AIRLINES FLY ON THIN AIR

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STALE AIR ON AIRLINE FLIGHTS

It seems that airline customer service isn't the only thing lacking improvement in the airline industry today. Despite industry recommendations for: onboard air circulation, lower ozone exposure, monitoring of contaminated air from oil and hydraulic leaks, and limits on pesticides, no action has been taken. This has resulted in, you, the passenger breathing stagnant, poor quality air on your airline flight.

Newer planes circulate up to 50% of their air to save fuel, in contrast with older planes, which use all fresh outside air ventilation. This has resulted in more passengers complaining about headaches caused by stale air. It costs an increase of 2 to 4% fuel cost per year if airlines don't recirculate cabin air.

Today, more passengers are complaining about headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, mental confusion, and even numbness. The symptoms can be caused by the release of toxic gases or lack of oxygen.

A study by the ATA several years ago was designed to compare the use of hundred percent outside air on planes versus a combination of outside air and recirculated air passing through filters. When 100% outside air was used, the study found the cabins were relatively free of dust and other particles, micro organisms were well below OSHA levels, and no bacterial or fungal respiratory pathogens were isolated. Airborne diseases spread in airplane cabins because there is less fresh air and thus less available oxygen, then on a crowded train.

Airlines reduce the passenger of fresh air to save money. Pilots reduce the fresh air to the passenger cabin so fresher air could be diverted to the pilot cabin. The pilot's cockpit must of course have adequate oxygen-rich fresh air to keep the pilots clearheaded and insure a safe flight. The low oxygen recirculated air that you breathe, makes you vulnerable to catching contagious diseases as -- pneumonia, SARS, TBC, swine flu, and yes, the common cold.

The source of fresh air in airplanes is the atmosphere outside the plane. Turbine engines compress the outside air, and the air is diverted by way of a pneumatic system to air cycle machines that cool the cabin air.

Air drawn from the outside of the plane contains high ozone levels, because it comes from the upper atmosphere. Aircraft on long trips have ozone converters that decompose the ozone before it spreads into the cabins. Planes that fly short hops still fly without ozone converters.

Sensors were recommended to ensure that fresh air drawn from the outside and compressed inside the engine is not contaminated by any oil or hydraulic fluid leaks. Air is drawn from engine compressors to pressurize the cabin, and carry contaminated air. Despite the FAA recommendations, and Congress having passed legislation for the development of air sensors, no sensors are yet in existence.

The air quality is at its worst, when the plane is on the ground. When you are sitting in a plane because of a long ground delay, the cabin has inadequate air conditioning. Contaminants build within an airplane within five minutes of sitting on the ground. If it is a hot day and you are sweltering, the problem becomes more severe.

The FAA recommended that passengers be removed from planes within 30 minutes after air circulation equipment is shut down. These limits however are voluntary. They also recommended that air circulation should never be shut down on a plane with people aboard, except for operational reasons like de-icing when toxic fumes could be sucked in.

The problem is that cabin air has a very low humidity (15 to 25%), because very dry air is brought in from the outside at high altitudes. The air outside the plane is very cold, and has a very low absolute humidity, which when warmed translates also into a very low humidity level.

LAWSUITS

A lawsuit filed against Southwest Airlines because of oxygen deprivation was settled this month. Two sisters became sick as the pilot dropped to a lower altitude and landed at Albuquerque. Once the sisters landed. they experienced tremors, motor skill loss, loss of balance, and impaired vision. They claimed that the problem came from an additive (TCP) in the engine oil. Passenger cabin air comes from a collecting tube near the engines, and can find fuel additives like TCP, is toxic, and can find their way cabin air.

Another lawsuit against Alaska airlines by 26 flight attendants was settled this year for $725,000. They claimed they were sickened neurologically, by toxic leaks from chemicals and fluids used on their jets.

STALE AIR

More and more passengers are complaining about headaches caused by stale air. If the airplane air smells stuffy or bad, it is a sign of stale air. Complain to the flight attendant. The pilot can control the mix of fresh air available to the passenger ventilation system. The pilot’s cockpit is not affected by stale air, because the cockpit has a separate ventilation system.

