1 June, 2018

Heart patients: Focus on exercise than weight loss

Patients with heart disease should focus more on increasing their physical activity level, and not just weight loss, for a long life, researchers suggest. The findings, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), showed that heart disease patients can gain weight without jeopardising their health, but sitting in their recliner incurs significant health risks.

“The fact that gaining weight posed no increased risk when patients were already overweight, I think is a bit surprising,” said Trine Moholdt from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. The results indicate that weight gain does not seem to increase the risk for already overweight patients, which would mean that it isn’t dangerous for a fat heart patient to gain a few pounds. What is dangerous is if the person does not engage in any form of exercise.

People who are physically active live longer than those who are not. Sustained physical activity over time was associated with substantially lower mortality risk. “It may be that weight is less important for heart patients, but we know that physical activity is very important,” Moholdt added. However, the findings do not mean that it is never a good idea for an overweight heart patient to slim down.

“In our view, desired or intentional weight reduction may be useful for overweight or obese individuals, although little data supports this view in studies of coronary heart disease patients,” Moholdt said. For the study, the team examined 3,307 individuals (1,038 women) with coronary heart disease.

The results showed that the risk of premature death was higher for the group of patients who were completely inactive than for either of the other groups. The prognosis for people who exercise a little bit, even if it is below the recommended level, is better than not exercising at all.

“Even being somewhat active is better than being inactive, but patients have to maintain the activity level. Physical activity is perishable–if you snooze you lose its benefits,” Moholdt noted.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

01.06.2018

Every day may not be good but there is something good in every day

30 May, 2018

What your clothes reveal about your personality

Are you an-always-black person or someone who loves all summery, bright colours? It shouldn't come as a surprise that your wardrobe says a lot about you. Your ambitions, your type of employment, your emotions and even your spending habits, what you wear says it all.

BRIGHT COLOURS: If you love wearing bright colours like yellow, orange and red, you are a trendsetter. Your personality is charming and you come across as approachable and friendly.

CLASSIC BLACK AND GREYS: If you're someone who loves wearing classic shades such as black, shades of grey and even navy blue, you are well groomed. You have a sharp personality and often come across as someone who is sophisticated, mannered and very well organized in life.

ABSTRACT PRINTS: If you love your dresses with prints such as numbers, chants, geometry, and tribal, there's one thing that's a given: you are bold. You speak your mind and don't like being told every little thing.

SLOGAN TEES: If you love dressing up in tees that give out a loud and clear message, you are probably not scared of voicing your opinion. This may particularly be true if the message is political in nature.

DRESSING IN LOOSE CLOTHES: A school of thought says that if you don't like wearing clothes that fit too tightly, you are more open minded than those who wear tight-fitting clothes. You are less conservative in your approach and often come across as one who possesses liberal thinking.

DRESSING IN TIGHT CLOTHES: If you are the one who like to wear snug fit clothes, you are likely to be conservative in your approach. You probably are narrow minded and stay within the socially defined norms.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

30.05.2018

The best relation is one, in which yesterday’s fight does not stop

28 May, 2018

More Indian women use sanitary pads and cloth in Bihar, Jharkhand: a survey

Around 74 percent girls in Bihar and 76 percent in Jharkhand used sanitary pads and cloth now, up from 50 percent and 46 percent in these two states respectively after the implementation of the “Paheli ki Saheli” programme, according to sanitary napkin brand ‘Stayfree’ manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. The initiative, launched by Johnson & Johnson and supported by Unicef for the past six years, has brought in a significant change in menstrual hygiene and better disposal practices.

As per “Stayfree”, a report by Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) 2011-12 states that only 38 percent menstruating girls in India spoke to their mothers about menstruation while a 2015 survey by the Education Ministry found that in 63 percent schools in villages, teachers never discussed menstruation and how to deal with it in a hygienic manner.

“We, at Stayfree, have been continuously working towards bringing about a behavioral change with adolescent girls. And our partnership with UNICEF continues to address this reality, through educating young girls. ‘Paheli ki Saheli’ is our effort in providing education and awareness to enable girls in India not to miss their school,” said Dimple Sidhar, Vice President, Marketing, Johnson and Johnson India.

According to the firm, the access to sanitary napkins, information and knowledge on menstrual hygiene showed an immediate impact on school attendance as 97 percent approved of attending school during menstruation.

Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, Representative, Unicef India said: “It is just not right that adolescent girls feel the need to miss school due to the pain or stain associated with menstruation. The partnership with Stayfree has created robust communication tools which have equipped girls and people in their ecosystem with necessary life skills on managing this issue.”

