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There are three main differences between a netbook and a laptop:

• Netbooks are smaller and more portable than laptops. The screen size ranges from around eight to 11 inches, while a standard laptop will have a screen measuring around 15 inches.
• Netbooks use lower powered processors, such as Intel’s Atom Processor, which are good at preserving battery life, but not so good at dealing with intensive applications such as video editing.
• To save space, Netbooks do not have an optical drive, so you won’t be able to play CDs or DVDs on it. Almost all laptops come with an optical drive.

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Swine Flu, also referred as Novel H1N1, is a new influenza virus causing illness in people.  The virus is contagious and spreads from person-to-person worldwide, in much the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread, that is, usually by coughing or sneezing. You can also become infected by touching an object belonging to an already infected person, and then afterwards touching your mouth or nose.

The symptoms of Swine Flu include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Sometimes also diarrhea and vomiting.  So far the majority of people who have been diagnosed with Swine Flu have recovered without needing medical treatment, however, there have been reports world-wide of hospitalizations and deaths occurring. Those who are considered at ‘high risk’ with this virus are young children, teenagers, pregnant women. Also, anyone who with the following existing medical conditions: diabetes, heart disease, asthma, kidney disease, suppressed immune system, heart disease, neurocognitive and neuromuscular disorders. In these cases, complications may develop.

A Swine Flu vaccine is  currently in production and may be ready for the public within the next couple of months. (I will update here as soon as I hear about it). During the current epidemic of Swine Flu priority use for antiviral drugs is to treat hospitalised cases and those in the ‘high risk’ category.

If you suspect that you may have Swine Flu it is recommended that you stay indoors at home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, except to get medical care. Keep away from other people as much as possible to keep them from becoming sick too. If your sympthoms are severe, last longer than 5-7 days, or you know that you fall into the ‘high risk’ category, then you must contact your medical centre immediately.
Emergency warning signs in children that will definitely need urgent medical attention include:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish or gray skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

Emergency warning signs in adults that need urgent medical attention include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

More in-depth information can be found at NHS Choices (UK).

This interesting article below is written by Nathan Wei, who  is a nationally known board-certified rheumatologist and author of the Second Opinion Arthritis Treatment Kit.

A cramp is caused by anything that interferes with the muscle’s natural ability to contract and relax. Take a foot spasm, for example. When feet are flexed for propulsion while swimming or when tight bedsheets force your toes downward, the muscle tendons become overstretched and the nerves extending through your foot and into your calf can become hyperexcitable. When this happens, the nerve signals become confused, according to Robert Nirschl, M.D., assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. The result: a painful cramp. “Your muscles may get the message to contract, but not to relax,” he explains.
Continue reading More information on leg cramps

The mineral , potassium, helps in the contraction process for muscles throughout the body, and the heart requires this substance for the proper regulation of blood pressure.

Low potassium level symptoms may involve several different areas of the body at once. Commonly, the symptoms affect the gastrointestinal tract as well as the kidneys. However, it has been found that the heart may be affected as well as the nerves that run throughout the body. The muscles are often affected as well.

Many experience cramping sensations in the muscles of the legs and/or the arms. The cramps can often be quite severe and can result in a form of paralysis that makes it very difficult to move the limbs with ease. This is often accompanied with weakness that makes movements and other activities involving the limb that is affected difficult. Some individuals may experience high levels of nausea when their potassium is low. This nausea may be accompanied by bouts of vomiting. For individuals that experience these symptoms, it is common for bloating in the abdominal area to be experienced. The muscles in the abdominal area may also begin to experience mild to severe cramping. Blood pressure may rise drastically, or it may drop suddenly. If it drops, many will faint. If it increases, symptoms such as chest pain and headaches may occur.

Psychological complications may also be experienced when potassium levels in the body drop. These complications may be as simple as depression or as serious as having hallucinations.

The symptoms of low potassium levels can commonly affect the gastrointestinal tract as well as the kidneys.

If you experience any of the above symptoms over a prolonged period of time, are experiencing discomfort and are concerned, it is advisable to visit your local GP or clinic and arrange to have tests done to check your level of potassium.

This at-a-glance chart shows how to distinguish between the different types of cups of coffee you can order at a bar/restaurant, i.e. how the variations of quantities of coffee, water and milk/cream can produce surprisingly various flavours and textures. You may even want to experiment making these for yourself at home, and then chose a favourite.

Be aware that this home video of the bathing of my pet ‘canary’ was done with good intentions at the time.

Arthritis is a problem that is not merely confined to the aging population – even young children, teenagers and athletes suffer from this disease. Arthritis is a disease that takes many forms; the two most common of which are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis does damage in a ‘wear and tear’ degenerative way. Rheumatoid arthritis causes harm by way of inflammation.
Continue reading Cause and treatment of arthritis

Magnesium is a trace mineral which helps to protect against a cluster of risk factors linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The risk factors of not including enough magnesium-rich foods in your diet are: elevated blood pressure, low levels of HDL “good” cholesterol, elevated triglycerides (blood fats), elevated glucose (blood sugar) levels and abdominal obesity.

A lack of magnesium manifests itself physiologically in the form of migraines, attention deficit disorder, fibromyalgia, asthma, and allergies. Many of the following conditions have commonly been linked with each other in conjunction to magnesium deficiency: anxiety and psychiatric disorders, aorta strength, and the calcification of soft tissues including heart valves.