A recent study found that 25% of flights had stale air at some point in the flight. The Boeing 757 planes were among the worst, up to five times higher than normal outside air. If you suffer from sore throat, dry eyes, headaches, itchy nose, allergies, or general fatigue it might be due to the dry air.

To combat these symptoms, remove contact lenses when you fly. Drink plenty of liquids and avoid alcohol and caffeine to prevent dehydration. Drink before and during the flight to hydrate yourself. Don't take any decongestant before you fly because this dries your nose.

COMMENTARY

The amount of air provided per cubic foot per minute is erroneously compared to that of outside buildings by the airlines. The exchanges per hour are not directly comparable. If you have asthma, lung problems, severe allergies, or impaired immunity, you soon might have to carry your own oxygen with you.

One year ago, aviation experts recommended voluntary standards for onboard air circulation, monitoring of contaminated air from oil or fluid leaks, limits on pesticides used on planes, and lower ozone exposure. The airlines have yet not acted on these recommendations. The airlines are waiting for the results of other research before taking action on air quality. And with the recession, we might wait a long time for these recommended standards.

When the passenger next to you coughs, he potentially infects you and nearby passengers. Fortunately, viruses and bacteria are not spread through the entire plane, because air circulation rates are high, and the pathogens in the cabin air gets flushed out rather quickly. But sick passengers do move up and down the aisles, potentially increasing your exposure.

Our airlines may be transporters of disease carrying sick people from one continent to another. With all airline recommendations being voluntary, the airlines have failed to improve the air quality and regulatory standards.

Flying seems to be getting very dangerous for one's health.

What do you think? Your comments are always appreciated.

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ROLE OF BREGS & TREGS IN AUTOIMMUNITY

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ROLE OF TREGS AND BREGS IN AUTOIMMUNITY

For years, the roles of lymphocytes in the immune system have concentrated on T cell specialization. Regulatory T cells, commonly known as Tregs, dial down immune attacks and fight autoimmune diseases. They are used to treat everything from allergies, organ rejection, to cancer.

Recently other lymphatic cells, B cells, appear to share with Tregs, the responsibility for keeping the immune system under control. These lymphocytic regulatory T cells, have been named Bregs, and release anti-inflammatory molecules that can forestall autoimmunity. Researchers are wondering which B cells are regulators, what triggers them to assume that role, and how these beta B cells can influence the immune system.

There is debate over the origin of regulatory T cells--whether they are different from the start or change because of environmental conditions. There is no consensus on what role Bregs plays in autoimmune disorders and cancer. These cells, however, may help strengthen immunity to attacks on diseases, as lupus and multiple sclerosis.

Most people think of B cells as antibodies. After a bacteria infiltrates the body, mature B. cells recognize the bacteria, and turns itself into plasma cells. Over their two-week lifespan, they produce bacterial fighting proteins. These Beta cells now have been found to also serve as antigens presenting cells, showing molecular bits of the attacking bacteria to other immune cells. Thus, the B cells help initiate a counterattack on these microbes.

In the past, scientists were convinced that cytokines, chemical messengers for the immune system, released by B. cells had little impact on other cells. These B. cells however determine whether help comes from specialized T cells that fight bacteria and viruses. Their B. cell cytokines arouse the immune system.

These cells come in multiple varieties sporting a unique combination of protein markers on its surface. One set of B. cells produce IL-10, which alleviates auto immune conditions. Other B. cells that can't manufacture IL--10 had no effect on autoimmunity.

Beta-10 cells have been isolated from lymphocytes and are found in one to 3% of the beta cells in the spleen. These B-10 cells, which are regulatory beta cells, account for almost all of the IL--10 released by beta cells. Injecting the B10 cells into inflamed joints reduced joint damage, and when injected into healthy cartilage, blocked autoimmune responses.

The question is: Which antigens if any, are necessary to put Bregs into action? Mature B. cells mobilize in response to particular antigens. When you have the flu, only matured B. cells with surface bound antibody receptors that match the flu virus’s protein will attack the virus. The Beta cell then transforms into a plasma cell that then secrete large quantities of antibodies.

