15 Interesting Facts About Onions

                  1.      Ancient Egyptian Pharos were burried with onions as a symbol of eternity.

            2.      The ancient Greeks used onions to strengthen athletes before competing in the Olympic games, by eating copious amounts of onions, drinking onion juice and rubbing them on their bodies

            3.      Apicius, the Roman author of one of the first ever cookbooks made use of onions in many of his recipes

4.      In the middle ages onions were not just used as food, but as medicine to relieve headaches, snake bites and to cure hair loss

5.      Pilgrims took onions to America on the Mayflower only to discover that the Native Americans already used them extensively for food, clothing dyes and even as toys

6.      Around 9.2 million acres of onions are harvested annually

7.      Orthodox Hindus and Jainas do not use onions or garlic in their cooking because they believe the strength of the taste confuses the other flavours

8.      Libya has the highest consumption of onions in the world with around 30kg per person consumed annually

9.      The Latin name for onions is “Allium Cepa”. Who else is relieved that the English name is easier?

10.  Onions are from the Allium genus (which is a flowering plant to those of you who, like me, did not study plant biology).

11.  Onions help to relieve coughs, colds, asthma and bronchitis (it’s probably not a good idea to just eat them raw though).

12.  Onion skins have been used in some dyes for things like wool.

13.  You cry when onions are cut because some compounds are released that irritate the lachrymal glands in the eyes which causes tears to be released.

This can be combated by wearing goggles to create a seal around your eyes. These act as a barrier and stop the gases that irritate the eyes from making you cry (it may also make you look a little odd but you’ll be the one laughing when they’re crying over onions)

14.  China produce over 20 million tonnes of onions!

15.  Onions can reduce the risk of tumours developing in the colon.

Ancient Egyptian Pharos were burried with onions as a symbol of eternity.

The ancient Greeks used onions to strengthen athletes before competing in the Olympic games, by eating copious amounts of onions, drinking onion juice and rubbing them on their bodies

Apicius, the Roman author of one of the first ever cookbooks made use of onions in many of his recipes

In the middle ages onions were not just used as food, but as medicine to relieve headaches, snake bites and to cure hair loss

Pilgrims took onions to America on the Mayflower only to discover that the Native Americans already used them extensively for food, clothing dyes and even as toys

Around 9.2 million acres of onions are harvested annually

Orthodox Hindus and Jainas do not use onions or garlic in their cooking because they believe the strength of the taste confuses the other flavours

Libya has the highest consumption of onions in the world with around 30kg per person consumed annually

The Latin name for onions is “Allium Cepa”. Who else is relieved that the English name is easier?

Onions are from the Allium genus (which is a flowering plant to those of you who, like me, did not study plant biology).

Onions help to relieve coughs, colds, asthma and bronchitis (it’s probably not a good idea to just eat them raw though).

Onion skins have been used in some dyes for things like wool.

You cry when onions are cut because some compounds are released that irritate the lachrymal glands in the eyes which causes tears to be released.

• This can be combated by wearing goggles to create a seal around your eyes. These act as a barrier and stop the gases that irritate the eyes from making you cry (it may also make you look a little odd but you’ll be the one laughing when they’re crying over onions)
  

China produce over 20 million tonnes of onions!

Onions can reduce the risk of tumours developing in the colon.

- See more at: http://www.thestu.co.uk/article/15-interesting-facts-about-onions#sthash.92jHu0yi.dpuf

Interesting facts about NOT drinking water

• 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (This likely applies to half the world's population).

• In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.

• Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

•  One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of  the dieters investigated in a Univesity of Washington study.

• Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

• Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

•  A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

• Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%,  plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less  likely to develop bladder cancer.

