TB breath test

A simple breath test may one day show whether someone has a strain of tuberculosis that will respond to a frontline antibiotic, or a drug-resistant type, scientists said Tuesday.

Building on previous work for a fast-track breath test, their new prototype technique looks for traces of nitrogen gas emitted by the disease-causing germ Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Strains of the microbe which respond to the drug isoniazid have an enzyme called KatG that reacts to the antibiotic by releasing nitrogen.

The test entails administering a small amount of isoniazid, waiting for five to 10 minutes and then taking a breath sample, which is chemically analysed by a mass spectrometer.

A positive result -- showing the presence of nitrogen -- indicates the person has a TB infection that can be safely tackled with isoniazid, one of two frontline tuberculosis treatments.

The new technique has so far been tested on a small group of rabbits and clinical trials are needed to see if it is safe and accurate in humans -- in which case it could be packaged as a portable diagnostic kit, the inventors hope.

The prototype will need refinement or be combined with other diagnostics to give physicians a broader view of a patient´s TB status.

If it gives a negative result, this means that either a person does not have TB or has an isoniazid-resistant strain, said researchers.

Multi-drug resistant versions of the virus, often deadly, have to be treated with more expensive, alternative medicines that take longer to work and can have strong side-effects.

The research, reported in the journal Nature Communications, was led by Graham Timmins at the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque.

TB claimed 1.3 million lives worldwide last year, making it the deadliest disease after AIDS to be caused by a single infectious agent, the UN´s World Health Organisation WHO reported in July.

Conventional sputum lab testing for TB bacteria can take up to six weeks, which is why the search is on for faster, on-the-spot diagnostics.

African Peanut Soup

Here goes my latest cooking experitments; “African Peanut Soup”, a delicious all plant dish, containing 130 Calories in a bowl serving. I prepared it in 30 minutes(did not use potatoes as suggested in many recipes). Family and friends enjoyed it with freshly toasted whole-wheat bread.

Peanut Soup is a popular Mediterranean Diet, no I don’t mean diet as in ‘dieting’. Mediterranean Diet can be explained as healthy way of eating and lifestyle, recommended by leading scientist and Harvard School of Public Health, as one of the healthiest in the world.

Mediterranean diet is based on the dietary traditions of Crete, Greece and southern Italy from 60s at a time when the rates of chronic disease among people were lowest in the world, average life expectancy was the highest despite limited medical services.

Major part of meals should comprise of fresh vegetable. Best in the form of raw salads, sauted, or steamed.

Vegetable Wrap, a great meal on the go, for office and school lunches. I use a whole wheat chapatti add freshly cut vegetable any available and optional few chunks of cottage cheese and olives..

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes:

• Regular exercise, and or physical activities like sports
• Major part of daily meals should be plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes (lentils and beans) and nuts
• Replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil, sunflower and canola oil
• Using herbs, lemon juice and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
• Restricting the red meat to a few times a month
• Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week
• Drinking plenty of water
• The diet also emphasizes on enjoying meals with family and friends.

Pan grilled chicken breast fillet marinated in Italian mixed herbs.

To go with the soup for main course I cooked this pleasant meal of a low calorie delicious and quickly prepared, pan grilled chicken breast marinated in lemon pepper and Italian herbs. I served this with lightly sautéd eggplants and squash with oven roasted garlic flakes, lemon juice and herbs like rosemary and thyme in olive oil.

Total meal is 220-260 calories average.

Seafood and Poultry twice a week

Mediterranean diet is a good way of loosing weight and keeping safe from and for support in treatment of cardiovascular and many other diseases.

Here are a very authentic and trusted set of recipes Mediterranean Cooking. This is my reference for experimenting with Mediterranean Cooking.

Slimness Ideanlogy

What does one expect after cruising his way from obesity to slimness? Envious eyes, chasing stares, appreciation-showers and dropping dead of the opposite gender.. For these few seemingly insignificant words, people, in particular women go on hunger-strikes more than Mahatma Gandhi did, develop saintly virtues giving away all eatables their concerned ones send along with them, religiously fast for more than 36 hours, renounce all the omnivorous pleasures and choose to live on few sips.