What drives a B. cell to become regulatory, instead of becoming merely a plasma cell? It's possible that any B. cell could become a regulatory T cell. The decisive signal for the cell to change, comes through Toll like receptors (TLRs). TLRs are proteins on the surface of some body's cells that detect pathogen molecules. TLR activation is necessary if a beta cell is going become regulatory. Stimulation of certain TLR proteins turn a B. cell into a regulatory B cell.

Some spleen cells started becoming B-10 cells, but become functional IL--10 releasers, only after being prodded by molecules from other immune cells or pathogens.

COMMENTARY

Researchers are looking for different ways to put B. cells into action. They are now using doses of the antibody rituximab to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

The therapy knocks out ALL beta cells in the body. But, since they remove all the bad cells and good cells together, failure has resulted. They are now looking for cell surface markers on the beta cells not found on other T cells, to target only the bad B. cells. Evidence suggests that beta cells can abet cancer. B. cells often infiltrate tumors and are drawn into tumors by chemicals secreted by the cancer cells as they try to fight off immune attacks.

The most famous beta cell product, antibodies, has a role in immunity. Important questions still must be answered on the role of Bregs and Tregs in producing autoimmunity in humans.

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Sources: Science, July 10,2009 /Science, Nov. 23, 2007/ Science, Aug 6,2004

HOUSE REFORM BILL SHORT $500 BILLION

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HEALTH REFORM BILL SHORT 500 BILLION DOLLARS

Congress is determined to pass very significant health reform this year. The problem is that the one trillion dollar package can only be 50% financed by taxation. The reaming 500 billion dollars needed are difficult to find.

We must look at the defensive medicine doctors are practicing to protect themselves from lawsuits. Huge sums are spent in unnecessary testing. Another large sum is spent on trial lawyers and the present judicial system that gobbles up over 60% of settlement claims.

House Democrats, in a 1000+ page report, are ready to pass a new public health insurance plan aimed at individuals and small businesses that can't afford insurance.

This plan would bar insurance companies from denying coverage to people who are sick, while also requiring most Americans to carry health insurance or else pay a penalty of about 2.5% of their gross income. If you earned less than $88,000 a year the government would give you generous subsidies to help you buy this health insurance coverage.

The Senate Democratic proposed legislation includes mandates that insurance companies provide coverage and that we individuals must carry. The differences occur on how to finance these charges.

The senate finance committee is pushing for a bipartisan measure to finance the bill through a combination of modest tax increases rather than taxing upper employee health benefits. They want to put a fee on pharmaceuticals and other healthcare industries, and make corporations report each year, so that the government could get a greater share of corporate taxes. Drug makers and insurance companies would be charged an assessment, and individual companies fees would be based on their market share.

The White House is pushing hard for action before the legislature recess, so the two versions of House and Senate vcould reconcile their differences and send the president a final bill by September.

COMMENTARY

It seems the process of health reform is moving extremely quickly. Artificial time frames are not realistic, given the magnitude of the job the government is assigned to do. Talk is that the Senate chamber may stay in session an extra week, which would delay senators’ vacation plans, congressional trips, and hometown activities. If there is no action this summer, Congress may hesitate voting for such a contentious issue as raising taxes for something that may never become law.

In the present system every incentive in medicine is to do more and get paid more. Doctors get paid more and hospitals get bigger. Doctors protect themselves from lawsuits, by ordering every test available. Defensive medicine wastes billions of dollars and these resources are diverted from patient care to medical compliance, all to prevent lawsuits.

There seems to be no discussion of overhauling the old ways. Congress is proposing new programs with new taxes to pay for ever rising health care costs. Yet, hard choices are not being made. Only half of the billion dollars necessary for this reform package will come from taxation. Another $500 billion must be found somewhere else.

TORT REFORM takes over 60% of each dollar spent, most of it going to trial lawyers and the jury system. The injured only received 40% of each dollar spent. Much of this money could be used to subsidize the health reform package. The president reform package offers little to contain costs, but it certainly offends the least number of special interests.

