“We need oxygen to improve air quality, take trees.  Trees are called the earth’s lungs. Not only do they provide oxygen for us to breathe, but they clean the air of many pollutants harmful to humans. “.

CMAP

Part II Oxygen regarding the environment view:

Take our environment, there’s a caustic substance common to our environment whose very presence turns iron into brittle rust, dramatically increases the risk of fire and explosion, and sometimes destroys the cells of the very organisms that depend on it for survival. This substance that makes up 21% of our atmosphere is Diatomic oxygen (O₂), more widely know as just oxygen.

The appearance of free oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere led to the Great Oxidation Event. This was triggered by cyanobacteria producing oxygen that was used by multi-cellular forms as early as 2.3 billion years ago. As evolutionary biologists from the Universities of Zurich and Gothenburg have shown, this multiple cellularity was linked to the rise in oxygen and thus played a significant role for life on Earth as it is today.

Cyanobacteria belong to Earth’s oldest organisms. They are still present today in oceans and waters and even in hot springs. By producing oxygen and evolving into multicellular forms, they played a key role in the emergence of organisms that breathe oxygen. This has, now, been demonstrated by a team of scientists under the supervision and instruction of evolutionary biologists from the University of Zurich. According to their studies, cyanobacteria developed multicellularity around one billion years earlier than eukaryotes — cells with one true nucleus. At almost the same time as multi-cellular cyanobacteria appeared, a process of oxygenation began in the oceans and in Earth’s atmosphere.

Multi-cellularity as early as 2.3 billion years ago

The scientists analyzed the phylogenies of living cyanobacteria and combined their findings with data from fossil records for cyanobacteria. According to the results recorded by Bettina Schirrmeister and her colleagues, multi-cellular cyanobacteria emerged much earlier than previously assumed. “Multi-cellularity developed relatively early in the history of cyanobacteria, more than 2.3 billion years ago,” Schirrmeister explains in her doctoral thesis, written at the University of Zurich.

Link between multicellularity and the Great Oxidation Event

According to the scientists, multicellularity developed shortly before the rise in levels of free oxygen in the oceans and in the atmosphere. This accumulation of free oxygen is referred to as the Great Oxidation Event, and is seen as the most significant climate event in Earth’s history. Based on their data, Schirrmeister and her doctoral supervisor Homayoun Bagheri believe that there is a link between the emergence of multi-cellularity and the event. According to Bagheri, multi-cellular life forms often have a more efficient metabolism than unicellular forms. The researchers are thus proposing the theory that the newly developed multi-cellularity of the cyanobacteria played a role in triggering the Great Oxidation Event.

Cyanobacteria occupied free niches

The increased production of oxygen set Earth’s original atmosphere off balance. Because oxygen was poisonous for large numbers of anaerobic organisms, many anaerobic types of bacteria were eliminated, opening up ecological ‘niches’. The researchers have determined the existence of many new types of multi-cellular cyanobacteria subsequent to the fundamental climatic event, and are deducing that these occupied the newly developed habitats. “Morphological changes in microorganisms such as bacteria were able to impact the environment fundamentally and to an extent scarcely imaginable,” concludes Schirrmeister.

Water oxygenation:

Water aeration is often required in water bodies that suffer from anoxic conditions, usually caused by adjacent human activities such as sewage discharges, agricultural run-off, or over-baiting a fishing lake. Aeration can be achieved through the infusion of air into the bottom of the lake, lagoon or pond or by surface agitation from a fountain or spray-like device to allow for oxygen exchange at the surface and the release of noxious gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane or hydrogen sulfide.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a major contributor to water quality. Not only do fish and other aquatic animals need it, but oxygen breathing aerobic bacteria decompose organic matter. When oxygen concentrations become low, anoxic conditions may develop which can decrease the ability of the water body to support life.

Surface aeration-Fountains aerate by pulling water from the surface of the water (usually the first 1–2 feet) and propelling it into the air. Some fountains incorporate the use of a draft tube, which extends deeper and is able to pull water from approximately six feet below the surface, so as to achieve more water circulation. Fountains are a popular method of surface aerators because of the aesthetic appearance that they offer. However, most fountains are unable to produce a large area of oxygenated water. Also, running electricity through the water to the fountain can be a safety hazard. Fountains help circulate water in oxygenation, of course to a limited degree.