Result – a hanger with a broom wig, scarce ounces of flesh on a zombie, or precisely, a parading X-ray report.  While the person-reduced to a skeleton revels over the newly achieved ‘slim’ outlook, he rarely has any idea of how ghastly he has become. The prolonged trauma of going through obesity leaves no way for turning back –thanks to the jokes and taunts directed at them every now and then. By the time, the person realizes the situation; he has done enough harm to make it back to normalcy. And the shocks and tremors the body goes through ensue in the dramatic muscle loss (Yes-not Fat loss), hair fall, weak immunity and declining energy levels.

It’s hence very important for those going through a weight loss transition to scruplously monitor this phase . A few points that clamor for attention, provided one is not blinded by the ‘mission to be slim’,  are:

1)      Lose weight gradually. Don’t speed it. It might lead to spells of dizziness, sharp fall in energy levels and possibly loss of muscle-mass.

2)      Go on a modestly low-carb diet. How many carbs – that depends on your level of physical activity. For an athlete, the count would definitely be different from the one confined to his office seat.

3)      Divide you meals in episodes, ideally six to eight. Consuming a large pack after a long period of starvation would still convert the extra carbohydrate into fats, and would also slow down your metabolic rate. You’d also notice that pausing after some morsels would soon give you a feeling of fullness, so you wont be craving for more after all.

4)      Include moderate levels of fats in your diet. It will give you a feel of satiation without having to consume too much carbohydrate before you feel full.

5)      Don’t eliminate any food group from your diet. It will have lasting implications on the body for the precious nutrients you’d be missing out may create a serious deficiency or affect the body in more ways than one.

6)      Exercise. Losing weight through dieting, people usually ignore how they need to ‘move’ in order to tone the body that would otherwise go loose and flabby.

7)       Too much of self-restraint is bad. Don’t stop yourself unnecessarily from eating what you wish to. Stopping oneself a lot from what one craves for leads  to depression. What’s the point doing so much, if one can’t be happy.

Don’t judge your well-being with digits on a weighing machine. Your ideal weight is one on which you feel good, are able to give your maximum output and find yourself  most happy. While women should check out whether it’s the hormonal imbalance that is leading them to gain pounds, for that needs t be treated before you head for any weight-loss expedition. And lastly, this all is a non-professional advice by a person who has only learnt this through experience. If you disagree with it, better consult a nutritionist or a doctor.

UN Ebola mission set to deploy in coming days

The death toll in the world´s worst-ever Ebola epidemic has now soared past 3,000, with the virus killing almost half of the more than 6,500 people it has infected, according to World Health Organization figures released Saturday.

In its latest update, the UN health agency said a total of 6,574 people had been infected across five west African countries and that of those, 3,091 had died.

On Thursday, citing data running up to September 21, WHO had put the death toll at 2,917 out of 6,263 cases.

WHO has repeatedly stressed its data changes do not mean that the individuals have died or been infected in the days between updates, but rather that they reflect the belated count as the epidemic rages.

- Latest toll figures -

Here are the latest WHO numbers, as of September 23:

In Guinea, where the outbreak began late last year, Ebola had infected 1,074 people, killing 648 of them.

In Liberia, which has been hit the hardest by the outbreak, 3,458 people had been infected with Ebola and 1,830 of them had died.

In Sierra Leone, Ebola had meanwhile infected 2,021 people and killed 605 of them.

Nigeria had, as of September 23, recorded 20 cases, including eight deaths, since Ebola first arrived in the country with a Liberian finance ministry official, who died in Lagos on July 25.The last case confirmed in the country was on September 5.

Senegal´s only confirmed Ebola case -- a Guinean student who crossed the border just before it was closed on August 21 -- has recovered, but the country will not be declared free of the virus until 42 days after the case was recorded.

