28 January, 2020

Dust in your home can make you antibiotic resistant

A study of Northwestern University (NU) found that bacteria living in household dust can spread antibiotic resistance genes, and the researchers believe these genes could potentially spread to pathogens, making infections more difficult to treat.

Bacteria can share many different types of genes as long as the genes have mobile segments of DNA. NU researchers were the first to find that antibiotic resistance genes in dust microbes have mobile capabilities, the Xinhua news agency reported. “We observed living bacteria have transferable antibiotic resistance genes,” said Erica Hartmann, an assistant professor of environmental engineering in NU’s McCormick School of Engineering.

Although it is rare for pathogens to live in indoor dust, they can hitchhike into homes and mingle with existing bacteria. “A nonpathogen can use horizontal gene transfer to give antibiotic resistance genes to a pathogen,” Hartmann explained. “Then the pathogen becomes antibiotic resistant.”

“Microbes share genes when they get stressed out,” Hartmann said. “They aren’t equipped to handle the stress, so they share genetic elements with a microbe that might be better equipped.” Hartmann recommends dusting with a damp cloth instead of using antimicrobial solutions, which can make bacteria more resistant to antibiotics.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

28.01.2020

You can’t win in life if you are losing in your mind

20 January, 2020

Doctors in India taking keen interest in preventive health through intermittent fasting

Experts said that intermittent fasting is a very old method used by people for weight loss and body cleansing. Today, people are becoming very health conscious and hence intermittent fasting has attracted 30-40% of the people, they said.

American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine along with Smart Group conducted India’s first anti-ageing International conference to the most cutting edge and futurists innovations in healthcare for preventive health.

“I am glad that doctors in India are taking a keen interest in preventive health seeking the benefits of intermittent fasting. Large numbers of people are opting for it, as it not only triggers weight loss but also helps the body to combat various chronic ailments. This technique has gained attention for its incredible effects on both weight loss and on diseases,” said Dr BK Modi, Founder-Chairman, Smart Group.

Once people start following the schedule of intermittent fasting are always recommended following it as the weight loss that occurs during the period, if left suddenly can also lead to tremendous weight gain. Also, disturb the hormonal balance and the digestive cycle, he said.

Preeti Malhotra, Chairman, Smart Bharat said: “Preventive health has had a profound effect on human longevity, awareness, mental wellbeing. Such practices are known to well regulate the lipids in the body thereby maintaining the glycemic index. Apart from being a weight loss remedy, it also helps in developing a more active lifestyle.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

20.01.2020

Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions

13 January, 2020

Reducing fat in your tongue may help improve sleep apnoea

A research study in the American Journal of Critical Care and Respiratory Health showed that tongue fat maybe one of the main reasons for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA).

Dr Richard Schwab, a sleep specialist from Penn Medicine, told CNN Health: “The question then was if you reduce the fat in your tongue, does that improve your sleep apnoea? And the answer from our paper is yes.”

Obesity poses a risk for the onset of this medical condition that may lead to snoring and breathing difficulties for its patients during the night.

CNN Health reported that in previous research by Dr Schwab it was found that the study subjects who were obese and suffered from Obstructive Sleep Apnoea had tongues with higher fat percentages as compared to obese people who didn’t suffer from this condition.

A sleep specialist from the University of Southern California, Dr Raj Dasgupta, though not associated with this study, told CNN: “This study shows reducing excess fat, in general, can reduce tongue size.”

In this study, the researchers measured the effect of a 10 per cent reduction in weight on the upper airways of 67 obese OSA patients. These tests were carried out using MRI scanning.The scans showed that sleep apnoea scores improved by 31 per cent as a result of tongue fat reduction.

Dr Schwab explained: “In fact, the more tongue fat you lost, the more your apnoea improved.”OSA can have a wide range of damaging effects on its sufferers which includes brain white matter damage, hypertension, increased chances of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and it may even contribute to depression.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

13.01.2020

Forget what hurt you in the past. But never forget what it taught you

6 January, 2020

Diabetes can independently lead to heart failure

According to health experts in India, if poorly controlled, diabetes leads to cardiomyopathy resulting in progressive deterioration of pumping capacity of heart. “Diabetes is also a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and this eventually leads to blockage of coronary arteries. This leads to heart attack or myocardial infarction,” Satish Koul, HOD and Director Internal Medicine, Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Gurugram, told IANS.

 “Due to myocardial infarction, the heart muscle becomes weak and eventually heart fails as a pump leading to congestive heart failure,” Koul added.

According to the current study, published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, researchers evaluated the long-term impact of diabetes on the development of heart failure, both with preserved ejection fraction – a measurement of the percentage of blood leaving the heart with each contraction – and reduced ejection fraction. They also looked at mortality in a community population, controlling for hypertension, coronary artery disease and diastolic function.

From an initial group of 2,042 residents of Olmsted County in US, 116 study participants with diabetes were matched 1:2 for age, hypertension, sex, coronary artery disease and diastolic dysfunction to 232 participants without diabetes.

Over the 10-year follow-up period, 21 percent of participants with diabetes developed heart failure, independent of other causes. In comparison, only 12 percent of patients without diabetes developed heart failure. Cardiac death, heart attack and stroke were not statistically different in the study between the two groups.

The study shows that diabetes is an independent risk factor for the development of heart failure in the community dwelling population.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

06.01.2020

Replace every negative thought with a positive one