In Matters Of Health
Exercises that don't require equipment
Work out the tough-to-reach muscles that pull in the belly, lift the backside, and trim the thighs.
Also: Climate change is making allergies worse
Now, isn't that just Peachy.Researchers found that not only is spring coming earlier, making for a longer allergy season, but warmer weather allows hickory and oak, two of the most allergenic tree species, to thrive almost everywhere in the US. Another factor: Some plants, such as ragweed, are actually making more pollen as the environment changes. "As trees that use the wind to pollinate undergo stress from heat or lack of water, they begin to produce more pollen to compensate," explained NWF climate scientist Amanda Staudt. Scientists have already observed this phenomenon in cities, where C02 levels are an average of 30 percent higher than in suburbs and rural areas. "Cities are where we’re seeing increased pollen production," explains Demain.
Hayfever's not the only allergic reaction that could worsen with climate change. Sometimes, pollen from certain plants can exacerbate food allergies to related plants, says Jeffrey Demain, director of the Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Center of Alaska. People who are genetically presdisposed to fruit and nut allergies, for example, may find that increased exposure to birch pollen makes their food reactions worse. Similarly, more ragweed pollen could aggravate symptoms in people allergic to melon. Also on the horizon: more aggressive poison ivy. A Duke university study found that poison ivy plants exposed to CO2 produced more potent urushiol, the allergen that causes the famous rash.
So is there any chance we'll adapt by becoming less allergic to all that pollen? Probably not, says Demain.
Let the sunshine in
Our fear of skin cancer is blinding us to our need for sunlight.
Bring on the rays . . .
“Sunlight is like a good champagne,” wrote Sir Henry Gauvain, an eminent British surgeon in the 1920s. “It invigorates and stimulates; indulged in to excess, it intoxicates and poisons.”
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of reasons why a patient's skin colour might change, but doctors might not notice a slight difference right away.
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