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| HEALTH TRIBUNE | Wednesday, July 17, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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Healthy
liver a must for active life Excessive
menstrual bleeding: a novel non-invasive approach Crime and
nourishment AYURVEDA & YOU INFO CAPSULE
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Healthy liver a must for active life THE liver is the biggest gland in the human body, roughly 1.2 kg in weight, situated in the right upper abdomen. It consists of cells called hepatocytes which although look similar but are of many varieties and perform numerous functions. The liver produces bile which helps in the absorption of fat and fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, K. It is a chemical factory of the body; it synthetises various enzymes, proteins and clotting factors and metabolises most of the nutrients. It can store glycogen, certain vitamins, especially Vitamins A and D, and some minerals. It can
synthesise antibodies which protect the body. Even it can form red blood cells when the need arises. The most important function of the liver is the detoxification of harmful substances, drugs and chemicals into inactive, harmless substances which can be excreted from the body. People have misconceptions about liver disease. If children suffer from repeated diarrhoea or low weight, or if adults don’t feel energetic, suffering from indigestion and lack of appetite, they think that their liver is not functioning properly. All these problems may be due to other diseases. The liver has an immense capacity to withstand various adverse circumstances. And even when about 80 per cent of the liver is destroyed, it can regenerate itself if the proper environment is provided. To keep the best of health, we must keep our liver healthy. Some of the common diseases which can affect the liver are viral hepatitis (A, B, C, D, E),
amoebiasis, cirrhosis, cancer, etc. Hepatitis is the most common disease causing the swelling of liver cells because of infection. Hepatitis A & E spread through the consumption of contaminated food, milk, drinks, juices and water. The hepatitis B, C, D viruses spread through infected blood transfusion, sexual intercourse from infected individuals, the use of infected syringes, needles, or other instruments or from mother to the baby in the womb. Hepatitis A is usually a self-limiting disease causing jaundice and other problems. Rarely it may cause liver failure. Hepatitis is usually a long-term disease causing cirrhosis of the liver or cancer after many years. Cirrhosis is a complex disease of the liver which can occur mostly because of long-term alcohol consumption, or after hepatitis B infection, or due to adverse effects of drugs, chemicals, and pollutants. Because of scarring of liver cells, metabolism of various substances is disturbed and the pressure in liver vessels increases leading to the engorgement of vessels in oesophagus, which may burst causing blood vomiting or black stool. Cirrhosis can trigger a series of other serious problems like the accumulation of fluid in the abdomen swelling of the brain and kidney failure. Ultimately, liver failure occurs and patients become unconscious and death is the only outcome. Some drugs, chemicals and pollutants can also damage the liver. Alcohol and certain food fungi can cause cirrhosis and/or cancer of the liver. Malnutrition can also disturb liver functioning. Everybody must try to keep one’s liver healthy to remain healthy and active. How to keep your liver healthy:
The writer teaches at Medical College, Kangra |
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Excessive
menstrual bleeding: SAINTS and historians at various points of human evolution have described woman as the Nature’s most beautiful gift to mankind. The peculiarity in her physique, the hormonal setup and the microbiological makeup are accordingly different from man. A woman has a regular menstrual cycle, once a month, which is moderate in amount. In some cases, menstrual bleeding goes excessive, which is not normal. This takes the shape of a disease which is termed as menorrhagia. The disease is very common and almost one out of every five women have heavy bleeding leading to menorrhagia. The disease generally occurs in the age group of 35-45 years. The causes of menorrhagia: 1. Hormonal imbalance. 2. Benign (non-cancerous) uterine growth like fibroids or polyps. 3. Infection or chronic illness. 4. Endometrial hyperplasia. The basic symptoms of the disease: 1. Unmanageable bleeding. 2. Flooding of pads. 3. Clotting. 4. Excessive tiredness and anaemia. 5. Undue worry and tension. This leads to a constant need to change pads or tampons which get soaked in blood very quickly. Diagnosis of the disease can be made by: 1. Hormone testing. 2. Ultrasound and colour doppler scanning. 3. TVs, etc.
