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Causes

In general, you get hepatitis C by coming in contact with blood contaminated with the virus. Most people with hepatitis C became infected through blood transfusions received before 1992, the year improved blood-screening tests became available.

You can also get the virus by injecting drugs with contaminated needles and, less commonly, from contaminated needles used in tattooing and body piercing. Needle exchange programs, which increase the availability of sterile needles, are helping to reduce the risk of hepatitis C, HIV and other blood-borne diseases.

A small number of babies born to mothers with hepatitis C acquire the infection during childbirth. Mother-to-infant transmission rates are higher among women infected with both hepatitis C and HIV. Talk with your doctor about these risks before becoming pregnant.

In rare cases, hepatitis C may be transmitted sexually. And in many people infected with hepatitis C, no risk factor can be identified.

Signs and symptoms

Early-stage signs and symptoms
Commonly, hepatitis C infection produces no signs or symptoms during its earliest stages. When it does, they’re generally mild and flu-like and may include:

• Slight fatigue
• Nausea or poor appetite
• Muscle and joint pains
• Tenderness in the area of your liver

Later stage signs and symptoms
Even if you develop chronic hepatitis from the hepatitis C virus, you may have few, if any, symptoms. In many cases, signs and symptoms may not appear for decades. Sometimes, though, you may experience one or more of the following:

• Fatigue
• Lack of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Persistent or recurring yellowing of your skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Low-grade fever

Hepatitis C can cause damage to your liver, even if you don’t have symptoms. You’re also able to pass the virus to others without having any symptoms yourself. That’s why it’s important to be tested if you think you’ve been exposed to hepatitis C or if you engage in behavior that puts you at risk.

Hepatitis C is a virus that often silently attacks your liver. Most people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have no symptoms at all. In fact, most people don’t know they have the disease until liver damage shows up, decades later, during routine medical tests.

Hepatitis C is one of six identified hepatitis viruses — the others are A, B, D, E and G. All cause the liver to become inflamed, which interferes with its ability to function. Hepatitis C is generally considered to be among the most serious of these viruses.

Over time, if you have a hepatitis C infection, it can lead to liver cancer, liver failure or cirrhosis — irreversible and potentially fatal scarring of the liver. Unlike HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, the hepatitis C virus usually isn’t transmitted through sexual contact. Instead, you’re more at risk if you’re exposed to contaminated blood — through needles shared during drug use or through blood transfusions.

Although vaccines exist for hepatitis A and B, no vaccine for hepatitis C has been developed. Researchers hope to find a medication that will slow or stop the growth of the virus and prevent long-term complications, such as cirrhosis and cancer, from developing.

Hepatitis (HEP-ah-TY-tis) makes your liver swell and stops it from working right.

You need a healthy liver. The liver does many things to keep you alive. The liver fights infections and stops bleeding. It removes drugs and other poisons from your blood. The liver also stores energy for when you need it.

A virus is a germ that causes sickness. (For example, the flu is caused by a virus.) People can pass viruses to each other. The virus that causes hepatitis C is called the hepatitis C virus.

Before 1992, doctors could not check blood for hepatitis C, and some people received infected blood. If you had a blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992, ask a doctor to test you for hepatitis C.

However, some people with hepatitis C feel like they have the flu.

If you have symptoms or think you might have hepatitis C, go to a doctor

Hepatitis C is treated with a drug called peginterferon, usually in combination with the drug ribavirin.

You may need surgery if you have hepatitis C for many years. Over time, hepatitis C can cause your liver to stop working. If that happens, you will need a new liver. The surgery is called a liver transplant. It involves taking out the old, damaged liver and putting in a new, healthy one from a donor

These tests show if you have hepatitis C and how serious it is.

A biopsy (BYE-op-see) is a simple test. The doctor removes a tiny piece of your liver through a needle. The doctor checks the piece of liver for signs of hepatitis C and liver damage

February 29, 2008

The year 2008 is a leap year. If you look at a 2008 calendar, you will see that February has five Fridays–the month begins and ends on a Friday. Between the years 1904 and 2096, leap years that share the same day of week for each date repeat only every 28 years. The most recent year in which February comprised five Fridays was in and the next occurrence will be in February 29, the leap day has been associated with age-old traditions, superstitions and folklore.

