| Most drugs don't bug the bugs
The flu bug has left most of us alone so far this winter, although stomach viruses have kept spider webs from forming on the drugstore shelves. Even colds and other respiratory bugs have been relatively rare. It's still early, though. .
Be ready for the air up there while flying
ALTHOUGH flying can be a quick way to get to far-off destinations, many people become uncomfortable and complain of side effects from flying. Much of these problems are related to the artificial environment within a modern jet plane. At a cruising altitude of more than 30,000 feet, the outside air pressure and temperature are too low to sustain life. Therefore, airplanes have a ventilation system in which the atmosphere and oxygen content within the cabin are set at a level equal to the conditions at 7,500 feet. This is substantially lower than the oxygen level at sea level, and the reduced oxygen can make it difficult to concentrate for someone used to living at sea level. In addition, the fresh air taken into the plane at high altitudes is extremely dry, with less humidity than in the desert.
What
According to the British medical journal The Lancet, heartburn is pretty common. In fact, 25 percent of Americans report experiencing heartburn at least once a month, 12 percent at least once per week and 5 percent daily. So what is heartburn? And what about gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)? Here's a guide to provide a bit more understanding of that burning sensation in your chest. Why is it called heartburn? "Heartburn is often sensed as a burning feeling behind the middle of the lower to middle of the chest, giving the sense that it may be coming from the heart," says Dr. Philip Jaffe, an associate professor of medicine at Yale University School of Medicine. What is happening, biologically speaking? According to Dr.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY KILLERS
(York Region) - Patty Booth was preparing for work one morning last summer when her left arm dropped to her side, the loss of feeling leaving it as floppy as a doll's arm. Quickly, her left leg gave out and she fell to the floor. She pulled herself on to her bed, feeling dizzy and tired. When she started slurring her speech, she began thinking she might be having a stroke. "But I still couldn't believe it was happening to me," the Newmarket resident said. Her daughter eventually called her husband, who called 911. She was taken to Southlake Regional Health Centre, then to York Central Hospital, where she was treated for stroke. Today, after an operation to repair a hole in her heart, Ms Booth, 46, has made a full recovery. Several neurologists have told her no one, even qualified experts, could tell she had a stroke.
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