The Juicy Golden Globe of Poison
By Jason Holland
Could you be allergic to something you eat regularly? I just spent several hours in the emergency room after three days of escalating symptoms. It started with a small rash on my face and ended when I woke up with my eyes swollen shut and my entire face inflamed. The unexpected cause of this severe allergic reaction? My former favorite fruit: mangoes.
Juicy, sweet, delicious mangoes are actually related to poison sumac, poison ivy, and poison oak. These plants all have an oily resin called urushiol. And people who have a sensitivity to one member of this family are primed for adverse reactions from others in the group.
I found this out the hard way. Fortunately, a shot of steroids, a megadose of Benadryl through an IV, and a couple of prescriptions put me on the road to recovery. Luckily, I wasn’t allergic enough to experience anaphylactic shock.
I have enjoyed mangoes many times without ill effect, and I couldn’t figure out what had been different this time. Then my wife reminded me of the sap running onto my hands as I picked mangoes from a tree in my neighborhood. A quick Internet search yielded dozens of similar stories, as well as studies in medical journals that described similar results.
Turns out the greatest concentration of urushiol is found in the mango tree’s sap and leaves and in the skin of the fruit. So if you have had a slight reaction to mangoes in the past - or if you are very sensitive to poison ivy, oak, or sumac - be particularly careful when handling and peeling fresh mangoes.
Reactions from exposure to urushiol range from mild to severe, depending on the individual. The most common is contact dermatitis - redness, itching, blisters, and hives.
Symptoms appear 12 to 24 hours after initial exposure. Sometimes it’s nothing more than itchy lips - but if you have trouble breathing or your throat swells closed, you must seek immediate medical attention.
Experts recommend over-the-counter cortisone cream for mild cases. Other treatments include steroid injections or creams, antihistamines, and cortisone pills.
______________________________
Quick Networking Tip: Killer Handshakes
By Monica Day
One of the main skills to perfect in your networking arsenal is the ability to deliver a firm handshake. Not a white-knuckled death grip. Just a reasonable squeeze - and maybe even a pump or two. And if you don’t believe me - and thousands of other articles on the subject - the University of Alabama actually gathered scientific evidence to back up this advice.
According to their 2004 study, people with limp handshakes are perceived as timid, passive, and lacking in self-confidence. Worse, you can project a sense of distance and a "don’t touch me" attitude that is in direct conflict with your goal when you meet someone new.
But a firm handshake conveys a friendly, welcome attitude and tells the other person that you are confident, interested in meeting them, and open to forming the new relationship. And, yes, this advice to applies to women as well as men. Perhaps even more so, since women have been stereotyped as being the weaker sex in business matters. A firm handshake from a woman can go a long way toward dissolving that perception and establishing equal footing immediately.
One last note, applicable to both genders. The University researchers found that the person who extends their hand first has the "power." Good to know before you meet someone new. If you’re looking to them for a job or to be your mentor, let them extend their hand first. If you want the upper hand in the meeting, get your paw out there. And don’t forget - there is no such thing as a simple handshake.
[Ed. Note: Monica Day is co-editor of The Copy Protege, a free bi-weekly e-letter that helps people become professional freelance copywriters.]
______________________________
It’s Good to Know: Ford Motor’s Success in Russia
New York Motors, the world’s most successful Ford dealership, is not in New York or even the United States but in Moscow. Last year, the company sold 115,985 vehicles in Russia through a network of 150 dealers.
Why is New York Motors so successful? For one thing, Russia’s healthy economy has stimulated demand for foreign cars. For another, Ford produces cars locally, keeping prices low compared to other imports.
(Source: Business Week)
______________________________
Word to the Wise: Panjandrum
A "panjandrum" (pan-JAN-drum) is a self-important official.
According to Dictionary.com, the word was coined by Samuel Foote, an 18th century English dramatist, in a piece of nonsense writing composed to challenge actor Charles Macklin’s claim that he could memorize anything. Macklin is said to have refused to repeat a word of it. Here’s what Foote wrote:
"So she went into the garden to cut a cabbage-leaf to make an apple-pie; and at the same time a great she-bear, coming up the street, pops its head into the shop. ‘What! No soap?’ So he died, and she very imprudently married the barber: and there were present the Picninnies, and the Joblillies, and the Garyulies, and the grand Panjandrum himself, with the little round button at top, and they all fell to playing the game of catch-as-catch-can till the gunpowder ran out at the heels of their boots."
Michael Masterson
__________________________________________________
These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2049, 05/23/07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.
