Patricia Holden MD|

If you’ve read my previous post about some of the disease outbreaks that hit the world hard, then you should know how horrible diseases can be when they spread. It’s not only the death toll that is fearful about it but also the chaos that accompanies such outbreaks. People trying to isolate themselves so they don’t get infected, people begging to be cured, the disease-free trying to push away the infected…things like that.

A good example (where the newer generation can relate) of a scenario would be what occurred in World of Warcraft. You can read about it here. to summarize, people (players) avoided each other to avoid the effects of the “plague”. It became so popular that it attracted attention from the media. Medical researches even went so far as to claim that massively multiplayer roleplaying games could serve as a good platform for studying disease outbreaks. My husband would be so proud.

So exactly what do we do in case such things occur? SARS was one of the latest that hit the world and I believe you guys already know how that went. Anyway, like any illnesses, there are ways to avoid contracting them. Here are some good tips on how to do so.

Keep yourself clean - Take a bath often, wash your hands before eating and after using the toilet. Stuff like what our mothers once told us to do. Those practices were instilled in us for a reason. That is, to prevent us from getting sick. The healthier our body would be, the better it can protect from disease causing microorganisms.

Get immunization - I remember getting vaccinations since I can…uhh, remember things. Immunization is a good way of preventing certain diseases from entering your body. Just remember to keep them up. Just because you got a shot doesn’t mean it will last forever.

Watch what you eat - I’m not talking about diet, although I would also recommend that. What I really meant was to make sure that the food that you eat are well-prepared and in good condition. When I say well-prepared, I meant that it was cooked in a clean environment and cooked well enough to kill any bacteria that may have been present when it was still raw.

Don’t share personal items - Things like your toothbrush and comb should be used by yourself only. Especially your toothbrush, since it goes in your mouth and would be the easiest place for bacteria to enter. With that in mind, don’t share your glass and eating utensils unless you are absolutely sure that the other person is healthy. Better yet, don’t risk it.

Keep your pets healthy - It’s not only from people that you can get infected. Pet’s can be carriers too. With that said, it’s important to keep your pets healthy and have them vaccinated. Make sure to keep their environment clean as well so they don’t get sick.

Avoid traveling to high-risk places - Don’t travel to places where there’s an outbreak. It think that’s obvious enough. Before going anywhere, try to gather information about possible illnesses you may contract from the area as well as other potential dangers. This goes both ways as well. If you are sick or contracted a disease, avoid traveling to keep it from spreading to other people you meet.

Stay at home - If you already show signs of infection, then by all means stay at home! Try to keep your family members from leaving as well if possible as they may already be infected. Get a doctor immediately and admit yourself to the hospital when needed. We can do our part in preventing diseases from spreading by doing this. Well, unless you turn into a zombie.

I’ve been writing (or should that be typing?) about another jellyfish post earlier when my daughter came up to me and mentioned how beautiful they are. Having been stung by jellyfish before, the memory of the incident actually caused me to view them in a different way. However, thanks to my daughter’s comment, I became open to the idea of simply listing a few of the more beautiful jellyfishes I’ve seen.

Aequorea Victoria - A bioluminescent jellyfish. They are commonly found in Puget Sound, Washington State. Adult Aequorea victoria reach about 5 to 10 cm in diameter and live to around 6 months or less. They feed primarily on soft-bodied prey including other jellyfishes, ctenophores, and appendicularians. The luminescent protein and their fluorescent molecule have been cloned by scientists to produce a similar effect in other plants and animals.

Aurelia Aurita - Also called the moon jellyfish or saucer jellyfish. Simply look at the picture and you would see how it got its nickname. They can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Ocean and are the most common species of the genus Aurelia. It is only capable of limited motion and drifts along with the current. It feeds by stinging small plankton and mollusks with its tentacles and then bringing them to the body for digestion by contracting its tentacles in a corkscrew like manner. It is considered as food in countries such as China, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Chironex fleckeri - Known for its highly venomous sting, the box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri is one of the most dangerous jellyfish around. It is said that it can kill 60 adult humans in as little as 3 minutes. It is is the largest of the cubozoans, and is pale blue in color. What makes it extremely dangerous is it’s color which makes it virtually undetectable by swimmers. The only creature known to be immune to their stings are their predators - sea turtles. They can be found mostly near northern Australia and sometimes near Southeast Asia.

