Around half of American women no longer "sit" in a public restroom. They either use a paper seat guard or they hover. Neither of these methods are really effective. Paper seat guards really don't protect you from any germs, plastic would be better but isn't as easily flushed. Hovering only leads whoever does it to leave a mess for the next person, thus not really solving the problem.
You are more apt to get germs from the things you lay your hands on in a bathroom than what you lay your rear end on. In tests done in public restrooms, the tampon dispenser and the floor were found to be the dirtiest surfaces in the entire room - the toilet was the cleanest.
Despite the men's room looking like a complete sty, it actually has less bacteria. Women bring in small children and spend more time in there. The number of bacteria to time spent exponentially increases due to this.
Things you can do to avoid as many germs as possible in the women's room:
- don't put your purse on the floor. you are carrying the bathroom with you if you do.
- don't use the blow dryer. it's just taking germ filled air from the bathroom and blowing it directly onto your hands.
- pee at home. seriously.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Friday, March 9, 2007
Enter the Dragon.
First of all, it has been nearly 2 months since I last posted a blog to this account and I apologize profusely for this. Lack of ambition and schoolwork has prevented me from being as focused as I usually am on making fun of scientists and their theories.
On with the show..
There has been great debate over the idea that birds are ancestors of dinosaurs. For this blog, I present the side that I support and hope becomes evident to you as you read on.
Feathers are scales!
Tetrapods, four-limbed vertebrates, are inherently webbed. This means that every fetus has webbed toes at some point, then a set of proteins allows the tissue between the toes to dissolve, thus making a non-webbed foot. There is an exception in this idea when it comes to ducks, where experiments have shown that some of this particular string of proteins to be absent. Zou and Niswander did an experiment where they injected both feathered and non-feathered subjects with a protein inhibitor to test this. The result was that the feet remained webbed and that the scutes, or thick scales, that normally cover a bird's foot turned into feathers. Crocodiles, a known ancestor of dinosaurs, also have scutes. The scutes of a crocodile are of a slightly different make-up than bird scutes, but still scutes nonetheless. If you can turn 'scutes' into feathers, the feathers on avian creatures we see today must have descended from scales with genetic differentials.
Systematics, my dear Watson!
Systematics is the age-old study of the evolutionary relationships between beings. The basic idea of this, long ago(hold fast to your roots, child) was that because something like a cow and a crocodile both had four legs, they must be related by a common ancestor. Thomas Huxley was contemplating a dinosaur bone once upon a time, during his dinner of quail. He was pondering over the fact that a bone he was currently studying was of a meat-eating dinosaur, the tibia. What he couldn't figure out is why this tibia was attached to a very strange other bone at the bottom. Thomas bit a piece of meat off of his quail drumstick and discovered, wah-lah!, that SAME BONE! It was later determined to be an ankle bone, but you get the idea.
22 is the magic number.
John Ostrom, as early as the 60's, determined that meat-eating dinosaurs and birds shared 22 characteristics that were not present anywhere else. Further study between now and then has lead us to 85 more discovered similar characteristics between the two. They must be related, right? It certainly makes it tough to decide. Ostrom is what is known as a "cladist" or someone who attempts to discern the origin of a species through its characteristics. Cladists believe that the origin and ancestry of a species can best be determined by the main characteristics that have stood the test of time.
Fly, little one, fly.
Arguers for the idea that birds are dinosaurs contend that the 'unnamed' dinosaurian ancestor of birds was once an arboreal, or tree dweller, or that birds learned flight from the ground by chasing and leaping after insects (there are plenty of little theropods, think T-rex but smaller, thought to have made a living by doing just that).
Archaeopteryx, the chosen one.
Both sides of the argument have agreed that Archaeopteryx, 145 million years old, was the first bird. It was discovered in Germany and had clearly defined feathers. It also had a very boney tail and teeth - hello, dinosaur. A-teryx also had a wishbone like birds of modern time. Many catty scientists would say that had A-teryx NOT been found with feathers they'd have labelled it a dinosaur. In fact, the five specimens discovered of it previously without feathers had been identified as the small dinosaur called Compsognathus.
B-list bird-dinos.
