकेत और वज़न बढ़ने के बीच संबंधों का अध्ययन किया गया है.

जिन 3000 लोगों पर अध्ययन किया गया, उनमें से आधे लोगों ने डॉक्टरों को बताया था कि उन्हें जल्दी-जल्दी खाने की आदत है। पाया गया कि जो लोग तेज़ी से नहीं खाते उनकी तुलना में तेज़ी से खाने वाले पुरुषों का वज़न बढ़ने का ख़तरा 84 प्रतिशत बढ़ जाता है लेकिन महिलाओं के मामले में यह ख़तरा दोगुना हो जाता है. लेकिन वो लोग जो पेट भर जाने का संकेत मिलते तक खाते ही जाते हैं उनका वज़न बढ़ने का ख़तरा तीन गुना तक बढ़ जाता है. नॉटिंघम यूनिवर्सिटी के प्रोफ़ेसर इयान मैक्डोनल्ड का कहना है कि इसके कई कारण हैं कि क्यों तेज़ी से खाना वज़न बढ़ाने के लिए ख़तरनाक होता है. उनका कहना है कि इससे मस्तिष्क को संकेत देने वाली वह प्रणाली में बाधा पहुँच सकती है जो यह बताती है कि पर्याप्त खाना हो चुका है. उनका कहना है कि खाना खाने की रफ़्तार कम या ज़्यादा की तो जा सकती है लेकिन यह आसान नहीं होता. प्रोफ़ेसर मैक्डोनल्ड का कहना है, "बुजुर्ग महिलाएँ जब कहती थीं कि एक-एक कौर को 20 बार चबाकर खाओ तो वे ठीक कहती थीं क्योंकि ऐसा करने से आपको खाना खाने में समय लग सकता है."

वहीँ दो ऑस्ट्रेलियाई शोधकर्ताओं का सुझाव है कि बच्चों को धीमे-धीमे खाने के लिए बढ़ावा देना चाहिए और जब उन्हें लगे कि उनका पेट भर गया है तो उन्हें खाना बंद करने की अनुमति दी जानी चाहिए. हालांकि अभी इस बात के कोई प्रमाण नहीं हैं कि यदि कोई बच्चा धीमी गति से खाना खाता है तो वह आगे चलकर भी मोटापे का शिकार नहीं होगा।

With Spl.Thanks to BBC

दिल को स्वस्थ रखना है तो सलाद खाइए...

खानपान को लेकर हुए एक शोध के बाद कहा गया है कि तले हुए और नमकीन खाने की जगह यदि सलाद खाया जाए तो दुनिया भर में दिल का दौरा पड़ने की आशंका को एक तिहाई तक घटाया जा सकता है. शोधकर्ताओं ने 52 देशों में 16 हज़ार लोगों के खानपान का अध्ययन किया गया और खानपान की तीन वैश्विक तौर-तरीक़े उभर कर आई है. 'सर्कुलेशन जर्नल' के अनुसार पश्चिमी खानपान में नमक, वसा और मांस की मात्रा अधिक होती है, जो दुनिया के किसी भी भाग में दिल के दौरे की आशंका को तीन प्रतिशत तक बढ़ा देते हैं.

वैज्ञानिकों का कहना है कि फल और सब्ज़ियाँ खाने से दिल के दौरे की आशंका एक तिहाई तक कम हो सकती है. शोधकर्ताओं का कहना है कि टोफ़ू और सोया सॉस दिल के दौरे के ख़तरे पर कोई असर नहीं पड़ता. शोधकर्ताओं ने 19 तरह के खानपान को लेकर सवाल बनाए और फिर 5,561 दिल का दौरा झेल चुके लोगों से और 10, 646 दिल के रोगियों से इन सवालों के जवाब देने को कहा. शोधकर्ताओं का कहना है कि जो लोग पश्चिमी ढंग का खाना खा रहे थे उनमें दिल का दौरा पड़ने का ख़तरा दूसरों की तुलना में 35 प्रतिशत अधिक होता है.

हालांकि यह सर्वविदित तथ्य है कि पश्चिमी भोजन करने वाले लोगों में दिल की बीमारियों का ख़तरा बढ़ जाता है. ज़्यादा नमक से रक्तचाप बढ़ता है और ग़लत तरह के वसा से रक्तवाहिनियों में अवरोध पैदा होता है. अध्ययन के बाद पाया गया कि खानपान के तौरतरीक़े इस बाद से ज़्यादा अहमियत रखते हैं कि किसी ख़ास चीज़ में पौष्टिकता कितनी है. शोधकर्ताओं का कहना है कि इस शोध से पता चला है कि खानपान और दिल के दौरे का जो संबंध पश्चिमी देशों के लिए लागू है वह दुनिया के दूसरे हिस्सों के लिए भी उतना ही सच है.

