1.        Headache is a common symptom of high blood pressure.  Very high blood pressure can cause stroke-like symptoms, but generally, the occurance of high blood pressure is without any sign or symptom.  It is important to have your blood pressure checked regularly to discover the common silent high blood pressure condition.

                    2.        Bone calcium can be maintained by exercise.  Bone mineral loss is associated with bedrest and lack of activity and is a big problem for astronauts participating in space station work.  Certain medications such as Calcitonin (Miacalcin) and Fosamax can also help preserve mineral content.  Use of estrogen supplementation after menopause markedly reduces calcium loss in the postmenopausal woman.

                    3.        Dry mouth, fatigue and changes in visual acuity represent a triad of symptoms which is usually associated with diabetes.  The diagnosis of diabetes is easy and done with a fasting blood sugar test at the doctor's office.  Treatment is also simple and in the adult usually involves controlling diet and exercise and at times using a medication in the form of a pill.

                    4.        Stroke is damage to an area of the brain resulting from lack of blood flow and thereby oxygen delivery.  This often occurs as the result of a blockage in a small blood vessel resulting from a platelet clump (clot) or plug caused by fragments of a cholesterol plaque.  Its chance of occuring can be made less by using aspirin to inhibit platelet stickiness (as in decreasing risk of heart attack).  Often the patient may experience temporary symptoms of slurred speech, numbness or tingling in an extremity, or temporary weakness in a limb, or temporary loss of vision in one eye or the other as warning signs that a condition exists that make a stroke more likely to happen.  Should any such symptoms occur, seek attention immediately from a doctor.

                    5.        West Nile Virus infection is a brain and spinal cord infection associated with   a virus transmitted to man by a mosquito bite and currently responsible for illness in the US.  The animal host to the virus (animal infected but not killed) is usually the bird.  Late in the summer and autumn the bird population becomes less supportive for the mosquito and man becomes a more common host to the mosquito carrying the virus.  Draining pooled water around the home and using mosquito repellant will help control the mosquito population and decrease your chance of being infected.