The 'Sinosauropteryx', ringing in at 130 million years old, was found in China. It is a dinosaur that was discovered surrounded in fuzz. Nobody really knows what the fuzz is, but it appears that they are early-versions of feathers. The fuzz itself consists of rod-like projections similar to what feathers do. A baby theropod, the only dinosaur ever found in Italy, called the Scipionyx has a well formed furcula, or wishbone. It wasn't the first furcula found in a theropod, but it is another piece of evidence in the meat-eating dinosaur-bird link. Reassessments of other theropods have revealed other bird-like features; hollow bones and a foot with three toes. These are bird-like features that appeared over 50 million years before the A-teryx ever got its pilot's license.
There are many more scientists, sources, and sites to help support the theory that birds are dinosaurs, as well as the opposing side. What I've presented to you are the main points that stand out to me.
Read more:
Dinosaurs and Birds: by Willis
Dinos NOT birds
Dinosauria
More links
On with the show..
There has been great debate over the idea that birds are ancestors of dinosaurs. For this blog, I present the side that I support and hope becomes evident to you as you read on.
Feathers are scales!
Tetrapods, four-limbed vertebrates, are inherently webbed. This means that every fetus has webbed toes at some point, then a set of proteins allows the tissue between the toes to dissolve, thus making a non-webbed foot. There is an exception in this idea when it comes to ducks, where experiments have shown that some of this particular string of proteins to be absent. Zou and Niswander did an experiment where they injected both feathered and non-feathered subjects with a protein inhibitor to test this. The result was that the feet remained webbed and that the scutes, or thick scales, that normally cover a bird's foot turned into feathers. Crocodiles, a known ancestor of dinosaurs, also have scutes. The scutes of a crocodile are of a slightly different make-up than bird scutes, but still scutes nonetheless. If you can turn 'scutes' into feathers, the feathers on avian creatures we see today must have descended from scales with genetic differentials.
Systematics, my dear Watson!
Systematics is the age-old study of the evolutionary relationships between beings. The basic idea of this, long ago(hold fast to your roots, child) was that because something like a cow and a crocodile both had four legs, they must be related by a common ancestor. Thomas Huxley was contemplating a dinosaur bone once upon a time, during his dinner of quail. He was pondering over the fact that a bone he was currently studying was of a meat-eating dinosaur, the tibia. What he couldn't figure out is why this tibia was attached to a very strange other bone at the bottom. Thomas bit a piece of meat off of his quail drumstick and discovered, wah-lah!, that SAME BONE! It was later determined to be an ankle bone, but you get the idea.
22 is the magic number.
John Ostrom, as early as the 60's, determined that meat-eating dinosaurs and birds shared 22 characteristics that were not present anywhere else. Further study between now and then has lead us to 85 more discovered similar characteristics between the two. They must be related, right? It certainly makes it tough to decide. Ostrom is what is known as a "cladist" or someone who attempts to discern the origin of a species through its characteristics. Cladists believe that the origin and ancestry of a species can best be determined by the main characteristics that have stood the test of time.
Fly, little one, fly.
Arguers for the idea that birds are dinosaurs contend that the 'unnamed' dinosaurian ancestor of birds was once an arboreal, or tree dweller, or that birds learned flight from the ground by chasing and leaping after insects (there are plenty of little theropods, think T-rex but smaller, thought to have made a living by doing just that).
Archaeopteryx, the chosen one.
Both sides of the argument have agreed that Archaeopteryx, 145 million years old, was the first bird. It was discovered in Germany and had clearly defined feathers. It also had a very boney tail and teeth - hello, dinosaur. A-teryx also had a wishbone like birds of modern time. Many catty scientists would say that had A-teryx NOT been found with feathers they'd have labelled it a dinosaur. In fact, the five specimens discovered of it previously without feathers had been identified as the small dinosaur called Compsognathus.
B-list bird-dinos.
The 'Sinosauropteryx', ringing in at 130 million years old, was found in China. It is a dinosaur that was discovered surrounded in fuzz. Nobody really knows what the fuzz is, but it appears that they are early-versions of feathers. The fuzz itself consists of rod-like projections similar to what feathers do. A baby theropod, the only dinosaur ever found in Italy, called the Scipionyx has a well formed furcula, or wishbone. It wasn't the first furcula found in a theropod, but it is another piece of evidence in the meat-eating dinosaur-bird link. Reassessments of other theropods have revealed other bird-like features; hollow bones and a foot with three toes. These are bird-like features that appeared over 50 million years before the A-teryx ever got its pilot's license.
