What is Swine Flu?

Posted on July 4th, 2009

You may have heard about Swine Flu in the news and wondered what the disease really was, as well as whether you or your loved ones are at risk, and what can be done about it.

Swine Flu is the newest deadly disease that’s been taking a toll on human lives. There are many misconceptions regarding to the recent outbreak. Here are some basic things you should know about the Swine Influenza.

The Swine Flu epidemic is caused by the spread of the new H1N1 influenza virus strain, which was first detected last March. It was detected in three areas of Mexico, but it took a month for it to be clinically identified. Then strains of the virus were found in various Mexican cities, the USA., and other northern-hemisphere countries.

When the new Swine Flu strain found its way to Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Israel, and New Zealand, the World Health Organization decided to raise its pandemic alert level to 4. This means that the virus has a sustained human-to-human transmission.

But despite its high alert level, the WHO announced that most people who get the Swine Flu virus recover from it without the use of drugs or even medical attention.

The new Swine Flu virus is said to be the combination of several influenza strains. The analysis of the new H1N1 influenza strain, by the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, found that it is made from one strain which is endemic in humans, two strains endemic in Eurasian and American pigs, and one strain endemic in birds.

The world has been alarmed about the increasing death toll the Swine Flu epidemic has caused in Mexico. Both the WHO and the CDC has expressed concern that it can become a serious flu pandemic, because it can be transferred from human to human. Government agencies across the world are monitoring the situation at the moment and reporting to the World Health Organization about any suspected Swine Flu victims.

For unknown reasons, the only deaths known to occur as a result of the swine flu epidemic occurred in Mexico. It is seen to affect even young and healthy adults. Therefore, in theory, anyone can get the swine flu. Each one of us must therefore be cautious and try to avoid contact with sick people, even if they’re not affected by swine flu.

New Zealand is the lone southern-hemisphere country that has a confirmed case of swine flu. There are countries that have advised their citizens to refrain from travelling to infected areas, so that they will avoid getting it. Some countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, ban the import of pork products, as a precautionary measure against the epidemic.

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To learn how you can treat or prevent viruses, bacteria, illnesses, and diseases at home, with nothing but a blender and items you can find at your local grocery store, please visit Home Remedies, Natural Healing, & Alternative Health.

To learn more about Swine Flu, how to prevent it, and natural treatments, please visit Swine Flu.

Source Article: What is Swine Flu?

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Solar Cooling

Posted on July 4th, 2009

The best way to cool your home is to avoid using heat. But if can’t completely avoid the use of heat, and you certainly can’t prevent the heat which comes from the sun. Wind and solar cooling are among your options.

Solar heat can actually help cool your home. When a solar cooling system is set up properly, then the hotter the temperature gets, the cooler your home will be. You might wonder how this works …

You can use heat to cool your home by using the forces of nature to pump air and drive the heat away.

Here are some DIY projects that you can consider, in the quest for a cooler home:

1. You can try building a thermal or solar chimney. This is a heated chimney that collects and ejects heat from the interior of the house. Once the chimney collects heat from the sun, it creates a vacuum effect that sucks in cool air, while hot air exits through the top vent. Your chimney can be in the form of a hole in the floor with ducts through the roof. You can cap the chimney with a turbine that will catch air, to help release hot air out of the structure. If you set it up in this fashion, your thermal chimney will be a wind chimney as well. This solution will make your cooling system work during the day, when the sun is up, as well as during the night, when the wind is blowing.

2. You could also use an evaporative cooler. We all know that as water absorbs heat, it evaporates. Thus, when air travels over water, it cools down. This method should be used when the humidity level is low. And be sure to use preventive measures against health hazards that can be presented by stagnant water – such as malaria, mildew, and Legionnaire’s Disease. The size of you evaporative cooler would depend on the size of your home. It usually consists of a box containing the fan, and a wet pad. It can be mounted on your roof, or at the side of your house. You can use a windmill to circulate the water that keeps the pad wet. The fan will blow the air through the pad, and the air will eventually enter into the house through open windows or vents.

These are just some of the ways you can use solar and wind energy to cool your home. There are also kits you can buy – but like most DIY projects you can purchase what you need in a local hardware store. Commercially available kits are likely to cost more than what you would spend if you buy your parts separately, although they might also be faster and easier to set up.

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If you are looking for complete and step-by-step instructions on how to install DIY Wind and Solar Power systems, along with pictures, videos, and and diagrams, please see DIY Wind and Solar Cooling Methods.

For more basic information on solar cooling, see Solar Cooling

Source Article: DIY Wind and Solar Cooling Methods

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