- Healthcare workers -

Healthcare workers, already in very short supply in the impoverished countries hardest-hit by the outbreak, have paid an especially heavy price. As of September 23, 375 of them had been infected across four west African countries and 211 had died.

Guinea: 67 healthcare workers infected, 35 of whom have died.

Liberia: 184 healthcare workers infected, 89 of whom have died.

Sierra Leone: 113 healthcare workers infected, 82 of whom have died.

Nigeria: 11 healthcare workers infected, five of whom have died.

- Separate outbreak -

The Democratic Republic of Congo has meanwhile been hit by a separate Ebola outbreak. Its data, which ran up to September 24, showed that the disease had killed 42 people out of the 70 infected. Of those infected and killed, eight were healthcare workers.

- Five Ebola species -

There are five known distinct species of Ebola and the outbreak raging in west Africa stems from the Zaire species -- the deadliest of the lot.

That species caused the world´s first known Ebola outbreak in 1976 in Zaire, now known as DR Congo, which until now was the deadliest on record, with 280 deaths. (AFP)

Ebola detected in United States

The Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas on Tuesday confirmed to have detected deadly Ebola virus in one patient.

This is the first case of Ebola confirmed in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control will be holding a press conference in Atlanta regarding the diagnosis shortly.

In a statement issued Tuesday night, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas said the patient was admitted based on symptoms and "recent travel history."

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas located at Greenville Avenue and Walnut Hill Lane in northeast said they are complying with all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the Texas Department of Health to ensure the safety of other patients and medical staff.

Zachary Thompson, the director of the Dallas County Health & Human Services, said Tuesday morning the Center for Disease Control was mobilizing as if the patient tested positive for the virus. He said "This is not Africa, "We have a great infrastructure to deal with an outbreak."

The World Health Organization said it has confirmed more than 3,000 Ebola-related deaths in West Africa during the current outbreak, which has spread to five countries: Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

Fort Worth physician Dr. Kent Brantly, who became infected while working in Liberia, recovered after being moved to a hospital in Atlanta.

Spa Craze

Spa Craze

It seems womankind has been struck with the  current spa craze. So many spa centers on the Karachi snob list with their flag-high rates make me only wonder if we have become too self-indulgent or that in the stress-packed life of today, it’s impossible to function without generous strokes of a spa consultant.

Been to a spa center recently for the cheapest available option, Thai Foot Massage, after going through excruciating foot pains for days. A nice girl with a big, hearty smile walked in with spa essentials, bowed down exclusively to my service and began giving long, firm and moisturized strokes on my feet, pressing the key areas. My shoulders began to drop and stress knots began opening up and all that meant in the world were her knuckles sliding smoothly on my tough feet.

And I never wanted her to stop. However, I did stop and think why is it that so many women are rushing in these spas with prior appointments and why have they prioritized massages as something to chuck quite a sum of their money on.

Left me thinking how some women in olden days used to have nomad women or their maids to do ‘chumpi’ and ‘Malish’. Other would avail these facilities only after childbirth, when their bodies are torn with labor pains. However, the gist remains the same that the new term ‘spa’ is only a replacement of the old word ‘Maalish’.

Where a lot is said about the benefits of a nice Maalish atleast once a month, some are:

-         Alleviates heightened stress levels releasing happy hormones to improve overall body functioning.

-         Decreases levels of cortisol, a hormones that is produced when stressed.

-         Unblock the tied by energy and harmonize the energy flow in the body.

-         Improves blood circulation  and stimulates pressure receptors that initiate action from the nerve that regulates blood pressure.

-         It soothes the organs and helps them dilate for an efficient blood flow.

To add the cherry on top, bottom, and sides, there are a variety of ways in which these massages are done using herbal oils, fluids, hot stones, pressure nodes and of course kneading, stroking and pressing hands, feet, toes, knuckles and oh… Some of the most favorite massages are Swedish massage, Thai Foot Massage, Hot Balt stone massage, Shaistu massage, each one promising you complete rejuvenation and absolute revival of energy. And this is probably the reason why many women are oh-so-addicted to these spa-centers after a rough day at office.