The AMA, and AARP have favored creating projects for special health courts. One important interest group hates the idea. You got it. The trial lawyers who contribute heavily to congressional campaign coffers are Sacred Cows, not to be sacrificed.

in the Senate, Sen. Eniz, proposed creating a health court pilot project. The Senators quickly killed the idea, declaring constitutions require juries to be the decider is in civil law suits. They were concerned it would result in broad scale tort reform.

There have always been special courts for bankruptcy tax disputes and Worker’s Compensation, where experts apply consistency of justice. The Senators, however, are not willing to discuss the merits of an expert court. Trial lawyers say: "Our protection against tyranny of the majority would be injured, and we take enormous risks as a country if we interfere with the institution of trial by jury. “

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IT'S GOOD TO FORGET

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FORGETTING IS GOOD

We all need to forget to make our brains function efficiently. Forgetting allows you to remove all kinds of extraneous information from your life that would result in mental exhaustion.

You typically store along in long-term memory associations singular significant events, as last week’s newspaper headlines. When you forget competing memories, your brain has to do less work to recall a specific subject. Often you suppress the memory of old passwords, allowing you to remember the new ones easier.

Forgetting is a very active process, with the mind constantly editing and sorting information at great speed. Your brain only takes a small amount of information and erases things that won't be needed again.

Because you attention is focused elsewhere, many things that happen during the day don’t make an impression on you. As you're driving down the road, a lot of information is hitting your retina, and is not perceived nor stored.

You frequently fail to act on information that at the time is not essential. When you're asked to focus on one thing, you fail to notice other things.

Forgetting things can be very useful. If you dated surely and now you're married to Janet, you want to be able to say, “I love you Janet”. If you have a remarkable memory, you usually pay attention at the time and attach significance to the facts-- facts that don't register on other people's radar screens at all.

MEMORY AND AGING

You often lose your keys, wallet, or forget someone's name. As you approach 65, you wonder if you have Alzheimer's disease starting because you have such forgetful experiences.

The brain changes over time and you must distinguish normal changes from those that require medical attention. If you forget where you put your keys, you just need to get better organized. But if you forgot what keys are for, you have a memory problem related to aging.

THE ANSWER IS TO STAY FOCUSED

How long can you keep your mind attentive? Most of us are easily distracted, have bad habits, and have overload with technology. We jump from one mental activity to another. How can you recover your focus, and still become creative?

Your short focus span of attention, makes you ignore what you experience, and fails to see what is happening beyond your marginal focus. When you shift attention, you have more accidents when talking on a cell phone.

TIPS ON FOCUSING

Choose activities that make you absolutely focus. You may feel anxious, overwhelmed, and stressed out, but it sure beats being bored and in a rut. Get in the flow of things as if nothing else mattered. By being intensely focused, you'll be in the peak of optimal experience.

Keep a record of things you're forgetting, and how often you forget. Ask yourself: “Are there other things as stress, depression, recent loss, or new medication that may be the cause of your problem?”

Focus real hard on what you really want to remember. What you call forgetting, is really a lack of attention. Pay attention when parking your car, taking off your glasses, or placing your keys.

Cut out distractions! It's hard to pay attention to more than one thing at a time. If while you are reading, you are having trouble remembering, the answer to prevent distractions may be to read in a quiet room. It takes more time to retrieve new information or recall familiar names from your long-term memory bank.

If you are going to a new place, spend some time learning the directions, so you can avoid looking at your notes and not have traffic problems.

Become organized. There should be a place for everything, and everything should have its place. Make a routine of always putting your keys and glasses in the same place, so you will not waste time searching for them daily.

When you are going to a family function, review certain names and other information that will help you remember your grandchildren.

If you can't remember new information, try thinking of related facts that might trigger the information you want. Go through the sounds of the letters of the alphabet from A to Z. One often will serve as a clue to jog your memory. If you are trying to remember the name of the capital of Michigan, the letter L may trigger the name Lansing.

You do many things automatically, and don't pay much attention to them. To avoid worrying whether you shut the garage door, or whether the coffee pot was unplugged, say out loud to yourself: “ I have just shut off the coffee pot and locked the door. "I don't have to think about it again”. For routine tasks, this works quite well.

Shift your focus away from the past or future, and pay attention to the present. and real experience that is acting now by meditating. This calms her body, and soothes your spirit.