What is a leap year?

A leap year is a year in which one extra day has been inserted, or intercalated, at the end of February. A leap year consists of 366 days, whereas other years, called common years, have 365 days.

Which years are leap years?

In the Gregorian calendar, the calendar used by most modern countries, the following three criteria determine which years will be leap years:

Every year that is divisible by four is a leap year;

Of those years, if it can be divided by 100, it is NOT a leap year, unless

The year is divisible by 400. Then it is a leap year.    

According to the above criteria, that means that years 2000 was somewhat special as it was the first instance when the third criterion was used in most parts of the world
In the Julian calendar–introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and patterned after the Roman calendar–there was only one rule: any year divisible by four would be a leap year. This calendar was used before the Gregorian calendar was adopted.

Why are leap years needed?

Leap years are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the earth’s revolutions around the sun.

Why the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar?

The Julian calendar introduced too many leap days, thus increasing the number of days between the vernal equinox of March 21, its scheduled date as noted in AD 325 during the Council of Nicaea. The introduction of the Gregorian calendar allowed for realignment with the equinox; however, a number of days had to be dropped when the change was made. Click on any one of the year links below for a better explanation of the calendars and the days that were dropped in order to make the switch to the Gregorian calendar.

The Gregorian calendar was first adopted in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain in 1582. This was done by dropping 10 days in October of that year.

.In Great Britain (and America), the Gregorian calendar would not be adopted until much later, in September 1752; 11 days were dropped.

Sweden (and Finland) had a “double” leap year in 1712. Two days were added to February–creating a date of February 30, 1712. (This was done because the leap year in 1700 was dropped and Sweden’s calendar was not synchronized with any other calendar. By adding an extra day in 1712, they were back on the Julian calendar.) Read more about February 30

.The Julian calendar is currently (between the years 1901 and 2099) 13 days ahead of the Gregorian calendar (because too many leap years were added).

Other leap years facts

The Gregorian calendar has a 400-year cycle until it repeats the same weekdays for every year–February 29, 2008, is a Friday and February 29, 2408, is a Friday.

The Gregorian calendar has 97 leap years during those 400 years.

The longest time between two leap years is eight years. The last time that occurred was between 1896 and 1904. The next time will be between 2096 and 2104.

A leap year (or intercalary year) is a year containing one or more extra days (or, in the case of lunisolar calendars, an extra month) in order to keep the calendar year synchronised with the astronomical or seasonal year.A year which is not a leap year is called a common year.February 29 is a date that occurs only every four years, and is called leap day. This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365.000 days.The Gregorian calendar is a modification of the Julian calendar first used by the Romans. The Roman calendar originated as a lunisolar calendar and named many of its days after the syzygies of the moon: the new moon (Kalendae or calends, hence “calendar”) and the full moon (Idus or ides). The Nonae or nones was not the first quarter moon but was exactly one nundinae or Roman market week of nine days before the ides, inclusively counting the ides as the first of those nine days. In 1825, Ideler believed that the lunisolar calendar was abandoned about 450 BC by the decemvirs, who implemented the Roman Republican calendar, used until 46 BC. The days of these calendars were counted down (inclusively) to the next named day, so 24 February was ante diem sextum Kalendas Martii (”the sixth day before the calends of March”) often abbreviated a. d. VI Kal. Mar. The Romans counted days inclusively in their calendars, so this was actually the fifth day before March 1 when counted in the modern exclusive manner (not including the starting day).[4]

The Republican calendar’s intercalary month was inserted on the first or second day after the Terminalia (a. d. VII Kal. Mar., February 23). The remaining days of Februarius were dropped. This intercalary month, named Intercalaris or Mercedonius, contained 27 days. The religious festivals that were normally celebrated in the last five days of February were moved to the last five days of Intercalaris. Because only 22 or 23 days were effectively added, not a full lunation, the calends and ides of the Roman Republican calendar were no longer associated with the new moon and full moon.

