A lipid profile is typically a part of cardiac risk assessment process that helps diagnose whether you are exposed to the risk of heart diseases. Once done, the test results are analyzed to see the intensity of risk and then plan a course of treatment to curb it.

An important constituent of the cells, lipids are a cluster of fats or fat-like substances that serve as a source of energy. Monitoring and maintaining a healthy level of lipids is imperative for well-being.

If you have been noticing symptoms related to cardiovascular risks such as pain in the chest, neck, shoulder, upper back or lower abdominal, your doctor will most likely suggest you to get a lipid profile test done.

The test describes the following elements:

• Total Cholesterol – It measures cholesterol in all the lipoprotein particles.
• High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) – It maps the cholesterol in HDL particles, which is also known as “good cholesterol” as it removes extra cholesterol from the body.
• Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) – It charts the cholesterol in LDL particles which is also called “bad cholesterol” as it deposits extra cholesterol in the blood vessel walls that aid to atherosclerosis.
• Triglycerides – It measures the presence of triglycerides in all the lipoprotein particles.

Each of these elements has their own specific range, deviation from which can expose you to the risk of developing heart-related diseases. It is highly recommended that adults with no other risk factors for cardiac disease must be tested with fasting lipid profile once in every 4-6 months to keep a track of the cholesterol level and other essential elements in the body. On the other hand, if other risk factors are present or you have a high cholesterol level, it is vital to get a lipid profile done more frequently. Some risk factors that can cause cardiac related risks involve:

• Smoking cigarettes
• Age factor – above the age of 45 in males and 50-55 in females
• High Blood pressure
• Family History of premature cardiac disease
• Diabetes
• Low HDL Cholesterol – less than 40mg/dL

In the case of children, routine lipid profile is recommended once between the ages of 9 to 11 and then 17 to 21. Frequent lipid profile is recommended for children who are at an increased risk of developing heart-related diseases. Some risk factors are as follows:

• Family History of premature cardiac disease
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• Obesity

A lipid profile may also be suggested to map the success of lipid-lowering lifestyle changes including exercise and diet or to measure the effectiveness of drugs given to curb the problem.

City of a thousand fountains, Aix is a fantastic place to stay for a few days. It’s easily accessible from Marseille airport and the train line from Marseille also stops at Aix.

Explore the bustling old town with its markets and arty boutiques or simply sit watching the world go by at a pavement café on the elegant Cours Mirabeau.

Although there’s a food market every morning of the week, the huge Marche Provencal which spills all over the old town only takes place on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings.

It’s certainly worth a visit, although it’s always very busy, even out of season. On the various stalls you can buy anything from second hand books and records to rustic pottery tagines and traditional provencal table linen.

Definitely my favourite restaurant is Clos de La Violette. Although it’s got a Michelin star it’s not stuffy and the food is absolutely delicious. It sits in its own gardens slightly outside the city centre, so is a very calm and tranquil spot for lunch.

For less formal eating, the Forum des Cardeurs off the place de l’hotel de ville has a great selection of restaurants serving everything from Moroccan specialities to seafood.

Aix has a wide selection of boutiques selling everything from handicrafts to designer bags. Some of my favourites are La Victoire on place Richelme which sells a good range of Provençal fabrics, Designers Studio on rue Boulegon for quirky home furnishings and Robert Clergerie on rue Marius Reinaud for designer shoes.

At some point in time, most horse owners will have to deal with treating an abscess in their horses of one form or another. It is a good idea to know some basics about treating an abscess, as well as having some fairly basic first aide emergency supplies around your barn. Here are some horse health tips for those that may find themselves having to treat an abscess in their horse for the first time.

What You’ll Need:

• Iodine Solution (or comparable antibacterial solution)
• Large Syringe
• Soft Washcloth
• Antibacterial Ointment (such as Corona Ointment)
• Clean Bucket or Container

An abscess can appear anywhere on a horse’s body, including inside the hoof and the mouth, causing excruciating pain until the abscess either ruptures on its own or is helped along with a lancing by your veterinarian. For the purposes of this article, we will discuss treating abscesses found on the body rather than hoof abscesses.

