Although most people will not experience anything that drastic, chances are that sometime you will do or say something that strains your relationship with a friend or family member. Then the only way to mend things will be to apologize.

Some apologies are second nature: You bump into someone as you both arrive at the door at the same time, and “Sorry” automatically comes out. On the other hand, however, offhand comments such as “Trish really needs to update her wardrobe” can destroy a friendship. For example, suppose the comment gets back to Trish, and she refuses to speak …

REALITY CHECK

Truth in Advertising

No wonder alcoholic beverage companies’ ads feature humor, fun, and good times. Different studies estimate that underage drinkers consume anywhere from 11 to 20 percent of the alcohol in the United States. In a multi-billion dollar industry, that adds up to a lot of money in sales. But the clever ads are misleading.

“The idea that you have to drink in order to have fun is alarming and disturbing and incorrect,” warns Penny Wells, president and executive director of SADD. Young people often incorrectly overestimate how many of their peers drink. In the 2002 Monitoring the Future Study, for example, 65 percent of tenth graders reported no alcohol use within the …

“What’s wrong with this pizza?” she asked. “It tastes different.”

“I used low-sodium tomato sauce and low-sodium cheese on it this time,” her father said.

“What was wrong with how it was before?” asked Jamie as she set her slice down.

Her father took a deep breath and sighed. “The doctor told me that I have high blood pressure and that I need to eat less sodium. Because salt is almost one-half sodium, I’m cutting down on all salty foods. He says we’ll get used to it.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Jamie said, and grimaced. “If sodium is so bad for you, why do you need it at all?”

Her father thought for a minute. “That’s a good question. Sodium is a mineral, and our body needs minerals to function properly.”

Minerals are non-living, chemical substances that come from the soil. Plants store minerals in their stems and leaves, …

Some people are afraid to tell their partner or spouse that they snore and endure the condition, or in some cases sleep away from the snorer.

We need to become informed of this deadly problem and help those who are profoundly affected by it. Sadly my life has been affected by snoring. My ex-wife, a lifetime type 1 diabetic, with a whole host of health problems, was a snorer. But soon I began to realize that he simply wasn’t snoring, he would completely stop breathing during the night. He needed serious help.

It started with a sudden change in his mood and his inability to stay awake, ANYWHERE. At night I would listen to him snore, he would take air in, and then I could hear as he struggled to release the air that had now become trapped behind his relaxed area of his throat, in essence, his throat had collapsed on top of his windpipe. He would continue to struggle to release the air until his brain finally recognized that he was going without oxygen and would wake him up to regain his breath. This would happen over and over. This didn’t allow him to enter the valuable, enriching part of our sleep that heals and sustains our bodies.

When I told him about it, he went through a long period of denial until it finally became too much to bear in his waking life. He was struggling to survive. Ultimately he was evaluated in a sleep center and prescribed a CPAP machine, although he ended up instead using a different anti snoring device after reading snoring mouthpiece reviews like this one on the Good Morning Snore Solution. It was a miserable existence, until he finally found the Good Morning Snore Solution. Don’t let this be you. If you snore or know someone who does, lovingly inform them and help guide them to someone who can accurately diagnose the condition. You may save their life.

When a person has sleep apnea, they have this constant disruptive cycle of sleep-awake, sleep-awake that completely disrupts their lives. They may not remember it in the morning. However, it profoundly affects their lives. Snoring is the number one cause of workplace injuries and accidents. Companies are quickly recognizing the importance of having employees who are getting adequate sleep. Recently a semi-truck hit the vehicle that actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was riding in. He was seriously injured while one other in the vehicle traveling with him was killed. He now has a traumatic brain injury that has ruined his life. The driver of the semi fell asleep while driving, and it has come to light that this man had sleep apnea.

People with this condition spend their days in a constant drowsy state. It increases your risk of heart disease and stroke exponentially. It also puts a tremendous strain on your heart and brain. Snoring is no joke, if you recognize any of the information in this article, please get help for yourself or your loved one. It could be your body’s wave of sending you a “wake up call” to get help. There are many treatment options available. See a doctor and research the best choice available to you.

