Mosquito Bite Treatment And Prevention

Summer is upon us again here in Japan and while for most of us our minds flood with images of beach, bronzed bodies and beer – the downside is that we must effectively protect ourselves from mosquitoes.

> Mosquito Bite Treatment. Click here

At best, these flying ‘leeches’ are infuriating, drive you insane looking for them as you are trying to get the children off to bed and leave unsightly blotches all over your skin. At worst they are one of the biggest killers of humans to ‘grace’ the planet. There is a whole slew of diseases that can be caused by a mosquito bites, including:

* Malaria * Yellow Fever * Encephalitis * Dengue Fever

All delightful stuff I am sure you agree!

Mosquito facts

Today we are going to learn a little about what makes these things ‘tick’. My youngest girl asked me to ‘Google’ them today actually (the poor little thing is a lure for Mozzies unfortunately.) And most importantly what can you do to defend yourself from these disgusting little vampires!

Mozzie Biology

Mosquitoes are insects that have been cursing animals and more recently, humans for more than 30 million years. And it seems that, our little friends have been very busy evolving and honing their skills of finding people to bite. Mosquitoes have an impressive aray of sensors designed to track their prey, including:

Chemical sensors -

Mosquitoes can sense carbon dioxide and lactic acid up to an unbelievable 36 metres (100 feet) away. Mammals and birds gives off these gases as part of their normal breathing. There are also certain chemicals in sweat that seem to attract mosquitoes (the lucky people who don’t sweat much don’t get nearly as many mosquito bites).

Visual sensors -

If you move around wearing clothing that contrasts with the background mosquitoes can see you, and and get a ‘target lock’ on you. Instinctually, anything moving is considered alive and therefore fair game to have it’s blood siphoned.

Heat sensors

Talk about overkill: Mosquitoes can also detect the heat warm-blooded mammals and birds give off very easily once they are in range.

With all these high-tech sensors these little ’suckers’ (pun intended) sound more like something out of a Terminator movie and without protection we don’t really stand a chance.

Interestingly it is only the female mosquitoes that bite (what is is with females – I bet if we had a Father Nature instead things would be a lot different.) Not unlike human gold-diggers, the female lands on your skin and sticks her proboscis into you (the proboscis is very sharp and thin, so you may not feel it going in). Her saliva contains proteins (anticoagulants) that prevent your blood from clotting.

I bet you didn’t know this – Mosquitoes can actually explode!

Obviously if you notice her and try to squish her, she will fly away. Otherwise, she will remain until she has a full tummy – she has yet another sensor telling her when she is full and it is time to detach. I once had one land on me and when it was sucking away merrily I carefully pinched my skin tightly to her proboscis so that she couldn’t escape. While it left a nasty welt, I had a last laugh as she filled with blood and exploded

After she has bitten you, some saliva remains in the wound. The proteins from the saliva evoke an immune response from your body with the symptoms of the area swelling an being as itchy as h***. The swelling tends to subside quite quickly, but the itchiness will remain until your immune cells break down the proteins in the saliva.

HIV ‘Old Wives Tales’ Exposed

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that causes AIDS cannot survive inside a mosquito, and therefore thankfully cannot be transmitted from one person to another through mosquito bites.

How to Stop Getting Bitten By Mosquitoes

You can do a few things to reduce the number of mosquito bites that you get while enjoying the outdoors. First, wear clothing that covers most of your body, if temperatures permit – in saying that though I have been bitten through jeans before so nothing is fool-proof here.

Use Mosquito Repellent.

>  Natural mosquito repellant

You can go the route of using the ‘ol Japanese standby – the Katori Senko. You can find these bad boys in almost every drugstore in the land. They are green swirly incense sticks that contains some type of plant- based repellent that purports to keep mosquitoes (and any worthy suitors) at bay. While these might be effective for household use, I like to know what my kids and I are breathing and they are no help once you are outside.

When my girls and I are outside rather than spray ourselves with toxins that eventually work their way to building up in our internal organs I prefer more natural alternatives:

If you are interested in getting the best natural bug repellents, and natural supplement delivered right to your door while saving up to 70% on retail prices I urge you to run to iherb.Com and if you enter this code HAY138 you will get $5 off your first order (on top of the impressive discounts!)

>  Natural mosquito repellant

I have been ordering supplements from iherb.Com for over 5 years now from 3 different countries and I can tell you that their customer service is top notch, their prices unheard of, and shipping is quick and cheap. If you could even find these products in Japan you would likely pay well over full price, fork out money to get the train or fight traffic to get to the store. But with iherb.Com your stuff is only a few clicks and a few days away no matter where you live in Japan or the world.

P.S The best shipping option for Japan is to choose Yamato – they are the ones with the Black Cat on the side of their truck.

P.P.S Feel free to share this code HAY138 with anyone who has never ordered from iHerb before. They will save $5 on their first order as well and a truckload on anything they order from then onwards.

