| Vitamin D: the miracle cure?
Ilhan started complaining that her legs hurt," she said. "They would hurt for about 15-20 minutes at a time. Sometimes she was finding it difficult to walk. I could not think what might be wrong with her." Ilhan was given a vitamin D injection and now takes daily tablets. She was lucky she had a doctor who recognised the warning signs before she became permanently deformed. She was in particular danger because of two things: her skin colour and her dress. Originally from Somalia, Ilhan requires more sun to create enough vitamin D via her skin. It is thought that up to one in 100 ethnic minority children in this country may suffer from rickets. This was compounded by the fact that both Maryan and Ilhan covered up by wearing the hijab; Ilhan now does not wear her hijab to school.
Carla Marinucci: UPDATE - Gore cancels appearance at Boxer fundraiser
I just got a call from Vice President Al Gore. He told me that he needs to travel abroad tomorrow for an exciting and urgent mission that could result in a major breakthrough in the fight against global warming. Unfortunately, this means that we must postpone our Thursday, October 11th event with him until Friday, November 9th. I wanted to be sure to e-mail you tonight in case you were planning on attending. While I am really disappointed that we won't see Al Gore until next month, I am thrilled that he is continuing to provide critical leadership to address one of the most pressing issues of our time. You should know that only the most urgent global warming mission has called him out of the country. I look forward to seeing you on November 9th so we can all hear first-hand about Al Gore's latest exciting initiatives.
The mysteries of sleep
Forgetfulness can be understood in many ways as absent-mindedness, transient loss of memory and persistently failing to recollect something very usual and important. Frequent memory lapses are likely to be noticeable because they tend to adversely influence day-to-day life. Dementia and Alzheimers disease are other serious but separate conditions which not only badly affect a persons cognitive functions by the progressive degeneration of brain cells but also make him oblivious of his surroundings or even doing normal chores like handling personal hygiene. Experts have found various reasons for memory loss. These include certain medicines like antihistamines, anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants, heavy use of alcohol, stress and emotional trauma and depression causing lack of attention and finding it difficult to remain focused.
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