Artificial Sweetener - Aspartame

There is a warning label in this advertisement - “Contains Aspartame [Artificial sweetener], not recommended for children and Phenylketonurics”

Aspartame:
Aspartame (or APM) is the name for an artificial sweetener. Artificial sweeteners are also called sugar substitutes. Aspartame is also one of the sugar substitutes used by people with diabetes.

They are substances that are used instead of sucrose (table sugar) to sweeten foods and beverages. Because artificial sweeteners are many times sweeter than table sugar, smaller amounts are needed to create the same level of sweetness.

Aspartame, has a caloric value of 4 kilocalories (17 kilojoules) per gram, the quantity of aspartame needed to produce a sweet taste is so small that its caloric contribution is negligible, which makes it a popular sweetener for those trying to avoid calories from sugar. The sweetness of aspartame has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar.

This sweetener is marketed under a number of trademark names, including Tropicana Slim, Equal, NutraSweet, and Canderel, Aspartame is currently the most popular sweetener in the US food industry.

It is an ingredient of approximately 6,000 consumer foods and beverages sold worldwide. It is commonly used in diet soft drinks, and is often provided as a table condiment. It is also used in some brands of chewable vitamin supplements and common in many sugar-free chewing gums.

According to researchers in the US, artificial sweeteners used in low-calorie drinks, can make you put on weight. They say the sweeteners used in these drinks trick the body into thinking it is about to get a huge surge of calories and when it does not you get hungry and over-eat.

In the United States, five intensely-sweet sugar substitutes have been approved for use. They are saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, neotame and acesulfame potassium.

There is some ongoing controversy over whether artificial sweeteners are health risks. Scientifically-controlled peer-reviewed studies have consistently failed to produce evidence of adverse effects caused by consumption of these products.

More information about aspartame can be found in the FDA Statement on Aspartame, which is available at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/tpaspart.html on the Internet.

Phenylketonurics:
"Phenylketonurics" is the term used to refer to people that have the metabolic disorder Phenylketonuria, or PKU in short. People that have the disorder PKU cannot consume any product that contains aspartame.

Phenylketonuria is a genetic disorder that makes it impossible for these people to metabolize phenylalanine. Phenylalanine is found in aspartame. Aspartame is an ester of methanol and the aspartic acid/phenylalanine peptide. In your body, the ester is hydrolyzed to phenylalanine and methanol. So Phenylalanine is stored, in the bodies of people who have this disorder PKU, particularly in the brain. It causes mental problems and can produce profound retardation in children.

Paints that give magical environment in your child's room.

Chalkboard Paint:

A few coats of this paint will create a fun chalkboard surface on the wall that children can write on with chalk, and will wash off easily. Open your child to a world of exciting possibilities and colours.

Fluorescent Paint:
Fluorescent paint does not glow in the dark. It requires light to glow. They are widely used in industries for purpose of marking. In some countries, these are also known as UV Fluorescent Paint or Blacklight. Fluorescent paint can either be water-based or solvent-based.

Fluorescent Paint gives bright, colourful and cheerful shades of colour that bring shine to the walls in your child's room. They are available in four vibrant shades. These paints also add colour to the Glow-in-dark paints to multiply the magical effect.

Glow Paint:

Day

Night

Paints that glow in the dark are actually phosphorescent paint. It is commonly called "glow-in-the-dark" paint. It is made from phosphors such as silver-activated zinc sulfide and typically glows a pale green to greenish blue color. These paints are 100% water based products.

Phosphorescent paint creates a magical environment in your child's room - with fairies, butterflies, submarines and more changing appearance by day and night.

Safety tips for operation of microwave ovens

Microwave ovens are comparatively safe.

Microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that uses microwaves to rapidly cook food or heat food. A special electron tube in it called a magnetron produces the microwaves usually at a frequency of 2.45 GHz and a wavelength of 12.24 cm. The microwaves cause water molecules in the food to vibrate, producing heat. Typically, microwaves penetrate at most only about 2.5 to 5 cms into food. But this creates enough heat for the rest of the food to be cooked by conduction, as in a conventional oven. But once the water has vaporized, fats and proteins absorb the energy and heat beyond water’s boiling point.

Microwave cooking can be more energy efficient than conventional cooking because foods cook faster and the energy heats only the food, not the oven compartment. Microwave cooking does not reduce the nutritional value of foods any more than conventional cooking. In fact, foods cooked in a microwave oven may keep more of their vitamins and minerals, because microwave ovens can cook more quickly and without adding water.Glass, paper, ceramic, or plastic containers are used in microwave cooking because the microwaves pass through them. Although such containers cannot be heated by microwaves, they can become hot from the heat of the food cooking inside.

