Viva For Your Health

Through trial and error scientists have found and proven that petroleum diesel, a fuel source that is used in our every day life is quite harmful to the environment. That is why they have tried to find new fuel sources that are more efficient but not as costly. The new fuel must also be friendly to our environment.

One of the sources that scientists have been doing a lot of testing on is biodiesel, a fuel made from natural products. So far, tests that have been carried out on the health effects have shown that biodiesel poses absolutely no threat to human health and that it is also biodegradable.

They also did a lot of comparisons to petroleum diesel and there were a lot of interesting findings. For example, they discovered that biodiesel forms roughly fifty percent less smog then petroleum diesel. Smog is a health hazard that can cause asthma, emphysema and bronchitis as well as decrease the lungs working capacity.

The exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide are 50 percent higher then from diesel.

Carbon dioxide is a very poisonous gas and also a contributing factor in the localized formation of smog. The exhaust emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates which are major components of acid rain are completely eliminated when it comes to biodiesel.

Finally, the exhaust emissions of aromatic compounds known as PAH and NPAH
which have been suspected to cause cancer are substantially reduced when compared to petroleum diesel. These factors range from a drastic 75% to 95% difference.

The scientists have used the best technology possible to gather their data. This shows how important the use of biodiesel is important to our health and to the environment that we live in. Hopefully we will fully replace petroleum with it and it will slowly but surely show us a wide range of differences in which we can benefit from.

Alcohol and health effects of alcohol on the body can be short term or long term effects. The consumption of alcohol and health related problems can occur over a short time frame, while other conditions and long term effects of alcohol on the body may only happen following years of alcohol abuse.

Alcohol comes into direct contact with the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach and intestines as well as being absorbed into the bloodstream. Health problems can begin as headaches, feeling nauseated, sore throat or indigestion. However, if alcohol abuse continues, these and other alcohol and health symptoms can develop into more serious illnesses and diseases.

Here are examples of short term health effects of alcohol on the body:

• Nausea, Vomiting, Dizziness, Hangovers – excessive alcohol consumption can result in the body trying to protect itself by getting rid of the alcohol and vomiting. Alcohol and health and the central nervous system are related since alcohol affects a person’s sense of balance and orientation, leading to a feeling of nausea and/or dizziness. Hangovers are partly due to the body’s dehydration caused by alcohol consumption, and hangover effects of alcohol on the body may be felt a few hours after consuming alcohol.

• Loss of Muscle Control – slurred speech is one of the effects of alcohol on the body. Impaired judgement and poor coordination are alcohol and health effects that can lead to falls and accidents.

• Adverse Interactions with Medications – alcohol is known to interact negatively with at least 100 medications. For example, antihistamines taken with alcohol can increase the drowsiness that this medication by itself can cause. Large doses of the painkiller acetaminophen taken together when consuming alcohol increases the risk of liver damage.

• Pregnancy Risks – alcohol can cause numerous birth defects, the most serious being fetal alcohol syndrome. Babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome will have physical abnormalities, mental impairment and problems with behavior. To avoid negative alcohol and health effects during pregnancy, do not drink alcohol during pregnancy as no one knows exactly how much alcohol causes birth deffects.

Because alcohol and health effects can involve many organs in the body, long-term heavy drinking puts you at risk for developing serious health conditions and illnesses. Here are examples of long term effects of alcohol on the body:

• Liver Inflammation and Cirrhosis of the Liver – liver inflammation symptoms include abnormal yellowing of the skin, eyeballs and urine, fever and abdominal pain. And in the case of cirrhosis, as many as one in five heavy drinkers will develop cirrhosis of the liver. Alcohol is especially harmful to the liver since the liver is needed to metabolize alcohol. Alcohol destroys liver cells, and it destroys the ability of the liver to regenerate new cells.

• Cancer – long term heavy drinkers increase their risk for certain forms of cancer such as cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus and colon.

• Heart disease – long term heavy drinking increases a person’s risk for developing high blood pressure and heart disease.

• Pancreaitis – long term heavy drinking can result in developing inflammation of the pancreas, called pancreaitis. The pancreas are needed for food digestion, and pancreaitis symptoms include severe abdominal pain and weight loss. Pancreaitis can be life-threatening.

Additional long term negative alcohol and health effects on the body include damage to the brain, nerve damage, bleeding in the esophagus, erectile dysfunction in men, insomnia and depression. If you’d like to learn more about alcoholism stages and warning signs, there are proven resources available that can help. It is never too late to begin recovery from alcohol addiction.

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