Pay attention to all the wonderful moments in your life. Get your will power back! Avoid distractions from electronic media and machines. Get yourself into a self-control mode, and you will get stronger with each effort.

When you feel your mind is n an electronic takeover, take a walk in the park, and pay particular attention to nature around you.

Everything you focus on in life, puts your mind into a conscious awareness mode. Very little of your brain gets into an image-conscious mode. Start leading a focused life, and your unconscious awareness will be activated.

COMMENTARY

Your brain tries to make order out of chaos in your life. Your trouble is you can’t prioritize, and let go all the details in your life

It might be better to forget than to remember. At least some forgetting makes you more human.

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OBAMA'S 'NICE' MEDICAL HEALTH PLAN

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"NICE" HEALTH CARE IS COMING TO TOWN

"It is time for US healthcare to be rationed" says President Obama. What he doesn't say is how to do the rationing?

Britain has often praised for spending very little on health care. This cost containment in Britain is due to : the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence, or (NiCE).

Obama has embraced the NICE basic principles for his new Obama care medical plan. NICE was set up in 1998 with the British health minister acting as caregiver, to ensure that every treatment, operation, or medicine use, is the proven best. It attempts to root out underperforming doctors and useless treatments, spreading best practices everywhere.

In reality, NICE, has become a rationing board. It has reduced spending by limiting the treatments that 61 million British are allowed to receive through their national health service.

NICE ruled against two drugs that prolong the life of breast and stomach cancer patients. It ruled against drugs that would cost about $50,000 that would help terminally ill cancer patients. The director of NICE said, “there is a limited pot of money, and drugs are of marginal benefit at quite often extreme costs”. He stated: “the money might be better spent elsewhere.”

Two years ago, the NICE board restricted access to drugs for macular degeneration, a cause of blindness. One of the drugs was allowed to only one out of five sufferers. The drug was only approved for use in one eye. The hidden meaning is: “if you were lucky enough to get it, you would still go blind in the other eye”. Dillon, CEO of NICE, explained at the time: “treatments are very expensive, and we must use them where they get the most benefit to patients”.

In early stages of Alzheimer's disease, drugs are very restricted in Britain. They ruled that drugs are not cost-effective in early stages, despite doctors from the UK saying it is the most effective way to slow the progress of dementia.

Other NICE rulings include: rejection of drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and multiple myeloma. American insurers approve all these drugs.

Surgical procedures also have new guidelines in Britain. There is a restriction on fertility treatment, procedures for back pain, surgeries, and steroid injections. In order to reduce government health spending, screening of women under age 25 with Pap smears is not allowed.

All of the above notes that, the only way to control healthcare costs is for the panel at NICE to dictate limits on certain kinds of care to select classes of patients.

There is even a mathematical formula, based on quality adjusted life years. It holds that, Britain cannot afford to spend more than $22,000 to extend a person's life by six months. This is an arbitrary figure, calculated on how much the government WANTS to spend on healthcare. It does not adjust for overall inflation.

These cost-benefit analyses have to figure into health care decisions that we must make in our medical system. US private insurers provide reimbursements for most medical care. The bottom line is: Are decisions going to be dictated by politics, or by prices in a private insurance system?

A moral issue arises, since the last six months of life are particularly difficult. Most health-care spending occurs during that time. Who would you rather have make decisions, about whether a treatment is worth the price-- you with your doctor and insurer, or a government board that cuts everyone’ medical care off at $22,000?

COMMENTARY

The benefits of a private system are that competition allows choice and experimentation. Today. Medicare refuses to reimburse for new less invasive preventive treatments as virtual colonoscopy, despite the procedure being paid by private insurers.

There are some medical consequences to this regulation. Cancer survival rates in Britain are among the worst in Europe. Cancer survival rates in the United States is significantly higher than in Europe (84% versus 73% for breast cancer) and (92% versus 57% for prostate cancer).

Medical innovation and US willingness to reimburse for care are significant factors in improved medical care in the U.S. President Obama argues that, simply automating healthcare records, and squeezing out waste can make huge savings. Britain has done all this, and found it can only rein in medical costs by limiting medical care.