Typically before the abscess has ruptured you will find a large swelling that will often be warm to the touch. Depending on the size and severity of the abscess, you may find the surrounding tissues to be very hard with perhaps a smaller circular soft spot where the abscess is trying to work its way out of the body. If the abscess does not rupture of its own accord, your veterinarian may need to help the process along by lancing the abscess. Hot compresses can be used several times a day or a drawing salve to help speed the process of rupturing along.

Cleaning The Abscess

Once the abscess has opened and is draining, it’s very important to keep it open so the abscess can heal from the inside out. You run the risk of additional pockets forming and sealing off from the main drain area if you do not keep the area open, causing further complications down the road. Before flushing, you will want to clean the area with a soft washcloth and warm water. You can also use an antibacterial scrub as well. If you are using iodine solution to flush with (preferred by most veterinarians), prepare your flush by mixing the iodine solution with the desired amount of water until it is the color of a weak tea. There are also several very good natural antibacterial products on the market for those that prefer to take a more natural approach.

Fill your syringe with your antibacterial flush and insert the tip of your syringe into the abscess. Flush thoroughly to help clear as much of the remaining pus from the abscess as possible. You may need to manually massage the abscess to help drain stubborn pockets. Repeat as many times as necessary to thoroughly clean the abscess pocket (usually 4 or 5 repetitions is sufficient).

Finish by applying your antibacterial ointment around the opening to help keep the area soft and protected from external debris and flies. You can also apply fly repellent to the surrounding area as a deterrent. In most cases, it is best to leave the abscess unwrapped to allow drainage. In some cases, your veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics for your horse as well. You should continue flushing the abscess once or twice daily until the wound has filled in sufficiently so that there is no longer a pocket to fit the tip of your syringe into. The healing time will vary greatly depending on the size, type and severity of the abscess involved.

Being an informed owner and preparing your barn with the necessary supplies to handle simple first aide procedures will go a long way in ensuring that your horse has the best possible recovery from unexpected injury or illness. Remember to always consult your veterinarian before starting any treatment plan for your horse.

How a geomagnetic storm can impact your life

It's only when a geomagnetic storm affects our livelihood that we begin to appreciate its power and our fragility. A geomagnetic storm disrupts our way of living by damaging the satellite technology that orbits our planet. For example, when satellite systems fail, airliners can no longer use weather data to plan safe travel routes. As a result, all fights get grounded. This may have happened on October 2011 when the Anik F2 satellite failed due to an "anomaly" as cited by the owner Telesat, Canada. The satellite failure grounded all flights into and out of all 25 communities in the territory of Nunavut, Canada. The technological failure also closed all banks and ATM's, restricted retail transactions to cash and reduced work productivity.

Our lives have become intertwined with technology. While in most cases this has created efficiencies, it's highly contingent on the technology's redundant systems. If there are none, then you're risking a lot. But even if there are redundant systems, the above example illustrates that failures happen.

Most of the time we would take solar storms for granted, not fully appreciating its power. That changed on May 19, 1998, when the Galaxy IV satellite failed after experiencing a geomagnetic storm generated by the sun. Galaxy IV carried the signals of over 90% of North America's pagers and several major broadcast networks, including US National Public Radio (NPR) and CBS. This failure also left radio and TV programmers scrambling, medical doctors out of contact with hospitals, and destroyed critical components of electrical power grids. Experts have determined that the Galaxy IV fell victim to a solar storm.

A massive solar storm occurs when there is an enormous explosion of plasma from the Sun's corona, otherwise known as a coronal mass ejection or a CME solar flare. If a large enough CME solar flare is directed towards earth, it would result in the total failure of all satellite communications, resulting in a loss of air transportation, communications, banks machines, weather reports, time synchronization, etc. The good news is you can prepare for this type of geomagnetic storm by developing a plan, stocking up on emergency food and getting an emergency kit.

