Healthy Nails

Your fingernails — composed of laminated layers of a protein called keratin — grow from the area at the base of the nail under your cuticle. Healthy fingernails are smooth, without pits or grooves. They're uniform in color and consistency and free of spots or discoloration.

Sometimes fingernails develop harmless vertical ridges that run from the cuticle to the tip of the nail. Vertical ridges tend to become more prominent with age. Fingernails can also develop white lines or spots due to injury, but these eventually grow out with the nail.

It’s time for medical attention if you notice changes in nail color, such as discoloration of the entire nail or a dark streak under the nail. Other possible concerns include thinning or thickening of the nails or pain or swelling.

Don’t use harsh nail care products. Limit your use of nail polish remover. When using nail polish remover, opt for an acetone-free formula.

Some research suggests that the nutritional supplement biotin might help strengthen weak or brittle fingernails. There is anecdotal evidence that prenatal vitamins are helpful in growing healthy hair and nails.

If you rely on manicures or pedicures for healthy looking nails, keep a few things in mind. Stick to salons that display a current state license, and work only with technicians also licensed by the state board. Don't have your cuticles removed — it can lead to nail infection. Also, make sure your nail technician properly sterilizes all tools used during your procedure to prevent the spread of infection.

You might also ask how the foot baths are cleaned. Ideally, a bleach solution is used between clients and the filters are cleaned regularly.

Tips from the American Academy of Dermatology.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas produced by burning gas, wood, propane, charcoal or other fuel. Improperly ventilated appliances and engines, particularly in a tightly sealed or enclosed space, may allow carbon monoxide to accumulate to dangerous levels.

Hemoglobin in the red blood cells carries oxygen to cells. Carbon monoxide is a very aggressive molecule: it knocks oxygen off hemoglobin and binds very tightly. As a result, less oxygen is transported to cells and they ‘suffocate.’

Depending on the degree and length of exposure, carbon monoxide poisoning can cause:

•   Permanent brain damage

•   Damage to your heart, possibly leading to life-threatening cardiac complications

•   Death

There are common conditions that can cause CO levels to rise quickly:

•   Appliance malfunction, i.e. the heat exchanger on your furnace cracks

•   Vent, flue, or chimney is blocked by debris or even snow

•   Fireplace, wood burning stove, charcoal grill or other source of burning material that is not properly vented

•   Vehicle is left running in an attached garage and carbon monoxide seeps into the house

•   Several appliances running at the same time and competing for limited fresh air can be a cause of carbon monoxide buildup. This condition can result in incomplete combustion and produce CO, even if all appliances are in good working condition

Leave the area immediately if you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning. Call 911 for help. Do a headcount but do NOT re-enter – emergency responders with respirators will assess and rescue others if needed. 

MEDLINE from the US National Library of Medicine. 

Update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

With a good carbon monoxide detector there will be plenty of time to evacuate. Install and save lives.

Pet Ownership

There are many benefits of pet ownership: companionship, comfort, and stress reduction. Dogs promote an active lifestyle in their owners and have been shown to detect oncoming seizures. Studies have shown that cat owners are lesser risk of stroke than any other pet owner. But for all of the benefits of pets, owners should be aware that pets carry germs that can make humans sick.

To protect your family from becoming sick it is important to wash hands with soap and water after contact with the animal, their stool and their food. Avoid bites and scratches. All animals should have regular veterinary care.

Good stewardship means picking up dog feces and keeping litter boxes clean. While puppies and kittens are very cute they are more likely to carry worm. Pets can appear to be fine but could be excreting disease-causing bacteria. Keep the animal and bedding clean.

Pets are a wonderful addition to a family but require as much care as any other member.

Here are some terrible disease carried by dogs and some nasties carried by cats. Birds, small mammals and reptiles may be the pet choice for some but they too can carry disease. 

Endocrine Disruptors

In recent years, some scientists have proposed that chemicals might inadvertently be disrupting the endocrine system of humans and wildlife. These chemicals are mostly man-made, found in many everyday products including plastic bottles, metal food cans, detergents, flame retardants, foods, food, toys, cosmetics and pesticides. Human exposure to these products occurs via ingestion of food, dust and water, via inhalation of gases and particles in the air, and through the skin.

Disruption of the endocrine system can occur in various ways. Some chemicals mimic a natural hormone, fooling the body into over-responding to the stimulus (e.g., a growth hormone that results in increased muscle mass), or responding at inappropriate times (e.g., producing insulin when it is not needed). Other endocrine disruptors block the effects of a hormone from certain receptors (e.g. growth hormones required for normal development). Still others directly stimulate or inhibit the endocrine system and cause overproduction or underproduction of hormones (e.g. an over or underactive thyroid). Certain drugs are used to intentionally cause some of these effects, such as birth control pills. In many situations involving environmental chemicals, however, an endocrine effect is not desirable.

Research shows that endocrine disruptors may pose the greatest risk during prenatal and early postnatal development when organ and neural systems are forming. Pregnant women and nursing mothers should be especially careful, as should both men and women thinking of having a baby.

More information from The Environmental Protection Agency, The World Health Organizations, and The National Institutes of Health.

Chocolate

Cooler weather ushers in chocolate season – no more unintended melting leading to sticky fingers and lopsided bonbon. M&M’s may have their fan but true chocolate lovers want better.

There is some evidence that chocolate may help heart health since the cocoa bean is rich in flavonoids, which protect plants from environmental toxins and help repair damage. Flavanols are the main type of flavonoid found in cocoa and chocolate. Research shows that flavanols have other potential influences on vascular health, such as lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow to the brain and heart, and making blood platelets less sticky and able to clot.

These plant chemicals aren’t only found in chocolate. In fact, a wide variety of foods and beverages are rich in flavonols. These include cranberries, apples, peanuts, onions, tea and red wine. The flavanols are antioxidants (good things).

Antioxidants are believed to help the body's cells resist damage caused by free radicals that are formed by normal bodily processes, such as breathing, and from environmental contaminants, like cigarette smoke. If your body does not have enough antioxidants to combat the amount of oxidation that occurs, it can become damaged by free radicals. For example, an increase in oxidation can cause low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as "bad" cholesterol, to form plaque on the artery walls.

When cocoa is processed into your favorite chocolate products, it goes through several steps to reduce this taste. The more chocolate is processed (through things like fermentation, alkalizing, roasting, etc.), the more flavanols are lost. Most commercial chocolates are highly processed. Although it was once believed that dark chocolate contained the highest levels flavanols, recent research indicates that, depending on how the dark chocolate was processed, this may not be true. The good news is that most major chocolate manufacturers are looking for ways to keep the flavanols in their processed chocolates. But for now, your best choices are likely dark chocolate over milk chocolate (especially milk chocolate that is loaded with other fats and sugars) and cocoa powder that has not undergone Dutch processing (cocoa that is treated with an alkali to neutralize its natural acidity).

Enjoy your treats but watch portion size!  A total of three ounces of dark chocolate per week is a delicious way to add antioxidants to your diet.