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

28.05.2018

It is very easy to give example, but it is very difficult to become an example

26 May, 2018

How many breaths should you take in a minute?

When there is so much that won't get done without us actually doing it, breathing naturally becomes the last of our concern - simply because it happens naturally.
Now take a break and monitor how many times you naturally breathe in a minute. Do this at rest. I did it and even when I was trying to be conscious of my breathing, I clocked 15 in a minute. It is said that to increase your life span, you must reduce your regular respiratory rate from 16 breaths/ minute to 10.

We enter this world fully capable of taking long deep breaths but as we age we forget how to breathe properly. Not realizing that our breathing rate defines our well being as well as how long we will live.

Doctors from the Boston University School of Medicine, studied 5000 patients over a period of 30 years and figured that breathing capacity of people could ‘predict both long-term and short-term mortality’. According to Dr. William Kannel, “One’s vital breathing capacity can tell if they are going to die 10, 20 or 30 years from now.”

It was found that sick people have faster respiratory pattern. These include people suffering from asthma, diabetes, heart issues and even cancer. So what exactly happens when you breathe rapidly? It makes your body deficient of carbon dioxide, which in turn reduces the delivery of oxygen to cells. It also cuts down the time you hold your breath, making the automatic halt between breaths almost absent.

Controlled breathing helps in better functioning of cardiovascular, nervous, immune and gut systems of your body. It is said that once you start taking less than 10 breaths per minute, the body starts engaging your parasympathetic nervous system. This magically helps your body soothe when it faces any injury. Not only that, slow breaths also bring alive a nerve, which is often linked to a recuperative state. The benefits of slow breathing are plenty. It helps increase heart-rate variability, which monitors the fluctuation of your heartbeat while performing an activity.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

26.05.2018

Everyone you meet has something to teach you

24 May, 2018

Drinking too much water? Know if it can be harmful

Do you drink too much water? Beware, overhydration — excess fluid accumulation — can lead to dangerously low sodium levels or in the blood or result in brain swelling, researchers say. Hyponatremia, a life-threatening condition of brain swelling, is more common in elderly patients and can cause cognitive problems and seizures.

“(Hyponatremia) occurs in common pathological conditions, including brain injury, sepsis, cardiac failure and in the use of drugs, such as MDMA (ecstasy),” said Charles Bourque from the McGill University in Canada. While it was yet uncertain how hyponatremia develops, the study found that a defect in the hydration sensing mechanism of the brain could be the culprit. The researchers said that brain’s hydration sensing neurons could not detect overhydration in the same way that they detect dehydration.

Overhydration activates Trpv4 — a calcium channel that can be found in glial cells, that act to surround hydration sensing neurons. It is cellular gatekeeper implicated in maintaining the balance of water in the body.

“Our study shows that it is in fact glial cells that first detect the overhydrated state and then transfer this information to turn off the electrical activity of the [hydration sensing] neurons,” Bourque explained. “Our specific data will be important for people studying hydromineral and fluid electrolyte homeostasis, and clinicians who treat patients faced with hyponatremia,” he noted.

The results, published in the journal Cell Reports, showed that overhydration is first identified by the Trpv4 channel which triggers the release of a type of amino acid known, taurine, which acts as a trip wire to inhibit hydration sensing neurons. “Preclinical models of hyponatremia will be used to examine if the mechanism we report is affected in this condition with the long-term objective of designing new treatments or diagnostic tools,” Bourque added.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

24.05.2018

Life is a precious gift, live each and every day with passion

22 May, 2018

Ozone exposure at birth linked to asthma

Exposure to ozone (O3) — a common air pollutant — at birth may increase the risk of developing asthma by age three, a new study suggests. The study, presented at the 2018 American Thoracic Society International Conference, showed that 31 percent of the participants developed asthma, 42 percent had allergic rhinitis and 76 percent had eczema.

“Our findings show that the hazard ratios for ozone measured at birth as a single pollutant showed statistically significant higher risks for development of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema,” said lead author Teresa To from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Canada. The study also found that 82 percent higher risk of developing asthma was associated with each 10 parts per billion (ppb), or ppb increase in exposure to ozone at birth.

For the study, 1,881 children were recruited who were followed from birth to 17 years of age, on average. According to the researchers, children are at a higher risk because their lungs and other respiratory organs are smaller, and they spend more time in outdoor physical activities that make them breathe faster and more deeply. The research team took annual average concentrations of pollutants from fixed monitoring stations.