Diffused aeration systems utilize bubbles to aerate as well as mix the water. Water displacement from the expulsion of bubbles can cause a mixing action to occur, and the contact between the water and the bubble will result in an oxygen transfer.

Coarse bubble aeration is a type of subsurface aeration wherein air is pumped from an on-shore air compressor, through a hose to a unit placed at the bottom of the water body. The unit expels coarse bubbles (more than 2mm in diameter), which release oxygen when they come into contact with the water, which also contributes to a mixing of the lake’s stratified layers.

Fine bubble aeration is an efficient way to transfer oxygen to a water body. A compressor on shore pumps air through a hose, which is connected to an underwater aeration unit.

Lake destratification Is using circulators that are commonly used to mix a pond or lake and thus reduce thermal stratification. Once circulated water reaches the surface, the air-water interface facilitates the transfer of oxygen to the lake water.

Oxygenation Barges During heavy rain, London’s sewage storm pipes overflow into the River Thames, sending dissolved oxygen levels plummeting and threatening the species it supports. Two dedicated McTay Marine vessels, oxygenation barges Thames Bubbler and Thames Vitality are used to replenish oxygen levels, as part of an ongoing battle to clean up the river, which now supports 115 species of fish and hundreds more invertebrates, plants and birds.

The Smithsonian states the Earth has a surprising new player in the climate game: oxygen. Even though oxygen is not a heat-trapping greenhouse gas, its concentration in our atmosphere can affect how much sunlight reaches the ground, and new models suggest that effect has altered climate in the past. Greenhouse gases = too much of one thing. Human activity increases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere—mainly carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). The extra greenhouse gas may be trapping much heat, abnormally raising Earth’s temperatures. Human activity increases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere—mainly carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas). The extra greenhouse gas may be trapping too much heat, abnormally raising Earth’s temperatures. Human activity increases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere—mainly carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas). The extra greenhouse gas may be trapping too much heat, abnormally raising Earth’s temperatures. Human activity increases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere—mainly carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas). The extra greenhouse gas may be trapping too much heat, abnormally raising Earth’s temperatures. Human activity increases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere—mainly carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas). The extra greenhouse gas may be trapping too much heat, abnormally raising Earth’s temperatures.

Oxygen currently makes up about 21 percent of the gases in the planet’s atmosphere, but that level hasn’t been steady over Earth’s history. For the first couple of billion years, there was the little oxygen in the atmosphere. Then, about 2.5 billion years ago, oxygen started getting added to the atmosphere by photosynthetic cyanobacteria. That waste product sparked the mass extinction known as the Great Oxygenation Event (explained above). But over time, new forms of life evolved that use or expel oxygen in respiration, and atmospheric oxygen levels continued to increase. “The production and burial of plant matter over long periods causes oxygen levels to rise,” explains Poulsen.

Levels can fall again when that trapped ancient organic matter becomes exposed on land, and elements such as iron react with oxygen from the atmosphere, a reaction called oxidative weathering. As a result of these processes, atmospheric oxygen levels have varied from a low of 10 percent to a high of 35 percent over the last 540 million years or so.

Poulsen and his colleagues were studying the climate and plants of the late Paleozoic, and during a meeting they started talking about whether oxygen levels might somehow have affected climate in the past. Studies have shown that atmospheric carbon dioxide has been the main climate driver through deep time, so most thought oxygen’s role has been negligible but we have to live which is breathing 02 and the ending result CO2 when we expire and surely need oil & natural gas to some extent even if we went on energy for all our electricity and cars. Remember everything has a beginning and an ending, with wear and tear done to it at the end.

LennTech.com (a water treatment and purification company) points out highly concentrated sources of oxygen promote rapid combustion and therefore are fire and explosion hazards in the presence of fuels. The fire that killed the Apollo 1 crew on a test launchpad spread so rapidly because the pure oxygen atmosphere was at normal atmospheric pressure instead of the one third pressure that would be used during an actual launch.

