Your mouth
reveals your ailments
They say that the mouth is the
window to overall health. And rightly so, because signs
of oral health problems can work as indicators of various health problems.
Pain in upper molars — Sinusitis
The root cause of acute pain in the upper molars is
sinusitis. When the maxillary sinus-air cavities within the cheek bones,
above the upper jaw, becomes inflamed due to infection, it exerts pressure on
the upper jaw. The roots of the upper molars are in close
proximity with the sinus and on being pressed, they mimic pain of dental
origin.
Tooth sensitivity — Acidity & heartburn
Those who suffer from frequent heartburn or acid reflux
invariably suffer from eroded teeth enamel. Unhealthy eating habits such as
eating large meals, lying down on the back right after a meal or snacking
before bed time are some factors that cause the valve at the entrance of the stomach to become loose and stomach acids to travel
backwards.
Gingivitis and pregnancy
Pregnancy causes hormonal changes that increase the risk of
developing oral health problems like Gingivitis (A mild form of gum disease
with inflammation of the gum) and Periodontitis (a serious gum infection that
damages the soft tissue and bone that supports the tooth). Pregnant women
with these problems are four to seven times more likely to deliver prematurely
— and underweight babies — than mothers with healthy gums.
Flat teeth — High stress
A lot of people tend to clench and grind their teeth during
the day and night without being aware of it. Long term grinding of teeth makes
them flat, causing jaw tenderness, fatigue of cheek muscles, headaches and ear
aches. Stress is one of the
pivotal causes of Bruxism (It refers to excessive grinding of
teeth and/or excessive clenching of the jaw).
Mouth ulcers — Weak immune system
Usually, mouth ulcers occur when the body's immune system is
weak. In very rare cases, mouth ulcers can signal a warning of mouth or throat
cancer.
Dry mouth — Diabetes
Constant case of dry mouth, clinically known as Xerostomia,
may be an early sign of diabetes. It causes the blood vessels
present in the salivary glands to thicken thereby slowing down the natural flow
of saliva and elimination of toxins, leaving
the gums vulnerable to infections.
Source: www.timesofindia.com
25.05.2013
World No Tobacco Day 2013: Only way to
lower use is blanket ban on advertising
Doctors and health experts in Karnataka believe
that the only way to lower tobacco use is to ensure that there’s a blanket ban
on all types of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in the state.
This ties in with the theme
of this year’s World No Tobacco Day campaign ‘Ban tobacco
advertising, promotion and sponsorship’. Addressing a press
conference, Upendra Bhojani, faculty at the Institute of Public Health,
demanded that the state rigorously enforce the ban.
According to WHO, the tobacco industry spends
billions around the year in advertising, promotion and sponsorship. In
countries like ours where direct advertising is banned, the tobacco industry
usually adopts a technique called ‘surrogate advertising’ in which they promote
other products to drill the brand name into the consumer. The long-term goal is
a total ban on direct and indirect advertising, promotion and sponsorship, as
provided in guidelines to Article 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control, can substantially reduce tobacco consumption and protect people,
particularly the youth, from industry marketing tactics. To be effective, bans
must be complete and apply to all marketing categories.
Currently, it’s believed tobacco kills nearly six
million people every year and of them six lakh die due to exposure to passive
smoking. While the Section 5 of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act
prescribes a complete ban on all forms of tobacco promotions, advertisements
and sponsorships, companies get around this loophole by using surrogate
advertising which employs similar imagery logos for tobacco and non-tobacco
products.
Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, a cancer surgeon at
Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital who
recently won the prestigious Wilkenfeld Award in the US for his innovative
leadership in the fight to reduce tobacco use in India feels that industry
manipulates people by forcing them to use their products. He said, ‘The
industry uses strategic tactics to dilute the tobacco control policy. They
lobby with the government and see to it that the policies are delayed and
weakened before implementation. They promote their products either through indirect
advertisements or diversify their products. They showcase as a doing good for
the well-being of the society by investing in corporate social responsibility
or giving bravery awards.’
Source: http://health.india.com
25.05.2013
We can't help
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