There are many more scientists, sources, and sites to help support the theory that birds are dinosaurs, as well as the opposing side. What I've presented to you are the main points that stand out to me.
Read more:
Dinosaurs and Birds: by Willis
Dinos NOT birds
Dinosauria
More links
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Don't put all your eggs in one...
If you're a female and you've ever needed cash, fast, you've jokingly had the thought "I could donate my eggs." But really, what is in involved with donating eggs? Is it as easy as the ads on Craiglist make it out to be?
First, you have to qualify to donate. Generally they'd like the donor to be in her twenties and free of health problems. You'd have to submit blood samples, recent medical history, and fill out a genetic questionnaire.
If you pass all that, you can look forward to more needles. Lots more needles.
If you're on the pill or some other sort of birth control, you'd have to go off of it and have a 'natural' cycle. They'd then start monitoring your cycle from day 1, taking blood samples to see if your hormone levels were ideal for donation or not. At day 19, they would check you again. At the start of your next day 1, the real fun would begin.
Typically, you would next have an ovarian scan. What is an ovarian scan? It is when they stick a long, thin probe up your vagina and peek around at your eggs in your ovaries. For some, this can be painful because the technician will have to press on your lower abdomen so your ovaries present better to the sonogram device. Just a lot of pressure and squishing, really.
You give more blood to monitor your hormone level, injecting yourself with hormones in the fatty area of your belly over the course of your cycle. You are checked periodically during the next few weeks, sometimes having to have your hormone level adjusted depending on the level in your blood.
Just before harvesting, you give yourself a final big injection of hormone. All these shots are to encourage your ovaries to over produce egg 'let down', releasing more than one egg during that particular monthly cycle.
Egg collection is a short process. You are sedated. Once under, the actual retrieval of eggs takes about 15 minutes. It consists of sticking a long thing probe into the vagina and then using a very thin needle to extract the eggs, which can be as many as 13. While you aren't ready to run a marathon, you aren't totally out of commission either. A day off is suggested.
After the procedure there is a possibility of suffering from Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome(OHSS). This could be a bloated abdomen, PMS type symptoms, vomiting, and a host of other problems. If you experience any of these, your doctor should be notified immediately.
So, as you can see, you can't just "drop in" and lay a couple of your ovum on the table. It is at least a 2 month long process and sometimes painful.
Next time you need some quick cash, I'd suggest selling your Prada bag on ebay.
First, you have to qualify to donate. Generally they'd like the donor to be in her twenties and free of health problems. You'd have to submit blood samples, recent medical history, and fill out a genetic questionnaire.
If you pass all that, you can look forward to more needles. Lots more needles.
If you're on the pill or some other sort of birth control, you'd have to go off of it and have a 'natural' cycle. They'd then start monitoring your cycle from day 1, taking blood samples to see if your hormone levels were ideal for donation or not. At day 19, they would check you again. At the start of your next day 1, the real fun would begin.
Typically, you would next have an ovarian scan. What is an ovarian scan? It is when they stick a long, thin probe up your vagina and peek around at your eggs in your ovaries. For some, this can be painful because the technician will have to press on your lower abdomen so your ovaries present better to the sonogram device. Just a lot of pressure and squishing, really.
You give more blood to monitor your hormone level, injecting yourself with hormones in the fatty area of your belly over the course of your cycle. You are checked periodically during the next few weeks, sometimes having to have your hormone level adjusted depending on the level in your blood.
Just before harvesting, you give yourself a final big injection of hormone. All these shots are to encourage your ovaries to over produce egg 'let down', releasing more than one egg during that particular monthly cycle.
Egg collection is a short process. You are sedated. Once under, the actual retrieval of eggs takes about 15 minutes. It consists of sticking a long thing probe into the vagina and then using a very thin needle to extract the eggs, which can be as many as 13. While you aren't ready to run a marathon, you aren't totally out of commission either. A day off is suggested.
After the procedure there is a possibility of suffering from Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome(OHSS). This could be a bloated abdomen, PMS type symptoms, vomiting, and a host of other problems. If you experience any of these, your doctor should be notified immediately.
So, as you can see, you can't just "drop in" and lay a couple of your ovum on the table. It is at least a 2 month long process and sometimes painful.