Source:web

10 Facts About Ebola

1. The current Ebola outbreak is most widespread and intense in West Africa. 
The countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia have reported the most infections, with additional cases in Nigeria, Senegal, one in Spain, and four in the United States and 4 in Mali. To date, the current outbreak includes 14,413 cases of Ebola as of November 14, 2014, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The first case confirmed within the United States was in a person who had travelled from West Africa to Dallas, and died of the illness. Two nurses who cared for him fell ill at the same hospital. One was diagnosed with Ebola on Oct 11, recovered and released virus free Oct 24. A second was diagnosed on Oct 15, released virus free Oct 28. A doctor just back from Guinea fell ill Oct 24, diagnosed with Ebola in New York City, released virus free Nov 11. A U.S. surgeon returing from Sierra Leone died of Ebola Nov 17 in Omaha despite treatment at the Nebraska Medical Center.
People who are most at risk are those in close physical contact with an infected person, like family members and the healthcare workers taking care of the patient.

2. Travel warnings have been issued for Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. 
Because of the increasing numbers of Ebola cases in these West African countries, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises against all “nonessential” travel to these countries while the Ebola outbreak is ongoing. Due to Ebola cases reported in Mali on November 12, the CDC advises that people traveling to Mali avoid any contact with a sick person's blood or body fluids, as these could spread an Ebola infection.

3. Main entry points to the United States from West Africa screen for Ebola cases. 
Five major U.S. international airports will now screen patients coming from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone for fever and possible Ebola exposure, announced the CDC and Department of Homeland Security, Oct 8. Screening began at New York's JFK International Airport, followed by Washington-Dulles, Newark, Chicago-O'Hare, and Altanta. As of Oct 21, these five airports are the only U.S. entry points available to travelers coming from Guinea, Liberia, or Siera Leone. In addition, travelers from Mali will be screened, due to new cases of Ebola there. After arrival, public health workers will monitor all of these travelers daily for 21 days for any signs of fever or other symptoms, and any intent to travel, the CDC announced.
The first U.S. case of Ebola was not apparent during travel, because the patient did not have symptoms until several days after arriving in the United States from West Africa, the CDC notes.
Screening could be implemented by checking for fever in any passengers to airports whose flights began in West Africa, says David C. Pigott, MD, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB). Dr. Pigott published a 2005 review of the virus in Critical Care Clinics journal. 

4. Ebola is caused by an RNA virus. 
This emerging health threat is the result of a RNA (ribonucleic acid) virus that infects wild animals — like fruit bats, monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees — as well as people. Contact with an infected animal’s blood or body fluids is probably the original source of the infectious disease. Outbreaks of Ebola began in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo on the Ebola River, and Sudan, with later outbreaks in Uganda and other African nations, according to World Health Organization data. 
“It is not a casual contact-acquired infection,” notes Safdar. Rather, in its later stages, the Ebola virus is passed from person to person via bodily fluids. "There is no known Ebola transmission through coughing or sneezing, like with influenza or tuberculosis," he says. The virus can live on surfaces that are soiled with blood or other body fluids, but sterilizing hospital equipment with bleach kills Ebola.

5. Early Ebola symptoms are also symptoms of other viral infections. 
Early Ebola symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, cough, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Because these could be symptoms of other diseases, it's difficult to diagnose Ebola early on. The time it takes from exposure to Ebola to actually getting sick, known as the incubation period, is anywhere from 2 to 21 days, says UAB's Pigott. Most people who are infected with Ebola will develop early symptoms eight to nine days after exposure to the virus, according to the CDC. Specific tests for antibodies against Ebola and viral DNA help doctors make a conclusive diagnosis.

6. Bleeding is common in the later stages of Ebola.
Later symptoms of Ebola can appear quickly, within a few days after onset of early symptoms. Due to internal and external bleeding, the patient's eyes may become red, and they may vomit blood, have bloody diarrhea, and suffer cardiovascular collapse and death, explains Pigott. The only treatment doctors can provide is supportive care — they give the patient fluids and oxygen, and keep their blood pressure steady. 

