Germs and Hygiene

When you cough or sneeze, you send tiny germ-filled droplets into the air. Colds and flu usually spread that way. You can help stop the spread of germs by

* Covering your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough
* Cleaning your hands often - always before you eat or prepare food, and after you use the bathroom or change a diaper
* Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth

Hand washing is one of the most effective and most overlooked ways to stop disease. Soap and water work well to kill germs. Wash for at least 15 seconds. Disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers also work well.

Heart Surgery

Also called: Cardiac surgery

Each day, thousands of people in the U.S. have heart surgery. There are many different types of heart surgery. Surgeries may be used to

* Repair or replace the valves that control blood flow through the heart's chambers
* Bypass or widen blocked or narrowed arteries to the heart
* Repair aneurysms, or bulges in the aorta, which can be deadly if they burst
* Implant devices to regulate heart rhythms
* Destroy small amounts of tissue that disturb electrical flow through the heart
* Make channels in the heart muscle to allow blood from a heart chamber directly into the heart muscle
* Boost the heart's pumping power with muscles taken from the back or abdomen
* Replace the damaged heart with a heart from a donor

Eye Diseases

Some eye problems are minor and fleeting. But some lead to a permanent loss of vision. Common eye problems include

* Cataracts - clouded lenses
* Glaucoma - damage to the optic nerve from too much pressure in the eye
* Retinal disorders - problems with the nerve layer at the back of the eye
* Conjunctivitis - an infection also known as pink eye

beYour best defense is to have regular checkups, cause eye diseases do not always have symptoms. Early detection and treatment could prevent vision loss. See an eye care professional right away if you have a sudden change in vision or everything looks dim or if you see flashes of light. Other symptoms that need quick attention are pain, double vision, fluid coming from the eye and inflammation.