Chrysaora colorata - Also called the purple-striped jelly. It can be found mostly off the coast of California. Its body, known for the radial pattern of its stripes, can grow to around 70 centimeters in diameter. Even though it is not shown in the picture, it has 8 long tentacles and 4 shorter ones at the center.

Pelagia noctiluca - Also known as Mauve Stingers. Its name, Pelagia noctiluca was formed from the Greek words Pelagia meaning “of the sea”, nocti meaning “night”, and luca meaning “light” - in other words, its name refers to a sea creature that lights up in the dark. It can be found in warm temperate waters like the Mediterranean sea but there have also been sightings near Hawaii. According to one report back in November 21, 2007: an enormous 10-square mile swarm of billions of these jellyfish wiped out a 100,000-fish salmon farm in Northern Ireland. These days, mauve stingers are treated as a menace by mediteranean resort owners. Read about it here.

I was thinking of a follow-up post about jellyfish or jellyfish stings until I encountered this article about the growth of jellyfish population in oceans and how it is an indication that something has changed and how it poses as a threat to marine ecosystems. Usually, when someone mentions “species population” and “environmental degradation” we immediately think of words such as “pollution”, “global warming”, and “endangered species”. However, changes in the environment and ecosystems, or environmental degradation is not only hinted by a decline in a certain species’ population. A drastic increase or sightings of a certain species in one area (where it is uncommon) could also mean the same thing.

Phytoplanktons - I’m sure a lot of you have heard of this one, particularly in Ecology class. Anyway, phytoplanktons are best known to be one of the reasons for eutrophication (increase in primary productivity in lakes resulting in lack of oxygen needed by fishes to survive) in lakes and rivers. Eutrophication promotes excessive plant growth and decay and is likely to cause severe reductions in water quality. Enhanced growth of choking aquatic vegetation or phytoplankton disrupts the normal function of the marine ecosystem, causing a variety of problems. You won’t be able to see phytoplanktons directly, but a good sign of high density of their species in a body of water would be the water’s color itself. A bright green color would indicate that there are a lot of phytoplanktons in the water.

Crabs and other Crustaceans - 40 million years ago when the waters in the polar regions froze and lowered the temperature of the water around them, crabs and other marine predators were driven away. Now, with global warming becoming an issue and the temperature level of the waters around the poles increasing, those same predators are going back and would most likely be feeding on the defenseless marine creatures in their new territory. This would throw the ecosystem out of whack and would have a great impact on species diversity.

Jellyfish - Now for the article itself. According to Jacqueline Goy of the Oceanographic Institute of Paris, “Jellyfish are an excellent bellwether for the environment”. Why? This was answered by Ricardo Aguilar, the research director for Oceana, an international conservation organization. According to him, “Jellyfish have come to occupy the place of many other species; when vertebrates, such as fish, disappear, then invertebrates - especially jellyfish - appear. The collapse of fish populations boost this process in two important ways, he added. When predators such as tuna, sharks, and turtles vanish, not only do fewer jellyfish get eaten, they have less competition for food.” This not only poses a threat on the direct environment but also on humans as well. Just imagine encountering an army of those things while swimming. You’ll be covered in jellyfish stings and that would most likely prove fatal.

Time for another insect post. I’m not sure why I love writing about insects especially since I’m an internist, not a parasitologist. Anyway, after writing about dangerous insects and largest insects, I’ve decided to write about the smallest this time. Well, I doubt you’ll be able to see these without a microscope so I doubt you even know they exist. However, they do. So be afraid…be very afraid. (Just kidding.)

It’s amazing how some of the smallest insects in the world would be smaller than a protozoa (single-celled organism) and still have every part an insect should have. How they have functional cells of that size are astounding. These insects may be small but they can be very quick, too. As if they’re not already difficult enough to spot. One second they’re there, you blink and they’re gone. Here are five of the smallest insects in the world.