Next time you need some quick cash, I'd suggest selling your Prada bag on ebay.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Yet another reason to support commercial fishing...
In ancient Malay mythology, a man and his sister were out foraging for food one day when the sister was bit by leeches. To relieve her itching, she ran to the sea. Before diving in, she asked her brother what he would do with himself in her absence. After speaking about it, she decided to turn herself into a sea cow. Her brother agreed to do the same.
The woman in the story was named Dugong.
Dugong are of the Sirenia, which also includes manatees, and mostly inhabit waters off of Australia. They are herbivores and feed mainly on sea grasses, which is where the term "sea cow" is derived from. They are ugly creatures, yet gentle. Dugong can live up to 70 years of age, but do not start to reproduce until the age of 17. Females also seldom produce more than one offspring per lifetime.
Sadly, these animals are endanger, again, by commercial fishing and other human influence. I did say they ate sea grass, but without drawing it all out, the commercial fishing waste and farmland washouts filled with chemicals are killing the environment sea grass grows in. This is called "eutrophication". The fact that Dugong like to habitat shallow waters where sea vessels now regularly make passage can only lead you to the deduction of a large mammal shredded by a propeller. If these ships happen to be fishing vessels, you can also come to the conclusion that Dugong similarly suffer the fate of dolphins caught in the net - death.
So, what is being done to help save these gentle giants? The Australian government has listed them as a "protected" animal. Dugong were traditionally hunted by native Australian tribes like the Aborigines, but that poses little to no threat today. The main threat is pollution killing the environment they live in. With all opposing factors to the population in consideration, today's scientists and researchers give, at best, the odds of increasing the population MAYBE 5% per year.
It has often been said that, for where Dugong are found, the ecosystem could best be measured by how many Dugong lived there. In 1987 there were 3500 Dugong. Within 4 years there were 1700. Considering how commercial fishing has blossomed in the past 10 years, you can add up today's factors. I am fairly proficient at math, so let's do this little equation of sorts...
P= current Dugong population, currently a very weak variable
Pf= female population of Dugong
L = lifetime of 70 years
K = Dugong born
X= the rate at which Dugong are becoming extinct
So..
1K/L(Pf) + ( - X) = P
One stray beam of hope is that they recently have seen an increasing amount of these animals along the coasts of Thailand...so maybe there is hope yet.
In the long run P, sadly, will be negative if X isn't lessened dramatically. Greenpeace has been quoted as saying, "What we need is a marine reserve, not a reserve for the marines."
Well said.
Read more:
BBC
The woman in the story was named Dugong.
Dugong are of the Sirenia, which also includes manatees, and mostly inhabit waters off of Australia. They are herbivores and feed mainly on sea grasses, which is where the term "sea cow" is derived from. They are ugly creatures, yet gentle. Dugong can live up to 70 years of age, but do not start to reproduce until the age of 17. Females also seldom produce more than one offspring per lifetime.
Sadly, these animals are endanger, again, by commercial fishing and other human influence. I did say they ate sea grass, but without drawing it all out, the commercial fishing waste and farmland washouts filled with chemicals are killing the environment sea grass grows in. This is called "eutrophication". The fact that Dugong like to habitat shallow waters where sea vessels now regularly make passage can only lead you to the deduction of a large mammal shredded by a propeller. If these ships happen to be fishing vessels, you can also come to the conclusion that Dugong similarly suffer the fate of dolphins caught in the net - death.
So, what is being done to help save these gentle giants? The Australian government has listed them as a "protected" animal. Dugong were traditionally hunted by native Australian tribes like the Aborigines, but that poses little to no threat today. The main threat is pollution killing the environment they live in. With all opposing factors to the population in consideration, today's scientists and researchers give, at best, the odds of increasing the population MAYBE 5% per year.
It has often been said that, for where Dugong are found, the ecosystem could best be measured by how many Dugong lived there. In 1987 there were 3500 Dugong. Within 4 years there were 1700. Considering how commercial fishing has blossomed in the past 10 years, you can add up today's factors. I am fairly proficient at math, so let's do this little equation of sorts...
P= current Dugong population, currently a very weak variable
Pf= female population of Dugong
L = lifetime of 70 years
K = Dugong born
X= the rate at which Dugong are becoming extinct
So..
