9 June, 2017

This 47-year-old man with terminal cancer climbed Mount Everest

This man truly deserves a salute!

47-year-old British man with terminal cancer is believed to have become the first cancer patient to climb Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain.  Ian Toothill, the Sheffield Wednesday Football Club fan, who has been told he has just months to live, planted a flag of rivals Sheffield United at the summit for charity.

The personal trainer, who reached the summit on Monday, has raised almost 31,500 pounds for the cancer charity Macmillan, beating the target of 29,100 pounds.

"Nothing to see here, just some cancer dude (Sheffield Wednesday) fan on the summit of Everest with a @SUFC_tweets flag," Toothill tweeted.

Toothill, originally from Sheffield, lives in Willesden Green in London and has climbed in the Himalayas.  He believes that he is the first cancer patient to scale the world's highest mountain, 'BBC News' reported.

Toothill was diagnosed with bowel cancer in June 2015 and told in early 2016 that he had beaten the disease, but later found out it had returned. Toothill said he has been told that he has "just several months left to live". 

He reached the top of the North Col route on May 16 and the summit of Everest on June 5.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

08.06.2017

Have patience, all things are difficult before they become easy

8 June, 2017

Beware of plastic rice! How to identify plastic rice? Read to find out

If you are one of those plastic-phobic people who insist on BPA-free products, you should read this! After plastic cabbage and plastic eggs, the newest controversy that is giving all of us sleepless nights is plastic rice. If rumours are to be believed, some grocery stores in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have been selling rice supposedly made of plastic. Understandably, this has caused a lot of panic among people who are taking a good second look at the rice they bought from trusted provision store.

Health risks of eating plastic rice

The news about children crafting a cricket ball out of the semi-boiled plastic rice is sure to invite a few chuckles, but mind you, eating plastic is no laughing matter. Plastic consumption is also linked to the incidences of various problems such as cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity and reproductive effects etc.

Nutritionist Upasana Shukla says, ” One of the biggest risks of ingesting plastic is the hormonal imbalance it creates giving rise to a host of diseases. It also stops the body from absorbing nutrients present in the food thus giving rise to deficiencies.”

How to identify plastic rice

Cook it: Upasana says, ” You cannot identify plastic rice when it’s raw. When you cook it, a thick layer will form on the top and sides of the vessel. Also, the rice might remain hard in some places.”

Look for unpleasant smell: You could also keep some amount of the damp rice in a vessel outside for a few days. If it is organic, mould could grow on it, or the mixture may turn rancid. If it stays fresh, the rice is fake!

Check whether the grains float: Try putting a handful of grains into water. If it floats to the top, the rice is made of plastic.

Heat it: You can also try heating the grains. If it is fake it may give out  the indistinguishable smell of burning plastic.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

08.06.2017

If it creates from the heart nearly everything works, if from the head almost nothing

Marc Chagall

7 June, 2017

snmcGardening can encourage your child to eat healthy

With childhood and adolescent obesity touching alarming levels across the globe, experts are warning about the healthcomplications that accompany this ailment. Obesity leads to a number of other problems, including diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, among others. While maintaining an active lifestyle and eating a healthy, balanced diet is important, a new study has revealed that growing plants reduces childhood obesity.

The logic behind this, say experts, is that spending time outdoors will not only teach your child how to garden but also have a positive impact on their mental health, which, in turn, will promote healthy eating. The study said that overweight children, who take up gardening, are more likely to lose weight in just one year.

Senior bariatric and metabolic surgeon, Dr Ramen Goel, explains, "This is a very interesting study. It links cognitive functions with the health of an individual. The numbers are really small but this is an exciting concept nonetheless. This can be easily replicated and verified in the Indian scenario. Considering the galloping obesity epidemic we are currently facing, any non-interventional preventive approach is welcome."

Another study has revealed that kids who regularly eat veggies score better in writing and spelling tests. This is because vegetables are packed with antioxidants that maintain DNA — excellent for the brain.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

07.06.2017

We will either find a way, or make one

Hannibal

6 June, 2017

Heart disease: Sleeping more during weekends increases your risk

New York: A new study suggests that people who sleep more on weekends than on week days are more likely to experience 'social jet lag,' which is associated with the increased risk of heart disease.

Social jet lag also leads to poorer health, worse mood, as well as increased sleepiness and fatigue. The findings showed that each hour of social jet lag is associated with an 11 per cent increase in the likelihood of heart disease.

Social jet lag- which occurs when one goes to bed and wakes up much later on weekends than during the week - is the feeling of being very tired when you return to work after a holiday , especially because of changes to your sleeping pattern

"These results indicate that sleep regularity, beyond sleep duration alone, plays a significant role in our health," said lead author Sierra B Forbush, research assistant from the University of Arizona in the US.

