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Show Page 14 HILL TOP TIMES October 26. 1979 AF's decompression "" ' ' '" " '' m - """" """wwa "1 "Ss. bursts blood bubble An Air Force pressure chamber normally used to bring pilots out of the "bends" brought about by drastic altitude changes saved the life of an Arkansas woman at Kelly AFB, Tex. (Brooks Medical Center), according to an Associated Press story. Jane Benton was dying from an air bubble that was cutting the blood flow to her brain. In a coma, and considered in grave condition, doctors held her in the chamber three days and treated with pressure equal to a 165 foot deep sea dive, Associated Press reported. After the first day in the chamber, Benton was conscious. The second day she could talk with visitors, and on the third day she was released from the pressure chamber and admitted to the hospital. Benton went into a coma during a routine biopsy when the air bubble developed in her bloodstream and blocked circulation to the brain, Associated Press said. The increased pressure in the Air Force chamber compressed the bubble until it was small enough to be absorbed in her system. The compression chamber used in this instance is the same type managed by the Training Devices Management Division of the Directorate of Materiel Management at Hill AFB. Hill has one chamber received from NASA in Houston, and hope to ha ve it operational in the near future. These chambers are used as specialized medical treatment facilities. Castle AFB and Beale AFB, Calif., and Kadena AB, Okinawa maintain such devices should pilots stationed there suffer the bends. The Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colo., use a similar chamber as a , "r V'.l training facility, subjecting cadets to pressure changes to simulate pressure conditions in the cockpit. The Trainer Division manages a variety of other training devices and aids, including flight simulators, spatial disorientation simulators and eye movement monitoring equipment As the cost of equipment and fuel continues to skyrocket, simulators and training devices will increase in importance and value to the Air Force, and the number of lives that might be saved, perhaps not as dramatic as the case of Jane Benton, may never be known. S A lifesavor f m m 2Z , , feet in diameter and 25 foef long, decompression chambers used fay the Air Force like this one at Hill are used to bring pilots out of the bends, and sometimes Ten even to save a life. (U.S. Air Force Photo) FDuUSOflDP If you're like most consumers, the investment in your home is the largest single investment that you'll make in your lifetime. Partial or total destruction of your home, as a result of fire or severe weather, could result in tremendous loss. The need for insurance to protect your home and goods is obvious. Many home owners are underinsured without being aware of it, primarily because of rapidly increasing property values. ' FOR EXAMPLE, if you bought a home in 1965 for $20,000, it might cost as much as $40,000 to replace that house today. .' Insure for replacement If you have not increased your insurance coverage in keeping with the increase in replacement value, you may assume a potentially serious financial burden. This is particularly true because many homeowner policies require that you carry insurance in an amount equaling 80 percent of the replacement value of your home. For example, if you have to replace your roof, and you have the required 80 percent coverage, the insurance benefit will be the total cost of the repair, less the deductible. If you have not maintained 80 percent coverage of the actual value of the property, the insurance payment for repair of the roof would be much smaller than the cost of the work at today's prices. IN ORDER TO AVOID such extra expense, you must maintain your level of protection at 80 percent of its replacement value, not of its original cost. Homeowner policies There are three types of homeowner policies: basic, broad or comprehensive. A ba sic policy usually protects against such things as fire, lightning, wind, hail, explosion, riot, theft, vandalism, breakage of glass, loss of property removed from premises and other perils. A broad homeowner's policy usually adds protection against falling objects, snow damage, partial or total building collapse and water heating system breakdown. Finally, a comprehensive policy covers all perils except earthquake, landslide, floods of to assure yourself the best possible coverage within your financial means. certain kinds, backing up of sewers, seepage, war and nuclear radiation. IN PURCHASING homeowner's insurance, work with a reputable and responsible company and agent. Contact several agents The attorneys at the base staff judge advocate office can also give assistance. (AFNS) Are you electrically safe? at frequent intervals. If one is inoperative, report it to the proper authorities to be repaired or replaced. These devices are safety valves. If one trips, find the cause and correct it before resetting it. Refrain from using extension cords. They may be convenient, but they are no substitute for permanent wiring. If you must use an extension cord, be sure that it is the same size and type cord. They are not made to handle more than 700 watts. Don't run extension cords under carpeting or through doorways. Keep all electrical motors free from dust and lint. Only YOU and I can reduce the large dollar loss from fire due to misuse or abuse or ' electrical appliances and wiring. By Clyde O'Connor , Fire Inspector Is your home or shop safe from electrical hazards? According to the latest statistics, 165,000 fires were caused by electrical defects with a dollar loss of $363,500,000. There are a few things that you can do to help to reduce these losses. Before purchasing appliances for your home, check to see that they bear the UL or AGA label.. Inspect older appliances and replace frayed cords and cracked plugs. all electrical rewiring . on done appliances by a qualified electrician. Test all circuit breakers, turn off and on Have Some 'health foods' unhealthy 7f$J The popularity of health foods have helped a lot of people become more aware of the food we eat and how it affects us. But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that consumers should be wary of claims that these foods offer special health benefits. Regularly, millions of Americans spend extra money to buy foods labeled organic or health food at supermarkets and health stores. Here are a few things FDA says health food shoppers should watch out for: Vitamins from natural sources have no nutritional superiority over synthetic vitamins, so don't get caught paying a higher price for "natural' vitamins. And watch out for the false promotion of a substance labeled as a vitamin A recent example is pangamic acid, which has falsely been called vitamin Pangamic acid is not a vitamin because it is not an essential part of our diet. Many people are lured to health foods in the belief that they're safer than conventional foods. Not so. One glaring example is potassium chloride, a substance often sold in health food stores as a diet supplement. B-1-5. -- Accidental overuse of potassium chloride, sometimes called potassium salt, is known to have caused deaths of otherwise healthy individuals. Potassium chloride supplements and other products labeled as "salt substitutes' which contain potassium should be used only under medical supervision. Another example is herb tea, favored by many health food advocates, which contains thousands of chemical compounds that have not been tested for safety. Sassafras root was found to contain saffrole, which produces liver cancer in rats. For that reason the sale of sassafras tea was banned by the FDA in 1976. ;:; , The most reasonable way to buy food for health is to exercise care and common sense and by by eating a wide variety of foods practicing moderation in eating any single : ' food. j To help you sort out the myths from the facts, write for a free copy of The Confusing World of Health Foods from the Consumer Information Center, Dept. 548G, Pueblo, Colo. , 81009. (AFPS) |