Love vs. Sex

 

 

Many people confuse love, commitment, and sex, or assume the three always go hand-in-hand. There are many ways to express love, and you don’t need to have sex with someone to show them you love them. Having sex with someone also does not necessarily mean you are in love with them.

Sexual relationships work best when everybody is clear about what they want. If you don’t tell your partner what you want, you might find you expect different things. One of you might be looking for a fling, and the other a marriage!
Having sex in a committed relationship can make people feel closer and more loving. Having sex in non-committed relationship can also be lots of fun and can make people feel like better friends. Whether you have a one night fling or a fifty-year marriage, it is very important that you like, respect and trust your partner and that you feel liked, respected and trusted by him or her, as well.

Types of relationships

When entering into a new relationship and throughout the course of a relationship (since our expectations often change over time!), talk about whether you want a relationship that is:

Committed or non-committed? Do you want a commitment such as marriage, long-term dating, raising children, sharing finances, and/or sharing a home, or do you want a less committed dating relationship?

Friendly or Romantic? Do you want a relationship that is based on friendship, or do you prefer a romantic, emotionally intimate relationship?

Sexual or non-sexual? Do you expect that you will want to have sex with this person? If you do, are there some sexual activities you want to do and others you do not?

Monogamous or non-monogamous? Do you want your relationship to be only with that person, so that you each have sex only with each other, or not, so that you and your partner have sex with other people?
Remember to explore each of those questions separately. All combinations are possible!

Common Relationship Structures

Asexual or non-sexual Asexual people do not generally have sexual feelings, and/or they choose not to have sex. People who identify as asexual may want emotional relationships, including long-term committed, loving, non-sexual partnerships.Others do have sexual feelings but do not want or do not feel ready for sexual activity with another person, so they are completely or selectively abstinent.

Lifetime mutual monogamyIn these relationships, each person has only one sexual partner in a lifetime. Both partners only have sex with each other.

Mutual serial monogamy This is a common relationship structure among many adults. When someone is serially monogamous, they may have sexual contact with more than one person over a lifetime, but they only maintain one long-term sexual partnership at a time, in which both partners are monogamous (have sex only with each other).

Mutual fidelity Mutual fidelity is similar to mutual monogamy except that there may be more than two people involved in this kind of relationship. Groups or families of three, four or more may have sexual relationships with one another but not have sex with anyone outside the group.

Sexually non-monogamous relationships Sexually non-monogamous relationships include consensual/honest non-monogamy such as “casual dating,” swinging, polyamory, and open relationships, as well as non-consensual/dishonest non-monogamy, also known as cheating. There are a wide variety of sexually non-monogamous relationship structures that people may choose, in which one or more members of a couple or group have sex with others.

Survey: Young Adults Like Female Condoms Once They See and Touch Them

Young women and men both find many characteristics of female condoms appealing, a new study finds.

The female condom is a nitrile pouch that fits inside a woman’s vagina. It has a soft ring on each end. The outer, larger ring stays on the outside of the vagina and partly covers the labia (lips). The inner ring fits on the inside of the vagina, somewhat like a diaphragm, to hold the condom in place. The female condom can also be used in the rectum for anal sex.

 

Female condoms are currently the only woman-controlled method of safer sex. Just as the development of oral contraceptives was revolutionary in giving women control over their reproductive status, female condoms offer women a method they control that provides effective protection against STIs.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington surveyed female and male students ages 18-24 to see what they think about female condoms. Design of the condom (including fit, comfort, and pleasure), lack of side effects, protection against STIs and pregnancy and convenience were important to females. These elements (especially protection and design) were also important to the men, along with the notion that a female-centric condom would potentially relieve them of some of the responsibility of providing protection (one man citing this as an advantage commented “I don’t have to worry about wearing a condom”).

One curious finding is that while most participants had heard of female condoms, only a handful had actually seen or touched one before taking part in this study. Female condoms have had some difficulty gaining traction in a space dominated by male condoms and the researchers said that “Seeing and touching the [female condom] was a key element in this study. It gave the participants an opportunity to, not only get familiar with the FC but also, evaluate it by comparing it with other contraceptives.”

Reference: Shaw CM and Chatterjee K. Communicating sexual health messages: young adults and the female condom. Open Access Journal of Contraception, 2014. 5:29-37.

