HEALTH AND WELLNESS

                           Every day your body wages war against enemies that are silent and unseen but potentially deadly. Foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites, threaten your health. Most microbes do not cause disease. This article focuses on microorganisms and other infective agents that threaten your health. You are not likely to be aware of those battles because your immune system repels or destroys most of the invaders before the onset of symptoms. Sometimes, however, the harmful germs gain the upper hand. If so, you may need to bolster your defenses with medicine and other treatments. For thousands of years, people knew virtually nothing about the dangers of microscopic or other small harmful organisms. However, when 19 th -century scientists confirmed the link between germs and disease, we became better equipped to defend ourselves. Medical researchers have since eliminated or greatly reduced the threat of some infectious diseases, inc

                                       A sniffing test may help in the early diagnosis of diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. A failing sense of smell appears early in the progression of Parkinson’s disease and is among the most common symptoms. A practical method of testing the level of deterioration in a patient’s sense of smell has now been developed. While the more obvious Parkinson’s symptoms, such as tremors and muscular rigidity, appear at a later stage. Dysfunction in the sense of smell can be detected months or even years earlier, thanks to newly developed sniffing test. This opens the way for treatment that may delay the progression of this presently incurable disease.                                                                      

                                                [1] CHAGAS’ DISEASE SPREADING               CHAGAS’ disease comes from a parasitic transmitted through the feces of a blood sucking insect commonly called the kissing bug. The disease is endemic in rural areas from Mexico to Argentina. An estimated one and a half two million Mexicans are affected with parasite. However, Chagas’ disease is spreading to other part of the world. One way is through blood transfusions. Mexicans biologist Bert Kohlmann explains: we have already got reports from Australia, Europe, the United States of America and Canada of infections through blood transfusions. Migrants from the Americas who are usually healthy give blood and nobody in those other places even thinks about screening for chagas. The world health organization estimates that in the western hemisphere, 16 to 18 million people are infected with the disease and 100 million more are at risk. At present, there is no cure for the disease [chagas],

                                        A few drops of blood taken from a newborn can show whether the baby has a thyroid abnormality. If blood tests reveal a problem, physicians can take corrective measures. Lacking sufficient thyroid hormones, a child may become physically and mentally retarded, a condition called cretinism. Hence, babies are usually tested just days after birth.                                                     Thyroid impairment may be the result of a diet poor in iodine, physical or mental stress, genetic defects, infections, disease [usually autoimmune disease], or side effects of medications prescribed for various        illnesses. An enlarged thyroid, or goiter, may be an indication of disease. The enlargement may be diffuse or in the form of nodules. Although genetically benign goiters should always receive medical attention, for they might indicate a more serious condition, such as cancer.     Just as the accelerator controls the speed of a car