2 January, 2017

Iron deficiency anaemia may elevate risk of hearing loss

New Delhi: A new study conducted by scientists says that iron deficiency anemia may increase the risk of hearing loss.

This finding will in turn open new possibilities for early identification and appropriate treatment of the condition.

For the study, researchers from Pennsylvania State University in the US determined iron deficiency anaemia by low hemoglobin and ferritin levels for age and sex in 305,339 adults ages 21 to 90 years; associations between hearing loss and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) were then evaluated.

Of the patients in the study population, 43 per cent were men; average age was 50 years.

Combined hearing loss is defined as any combination of conductive hearing loss (which is due to problems with the bones of the middle ear), sensorineural hearing loss (when there is damage to the cochlea or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain), deafness and unspecified hearing loss.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

02.01.2017

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself

George Bernard Shaw

31 December, 2016

Shoulder pain may indicate heart disease risk

If you are having shoulder problems, they may be due to some heart disease risk factors - not just physical strain, warns a new study.

"If someone has rotator cuff problems, it could be a sign that there is something else going on. They may need to manage risk factors for heart disease," said the study's lead author Kurt Hegmann, Professor at University of Utah School of Medicine in the US.

For the study, the researchers examined data from 1,226 skilled labourers.

The more heart disease risk factors that each of the study participants had racked up -- including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes -- the more likely they were to have had shoulder trouble.

The participants with the most severe collection of risk factors were 4.6 times more likely than those with none of the risk factors to have had shoulder joint pain.

They were also nearly six times more likely to have had a second shoulder condition, rotator cuff tendinopathy. Participants with mid-level heart risk were less likely to have had either shoulder condition, showed the findings published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

"What we think we are seeing is that high force can accelerate rotator cuff issues but is not the primary driver," Hegmann said. "Cardiovascular disease risk factors could be more important than job factors for incurring these types of problems," he added.

It is possible that controlling blood pressure and other heart risk factors could alleviate shoulder discomfort, too, Hegmann noted.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

31.12.2016

Good people are good because they've come to wisdom through failure

William Saroyan

29 December, 2016

Homeless people sleep less and are more likely to have insomnia

Homeless individuals — living on the street, in short-term shelters, small social services-paid hotels and other facilities for homeless people with children — tend to sleep less and are more likely to have insomnia and daytime fatigue, a study said. Sleep is part of good health, but the homeless often have no access to safe and warm beds at night, said Damien Leger from the Paris Descartes University. For the study, the team analysed responses from 3,453 people in French cities. Most of the participants were men and had an average age of almost 40. The findings showed that the homeless had less than four hours of total sleep and 41 per cent showed insomnia. Homeless women were also twice as likely as men to report that they slept less than four hours.

In addition, 33 per cent of the homeless reported daytime fatigue and 25 per cent also reported regularly taking a drug to help them sleep. The study suggested more attention needs to be paid to improving sleep for this vulnerable population. ‘We believe that improving sleep deserves more attention in this vulnerable group. More careful control of noise, lighting, heating and air conditioning at night and addressing issues of personal security should promote better sleep,’ the researchers stated, in the paper published online by JAMA Internal Medicine. 

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

29.12.2016

If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything

 Gordon A. Eadie

28 December, 2016

Delayed procedure of cutting the umbilical cord after delivery gives your baby numerous health benefits, say physicians

New Delhi: If you're pregnant and/or about to deliver soon, then make sure you get your umbilical cord clamped and cut after some time.

Most hospitals cut the umbilical cord right after delivery, but now, a group of physicians have suggested that delaying the procedure bears a huge amount of health benefits for the baby.

According to VOA News, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in an opinion from its Committee on Obstetric Practice that was published on the ACOG website, said that instead of quickly clamping off the cord that connects the newborn to its placental sac, doctors should wait an additional 30 to 60 seconds. Those extra seconds for babies born at term are associated with an increase in hemoglobin levels in newborns, the statement said.

