HealthOnTrack

Archive for March, 2011

Do you realise what we did in winter to our feet? The blisters, the cold and wet, the moisture as it built up between our toes, it all added-up to a general lack of foot care for most of the denizens of the Northern Hemispheres. This is an important consideration which many of us take for granted – only by the end of year is it evident as to what damage has occurred to our feet. If you follow our tips below, then perhaps your feet can become healthy and happy once more for the preceding summer months.  Read more... (375 words, 1 image, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)

In Malta, smoking is still a major issue and in public places, private institutions and wherever you are able to find a quiet spot, there is a chance that you will find a smoker hard at work, infecting their lungs. Creating a series of smoke free zones is in store for the coughing cigarette lovers of Malta. For a prominent hospital in Malta named the Mater Dei Hospital, they are finally making progress towards removing the plague of smoking from their premise permanently. This incredible scheme will be rolled out over a three year process, and the hospital has setup a committee which handed out questionnaires to the smokers to ascertain exactly what their views were on the new law.  Read more... (308 words, 1 image, estimated 1:14 mins reading time)

Experts and parents have been warning us for years that listening to loud noise can result in loss of hearing. While originally this warning was directed at factory workers, people who use music players are the new group to receive this warning. The warning is directed at young people in particular, who have a greater tendency to listen to their music in clubs, via personal players or online music players, at high volumes.

The current generation of young adults and teenagers are risking deafness when they reach middle age and in their years beyond this. Many people compare iPod accessories (earphones) to see which are the most comfortable to fit into the ear canal. Unfortunately they then blast their mp3 music players at high volumes, which is further intensified due to being in the ear canal. It can reach volumes of over 120 decibels, which is equivalent to the noise from a jet engine.  Read more... (344 words, 1 image, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)

There are plenty of occupations that require people to be on their feet all day, especially in the medical industry. Comfort and support are the primary factors for these people, but what about fitness? Shape up shoes were introduced to the world in recent years and were met with scepticism and intrigue. But now that people have been wearing them for a while we are left wondering do the shape up shoes work?  Read more... (358 words, 1 image, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)

For years now, scientists have warned us that an overexposure to antibiotics will cause superbugs to develop as our own immune systems become weakened by continuous vaccinations. Antibiotic resistance is a real threat and one which doctors from the NPS Medicinewise (a federally funded health education council) say has caused over three million prescriptions to be wasted on common viral infections. During the period of 2006 to 2008, antibiotic medicine sales dropped significantly but when swine flu came into play in 2009, this utterly idiotic disease caused sales to shoot up as billions of suckers the world over dropped hard-earned cash on wasteful vaccinations.  Read more... (313 words, 1 image, estimated 1:15 mins reading time)

The build-up of acidic water in abandoned mines is not uncommon; the mines often become flooded and the metal sulfides in the rock begin to oxidise; microscopic organisms called acidophiles thrive in the low pH conditions of acid water and contribute to this oxidation. Plumbing contractors will tell you that discharges of acid water can have a devastating effect on river ecosystems, destroying plant and animal life, and contaminating drinking water with trace amounts of toxic metals. It recently came to light that the city of Johannesburg, famed for its gold mines, is faced with the threat of rapidly rising acid mine water in abandoned mines, which could begin to leak out early next year, impacting both public health and environmental health in the City of Gold.  Read more... (349 words, 1 image, estimated 1:24 mins reading time)

The Health Protection Agency, originally established in 2003 by the NHS, is charged with the formidable responsibility of protecting the health of UK citizens. From the winter swine flu outbreak to flooding risks and health hazards caused by extreme weather conditions, it’s been a busy season for the Health Protection Agency – and it just took a turn for the decidedly strange. Estate agents Marylebone and Shropshire will doubtless have seen HPA officials in the neighbourhood recently, as the organisation investigates public health concerns that are truly stranger than fiction…  Read more... (348 words, 3 images, estimated 1:24 mins reading time)