P.P.P.S Guys – believe me you will definitely want to know about the amazing ‘night-time’ benefits of Cordyceps that you can get from iherb too;-)

Author Haydn Stevenson provides you with Free Tips for a more stress-free, funand enriching life in Japan (including the secrets of how he creates income on 100% ‘auto-pilot’ while being a full-time solo dad.) For those starting out living in Japan or are just plain ‘curious’ http://japanfordummies.com shows you this wonderful country through the eyes of an ‘outsider’ who has bumped up against the Good, the Bad and Ugly.. and lived to tell the tale

Technorati Tags: bite, bites, facts, insects, mosquito, natural, remedies, remedy, repellant, treatment

If you are thinking of catching the February wildlife great migration in the Serengeti national park, now is the time to book.We spent our honeymoon in the Serengeti with 40 friends from around the world. We timed it just right mid February we arrived.
I suddenly felt like I had been put into one of David Attenborough’s documentary’s witnessing the most spectacular scenes played out before my eyes the plains were full of gnu zebra’s and other wild life. In the morning light we watched the mothers around us giving birth, with only a brief moment to give birth some mothers had calves half in and half out as they had to continue with the herd.
Calves were born and from that moment the mothers are there encouraging them to stretch those awkward lanky legs, stagger to their feet and to move with the herd, as the mother knew staying with the herd will help their survival. With mixed feelings we watched animals being born, nurtured and encouraged to get up and move off with the herd while others were chased and eaten by stronger predators, not able to take our eyes away from the dreadful scene we knew this was the survival of the fitest.
We went deep into the Serengeti where the scenery was spectacular, but the biggest concentration of game we saw was near lake Ndutu. A vital part of the Serengeti and valuable to the wildlife that migrates through there is the stunning Lake Ndutu this gorgeous setting is surrounded by enormous acacia trees the lake itself is a long-awaited site to the thirsty animals.
We stayed two nights at Ndutu Safari Lodge which is quite small (I think we filled it) but was full of old style game lodge charm and is the only lodge where you can sit and watch the migration of the wildebeest as they give birth and feed on the grass. Soon it was time to turn homeward bound ourselves, it was then that we realised that leaving Ndutu safari lodge, the lake Ndutu and Serengeti was going to be the hardest thing we have done because at some point of our Tanzania safari, Africa had captured our hearts

Technorati Tags: africa, great migration, Lake Ndutu, Ndutu lodge, Serengeti, Tanzania, Tanzania safaris, wildlife

Hiking is the one sport that anyone in basic shape can participate in and have fun, but it helps having the right hiking and backpacking gear. When you have a healthy lifestyle coupled with exercise, you will live a long life and hiking is the one sport that you can do at any age for mild to strenuous exercise.  Health is important regardless of age, and many young adults want to stay in shape. By enjoying hiking and other fun activities you will stay healthy no matter what your age. The country has a magical beauty everywhere in the world and with very little effort, hiking is a way to discover this grandeur. If you have reached retirement age and love to travel, include hiking in the national Parks and see nature at its best and stay fit.

Hiking in itself is an excellent way to get a cardiovascular workout which is why you need the right hiking and backpacking gear. You need to take a few supplies and water on your hiking trip. If you have not been hiking before and it has been some time since you were physically active, get a good check from your doctor before commencing any physical activity. Hiking is an enjoyment and the added bonuses are that you keep fit and healthy, while enjoying the scenery.  Nobody wants to plan a hiking trip to somewhere far away and then not be able to enjoy being there because you are not fit enough to take on the task.  Before leaving, start walking to build endurance and make each walk a little longer than the day before.

Many people do not want to plan a trip to a far away place, but rather take some daily trips closer to home.  This is easier to plan and can be done without spending much money.  Even when taking a day trip, be sure to talk to your doctor before beginning.  When your doctor passes you as fit and you have walked around your neighborhood to build up strength, you can think of tackling a day hike.  Plan your first day of hiking on level terrain and set a short distance to travel.  It is okay to vary the time and distance of each trip, once you are comfortable with going farther and walking across more difficult terrain. If you are only considering one day hiking trips you still need to have a hydration pack for hiking.

When you are out hiking, the sounds of Mother Nature are beautiful compared to the sounds of the city and hiking can become very addictive.  Hiking can be therapeutic, because all of the things that stress you on a daily basis will slip away while walking.  Your body feels the difference and the feeling that comes over you is very addictive. It makes your body and mind want more serenity and peace. It allows your body to lower blood pressure and become tuned in to the hike. The enjoyment of hiking maintains your health, while lifting your spirit. So grab your hiking gear backpack and enjoy life.

Technorati Tags: hiking, Hiking and Backpacking Gear, Hiking Equipment, Hiking Gear, Hiking Gear Backpack