And a big wow to the health benefits! No wonder why a women in her late 20’s remarked that she would go to Thailand and Bangkok – why? For an absolutely relaxing holidays in their amazingly economical spa centers!

Mental Distress in Pregnancy in Pakistan

Mental Distress in Pregnancy

.

Reproductive health is quite difficult to talk about in a conservative society where it’s considered as an extremely private affair of a couple but any of complexities and consequences are to be suffered to entire family. Here, a discussion on this topic is an attempt to bring to light its importance and some causes behind this, as it’s somewhat Socio-medical issue that involves an affected couple, family/parents and Medical persons.

Fortunately if all is well then no problem, a happy couple makes a happy and healthy family. However, in case a pregnant woman is going to suffer a severe mental distress (for any reason) throughout pregnancy, a general observation is that she delivers an infant either pre-mature (before time) or with some kind of disabilities (physical or mental) so it is very important to save a pregnant woman from all emotional, mental distress and psychological complexities leading towards sometime behavioral disorders other than pregnancy or childbirth related sufferings.

The reasons behind emotional and mental distress arising during and post-pregnancy situation are different from case to case but some major causes which medical professionals and social scientists discover are:

CUnder age marriage

CWomen over all poor health condition

CInappropriate match

CUnwanted pregnancy

CExpectation or pressure to deliver a male infant

CUnpleasant relationship with husband or his family

CMaternal Family (Parents/Sisters) are away or “made away”

CFear about weak financial position

CNon-availability of proper medical care after pregnancy

From the above highlights, first eight causes (or may be more) are coming from home and last one only belongs to medical professionals and institutions. In big cities women health care is somehow in better shape but the situation gets worse in rural areas mainly because of customary social and tribal structure and the decision-making authority lying in hands of either her husband or husband’s parents who, in majority, do not understand OR not ready to understand (adherent to traditions) possible complications and ignore what a woman needs to be treated from pregnancy to safe delivery of child.

Reproductive health, in fact, should be understood as a combination of medical and social sciences, that needs special training enabling medical professionals to deal with behavioral disorders scientifically. The statistics from Medical sources reveals that one in every 38 women dies from pregnancy related complications in our country. There is also a much higher incidence rate of delivery-related morbidity and other relevant disabilities with grave indirect consequence on emotional, mental and psychological well-being of the concerned women.

In majority of the causes of maternal and child morbidity and mortality are preventable or readily treatable with simple, inexpensive technologies and approaches. The situation in our country is more critical, as age of pregnancy is under 16 years for most of our rural women, who simply suffer or die not because of the diseases are incurable but the society has yet to “make the decision” that their lives are worth saving.

The important challenge is how to educate rural people of Pakistan, remaining within their customary-cum-tribal “social constraints” existing specially in Pakistan’s northern areas, that approaching to women health care centers would enable their women to go safely through pregnancy and the best possible risk-free chance of having a healthy infant.

There are many other social issues gripping Pakistani society should resolve by now such as under age marriage, inappropriate match, right of family planning, unwanted pregnancy and male/female infant birth issue in family, that directly hit a woman’s emotions and mental health during and after pregnancy.

The concrete efforts with specific focus on the promotion of reproductive health care both on public and private sectors need to be reinitiated to educate entire society and particularly to religious class to join hands and be helpful in campaign to make a healthy society overall and provide resources to medical professionals on scientific handling of reproductive health to level down maternal and infant morbidity and mortality in Pakistan

My Mediterranean Cooking

My Mediterranean Cooking

Here goes my latest cooking experitments; “African Peanut Soup”, a delicious all plant dish, containing 130 Calories in a bowl serving. I prepared it in 30 minutes(did not use potatoes as suggested in many recipes). Family and friends enjoyed it with freshly toasted whole-wheat bread.

Peanut Soup is a popular Mediterranean Diet, no I don’t mean diet as in ‘dieting’. Mediterranean Diet can be explained as healthy way of eating and lifestyle, recommended by leading scientist and Harvard School of Public Health, as one of the healthiest in the world.

