"It is almost completely reversed. Nearly 90% of our fatalities are occurring in people under 65," CDC respiratory disease chief Anne Schuchat, MD, said at a news conference. "This illustrates this H1N1 virus is disproportionally affecting the young."
H1N1 swine flu has turned flu death statistics upside down, the CDC today confirmed.In a normal flu season, 90% of deaths are in elderly people. Since September, 90% of deaths have been in people under age 65 -- with almost a quarter of the deaths in young people under age 25.
As might be expected from the death toll, most people hospitalized with severe H1N1 swine flu are young. Surveillance data from 27 states show that more than half of swine flu hospitalizations -- 53% -- are in people under age 25. Only 7% of people hospitalized with swine flu are elderly.
While the majority of severe H1N1 swine flu cases are in people with conditions that put them at risk of flu complications, not all these conditions are severe. Well-treated asthma, for example, is common. And pregnancy isn't an illnesses at all. Yet the risk is there.
The flu.gov web site has a flu vaccine finder that links to each state. Most states have detailed information that show which providers near you will be offering the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.
The first vaccines are going to health care workers and people at risk of flu complications. So far, about 13 million doses have been available to states, more than half in the form of flu shots. States have placed orders for about 11 million of those doses; those orders are being filled quickly.
Spread nationwide, that means not everyone who should get the vaccine will be able to get it this week, or even next week. Availability is increasing, but it's unlikely that the vaccine will reach everyone who wants it before the end of November.
"In 1957, the pandemic hit early around September/October, like what we're seeing here. They had another big wave after the first of the year," Schuchat said. "And I think we have an opportunity right now to try to limit the disease and to protect as many people as we can with the vaccine as it becomes available."
Meanwhile, Schuchat said, the CDC is not planning to stop its H1N1 swine flu effort when all 250 million doses of the vaccine have been delivered.
Swine H1N1 flu Deadly to young people
on Friday, October 23, 2009Recharging of Sex Life ?
on Thursday, October 1, 2009
If the spark has fizzled from your marriage or long-term relationship, you may be tempted to try the racy suggestions often found in women’s magazines: buying sex toys, dressing up in costumes, or role-playing. But while those ideas can be right for some couples, they may not be right for you.
“For many couples, instead of it being empowering, it winds up being intimidating. “The theme of sexual desire is that you want to get out and play. You don’t want to be intimidated.”
So how can you turn up the heat after many years together if leather thongs and vibrators just aren’t for you? The secret, McCarthy says, is to first identify your and your partner’s sexual style. “Each style will have very different strategies to keep sex alive,” he explains.
Sex: What Is Intimacy?
Physical intimacy can be tough to attain because a major blockade is the narrow definition that some people assign to it. It’s important to remember that intimacy isn’t just physical — it also involves sharing the reactions, emotions, and thoughts stemming from sex. You can’t rush it.
Sex: What's Your Style?
Everyone couple has a different sexual style. It is important to know what you and your partner's sex style is in order to reignite the spark and turn up the heat in the bedroom. Four common sex styles include:
Complementary
Conflict-minimizing
Emotionally expressive
Soul mates, best friends
Complementary Couples: A Team Approach to Sex
Most couples will fall into this category, McCarthy says, which is characterized by a feeling of being a sexual “team,” with each partner having the freedom to either initiate or refuse sex. “They embrace this idea of feeling connected and safe with each other during sex,” McCarthy says.
The pitfall that many complementary couples run into is becoming complacent with their sexual routine, so shaking things up every few months can be beneficial. “It can be something tame, like a different pleasuring lotion,” McCarthy says. “Or it can be something more major, like taking a weekend away without the kids. It can be being sexual in a different room.” Even just a small change can have major intimate payoffs, he adds.
Conflict-Minimizing Relationships: Switch It Up
This type of couple follows traditional gender roles, with the man usually initiating sex and the woman initiating affection. But many women in conflict-minimizing sexual relationships feel as if their intimacy needs are being ignored, while men may find it more difficult to sexually stimulate themselves as they age.
The solution for these couples, McCarthy says, is to switch things up. The man can arrange a cuddling session during which sex isn’t allowed, and at another time, the woman can initiate sex or other erotic acts. “That’s the way she says, ‘I’m not just about intimacy, I have a sexual voice too,’” McCarthy says. “That spices things up.”
Emotionally Expressive Sex
Couples who fall into this sexual style may resemble something out of an adult movie, McCarthy says. Their emotions run high and they like to take sexual risks and be playful in bed. For these couples, role enactment arousal — the use of external influences like sexy clothes and pornographic movies — may be the right way to add a little sexual pizzazz. If you’re unsure about what kind of outside stimulation you’d like to try, visit a sex shop for some ideas, or try online stores like www.xandria.com, which ships all of its items in discreet, unmarked packages.
