13 April, 2015

Your finger length says much about your health

We all know that regular exercises and a healthy diet can add years to our lives. However, there's a school of thought out there that believes that this is not enough.

Certain physical characteristics can make you vulnerable to certain health risks. The length of a certain finger could lead to a simmering health problem, and becoming aware of that would help you prevent or prepare yourself for it. But it is not yet clear as to what led to the following assumptions:

Finger length

If women have an index finger that's shorter than the ring finger, then it means she's prone to osteoarthritis of the knee. But if the index finger is longer or equal to the ring finger, you are safe. For those whose index finger is shorter than the ring finger there is a need to exercise to strengthen your knees with squats and lunges. If you've been wondering at the connection arthritis has to finger length, both are said to be related to low levels of estrogen.

Length of legs

There are reasons why long legs have that drool factor. But short legs seem to always be at the receiving end. This peculiar study drives it even further saying that those with short legs are likely to develop liver disease. So if you are one of them, mind your drinking habits.

Arm length

Your arms have a different story to tell. Extend them to a T-position. If the distance is less than 60 inches from fingertips to fingertips, you are prone to Alzheimer's. These are signs to take up activities that stimulate the brains and body. It could be anything from playing the guitar to taking dance lessons or playing chess.

Small calves

Those with calves that measure less than 13 inches are likely to get stroke, so don't forget to drink green tea daily to keep the fat at bay.

Wrinkled ears

A linear wrinkle in your ear lobe, which starts on the back of your ear lobe and runs across indicates that you are more likely to get a heart attack. So make sure to have a regular cardiovascular check-up and maintain a healthy weight.

Sense of smell

If you have problem identifying food with their aromas, you are more likely to suffer from Parkinson's disease. So feed your brain the right vitamins to keep your sense of smell sharp.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

13.04.2015

Psychological stress can triple Type-1 diabetes risk

Serious life events in childhood, such as death or illness in the family, divorce/separation, a new child or adult in the family, and conflicts in the family can triple the risk of subsequently developing Type-1 diabetes (T1D), a new research has found.

The causes of T1D are unknown, but both genetic and environmental factors are involved. It is usually preceded by the body's own immune system attacking and killing the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.

"This study concludes that the experience of a serious life event (reasonably indicating psychological stress) during the first 14 years of life may be a risk factor for developing Type-1 diabetes," said the study by researchers from Linkoping University in Sweden.

The study invited all families with babies born between October 1, 1997 and September 30, 1999 in southeast Sweden to participate.

Its subsample included 10,495 families participating in at least one of four data collections carried out when the children were between two and 14 years of age.

The authors found that childhood experience of a serious life event was associated with a higher risk of future diagnosis of T1D, with children experiencing such events almost three times more likely to develop T1D than those who had not even after adjustment for confounding factors such as genetic predisposition to T1D and age at entry into the study, among others.

Psychological stress should be treated as a potential risk factor, and should be examined further in future epidemiological studies, for instance in relation to genetic risk, the researchers noted.

The study was published in the journal Diabetologia.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

13.04.2015

Nothing can dim the light that shines from within

Maya Angelou