Mediterranean diet is based on the dietary traditions of Crete, Greece and southern Italy from 60s at a time when the rates of chronic disease among people were lowest in the world, average life expectancy was the highest despite limited medical services.

Major part of meals should comprise of fresh vegetable. Best in the form of raw salads, sauted, or steamed.

Vegetable Wrap, a great meal on the go, for office and school lunches. I use a whole wheat chapatti add freshly cut vegetable any available and optional few chunks of cottage cheese and olives..

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes:

• Regular exercise, and or physical activities like sports
• Major part of daily meals should be plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes (lentils and beans) and nuts
• Replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil, sunflower and canola oil
• Using herbs, lemon juice and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
• Restricting the red meat to a few times a month
• Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week
• Drinking plenty of water
• The diet also emphasizes on enjoying meals with family and friends.

Pan grilled chicken breast fillet marinated in Italian mixed herbs.

To go with the soup for main course I cooked this pleasant meal of a low calorie delicious and quickly prepared, pan grilled chicken breast marinated in lemon pepper and Italian herbs. I served this with lightly sautéd eggplants and squash with oven roasted garlic flakes, lemon juice and herbs like rosemary and thyme in olive oil.

Total meal is 220-260 calories average.

Seafood and Poultry twice a week

Mediterranean diet is a good way of loosing weight and keeping safe from and for support in treatment of cardiovascular and many other diseases.

Here are a very authentic and trusted set of recipes Mediterranean Cooking. This is my reference for experimenting with Mediterranean Cooking.

Slimness Expedition

For Soldiers on a Slimness Expedition

What does one expect after cruising his way from obesity to slimness? Envious eyes, chasing stares, appreciation-showers and dropping dead of the opposite gender.. For these few seemingly insignificant words, people, in particular women go on hunger-strikes more than Mahatma Gandhi did, develop saintly virtues giving away all eatables their concerned ones send along with them, religiously fast for more than 36 hours, renounce all the omnivorous pleasures and choose to live on few sips.

Result – a hanger with a broom wig, scarce ounces of flesh on a zombie, or precisely, a parading X-ray report.  While the person-reduced to a skeleton revels over the newly achieved ‘slim’ outlook, he rarely has any idea of how ghastly he has become. The prolonged trauma of going through obesity leaves no way for turning back –thanks to the jokes and taunts directed at them every now and then. By the time, the person realizes the situation; he has done enough harm to make it back to normalcy. And the shocks and tremors the body goes through ensue in the dramatic muscle loss (Yes-not Fat loss), hair fall, weak immunity and declining energy levels.

It’s hence very important for those going through a weight loss transition to scruplously monitor this phase . A few points that clamor for attention, provided one is not blinded by the ‘mission to be slim’,  are:

1)      Lose weight gradually. Don’t speed it. It might lead to spells of dizziness, sharp fall in energy levels and possibly loss of muscle-mass.

2)      Go on a modestly low-carb diet. How many carbs – that depends on your level of physical activity. For an athlete, the count would definitely be different from the one confined to his office seat.

3)      Divide you meals in episodes, ideally six to eight. Consuming a large pack after a long period of starvation would still convert the extra carbohydrate into fats, and would also slow down your metabolic rate. You’d also notice that pausing after some morsels would soon give you a feeling of fullness, so you wont be craving for more after all.

4)      Include moderate levels of fats in your diet. It will give you a feel of satiation without having to consume too much carbohydrate before you feel full.

5)      Don’t eliminate any food group from your diet. It will have lasting implications on the body for the precious nutrients you’d be missing out may create a serious deficiency or affect the body in more ways than one.

6)      Exercise. Losing weight through dieting, people usually ignore how they need to ‘move’ in order to tone the body that would otherwise go loose and flabby.

7)       Too much of self-restraint is bad. Don’t stop yourself unnecessarily from eating what you wish to. Stopping oneself a lot from what one craves for leads  to depression. What’s the point doing so much, if one can’t be happy.

