Protecting Veterans From Mesothelioma

In recent news, a San Francisco-based chemical risk assessment company claims that the United States Navy was ahead of the game when they attempted to protect veterans and civilians from mesothelioma back in the 1960s. At that time, U.S. Naval ships were heavily laden with asbestos, making Navy servicemen among the most common victims of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects the mesothelium, which is a protective layer surrounding the organs of the body. It has since been determined that there is a direct correlation between asbestos exposure and a person's likelihood of developing mesothelioma.
Understanding the Risks Associated with Asbestos
Researchers, Kara Franke and Dennis Paustenbach, examined dozens of published and unpublished documents on asbestos knowledge between the years of 1900 to 1970, and were able to determine that the Navy actually understood the health hazards of asbestos as far back as the 1930's. However, despite the known risks and dangers of asbestos, the Navy continued to require its use on ships. The Navy also recommended that certain precautions be taken in order to handle asbestos-laden materials more carefully. After mesothelioma was clearly linked to asbestos in the 1960's, the ChemRisk researchers claimed that the Navy "attempted to implement procedures that would minimize the opportunity for adverse effects on both servicemen and civilians."
Too Little; Too Late
Despite precautions taken by the U.S. Navy, countless U.S. Naval veterans have subsequently developed mesothelioma. Part of the inherent danger associated with mesothelioma stems from its latency period where it can take as long as 40 years to even become symptomatic after asbestos exposure. For many Naval veterans, this meant that they had already set themselves up for the likelihood that they would develop mesothelioma based on their previous asbestos exposure during the 1940's and 1950's. Additionally, thousands of people working in other non-Naval industries were also exposed to asbestos and have the potential to develop mesothelioma either because their employers were unaware of the dangers, or simply because they mindfully chose to ignore the growing evidence of the material's toxicity and carcinogenicity.
The results of Franke and Paustenbach's study was published in the journal Inhalation Toxicology, and stated that, by as early as 1930, "it was clear that occupational exposure to asbestos caused a unique disease (asbestosis)". Understanding of asbestos increased steadily between about 1938 and 1965 during which time "a considerable amount of exposure and epidemiology data was collected" by private and government scientists. Franke and Paustenbach's study was recently presented at the 21st annual International Society of Exposure Science meeting in Baltimore. Maryland.
Treating Mesothelioma in the U.S. Today
Today, in the United States alone, more than 2,000 cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year. And while the treatments for some forms of cancer are improving, the prognosis for those who are diagnosed with mesothelioma is still challenging. Today, multi-modality treatments, immune therapies and gene therapies are being investigated as potential therapeutic modalities for mesothelioma victims.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this article.

Families That Eat Together Experience Improved Health

In North America today, obesity has become the national health crisis. It has risen to near epidemic proportions not just amongst adults but also amongst children. Many households are so busy with work, school and childcare responsibilities that the notion of having a regular family meal together has all but gone by the way side. Because of this, more and more families eat meals out either in fast food establishments or other restaurants and it is estimated that the average family spends more than 40% of its disposable income on restaurant meals of one sort or another. This practice has become so prevalent in North American households that a family meal is most often relegated to a holiday dinner or some other special occasion. As the children move into their teenage years, this becomes even an even more common practice.
Studies indicate that families that take most of their meals out suffer more negative consequences than just those associated with poor nutrition. Eating most meals away from the home leads to markedly poorer overall health and poorer nutrition. It is also leads to higher risk for obesity.
Trying to convince busy working parents of this notion in such a way that will encourage them to take more time planning weekly menus, grocery shopping and preparing family meals has been a difficult process for physicians and dieticians alike.
Recently, research scientists at Rutgers University began looking at this issue with a goal of developing a model that could be implemented to teach parents about the importance of sitting down with their family for a meal. They looked at reports on 68 previously published studies that had looked at the relationship between children's health and whether or not the family regularly had family meals together. They looked closely at how often those family meals were occurring and what kind of food was being presented at them and consumed by the family members. They were trying to determine if families who sat down for a family meal together on a regular basis had lower obesity rates when compared to those which did not have family meals together regularly.
At first glance at the literature, they determined that children who had regular family meals had higher intake of three important food groups: fruits, vegetables and calcium-rich foods. They also noted that these children consumed more fiber in their diets. Additionally, the more often a family ate their meals together, the less frequently children consumed food items that are considered harmful to a person's health. They found only a weak link between obesity risk amongst children who ate more family meals but they noted that those children tended to have much lower body mass index levels than those that did not.
From this research, the scientists were able to develop a simple to understand conceptual image which presents their findings in a way that is easy to understand.
The scientists were able to glean a great amount of valuable information which can be used to teach parents how to make better decisions when it comes to the food choices they make for their families. Although many people already know most of this information intuitively, most do not have the time or education needed to interpret scientific reports of this nature. They instead rely on headlines which are broadcast through the media which detail individual studies many of which do not accurately present the information which is contained in the study. The Rutgers University scientists hope that their study of the way in which family meals and children's health is impacted and their creation of a user-friendly image which summarizes their findings visually will eventually lead to health interventions which benefit many children.

