Unfortunately, this scenario is based on the lesser of the threats currently facing healthcare. History over the last three centuries has taught us that novel avian pandemic flu occurs every 91 years (plus or minus 3.5 years for antigenic drift). Given that the last major pandemic was the 1917/1918 Spanish flu this means that we can expect a pandemic flu outbreak between 2006 and 2013.

It is a mathematical certainty.

Dr. Richard Garden and others have begun to discuss the impact on the healthcare workforce in accurate terms. These pundits are absolutely correct that up to 50 percent of the workforce may not report to duty. The reasons are well demonstrated in the history of pandemics.

The true impact of this disease lies in the numbers. In 1918 100 percent of the entire world was exposed to what would later be called the Spanish Flu. This new strain of avian flu had never been encountered before by a human population, and as a result, there was no immunity to this particular strain. Of that world population, one third would ultimately fall ill, in fact, 50 to 80 percent of the youngest, healthiest, and strongest would fall ill when future generations would divide out the victims.

When these ominous numbers were scrutinized further, a far more dire picture evolved. Research into the 1918 pandemic, as well as pandemics before and since 1918, have shown that the majority of illness and death occurred not in the very old or the very young, not in the sick and infirm, but in those who are in the “prime of life”; those age 18 to 40.

But there is a bigger problem.

Because of the way that novel avian viruses (pandemics) attack the lungs and cause “immune system storms”, the ultimate irony of a pandemic is that the younger and stronger you are the more likely you are to die. In 1918 fully two-thirds of all those who became ill were in the age range of 18 to 40. More distressing is the fact that 98 percent of all of those who died were age 18 to 40 years. In fact, those over age 55 had no greater rate of illness or death during the pandemic of 1918 than they did in any other flu season in the years immediately before or after that great pandemic. Similarly, those less than 18 years of age suffered no increase in death rate.

The implications for America’s hospitals and healthcare institutions are inescapable. Fully two-thirds of the active workforce will fall ill during the 16 to 18 months of the disease throughout the pandemic. Twenty-five percent of the young workforce (the 18 to 40 years) will die in that 18 months. Who will replace them?

Dr. Garden is also correct that correctional institutions as well as the disabled and children have not been considered in local, regional or state pandemic planning. In fact they are barely mentioned even in federal planning. In June of 2006 the Institute of Medicine published reports on the state of preparedness but pointed out that even emergency services had been left out of much planning.

It is imperative that healthcare professionals of all stripes become expert not only in pandemic planning but in the “All Hazards” approach to disaster and catastrophic event planning. Whether it is a pandemic, a hurricane, an earthquake, a forest fire, or a terrorist event that threatens the community, bitter experience has taught us that concentrations of individuals living in institutional settings whether in prisons, military barracks or university dormitories become the “cave canaries” of society.

In 1918 Spanish flu outbreaks, which actually began in Kansas, were first seen in epidemic form in U.S. military barracks. The outbreaks of measles in the 1980s were first seen in university dormitories across the United States. And the largest concentrations of the recurrence of tuberculosis, as we all know, is seen in correctional institutions.

The 2003 SARS outbreak also provided us a small scale example of the effects for a pandemic on healthcare. Following the outbreak of SARS in Canada, healthcare workers in 4 Toronto area hospitals began to fall ill. Soon nurses and doctors were looking through protective equipment at colleagues and friends. The disease had changed the normal “us and them” relationship to “us and me.” These professionals watched their friends die. The result of SARS on the healthcare professionals who worked in these 4 Toronto hospitals was that 50% left healthcare entirely.

What does all this mean for the healthcare industry?

* During the outbreak, up to 50% healthcare workforce absenteeism

* During the outbreak, up to 25% healthcare professionals death rate

* Following the outbreak, 75% of healthcare professionals still alive

* Following the outbreak, 50% of remaining healthcare workforce quits

The final outcome for healthcare:

* 25% will die

* 37.5% will resign

* 37.5% will remain

Lest healthcare embrace the lessons for preparedness this is the fate of us all.

Dr. Maurice A. Ramirez is co-founder of Disaster Life Support of North America, Inc., a national provider of Disaster Preparation, Planning, Response and Recovery education. Through his consulting firm High Alert, LLC., he serves on expert panels for pandemic preparedness and healthcare surge planning with Congressional and Cabinet Members. Board certified in multiple medical specialties, Dr. Ramirez is Founding Chairperson of the American Board of Disaster Medicine and a Senior Physician-Federal Medical Officer for the Department of Homeland Security. Cited in 24 textbooks with numerous published articles, he is co-creator of C5RITICAL and author of Mastery Against Adversity. Dr. Ramirez invites comments at: disaster-blog.com disaster-blog.com

One of the most recognizable features on the Precor elliptical machines is the cross ramp. This is their own innovation and they also hold the patent on the design. It is a way of adjusting the ramp to give the person that is using the machine the chance to work on different muscles. This is achieved by moving the front rollers so that they have a different angle and apply the traction to a different part of the leg. Even though it is only the track that moves and there is no equivalent movement on the handles it still adds a real benefit to your workout. This allows the opportunity for a much more varied workout, but it also increases the cost of the machine, however, if you can afford it, it’s well worth it.