A healthcare system, dominated by the government, always ends up with some version of a board that makes life or death treatment decisions. If the Obama plan passes, taxpayer costs will unbearably soar.

The claim is that, tens of millions of Americans can be subsidized while saving money and improving the quality of care. It is very difficult for this to be done. The plan will result in some version of a NICE board that will tell millions of you that you are too young, or too old, or too sick to be worth paying for your medical care.

You will note that recently, many medical articles are appearing, telling you, the public that many of today’s medical procedures are of no PROVEN value. This is the prelude to limiting your health care options.

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Source: Wall Street Journal July 7, 2009

THE INTERNET IS STEALING YOUR MEMORY

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MEMORIES MAKE YOU WHO YOU ARE

Without memories you fall out of time. Your old memories last just long enough for you to think about them, then your brain moves onto another topic and that memory never comes back.

When you forget something, you think of it as a senior or junior moment, and nothing more. Can you remember what you had for breakfast this morning, or what you did when you just woke up? After you read a newspaper headline, did you forget how it began?

Everything we know about memory comes from studying damaged brains. There are basically two kinds of memory, those you know you remember, like the color of your car and taking a shower. These are unconscious memories stored in your cerebellum. Your brain can be damaged in one area, but the rest of the brain still keeps on working.

We used to think the brain was a video recorder, with all your lifetime memories stored in the brain file cabinet. If you can't find these memories, it's not that they disappeared, but you just lost access to them. If you start a Google search, you will certainly find them.

We find tragedies and wounds persist in our immediate memory. However the memories we really need, as the names of your dear friend or soul mate, where you left your key, what day is your doctor's appointment, all have a habit of disappearing. We waste over a month’s time every year, looking for things we somehow forgot.

Every day you are bombarded with new information, yet little of it is cataloged (like a new password or user ID) so it could be retrieved later. What if you had all this lost knowledge at your fingertips? You would certainly know more about yourself and the world. Many of your great ideas never get connected, because your memory has failed you.

Would you buy a new palm pilot or Blackberry if you couldn't always depend on easy access to everything? In the past, you were taught how to remember as well as what to remember. Those days are gone.

Today, we have an external memory supercomputer that allows us not to store information in our brains. Rather than remembering everything, we need to remember very little.

You'd like to preserve your past and keep it all in your memory. All your videotapes, iPod songs, digital camera photos, diaries, and calendars, all keep track of your activities and schedules. By outsourcing this memory, we have lost a great deal.

Your memory tries to protect you. You remember the nice, comfortable, and good things, but also all your wounds and bad choices in your past, are still beating inside you.

Information is fed to a mass of neurons in your brain that interprets it, and gives it a sense of what's happening and what will happen in the future. This allows you to respond in the best way.

Your brain tries to make order out of the chaos in your life. You don't have to remember most things that come into your brain. You often remember every detail is of your life, but you can't tell what's important and what's trivial. You have no way to prioritize, nor generalized. It may be better to forget and not remember. That might make you more human.

As we age, many of us suffer from mild cognitive impairment. Some of us will get Alzheimer's disease. You can't recall everything that happened today. You have lost the art of memory, and look for drugs to give you artificial memory. It is easier to take a ginko biloba or a smart soft drink that will improve your memory.

Drug companies are always looking for new drugs that will help us amplify our brains natural capacity to remember. It is sold to our college kids before exams so they can be sharper. Study buddies are bought like Ritalin and Red Bull, and use by over 25% of our college students.

What if you did have a better memory? You could remember things exactly as they happened without exaggerating and revising your memories. Would you still have memories that forget your promises? Or would you remember things that you want to remember?

Dear reader, the Internet is slowly stealing your memory!

Source: www.ngm.com, Nat Geographic Nov. 2007

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MULTI-TASKING FOR SUCCESS

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MULTI-TASKING, THE ART OF STAYING BUSY

In today's world, especially with the bad economic times, most of us are focusing our conscious awareness on many things at the same time. You may watch TV, surf the net, and talk on your cell phone at the same time. None of this activity is coordinated.