I’ve had problems with fatigue and a lack of energy all my life. It would be wonderful to know why. I’ve asked doctors, read books, and learned that some questions just won’t be answered in my lifetime.

I’ve also learned that even without discovering the root causes of my tiredness, there are things I can do to alleviate it. Here are some of energy boosters that have worked for me and others over the years. Sometimes it helps to use several at once.

Energy Boosters

1. Breath deeply. Three slow deep breaths help oxygenate the blood supply better, and especially seems to wake up the brain.

2. Move. Often just getting up and washing the dishes, or walking around the house helps boost energy levels.

3. Talk about something interesting. Get a tired person to talk about something they’re passionate about, and watch their energy level rise. This one really works well.

4. Have a cup of coffee. Caffeine makes some of us more tired when it’s abused, but short-term, it can work wonders.

5. Play energetic music. Different types of music have different effects on us, but you can do this one by trial and error. Once you find the ones that work for you, keep them ready.

6. Try any of those “energy drinks.” The verdict isn’t in on most of them, but it’s a cheap option to try. I seem to get something from the ones with Ginkgo Biloba in them.

7. Get better sleep. As long as you get at least five hours of sleep, the quality seems to be more important than the quantity.

8. Exercise. This is a longer term solution, but many people notice an increase in their energy level when they get regular aerobic exercise.

9. Take a hot and cold shower. One minute of hot water, one minute of cold, alternating for six minutes. This isn’t for those with weak hearts, but it will wake you up. Incidentally, research shows that this also revs up the immune system.

10. Go outside. Sometimes a little sunshine and fresh air can be very energizing.

WASHINGTON -DC Ask a dozen die-hard Democrats around the country what Hillary Rodham Clinton can do to beat Barack Obama and win the presidential nomination and they have plenty of ideas — some of them contradictory.
The question generates strong sentiment, though, that Clinton simply can’t compete on charisma, that there are forces at play beyond her control. Going negative could backfire, they warn. Laying out nitty-gritty policy details isn’t enough, they say.
A sampling of Democratic voices from the field:_SHOW PASSION: “The challenge for Hillary Clinton is to be seen as an agent of change, to recapture the passion that the people who support her really have for her,” I’m not sure that I’d want to be in the shoes on her team. … She’s considered the same old, same old, and she’s not. But she’s having trouble communicating that.” Chisholm said Clinton should hit her universal health care message harder, stop using Washington insiders to defend her on cable TV and “find a way to communicate some excitement.” Chisholm supported John Edwards, and says he could go either way between Clinton and Obama.

_IT’S THE ECONOMY. AGAIN: “HRC’s firewall must be predicated on message,” says Chris Lehane, a political consultant in California and former aide to President Clinton. “She is THE candidate who the public, press and pundits by instinct, temperament and history believe is the best on the economy at the exact time the economy is THE brooding, omnipresent force hovering over both the primary and general electorate.” Lehane is backing Clinton.

_GO NEGATIVE: “She needs to come in strong,” says Judy Carpenter, a third-grade teacher from Delaware, Ohio, who turned out at a Clinton rally at Ohio State last week. “I don’t like vicious attacks. But gosh darn, she needs to call him on some things.” Carpenter supports Clinton.

_MAYBE NOT: A candidate goes negative “at great risk,” says Mitch Ceasar, the party chairman in Florida’s Broward County. “You can alienate people. It’s less of a risk for Republicans, because they’re better at it and everybody expects it from them.” Clinton, he says, should “talk about the distinctions” between herself and Obama on the issues .

_DEFINITELY NOT: Going negative “positively would be the absolutely wrong thing to do,” says Ed Treacy, a former county party chairman in Indiana. “Democrats do not want to see them fighting at all. … I’m not sure what she can do. So much of it is his momentum.” Treacy hasn’t endorsed a candidate.

_THE FORCE: “The most important thing is that the force is with Obama,” says Glenn Browder, a former Alabama congressman and now professor emeritus at Jacksonville State University. “The election seems to be moving in his favor, and I don’t believe that issues have much to do with it right now. It’s not as if she could all of a sudden start pointing this or that out about his positions or his votes, and that would change things very much. He is a movement that goes beyond issues.” Going negative could backfire on Clinton, Browder says, but it might help if the media or independent groups took on Obama. Browder is neutral in the race.