While you may think, you can't do anything about a geomagnetic storm; you can. Always remain cognizant of your dependence on technology and ways it affects your life. And, prepare for any eventuality by storing your emergency food and emergency kit, just in case our connected world gets unplugged.

Sometimes this particular vaccine is titled DHPPV, DA2PPV or DHPPV-C or some other similar variation. This particular vaccine is commonly referred to as the “Distemper-Parvo” vaccine or the “5-in-one” or “seven-in-one”. Although there are some differences between them, you can tell what’s in the vaccine based on the letters.

The D in DHPPV stands for Distemper. This airborne disease is actually a virus and attacks the nervous system in dogs causing the dog to have seizures, cough, vomit, and sometimes foam at the mouth. This disease is incredibly contagious and all dogs should be vaccinated with DHPPV as a result. Although secondary infections can be treated, most cases of Distemper are incurable and untreatable. Since this is a neurological disease, all dogs should be vaccinated for Distemper regularly. Puppies should receive a series of DHPPV shots before they are five months of age.

The H in DHPPV stands for Hepatitis also known as canine adenovirus type 2 (therefore when “A2” appears as part of this vaccine abbreviation, it refers to the same disease as the “H”). This disease, like the hepatitis in humans, attacks the liver and is contracted through a healthy dog’s exposure to the feces, urine, blood, saliva, and nasal discharge of a dog who has the disease. Dogs are especially susceptible to this disease simply because they use their nose to sniff and evaluate their surroundings. Although hepatitis will correct itself in healthy individuals, it does come with symptoms that need treatment. These symptoms include diarrhea and poor immune response. Puppies and weak dogs are especially at risk.

One P in DHPPV stands for Parainfluenza. This is a respiratory tract infection (upper respiratory infection) in dogs, much like a cough or cold in humans. Some symptoms of it include nasal or eye discharge, coughing, and labored breathing. This is different than “kennel cough” or Bordetella, which is a separate vaccine.

One P in DHPPV is for Parvovirus. This is an incredibly contagious, often deadly virus that lives in soil for up to seven to ten years (depending on the study). Infected individuals shed the virus for up to three weeks and it can take up to ten days to two weeks for an infected animal to begin showing signs or symptoms. If an owner believes his or her animal has been exposed to parvo, the dog should be tested (at a vet’s office) and vaccinated if he or she has not yet received the proper doses of the DHPPV vaccine. Parvo is very, very contagious.

Infected animals, usually young dogs and puppies, usually stop eating and drinking, lay around with little energy, and eventually have severe, dark, bloody diarrhea. Although some of these symptoms are the same as hookworm infestations, immediate action is necessary to ensure the dog’s survival. There is no cure for parvo. Dogs will die from the dehydration and intestinal trauma, not the virus. Young dogs and puppies sometimes die within days of the beginning of symptoms.

Overnight care and IV fluids are required to keep dogs hydrated and comfortable while the virus runs it’s course. This treatment often takes a few days and is very expensive. Owners should keep their puppies away from strange, potentially contaminated soil (like parks, strange yards, and dog parks) until the puppy is fully vaccinated (“fully vaccinated” means a series of vaccines 2-3 weeks apart from one another while the animal is still young).

The V stands for “Virus”. CPV, for example, is simply the term used for Canine Parvovirus and is the abbreviation for a vaccine that only covers Parvo.

The L in DHLPPV stands for Leptospirosis. This disease is spread through urine and dogs contract the disease by licking a contaminated surface. Basically, leptospirosis, or lepto, is common mostly in kennels where strange, unknown, potentially contaminated dogs might urinate. The disease affects the liver and causes yellow eyes, lethargy, and sometimes renal failure. Many veterinarians have ceased giving a leptospirosis vaccine due to low risk under most circumstances.

The C in DHPPV-C stands for Coronavirus. This disease is spread through contaminated feces and causes diarrhea and vomiting in the infected dog. Although this disease is easily treated, it does manifest symptoms within three days of contamination. Because of the high level of exposure, kennel dogs are usually vaccinated for this disease.

DHPPV should be given annually to dogs under five years of age. Puppies should be vaccinated with DHPPV every 2 to 3 weeks until they are four months of age.