Oxygen regarding metals:

Rust is another name for iron oxide, which occurs when iron or an alloy that contains iron, like steel, is exposed to oxygen and moisture for a long period of time. Over time, the oxygen combines with the metal at an atomic level, forming a new compound called an oxide and weakening the bonds of the metal itself. Although some people refer to rust generally as “oxidation,” that term is much more general; although rust forms when iron undergoes oxidation, not all oxidation forms rust. Only iron or alloys that contain iron can rust, but other metals can corrode in similar ways.

The main catalyst for the rusting process is water. Iron or steel structures might appear to be solid, but water molecules can penetrate the microscopic pits and cracks in any exposed metal. The hydrogen atoms present in water molecules can combine with other elements to form acids, which will eventually cause more metal to be exposed.

If sodium is present, as is the case with saltwater, the corrosion is likely to occur more quickly. Meanwhile, the oxygen atoms combine with metallic atoms to form the destructive oxide compound. As the atoms combine, they weaken the metal, making the structure brittle and crumbly.

Some pieces of iron or steel are thick enough to maintain their integrity even if iron oxide forms on the surface. The thinner the metal, the better the chance that rusting will occur. Placing a steel wool pad in water and exposing it to air will cause rusting to begin almost immediately because the steel filaments are so thin. Eventually, the individual iron bonds will be destroyed, and the entire pad will disintegrate.

Rust formation cannot be stopped easily, but metals can be treated to resist the most damaging effects. Some are protected by water-resistant paints, preventative coatings or other chemical barriers, such as oil. It also is possible for one to reduce the chances of rust forming by using a dehumidifier or desiccant to help remove moisture from the air, but this usually is effective only in relatively small areas.

Steel is often galvanized to prevent iron oxide from forming; this process usually involves a very thin layer of zinc being applied to the surface. Another process, called plating, can be used to add a layer of zinc, tin or chrome to the metal. Cathodic protection involves using an electrical charge to suppress or prevent the chemical reaction that causes rust from occurring.

“We do not yet know enough to make adequate projections of the global trends for plant life in a world with higher levels of carbon dioxide, or CO2. It is clear, however, that there can be both positive and negative responses.

One of the first things taught in biology class is that animals breathe in oxygen and exhale CO2, while plants take in CO2 during the day and release oxygen. In a process called “photosynthesis,” plants use the energy in sunlight to convert CO2 and water to sugar and oxygen. The plants use the sugar for food—food that we use, too, when we eat plants or animals that have eaten plants — and they release the oxygen into the atmosphere. If it were not for plants, we would have no oxygen in our air!

So, if we’re putting more CO2 into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, you might expect plants to grow better. But the story is not quite that simple. When biologists have grown crops like wheat, soybeans, and rice inside greenhouses with extra CO2 present, the plants have indeed grown more rapidly and more abundantly. For the past several years, scientists all over the world have also been doing a series of experiments called “Free-Air Concentration Enrichment,” or FACE. Instead of using greenhouses, they grow crops in open fields to give them the most natural environment possible and pump in extra CO2 from a network of pipes.

The results of these experiments have shown that the crops do not thrive as well in this environment. Plants do need CO2, but they also need water, nitrogen, and other nutrients. Increase one of these without increasing the others and there’s a limit to how much the plants will benefit. Some do not grow much more at all. Others, like wheat, grow bigger but end up with less nitrogen. As a result, insects end up eating more to get the nitrogen they need. The nutritional value of food plants would be similarly reduced for other animals — including humans. Also, we could end up with vegetables that have too much carbon — perhaps producing spinach that would be very tough to chew!”

Climate Central

“Cellulite is a fat deposit beneath the skin.  The main symptom is the appearance of lumpy, dimpled flesh on the thighs, hips, buttocks, and belly.  Weight loss and exercise can help improve the appearance of cellulite. Other treatments are laser and radiofrequency systems and retinol cream. These may need to be repeated regularly.”.