Don’t judge your well-being with digits on a weighing machine. Your ideal weight is one on which you feel good, are able to give your maximum output and find yourself  most happy. While women should check out whether it’s the hormonal imbalance that is leading them to gain pounds, for that needs t be treated before you head for any weight-loss expedition. And lastly, this all is a non-professional advice by a person who has only learnt this through experience. If you disagree with it, better consult a nutritionist or a doctor.

Middle ear infection cause dizziness

Q: I am 57. When I am sitting on the floor, say during the Friday sermon, and then stand up, I feel a bit dizzy and unbalanced. What is the reason for this? — M.J.
A: Your problem could be either a middle ear infection or blood pressure. Kindly get in touch with an ear-nose-and-throat (ENT) consultant or a physician.

Q: In the recent past, I have experienced a burning sensation when urinating and passing stool. I have a bloated stomach, heartburn, slight pain in the chest, and a funny taste in my mouth. I also feel thirsty. — H.S.
A: A burning sensation when urinating is due to a condition called dysuria, which is concentrated urine from an insufficient intake of water. It may be due to a urinary tract infection. Get your urine tested. As far as your tummy problem is concerned, you need to consult a gastroenterologist. You may need to go in for a procedure called an endoscopy.

Q: I am suffering from heartburn at night after having dinner. — A.S.
A: Heartburn happens due to a condition called GRED — gastro-esophageal reflux. Or it may be a simple case of indigestion. Get in touch with a gastroenterologist.

 

 

Q: I have a constant blocked nose. Sometimes both nostrils are open, but from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., it is totally blocked. Please advise. — M.T.
A: A blocked nose at night is due to the enlargement of tissue called the adenoids behind your nostrils. This is caused by an allergy. You need to approach an ENT consultant. You may get better with medicines or have to go in for simple surgery.

Q: I am a diabetic patient and on a controlled diet. I would like to ask if there are any side effects from getting a CT scan of both legs to check if my veins are blocked. My legs feel weak and I cannot walk fast. I am 63. — M.A.K.
A: There is no contra indication from a CT scan for a diabetic patient.

RESEARCH:New 'evolved' protein therapy to stop cancer growth

New 'evolved' protein therapy to stop cancer growth

Washington, Sept 22 : Researchers from Stanford has created an "evolved" protein therapy that might stop cancer from spreading in body.

According to the team of Stanford researchers the new protein therapy disrupts the process that causes cancer cells to break away from original tumor sites, travel through the blood stream and start aggressive new growths elsewhere in the body.

Jennifer Cochran, an associate professor of bioengineering who describes a new therapeutic approach in Nature Chemical Biology , said that the majority of patients who succumbed to cancer fell prey to metastatic forms of the disease.

The Stanford team seeks to stop metastasis, without side effects, by preventing two proteins namely Axl and Gas6 from interacting to initiate the spread of cancer.

The research showed that when two Gas6 proteins linked with two Axls, the signals that were generated enabled cancer cells to leave the original tumor site, migrate to other parts of the body and form new cancer nodules.

Professor Amato Giaccia, who heads the Radiation Biology Program in Stanford's Cancer Center, said that this was a very promising therapy that appeared to be effective and non-toxic in pre-clinical experiments and it could open up a new approach to cancer treatment. (ANI)

Healthy lifestyle may help prevent heart attacks

Washington, Sep 23 - A new study has revealed 80 percent of men could prevent heart attacks by adopting healthy lifestyle choices.

Following a healthy lifestyle, including maintaining a healthy weight and diet, exercise, not smoking and moderating alcohol intake, could prevent could prevent coronary events in men.

While mortality from heart disease has declined in recent decades, with much of the reduction attributed to medical therapies, the authors said prevention through a healthy lifestyle avoids potential side effects of medication and were more cost effective for population-wide reductions in coronary heart disease.