Soul Mates, Best Friends
As the term implies, these couples feel a strong emotional bond with each other and often feel like one person. But problems can arise when one or both partners put off their sexual desires for fear of pressuring or offending the other.
“They so emphasize mutuality that everybody’s got to be in the exact mood to do it,” McCarthy says. Soul mate couples may also form such a strong friendship that they stop seeing each other as sexual beings.
To make a soul mate relationship feel sexy again, McCarthy suggests that the partners arrange “sexually selfish scenarios” in which one partner is receiving more pleasure than the other. Oral sex sessions can fit this bill, but so can an intense foreplay session in which one partner does most of the work, while the other one relaxes and focuses on the pleasurable sensations. Many times, these one-way sessions will excite the “receiving” partner so much that it leads to a mutually satisfying romp in the sack, McCarthy says.
Sex: Outside the Bedroom
All couples, regardless of their sexual style, can also recharge their relationships by being intimate in nonsexual contexts as well, McCarthy says. Many long-term couples go wrong when they fail to spend one-on-one time with each other. “This is especially true for people who have kids,” McCarthy says. “They get more into the routine of being parents and don’t set aside quality couple time.”
Couples can start the reconnection process by carving out some time away from the responsibilities of work, kids, and other personal obligations, McCarthy says. Whether it’s a weeklong vacation in Hawaii or just a day together outside of the house, focusing on each other can be a great romance recharger. “You just need to do something that says ‘We value the husband and wife bond as a valuable part of this family,” McCarthy says.
refer from http://www.everydayhealth.com
Generics- better alternatives for the prescription drugs
on Monday, September 28, 2009Generic drugs is the term given to the drugs that are manufactured by referring some other drugs and are sold under the other trade name. Sometimes even the drugs that are exported from the other countries are called as generic drugs because in that country already the drug of local company with same active ingredient is present. Generics are those drugs that are manufactured using the same active ingredient like branded drugs and show the same effect like the branded drugs. Even the dosage of the generic drugs is same like the branded drug. Basically generic drugs are those that are sold with the generic name i.e. chemical name of the drug.
Generics are the better alternatives for the prescription drugs. Generics are those drugs that are manufactured using the same formulation of the branded drugs whose patent is expired. Generic drugs have a very old history and they came into the market in the early 19th century, but due to the ban put on them by the govt. they were not able to reach the large number of customers. The branded drug manufacturers were the main reason why the generics were banned. The generics were the exact replica of the branded drugs but nobody was ready to believe in the quality of the generic drugs because of the myths spread by the branded drug manufacturer that generics are of inferior quality. The truth was different and it was that, generic drugs were fine in quality with absolute manufacturing standards.
The main advantage of the generics is that they are available in the market at very lower cost than the branded drugs. The reason behind the low costing of generic drugs is that they are manufactured in the developing countries. The currency value of the developing countries is very less in comparison to dollars and pounds, so these drugs are available at very low costs to the consumers of Europe and United States. Another reason why generic drugs are cheap is that the manufacturer doesn’t have to spend any money on research and clinical trials of the drug as they are already done by the branded drugs manufacturer. Generic drugs also get the benefit of the marketing and promotion done by the branded drugs manufacturer, so the money is saved here also. As a result the benefit goes to the customer and the generic drugs are available in the market at very low costs.
Generic drug also has to undergo the tests put forth by the Food and Drug Administration to get the approval for selling in the US market. Generics are verified by the FDA by comparing the drugs effectiveness, dosage, administration, and side effects with these qualities of the branded drugs. If the generic drug is found to be inferior in any of the qualities than the branded drug then it is disqualified and not allowed to be sold in the market. Generic drugs suppose if passes all these tests then the officials from the FDA visits the manufacturing unit of the drug. If the manufacturing standards are perfect as per the FDA norms and conditions then the drug is allowed to be sold in the market.
Generic drugs are preferred by the customers because they show the same effect like the branded drugs and that also at the low costs. Generics drugs are also favored by the govt. because it requires the govt. to invest less in the pharmacy sector as these drugs come from the countries other than US. Insurance companies also are promoting the generic drugs usage as they are able to save a lot of money. Generics drugs are absolutely safe and thus are today becoming more popular than the branded drugs. Thus, I would rather suggest everybody to go for the generic drugs if they want to save money. So, I call generics are the better alternative for prescription drugs.