MAYO CLINIC

Cellulite in technical terms is noted at adiposis edematoso meaning your adipose tissue=fat that has swollen up (edematoso); or it is called gynoid lipodystrophy meaning anything pertaining to the women (gynoid) and that the lipid tissue is degenerating (ending line loosing tone).   One other medical term it is noted as is orange peel syndrome=the herniation of subcutaneous fat within fibrous connective tissue that ends up looking like skin dimpling, often on the pelvic region (Specifically the buttock) including the lower limbs (thighs) and abdomen.  Cellulite occurs in most post pubescent females and rarely in males.  Why is this?  Well, for one the tissue make up some say that men’s tissue in these areas are made up in a horizontal make up where in women it’s a honey comb make up allowing more fat to store.  That is why you see most men overweight with it in the abdomen and not in the legs or buttock compared to women.  Also with women in menopause the hormonal make up compared to men which adds to increasing the chance of putting weight on.  The factors that can prone you to cellulite forming on the body are 1-genetic (which may be the biggest factor in developing it especially if it’s in the family tree), 2-hormones (Estrogen the important hormone to initiate and aggravate cellulite.), 3-predisposing factors (Sex, race, biotype, or predisposition to lymphatic or circulatory insufficiency which contribute to cellulite), 4-Let’s not forget lifestyle also (increase in level of catecholamines, which associate with the evolution of cellulite (particularly sedentary lifestyle).  Lack of activity (not work out) but walking fast 30 to 60 minutes a day would surely show a difference in your cellulite in time with good healthy dieting.

Problems that cause cellulite to show on your body is poor health habits, poor dieting to the point you get overweight or obese.  Eat meals low in starches & carbohydrates, low in sugar, and moderate amounts of fat.  With your protein highest in count of every meal (about 14 or so in 6 meals a day is more than enough) and by the end of the day your protein count should add up to the highest number compared to the others.  Why because you keep your metabolism at a steady rate with your sugar count not spiking into high levels of glucose in your bloodstream, after a meal.  What is so important about this?  Realize that starches, carbohydrates (CHOs), sugars=calories and some fats will get broken down into complex or simple sugars (frucose and glucose for example) during the digestion process in the stomach.   Eating only 3 to 4 large or moderate or even small meals high in sugar, CHOs, starches or fat=ending product of high spikes of sugar in your blood stream.  In doing this your body naturally reacts, first sending glucose in the bloodstream to the pancreas.  The pancreas senses glucose in the blood then releases the hormone insulin (not like in diabetics since their pancreas will release nonworking insulin or too little of working insulin to no insulin at all).  The insulin will allow the glucose to transfer into tissues and cells that are utilizing the need for sugar which is our fuel/energy but only for the amount needed at that time. Usually glucose is our primary fuel to tissues and cells to allow them to do their function-like gas to a car to be able to run; but remember our human body can’t release the extra glucose out of our body left in the blood stream that came from our breakdown, in our stomach, from our meal.  When the glucose was needed in the body cells and tissues, at that time, it was used but not all was utilized we don’t utilize all that sugar especially if it is a large meal or even a moderate to small meal that had high sugar or carbohydrates or starch in it.  These kind of meals produce excess sugar in the blood stream.  Now if the body could just release extra sugar from the body as a waste product (through urine or stool or perspiration) no one would be overweight or obese in any country and we could eat anything we want (from eggs benedict every day for breakfast to burger king hamburger with fries on it for lunch to Chinese fast food with Sundaes for dinner and of course let’s not forget milk chocolate for snacks in between).  The body doesn’t work that way.  The excess sugar your body didn’t need to utilize at that time now goes to the liver where this organ converts glucose to glycogen (from active sugar to inactive sugar).  So when needed (glucose), the liver can just release glycogen into the blood stream where it gets converted back to glucose if the body needs active energy at that time (If you’re doing a 16 hr shift with you now into 12hrs of your shift and no food since 6am the body needs fuel at that point the liver will do this releasing of glycogen to the bloodstream, for example);  but if you’re eating 3 large or moderate meals a day with snacks in between the liver won’t need to do this releasing of glycogen into the bloodstream, especially if you’re not eating healthy but fast foods or not working out 3 to 5 times a week with working 40 hours a week or equating to be that active in your life.  Now remember your liver is only so big to store a certain amount of glucose and when it reaches full the sugar that couldn’t get stored in the liver than stays in the blood stream.  The glucose has to go somewhere else out of the bloodstream to prevent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels, like in a diabetic).  It now gets stored in our fat tissue=fat or weight gain, again especially if you’re eating too high a quantity in your meals, or too high a quantity in starches, or even calories=sugars, or carbohydrates and even fats.  All there ending product is in the blood after digestion in the stomach is sugar (simple or complex sugars).  What will result in time from this type of dieting:  you have high probability of becoming overweight to obese with cellulite developing over the body (particularly the pelvic region, abdomen, thighs and buttock).  The degree of cellulite will depend on age factor since it will increase the probability for women in menopause), type of activity in that individual’s life- -moving from active to sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating to unhealthy habits over years vs healthy.  The answer is not necessarily to perform a heavy workout including weights (especially if overweight or obese since the fat will turn to muscle and unless you do weight lifting till you die, like Jack Lanne,  it will turn back to fat and cellulite).  The key is living healthier habits, good dieting (6 small meals a day to balance your metabolism=sugar level), knowing the 4 food groups and how to dispense them in your meals properly (CHOs, sugars=calories,starches, and fats) and knowing what is in the liquids you drink (many with high sugar contents, as simple as soda, coke or Pepsi, and fruit juices).  I’m not saying start diet soda (since it contains phenylalanine or NutraSweet both that can cause cancer) but water (plain or flavored) or club soda or certain ice teas or lemonades (particularly homemade) depending on the ingredients.  You have to just read the ingredients to see that the sugar, CHO, calories, fat, and starch content is low with the protein higher than the rest.  If you eat 6 meals a day the protein should be over 12.

