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Vuvuzelas and the Weather

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Bear with me, I’m sure there is a wellness tip in this topic somewhere. Regardless, I just couldn’t resist this one. So let’s get started.

Part 1. It’s been widely understood by meteorologist that rain drops, hail stones, snowflakes and all forms of precipitation require some particle to serve as a nucleus on which moisture can condense. The long standing belief was that these particles were microscopic dust, dirt and such. Some new research from Montana State University is revealing that there’s a biological rather than geological source to our weather.

The new research shows that for water to condense on dust or dirt and form ice crystals, the water needs to be much colder than the temperatures found in clouds. In analyzing hailstones from a Montana hailstorm in June 2010, researchers found an abundance of bacteria at the cores of the stones, leading them to conclude that bacteria was serving as the nucleus rather than mineral sources.

In fact, microbiologists have determined that clouds are filled with bacteria, fungi, diatoms, and algae that can serve as nuclei for the formation of precipitation. One well studied bacteria, pseudomonas syringae is known for its ability to bind water molecules. P. syringae is a plant pathogen that causes frost damage which then enables the bacteria to invade the plant cell. In the atmosphere, P. syringae is found in ice crystals and snowflakes across the globe, including Antartica which is void of plant life, verifying its abundance in the atmosphere.

Part 2. Last year’s Soccer World Cup brought the vuvuzela to the world’s consciousness as a superior noise maker for sporting fans. Recently, organizers of the 2012 Olympic Games in London England announced that they are considering banning the vuvuzela from the games, not just because of their loud noise, but also because of their ability to spread airborne virus and bacteria.

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that just as with a cough or sneeze, blowing through a vuvuzela produced similar airborne projectiles. Using a laser measuring device, researchers found that on average 658,000 lung particles per liter of air were expelled from the horn at a rate of 4 million per second. By comparison, only 3,700 particles were expelled per liter of air while shouting, at a rate of only 7,000 per second.

Critics of the proposed ban are calling for better vuvuzela etiquette rather than restricting the horns entirely. Perhaps, just as with a cough or sneeze, we should expect people to cover their vuvuzela before blowing. Either way, with all of the vuvuzela blowing during last year’s World Cup, you’d expect a lot of airborne particles floating around the atmosphere.

Part 3. So with all of those airborne particulates of bacteria and other stuff from the lungs of the soccer fans in South Africa last summer, and given the increased ability of certain bacteria to be better nuclei for rain, snow and hail, it would stand to reason that Cape Town experienced some whoppers of a thunderstorm during the soccer tournament. That’s a study that I’d like to see the results of!

But for now, please aim your vuvuzela into your sleeve the next time you blow. Thank you.

About Paul Kulpinski, LMT

Paul Kulpinski is a licensed massage therapist, holistic wellness educator and co-founder of Mountain Waves Healing Arts in Flagstaff, Arizona. Information contained in this blog should not be taken as medical advice. Readers are advised to validate the information presented here with other sources including your personal physician for information specific to you.

Simple Solutions to Prevent the Spread of Flu Virus

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The current buzz in the media and around the water cooler is about the upcoming flu season, especially the H1N1 strain of influenza – or the “Swine Flu”. While the main focus of the discussion centers around getting immunized, there are some simple habits around good personal hygiene that are key to keeping the spread of virus in check.

First it’s important to remember that viruses, like all flu strains, are transmitted in airborne water particles usually launched by a cough or a sneeze from the person with the infection. Being in the vicinity of that cough or sneeze, you might inhale those water particles, or get some on your clothing or hands then touch your mouth, nose or eyes. Any of which will easily accept the water particle carrying the virus. Now, let’s get real. “Water Particles” is a nice way of saying mucus or saliva. That’s what you’re really breathing in or putting into your mouth from the other person, along with that flu virus. Yuck!

You don’t even need to be all that close to the person sneezing or coughing. The sneeze or cough can launch those mucus particles several feet and many of the micro-droplets will stay airborne for some time. Typically, these droplets are so fine that we don’t even see them, so we don’t have an awareness of their impact, until it’s too late and we’ve come down with the flu. Here’s a good video to explain an experiment by Ruth Carrico of the University of Louisville, designed to teach health care workers about the impact of a cough or sneeze from a patient. Watch it here.

The first thing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends is to stay home when you are sick to avoid spreading the virus. Secondly, they teach the practice of “covering your cough”. This is done by covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue. If a tissue is not available, they recommend using the crook of your arm (elbow) to block the cough or sneeze. This is different from when we were taught to cover your cough with your hand. The reason is (and the video shows this clearly) that all of the mucus particles and the virus are now on your hands when you cover your sneeze with your hand. When you then touch something, like a doorknob, a computer keyboard, or someone’s hand in a handshake, you’ve just transmitted that virus. You are less likely to transmit the mucus droplets via your elbow. Finally, if you do use a tissue, throw it away. Don’t reuse it. Then wash your hands. More on that later.