Could you be allergic to something you eat regularly? I just spent several hours in the emergency room after three days of escalating symptoms. It started with a small rash on my face and ended when I woke up with my eyes swollen shut and my entire face inflamed. The unexpected cause of this severe allergic reaction? My former favorite fruit: mangoes.
Juicy, sweet, delicious mangoes are actually related to poison sumac, poison ivy, and poison oak. These plants all have an oily resin called urushiol. And people who have a sensitivity to one member of this family are primed for adverse reactions from others in the group.
I found this out the hard way. Fortunately, a shot of steroids, a megadose of Benadryl through an IV, and a couple of prescriptions put me on the road to recovery. Luckily, I wasn’t allergic enough to experience anaphylactic shock.
I have enjoyed mangoes many times without ill effect, and I couldn’t figure out what had been different this time. Then my wife reminded me of the sap running onto my hands as I picked mangoes from a tree in my neighborhood. A quick Internet search yielded dozens of similar stories, as well as studies in medical journals that described similar results.
Turns out the greatest concentration of urushiol is found in the mango tree’s sap and leaves and in the skin of the fruit. So if you have had a slight reaction to mangoes in the past - or if you are very sensitive to poison ivy, oak, or sumac - be particularly careful when handling and peeling fresh mangoes.
Reactions from exposure to urushiol range from mild to severe, depending on the individual. The most common is contact dermatitis - redness, itching, blisters, and hives.
Symptoms appear 12 to 24 hours after initial exposure. Sometimes it’s nothing more than itchy lips - but if you have trouble breathing or your throat swells closed, you must seek immediate medical attention.
Experts recommend over-the-counter cortisone cream for mild cases. Other treatments include steroid injections or creams, antihistamines, and cortisone pills.
______________________________
Quick Networking Tip: Killer Handshakes
By Monica Day
One of the main skills to perfect in your networking arsenal is the ability to deliver a firm handshake. Not a white-knuckled death grip. Just a reasonable squeeze - and maybe even a pump or two. And if you don’t believe me - and thousands of other articles on the subject - the University of Alabama actually gathered scientific evidence to back up this advice.
According to their 2004 study, people with limp handshakes are perceived as timid, passive, and lacking in self-confidence. Worse, you can project a sense of distance and a "don’t touch me" attitude that is in direct conflict with your goal when you meet someone new.
But a firm handshake conveys a friendly, welcome attitude and tells the other person that you are confident, interested in meeting them, and open to forming the new relationship. And, yes, this advice to applies to women as well as men. Perhaps even more so, since women have been stereotyped as being the weaker sex in business matters. A firm handshake from a woman can go a long way toward dissolving that perception and establishing equal footing immediately.
One last note, applicable to both genders. The University researchers found that the person who extends their hand first has the "power." Good to know before you meet someone new. If you’re looking to them for a job or to be your mentor, let them extend their hand first. If you want the upper hand in the meeting, get your paw out there. And don’t forget - there is no such thing as a simple handshake.
[Ed. Note: Monica Day is co-editor of The Copy Protege, a free bi-weekly e-letter that helps people become professional freelance copywriters.]
______________________________
It’s Good to Know: Ford Motor’s Success in Russia
New York Motors, the world’s most successful Ford dealership, is not in New York or even the United States but in Moscow. Last year, the company sold 115,985 vehicles in Russia through a network of 150 dealers.
Why is New York Motors so successful? For one thing, Russia’s healthy economy has stimulated demand for foreign cars. For another, Ford produces cars locally, keeping prices low compared to other imports.
(Source: Business Week)
______________________________
Word to the Wise: Panjandrum
A "panjandrum" (pan-JAN-drum) is a self-important official.
According to Dictionary.com, the word was coined by Samuel Foote, an 18th century English dramatist, in a piece of nonsense writing composed to challenge actor Charles Macklin’s claim that he could memorize anything. Macklin is said to have refused to repeat a word of it. Here’s what Foote wrote:
"So she went into the garden to cut a cabbage-leaf to make an apple-pie; and at the same time a great she-bear, coming up the street, pops its head into the shop. ‘What! No soap?’ So he died, and she very imprudently married the barber: and there were present the Picninnies, and the Joblillies, and the Garyulies, and the grand Panjandrum himself, with the little round button at top, and they all fell to playing the game of catch-as-catch-can till the gunpowder ran out at the heels of their boots."
Michael Masterson
__________________________________________________
These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2049, 05/23/07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.
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