Mosquito bites far worse than cozying up to bed-bugs, say experts

The thought of a bed-bug in the mattress or clothes is a dreadful thought. But skin specialists warn mosquito bites are far worse. Experts from the American Academy of Dermatology say bed-bugs might make you flinch, but mosquitoes spread disease that should be avoided.

Knowing which bugs carry disease is important for health

Bug bites cause reactions that are usually easy to manage. Mosquitoes are especially dangerous because they spread disease that can be fatal. Most bug bites disappear within a few days. Mosquito bites can transmit potentially fatal encephalitis.

Ronald P. Rapini, MD, FAAD, Josey professor and chair of the department of dermatology said at the at the American Academy of Dermatology’s Summer Academy Meeting 2011 in New York, “The key is knowing which insects pose the biggest risk and when it is necessary to see a dermatologist for treatment.”

For a mosquito bite that causes itching, swelling and redness, Rapini says a dermatologist can prescribe cortisone cream. But, the biggest concern is contracting a disease from the bite.

Outbreaks of Saint Louis encephalitis virus, dengue fever and West Nile virus can be spread by mosquitoes, leading to serious illness.

He says most people who contract Saint Louis encephalitis won’t become seriously ill, but those who do could experience inflammation of the brain. In some instances, the virus can be fatal.

Symptoms of illness from mosquito bite include headache, fever, vomiting and muscle aches.

Bed-bugs

Dr. Rapini says even though bed-bugs get a lot of attention, they’re not nearly as dangerous as mosquitoes.

They can be avoided by washing clothes after staying in hotels. Putting luggage on the luggage rack can keep bed-bugs from hitching a ride back home with you.

Bed-bug bites can be itchy and hard to get rid of, but they don’t spread disease like mosquitoes.

Maggots

The human bot fly can be transmitted to the skin via mosquitoes in the jungles of Central America. The egg of a maggot can burrow into the skin where it stays until it’s removed.

“Maggots hate to have the hole in the skin covered, so the best way to get them out is to slap a piece of pork fat or meat over the affected area of the skin for a few hours,” said Dr. Rapini. “The maggot is naturally drawn to the meat and will come out from under the skin and attach itself to the meat instead.”

Most bugs don’t pose a big threat to humans. The best strategy is to prevent mosquito bites. Rapini recommends wearing long-sleeved shirts when outdoors in the evening and using an insect repellent with DEET, which can be children.

Bed-bugs and maggots under the skin sound worse than they are. It seems mosquitoes are far worse than other insects, making it important to prevent bites that can cause serious illness and viral outbreaks.

What Does A Medical Alarm Do For Seniors

At sometime in life, whether it's your mom, dad, aunt, uncle, family, or a friend... life can become difficult.

Mom could fall and not be able to call for help. Aunt Tillie's arthritis could flare up not allowing her to get out of the tub. Dad could slip in the shower and not have a Button to push for help. Uncle Joe could have a heart attack and not have a Button to push to get help.

Most of our family members, or us, wait until an emergency occurs before getting a medical alert device. Some refuse to use a system even after their first incident and therefore have the same fall, heart attack, stroke, breathing difficulty... or whatever kind of threat... yet again... with no way to summon help…because the can't reach the phone for help to dial 911.

Here's the problem. Once a senior has fallen and waited hours for help to find them…they lose a portion of their self-confidence. By the time someone has fallen multiple times without immediate help…they start to become a different person…they become frail and sometimes afraid.

The best time to protect a loved one with a medical alert device is prior to any problem. I have become a young senior myself and I now stay safe with my own Button. It's the smart thing to do.

A loved one can remain living independently in their own home far longer by having a Button to push that will get them help when they need it most.

