Grab Bag July 5th Trivia:

On this day in 1946, French designer Louis Reard unveiled his latest creation, and “taking a dip” would never be the same. Today, we honor….

THE BIKINI

Grab Bag “Oh, Honey” Moment:

Consumer Reports on Health writes that a review of 19 studies shows that honey can speed recovery from moderate burns to the skin by up to 4 days, compared with traditional dressings. It did not seem to have the same effect on diabetic leg ulcers, but next time you burn your hand on an oven rack, dab some on, honey bear 🙂

Grab Bag Brain Surfing:

Researchers at UCLA used an MRI to scan the brains of 24 volunteers, half who were new to searching the internet and half who were web-savvy. Both groups showed increased brain activity, but the experienced internet surfers showed twice as much brain stimulation. Surfs up, dude.

Grab Bag Not-So-Silent-Anymore Killer:

Ovarian cancer has long been regarded as basically asymptomatic (without symptoms) until it’s too late. Dr. Barbara Goff, director of gynecologic oncology at University of Washington School of Medicine, decided to see if that was really true. She began surveying ovarian cancer patients and asking them about their earliest symptoms. Based on her surveys of over 1,800 women, Goff developed an “ovarian-cancer symptom index”.

Here are the most common symptoms in the early stages of the disease:

1. Abdominal or pelvic pain

2. Increased abdominal size or bloating

3. Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly

4. Symptoms occur more than 12 times a month, for less than a year

If these symptom occur, a thorough ovarian cancer evaluation is in order.

NOTE: Most women who suffer these symptoms will not have ovarian cancer, just as most women who have breast lumps don’t have breast cancer. But, would you ignore a breast lump because odds are it’s nothing serious? I don’t think so (you are all intelligent women, or married to one, or the child of one!).

GOOD NEWS: Early research is indicating that this index, combined with a CA-125 blood test may identify more than 80% of women with early-stage ovarian cancer.

So, if at all suspicious of your symptoms, don’t ignore…. talk to your doctor.

Grab Bag X-Ray Health Tip:

We all know that unnecessary x-rays are harmful to both body and wallet. Keeping an up-to-date record can save you from big bad rads and moula. Call your doctor(s) or lab and ask them what images were taken and when. Download this card, print, fill out, fold and keep in your wallet.

X-RAY RECORD

Grab Bag Brain Game:

For all you world travelers…. or wannabes….

WHERE ON EARTH?

Grab Bag Funny Stuff:

From Sweden’s Got Talent:

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