The researchers found a clear reduction in risk for heart attack for each individual lifestyle factor the participants practiced. For instance having a low-risk diet together with a moderate alcohol consumption led to an estimated 35 percent lower risk of heart attack compared to the high-risk group, those who practice none of the low-risk factors.

Men who combined the low-risk diet and moderate alcohol consumption with not smoking, being physically active and having a low amount of abdominal fat, had 86 percent lower risk. Researchers found similar results in men with hypertension and high cholesterol levels.

The burden of cardiovascular disease could be significantly reduced through programs targeted to men and promoting low-risk lifestyle choices. Even in those who take medication, an additional reduction in risk for chronic heart disease has been observed in those with a healthy lifestyle.

Agneta Akesson, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, said that it was important to note that these lifestyle behaviors are modifiable, and changing from high-risk to low-risk behaviors could have great impact on cardiovascular health; however, the best thing one can do was to adopt healthy lifestyle choices early in life.

The study is published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. (ANI)

Natural Ways to Repel Insects

Bugs are the bane of my existence. And, I’m going to vent about it now. They go nuts over my blood for some reason, and once outside, give it five seconds and I’ll have swollen, itchy bumps flaring up all over.

There are tons of bug repellent products out there, but if you don’t want to coat your skin with DEET and other toxic chemicals, what are the all-natural options? Luckily, Mother Nature is way ahead of us in the bug repellent game. Here are 6 natural remedies to blast biters for good.

Catnip
This powerful herb isn’t just for getting cats kooky, as some studies point to catnip being more affective than DEET when it comes to banishing bugs. Urban dwellers—it also works against cockroaches (gag). Just crush the leaves and rub over skin or add some to your garden.

Citronella
The king of bug repellents, citronella is a prime ingredient in many anti-bug balms, sprays and candles. Many plant nurseries sell them, making a nice, affordable addition to any outdoor patio. The lemon-y smell is delicious and this plant can grow up to six feet tall! Opt for Cybopogon nardus or Citronella winterianus varieties, because other types won’t have the same potent affect against insects.

Peppermint
Not only do bugs shy away from the sharp scent of this potent herb, but the zesty oil of its leaves are perfect for soothing itchy bug bites. Crush up the leaves and rub on skin for a fresh scent. This is also another great garden addition to keep the bugs at bay.

Rosemary
Planning a good ol’ outdoors summer BBQ? Add rosemary to the mix to keep those vicious little six legged critters from attacking you and your guests. Throw a small bushel on the grill or in a campfire and let the wafting aroma and smoke clear out the pests while adding some delicious flavoring to your food!

Bring in the Bats
Did you know that bats consume around 1,000 mosquitos per night? That’s a good enough reason to keep them on your side. Build a bat house to attract the creatures of the night and to clear the air of buggies. Or, you could catch a cute lil guy and chain yourself to it whenever you venture outdoors. Just kidding, but some of them are kinda cute, right?

Mosquito Traps
Get crafty to crush those hungry insects by constructing your own mosquito trap. Mosquitos are attracted to the CO2 we exhale, and this nifty contraption uses just that along with a plastic bottle to capture mosquitos and keep them hostage.

The wrong reaction to Ebola

THE new Ebola treatment centre, ‘Island Clinic’, that opened in Monrovia. Liberia announced plans for a four-fold increase in beds for Ebola patients in its overwhelmed capital Monrovia as US troops arrived to help tackle the deadly epidemic.—AFP

IT wasn’t surprising that Western journalists would react with doom-and-gloom when the Ebola outbreak began in West Africa. Or that the crisis would not be treated as a problem confronting all humanity — a force majeure — but as one of “those diseases” that afflict “those people” over there in Africa. Most Western media immediately fell into fear mongering. Rarely did they tell the stories of Africans who survived Ebola, or meaningfully explore what it means to see your child or parent or other family member or friend be stricken with the disease. Where are the stories of the wrenching decisions of families forced to abandon loved ones or the bravery required to simply live as a human in conditions where everyone walks on the edge of suspicion?