Osteoporosis: Before and After a Broken Bone

If you have osteoporosis, or are at risk for it, you want to do all you can to keep your bones as strong as possible. Besides following your doctor's advice on diet and exercise, you should know that some medications are bone-friendly -- and others may have side effects that affect the bones.

Some medications prescribed for common health problems, such as heartburn or depression, could affect your bone health.

"That doesn't necessarily mean you should stop them," says Harold Rosen, MD, director of the Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Rather, "it's crucial to weigh the pros and cons: the benefits of the medicine against the effect on the bones," he says.

The benefits of a drug may outweigh the risks. Or your doctor may prescribe a ''bone-maintenance" drug to offset the risk, Rosen says.

Corticosteroid Drugs and Bone Health

This type of steroid drug helps curb inflammation. Doctors prescribe them for conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and ulcerative colitis.

Some examples include:

•     cortisone (Cortone)
•     prednisone (Deltasone, Meticorten, Orasone, Prednicot)

These steroids hamper bone formation and increase bone resorption, which can make a fracture more likely, notes  endocrinologist Ann Kearns, MD, a consultant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

However, she says, some people need these drugs. And the ''short-term risk is not a big deal for most people," Rosen says.

How you take the drugs may also matter. Pills or shots are the most powerful, but those you inhale or put on your skin are "less concerning," Kearns says.

Anti-Cancer Drugs and Bone Health

If you've had breast cancer and are taking certain drugs that affect your bones, your doctor should monitor your bone density and may prescribe a bone-maintenance drug.

Some breast cancer patients take a type of drug called an aromatase inhibitor. These drugs include:

•    anastrozole (Arimidex)
•    exemestane (Aromasin)
•    letrozole (Femara)

These drugs target a substance your body makes called aromatase. That leads to lower estrogen levels, which can dim estrogen-fueled cancers.

That's good news for your cancer, but lowering your estrogen levels can be bad for your bones, since estrogen stops bone resorption. That's why doctors often prescribe improved lifestyle changes such as exercise, a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, and bone-maintenance drugs to women who are taking the aromatase inhibitors.

Men who have been treated for prostate cancer are sometimes prescribed anti-androgen therapy. Examples of these drugs include bicalutamide (Casodex), flutamide (Eulexin), and nilutamide (Nilandron).

These drugs block the action of the hormone testosterone, usually slowing prostate cancer growth. However, these medications can decrease bones' density and increase fracture risk, so doctors may prescribe changes in lifestyle such as exercise, smoking cessation, reduced caffeine intake, and a bone-maintenance drug.

Why Is Physical Activity So Good for Your Brain?

Neuroscientists around the globe agree that physical activity is the best medicine to maintain brain health throughout your lifespan. Why is physical activity so good for your brain?

There are many reasons that exercise is good for your brain. These include: increased blood flow, which improves cerebrovascular health; the release of neurotrophic factors like BDNF, which stimulates the growth of new neurons; and the benefits of glucose and lipid metabolism which bring nourishment to the brain.

Recently, researchers at the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that physical activity is also associated with improved white matter integrity. In two separate studies—released within the past month—researchers found that physical activity improved the white matter integrity of physically fit children aged 9 to 10 and also in “low fit” participants aged 60 to 78.  

The researchers found that physical activity improves the microstructures of white matter in the brain. White matter integrity is linked to faster neural conduction between brain regions and superior cognitive performance.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) directly affects the integrity of white matter. In MS lesions the myelin sheath around the axons gradually deteriorates. Changes in white matter, known as amyloid plaques, are associated with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

What is the White Matter of Your Brain?

White matter consists mostly of glial cells and myelinated axons that act as communication lines between various regions of gray matter in the cerebrum. White matter also allows communication between the cerebrum and lower brain centers including the cerebellum.

When white matter tissue is freshly cut in a living brain, it actually appears pinkish because myelin is composed largely of lipid tissue that is veined with capillaries for vascularization. According to Arthur Kramer, the director of the Beckman Institute, one reason that exercise might improve white matter integrity is that physical activity gets the blood pumping through the brain and improves vascularization of these capillaries. There is also the possiblilty that physical activity improves myelination.

White matter carries nerve signals between the gray matter in one brain region to another brain region. The more streamlined and compact your white matter is, the faster and more efficiently your brain functions.

These new studies show that physical activity appears to make the axons in white matter more tightly bundled and compact. Exercise appears to improve white matter integrity which is correlated with more efficient communication between brain regions from childhood into our golden years.