Dicopomorpha echmepterygis - Quite possibly the smallest insect in existence, the Dicopomorpha echmepterygis is a species of fairyflies found in Costa Rica. Fairyflies are not flies but parasitic wasps. The male of the species is blind and flightless can be considered the smallest insect in the world (talk about useless).

Megaphragma Caribea - A hymenopteran (insects having two pairs of membranous wings and an ovipositor specialized for stinging or piercing) parasite from Guadeloupe. It measures only 0.17 - 0.2 mm (around 0.007 in) long.

Feather-Winged Beetle - There are a lot of small beetles that are less than a millimeter in length. The Nanosella fungi, for example,  measures only 0.25mm and is one of the smallest insects in the world. Like other Nanosellinae, the feather-winged beetle inhabits spore tunes of polypore fungi. They can be found mostly in Southern and Eastern United States.

Grease Ants - Quite possibly the smallest ants, they are found in homes in Iowa. Like it’s namesake, they usually prefer greasy foods like fats or meat. They create nests in cracks of walls and cabinets and can be difficult to control. Insecticides may be effective but reappearance after a few days is quite common. A good strategy in catching them would be to use greasy foods (of course) along with baits. Lure them into strips of masking tape to catch them.

Nepticulid Moths - The Nepticulid Moth has a wingspan of only 0.1 inch and is the smallest known species of moth. Most moths have an average of 1 inch in wingspan so these are definitely small. They are not as small as most of the smallest insects but I wouldn’t want to fill this post with only fairyflies.

Let me interrupt my regular posts by raving about a vacation getaway I recently had. The destination? Michigan. My husband and I had been planning on a trip to Michigan just to visit some of the sights there but I honestly didn’t expect it to happen so soon. Talk about a surprise! Anyway, for the vacation we stayed at Mission Point Resort located at Mackinac Island, which is actually the first of two vacation spots I’m going to mention.

Mackinac Island is situated at Lake Huron. After reading about how cars are not allowed on the island, we planned it so we really don’t have to bring one. My daughter protested to the idea but I was able to convince her that commuting is a lot more fun. We rented some bicycles and she had lots of fun. The island was very beautiful especially with its history which you can discover by visiting Fort Mackinac. Next stop, Tahquamenon Falls.

I’ve visited a lot of waterfalls all over the country and this one does not disappoint. There are actually two water falls, the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls. The Upper Falls is the larger one and is most probably one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi.

I really enjoyed the vacation and I’m sure my husband and daughter did, too. If you’re planning a vacation for the summer, Michigan is a good place to consider. There are a few more vacation spots that we were not able to visit because of time restrictions but maybe next time we’ll get to do so. Maybe as a summer vacation.

Jellyfish stings are painful. Especially during the first five minutes after the sting. Do jellyfish stings hurt right away? As far as I know, yes. As soon as the stings of jellyfish (nematocysts) on the tentacles activate and inject venom, you should feel it right away. I did mention about it in a previous article but just a reminder, when you get stung, immediately try to get out of the water or seek help from nearby swimmers. The sting could lead to anaphylaxis and the victim has a high chance of drowning. Being stung by a box jellyfish type is a different matter entirely as their venom can be fatal to humans. For now, let’s focus on what materials we could use in first aid for jellyfish stings.

Vinegar - Probably the most recommended material to use when treating jellyfish stings. Vinegar deactivates the nematocysts (jellyfish sting cells). Afterwards, pluck the tentacles with forceps or scrape them off with the edge of a flat object like an ID card.

Saltwater - Well, it’s still being debated whether salt water or fresh water is better used for rinsing the stung part. Salt water was used when I got stung before so I’ll go with that. It is after all the most accessible material (you are near the sea or ocean, after all).

Urine - Urine is considered as a common folk remedy when treating jellyfish stings. And like most common folk remedies…they don’t work. There have been reports of jellyfish stings reactivating after being peed on so that means more pain. I wouldn’t try it if I were you.