कनाडा के मैकमास्टर यूनिवर्सिटी के प्रमुख शोधकर्ता रोमानिया इक़बाल का कहना है, "लोगों में दिल का दौरा पड़ने का 30 प्रतिशत ख़तरा खानपान से जुड़ा होता है।" ब्रिटिश हार्ट फ़ाउंडेशन की एलन मैसन का कहना है, "इस शोध से पता चलता है कि इससे कोई फ़र्क नहीं पड़ता कि आप बॉल्टन में हैं या बॉम्बे में, आप चाहे ब्रितानी खाना खाते हों या फिर अफ़्रीकन कैरेबियन या फिर एशियाई." वे कहती हैं, "महत्वपूर्ण चीज़ यह है कि आपको नमकीन, तली हुई और वसायुक्त खाने को कम करके फल और सब्ज़ी की मात्रा को बढ़ाना होगा."

साभार-बी.बी.सी.

Need Hair Extensions???

Some are synthetic and some are made of human hair. The natural hair of Caucasians is different from that of Asians or Afro-Caribbeans and you should choose an extension that will match your own hair.

They come in many varieties and can be pre-colored, pre-highlighted or pre-permed with curls or a body wave. Depending on how it was attached, you may need to have your hair extension re-done after 6 or 8 weeks, or it might last up to 4 months. Re-attaching will always be periodically necessary because our natural hair continues to grow, the bonding agent becomes loose, life happens, and you’ll need to re-adjust and refresh your hair’s appearance.

What are hair extensions? Hair extensions are hairpieces that can be attached to your natural hair or scalp; they enhance the thickness of your hair or the length. There are several kinds, but the most popular ones are
• Strands, small clusters of about 30 pieces of hair
• Wefts, slightly larger curtains of hair, joined at the top and free flowing at the ends. The best wefts are hand-made, not machine-made.
• Braids and dreadlocks, which are pre-wound.

How are hair extensions attached?
• Strands are woven, glued, or clipped to your natural hair. If they’re clipped, you can take them off easily any time. If they’re glued, various bonding agents may be used and care must be taken to protect your scalp and natural hair.
• For wefts, your stylist will make a small corn row or weave in your natural hair, and sew the weft to this weave. This method uses no chemicals.
• Braids are usually woven in with your own hair and again no chemicals are used.

What kind of hair extension would best suit me? That’s a very personal matter and should be decided between you and your stylist. There are extensions for every kind of hair, even thin and baby-fine hair. Your stylist will assess your hair type, discuss how you would like to look and whether it’s possible given your particular circumstances and hair status, and explain alternatives. When an extension is decided upon, she will personally customize it to match your hair, will attach it, explain how she’s doing it, and give you information on how to care for it.

How do I care for my hair extension?
• Hair extensions can be shampooed, styled and brushed the same as your natural hair, but don’t try to alter their color. This should be professionally done.
• The most important thing is to be gentle with it so as to preserve the bond attaching it.
• Use a soft bristle brush and brush out tangles from the bottom ends up towards your head.
• At night, to avoid matting, tie it up or braid it if it’s fairly long, and never sleep with wet or damp hair.
• Avoid using any silicone-based products or conditioners on the extension where it is bonded to your natural hair, as this will make the extension slip off.

Does it hurt to get a hair extension? No, not when it’s properly done. In the first day or two it will feel a little heavy perhaps, and this added weight on your head may feel slightly uncomfortable until you get used to it. The process of attaching it should not hurt at all. If it does, something isn’t right. Sometimes if the cornrow method is being used, the weaving might be done too tightly, pulling too hard on your scalp. This can even cause headaches. But you should not accept this. The weaving doesn’t have to be so tight that it’s painful.

You may come across stories of how a person’s hair was broken, burned, or otherwise damaged by their hair extension. The odds are that this person had it done by an untrained stylist, or one with little experience.
Hair extensions, as their name suggests, are sections of hair added to your own natural hair, giving it added volume and length, even changing its style. Hair Extensions can be real or synthetic. The most expensive and most natural looking extensions are made from human hair. Other alternatives are animal hair, treated human hair, and synthetic fibers.

Hair extensions are available in many different colors, textures, styles, and lengths. A skilled stylist can choose hair extensions that are virtually indistinguishable from your own hair. Extensions made from human hair can be styled after application. This enables wearers to have greater flexibility and naturalness in their daily style. Human Hair Extensions, on the other hand, is colored and styled before application and cannot be changed.

Hair extensions can be applied in a variety of ways depending on your needs and budget. For a fun, inexpensive, and temporary change of style, consider clip-on extensions. These are available at most department stores. Ponytail extensions are popular choices in clip-ons. Though clip-ons are generally not available in subtle color variations, they do come in all of the more common shades.

For a larger commitment in time and money, hair extensions can also be attached to hair by weaving, sewing, braiding, gluing, and tubing. Some of these methods can last from two to six months with proper application and maintenance. These methods should be performed in a salon. To determine which method best suits your lifestyle and your hair, do your research and speak to a qualified professional. For the health of your natural hair, make sure the person applying the extensions is a licensed cosmetologist.