The reason why cellulite is our enemy is because for it to even show up on the body you have to become overweight to obese.  Obesity is a major enemy for any country to have in high population because of the diseases Obesity alone can cause.  It can cause diabetes 2, high blood pressure, stroke, coronary artery disease, joint problems including osteoarthritis, metabolic syndrome, in women contributes to a variety of cancers including breast/colon/gallbladder/uterus, in men contributes to having a higher risk of colon or prostate cancers, sleep apnea and respiratory problems and could go on.  Now do you see why developing cellulite is our enemy=Obesity and what it can cause alone.

Cellulite is something we can resolve by decreasing weight and having daily or at least every other day some activity from fast walking to jogging or even Pilates.  If your disabled and can’t do much activity you surely can do something through your diet.  To get started and if you need guidance on how to lose weight.  This includes 6 meals a day with learning about the 4 groups (knowing from each group what’s lean, leaner, and leanest) to learning what activity does for the body then you came to the right blog.  If you want to learn more about this than go to my website healthyusa.tsfl.com and peek at what we can offer you through Dr. Wayne Scott Anderson with his book “Dr A’s Habits of Health” and even foods to buy if you want them in the beginning of your diet loss which provides health bars to lunches and dinners to desserts of all kinds to all types of shakes/drinks and so much more foods (low in fat/calories/carbs/starches).  Learn how to become healthier for yourself, even spreading the news to
family or friends who may become interested and being a great mentor for your children in helping the next generation to be more healthy which would help our health care system to our health economy that includes insurance payments for bills at hospitals/doctor’s offices which would lessen.  Our society has become so unhealthy in diet causing so many increases in diseases/illnesses, including children, (Obesity, Diabetes II, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and more) that we have the government getting involved.  Take a look at Facebook or YouTube with pictures of people in America shopping at Walmart or Kmart.  It may be funny to some people but it is also outright scary with what’s happening to our country.  Our country has increased drastically in poor health habits that killed our economy, with let alone our health care system including what insurance costs are like for our society.  We could, as a society, turn things around for the better regarding ourselves and others in our country for everyone’s health that would impact every American citizen of all ages in a positive way.  I hope I have impacted someone in this country in wanting to learn more about knowing how to become healthier with making a good change for our country as a diversified whole.  Society has a responsibility and impact on how things run in each of their respective countries but especially in America, since we live in a democracy.  Its common sense if we get better regarding our health overall it will put an impact on our health economy if we don’t our health care system will just get WORSE.  Do mom’s and dad’s want this for their children’s future or their grandchildren or even their own lives?  Society has to take a stand, don’t leave it up to our government but leave it up to our citizens in America’s homes with our schools (Ex.proper health teaching regarding the cafeteria food), our restaurant industry (get off of living with such processed and fast foods in our states) and lastly our government to an extent.  What does any politician really care, in having as a top priority being health since their getting top quality insurance and making high incomes to live life up (President Obama upon retirement will be the first President making 450,000 dollars a year).  I know I would be a happy camper too if I was in that situation and I could go on with other politicians salaries but I started with the top.  So let’s make a move America and go for the healthier aspect of life.   Take a peek at no fee or charge, no prescription, no foods that you have to buy, no obligation, and no hacking, as well.  You make all the choices in what you want and when you want to stop.  No rip off or that you have to stay on our time frame, it’s all based on yours.  Again, you make all the choices and wouldn’t it be great if we could turn around back the way our health was, not so bad, that our insurance today you pay a price that just keeps rising; and you have to go through so many hoops to see the type of doctor you want when onetime it was just a breeze.  Join me, and go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and take just a peek in what we offer;)  Hope to hear from anyone who would like a doctor (Dr. Anderson) and free coach (myself) for guidance in making America a healthier country.