In 2015, a similar recommendation was issued, suggesting that the umbilical cord should not be cut earlier than 30 to 60 seconds after birth, when it comes to term and preterm infants. However, the World Health Organization recommends delaying the procedure by an entire minute in the same conditions.

The main reason for the recommended delay is because the transfer of blood from the placenta takes place approximately a minute after birth and is extended for a total of three minutes thereafter. Moreover, the first breaths that the newborn takes have been correlated with this process. Furthermore, the blood contains essential quantities of iron, which help provide the newborns with the requisite amount of iron for the first year of their life. This in turn helps build the baby's cognitive, motor and behavioral strength.

The longer the placental transfusion, the greater the benefits. The connection also facilitates immunoglobulins, as well as stem cells, which are indispensable for tissue and organ repairs.

VOA News further reported that waiting several seconds more to clamp off the umbilical cord also has benefits for premature babies, ACOG said. The practice improves circulation in the newborn just after birth and decreases the need for blood transfusion due to a decrease in red blood cell volume. In addition, delaying clamping lowers the risk of brain hemorrhage and intestinal disease.

However, the opinion issued by ACOG on delayed clamping noted that there is a slight risk of jaundice in the newborn. But the problem is manageable and doctors and other health care professionals should have proper procedures in place to handle it.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

28.12.2016

Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder

Jalal ad-Din Rumi

27 December, 2016

Child malnutrition, India's future in risk

The joint child malnutrition estimates for the 1990-2015 period provided by the Unicef, the WHO and the World Bank Group’s 2016 report underscore the magnitude of the global malnutrition crisis. Despite concerted efforts to address malnutrition, around 156 million children under the age of five are stunted, 42 million are overweight and wasting is threatening the lives of 50 million worldwide. Some children suffer from more than one nutrition-related problem; thus, a child who is wasting could also be stunted and while stunting and wasting are caused by consuming under-nutritious food, children become overweight and obese when they live on junk food or expend too few calories for the amount of food they consume. Asia bears the bulk of the global burden of malnutrition with around 56% of the stunted, 48% of the overweight and 68% of the world’s wasted children under the age of 5 belonging to this continent. The situation in Southern Asia is a reason for serious concern. Stunting rates among children exceed 30% in the region. The report says that the wasting rate here “is approaching a critical public health emergency.”

There is little understanding about the true nature of malnutrition. It is not as simple as it seems. For one, malnutrition is not just about lack of food (macronutrients) but about the quality (micronutrients) as well as the capacity to absorb and utilise nutrients. These are affected by the quality of water and sanitation. Many believe that stunting is merely a problem of shortness. It is thought that a stunted child is just shorter than the other children of his age group. But, it is more complex. Stunting not only impacts the height and physical development of a child but also his mental abilities and the capacity to learn. Thus, a stunted child performs poorly at school, suffers from self-esteem issues, etc. As an adult, his interactive skills are adversely affected as is his capacity to earn a living and lead a normal life. Likewise, an obese child’s self-confidence and physical activity are low and he is prone to develop diabetes and hypertension early in life. Worryingly, the damage done by stunting, for instance, is often irreversible. Early intervention is necessary to be effective.

India has put in place an array of programmes like the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the midday meal scheme to improve child nutri­tion. There are initiatives for pregnant and lactating mot­hers, too. While these are laudable efforts, they are insufficient. More funds are clearly needed; current budget allocations remain way below par. It is impor­tant that our decision makers realise that child nutri­tion is a priority issue. Investment in child nutrition, after all, is an investment in India’s future.

Source: www.deccanherald.com

27.12.2016

Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable

Peter F. Drucker

26 December, 2016

Female doctors better at treating elderly, finds Harvard study

Female doctors are better than male doctors in treating elderly patients in hospitals, according to a new study led by researchers from Harvard University. They found that chances of patients dying or getting readmitted in the next 30 days went down if the doctors were women. It is the first time that a study has documented how male and female physicians' treatment leads to different outcomes for patients in the U.S.