7. Ebola is often fatal.
Almost half of the cases of Ebola viral infection in West Africa have resulted in death, based on WHO data. Of the 14,413 cases in the current outbreak, 5,177 deaths were reported as of Nov 14, according to WHO statistics. 
Health workers often succumb to the disease because of close contact with sick patients. Among those infected with Ebola was the doctor who was the head of Ebola virus treatment in Sierra Leone, Dr. Sheik Umar Khan, who died on July 29. The head doctor for Ebola treatments in Liberia, Dr. Samuel Brisbane, died from the disease three days earlier.

8. New Ebola medications are in development.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any treatments for Ebola, notes Pigott, who adds that there is “nothing that’s been tried in humans at all.” But two American health workers who were infected in Liberia, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, are being treated with a drug that’s still under study.
The drug is called ZMapp, and it's made by Mapp Biopharmacuetical Inc. “It’s an experimental, antibody-based medication,” explains Pigott, but it has not been tested in human trials for effectiveness. Developed in early 2014, ZMapp is produced in plants and has not yet been found to be safe for use in people, according to the manufacturer.

9. There is no vaccine to prevent Ebola.
Vaccines in development have been effective at preventing Ebola infections in animal studies, researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) report. The research, on apes in particular, is controversial because ape populations are dwindling and in danger of extinction. It would be very difficult to test effectiveness of an experimental vaccine in people, Pigott says, because it's unlikely anyone is going to let you inject them with Ebola and later see whether or not they get the infection. However, safety testing of new vaccines in people is now underway.

10. Ebola is not a risk to the general public in the United States.
You are not at risk for Ebola infection unless you are in direct contact with bodily fluids of someone with Ebola while they have viral symptoms such as fever, vomiting, and cough. “If you don’t have early viral symptoms, you’re probably not contagious,” says Pigott. New infections come from close contact with an infected person, especially with blood, body fluids, or contaminated needles, late in the disease when viral levels are high.

Source:everydayhealth.com

11 Facts About Healthy Living

     1.      More than 1/3 of adults and over 12.5 million children and teens in the US are obese. In the last 30 years, obesity in children and teens has nearly tripled. 

2. One can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar and the average American adult drinks 500 cans of soda every year, estimating about 52 pounds of sugar consumed in soft drinks alone. 

3. In a survey of 9th through 12th graders in 2011, 13.1% of the teens admitted to skipping breakfast in the past 7 days, while 11.3% had drunk 3+ servings of soda per day in the same time frame. 

4. Excess meat consumption is bad for the planet, for our health, and for the well-being of animals. Ask your school to host meatless Mondays in your cafeteria to keep meat consumption down. 

5. In 2011, more than 15% of the students were overweight, and more than 12% admitted to starving themselves for 24 hours or more in the last month in an attempt to lose weight. 

6. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it feeds your body and mind with the necessary nutrients and energy to function throughout the day. Eating breakfast regularly will also help keep weight off because it gets your metabolism going.

7. Teens need 9+ hours of sleep per night for their bodies to function properly. Less than 1/3 of high school students in 2011 reported getting 8 or more hours of sleep per night. 

8. Physical activity like aerobic exercise (walking, running), muscle-strengthening (weight-lifting), bone-strengthening (jumping rope), and balance and stretching activities (yoga, pilates, dancing) are especially beneficial to a healthy body. 

9. Foods that don't expire contain unnatural preservatives, additives, and chemicals that deteriorate your body. Focus instead on fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, low-fat dairies, and above all, moderation in whatever you eat. 

10. The rate at which your body burns calories when you are resting is called your "resting metabolic rate." If you cut calories below what's needed for RMR, your body will go into survival mode because it doesn't have the energy to perform basic functions.

11. For teens, the recommended caloric intake is 2,100 calories, but it is important to base your diet on your level of physical activity. Depending on how active you are, you can determine how many daily calories are healthy for your weight and lifestyle.

Source: web