Aerobic Fitness in Children Linked to White Matter Integrity

The first new study from the Beckman Institute, “Aerobic Fitness is Associated with Greater White Matter Integrity in Children,” was published August 2014 in in the open-access journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. In this study U. of I. kinesiology and community heatlh professor Charles Hillman, postdoctoral researcher Laura Chaddock-Heyman and their colleagues found that physically fit children had more fibrous and compact white matter tracts in the brain than their less fit peers.

In a press release, University of Illinois researcher Laura Chaddock-Heyman said, "Previous studies suggest that children with higher levels of aerobic fitness show greater brain volumes in gray matter brain regions important for memory and learning. Now for the first time we explored how aerobic fitness relates to white matter in children's brains."

Chaddock and her colleagues used a technique called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to look at five white matter tracts that play a role in attention and memory. The findings revealed significant fitness-related improvements in the integrity of several white matter tracts. 

For this study, the researchers didn't specifically test for cognitive differences in the children. A wide range of studies over the past decades have found a link between aerobic fitness levels, improved cognitive function, and higher academic test scores. "Previous studies in our lab have reported a relationship between fitness and white matter integrity in older adults," Kramer said. "Therefore, it appears that fitness may have beneficial effects on white matter throughout the lifespan."

Avoiding a Sedentary Lifestyle Benefits White Matter Integrity As You Age

The second new study from the Beckman Institute, “Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Are Beneficial for White Matter in Low-Fit Older Adults” was published September 2014 in the journal PLOS ONE. Postdoctoral researcher Agnieszka Burzynska conducted the research with Art Kramer and kinesiology and community health professor Edward McAuley.

In this study, the researchers found a strong link between the structural integrity of white matter tracts and an older person's level of daily activity. Interestingly, it wasn't the extent to which the person engaged in moderate or vigorous exercise, but simply if someone spent most of the day being sedentary. Avoiding a sedentary lifestyle can have dramatic effects on your brain health by maintaining the integrity of your white matter throughout a lifespan.

Hippocrates was right when he said, “Walking is man’s best medicine.” Art Kramer has spent decades researching the brain benefits of physical activity. In a recent conversation, Kramer said that the best news about the latest findings is that you don’t have to be running marathons or winning triathlons to reap the brain benefits of physical activity. I agree. 

In our conversation, Art Kramer and I spoke about the difficulty of motivating people to break a sweat. He emphasized that the most exciting aspect of this new study is that it shows that the real enemy is sedentarism. This study indicates that just a little bit of movement every day helps preserve the integrity of your brain’s white matter.

Conclusion: Physical Activity Improves Brain Health and Cognitive Function at Any Age

These results come at a critical time. In a digital age, our society has become increasingly unfit and sedentary. As the father of a 6-year-old, I am passionate about public health and education policies that affect children's brain health and overall development.

As adults we can make daily lifestyle choices that include physical activity. Unfortunately, most children are subject to policies that tend to reduce or eliminate opportunities for physical activity during the school day.

Reducing the time and availability for children to be physically active during the school day could have negative impacts on the integrity of white matter tracts, which might reduce brain efficiency and could lead to lower test scores.

One of the most interesting findings from recent research is that white matter microstructure in the corona radiata is linked to mathematics performance (van Eimeren et al., 2008). Ironically, in an attempt to prepare children for the Common Core Standards and No Child Left Behind testing by forcing them to sit still in a chair we may actually be sabotaging a child's brain from optimizing white matter integrity.

Laura Chaddock-Heyman and co-authors sum up the importance of physical activity in the conclusion of their study when they say, “In fact, our study raises the possibility that greater white matter integrity, perhaps via greater myelination, is one pathway by which higher fit children excel in cognitive and academic performance compared to their less fit peers. Hopefully these findings will reinforce the importance of aerobic fitness during development and lead to additional physical activity opportunities in and out of the school environment.”

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201409/why-is-physical-activity-so-good-your-brain?tr=MostViewed

When compassion becomes enabling, stop and think

Have you ever tried to help someone only to see things get worse? Has your compassion for a self-destructive person ever led to more self-destruction?
The problem is that the brain learns from rewards. Your compassion is rewarding to others. If they get your compassion when they act badly, their brain wires itself to get rewards by acting badly.
Compassion is good, but the pendulum can swing too far the other way. Your good intentions lead to harm if they reinforce self-destructive behavior. Whether it’s someone in your life or people you don’t know in person, your quest for compassion can be part of the problem. You have the power to do something different. You may do more good in the long run by rewarding good behavior instead of enabling bad behavior.