Instead, we have been given news from “the front lines of Ebola” and “the war on Ebola”, video clips with sombre narrators and eerie soundtracks and photographs that capture only sadness and hopelessness, all without the necessary human context. We have seen endless images of Westerners, covered head to toe, amid crowds of healthy-seeming onlookers; given such presentations, it is no surprise that people would begin to think that Ebola is an airborne contagion that might get on a plane and travel around the world, infecting people on its own. Or that all Africans are potential carriers.

Once again, sensationalism and generalisation seem to be the only ways that Africa can be presented in the West. Once again, my country, Sierra Leone, along with Liberia, Guinea and, as far as some are concerned, the entire African continent, makes news because of a crisis. Is this the only time we are relevant? Why is it that, once again, even those who have never set foot on our continent seem to think they know all about us?

AID workers and doctors transfer Manuel Garcia Viejo, a Spanish priest who was infected with the Ebola virus while working in Sierra Leone, from a military plane to an ambulance as he leaves the Torrejon de Ardoz military airbase, near Madrid, Spain, on Monday.—AP

Given our interconnected world, it’s no longer possible to excuse such treatment as a lack of access to the facts. So what is the explanation? To borrow the words of Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, “Quite simply it is the desire — one might indeed say the need — in Western psychology to set Africa up as a foil to Europe, as a place of negations at once remote and vaguely familiar, in comparison with which Europe’s own state of spiritual grace will be manifest.”

This thinking is so deeply entrenched in the minds of people in the West that it has become a reflex. Still, the ways in which Africans are portrayed as less human have not lost the power to shock. Each new crisis, it seems, offers a platform for some to exercise their prejudices.

Yes, there is an Ebola crisis in West Africa. Yes, some governments, including mine, along with most international organisations whose task it is to assist in dealing with such calamities, haven’t properly dealt with it. But the way Western media framed the crisis to the world hasn’t helped. While of course precautions must be taken, the hysteria and hyperbole have led to an unnecessary isolation that is making the outbreak more difficult to address.

The hysteria is also fuelling racism beyond the continent. In Germany, an African woman who recently travelled to Kenya — far from the affected countries — fell ill with a stomach virus at work; the entire building was locked down. In Brussels, an African man had a simple nosebleed at a shopping mall, and the store where it happened was sterilised. In Seoul, a bar put up a sign saying, “We apologise but due to the Ebola virus we are not accepting Africans at the moment.” Here in the United States, each time I have been to a doctor’s office since the outbreak, I have noticed an anxious look on the faces of the assistants that dissipates only when I say that I haven’t been to my country recently.

THE principal of a secondary school in Abuja, Nigeria, takes a student’s temperature as part of the Ebola screening process.—AFP

For Western media, this is just another one of those stories about the “killer virus” and the “poor Africans” who must once again be saved and spoken for by Westerners. And, always, there is the most important question: will the virus come to the United States or Europe?

Western survivors of Ebola are given heroic adulation, while Africans who get the disease are spoken off with hopelessness and horror. Where is the reporting we need about why the affected population has, in some cases, not been cooperative with health workers and their governments? The implication has been that they should do so without reservation, again making Africans seem unreasonable, unintelligent and unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

But many West Africans’ experiences with international organisations and governments haven’t been positive; they know first-hand that governments do not always have their interests at heart. Hence the distrust. Likewise, the international agencies that arrived during and after the wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia have not significantly improved the lives of the population, and they do not enjoy the faith of the people.

If you are reading this and believe you do not think about us the ways I have described, ask yourself the following questions: when was the last time you saw, and took the time to read, a positive front-page article about an African country? Have you ever met someone from Africa and decided to tell her what you know about her country and her continent, even if you have never been there? Have you ever noticed yourself speaking slowly and using exaggerated gestures while talking to someone from Africa, assuming that he doesn’t understand English well?

Once again, we are a place of fear and misunderstanding. I am not hopeful that Western thinking about Africa will change anytime soon, but it must be challenged. Silence only leads to continued dehumanisation and further acceptance by future generations in the West.