By http://www.seniorsafety.com/

Top Ten House Alarm and Home Security Devices

Home Alarm Systems

A man’s home is his castle, as the saying goes. But homes today don’t normally feature ramparts, drawbridges, moats and six-foot thick stone walls to keep out unwanted visitors. Today, a house alarm, and preferably a managed home security system, is needed to ensure your home’s security. Not only does installing a home security system improve the safety of your family and possessions, but it can also decrease your home insurance costs. The Top Ten House Alarm and Home Security Devices list highlights ten devices and features of home security systems that can make your house a safer place.

The Top Ten

10. Talking Devices help you to understand the status of your home and monitoring as well as program the system. Some security systems feature talking master control panels, key pads or remotes. The talking feature may not result in great conversation, but it will help you understand your system a little better.

9. Some home alarm systems include extras like Key Fobs and Remotes to control the system at a distance. Somewhat similar to a car’s key fob, home security key fobs include buttons to activate and deactivate the house alarm system. Some even include a “panic” button that activates the house alarm and alerts the proper authorities in the event of an emergency. Remote controls are similar and often larger. The features of remotes vary greatly and can include a full key pad, a talking feature and a panic button as well.

8. Yard Signs and House or Window Decals advertise your home’s protection. The Greenwich Study of Residential Security found that homes without alarms were 2.7 to 3.5 times more likely to be burglarized, and that the most effective deterrent was the alarm monitoring company’s yard sign (SIA Research Update, Security Industry Association, October 2001). Some choose to post the signs to deter possible break-ins without actually installing a home alarm system. While this effort will lower the odds of an attempted burglary, a yard sign alone cannot fully protect your home.

7. A Back-Up Power Supply is important in maintaining home security even during a power outage, when the risk of break-ins and looting is increased. Your home alarm should be effective even when your power is not. The easiest to maintain back-up power supplies use standard size batteries. Look for a model that uses rechargeable batteries to lower your maintenance costs.

6. Smoke Detectors add another layer of protection to your home, especially when they are integrated into the home alarm system. Not only do smoke detectors indicate a fire and give you time to escape safely, but when included in a home security package, they automatically notify the managing company and the fire department. Some systems even integrate the power supply to the smoke detectors. That means you don’t have to change the batteries ever.

5. Wireless Systems protect your home without adding extra cords to trip over or extensive installation of in-wall cords. In wireless house alarm systems, each sensor or keypad communicates with the master control panel via radio frequencies or existing wiring in your home. A burglar will never be able to disarm the system by snipping the wires. This ensures the system is fully integrated and monitoring all parts of your home without using up your outlets or creating an obstacle course of wires for you.

4. Extra Key Pads are also important. Exterior mounted key pads can provide secure keyless entry to your family. Some systems also offer remote control key pads which are lightweight and portable. A home alarm system that features a security code with a key pad increases the security of your home. A monitored system can also lock down entry after several repeated, failed attempts at entry which indicate a possible break-in attempt.

3. Key pads may not always be enough to keep burglars out. Sensors on Windows and Doors reduce the risk of a burglar entering undetected and are a key part of a home alarm system. Motion Detectors within the home also increase the level of security. The most sophisticated motion detectors include a feature to ignore pets’ movement to avoid constantly setting the alarm off inadvertently.

2. Installation, Monitoring, and Repair Services increase not only the level of safety but the convenience of keeping your home safe. A house alarm alone cannot notify the police or fire department in the event of an emergency. The most complete systems include buttons to notify police departments, fire departments and medical help instantly. Another advantage offered by the best monitoring companies is live customer support and full service installation and repair of the system by employees who have been background checked, licensed and drug tested to ensure your safety. Finally, some companies even offer relocation services to keep you secure even when you move.

1. The classic Master Control Panel is vital to any home alarm system. The central hub of the system, the control panel is usually wall-mounted in an easily accessible place. The panel receives information from all other sensors and key pads, computes it, and transmits relevant information to the monitoring company. If you choose to arm the system from the panel when you leave the house, the master control panel also receives the disarm code when you return home. Some can even be disarmed by telephone.

