Health Care Tips

Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth’s surface in bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water although it does include mineral rich waters such as chalybeate springs. The term “sweet water” has been used to describe fresh water in contrast to salt water.

Systems

Scientifically, freshwater habitats are divided into lentic systems, which are the stillwaters including ponds, lakes, swamps and mires; lotic systems, which are running water; and groundwater which flows in rocks and aquifers. There is, in addition, a zone which bridges between groundwater and lotic systems, which is the hyporheic zone, which underlies many larger rivers and can contain substantially more water than is seen in the open channel. It may also be in direct contact with the underlying underground water.

Source

The source of almost all fresh water is precipitation from the atmosphere, in the form of mist, rain and snow. Fresh water falling as mist, rain or snow contains materials dissolved from the atmosphereand material from the sea and land over which the rain bearing clouds have traveled. In industrialized areas rain is typically acidic because of dissolved oxides of sulfur and nitrogen formed from burning of fossil fuels in cars, factories, trains and aircraft and from the atmospheric emissions of industry. In extreme cases this acid rain results in pollution of lakes and rivers in parts of Scandinavia,Scotland, Wales and the United States.

In coastal areas fresh water may contain significant concentrations of salts derived from the sea if windy conditions have lifted drops of seawater into the rain-bearing clouds. This can give rise to elevated concentrations of sodium, chloride, magnesium and sulfate as well as many other compounds in smaller concentrations.

In desert areas, or areas with impoverished or dusty soils, rain-bearing winds can pick up sand and dust and this can be deposited elsewhere in precipitation and causing the freshwater flow to be measurably contaminated both by insoluble solids but also by the soluble components of those soils. Significant quantities of iron may be transported in this way including the well-documented transfer of iron-rich rainfall falling in Brazil derived from sand-storms in the Sahara in north Africa.

Numerical definition

Other sources give higher upper salinity limits for fresh water, e.g. 1000 ppm or 3000 ppm.

Water distribution

Water is a critical issue for the survival of all living organisms. Some can use salt water but many organisms including the great majority of higher plants and most mammals must have access to fresh water to live. Some terrestrial mammals, especially desert rodents appear to survive without drinking but they do generate water through the metabolism of cereal seeds and they also have mechanisms to conserve water to the maximum degree.

Out of all the water on Earth, only 2.75 percent is fresh water, including 2.05 percent frozen in glaciers, 0.68 percent as groundwater and 0.011 percent of it as surface water in lakes and rivers.Freshwater lakes, most notably Lake Baikal in Russia and the Great Lakes in North America, contain seven-eighths of this fresh surface water. Swamps have most of the balance with only a small amount in rivers, most notably the Amazon River.The atmosphere contains 0.04% water. In areas with no fresh water on the ground surface, fresh water derived from precipitation may, because of its lower density, overlie saline ground water in lenses or layers. Most of the world’s fresh water is frozen in ice sheets.

Aquatic organisms

Fresh water creates a hypotonic environment for aquatic organisms. This is problematic for some organisms with pervious skins or with gill membranes, whose cell membranes may burst if excess water is not excreted. Some protists accomplish this using contractile vacuoles, while freshwater fish excrete excess water via the kidney. Although most aquatic organisms have a limited ability to regulate their osmotic balance and therefore can only live within a narrow range of salinity, diadromous fish have the ability to migrate between fresh water and saline water bodies. During these migrations they undergo changes to adapt to the surroundings of the changed salinities; these processes are hormonally controlled. The eel (Anguilla anguilla) uses the hormone prolactin, while insalmon (Salmo salar) the hormone cortisol plays a key role during this process.

Many sea birds have special glands at the base of the bill through which excess salt is excreted. Similarly the Marine Iguanas on the Galápagos Islands excrete excess salt through a nasal gland and they sneeze out a very salty excretion.

Fresh water as a resource

An important concern for hydrological ecosystems is securing minimum streamflow, especially preserving and restoring instream water allocations. Fresh water is an important natural resource necessary for the survival of all ecosystems. The use of water by humans for activities such as irrigation and industrial applications can have adverse impacts on down-stream ecosystems. Chemical contamination of fresh water can also seriously damage eco-systems.

Pollution from human activity, including oil spills, also presents a problem for freshwater resources. The largest oil spill that has ever occurred in fresh water was caused by a Shell tank ship in Magdalena, Argentina, on January 15, 1999, polluting the environment, drinkable water, plants and animals.

Agriculture

Changing landscape for the use of agriculture has a great effect on the flow of fresh water. Changes in landscape by the removal of trees and soils changes the flow of fresh water in the local environment and also affects the cycle of fresh water. As a result more fresh water is stored in the soil which benefits agriculture. However, since agriculture is the human activity that consumes the most fresh water, this can put a severe strain on local freshwater resources resulting in the destruction of local ecosystems. In Australia, over-abstraction of fresh water for intensive irrigationactivities has caused 33% of the land area to be at risk of salination.

Limiting resource

Fresh water is a renewable and changeable, but limited natural resource. Fresh water can only be renewed through the process of the water cycle, where water from seas, lakes, rivers, and dams evaporates, forms clouds, and returns to water sources as precipitation. However, if more fresh water is consumed through human activities than is restored by nature, the result is that the quantity of fresh water available in lakes, rivers, dams and underground waters is reduced which can cause serious damage to the surrounding environment.

Fresh water withdrawal

Fresh water withdrawal is the quantity of water removed from available sources for use in any purpose. Water drawn-off is not necessarily entirely consumed and some portion may be returned for further use downstream.