They also offer some different models that have movable grips that give the arms and body a really good workout at the same time as the legs and this can save you a great deal of time in your workouts. Some cheaper models of elliptical machines and cross trainers can suffer from wear on the crank of the pedals, but the components on the Precor elliptical machines are all built with good quality in mind. This makes them more rugged and durable so that they are better suited for intense workouts. They are also maintenance free so there is no need to worry about following the maintenance schedules that you get with some of the cheaper machines.

Because they are exceptionally well built and will generally give you years of good work and as such are good value for your money they do cost more to buy in the first place. But if you can afford to purchase one you can feel confident that they are a very good machine to buy and workout out with.
Because of their quality Precor elliptical machines offer much longer guarantees than most of the other manufacturers.

So if you are going to spend a good amount of money on an elliptical machine then they could be a very good buy for you. Remember, there are many cheaper machines around that are good but not of as high a quality as a Precor elliptical trainer.

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Elliptical-Trainer-Solutions.com. He provides more elliptical trainer ratings, recommendations and information on elliptical-trainer-solutions.com Precor elliptical trainers that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

There are a number of types of surgery to stop snoring and the right one will depend on your body and the underlying reason for your snoring.

The type of surgeon you would consult to find out what your best option is would be a otolaryngologist. They specialize in the ears, nose and throat. Unfortunately, many insurance companies consider snoring surgery a cosmetic procedure and don’t cover the costs.

LAUP

One of the most common types of surgery for snoring is uvulopalatoplasty, otherwise known as LAUP. In an LAUP procedure, a laser is used to cut away the uvula (the dangling tissue at the back of your mouth) to reduce its contact with the throat.

If your snoring is caused by the uvula partially blocking your airway, this surgery will often help.

Somnoplasty

Another type of surgery commonly used to help with snoring problems is radio frequency tissue ablation, or RFTA. This is done under the trade name “Somnoplasty” and was only recently approved by the FDA.

RFTA is another way of reducing the size of the uvula, minimizing its contact with the throat. With RFTA, multiple sessions may be necessary before you see results. Because it is so new, there is not a lot of data published on it yet.

Another recent procedure is known as Coblation-Channeling. This methods uses radio frequencies to reduce the size of tissue in the airway, which may be obstructing your breathing. This is even newer that RFTA, however, so there is not much data published on it yet either.

Repose

Yet another recent procedure is called tongue suspension, going under the trade name Repose. This type of surgery keeps your tongue from falling back and blocking the airway during sleep.

A small screw is inserted into the lower jaw bone and stitches are placed below the tongue. This helps to keep the tongue in place at night.

The last procedure we’ll look at is nasal deviation surgery. Blockages in the nose or a deviated septum can cause restricted breathing and lead to snoring. This surgery helps to remove those blockages.

An interesting side effect of this surgery is that it also helps to improve your breathing during the day. For that reason, it is often covered by medical insurance policies.

As with any serious procedure, you need to get professional advice before considering anything. Talk to a health care professional about your snoring to get an informed opinion of the best choice of treatment for you.

John Lenaghan writes about snoringsolutions.org/snoring-surgery.php snoring surgery and other snoring related topics on the Snoring Solutions website. For more information visit snoringsolutions.org snoringsolutions.org.

Colon cleansing isn’t for everyone, and if you’re new to the concept it may seem a bit gross and strange. In general though, there are two common ways to do a colon cleanse: The first is to use enemas to flush toxins and waste out of your colon; and the second is to use herbs, recipes and remedies which cause your body to flush itself out naturally via standard elimination methods.

The best form of colon cleansing is a personal choice, but the fastest results often come from using enemas because they can clean your entire system out with just one or two applications.

Using herbal laxatives, teas, and supplements to cleanse your colon takes a bit longer to do, but tends to be much less messy and embarassing. There are however, herbs and teas which can have similar effects as enemas, so things can still happen quickly using these methods.

The colon is the human body’s waste disposal system. The waste that it moves out of your body contains harmful toxins, disease causing bacteria, and sometimes even parasites.

Human waste does not always move very quickly through the body though. In fact, due to today’s eating and activity lifestyle choices, most waste takes quite a long time to move fully through and out of your body. And the longer it takes to move through, the more time it has to “leak” those toxins and bacteria into your system.

By cleansing your colon, you’re helping your body to get rid of that waste and all the health hazards it contains more quickly. Thus there’s not enough time for it to start causing general health problems with the rest of your body.

Now there are some very simple formulas, recipes and products which can help you with colon cleansing. Home made lemonade is one of them. In fact, there’s even a lemonade diet which works quite well at both colon cleansing and causing quick, sometimes drastic, weight loss.

The lemon diet is more of a juice fast than anything though, and many people aren’t able to go without food for major lengths of time. You don’t have to use the lemonade diet to cleanse your colon though, you can do that simply by drinking 6-8 glasses of real lemonade each day. This helps your body eliminate more waste when you use the bathroom, and that of course is the goal of colon cleansing.