“Irritation of the sciatic nerve is caused by nerve root entrapment (also known as nerve compression, pinched nerve or entrapment neuropathy). This particular form of entrapment is called lumbar radiculopathy, since the damaged nerves roots are located in the lumbar (lower back) portion of the spine. The nerve compression itself may be caused by: 1-A herniated disc – also known as a ruptured or slipped disc. 2-Spinal stenosis-a narrowing of the canal that houses the spinal nerves. 3-Inflammation of nearby anatomical structures caused by: bone or muscle injuries, diseases such as tumors/infections, & even pregnancy.”.

Hospital of Special Surgery (NYC)

Sciatica is pain, tingling, or numbness produced by an irritation of the nerve roots that lead to the sciatica nerve. The sciatic nerve is formed by the nerve roots coming out of the spinal cord into the lower back. It goes down through the buttock, then its branches extend down the back of the leg to the ankle and foot. When something presses on the sciatica nerve, like a herniated disc, it presses on that nerve which causes the pain from the buttock that can radiate all the way down to the foot. The intensity of the pressure on the nerve and where its pressed decides if it goes to the foot or less. Other causes of sciatica nerve damage:

The most common cause -a bulging or ruptured disc in the spine pressing against the nerve roots that lead to the sciatic nerve.

-Sciatica Nerve Damage can be a symptom of other conditions that affect

*Narrowing of the spinal canal due to spinal stenosis. This spinal canal narrowing pinches on the sciatica nerve.

*Bone spurs-they are growths that are small forming along joints caused by arthritis.

*Simply injury (like a car accident or fall) causing nerve root compression=again the same result-pinching the sciatica nerve.

*Pregnancy-not as common as a cause as the others listed.

*Rarely but also tumors could cause the problem also.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of sciatica include pain that begins in your back or buttock and moves down your leg and may move into your foot.

*Weakness, tingling, or numbness in the leg may also occur.

*At times a inconsistent stabbing feeling or pricking feeling in the ankle or foot

*Sitting, standing for a long time, and movements that cause the spine to flex (such asexercises using the knee to chest) which may make symptoms worse.

*Walking, lying down, and movements that extend the spine (such as press-ups) may relieve symptoms.

Through the HSS (Hospital of Special Surgery) in NYC, one of the finest hospitals in NY and out of NY states treatment is the following:

Conservative nonsurgical treatment

If you suspect you have sciatica, tell your doctor about the specific duration and character of your symptoms. The doctor will perform a history and physical examination. After appropriate conservative care, X-rays and MRI scans can confirm whether there is a lumbar nerve root compression.

Conservative treatment is aimed at pain reduction and include:

• Applied cold packs or heat
• NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications) or other pain medications
• Muscle relaxants
• Alternative therapies such as acupuncture
• Physical therapy

Your doctor or physical therapist may give you instruction about proper bending and lifting to avoid aggravating your condition. In some cases, epidural steroid injections may also help you return to full activity. Most people with sciatica get relief from their symptoms within several months.