Sixteen-year-old Brandon’s truck collided head-on with another truck. His friends Robert and Todd both died. Brandon suffered serious injuries. All three boys had been drinking, according to the Colorado State Highway Patrol.

Underage drinking threatens your physical, social, and emotional well-being. Make sure you know the facts, says Gertrude Walsh of the Oxfordshire DAAT.

Irreversible Harm

Throughout the United States, it is a crime to drink or provide alcohol to anyone under age 21. That age limit is not an arbitrary number. Rather, it helps protect young people from irreversible harm. Such harm can occur even if someone isn’t a “problem drinker.”

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism…

Jared dreaded the stitches. But, fortunately, the ER doctor had a better idea. “We can use a skin adhesive to hold the cut shut,” the doctor told Jared. “It works as well as stitches.

The Skinny on Skin

The skin adhesive used on Jared’s cut is just one of many new treatments available for skin injuries. All are designed to help these injuries stop bleeding and heal faster, better, and with less pain than such wounds used to cause.

The skin is the largest organ of the body, and it is very important to properly treat any injuries to it. Otherwise, skin cannot perform its vital functions, which include serving as a protective shield against the environment. “The skin is your first line of defense against the outside world,” says Doris J. Day, M.D., clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center. The skin guards against heat, cold, light, and infection. It also regulates body temperature; stores water, fat, and Vitamin D; and senses painful or pleasant stimuli. “It also is an aesthetic organ–it helps you present yourself to the outside world, and it gives important clues about the health of the rest of the body. Often doctors can diagnose underlying medical problems just by looking at the skin,” says Dr. Day.

Each layer of skin performs a different function. The thin outer layer known as the epidermis mostly protects the rest of the body from the environment. The melanocytes, a type of cell in the epidermis, produce melanin. Melanin is a pigment that darkens the skin to protect it from sunlight. The middle layer of skin, the dermis, contains blood vessels, lymph vessels, hair follicles, sweat glands, and collagen. Collagen is the protein that gives the skin strength and resilience. The deepest layer of skin, the subcutaneous layer, is made of fat and collagen cells. It conserves body heat and protects the body’s interior from injury.

Injuries and Treatments

An injury to any of these layers of skin can interfere with its ability to protect the body from infection and harm. It can also result in scars or other disfigurements. Common types of skin injuries include blisters, cuts, scrapes, burns, and bites. These can damage any or all layers of skin, depending on severity. They can come from heat, sharp objects, ultraviolet radiation, rubbing, or excessive pressure.

Choosing one of the new products or treatments available depends upon the type of injury. Consider the following situations:

Instead of using stitches, a doctor can apply skin adhesives to close a wound. Often this is less painful than stitches and hold the edges of the wound together just as well. The adhesive wears off as the wound heals. Adhesive bands also can be placed on top of a minor cut to hold the edges together as it heals.

There are a variety of gels and patches that keep out bacteria and keep a wound moist to allow better healing. Because low-adherent dressings do not stick to the wound, they are more comfortable and promote faster healing. Film dressings consist of a thin polyurethane membrane coated with a layer of adhesive. They let in water and oxygen but not bacteria. This keeps a wound moist and infection-free. Amorphous hydrogels are designed to be used with a secondary dressing to keep a wound moist. Hydrocolloids consist of a gel with a polyurethane or foam backing. Again, their purpose is to keep wounds from drying nut.

Alginates, however, are made from seaweed and are absorbent. They are used on wounds that are releasing a great deal of fluid. Polyurethane foam dressings also are used to absorb blood and other fluids from a wound.

Liquid bandaids permit faster healing and stop the bleeding of minor cuts and scrapes. The liquid bandaid creates a breathable seal that keeps out bacteria and water but keeps in moisture to help healing. It also helps reduce pain and stays on hard-to-cover areas such as finger and elbows. The liquid bandage sloughs off as the wound heals.