For those of us who use a handkerchief, while the CDC doesn’t specifically address them, handkerchiefs are reused through out the day and are more likely to spread virus as those moisture laiden “snot rags” are fermenting away in your pocket. While I always carry one, it’s probably a better idea to use a disposable tissue during flu season.

The CDC also recommends washing your hands regularly during the day, especially after coughing or sneezing, after using the restroom, before preparing and/or eating food, the list goes on. The see the complete list, click here. When washing your hands, use warm water to wet your hands. Then lather with soap and rub all of the surfaces of your hands: the palms, back of your hands, and especially the fingernails. Continue rubbing for at least 20 seconds. Then rinse with warm water and dry your hands with a paper towel.

If soap and water are not available, the CDC recommends using an alcohol based hand sanitizer by applying it to one hand then rubbing both hands together covering the surfaces of both hands and fingers with the product. Continue rubbing until your hands are dry.

Finally, keep your immune system supported with plenty of sleep, regular physical exercise, nutritious foods, plenty of water and manage your stress with regular massage therapy, meditation, yoga or tai chi.

Sure go ahead and get the flu shot, but you’ll still need to practice these simple personal hygiene techniques to keep yourself and those around you protected.

Sources:

CDC: Seasonal Influenza

CDC: Clean Hands Saves Lives

How Far Can A Cough Spread Germs?

University of Louisville Cough Simulation Video

Discovery Channel News: Coughing Robot Spews Flu Germs

About Paul Kulpinski, LMT

The Paradox of Dehydration

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A friend recently commented that she resumed her workout routine of running but found that every time she exercised, her nose began to run and she sneezed constantly for hours afterward. I explained that the problem might be that she was dehydrated. This created a paradox for her. Why would a body that was dehydrated eliminate more water? The answer lies in the body’s water management system.

The human body contains on average about 70% of it’s weight in water. For the average adult, that’s about 10 – 12 gallons. Water is the medium through which all of the functions of your body’s systems operate. Water transports nutrients, hormones and enzymes through out your body. It conducts the electrical currents that run through your nervous system. It lubricates joints, moistens the respiratory system and regulates body temperature. Water is so essential to life that we can’t survive without it for much more than three to six days. That’s because we lose about 3-4 quarts a day through the normal process of sweating, elimination through urine and bowel movement as well as normal breathing. All of that water needs to be replaced each day.

Most people expect the water loss through sweating and urinating, but breathing is often overlooked. We lose about 1-2 quarts of water a day just from breathing! If you doubt this, think of the cloud your breath produces on a winter day. Or the fog that you create on a cold mirror when you breathe on it. That’s water vapor from your body! As the body becomes dehydrated (after about 2% of your water content has been lost), the body begins to activate its water management system: kidneys begin to slow the elimination of waste products, thereby conserving water in the blood stream, digestion slows, body temperature rises and the nose will begin to run.

This leads us to the paradox. If the body is trying to horde water, why would the nose begin to run? Remember we lose at least a quart of water during the day just from exhaling. That water is transferred out of the body through the lining of the nose, bronchial tubes and alveoli of the lungs as vapor. If the body covers the respiratory tract with a mucus coating, which is thicker and more viscus than the water vapor, it can reduce much of the water lost during respiration. The water lost by the dripping nose is inconsequential to the potential loss through vapor during exhalation. It’s a trade off that is worth it in the long run. So that’s why my friend’s nose begins to run. But what about the sneezing?

The primary mechanism of the body’s water management system during dehydration is the neurotransmitter histamine. Histamine is integral to the body’s immune system and triggers inflammatory responses when needed. Inflammation is basically the re-distribution of the body’s water to a localized area to create swelling. This might sound familiar, since many people routinely take anti-histamines to suppress the inflammatory responses to pollens and dust that create an allergic reaction.

When the body is dehydrated, more histamine starts circulating in the blood stream trying to manage the remaining supply of water. This sets up the body to become hyper-sensitive to any trigger (like a grain of pollen or spec of dust) that would cause an allergic over-reaction – like the continuous sneezing that my friend mentioned she experiences.

So my recommendation to her is to increase her daily water intake to 1/2 of her body weight in ounces per day. This is a good rule of thumb for the average person at an average activity level. Someone who exercises more or lives in a dryer climate (like Flagstaff) might require even more daily water. But this is a good place to start. If the symptoms persist after a day or two at this increased level of water intake, then dehydration as a source has been eliminated and other sources need to be explored. But there’s not harm in ruling out dehydration first. Best of all, water is free!

Sources:

About Paul Kulpinski, LMT