Surgical treatment

For those patients who do not respond conservative care and experience persistent, disabling sciatica, surgery may be warranted. Your doctor will determine whether you are a candidate for surgery based on the duration and severity of symptoms. If your condition is causing cauda equina syndrome (which includes symptoms such as bladder dysfunction, incontinence or severe numbness in the buttocks) may be an indication that you should have immediate surgery.

The surgical treatment for sciatica is spinal decompression surgery. The goal is to remove any disc herniation or stenosis (narrowing of canal) that is pressing on the affected lumbar nerve to ease the leg pain and associated symptoms of numbness and weakness. There are several different decompression surgeries, dependent on which nerve roots are affected. They include:

• Laminectomy
• Laminoplasty
• Laminotomy
• Microdiscectomy

In general, more than 90% of sciatica surgery patients have successful outcomes.

“These are most common problems with summer health problems:  Insects, Arachnid Bites and Stings (Tics are the biggest threat in summer).  2-Heat Exhaustion 3- Food Poisioning 4-Sunburn.”

Physicians Urgent Care (physiciansurgentcare.com)

1. BOATING ACCIDENTS

People’s biggest mistake by far is drinking and boating. People get out there and drink alcohol all day in the sun, and you end up with the same accidents you have with driving — with the added risks of falling out of boats, getting hit by propellers, and drowning.

It’s also easy to get lax about life jackets. Kids need to have them on all the time. Even if having them under the seat fulfills the law, in an accident, chances are anyone who doesn’t know how to swim won’t be able to get to them in time. When you are going to be out on a boat or at the beach with a child, you take on the responsibility to maintain the safety of that child and basic lifesaving skills are a must, not a luxury; especially for parents.   The courses are easy, usually just one day or half a day and you may save your child’s LIFE or the child you take the responsibility in caring for. There’s no mouth-to-mouth [resuscitation] anymore if you are not trained — just chest compressions but if you get BCLS certified (basic care in life support) your CPR certified.

You can find first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and other emergency lifesaving courses near you with the American Heart Association’s ECC (Emergency Cardiovascular Care) Class Connector tool online at americanheart.org. or near you where you live.

2. Mower Injuries

We know almost every homeowner loves the sight of a pristine, neatly mowed yard. But in their haste to get that lawn in shape, some people forget to take precautions. “In the warmer months we see lots of mower injuries to toes, hands, and fingers getting caught in blades, and things like rocks and sticks getting flung out of them. People will start tinkering with the mower and reach under it to unclog it, and forget there’s a spinning blade there or take the key out when going under to see what clogged the blade from working. Those can be preventative moves and result in hideous injuries for some permanent and with others temporary.

They’re also hard to repair, because not only can whirling blades cause complex lacerations and fractures, but they can bury contaminants like grass and dirt in the wound putting the wound at risk for infection. To be safe:

Wear closed-toed shoes — preferably with a steel toe — when you mow, along with goggles or sunglasses, gloves, and long pants that will protect you from flying debris.

Keep kids away from the push mower and off the riding mower. Riding mowers are not just another ride-on toy.

Get a professional to service your mower or learn how to do it properly. Important: Disconnect the spark plug to prevent it from accidentally starting. Turning a push mower’s blade manually can ignite the engine.

3. Dehydration Disasters

You’ve romped outdoors with the kids all day, and your water bottle ran dry long ago. Suddenly you feel dizzy and lightheaded, and your mouth tastes like cotton. You’re dehydrated — meaning you haven’t taken in enough fluids to replace those you’ve been sweating out.

People can get dehydrated any time of year, but it’s much more common in the summer months, when they are active outdoors in the warm sun. Heatstroke is the most severe form of dehydration. That’s when your internal temperature rises to dangerously high levels. Your skin gets hot, but you stop sweating. Someone with heatstroke may pass out, have hallucinations, or suffer seizures.

Preventing dehydration and heatstroke is so easy: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water, take regular breaks in the shade, and try to schedule your most vigorous outdoor activities for times when the heat isn’t so strong, such as early morning or late afternoon.