As you awaken, you brush your teeth and think: What will you do at work today? What you eat for breakfast? How you think your day will go? Your thoughts flow to your meeting with your friends after work for drinks, going to the fitness center, or watching at home your favorite television show. You try to squeeze some time to go grocery shopping, pick up the young ones from karate classes, make dinner, and work on some office work for tomorrow.

Before leaving for work, you scan the latest world events, listen to the radio, read your e-mail, and have breakfast. Once you get to work, you answer cell phones, memos from your bosses, and begin your work day. Your desk is a mess, your computer is full of icons, and your e-mail list is overflowing. You have to contact a lot of people today, and 100 decisions must be made.

You feel you are doing three jobs at one time, but by not giving your full attention to your projects, your work becomes very mediocre. When your day ends, you shift your attention to the needs at home.

Your brain temporarily leaves your main task, so it can explore alternative tasks, and just as suddenly, you return to where you left off. When you do several of these tasks at one time, it is known as multitasking.

This juggling act takes 30% longer to complete a task than if you worked on two different problems separately. By filtering and switching your attention rapidly from one thought to the next, your brain allows you to perform more than one task at a time,

THE DOWNSIDE OF MULTI-TASKING

Your performance drops off when you multitask. Switching tasks results in lost time and performance. The harder the task, the more time you lose. If the tasks are easy and familiar to you, you will complete them quickly. It takes several tenths of a second, for your brain to split your conscious awareness. Your brain is in touch at many levels of attention.

TIPS FOR MULTI-TASKING

Determine what's really important for you to become successful. Know what you expect, set goals, and make plans that will lead you to the success you wish to achieve.

Determine which tasks you can avoid, drop, or delegate to others. Get enough rest and sleep, so you can perform well tomorrow. Give deserved quality time to important work. Don't let distractions interfere with you working effectively. Put a “do not disturb “sign on your door when you need to focus on an important task.

When you multi-task, your health begins to suffer, and you become more stressful. As thoughts from one task creep into your mind about another task, you perceive yourself out of control, This brain filtering mechanism keeps you focused on important tasks. You feel your memory is not quite as good as it used to be. You might not be able to remember what you wanted to do or say. Thoughts keep buzzing in your head.

You work harder and harder, just to feel you're keeping up with all your work. Look around and you'll see many of your friends are multi-tasking. The boss may think they are working hard, but in reality they are checking their cell phones, text messages, and thinking what they will do at the sports club after work.

Don't under estimate the time it requires to download all of this frivolous information. Sooner or later your expectations will be overloaded, and you will begin to juggle these overwhelming activities.

Stop this madness! Make a list of all the things you need to complete today, and write how long you think each task will take. Time yourself. Learn to say no to tasks that you don't have time for.

Take a load off your brain, and use your external memory, -- perhaps simply a pad of paper. Write your “to do list” before you go to sleep, and your brain filter will get a chance to rest as you sleep.

Stick to a task until you've finished it. Remove distractions, turn off programs on your computer, stop checking your e-mail, and turn off your cell phone. Take a break and watch a baseball game, play with your kids, or watch a home DVD with your spouse. As you go back to work, you will be able to work more effectively.

When you have two tasks to complete, your brain has less brainpower to concentrate on these tasks. You tend to overestimate your ability to do multitasking. If you can avoid it, don't multitask!

COMMENTARY

Try mono-tasking. Most people are productive without multitasking. Teach yourself to tackle one task at a time, and don't move to the next one until the first one is completed. This requires a lot of self-discipline. By tackling important projects effectively, you will not be easily distracted by e-mail text messaging, and other potential distractions.

Your brain takes a long time to switch from one task to another. If you're working seriously on something, switching may make it hard to get your thoughts going again. You might like to stay up late at night to work because there are no distractions, and you think you can make real progress.

If you want to do great work, focus on one thing at a time. Finish it, and move onto the next thing. Some things aren't going to be done as fast as you or your boss would like, and some people are not going to get your full attention for a while. That high pile on your desk does not have to disappear, and you don't have to make poorly considered decisions.

Manage your time effectively, and you will be more productive, gain control of what you're doing, and improve the quality of your life.

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