1K/L(Pf) + ( - X) = P
One stray beam of hope is that they recently have seen an increasing amount of these animals along the coasts of Thailand...so maybe there is hope yet.
In the long run P, sadly, will be negative if X isn't lessened dramatically. Greenpeace has been quoted as saying, "What we need is a marine reserve, not a reserve for the marines."
Well said.
Read more:
BBC
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Fido is not always man's best friend.
I was just reading over an article on BBC's website about how to survive a dog attack and it got me thinking about all the times I'd been attacked by a dog. Read: 2. My background has given me the chance to work with many dogs, cats, and other mammals that we humans like to call companions. BBC has some very generic tips, so I thought I would give some of my own based on experience.
1. BBC has "Don't turn your back". I second this. The only reason you should turn your back is if you are swiveling to get out of a dog's grip, paw or mouth.
2. Loud noises do not help. Most times, when a dog is in attack mode, they are only sparked on by screaming and yelling.
3. Hit the dog, I suggest if you are locked onto by a dog's jaws, you whack it in the mouth as much as possible until it lets go. A dog's nose is most sensitive. Just remember, once it breaks its grip on your flesh, it will come back for more, so getting another object as a weapon can sometimes help.
4. Be confident and aggressive if you are already being bitten. Scare it. Being scared yourself will only let it overpower you and you will be worse off.
5. Do not run. You will never outrun that dog. Dogs that see prey "in flight" get more excited and more encouraged to attack.
Ways to avoid a dog attack:
1. Do not pet strange dogs. duh. If a dog wanders into your yard that you do not know, leave it alone.
2. If faced with a hostile animal, do not make eye contact. That is an intimidation tactic and can only make them more prone to attack.
3. If you see dogs fighting, unless you are a professional dog trainer/behaviorist, do not attempt to get between them. Make noise - whistle, call a dog's name. You can be seriously injured caught in the crossfire of a dog fight.
4. Stop bathing in bacon grease. It isn't good for your complexion and the neighbor's dog isn't afraid to get his muzzle dirty.
Okay, so the last tip was just a joke, but if you do indeed bathe in bacon grease, you are totally asking for it.
other reads:
BBC
1. BBC has "Don't turn your back". I second this. The only reason you should turn your back is if you are swiveling to get out of a dog's grip, paw or mouth.
2. Loud noises do not help. Most times, when a dog is in attack mode, they are only sparked on by screaming and yelling.
3. Hit the dog, I suggest if you are locked onto by a dog's jaws, you whack it in the mouth as much as possible until it lets go. A dog's nose is most sensitive. Just remember, once it breaks its grip on your flesh, it will come back for more, so getting another object as a weapon can sometimes help.
4. Be confident and aggressive if you are already being bitten. Scare it. Being scared yourself will only let it overpower you and you will be worse off.
5. Do not run. You will never outrun that dog. Dogs that see prey "in flight" get more excited and more encouraged to attack.
Ways to avoid a dog attack:
1. Do not pet strange dogs. duh. If a dog wanders into your yard that you do not know, leave it alone.
2. If faced with a hostile animal, do not make eye contact. That is an intimidation tactic and can only make them more prone to attack.
3. If you see dogs fighting, unless you are a professional dog trainer/behaviorist, do not attempt to get between them. Make noise - whistle, call a dog's name. You can be seriously injured caught in the crossfire of a dog fight.
4. Stop bathing in bacon grease. It isn't good for your complexion and the neighbor's dog isn't afraid to get his muzzle dirty.
Okay, so the last tip was just a joke, but if you do indeed bathe in bacon grease, you are totally asking for it.
other reads:
BBC
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Accidents Happen
A common myth is that more suicides occur around the holidays. This is totally false. The majority of suicides occur during the spring months. Something that is not a complete farce, however, is the fact that there are more traffic accidents around holiday time due to more people being on the road, whether alcohol is involved or not.
Sadly, a lot of these accidents are fatal. People are rendered in comas and families are devastated, but the one thing illuminated in this ill-set light is hope. Not of the family of a brain-dead person, but of the family of someone waiting for an organ.
There are roughly 82K people waiting for an organ this very minute. There are 74 organ transplants done a day, while 19 die waiting for one. This is every day. In 2004, around 27,000 people received organ donations.
Why should you donate your or your family member's organs?
Because one body can help up to 50 people.