We eat food daily…but did you know that some of what you are eating are actually aphrodisiacs? Like in my previous post, some foods and herbs act as aphrodisiacs. However, there is still no scientific proof that they indeed work as such and may be only in the mind of those who eat them. Here are some more that you may not know about.

Balut - Popular in the Philippines and Vietnam, balut is fertilized duck (or chicken) egg with an almost developed embryo that is boiled and eaten. They are common everyday foods in the Philippines and Vietnam. Balut became popular after it was featured in different television shows like Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Fear Factor, and Amazing Race. It is believed in the country to be an aphrodisiac.

Mamey Sapote Melon - Mamoy Sapote is a tree native to South America and Mexico. The fruit can be eaten by hand or turned into milkshakes or ice cream. The skin is rough like sand paper but the melon itself is creamy and sweet and is a popular delicacy. To tell when it is ripe, just peel a part of its skin and see if it’s already pink. It is also believed to be an aphrodisiac in the countries it is popular in.

Carrots - Yes, you read right. Carrots are also believed to be aphrodisiacs in some countries like in the Middle East. Although there are no known nutrients in carrots that aid in sexual stimulation, it does have beta-carotene and have high amounts of vitamins. Maybe it is because of its shape that some people use it to aid in increasing sexual desire. What do I mean? Use your imagination.

Avocado - Avocado is a tasty fruit that’s pretty common in South America, Mexico, and Central America. The requirement for the tree itself to grow is a climate with no frost and low winds. The soil it requires can only be found in countries like the United States, Philippines, Malaysia, Mexico, Central America, Peru, Chile, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The name refers to the fruit itself and originated from the Aztec word “Ahuacuatl” meaning “testicle”, referring to its shape. I don’t think I need to explain why people think of it as an aphrodisiac then.

Asafoetida - Also known as Devil’s Drug and can be found in India. The herb has a very strong garlic flavor when raw but develops a smooth flavor when used in cooked dishes. It is commonly used as a digestive aid but is also used as a sexual stimulant in Ayurvedic medicine. It has a very strong odor and must be kept in air-tight containers.

Aphrodisiacs are believed to increase sexual desire although there have been no medical evidence of any substance producing the effect. I bet with just the title, chocolate immediately came to mind. Yes, chocolate is one of these. There are also some others that seem to produce the effect. Based on different reports and findings, it may simply because of the people’s belief that they are indeed effective. Here are 5 of the said foods and herbs.

Chocolate - Well since it’s the most popular one, I’d feel dirty not to include it in the list. Chocolates have usually been used when courting and are some of the most popular gifts all over the world. The phenethylamine in chocolates could act as sexual stimulants and the pleasure from eating them could stimulate the hypothalamus (read: the one that is responsible for your emotions - it’s not really the heart that makes you feel such).

Oysters - Like mentioned earlier, there are actually no indication of oysters having a substance that improves sexual desire. Although it is possible that it may be the pleasure from eating them that stimulates the hypothalamus to produce a pleasurable sensation, it is also possible that it may be because of its shape. Just look at the picture.

Ginseng - Well, particularly red ginseng. It is basically Panax ginseng (Asian) that is harvested after 6 years then heated, either by sun-drying or steaming. It is then included as an ingredient in herbal drinks. Red ginseng is a known medicine in treating erectile dysfunction and is widely believed as an aphrodisiac.

Well, there are ways to making your room look a bit spacier. Colors, reflections, furnitures, these are some of those you can use to make it like so. I used these tips for redesigning my daughter’s bedroom last weekend so I know these really work.

Limit the amount of stuff in the room - Of course, the more stuff that are in there, the more it would look cramped. Take out some of the stuff that are in the way and if possible put them inside the closet, behind doors, etc… Make them hidden.

Lighter Colors - Not only on walls and ceilings, but also on the furniture. If possible stick to one color, alternating light then dark colors give the impression of breaking up in space so it doesn’t help. Put narrow stripes on the ceilings too to create an illusion of being higher.

Mirrors and Glass - These give the illusion of increased space. Reflective surfaces or see-through surfaces would make the room appear larger than it actually is. Put them strategically along the walls and use light fabrics on windows to make it appear like so and to improve lighting in the room.