Epson salt is another natural option to use for cleaning your colon, and the recipe is quite simple. Mix a tablespoon of Epson salt with a quart of warm water, and drink it all at once. Stay close to the bathroom for about two hours though, because you will need it desparately.

Another easy colon cleanse option is to simply buy herbs and supplements. One specific herb that works quite well by is chlorophyll. Depending on how strong of a dose you take, the colon cleanse can happen just as quickly and dramatically as it does when using epson salt.

A less dramatic yet all natural way to cleanse your colon is to simply get more fiber in your diet. You can do this by eating more roughage such as salads and green leafy vegetables, or you can take a fiber supplement as well.

There is much more than can be written about the benefits of cleansing your colon, and all natural ways to go about doing it yourself from the privacy of your home. The above tips and information should be plenty to help you get you started though, and on your way to a much healthier, happier you.

If you’d like to simply give your colon a great cleanse a few times each year, one easy way to do this is to use a 1healthybody.com/almighty-cleanse-capsules.htm seasonal colon cleansing system. For more information on getting an excellent, all natural seasonal colon cleaning system which works in just 7 days, please visit 1healthybody.com/almighty-cleanse-capsules.htm Almighty Cleanse now!

The diagnosis process would be very difficult for two facts, the first fact is the very long time of tumors to appear, the tumors take from 25 to 50 years to appear and be recognized. After diagnosis has been achieved, doctor can begin the treatment plan instantly. The second fact is the high similarities between the symptoms of mesothelioma and other diseases.

The treatment plan of mesothelioma cancer can be divided to three options, the first and the most effective option is the surgery in which doctors will remove the tumors from the affected area. With pleural mesothelioma “lung membrane cancer”, doctors may remove one of the two lung as a result from the high prevalence of tumors.

The chemotherapy treatment can be a very effective option, it can be a very strong treatment after the surgery to finish all remain cancer cells. So, doctors will use this option in a combination with the surgery to make a good treatment plan.

The radiation therapy is also can destroy the cancer cells, it can also be a secondary treatment after the surgery. Doctors can use the available options to make a good mix and help the patient get an effective treatment for his/her meothelioma case.

Learn how to treat mesothelioma: [http://environmentalproblems.us/2009/01/mesothelioma-treatment-options]

Asbestos Exposure Topics: [http://environmentalproblems.us/topic/asbestos-exposure]

Asbestos is a natural mineral that is mined from the rocks in many countries. People who worked in mines were often exposed as well as people who worked in construction because asbestos was used in insulation for homes and buildings. Asbestos fibers are very tiny but strong as steel and can be woven similar to cotton and are resistant to chemicals and to heat.

Prior to around the 1980s, asbestos was commonly used in homes for many different uses. It was also used in construction and ship building. Then it was discovered that when the asbestos is damaged, it releases these tiny fibers that get into the lungs and make it difficult to breathe. These fibers build up in the lungs and cause inflammation and fibrosis. In some cases, this can also lead to cancer in the lungs.

It was in the 1960s that we first began to make the links between asbestos and mesothelioma. In addition to causing lung problems and possible cancer, the fibers from asbestos can be swallowed and this causes problems in the digestive system as well.

Some people and professions that may have been exposed to asbestos. Examples of professions include construction workers, boilermakers, electricians, plumbers, demolition workers, shipbuilders and people who lives or worked with people in these profession or people who lived and worked in places where asbestos was made. People who lived or worked in buildings that had asbestos in them are also at risk. If any of these conditions match you and you were diagnosed with mesothelioma, it was probably caused by this asbestos.

Family members of people who were exposed to asbestos are sometimes affected if the person came home with asbestos on their clothing and bodies. There are rare cases where people have developed this type of cancer and have not been exposed to asbestos. The exact cause of this is unknown but it has been linked to some cases of radiation exposure.

This cancer can appear from 10-60 years after your first exposure to asbestos and this is what made it so long to discover what was causing most cases. There are still people who were exposed years ago that may have yet to have been diagnosed with cancer but it doesn’t mean they don’t have it or won’t get it in the future. Mesothelioma takes time to develop and the more your exposure to asbestos, likely the more severe your symptoms may be.

Mesothelioma is not contagious and it is not spread through coughing, eating or drinking after another person or in any other common way. If someone you know has this type of cancer, you can’t catch it from them. There is also no research to show that smoking cigarettes increases your risk of developing mesothelioma. However, if you have already been diagnosed with it, you will likely be advised to stop smoking as it can make your condition worse.

Regardless of what causes your disease, the diagnosis and treatment processes will likely all be the same. However, it is good for many people to try to determine the cause of how they obtained their mesothelioma and in some cases, you may even be able to start a lawsuit against the place that you were exposed in if the exposure occurred after the public had been made aware of the danger. You will need a mesothelioma lawyer to help you with this and you will need to be able to prove your what caused your cancer.

The Mesothelioma Bible provides valuable information about mesothelioma causes [http://www.mesotheliomabible.com] and other health topics. Please visit The Mesothelioma Bible at [http://www.mesotheliomabible.com]