_REMEMBER IRAQ: “If she could come up with a more specific war plan,” says Marcia Mainord, president of Texas Democratic Women. “That’s what I hear people talking about. Who’s going to end the war.” Mainord is personally supporting Clinton but hasn’t made a formal endorsement.

_BE YOURSELF: “She’s a very engaging, very warm person if she lets that side of her be seen,” says Warren Tolman, a former Massachusetts state senator. “There’s a very warm, compassionate side that isn’t often enough seen.” Three things Clinton should do, according to Tolman: “Be yourself. Show compassion. Look like she’s having fun.” Tolman has endorsed Obama.

_READY TO DELIVER: “There is a narrative to be told that she hasn’t quite put all together,” says Tom Swan, who directs a citizen action group in Connecticut. “But she’s close, on health care and her experience and her scars make her the one who can deliver now.” Swan voted in the Connecticut primary but hasn’t publicly endorsed anyone.

_GRASS-ROOTS ORGANIZE: “I am obsessive about precinct-based organizing,” says Michael Dukakis, the 1988 Democratic nominee who lost to George H.W. Bush. “We’ve got to get serious about this stuff. It’s not just money and media.” Dukakis, teaching a course this winter at UCLA, says Obama has done more local organizing than Clinton. He adds that neither candidate should be faulted for failing to do much of it in Ohio and Texas, which vote March 4, because no one thought the nomination race would extend beyond Super Tuesday. Dukakis hasn’t endorsed a candidate.

_STEADY AS SHE GOES: “You’ve got a strategy, stick with the strategy,” says Jim Crog, a longtime party operative in Florida. “Ride it and make it work. One of the most detrimental things a campaign can be involved in is a what-if campaign: What if we do this? What if we do that? You’ll be literally bouncing around the room and off the walls.” Crog hasn’t endorsed a candidate.

_McCAIN FACTOR: “She’s got to convince Democrats that, contrary to what the polls now show, that in the end she’s going to be a better candidate against John McCain,” says Garry South, a longtime Democratic operative in California. Can she still win the nomination? “Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a secret formula,” says South. “There comes a time when the worm turns, when the momentum shift is clear. And when that sort of thing happens, there just aren’t a lot of options for the candidate who is trailing at that point.” South hasn’t endorsed a candidate.

Low energy really puts a drag on your day, keeping you from enjoying your daily activities. The causes of low energy are numerous, but it usually points to the stress of living in this modern world.

Coping with stressful situations requires a lot of energy, leaving the average person drained and even depressed. Discover six amazing ways you can restore your energy below.

1. Energize with a Blockbuster Breakfast
We have all heard that “you are what you eat,” but it’s also true that you are when you eat. The human body follows a circadian rhythm, and because of this, the same foods eaten at breakfast and lunch are assimilated differently than when they are eaten later. Start the day right with a breakfast that gives you the energy you need to function strong all day long.

Studies have shown that when you eat your daily protein and fat at breakfast, you tend to lose weight and have more energy; conversely, eating the same things at dinner increases your tendency toward weight gain, increased blood pressure, and heart disease.

2. Sustainable Energy with Snacks
Most people eat too many foods that supply a rapid burst of energy in the form of simple carbohydrates and sugars – which burn out fast, leaving us depleted – rather than foods with a more sustainable energy content.

Eat a snack at mid-morning and another one at mid-afternoon. Good ones to choose are nuts, seeds, fruits, or protein-rich foods like hummus made from beans; these will help you sustain your energy and prevent low blood sugar from setting in. Make your own trail mix with almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, dried cranberry, raisins, or any other combination.

3. Ginseng Restores Failing Energy
The most famous of energy tonics, Panax ginseng has been prized and used for 5,000 years in Asian medical traditions. Ginseng’s popular uses include increasing physical and mental endurance, decreasing fatigue, and gently boosting energy. Unlike coffee, which stimulates the central nervous system, ginseng elevates energy gently. People taking ginseng often report overall improvement in wellbeing. Available as powder, capsule, and tea, you can find ginseng in your local health food store.