50% of the magnesium we consume is found in the bones; the rest is located in the muscles, tissues and organs. After exercise, muscles spasms and leg cramps are caused by dehydration and the lack of magnesium. Magnesium calms and relaxes the muscles. Magnesium aids the body in controlling nerve conditions, muscle function, bone and tooth formation, protein metabolism, general health and circulatory health. When your body lacks magnesium it shows up in fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and weakness. If the deficiency worsens it leads to muscle cramps, spasms, numbness, and cardiac arrhythmia.

Foods that are rich in magnesium include: beans, peas, unrefined grains such as whole wheat (bread, pasta and pizza), soybeans, spinach, potatoes, cereal, oatmeal, green vegetables, roasted almonds, and halibut.

Apply a dab of alcohol to the tick, which may withdraw its feeding tube if it has just started feeding on your skin. If the tick refuses to withdraw, grasp it with tweezers as near the head as possible and pull it out slowly, hopefully with the mouth parts intact. Try not to squeeze the tick’s main body because that can force disease organisms into the wound. If the mouth parts remain embedded in your skin, you should treat the bite with an antiseptic to prevent secondary infection.

Preserve the tick in a bottle with alcohol or in a Ziploc bag or vial with a dampened cotton ball or cloth so it can be readily identified if necessary. If you are in a high-risk area, you should get the tick identified promptly to determine whether it is a disease-carrying species. If you experience any symptoms, for instance, a rash, within the next four weeks after the bite, you should seek medical attention.

When selecting a pet canary choose a young healthy bird which is bright, alert and bouncy, not one that sits perched with ruffled up feathers.  It is only the male that sings; the female will ‘tweet tweet’ or whistle only.

Get the largest cage possible, that allows for room for flight. A pet canary should never have its wings clipped and should be able to fly in the cage for exercise. ‘Flight’ type cages are the best (home-built or commercial) since they are designed to provide room to move. Remember that a long cage is better than a tall narrow one (the height is not all that important). Try to get a cage at least 24 inches long. Watch the spacing between bars – no more than 1/2 inch. Wire cages are best; wood or bamboo cages are too difficult to keep clean. Perches should be well spaced and placed at different heights if possible. They should be of softwood, round of 12-16mm diameter or square with the corners rounded off, and of different sizes so the birds feet are not always in the same position. Place seed and water containers where they will not be fouled by the pet canary’s droppings.

Provide toys, but place them in the cage in such a way as they do not obstruct flight space. A pet canary will enjoy swings, mirrors, bells, and hanging wooden or acrylic toys.

A pet canary must be kept in fresh atmosphere as it is particularly sensitive to foul or polluted air. Inside, you must select a site well away from any gas appliances. The cage must not hang in draught for fear the canary will catch a chill. Direct sunlight is yet another thing to be avoided, especially in the summer. While canaries love sunlight they do not appreciate being left in direct or in a room which is too hot. High temperatures could quite easily force your pet canary in to a false moult in order to maintain an even body temperature, your bird will then shed some of his feathers and will more than likely stop singing. Located outside under the eaves and against the wall could prove to be a suitable place, but only after you have made sure the canary will be safe from stray cats, wild birds and inclement weather. Stray cats can, and often do cause death to caged canaries; also wild birds are quite capable of removing a pet canary without leaving a trace of their visit. Unless your cage is situated in an easterly or north-easterly direction the weather can easily bring harm. If your bird is to be permanently kept outside, a wooden box type cage is most suitable.

Keep the cage spotlessly clean at all times. Wash the food and drink utensils regularly. Disinfect the cage at least every 2 months. Perches should never be washed unless there is another set to take their place. Wet perches cause canaries discomfort. If you have just one set of perches it would be far wiser to take them out and scrape them clean with a sharp knife or similar implement. You may sandpaper the perches but be sure they are not left too smooth , as the smoother the perches the harder the bird has to grip to keep his balance. Wood perches of varied diameter work best (3/8 to 3/4 inches). Do not use sandpaper perch covers. The drinking tube is most effectively cleaned using a small bottle brush. Use brown or clear white paper to cover the floor of the cage. Do not use newspaper as it can be most harmful since there is a risk of the print coming off. When this happens the ink tends to take the moisture out of the canary’s toes and legs.

Buy a good fresh seed mix from a pet shop. A good seed mix will help provide a balanced diet. Blow of the husks daily and change the seed in the dish regularly. Cuttlefish bone provides extra vitamins, and is good for the bird’s beak.

Fresh water must be available at all times. The plastic tube feeder is very convenient but must be kept clean at all times. Give your pet canary a separate suitable dish containing water for a bath about three times a week.

Once a year your pet canary will, under normal conditions, shed all its feathers for a complete new set. It will commence his moult sometime during the late Summer or early Autumn, and will usually take as many as ten weeks to complete the change. During the time the moult is taking place the canary might cease to sing. The annual moult is a natural thing for a bird, but there are several ways you can assist it through this period. You must keep your pet canary out of the sunlight as much as possible, cover it up at night much earlier than you normally would and allow it to get as much rest through the day as it needs by not disturbing it unnecessarily. Feed your pet canary oily seeds such as sunflower, rape and linseed. Give it the opportunity to bathe more often. If you look after your pet canary during the moult you will be well rewarded when it again begins to whistle….. complete with its new set of feathers.

A single pet canary is unlikely to suffer many health problems as most issues are caused by interaction with unhealthy birds. The most common warning signs of potential issues are:

Excessive preening – this could indicate mites, treatable with medication from the vet if diagnosed early enough,
Diarrhoea – the simplest solution being binders such as banana or cheese, or antibiotics from the vet if recurring,
“Runny” beaks – colds are common. Heat and rest usually solve these and if recurring, again this can be medicated by a vet.