Give a man a fishing poleWe all know the expression that it’s better to give a fishing pole than a fish. But what if you give someone a fishing pole and they never fish? What if you compassionately offer fishing lessons and replace the pole whenever they break it, but they keep criticizing the pole and the lessons and still don’t fish?

You may blame yourself. You keep trying to improve your offerings and grieving over their lack of fish. Maybe you are part of the problem. When you hold yourself responsible for their outcomes, you teach them they are not responsible for their outcomes. You teach them to get fish by attacking your efforts to help because that’s the behavior you keep rewarding.

Everybody wants to be a heroWanting to help is natural. But when you want to help more than the other person wants to help themselves, you substitute for their personal power instead of adding to it. The harder you row the boat, the less they row.

Psychologists call this enabling, enmeshment, codependence and “the drama triangle” (or “the rescue triangle”). Many of these insights came from addiction-recovery work, because it was observed that addiction exists because the addict is enabled by others. Enablers pride themselves on their compassion. They hate the results, but refuse to do anything differently because it’s not “compassionate.” They go down with the ship.

Compassion

You can define compassion in a new way. You can reward healthy behavior instead of rewarding unhealthy behavior. It’s hard to do. The rescuer is typically as addicted to rescuing as the receiver is to needing rescue. In the long run, it’s more compassionate to model healthy choices than to perpetuate a destructive loop. You have power over your own choices, not other people’s choices. You can act like a hero, or you can re-direct your compassion in ways that do more long-run good.
There's lots more on re-directing your compassion in my new

Fruits and Vegetables that Are Good for the Skin

 

It's not unusual for the cold weather outside to affect your skin. But if you want to prevent dull and dry looking skin, one of the most amazing ways is to start eating healthy foods. If you want to diversify your diet, take a look at these great fruits and vegetables that are good for the skin!

Foods that Are Good for Your Skin: Carrots

Are you dealing with fine lines and wrinkles? You shouldn't worry though, as carrots are one of the best foods for your skin. Start consuming this vegetable on a regular basis and you'll provide your body with the necessary amounts of vitamins A and C, important nutrients for a healthy skin.

Fruits that are Good for Your Skin: Lemons

Have you ever wondered what fruits are good for your skin? If your answer's 'yes', you should know that lemons are excellent collagen synthesizers in the body. This great citrus fruit is very rich in vitamin C which makes it a good choice if you want to keep your skin healthy. Furthermore, if you're dealing with scars, you can consider lemons your biggest ally in reducing their aspect.

Food that's Good for Your Skin: Broccoli

Broccoli is certainly one of the best foods for your skin. This vegetable is very rich in vitamin A, which enables the regeneration of your skin cells. This being said, you'll be able to rejuvenate your skin and you'll prevent premature aging.

Fruits that Are Good for Your Skin: Strawberries

If you're searching for fruits that are good for your skin, you should also take a look at strawberries. These amazing sources of antioxidants will keep your skin healthy throughout the day. Prepare a delicious breakfast out of mashed strawberries, honey, yogurt and avocado, and get ready to flaunt radiant skin everyone will envy you for.

Vegetables that Are Good for Your Skin: Spinach

Spinach should also be included on the list of vegetables that are good for your skin. This food is very high in vitamin A. And if you want to have the strength of Popeye the Sailor Man, you should definitely increase your weekly spinach intake. You body will be energized all day long and you'll amaze others with your perfect and healthy looking complexion.

Healthy Raw Foods
Which Fruits are Good for Facial Glow: Papaya

So which fruits are good for a glowing complexion? Specialists in nutrition praise this fruit for being very rich in antioxidants and in a special enzyme called papain. This enzyme removes dead cells and encourages the production of new ones. If you want to flaunt a glowing complexion this winter, mix half papaya with yogurt, and apply it on your face. Let the mask sit for 15 minutes and rinse with warm water.

Is Star Fruit Good for Your Skin?

Here's a good question you might want to give some thought to! And if you're searching for an answer, you should know that star fruits (also called carambola) are high in phytonutrients such as gallic acid, epicatechin and quercetin from which your skin can benefit. Plus, star fruits are also high in vitamins A and C, and can help fight free radicals, thus preventing premature aging.