Organ donaters declared 'deceased' with viable organs are immediately entered into a national database. Their blood type, weight, height, and location are all inputted and it immediately spits out a list of the best possible matches for their heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Shortly thereafter, matches are found for their corneas, skin, and bones.
Donating your organs normally doesn't delay funeral arrangements nor does it make open-casket funerals impossible.
After organs are donated, your family is kept in the loop. You find out where your organs have gone and who they helped, minus personal contact info. You are able to receive updates on those who's life you have gifted.
Another possibility, aside from death, is life. Donating umbilical cord blood after your baby is born can save lives. In recent years, 20K people were saved due to umbilical cord blood donations. The blood is used to help treat people with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia, and a host of other diseases. There is no centralized database for umbilical cord donations, but more and more hospitals are doing it, so please contact yours for more info.
So, in short, giving during the holidays doesn't stop at Macy's. Remember to check that box the next time you renew your license or make sure your family knows you want to give, even after you are gone.
Other reads:
Organ Donor
Life Gift
Sadly, a lot of these accidents are fatal. People are rendered in comas and families are devastated, but the one thing illuminated in this ill-set light is hope. Not of the family of a brain-dead person, but of the family of someone waiting for an organ.
There are roughly 82K people waiting for an organ this very minute. There are 74 organ transplants done a day, while 19 die waiting for one. This is every day. In 2004, around 27,000 people received organ donations.
Why should you donate your or your family member's organs?
Because one body can help up to 50 people.
Organ donaters declared 'deceased' with viable organs are immediately entered into a national database. Their blood type, weight, height, and location are all inputted and it immediately spits out a list of the best possible matches for their heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Shortly thereafter, matches are found for their corneas, skin, and bones.
Donating your organs normally doesn't delay funeral arrangements nor does it make open-casket funerals impossible.
After organs are donated, your family is kept in the loop. You find out where your organs have gone and who they helped, minus personal contact info. You are able to receive updates on those who's life you have gifted.
Another possibility, aside from death, is life. Donating umbilical cord blood after your baby is born can save lives. In recent years, 20K people were saved due to umbilical cord blood donations. The blood is used to help treat people with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia, and a host of other diseases. There is no centralized database for umbilical cord donations, but more and more hospitals are doing it, so please contact yours for more info.
So, in short, giving during the holidays doesn't stop at Macy's. Remember to check that box the next time you renew your license or make sure your family knows you want to give, even after you are gone.
Other reads:
Organ Donor
Life Gift
Monday, December 18, 2006
20 something and invincible? I think not.
I have become more and more alarmed by the trend 20 something people seem to be living. The unstated feeling of invincibility is crazy and unfounded, yet we seem to have an outbreak of it. A pandemic, if you will.
Well, with probably too much glee, let me burst their, and perhaps your, bubble.
500 young people, defined as being 35 years old or less, die every year from something called Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome(SADS), or Sudden Adult Death Syndrome depending on who you ask. This is a syndrome thought to be related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome(SIDS), but in the 18-35 age group. SADS is a non-traumatic, non-violent, and often undiagnosed cause of death. Due to current law, many deaths caused by SADS are determined "natural causes" because the heart wasn't sent on from the coroner to a specialist for further investigation or simply because SADS has to do with the electric abnormalities that occur in heartbeats and are no longer present as a telltale sign after death. Duh.
What, you are begging to know, are the causes, signs, and everything else you need to know so you don't suddenly keel over, dead?
SADS is caused by cardiac arrhythmia. A-say what, you ask? Cardiac arrhythmia is when your heartbeat is funky. It cha-chas or waltzes instead of foxtrots. CA's, let's shorten that up as it is a lot to type, are caused by heart disease, coronary artery disease, valve disorders, and congenital heart defects. There are a few genetic disorders that cause CA's as well. The main genetic disorders are Long QT Syndrome, Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, and Brugada Syndrome. These all are present at birth and affect the heartbeat.
So, now you know what causes SADS, but how do you recognize it? Sometimes the symptoms of SADS is...nothing. That's right. You just die. Lucky ones will get syncope(fainting spells), blackouts, dizziness, shortness or breath, or chest pain. These symptoms typically occur during times of physical exertion or emotional upset. These should serve as a huge warning sign that something is NOT right. The twinge in your chest from hiking that Ikea desk up your 5th floor walk-up is not normal. You are not 80, you are 20-something.