Consult your veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns about your animal’s vaccinations.

I spend a lot of time on the road visiting family and my daughter, a student in Oregon. I often wonder if all those flat surfaces I see on my trips could be put to more productive use.

Could all those carports, bus shelters, miles of roadways and sidewalks and acres of wasted space atop warehouses and distribution centers do double duty, perhaps generating power as they bake in the summer sun?

As it turns out, I’m not alone in my thinking. More warehouses are getting solar panels. Recently, California State University, Fresno, and Fresno Yosemite International Airport installed solar panels on parking structures and carports.

Now, the city of Corona has a solar project on a bus shelter that is a mini power generator. According to CleanTechnia.com, the meter will run backward on sunny days, helping offset the city’s energy costs. That’s a model that can be followed elsewhere because bus shelters are everywhere.

There also is talk of solar-powered roadways. Jerry Brown, who wants a do-over as California governor, has them in his green-jobs plan, and the concept has been touted elsewhere. Scientific American recently did a long story on the prospect of solar roads.

Whether we ever drive on roads that help pay for themselves remains to be seen. After all, government budgets are in disarray and none of this is cheap. But wouldn’t it be cool? I could drive my electric car on a solar road, generating power and helping the environment in one of the foulest air-quality regions in the nation.

Energy drinks are soft drinks normally able to provide energy that can enhance the undertaking of any physical activity that is to be done by the drinker. The drink is made in such away that it activates the drinker's mental alertness and general performance by including caffeine, herbal supplies and vitamins to it when being brewed. In most cases the drinks include the methylxanthines, vitamin B and herbs. Others have guaran, acai and tuarine including ginseng, nmaltodextrin, carbonated water, inositol and glucuronolactone. But the most common ingredient in a drink is the caffeine which is found in tea and coffee

Relentless drinks

Relentless drinks are brand name for a drink made by the coca cola company. It is just like any other drink only that the manufacturer and few differ ingredients. It is sold in 500 ml cans and is used normally by those in need for high energy demand. The inclusion of caffeine makes it not suitable for small children and expectant mothers or anyone sensitive to caffeine. The drink is made from carbonated water, sugar, citric aid taurine, caffeine, Inossitol, vitamins and guarana including preservatives (E202) acidity regulator (E331 (color (caramel E150d) and flavorings

Bawls drinks

This is a drink that contains natural guarana flavor and other ingredients like the caffeine and is owned by Hobbarama LLC of Miami, Florida. The product lines include the following drinks, Bawls Guarana, Bawls Guarana Exxtra-which is a sugar free version of Bawl Guarana. It is sweetened with sucralose, Bawls cherry-this energy drink is sweetened by high fructose com syrup. The other production lines of Bawl energy drinks include; Bawls G33K B33R. Which is a guarana spiked high-caffeine root beer .Others are Bawls Buzz, Guaran Tea'd and SnoBAWLS, which is a frozen version of Bawls having the same contents and caffeine content.

Monster drink s

This is a drink that is distributed by the Hansen Natural Corporation of Corona California. Monster energy drinks include the following in the list of ingredients, caffeine content is usually 10 mg / oz or 160 mg for a 16 oz can. The other ingredients are carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, taurine, sodium citrate, guarana seed extract, pyridoxine hydrochloride, sucralose, riboflavin, maltodextrim and sodium chloride among others. Although the monster energy drink does not use much of media air time for advertisement it is however, involved in many sports endorsement activities.

The Monster drinks company also endorses the rock bands and other metal bands like the linken park among others. The difference between the other energy drinks and the Monster brand is the level of calories in the three above mentioned energy drinks differ due to the different manufacturers, for instance the Coca cola has its energy level at 34.5 mg and an 8 oz intake of Relentless energy drink has between 60-120 mg of caffeine. The Monster brand has 160 mg of caffeine while the Bawl contains 64 mg of caffeine and a 16 oz can is capable of having 103 mg of caffeine.

Lipogen, an Israeli-made product that is used as a food additive and may be a natural way to improve memory skills and mood, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be marketed in the United States.