Development of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema were determined based on any records of health services used for these conditions. The researchers adjusted for variables such as parental history of asthma and early home exposure to pollutants. Earlier, some studies have shown that ozone depletes antioxidant activity and increases indications of inflammation in the respiratory tract fluid lining and affects lung growth.

“Air pollution isn’t only one or a few countries’ problems, but rather a global public health concern,” said To, also a professor at the University of Toronto. “While there are individual actions one can consider to reduce exposure to air pollutants, it also requires action by public authorities at the national, regional and international levels,” she noted.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

22.05.2018

Setting goals is important if you want to be successful

Nick Bell

18 May, 2018

India: Untreated hypertension is the leading cause of diseases

Hypertension is ranked as the third biggest risk factor for heart disease in India.

As per World Health Organisation (WHO), it is directly responsible for 57% of all stroke deaths and 24% of all coronary heart disease deaths in the country.

As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), about 9% women and 14% men falling in the age bracket of 15-49 years, suffer from hypertension nationally.

“Hypertension can cause significant damage to women during pregnancy, regardless whether the patient is suffering from high blood pressure during the gestation period or has a history of chronic hypertension. Some of the common hypertension disorders related to pregnancy include gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and eclampsia, which may lead to disastrous consequences, including risking the lives of the mother and child,” said Dr. Ranjana Becon, Consultant – Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia Asia Hospital, Ghaziabad.

Moreover, the rising stress levels in the life of youngsters is compounded with the problems in the change in their food habits with potato wafers, noodles and other such items being consumed regularly by them which have high sodium or salt content.

“One way to combat hypertension is to reduce salt intake and lower stress levels in life. There should be free counseling centers set up by the government. There should also be special government clinics to give necessary medical help to such people. People should also go for regular health check-up” said Dr. Dharminder Nagar, MD- Paras Healthcare.

Hypertension is often called the “silent killer” and person with hypertension may not notice any symptoms. While undetected, hypertension can cause damage to the cardiovascular system and internal organs, such as the kidneys.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

18.05.2018

Positive and confident people can brighten other people’s mood

Trevor Poulin

16 May, 2018

4 reasons why sugarcane juice is the best drink for weight loss during summers!

Modern nutrition world is going back to roots, one day at a time. Gradually, food science is using ancestral foods again for modern issues. Food groups that had gained bad names and were being ditched are now being consumed again. One such re-entrant to this list is sugarcane juice.

When we talk about sugarcane juice, the highlight is poor old misunderstood sugar, of course. Since the coming in of no-sugar challenges and diet plans, sugarcane juice has also been questioned by various experts. However, celebrity nutritionists like Rujuta Diwekar advocate sugarcane juice and the numerous health benefits it brings with it.

What is more important to understand is the nutritional value of this simple non-fancy local crop. Sugarcane juice contains 111 calories per glass (250-300 mL), which includes healthy carbohydrates (27 grams), proteins (0.27 grams), and calcium, magnesium and potassium in small yet significant quantities. Sometimes, what is closer to home and cheaper in value is questioned more than pretty looking expensive detox boxes which promise quick weight loss. It is the same case with sugarcane juice.

Here are few reasons why sugarcane juice can help in weight loss:

Rich in fiber: Dietary fiber is essential for any weight loss plan. If you are on a diet and do not consume enough fiber in the form of fruits and vegetables, chances of constipation double. Sugarcane juice contains a good amount of fiber which help eliminate this issue.

Increases metabolism:  Sugarcane helps boost metabolism, increase your activity levels and hence, accelerate weight loss.

Good for digestive system: Bulk formation and excretion are extremely necessary for a healthy body. Due to the rich fiber levels, sugarcane juice enables good digestion as well.

No fat: Sugarcane juice may have high sugar level, but is zero in fat quantity.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

16.05.2018

No one can climb the ladder of success, with both hands in the pocket

14 May, 2018

Hospitalising children: To do or not to do

Recent times are seeing an increase in hospital-acquired infections among children, a new research has claimed. According to the study conducted by the Rush University Medical Center, antibiotic-resistant infections, named Acinetobacter baumannii, are one of the most common hospital-acquired infections in children across the United States and are on a rapid rise.

“Acinetobacter are bacteria known to cause serious infections and notoriously difficult to treat because of growing antibiotic resistance. The bacteria survive for long periods in the environment,” said study primary author Latania Logan. The research examined national and regional trends of antibiotic resistance in clinical specimens over a 13-year period.

