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The growth of mold in HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems is a main contributor to poor indoor air quality. Mold spores are a prevalent part of bacteria and dust in the home. Ignoring a problem or potentially harmful situation involving poor indoor air quality can render an even more serious issue, so it should be taken care of immediately.

Mold allergies are a serious problem for many people. Those that are often exposed to poor indoor air quality are at a higher risk for developing some sort of respiratory complication. These people are often those that don’t even know that they could be vulnerable to such hazardous allergens.

The cause of inadequate atmosphere quality can stem from faulty HVAC equipment, poor air circulation, inappropriately operated or preserved HVAC systems, and not having a sufficient amount of external air. All of these things can cause the growth of the allergen, mold. Mold spores can lead to congestion, asthma, and other breathing difficulties for those that become exposed. During the time that HVAC systems operate they are able to transport considerable amounts of recirculated and outside air through the home or occupied space. The system becomes the channel through which toxic entities are spread.

It has been found that ultraviolet radiation is the most effective way to combat mold and other airborne bacteria in the home. UV rays can be used individually or can be combined with an EAC (Electronic Air Cleaner) to prevent or diminish the health risks that mold presents. UV light is able to restrict the reproduction process and growth of germs, allergens, and bacteria, such as mold.

To successfully kill microorganisms, found in an indoor atmosphere, ultraviolet energy waves are used. The UV radiation must make direct contact with the harmful bacteria to make sure that it is exterminated. The ultraviolet rays then infiltrate the organism, causing the molecular bonds to stop functioning properly and inducing mutilation of the cells. This remedy of doing away with mold spores in the HVAC system kills or sterilizes germs, rendering them unable to reproduce. The germs are either killed or sterilized, leaving them unable to reproduce. This is a guaranteed solution to reducing the allergens in the atmosphere in your home and improving your family’s overall quality of life.

Indoor air quality is an issue that is quickly becoming a priority problem in homes across the nation. Making sure that you and your loved ones are protected from harmful toxins is very important and should not be taken lightly. Having your HVAC system inspected and keeping up with its maintenance can mean the difference between breathing poor quality or high quality indoor air. Why not make the place that you spend a majority of your time a safer place to live and breath.

If you’re like most people, then you’ll no doubt be surprised to hear that controlling your gout, uric acid levels and symptoms can be as simple as drinking orange juice!

A Spanish study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in September of 2003 showed that uric acid levels are lowered by the vitamin C in orange juice.

In the study, six women and six men were required to drink two glasses of orange juice every day for two weeks. They needed to drink a 250ml glass in the morning, and another one in the afternoon, for a total of 500ml per day. This typically meant that they were taking in an additional 250mg of vitamin C each day.

The rest of the diet throughout the two-week period, provided each of the participants with about 136mg of vitamin C a day for the men, and 112mg for the women. This made the daily intake of vitamin C for the male participants 386mg and for the female participants it was 362mg.

After the two-week period had passed, the level of vitamin C in the blood stream of the men had risen by 52 percent, while it had risen in women by 22 percent. However, it should be pointed out that the women had higher levels of vitamin C in their bloodstream to begin with.

But even better was the fact that after two weeks, the male participants had reduced their levels of uric acid by approximately 12.5 percent, while the women had reduced their levels by 6.5 percent. By the end of the vitamin C study every participant had reduced his or her gout uric acid levels.

Researchers consider this to be very important news; especially considering that it was only an increase of 250mg daily (compared to a typical vitamin C supplement, which is 500 to 1000mg) and the study only lasted only two weeks. They believe that drinking twice as much juice over a longer time period, for example a month or six months, or even a lifetime, could help to permanently reduce uric acid levels and prevent gout attacks because even greater reductions in uric acid level could be achieved.

However, keep in mind that this study was performed on healthy individuals’ aged 20 to 32. Also most medications prescribed to reduce uric acid will lower levels more substantially and quickly than relying on vitamin C therapy alone. The upside of the Vitamin C approach is that it’s a lot more pleasant than taking drugs and also cheaper. Plus there are none of the nasty side effects that many of the gout drugs have. But if you’re thinking of using vitamin C to lower your uric acid levels, you should first speak to your doctor.

A substantially larger study performed in 2005 tested vitamin C’s efficacy for reducing uric acid levels. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore Maryland and published their study results in the June Arthritis and Rheumatism journal of the same year which used dietary supplements of 500 mg instead of orange juice. The researchers saw similar reductions in uric acid levels.

This is important news, as it is vital for sufferers to reduce gout uric acid levels before permanent damage is done to the various affected joints.

Arthroplasty (joint replacement surgery) involving the hip and knee is one of the most common orthopedic procedures performed in the United States.

The technology has improved so that a good to excellent outcome is the usual result. Complications and side effects such as postoperative infection, thrombophlebitis (blood clots), loosening of the joint replacement, and persistent pain still occur but fortunately aren’t common.

Patients younger than 50 still are operated on with some reluctance because the chances are quite good that they will require a revision arthroplasty- meaning they will need to have the joint replacement replaced. And the more active a young patient remains, particularly if they abuse the joint replacement, the shorter the life span of the joint prosthesis. Revision of an old joint replacement is a technically difficult procedure.

At the other end of the spectrum, orthopedic surgeons have been reluctant to replace joints in older people, particularly ones that are older than 100 years.

While hip and knee arthroplasty are rarely performed in patients older than 100 years, according to a recently published article, these patients should not be denied the option of this surgery. (Krishnan E, et al. Arthritis Rheum 2007;57:1038-1042).

The authors point out that osteoarthritis (wear and tear arthritis) and hip fracture due to osteoporosis are “two major causes of disability among the older age group.”

The researchers examined epidemiologic and mortality data in regards to arthroplasty among people older than 100 years. The comparison group were people in their 90’s.

Adjustments were made for the presence of concurrent illnesses such as congestive heart failure, neurologic diseases, including dementia and stroke, kidney and liver diseases, obesity and other risk factors.

A total of 679 hip arthroplasties were identified among those older than 100 years, compared with 33,975 among people in their 90’s. There were only 7 knee arthroplasties among centenarians, and 2,050 in the nonagenarian (older than 90 but less than 100 year old) group.

Eighty-three percent of 100 year old + patients who underwent arthroplasties were women. Hip fractures were responsible for 94% of hip replacements among nonagenarians and centenarians.

Statistical measurements showed that the 100+ year group had a higher mortality risk than the 90+ year group who underwent a similar procedure.

Hospitalization for hip replacement surgery among those over the age of 100 was associated with a lower risk of death when analyses were performed using the records of all patients older than 100 years. Adjusted mortality rate was less for hip arthroplasty hospitalizations compared with all other causes of hospitalizations combined.

The authors stated that the patients who get joint replacement die less frequently in the post-operative period than comparable patients admitted to the hospital for other reasons. The chief explanation is that the patients are highly selected for joint replacements.

They went on to say that joint replacements for older people will likely to be more frequent in the future, since these operations can improve functional status of elderly patients.

Their conclusion: Joint replacements should not be denied to centenarians because of short-term post-operative life expectancy estimates.

Author’s note: Since demographic data shows that life expectancy is increasing and that people are staying active longer, these findings make a lot of sense. Age itself should not be the determining factor when it comes to joint replacement. Physiological status and overall health is much more important.

Obviously though, the presence of co-morbid conditions (concurrent medical problems) weigh heavily in the mix when it comes to making a decision about this. However, as patients stay healthier, quality of life becomes just as important as longevity in years.