4. Flush Out Toxins
One cause of low energy is a buildup of toxins in the system. Water is very important in properly flushing the system and hydrating the cells to prevent buildup of toxic waste products. Drink at least eight glasses of water per day at room temperature. Better yet, drink teas made with herbs such as peppermint, chrysanthemum, and dandelion that gently cleanse your body.

5. Proper Posture Promotes Energizing
Your mother was looking out for your health when she told you to stop slouching. Slouching not only makes you look older than you are, it also leads to a huge drop in energy by decreasing your oxygen intake. When you compress the diaphragm and ribs, full respiration cannot take place and the blood flow is slowed to your brain and extremities. To get proper posture, pull your chin inward and pretend there is a string pulling straight up from the top of your head.

6. Raise Your Energy with Exercise
Getting enough exercise is crucial to maintaining a high energy level. Exercise helps us deal with daily stresses; without it, the body is rapidly depleted of vital energy. There are many opportunities throughout your day to be active. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park a few blocks away from your destination. Walk briskly, run, or ride your bike instead of driving. Sweep the floor with a broom instead of a vacuum. Cut your lawn with a manual mower. Take a break from sitting to stretch or do a set of squats.

To really jumpstart your energy, try this: Jump rope for five minutes every hour throughout the day and drink a glass of water afterward. This will increase your circulation, get more oxygen in your body, and remove toxins from your body.

 I know, I know: Valentine’s Day is all about women, and deservedly so. Women absolutely have earned the flowers, the cards, the love notes, the sensual kisses, and everything else they have coming on that day, aside from the typical three-hour restaurant wait.

The focus should be on women (not maitre d’s). But as long as guys are chauffering the love limo on that night of nights, maybe we could take a look at what they might like, as a kind of side trip on the way to destination You? Consider this his wish list for the day. And relax. No chocolate boxes, fading roses, or $7 Hallmark cards will be necessary! But he’d love it if you’d offer up…
                 
Romance Lite. He knows he better come up with innovative ways to show his affection. Some guys will go with a flowery card, some will pile on the rose petals, and some will even pull out their guitars and write a sappy song (thanks for making the rest of us look bad, guys).

He’s not asking you to do any of that for him, but if he arrives at the office on Thursday to find an e-mail waiting with five examples of why you dig him, or if he receives an instant-message that launches a day-long e-flirtation, or if you interrupt his morning with a caress across the phone lines, then you’ve begun foreplay before you even get together, and your night will be a whole lot hotter because of it.

A Thank You-In Early March. If your man goes full tilt on Valentine’s Day-dinner, with candles, a table-side violinist, and a special dessert from the kitchen, you won’t have much of an opportunity to launch your own romantic agenda. He’s already planned the big show.

But you are free to demonstrate your appreciation in a number of ways, and one of the best is by planning a darn good time for the two of you a few weeks later. A woman who takes the lead (especially in response to the man doing so) is one of every guy’s greatest turn-ons.

A Surprise. If you’re planning to buy each other presents, consider buying him some underwear. But here’s the twist: Buy lingerie for you to wear, but make it a dainty little nothing you know he’ll love to see you barely wearing.

Wrap it up and present it to him as his gift. When he opens it, tell him you’re going to wear it out that night. That way, the lingerie becomes the wrapping, and you’re the sexy present he’ll get to open up later. That gesture, and the night of romantic expectation it sets up, will supercharge your evening together. 

A Steak. If you want your favorite California roll or chicken marsala, go ahead and choose your favorite place. (Agree to eat really early or really late, or you’ll still probably be waiting for your entrees on Feb 15!) But your man would also appreciate it if he could order a 10-ounce steak, and if you would take a few bites.

Red meat is a building block for testosterone, which is a libido booster for both of you. Not that the effects are instantaneous, but the promise of more testosterone down the line can rev you both up right now. You’d be amazed how good nutrition can revitalize your sex life.