Serious burns require a doctor to surgically removed the burned skin and then to protect the exposed tissue. Laboratory-grown skin cells or artificial skin may be used for protection. The artificial skin not only protects the area but also promotes the regrowth of normal skin. It looks like a plastic wrap and consists of two layers. One layer is composed of collagen and a sticky sugar molecule that helps the skin regenerate. The second layer is a flexible silicone sheet that mimics the epidermis. Artificial skin is left in place for two to four weeks. During this time, the patient’s own skin reforms.

To help minimize scars left by a skin injury, doctors now use laser treatments. There are several different types of lasers used to remove different types of scars. The pulsed-dye laser, for example, flattens raised scars and removes redness. The carbon dioxide laser is best for vaporizing and removing shallow scars with irregular borders. Doctors administer a laser using a handheld wand-like device. It focuses an intense beam of light on one spot on the skin. Different wavelengths of light and different intensities are used for different procedures. Usually it takes several sessions with a particular laser to achieve desired results. Experts say it is important to choose a physician who is experienced, in order to get the best results and to minimize discomfort and other adverse effects.

Ongoing Research

Even with all the sophisticated new treatments available for skin injuries, researchers continue to search for newer and better products. One thing scientists are working on now is improving artificial skin to help heal serious burns. Several researchers are trying to build a new artificial skin that will induce the growth of new blood vessels as well as skin cells in the dermis layer.

Another line of research involves testing a new drug that reduces inflammation and speeds healing of wounds. The drug works by preventing dying cells from killing off live cells, thereby stopping the spread of the injury and reducing swelling and scarring.

Most current research into new treatments for skin injuries focuses on creating an environment that maximizes healing. “Researchers are looking at new enzymes and immunomodulators that help wounds heal,” says Dr. Day. “For example, new types of bandaids do more than just cover and protect. They contain substances to actually make the wound heal faster and minimize scarring.”

“What is that smell?” she asked her friend Terri.

Terri laughed. “It’s called lutefisk (LOOT-fisk). I guess it does smell kind of strong.”

Rachael remembered that lutefisk was dried codfish soaked in lye, then cooked and served with a white sauce. “What else are we making today?”

Terry pointed at the board where the teacher had written the menu for the day. “It looks like we’re having lutefisk, boiled potatoes, and lefse (LEF-suh) with butter and brown sugar.”

“I missed class the day we talked about lefse,” Rachael said. “What is it?”

Terry said, “Think of it as a tortilla–with butter spread all over it and brown sugar sprinkled inside. …

Brandon’s sister Cindi generally finishes her homework on the bus to school. Her favorite sports? Skateboarding and downhill skiing. Last week, she walked into a store to buy a jacket, and ended up getting her ears pierced instead.

Brandon and Cindi may be living in the same family, but they are at opposite ends of the risk-taking scale. Brandon is cautious, a planner who likes to know what’s going to happen before it happens. Cindi is more spontaneous. She loves the thrill of the exotic and daring, and she thrives on fast, potentially dangerous …

“But more often, teens need help learning. how to fall asleep. It’s important to look at the sequence of what you’re doing at” night–and to make sure the last thing you do at night is something relaxing. I have one teen patient who told me, ‘I do my homework, practice my violin, and then go on-line to chat with my friends.’ I suggested to him that maybe he didn’t want to do the most stimulating activity right before he was trying to fall asleep. Now he chats on-line and then practices the violin to clear his head–and says switching the two activities has helped him …

After undergoing radioactive iodine therapy to disable her thyroid and being placed on thyroid hormone replacement therapy, Devers now has the disorder under control. She went on to win three Olympic gold medals.

What Is the Thyroid?

Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck, at the spot where a bow tie would rest. It produces two hormones (thyroxine and triiodothyronine) that control your growth and metabolism. Everything from how quickly your body burns calories to your mood is controlled by your thyroid. As long as …