Great Vegetables that are Good for Your Skin: Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are some of the greatest vegetables for your skin. They increase the amount of antioxidants in your body which will ultimately fight and absorb free radicals. This way, you'll diminish your skin imperfections!

Excellent Fruit that's Good for Your Skin: Orange

Oranges are excellent fruits for your skin. The vitamin C in this fruit will help improve your skin texture and will encourage collagen formation. Thus, you'll slow down the aging process and you'll enjoy your youthful skin for a longer amount of time. You can use oranges as a daily food or as a natural beauty product to tighten your skin.

Good Vegetable that's Good for Your Skin: Brussels Sprouts

This food also deserves to be included among the top vegetables that are good for your skin. Brussels Sprouts are great sources of vitamin C, so if you want to keep your skin healthy and hydrated, you should increase the amount you eat on a regular basis.

FDA warns exceeding laxative dose may be deadly for some

 

Constipation can be quite unpleasant, and people experiencing the condition may be tempted to run to the drug store and buy laxatives. But, the FDA is warning such people to read the label carefully and not exceed the recommended dose, or they may risk their lives.

The problems stem from laxatives with the active ingredient sodium phosphate, which are recommended to be taken in a single dose once a day and for no more than three days. They can be taken orally or rectally, depending on the product.

Sodium phosphate laxatives, also called saline laxatives, are sold under the brand name Fleet and also sold as store and generic brands. They work by drawing water into the bowel, which softens the stool to allow it to pass easier.

The FDA is now finding that adults older than 55 and children with certain health conditions may face added risks if they exceed the laxative dosage. The agency has received 54 reports of side effects, including 13 deaths, linked to over-the-counter sodium phosphate laxatives.

Serious side effects include dehydration and/or abnormal levels of electrolytes in the blood that can lead to serious complications, including kidney damage and sometimes death.

The most harmful side effects occurred when people overdosed by taking a single dose that was higher than recommended or took more than one dose in a day because the first laxative didn’t have the desired effect, said Dr. Mona Khurana, a medical officer in the FDA’s division of nonprescription regulation development.

Twelve adults and one child died after they overdosed on over-the-counter sodium phosphate products. Side effect case counts could be higher than the 54 reported cases, she added, since not everybody who develops problems reports them to the FDA.

"The bottom line is that these products are safe for otherwise healthy adults and older children for whom dosing instructions are provided on the Drug Facts label as long as they follow these dosing instructions and don't take the product more often, or in greater amounts, than the label instructs," she said in a statement.

The FDA's new warning also urges people to check with their doctors if they are taking drugs that affect how the kidneys work, including diuretics; angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors used to lower blood pressure; angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) used to treat high blood pressure, heart, or kidney failure; and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and aspirin.

People with inflammation of the colon should also check with a doctor before taking laxatives, according to the FDA. These warnings are not currently on product labels.

The product labels do warn people to not to orally or rectally take another dose of the product if they have yet to have a bowel movement after taking the laxative. In addition, the labels tell adults and children to ask health care professionals before using these products if they have kidney disease, heart problems or dehydration.

Children under 2 years old should never take laxatives rectally, the label adds.

Constipation is marked by infrequent bowel movements or trouble passing stools. Causes include insufficient water intake, not enough fiber in diets, a disruption of regular routine (such as traveling), stress, eating large amounts of dairy products, hemorrhoids, medications, pregnancy, depression, eating disorders and other medical conditions, according to WebMD. People may take a laxative to help relieve their symptoms.

Laxatives are also often misused following eating binges by people with eating disorders who mistakenly believe the medications will rush food and calories through the guy before they can be absorbed, according to the National Eating Disorders Association.

Taking too many laxatives overtime may weaken the bowel muscles, further leading to constipation.

Contact a doctor after taking laxatives if you experience symptoms including dry mouth, thirst, reduced urine output and lightheadedness, especially with changes in position, after taking these laxatives. These may all be signs of dehydration. People experiencing kidney injury may report drowsiness, sluggishness, and swelling of the ankles, feet and legs.

If the rectal laxative doesn’t leave the body for more than 30 minutes, contact a doctor.

