Depressed after delivery? Eat fish!
A
new study published in the Canadian
Journal of Psychiatry has found that increasing their intake of omega-3
fatty acids found in fish, could reduce depression after pregnancy.
Child
birth may elicit a depressive episode in vulnerable women. According to
studies, 10 to 15 per cent of new mothers are at risk of postpartum depression.
Postpartum depression is associated with decreased maternal health as well as
developmental and behavioural problems for the child later in life.
Montreal
researchers have found evidence that suggests a link between postpartum
depression and how omega-3 fats work with a gene that regulates ‘feel good’
hormone serotonin. ‘The literature shows that there could be a link between
pregnancy, omega-3 and the chemical reaction that enables serotonin, a mood
regulator, to be released into our brains,’ lead author Gabriel Shapiro said.
‘Many women could bring their omega-3 intake to recommended levels,’ she added.
Fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, herring, etc. are great sources.
A form of the fatty acid called the ALA is found in soybean, flaxseed, pumpkin
seeds, spinach, walnuts and salad greens.
Maternal
omega-3 levels decrease during pregnancy, and remain lowered for at least
six-weeks following the birth. Shapiro said. This is because omega-3 is
transferred from the mother to her foetus and later to her breastfeeding
infant. Besides, most people do not consume sufficient amounts of omega-3.
‘So
much of what we know about postpartum depression has to do with risk factors
that are difficult, if not impossible to change – things like socioeconomic
status, personal history of depression or genetic exposures. So this seemed
like an exciting risk factor to explore,” Shapiro of the University of Montreal
and the Research Centre at the Sainte-Justine Mother and Child Hospital said in
an interview.
‘These
findings suggest that new screening strategies and prevention practices may be
useful,” Shapiro said. More research is needed to make any kind of dietary
recommendations, Shapiro warned.
Source:
http://health.india.com 17.11.2012
‘AIDS’ train comes to Lucknow
The
Red Ribbon Express, a train traversing the length and breadth of the country is
all set to reach Lucknow on Friday. The train’s primary purpose is to teach
people about HIV/AIDS. ‘Phase-3 of the Red Ribbon Express started on January
12, 2012 and UP is the 18th state being covered by it (this year).
Youth and women are the focus of the Red Ribbon Project,’ informed Dr Sushil
Chakravarthy, a senior officer from National Aids Control Society (NACO), who
spoke at length about RRE on Thursday. Officials informed that the train would
reach Lucknow’s Charbagh Station at 10.00 a.m.
During
its year long journey, the train has covered 23 states, stopping at 162
stations. Three coaches have exhibits on HIV/AIDS while the fourth one on NRHM
exhibits tuberculosis, malaria, general health and hygiene, etc.
The
Red Ribbon Express’ target is to focus on rural and inaccessible areas in India
with an objective to educate people about prevention and to reduce the stigma
and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.
The
Red Ribbon Express train was first launched on the World AIDS Day in 2007. The
Project has since then evolved into being the largest multi-media and
multi-sectoral mass mobilisation project. This innovative initiative has been
commended globally as a unique example of its kind in various forums. In the
second phase of 2009, the Red Ribbon Express had reached out to more than 8
million people touching 153 stations and a distance of 27,000 kilometres.
Source: http://health.india.com
17.11.2012
Indian docs to perform polio
surgeries in Nigeria
A
team of Indian doctors will undertake a 10-day medical mission to conduct polio
corrective surgeries in Nigeria, a Rotary International functionary said here
Thursday. Former world president of Rotary International, Rajendra K. Saboo,
told reporters that the team of doctors, who will perform the surgeries in
Abuja, will include 12 ortho-surgeons, five anaesthesiologists, one
pathologist, one general surgeon and five volunteers from Andhra Pradesh,
Bihar, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Kerala and
Uttrakhand.
The
team will leave Mumbai Dec 2 for Nigeria. ‘The India-Nigeria polio surgeries
medical mission is dedicated to combat polio, generate awareness, and help the
polio-affected population through corrective surgeries,’ said Saboo, who
conceived the inter-continental medical missions in 1998 when he took a team of
Indian doctors to Uganda.
‘The
biggest challenge today is to end polio from the world and protect our
children. Nigeria is one of the three remaining endemic countries in the world
along with Pakistan and Afghanistan, and so long as there is even one country
in the world affected by polio, it would continue to endanger the lives of the
children everywhere,’ Saboo said. He said that it is for the first time that a
single speciality surgical team is going to Africa.
‘Certain
sections of the population in Nigeria are resisting immunisation efforts due to
several misconceptions, and we hope that an initiative like polio corrective
surgeries would help us send a strong message to the people and create an
atmosphere of faith,’ he said. The doctors from India would be taking along
specialised surgical equipment, medical supplies and would also train the local
doctors in the procedures and making of prosthetic limbs, he said.
‘There
is no end, there is always a beginning,’ he says.
Source: http://health.india.com
17.11.2012
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