Typical output power for consumer devices ranges from 650 to 1200 watts.

Look for products that have a strong after-sales support system. This guarantees that you will not be left in lurch if the appliance stops working.

Safety tips for operation of microwave ovens:

1. Do not operate oven when empty.
2. Be cautious when removing food covers to avoid scalds from escaping steam. After the oven is switched off, food will begin to cool immediately. Let it stand for few minutes so the outer and inner temperatures even up and food may continue cooking as this happens.
3. Check to see that door seal and inside surfaces of door and oven cavity are clean after each use.
4. Keep out of the reach of children. Do not permit young children to operate the oven.
5. Do not put face close to door window when oven is operating.
6. Plastic containers should not be used in a microwave oven, as they can be melted by the heat of the food inside.
7. If your oven is very old, get the seals checked by a qualified microwave engineer.
8. Radiation from a microwave oven directly on a human is not carcinogenic. However, with the oven door open, the radiation may cause damage by heating.
9. Exercise extreme caution if you have a pacemaker implant.
   
   

LASIK Eye Surgery

LASER-ASSISTED IN SITU KERATOMILEUSIS: Shortly called Lasik or Lasix:

LASIK is the most commonly performed refractive surgery procedure. Refractive Surgery is a surgery that permanently changes the focusing ability of the eye, done to improve or eliminate refractive errors. In refractive errors, too much or too little bending of the light rays entering the eye, so that they focus not on the retina, which would give clear vision, but either in front of it (myopia) or behind it (hyperopia). When the cornea is slightly oval-shaped, rather than perfectly round, it has two curvatures, a steeper one and a flatter one. This also causes refractive error (astigmatism), bending the light rays in two different ways, so that they’re skewed and unable to focus.

In LASIK eye surgery, an instrument called a microkeratome is used to create a thin, circular flap in the cornea. Another, newer way of making the flap is with a laser.

The surgeon folds the flap back out of the way, then removes some corneal tissue underneath using an excimer laser. The excimer laser uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely remove ("ablate") very tiny bits of tissue from the cornea to reshape it. When the cornea is reshaped in the right way, it works better to focus light into the eye and onto the retina, providing clearer vision than before. The flap is then laid back in place, covering the area where the corneal tissue was removed.

LASIK is a suitable procedure for correcting the most severe refractive errors. It is not widely recognized by consumers but excimer lasers also can correct astigmatism by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal shape.

LASIK has advantages over other procedures, including a relative lack of pain afterward and the fact that good vision is usually achieved by the very next day.

Other types of laser refractive surgeries are Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), Laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) and Epithelial Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis Epi-LASIK.

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK):

PRK laser vision correction is appropriate for patients who are nearsighted (myopic), farsighted (hyperopic) or have astigmatism. A laser removes parts of the outside of the cornea, reshaping the eye to correct refractive errors. It does not involve the creation of a corneal flap, making it a good alternative for patients whose occupations or activities create elevated risk for LASIK. PRK takes longer to heal, longer to see final results, and has a greater potential for scaring (which can cause hazy vision) than LASIK.

In PRK Laser Eye Surgery, advantages are absence of potential flap complications, Quicker (about 30 seconds per eye) than LASIK and slightly less expensive and consumes less corneal tissue than LASIK. It is well suited for – (1) Patients with mild to moderate myopia or hyperopia, (2) Patients who cannot have a cut flap, such as pilots, athletes, or those involved in other activities or occupations where the possibility of contact with the eye is probable and (3) Patients who are not good candidates for LASIK due to corneal shape or thickness

LASEK

LASEK vision correction is much like LASIK, but no flap is cut. Instead, alcohol is used to float the epithelium (A layer of cells which protects the tissue below. In the eye, it’s the outside layer of cells on the cornea), giving the doctor access to the cornea for corrections. LASEK is a good alternative for patients who should not have a corneal flap, due to lifestyle, large pupils, or dry eye.

EpiLASIKE

EpiLASIK  is very similar to LASIK and LASEK, but does not involve cutting the cornea, and does not use alcohol to separate the epithelium. A mechanical device makes the separation, avoiding the cell damage caused by alcohol and speeding the healing process. This laser vision correction procedure is appropriate for patients with thin corneas.

Risks
As with any medical surgery, refractive surgery too has risks, including:
Undercorrections,Overcorrections, Astigmatism, Glare, halos and double vision, Dry eyes, Flap problems.

If you're considering LASIK eye surgery, talk to your doctor about your questions and concerns. He or she can explain how the surgery might benefit you and help put the risks in perspective.
Only your eye doctor can tell if you are a good candidate for laser eye surgery.