Diagnosing a heart problem can be the first step to preventing SADS. As I said earlier, a lot of the causes of arrhythmias are genetic. These are present at birth, caused by autosomal dominant or recessive genes. Sometimes arrhythmias can be caused by medication, so it is a good idea to tell your doctor if you experience any of the symptoms I listed, even if they have never happened before and you have been on the same medication for years. To diagnose these heart problems is fairly simple and painless. You can have an electrocardiogram(ECG) or an echo cardiogram(ECHO), which will help define what exactly is wrong with your heart, where, and in what patterns.
Once a heart problem is diagnosed, 90% of the disorders can be treated by use of beta blockers. Yes, I said treated, not cured. Sometimes surgery can help.
Aside from SADS, some 700,000 young people suffer from some sort of arrhythmia, ranging from mild to severe. Some know, some don't.
To break it down for you, 1 person from 18-35 dies every week from SADS. It hits them and they are gone, leaving family and a whole life ahead of them behind, without warning.
So, don your cape and mask, hit Macy's during the holidays like there's no tomorrow. When you feel faint and your chest hurts after you walk the 12 blocks home with bags in hand, just remember it probably isn't from your triple espresso cafe au lait mocha calorie-laden-accino. Call your doctor.
Other reads:
BBC Health
SADS UK
C.R.Y.
Well, with probably too much glee, let me burst their, and perhaps your, bubble.
500 young people, defined as being 35 years old or less, die every year from something called Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome(SADS), or Sudden Adult Death Syndrome depending on who you ask. This is a syndrome thought to be related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome(SIDS), but in the 18-35 age group. SADS is a non-traumatic, non-violent, and often undiagnosed cause of death. Due to current law, many deaths caused by SADS are determined "natural causes" because the heart wasn't sent on from the coroner to a specialist for further investigation or simply because SADS has to do with the electric abnormalities that occur in heartbeats and are no longer present as a telltale sign after death. Duh.
What, you are begging to know, are the causes, signs, and everything else you need to know so you don't suddenly keel over, dead?
SADS is caused by cardiac arrhythmia. A-say what, you ask? Cardiac arrhythmia is when your heartbeat is funky. It cha-chas or waltzes instead of foxtrots. CA's, let's shorten that up as it is a lot to type, are caused by heart disease, coronary artery disease, valve disorders, and congenital heart defects. There are a few genetic disorders that cause CA's as well. The main genetic disorders are Long QT Syndrome, Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, and Brugada Syndrome. These all are present at birth and affect the heartbeat.
So, now you know what causes SADS, but how do you recognize it? Sometimes the symptoms of SADS is...nothing. That's right. You just die. Lucky ones will get syncope(fainting spells), blackouts, dizziness, shortness or breath, or chest pain. These symptoms typically occur during times of physical exertion or emotional upset. These should serve as a huge warning sign that something is NOT right. The twinge in your chest from hiking that Ikea desk up your 5th floor walk-up is not normal. You are not 80, you are 20-something.
Diagnosing a heart problem can be the first step to preventing SADS. As I said earlier, a lot of the causes of arrhythmias are genetic. These are present at birth, caused by autosomal dominant or recessive genes. Sometimes arrhythmias can be caused by medication, so it is a good idea to tell your doctor if you experience any of the symptoms I listed, even if they have never happened before and you have been on the same medication for years. To diagnose these heart problems is fairly simple and painless. You can have an electrocardiogram(ECG) or an echo cardiogram(ECHO), which will help define what exactly is wrong with your heart, where, and in what patterns.
Once a heart problem is diagnosed, 90% of the disorders can be treated by use of beta blockers. Yes, I said treated, not cured. Sometimes surgery can help.
Aside from SADS, some 700,000 young people suffer from some sort of arrhythmia, ranging from mild to severe. Some know, some don't.
To break it down for you, 1 person from 18-35 dies every week from SADS. It hits them and they are gone, leaving family and a whole life ahead of them behind, without warning.
So, don your cape and mask, hit Macy's during the holidays like there's no tomorrow. When you feel faint and your chest hurts after you walk the 12 blocks home with bags in hand, just remember it probably isn't from your triple espresso cafe au lait mocha calorie-laden-accino. Call your doctor.
Other reads:
BBC Health
SADS UK
C.R.Y.
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