Because A. baumannii is an infection caused by bacteria that take advantage of patients with compromised immune systems, children with a chronic condition are at a higher risk of infections of the lung, urinary tract, or other sites after surgery, intubation, trauma, or catheterisation. The amount of A. baumannii samples in infected children that were resistant to the antibiotics cephalosporin and carbapenem increased between 1999 and 2012 overall.

However, the authors of the study noted a slight decline after a peak in 2008. “While we are encouraged by the slight downtrend in resistance after 2008, there is still an overall increase in these infections. Further studies are needed to assess the most effective prevention strategies in children,” Logan said.

A. baumannii has numerous ways that protect it from antibiotics. The bacteria are able to protect themselves by using genetic adaptations that support survival in dry, harsh environments, and additionally have in place several mechanisms to render antibiotics ineffective. In this situation, ‘a perfect storm’ results, Logan said. As a result, highly resistant A. baumannii infections are increasingly being reported worldwide.

“It is encouraging to see the downtrend after 2008, but we need to continue to monitor,” said the study co-author Sumanth Gandra. The study appears in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. (ANI)

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

14.05.2018

A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them and strong enough to correct them

John C. Maxwell

11 May, 2018

Younger urban women are at a higher risk of arthritis, says expert

It is a known fact that Arthritis is seen more common amongst women. Recently, it has been noted that the age of Osteoarthritis is lowering rapidly.

‘The burden of Osteoarthritis in young women patients is going to be a compelling problem in the next few years. The cause for high incidence of Osteoarthritis in women is however not fully understood,’ said Dr Kaushal Malhan, Senior Knee and Hip Surgeon at Fortis Hospital, Mulund.

 There are multiple factors like genes, obesity, lifestyle, food habits, injury, and joint bio-mechanics that play an important role.

 Evidence shows that Osteoarthritis is commoner in urban areas, as against rural areas, and may be one of the reasons for an increasing trend in younger people. Changing food habits, pollution and adoption of sedentary lifestyle are thought to contribute to this rural-urban disparity.

 Incorrect and inappropriate exercise programmes, lack of stretching, impact exercises, poor quality footwear and prolonged high heels can lead to joint injuries and early Arthritis.

 The increasing incidence of Obesity has probably also in a significant manner, contributed to the increasing incidence of Osteoarthritis. Obesity rates are 54% higher among adults with Arthritis compared to those without the condition.

 Genetic factors play a huge role in early onset of Arthritis, but, continue to be an as yet non- modifiable entity.

This may well be the reason for a higher incidence of Arthritis in women, especially at a younger age. Nearly 15% of women who experience moderate to severe effects are below the age of 45.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

11.05.2018

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer

9 May, 2018

A diet of junk food, no fruits leads to delayed pregnancy

Women who do not eat fruits or have a lot of junk food take longer to get pregnant and have less chances of conceiving within a year, according to a recent study.

Having absolutely no fruits compared to a diet which comprises three or more pieces daily added on an average two weeks, to the time taken for conception, said researchers in the journal Human Reproduction.

Similarly, women who gorged on fast foods like burgers, pizzas and deep-fried chicken four or more times a week took one more month to get pregnant when compared to those never have junk food or do so rarely.

“These findings show that eating a good quality diet that includes fruits and minimizing fast food consumption improves fertility and reduces the time it takes to get pregnant,” said lead researcher Claire Robers, a professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

Roberts and a dozen colleagues from Australia, New Britain and New Zealand went through data collected from questionnaires with midwives between 2004 and 2011 in all three countries for the Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) survey.

A total of 5,600 women in the early stages of pregnancy focused on their diet in the months before conception. They were all first-time mothers, and only 340 of these women got any sort of fertility treatment before they became pregnant.

Results of the research displayed a link between avoiding fruits or being fond of fast-foods and a longer ‘time-to-pregnancy’ or higher infertility risk. On an extreme level, however, too much of fast food compared to none at all increased the risk of not becoming pregnant by 41%.

“We recommend that women who want to become pregnant should align their dietary intakes toward national dietary recommendations for pregnancy,” said lead author Jessica Grieger, a researchers at the University of Adelaide.

Source: www.hindustantimes.com/health

09.05.2018

To win without risk is to triumph without glory

Corneile

7 May, 2018

First-ever robot-assisted spinal surgery performed successfully

A team of neurosurgeons led by an Indian-origin professor from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine performed the first-ever robot-assisted spinal surgery to successfully remove a rare tumour on the patient’s neck.