"This suggests that a regular sleep schedule may be an effective, relatively simple, and inexpensive preventative treatment for heart disease as well as many other health problems," Forbush added. For the study, the team analysed survey responses from 984 adults between the age of 22 and 60 years. Social jet lag was assessed using the sleep timing questionnaire and was calculated by subtracting weekday from weekend sleep midpoint.

Overall health was self-reported using a standardised scale, and survey questions also assessed sleep duration, insomnia, cardiovascular disease, fatigue, and sleepiness. Social jet lag has also been linked to an increased risk of being overweight or obese.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommendations, adults should sleep seven or more hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health. The findings have been published recently in the journal Sleep.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

06.06.2017

The determination to win is the better part of winning

Daisaku Ikeda

5 June, 2017

New app to improve lives of people with dementia

In a first, an app is being developed by researchers to help improve the environment at workplaces, public buildings and homes for people living with dementia. 

The app being developed by the researchers at the University of Stirling in Britain will digitally assess how suitable a residence, care facility or other environment is for older people and those living with dementia and recommend changes that can be made to the building. Lighting, colour contrast and noise of a house can impact an older adult’s quality of life as well as their ability to live more independently. 

The app will take just 20 minutes to assess the suitability of a two-bedroom home for an older person, the researchers said. “This is a unique opportunity to revolutionise how we improve day-to-day life for older people and people living with dementia around the world. We are creating a simple way for anyone to assess how dementia-friendly their environment is, and find out how to improve their surroundings,” said Lesley Palmer, Chief Architect at Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) in Britain. 

People living with dementia, family members, healthcare professionals, construction experts or designers using the app, will be asked questions about their surroundings, and asked to take photographs. The dementia database, called IRIDIS, will suggest improvements ranging from changing a light bulb, to more complex improvements such as reconfiguring bathrooms. 

“Typically, people living with dementia have greater demands on the health care services and providing guidance on how to adapt living conditions allows people to stay independent for longer and future proofs housing for autonomous living,” Palmer said. “With around 50 million people estimated to be living with dementia worldwide, there is an immediate need to invest in our ageing population and provide improved services and facilities,” she added. The data within the IRIDIS app will also make recommendations on property design and refurbishment for construction professionals, the researchers noted.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

05.06.2017

It is the size of one's will which determines success

3 June, 2017

45-year-old Keralite becomes the first person in India to live with two beating hearts, one of it being a woman's

New Delhi: Amazing, isn't it? A 45-year-old man from Kerala has become the first person in the country to live with two beating hearts after he suffered a heart failure.

He now has two beating hearts, one of it being a woman's heart.

As per a report published in Times of India, the man underwent a rare heart transplant; instead of having his old heart replaced with a new one, doctors just connected the new heart to the old one so they can share the load.

Surgeons at the hospital said that they knew that thne man had no choice butr to undergo a heart replacement as his heart was functioning at only 10%.

The report further mentions that the three-and-half hour surgery had the surgeons first opening the patient's chest cavity and creating a small space for the heart in his right side, because the normal heart always lies on the left side.

The entire surgery was done without stopping the native heart. 

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

03.06.2017

All we need is passion. If we have a passion for something, we will create the talent

Yanni

2 June, 2017

How tobacco causes genetic changes

It's a known fact that tobacco causes cancer. But there are few researches across the globe to explain this link a gap that has been exploited by the industry lobby to argue against a ban on tobacco-related products.

But in a big breakthrough, Indian scientists have established the genetic changes caused by tobacco consumption that lead to cancer. It is based on a gene study of 383 patients suffering from cancer of the head and neck and undergoing treatment at AIIMS and 383 healthy people.

Doctors found 93% of the patients were tobacco users, and polymorphism of HLA-G - an immunomodulatory molecule with the ability to inhibit immune cell function -was much higher in them compared to healthy individuals. The team of researchers from AIIMS included Dr Vertica Agnihotri, Dr Sharmishta Dey and Dr Lalit Kumar, among others.

The study stated that cancer of the head and neck was common among Indian men and it was caused mostly due to tobacco consumption. Dr Agnihotri said tobacco smoke contained more than 50 potent carcinogens, including tobacco-specific nicotine.

"These chemicals can affect DNA damage processes by providing a strong free radical generating environment, which could lead to genetic alterations of DNA," she added.

On World No Tobacco Day on Wednesday, Union health minister J P Nadda and director general of health services Jagdish Prasad flagged off a ceremony for mass awareness about ill-effects of tobacco consumption.

The World Health Organisation, on its part, is calling on countries to prioritise and accelerate tobacco control efforts as part of their responses to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

02.06.2017

Keep your fears to yourself; share your courage with others

Robert Louis