The researchers estimated that if male physicians could achieve the same outcomes as their female colleagues, there would be 32,000 fewer deaths each year among Medicare patients alone—a number comparable to the annual number of motor vehicle accident deaths in the US. The study, which included Indian origin senior author Ashish Jha, was published online in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The researchers found that the patients, if treated by a female physician, had a 4% lower relative risk of dying prematurely and a 5% lower relative risk of being readmitted to a hospital within 30 days. The association was seen across a wide variety of clinical conditions and variations in severity of illness.

"The difference in mortality rates surprised us," said lead author Yusuke Tsugawa, research associate in the Department of Health Policy and Management. "The gender of the physician appears to be particularly significant for the sickest patients. These findings indicate that potential differences in practice patterns between male and female physicians may have important clinical implications."

The researchers analyzed data from more than 1 million Medicare beneficiaries, age 65 years or older hospitalized with a medical condition and treated by general internists between 2011 and 2014. They adjusted for differences in patient and physician characteristics, and considered whether differences in patient outcomes varied by specific condition or by severity of illness.

Female physicians now account for approximately one third of the U.S. physician workforce and comprise half of all U.S. medical school graduates. There are important gender differences in how women physicians are treated—they are less likely to be promoted and are generally paid less, said senior author Ashish Jha, K.T. Li Professor of Health Policy and director of the Harvard Global Health Institute.

"There was ample evidence that male and female physicians practice medicine differently. Our findings suggest that those differences matter and are important to patient health. We need to understand why female physicians have lower mortality so that all patients can have the best possible outcomes, irrespective of the gender of their physician," said Jha.

Source: www.timesofindia.com           24.12.2016

Don't be pushed by your problems,

be led by your dreams

Ralph Waldo Emerson

24 December, 2016

Lay counselling needs govt attention

Two studies published recently in the medical journal, The Lancet, confirm that lay counselling in primary healthcare can help tackle symptoms of severe depression and reduce harmful drinking. This should convince the government to roll out at the earliest lay counselling services in primary healthcare facilities across the country. Depression and alcoholism are the two most common mental health problems in India. According to the National Mental Health Survey, one in 20 adults suffers from depression and one in 10 adult men indulges in harmful drinking. Around 65 million adults are affected by the two disorders. Daily life is a living hell for those suffering from depression and alcoholism. These disorders have an immense social impact and the economic burden they impose on the individual, his family and society is enormous. Yet, most people suffering from depression and harmful drinking do not receive treatment. The treatment gap for both disorders is a shocking 85%. Social stigma attached to the two disorders is partly to blame.

However, an important reason is that medical expertise and infrastructure for treatment of mental health problems is extremely limited in India. For instance, there are only 0.3 psychiatrists per 100,000 people in India. Most of them are located in the major cities. India has 443 government-run mental hospitals which are concentrated in the western and southern states. Six states, mainly in the northern and eastern regions with a combined population of 56 million people, are without a single mental hospital. The majority of mental health patients have to travel long distances to avail treatment in district or state capitals. This lack of easy access to facilities deters patients from seeking help. While it is important to increase the number of psychiatrists, nurses and professional counsellors in primary healthcare facilities, this is a big challenge in terms of costs. Not to mention, ramping up these numbers over a short period is difficult.

It is in this context that the findings of the studies on lay counselling provide hope. They provide evidence that lay counselling works. It has resulted in remission in depression, decrease in suicidal thoughts and domestic violence among those who received the counselling. Additionally, it is a cost-effective intervention. The training is provided to the community workers over a period of a few weeks, which means it would be possible to staff primary healthcare facilities with trained counsellors in a short time. The government and NGOs working in the field of community and mental health should collaborate to train community workers. Once the system is in place, monitoring the work and updating the skills of lay counsellors is necessary.

Source: www.deccanherald.com      

24.12.2016

Lose as if you like it; win as if you were used to it

Tommy Hitchcock