The 5 Healthiest Winter Vegetables and Fruits

 

 

It seems every year when winter approaches, many of my patients complain, "There just aren’t as many fruits and veggies available.” I, of course, beg to differ. Yes, the farmers markets and supermarkets aren’t booming with an assortment of colorful berries (at least tasty and inexpensive ones), tomatoes, or corn, but they still have plenty of healthy options. These five are delicious and provide the greatest nutrition bang for your caloric buck. You just might miss them come summer.

1. Beets. 
The problem with beets is that many people avoid them because they think they are high in sugar. However, that really isn’t so: One raw beet has 5.5 grams for 35 calories. [Tweet this fact!] Plus they are a good source of magnesium and calcium (both important for bone health), iron (which you need for energy and to prevent and hair loss), fiber (to help to fill you up), and folic acid (necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells in our bodies, and especially important for pregnant woman). Beets are especially important during the winter because they have a unique source of phytonutrients, called betalains, which provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support to help keep your immune system strong.

2. Brussels sprouts
 A member of the cabbage family, Brussels sprouts have seen a recent rise in popularity, and that's a good thing. (I wonder what took everyone so long—I love them!) They are an excellent source of bone-strengthening vitamin K and may give you a glow thanks to the vitamin C, which supports collagen production and products against free radicals. A cup also provides 15 percent of your daily iron and 13 percent of your recommended fiber.

3. Cauliflower
 Ever since we were told to load our plates with color, white foods have been getting a bad rap. Cauliflower doesn’t deserve it. It is an excellent source of folic acid and vitamins C and K, and also contains lots of iron, fiber, potassium for efficient muscle function, and B vitamins, which play a role in everything from hair growth to red blood cell creation to carrying oxygen and nutrients to cells of our body.

4. Clementines
I know the winter season is upon us when I see the boxes of clementines, a cross between a mandarin and an orange, in the supermarket. So easy to peel, they make the easiest grab-and-go citrus fruit this time of year. Besides being a excellent source of vitamin C, they also contain calcium and potassium, and are a great low calorie fruit: a serving of two clementines is only 80 calories. [Tweet this snack idea!]

5. Pears
I think pears are an overlooked fruit, with so many more people grabbing apples at this time of year. One of the highest-fiber fruits, a medium pear offers about 6 grams, which can help with blood sugar control and promote weight loss. An excellent source of vitamins C and K, pears are also packed with B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and manganese.

Unfortunately during this time of year with everyone being so busy with holiday parties, events, and shopping, a lot of people are not eating enough fruits and veggies at all. When on the run, one option is a small Jamba Juice smoothie. I like the sixteen-ounce Berry UpBeet, which combines fruits and veggies, including beets.

H5N1 bird flu death in Canada is North America's first case

 

TORONTO -- Canadian health officials said Wednesday a fatal case of H5N1 bird flu has been reported in Canada, the first such case in North America. The victim was travelling from China when symptoms first appeared.

Health Minister Rona Ambrose said the case, in Alberta, was an isolated one and that the risk to the general public is very low.

CTV News reports the victim was a woman in her late 20s who spent several weeks in China.

Officials said the person began to feel ill on a flight to Canada from Beijing on Dec. 27. They said it was the first case of H5N1 circulating in Beijing and said China looking is looking into it.

"This is the first evidence of this particular virus circulating in Beijing. Chinese authorities are going to be very interested. We've contacted them already," Dr. Gregory Taylor, deputy chief health officer in Canada, said.

Taylor said the victim only visited Beijing in China. The victim did not travel to a farm or visit markets, he said.

The World Health Organization says that as of mid-December, there had been 648 laboratory-confirmed human cases of H5N1 flu, reported mostly in Asia. Of that total, 384 infections have been fatal.

Dr. Nikki Shindo, a medical officer with the WHO, told CTV the news is "substantial"since it's the first case in North America, and the agency is awaiting samples of the virus for testing.

Experts are cautious when it comes to bird flu viruses infecting humans. They have been closely watching the H5N1 bird flu virus. The virus remains hard to catch with most human infections linked to contact with infected poultry, but scientists fear it could mutate and spread rapidly among people, potentially sparking a pandemic.

There is no evidence that anyone else was infected by the victim. Dr. James Talbot, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, said that family members of the victim are being monitored and treated with medication, but noted that there's nothing to indicate they are sick. Talbot said two companions travelled with the victim but have shown no signs of becoming sick.

"This is not a disease that's transmitted between humans so unless you were in the infected in the area and were in contact with an infected bird you are not going to get this illness," Dr. Theresa Tam of Health Canada said.