The robotic approach assisted with a three-part, two-day complex procedure for a rare chordoma tumour removal from a patients’ neck, where the skull meets the spine.

Chordoma is a rare type of cancer that occurs in the bones of the skull base and spine. A chordoma tumour usually grows slowly and is often asymptomatic for years.

It is extremely rare and it affects only one in a million people each year.

“This would be a first ever use of a robot in this manner — a rare approach to an already rare and complex case,” Neil Malhotra, an assistant professor of Neurosurgery and Orthopaedic Surgery said in a statement.

“Our team needed to reconstruct the removed area of patient’s spine using bone and rods, and that was only the beginning,” Malhotra added.

He added that due to the placement of the tumour, the removal could compromise the structural integrity of the patient’s spine, causing permanent paralysis.

There was also a risk of complications such as bone and tissue breakdown, loss of sense of smell, fine motor skill issues and complete paralysis.

“If we could not remove the entire tumour, it would likely grow back, perhaps more aggressive than before,” Malhotra added.

The surgery was performed in three parts and now nine months after the surgery, the patient is back to work in commercial contracting.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

07.05.2018

The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas

A.W.Griswold

4 May, 2018

Can a photograph a day keep the doctor away?

Millions of people are involved in the #365 project — taking one photo every day for 1 year. A new study explores the potential benefits of this social media phenomenon. Can photo-a-day projects improve well-being?

According to Facebook's figures, in March 2018, they had 1.45 billion users who were active on a daily basis. That's around 1 in 5 people. Think about that for just a second — 1 in every 5 people on this green and blue sphere log in to the same website each and every day.

Incredible. So what do we do when we're there? We look at photos that people have posted. We might even post up some of our own now and again.

Some people make an effort to take and share one photo every single day. For instance, Instagram has over 1.5 million photos tagged as #356. Documenting a moment from every day of your life has become a habit and, for some, a passion. But is it a healthy pastime?

Because uploading photos to social media sites are so ubiquitous, it might be having an impact on our global well-being — but is it positive or negative?

Researchers from Lancaster University and the University of Sheffield, both in the United Kingdom, set out to answer these questions. Co-authored by Drs. Liz Brewster and Andrew Cox, their paper was recently published in the journal Health.

So what did they find? Spoiler alert: it's complicated.

The researchers focused on one photo-a-day website. Over a 2-month period, they followed eight users. They collated information about the subject matter of uploaded photos, text added to the pictures, and how the users interacted. Overall, taking a photo and firing it onto the Internet seemed to improve well-being via three main routes: self-care, community interaction, and the potential for reminiscence.

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com

04.05.2018

We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us

Satir

2 May, 2018

World Asthma Day 2018: 1 among every 10 affected by asthma globally is an Indian

One among every ten persons affected by asthma globally is an Indian, with the country having 20 million such patients and the number is on the rise, an expert said here on Monday. Stating that the medical infrastructure and awareness about asthma had significantly gone up in the country, the doctor said more awareness programmes and focus on providing less expensive medication was necessary to fight the “chronic inflammatory decease” that can become fatal if not treated properly.

“Around 20 million people in India suffer from asthma. It is roughly 10 percent of the global number of asthmatic patients. So certainly a greater sense of awareness, preventive measures and proper detection and treatment is necessary,” said Subhra Mitra, Head of the Department of Pulmonology in Calcutta National Medical College here.

“Asthma is hereditary. The genetic factors interact with environmental factors such as pollution to trigger asthma. Also viral infections and obesity acts as a trigger for asthma among the teenagers,” he said on the eve of World Asthma Day.

The doctor said while the number of asthmatic patients in India is quiet high, the attacks are not as frequent as in Australia and certain European countries where asthma has a higher rate due to certain genetic reasons.

Talking about the available ways to treat the disease, Mitra stressed on the importance of going for a therapeutic remedy once asthma is diagnosed instead of rescue medication. He said inhalation therapy was the mainstay of treatment for asthma.

“In case of inhalation, the steroid dosage is in micro-grams while oral medicines are in mili-grams. So the inhale route has lesser side effects. Inhaled medications have been shown to improve disease status and reduce the number and severity of asthma exacerbation,” he said. He also stressed on the importance of following a proper detection process like Pulmonary Function Test before starting the treatment for asthma.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

02.05.2018

Never choose a friend without complete understanding and never lose a friend because of a small misunderstanding