Of course, this list is not comprehensive, and the needs of every home and homeowner are different. For more tips on choosing the right home alarm system and features to protect your house, I recommend visiting alarmoneinc.com.

About the Author: Boyd Norwood is a web content specialist for 10x Marketing. For more information on house alarm and home security systems, please visit alarmoneinc.com.

Medical Alert Necklaces

Elderly Alam System

Millions of persons suffer from a number of harmful medical conditions, which can include cardiovascular problems, diabetes, asthma, neurological disorders, allergies, fainting, epilepsy, memory loss or blindness, to name a few. People are not safe in their homes, for the fear of an attack occurring when they are home alone. Also, they may fear to venture out of their homes freely. The situation becomes all the more serious when a person lives alone. Also, financial constraints may compel him to work, even if he suffers from some serious debilitating ailment.

Medical Alert necklaces are very helpful for such persons. These necklaces and the pendants with them can be engraved with brief but vital medical bio data and the ID of the patient—for example, his or her name, telephone number, name of the doctor and a brief description of the person’s illness. They can be made in beautiful designs in steel, sterling silver or gold.
In addition to the above information, such necklaces can also be fitted with very small, lightweight and non-intrusive electronic medical alarm transmitter buttons designed to alert emergency services in the event of a medical problem.

For example, if you slip and fall in your bathroom and fracture your hip, all you need to do is to press the button on your necklace and you can get help in a short time. This system can connect to your home telephone line and place a call for help. Your family members, friends and physician receive the alert, and the doctor reaches you with the help you need. These gadgets may be expensive, but a little search may enable you to find you inexpensive medical alarm systems also. These devices are fitted with batteries, which have a pretty long life.

It is important, before buying such alarms or alert systems, that you make a thorough enquiry about the services of the monitoring agency- whether it is doing the monitoring itself, or contracted out the job. The monitoring should be professional and efficient, since lives are at stake. Efforts, therefore, should be made to buy the gadgets and services of a certified monitoring agency.

Medical Alerts provides detailed information about medical alerts, medical alert system, medical alert bracelets, medical alert necklaces and more.

Medical Alert Bracelets

Fashionable medical identification jewelry is a perfect solution for those who suffer from critical medical conditions like epilepsy, stroke, diabetes, heart transplant, fainting fits, asthma, memory impairment or blindness, and need to wear Medical Alerts or health monitoring systems, but are also image-conscious and hence do not want to wear matter crude gadgets or bands around their wrists.

If you personally survey the market, by surfing the Internet or by wading through the Yellow Pages or newspapers, you find a baffling variety of Medical Alert bracelets, if a bracelet is what your doctor has recommended. In a critical medical emergency, when you become helpless and cannot explain your condition, it is the medical information embedded in the bracelet that identifies you, along with the medical problem that is afflicting you. While the symptoms appearing at that critical moment baffle those around you, the medical description engraved on your bracelet may facilitate an early diagnosis, and an appropriate and timely treatment may save your life. The information legibly engraved on the front and backside of the bracelet also mentions the contact numbers of your family members and your doctor.

These bracelets come in a variety of attractive designs and price ranges. You can choose one that suits your pocket. They are made of sterling silver, gold or high-quality non-allergenic stainless steel polished to give a jewelry finish. Medical ID bracelets are available in all sizes for adults and children. The bracelet chains are fitted with a clasp that cannot open accidentally.

You should consult your doctor concerning what medical description about your problem should be engraved upon your bracelet. These bracelets can also be artistically fitted with transmitter buttons; pressing them activates some radio frequencies that raise an alarm in the base stations of the monitoring agency, which in turn alerts your family members and the doctor about the occurrence of the problem. The monitoring system talks directly to you in a very loud voice so that everyone can hear. In this way, medical aid or your relatives and friends can be summoned.

Medical Alerts provides detailed information about medical alerts, medical alert system, medical alert bracelets, medical alert necklaces and more.