This food ingredient may improve brain functions for both adults and children because it contains phosphatidylserine (PS), a nutrient also found in fish, rice, green leafy vegetables, and soybeans. This nutrient contributes to the regulation of the metabolic processes of the brain. Researchers believe this substance is connected to the delay of the symptoms of early Alzheimer`s disease.

PS is usually found in the brain cells. However, age and stress can slow down the production of PS, said David Rutenberg, CEO and funder of Galilee-based company Lipogen. Research showed an improvement of memory and mental skills of those who ate diets rich in PS.

Results proved that diets with PS supplements support cognitive functions as people get older. Some of the subjects of this study experienced declines of judgment, abstract memory, personality, thought, and behavior.

Lipogen is not considered a medicine since it influences the memory functions, and memory loss comes along with age. Therefore, since Lipogen is used to reduce the effects of a natural process, it is regarded as a brain vitamin, said Rutenberg.

Lipogen can be introduced as a functional food ingredient on the market because of the FDA approval, said Rutenberg.

In Israel, users of Lipogen did not report any side effects.

Losing weight without the Gimmicks

There are so many diets, pills, potions, exercise machines and dieting plans out there it is no wonder that losing a few pounds has become a miserable process, and 9 out of 10 people simply give up in disgust. The worse fact is; That it means throwing away good money that has been paid for the program in the first place. The weight loss industry / markets prey on people that want to lose a few pounds with empty promises, and then blame these same people afterwards that they have not followed the instructions, or diet plan as indicated properly. Hidden away below most programs is a disclaimer that hardly anyone reads which protects the manufacturer. Losing weight without the gimmicks in a natural way without stress or misery would certainly be a breath of fresh air for overweight people that have had it up to the neck or their ears with useless weight loss programs.

Natural Weight loss without all the lies

The truth will hardly be told by weight loss product manufacturers that you can lose weight without all the gimmicks. What losing weight without the gimmicks means; is not having to pop weight loss supplements, drink funny meal replacement shakes that have a nasty after taste, or sit watching people enjoy real food while you have to eat rabbit food. Even more; Losing weight without the gimmicks means not getting on an exercise machine that feels like torture, following miserable dieting programs, counting calories and hating your lifestyle. With all the pressures of modern society and financial problems people have already how much more miserable can you get.

Counting calories to lose weight is a waste of time.

Losing weight without the gimmicks means stopping to count your calories for every lettuce leaf, funny rye breads that taste like dog biscuits, or reaching for those limp lettuce leaves. Imagine the relief if the real truth came out. Not just the truth but the REAL TRUTH !! Counting calories and starving yourself means that your body starts craving for food, a craving that eventually gets so hard to resist that you go off the rails and your efforts are lost. Everyone has unique tastes in foods and even though they may look like no-no foods they may not be when eaten properly. The only real way to lose weight without gimmicks is giving your body what it needs in the right quantities. This means a no stress eating plan that is properly designed for each individual according to your lifestyle.

Losing weight without all the Pills Potions and Machines

Wasting your hard earned money on weight loss formulas that you know deep down inside are really not going to work, is just going to make you more miserable and this is one of the prime reasons yo-yo dieting happens which is dangerous. You can get to a point where you say stuff it, and start eating something to reward yourself and this ends up getting out of hand. Losing weight without the gimmicks in a natural proven way is possible if you know where to look for it. Weight loss markets may brainwash you to sell their products, so when you find the real truth staring you in the face it is possible you may end up overlooking it.

First, I will bring to the forefront a law which determines that sound produces light and matter. This law is found in a process called sonoluminescence. This is a process where water contained in a spherical flask is caused to effervesce or bubble up. A loud high frequency sound is then sent into the bubble causing the bubble to expand and collapse 30,000 times in one second. Meanwhile, the bubble heats up to a temperature that is nearly as hot as the corona of the sun. The bubble walls then collapse shrinking it to less than a hundredth of its original size in about 15 microseconds. Then, as the bubble nears its minimum size, it emits a bright flash of light. We see by this simple exercise that light is created by sound being forced through water bubbles. This is recreated in science laboratories and confirmed by a variety of scientific studies such as Sympathetic Vibration Physics and others; it is not theory, it is law.