How to Check Your Timing

As economic news points to continuing weak growth, many more citizens are turning to less traditional methods of earning money, and multi-level marketing business opportunities hold the promise of a profitable career. Most home-based businesses are legitimate, so reps sign up relatively quickly, sometimes over objections of friends and family who've all heard horror stories about someone else they knew who had zero success in spite of taking recommended action by their upline, paying for monthly auto-ship and calling on their warm market.
Research really IS your friend, so go slow
One of the enduring truths about work from home businesses is that many people decide to start a home business when they need money RIGHT NOW. Others join an income opportunity because they heard a presentation from a friend. But in either case the decision isn't made based on confident, well-researched, proactive business-building actions. It's based on the timing of their need or their friend's need to fill chairs in the hotel meeting room.
The timing that is critically important to building a successful downline and generating the coveted residual income that is the dream of network marketers across the globe is timing in the targeted company AND their particular niche in the industry. MLM companies come and go, though there are a handful that have been household names for many years. More likely there have been hundreds even thousands that have started and ended with barely anyone ever hearing of them.
You just graduated last week, Doctor?
Timing in the company means that, because of the likelihood that most new businesses whether MLM or traditional brick & mortar fail in a short period of time, it's a dicey proposition to hitch your wagon, your future and your reputation to a brand-new unproven (or prelaunch) home business. Just think how much money you could lose and how many relationships you'll have to try to repair when it goes south. Think about your aunt who was on auto-ship for your skin-care lotions and helped you host in-home parties at her condo and invited all of her friends. Then there's your best pal from college whom you sold on the idea that she had to get into your opportunity so you could meet your sponsoring goals and she'd soon be able to buy that BMW she's always wanted. Handling the fall-out of a failed company is much worse when it affects more than just you. Companies that are less than two years old should make you think REALLY hard about joining.
Another big consideration relating to timing is the status and health of the industry in which a company operates. For example, technology-related companies can seem like definite winners given the productivity of that market as well as the seemingly endless numbers of potential customers and distributors that are available to ramp up your bonus check. Just remember that businesses that rely on the latest technology for their services or products can change virtually overnight and what once appeared to have unlimited upside can lead from profitable strong legs to money-losing, disappearing downlines. A health and wellness home-based business that sells supplements and potions can still fail, but it doesn't rely on cutting-edge gadgets to turn a profit and adhere to its compensation plan.
Like all other aspects of being an entrepreneur and building a profitable residual income, an MLM opportunity requires education. Do your homework about the work from home industry before thinking about getting in on the groundfloor. Being your own boss means doing your research first.

Learn French And Speak Fluently Like A Native

English is a Germanic language, while French is a Latin language. Despite this, English speakers might find it easier to learn French than to master other languages, such as Korean. Both England and France had a lot of influence over each other throughout the years. One of the first steps when determining how to learn French is to learn the major differences between French and English.
Accents are one thing found on French words that are not found on most English words. Accents can change how a word is pronounced. French conjugations are different for each grammatical person, while they are different for third person singular in English.
Another thing that English speakers might find strange is that all nouns and most pronouns have a gender. Many adjectives, nouns, verbs and articles have different forms depending on the gender of the noun. English speakers might also have a hard time remembering how silent consonants at the end of words are pronounced at the beginning of the next word.
In the early stages, French students should learn basic French vocabulary and learn the differences between French and English grammar. Doing so will lay the groundwork for the student's education. The good news is that there are many words that are shared between English and French. There are also many words that are similar to English, but not identical. However, English-speaking students should be careful, since many words might sound like an English equivalent, but mean something completely different.
As students become more comfortable with learning how to write and speak French, they should try to get into a conversation with someone about French. Two English-speaking students can practice French together. However, if either student makes a mistake, they might not notice the mistake. For this reason, students are better off either taking a class and receiving assistance from a qualified instructor or having conversations with native French speakers.
Those who wish to become fluent in French will eventually want to find an opportunity to have conversations with native French speakers. Only a native speaker would be able to determine if a non-native French speaker is pronouncing French correctly. Students also can develop more confidence when speaking to native French speakers, since they will then know for sure that they are using French correctly.
The best way to practice French is to spend a lot of time in a country that predominantly speaks French, a technique known as immersion. Those who are immersed in a culture will be forced to develop competency as a French speaker. Those immersed in a French culture should make sure to consume anything they can in French. They should not visit English language websites and should spend most of their time speaking to French speakers in their native language. Non-native French speakers should also practice thinking in French. For example, when creating a list of things to do, the non-native speaker should think about the things that must be completed while using the French words.
Not everyone can visit a French-speaking country. Fortunately, there are many online services that will teach people how to learn French by setting them up with a language exchange. Language exchange services have students take turns speaking their native language and the foreign language that they wish to learn. This can be done face-to-face or online.