Causes of limited fresh water

There are many causes of the apparent decrease in our fresh water supply. Principal amongst these is the increase in population through increasing life expectancy, the increase in per capita water use and the desire of many people to live in warm climates that have naturally low levels of fresh water resources. Climate change is also likely to change the availability and distribution of fresh water across the planet

“If global warming continues to melt glaciers in the polar regions, as expected, the supply of fresh water may actually decrease. First, fresh water from the melting glaciers will mingle with salt water in the oceans and become too salty to drink. Second, the increased ocean volume will cause sea levels to rise, contaminating freshwater sources along coastal regions with seawater”.

Water pollution and subsequent eutrophication also reduces the availability of fresh water.

When your parents, loved ones, or older relatives begin to need constant care, it can be both saddening and overwhelming. This article discusses how elder care services make a difference in aiding family caregivers providing help for loved ones in need of assistance. Elder care services encompass a broad range of services; personal care for elderly friends, relatives, and loved ones as well as housekeeping duties, day care, and meal preparation as well. Approximately 16% of the population is currently over the age of 65 and are in need of help when it comes to bathing, dressing, grooming, and dietary services. However, much of elder care is needed on a supplementary basis, as the majority (80%) of the elderly and senior citizens live with other family members or loved ones.

Elder care services are particularly necessary when seniors suffer from medical conditions. Among the most common medical ailments that affect an elderly individual’s day-to-day activities include forms of dementia (such as Alzheimer’s), Parkinson’s disease, heart related diseases and recovery from heart treatments, vision problems, and diabetes as well. These illnesses and the varying degrees of severity pose challenges for not only the elderly who suffer them but the caregivers who provide treatment and support. As mentioned, the majority of elderly individuals choose to live in the comfort of their own homes or with their loved ones. Elder care services provide the resources and support necessary for them to do so.

Even if your elderly relatives or loved ones are fortunate enough to have their health, elder care can still be an option for support. But how do you know when it’s time to provide your loved ones with assistance, especially if they aren’t going to ask for it?

Signs Your Loved One is in Need of Elder Care Services or Assistance:

• Does your relative, friend, or family member lose track of what they’re saying mid conversation? I.e. the names of their children, grandchildren, or the year or date?
• Has their spouse or close friend recently passed away?
• Have you noticed a decline in their personal hygiene?
• Have you observed a significant change in their weight?
• Do they neglect to clean or repair their home?
• Even though they’re still mobile, is there never any food in the house?
• Do they sometimes forget to take their medication, or fail to take it regularly?

It’s important to consider getting help for your elderly loved ones when they can be involved in the process, as joint decisions are generally more thoughtful and respectful to a senior’s dignity. Remember that moving your loved one out of their house and home isn’t always the best option, and elder care services provide assistance better suited to their needs. Elder care services aid seniors with the daily activities mentioned above, allowing them to remain the security of their own home with some necessary assistance to improve their quality of life.

Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.

Definition

The definition of jogging as compared with running is not standard. Dr. George Sheehan, a running expert, is quoted to have said “the difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank”. Mike Antoniades offers a more specific definition, describing jogging as running slower than 6 mph (10 minute per mile pace, 9.7 km/h, 6.2 min/km).

History

In 1593 William Shakespeare wrote in Taming of the Shrew, Katerina tells off a gentleman to go jogging till his boots go green; this was a proverb meaning going when you are most ready or able. The etymology of the word is unknown, but it may be related to shog or be a new invention in the sixteenth century. At that point, it usually meant to leave.

The term “jog” was often used in English and American literature to describe short quick movements, either intentional or unintentional. Richard Jefferies, an English Naturalist, wrote of “joggers” describing them as quickly moving people who brushed others aside as they passed.

The terms to jog and jogging as referring to a form of exercise, originated in England in the mid seventeenth century. This usage became common throughout the British Empire and in his 1884 novel My Run Home the Australian author Rolf Boldrewood wrote “your bedroom curtains were still drawn as I passed on my morning jog”.

In the United States jogging was called “roadwork” when athletes in training, such as boxers, customarily ran several miles each day as part of their conditioning. In New Zealand during the 1960s or 1970s the word “roadwork” was mostly supplanted by the word “jogging”, promoted by coach Arthur Lydiard, who is credited with popularizing jogging. The idea of jogging as an organised activity was mooted in a sports page article in the New Zealand Herald in February 1962, which told of a group of former athletes and fitness enthusiasts who would meet once a week to run for “fitness and sociability”. Since they would be jogging, the newspaper suggested that the club “may be called the Auckland Joggers Club”—which is thought to be the first use of the noun “jogger”. University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman, after jogging with Lydiard in New Zealand, brought the concept of jogging as exercise to the United States in 1962. Bowerman published the book Jogging in 1966, and later updated the book for a 1967 republication. Bowerman established jogging programs for men and women of all ages. The popularity of these programs helped to spread the concept of jogging, as an exercise for everyone, throughout the United States. Many jogging and running clubs started up all over the world. The “MABAC” Running League are probably the pioneers of road running in Britain, founded in 1977. The prime mover was Alan Blatchford, who organised a running group at the British Aircraft Corporation in Weybridge (now British Aerospace). Ralph Henley brought in runners from Matthew Arnold School, Ashstead. This running league is still active.

Jogging may also be used as a warm up or cool down for runners, preceding or following a workout or race. It is often used by serious runners as a means of active recovery during interval training. The runner who may just have completed a fast 400 metre repetition at a sub-5-minute mile pace may drop to an 8-minute mile pace for a recovery lap.