We know by the testimony of Genesis 1:2-3 that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, then God spoke “Let there be light.” We conclude here that the Genesis record is a similar process as the sonoluminescence experiment. The sound of His voice, forced into the waters, caused a universe sized sonoluminescence (light). We can’t say this is precisely how God created light; all we can say is that the Genesis record fits the sonoluminescence experiment perfectly. Or better yet, sonoluminescence is an earthly model of creation 101. Anything that is proven to be true, can be, and has always been, duplicated in a laboratory. And what Genesis describes as creation has been recreated in laboratories everywhere; like children playing in a sand box pretending to be builders.

In recent experiments, Kenneth Suslick and Daniel Flannigan of the University of Illinois found evidence of plasma in collapsing bubbles. Physics major Christopher Peterson also says this about sonoluminescence, “Light, as in photons is emitted from this bubble of air (now plasma) that is under contraction… The pressures are as high as 200Mbar (1Mbar = 10^11 Pa) in the core of the imploding bubble. This pressure is equal to 1.974*10^8 or 19,743,336 atm (atmospheres). One atmosphere is the amount of pressure that we live in at sea level.” A single bubble sonoluminescence event that we perform in a laboratory creates heat, light and a pressurized atmosphere!

Scientist Samuel Hunt suggests that the universe is a giant ball of plasma, just like the atmosphere of the sun which the planets rotate in, and just like the atmosphere of the earth in which it rotates. He says “The experimental proofs of these ideas are endless.” How much closer to understanding creation can we get than duplicating it in a flask? What we are saying here is that the bubble in the experiment is the beginning of a type of universe. Sound, forced through water bubbles, creates heat, light, and a plasma filled pressurized atmosphere; and all in a tiny bubble. The universe is a God sized bubble. The thing we can’t do is to cause that light to become stars, planets, and people. I think it is sufficient to leave that work to God.

Let’s consider what we learned through Steven Weinberg. While describing the intense heat at the point of the “Big Bang” explosion (God’s voice) where the temperature rose to a hundred thousand million degrees Centigrade; he said “this is much hotter than in the center of even the hottest star.” If bubbles in a science lab reach temperatures nearly as hot as the corona of the sun, how much heat would be generated when you “God size” the sonoluminescence experiment? The waters described in Genesis have a little more mass than a flask of water and these waters are a heavenly substance, not common H2O; and of course, God’s voice had a wee bit more juice than an ultrasound machine!

More study circling the Sonoluminescence phenomenon indicates that, if they can get the bubbles to generate enough heat, they would be able to make atoms in the surrounding liquid fuse together; in theory this would produce nuclear fusion! Nuclear fusion would give us the potential for a Big Bang in laboratory proportions! Now God size that, and you would have nuclear fusion powerful enough to create the universe we observe today! God spoke and bang it happened!

God is Light, and by virtue of that fact, light forming in the universe by His command is easily accepted. Only now, we also have sonoluminescence, superstrings, DNA, and a whole universe of scientific study to support the truth that Christian scholars have always known by God’s word, faith, and revelation. Anything that begins to exist must have a cause, and as we are beginning to see, God is the cause. I will publish an article on Superstrings and the celestial song of the universe soon.

The communities of scientific partners have observed these types of things for centuries; they just seem to be unwilling to accept the obvious conclusions. One of their oldest and wisest partners from long ago said “When the solution is simple, God is answering” (Einstein). This article merely describes the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The proofs of creation are overwhelming. The greatest proof is our own existence; intelligent life, made in His image with creative abilities, such as the ability to recreate the Genesis event in our own laboratory sandbox. How much more intelligence did it take to create a universe? God truly is the phenomenal Creator who put the matter to the canvas! Forth coming will be articles on Zero Point Energy, Superstrings, and a host of creation establishing phenomena. Stay tuned!

David Harris