For persons suffering more serious dehydration or heatstroke, get them indoors, have them lie down, and cool them off with ice packs and cool cloths. Someone who is seriously affected by the heat may need intravenous fluids in the ER.

4. Sunburn

With all the skin cancer warnings, you’d think Americans would be getting fewer sunburns, not more. But you’d be wrong. The percentage of adults nationwide who got at least one sunburn during the preceding year rose from 31.8% in 1999 to 33.7% in 2004, according to the CDC.

Your risk for melanoma doubles if you’ve had just five sunburns in your life. A sunburn is a first-degree burn, right up there with thermal burns. Also, we even see some second-degree thermal burns, often when people are out drinking or falling asleep in the sun and don’t realize how long they’ve been out there.

In addition to practicing “safe sun” — wearing sunscreen that protects against both UVB and UVA rays, long-sleeved shirts, and wide-brimmed hats, and staying out of blistering midday rays — there are things you can do to treat a severe sunburn, Stanton says:

-Drink water or juice to replace fluids you lost while sweating in the hot sun.

-Soak the burn in cool water for a few minutes or put a cool, wet cloth on it.

-Take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as acetaminophen.

-Treatitching with an OTC antihistamine cream or a spray like diphenhydramine (such as Benadryl), which helps block the inflammatory reaction.

-Apply an antibiotic ointment or an aloe cream with emollients that soften and soothe the skin directly to the burned area.

-You’re going to have a pretty miserable 12 to 24 hours with the initial symptoms no matter what you do.

5. Picnic Poisoning

Food poisoning puts about 300,000 people in the hospital every year, hitting its peak in the summer months. You don’t want diarrhea to be the souvenir of your family’s annual summer picnic.

Anything that has mayonnaise, dairy, or eggs in it and any meat products can develop some pretty nasty bacteria after only a couple of hours unrefrigerated. Every summer we’ll have five or six people coming in from the same reunion or family picnic with food poisoning symptoms.

To prevent food poisoning, follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s advice to:

• Clean — Wash your hands as well as the surfaces where you’ll be preparing foods.
• Separate — Wrap raw meat securely and keep it stored away from other food items.
• Cook — Bring along a meat thermometer. Grilling meat browns it very fast on the outside, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe on the inside. Steaks should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees, ground beef and pork to 160 degrees, and poultry to 165 degrees.
• Chill — Keep everything refrigerated as long as possible. Store perishable picnic items in an insulated cooler packed with ice, and follow the “last in, first out” rule — whatever you’re going to eat first should go at the top of the cooler.

Mild cases of food poisoning can be cared for at home, Stanton says. Avoid solid foods, and stick with small, frequent drinks of clear liquid to stay hydrated. Once the nausea and vomiting have eased, you can try bringing food back into your diet — slowly and in small, bland portions (Grandma knew what she was talking about when she recommended tea and toast to settle an upset stomach). If symptoms persist for more than a couple days (or more than 24 hours in small kids), see a doctor.

6.  Fireworks

Independence Day arrives. Many people love fireworks, but fireworks don’t necessarily love them back. Nearly 9,000 individuals were injured by fireworks in 2009, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, and two were killed. We see pretty significant hand and eye injuries from fireworks every summer. The safest way to watch fireworks is at a professionally sponsored display. At least six states ban all consumer fireworks, and several more allow them only with limitations. But if you can buy fireworks legally and want to set off a few at home, take these precautions:

• Keep a hose or fire extinguisher handy to put out small fires.
• Keep children away from fireworks.      
• Everybody loves to give sparklers to kids, but they burn very hot and can cause significant eye injuries. In fact, a sparkler can burn as hot as 2,000 degrees — hot enough to melt some types of metals.       They can go off quickly and cause burns or just explode in your hand.

To care for a fireworks burn, wrap it in a clean towel or T-shirt saturated with cool water and get to an emergency room to have the injury checked out.

“Since 80% of people with Zika don’t have symptoms, many people don’t know when they were infected and would not be eligible for this test.

Another test looks for proteins called antibodies made by the immune system to fight the virus. It can find antibodies in the blood up to 3 months after a person is infected.”

Web M.D.