Treatment of
menorrhagia The conventional method of treatment earlier was a major surgery (hysterectomy) which involved complete removal of uterus and sometimes the ovaries also. The latest advanced procedure for the treatment of menorrhagia is UBT-Uterine Balloon Therapy. This is completely an out-patient procedure and the patient need not have any hospital admission. The UBT procedure is very different from hysterectomy which causes various side-effects, including premature menopause, ischemic heart disease, osteoporosis of bones, etc. The whole procedure takes just 8-10 minutes and is effective for life. The success rate is nearly 100 per cent. The UBT procedure involves thermal destruction of the inner uterine lining which is usually thickened in menorrhagia. The patient can go home within a period of one hour after getting the treatment and no hospital stay is required. The woman can return to her normal work or activity and the family commitments even on the next day and she will feel refreshed. She can even resume sexual activities after 7-10 days.
The
advantages of UBT 1. UBT is the simplest of all treatment procedures. No complications of major surgery are thus encountered. 2. No hospital stay is required as in the case of other treatments. 3. No need for general anaesthesia during UBT. Hence no anaesthesia complications are present. 4. The recovery is very fast since no surgical procedures are involved. 5. Bleeding is very minimal. No blood transfusion is required. 6. Treatment is economical and patient-friendly. 7. No side-effects are seen which are present with uterus and ovary removal. It is, therefore, suggested that women having such symptoms should contact established gynaecologists instead of going to quacks working in the field. There is no need to worry since heavy periods cannot control your life but you can easily control
them. The writer, a gynaecologist, is associated with an infertility and women care centre at Ludhiana.
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Crime and nourishment London It is a plain and simple fact that our mood and behaviour are, to a degree, dependent on the nutrients the brain gets from the diet. No wonder then that more and more research is stacking up to suggest that altering this organ’s fuel supply can take the edge off a tendency towards delinquency. Scientists have been exploring this idea for about 20 years now. Early research discovered that individuals eating an unhealthy diet were more likely to commit serious offences compared to those consuming relatively healthy fare. More than this, there is evidence that sprucing up the diet can help to quell a violent or aggressive streak. In one study, adding more fruit and vegetables to the diet of inmates at a juvenile detention centre, while at the same time cutting back on their intake of sugar and soft drinks, led to halving the number of disciplinary incidents. But while healthy eating appears to offer significant benefits in terms of mood and behaviour control, this can be easier said than done. Getting a delinquent adolescent (or fully grown adult) to eschew chocolate bars and Coca-Cola in preference to fresh fruit and camomile tea is no mean feat. However, as the recent British research has shown, simply dosing up individuals with nutrients in supplement form can bring about considerable benefits.
Observer News Service |
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AYURVEDA
& YOU R. Vatsyayan KNOWN as ela in Sanskrit and elettaria cardamomum scientifically, cardamom in common parlance is called
chhoti elaichi. Though indigenous to the southern shores of India, cardamom is one of the ancient medicines of the world and it is believed that old civilisations of Egypt and Greece also knew its curative value. Cardamom is at the same time pungent and sweet in taste and light, dry and cold in effect. It is a pacifier of all the three
doshas — vata pitta and kapha. Cardamom owes its aroma and fragrance to certain fixed and volatile oils present in its seeds whereas the chemical composition of the whole of cardamom capsules consists of crude fiber, protein, calcium, traces of iron and acetic acids. Cardamom is known to allay burning sensation and is a mouth purifier and deodrant. It is also a carminative, digestive, diuretic, anti-emetic, anti-spasmodic, aphrodisiac and expectorant agent. Cardamom is also known to possess mild analgesic, anti-inflammatory and
cardio-tonic properties. In both Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine it is used in number of diseases. Famous for its expectorant action, cardamom is a drug of choice in various types of cough, conditions involving respiratory allergies, phlegmatic conditions and sore throat. It is also given to control various digestive problems like excessive thirst, nausea, vomiting, indigestion and flatulence. Besides being used to cure general weakness, cardamom is helpful in buring micturation and inflammation of the urinary tract. Here are some tips to gain its medicinal benefits in one’s day-to-day life. Digestive upsets:
Boil one gm of cardamom powder in a glass of water. When cooled, add a teaspoonful of sugar into it. This decoction if taken slowly is very beneficial in the loss of appetite, indigestion, vomiting and distention of abdomen. Cough:
In productive cough half gm powder of each of cardamom and dry ginger can be taken mixed into a little of honey two or three times a day. It facilitates good expectoration and relieves the tracheal and bronchial congestion. To allay bouts of dry cough, its roasted dry skin is powdered and given after mixing it with sugar and
desi ghee. To manage hoarseness of voice, chewing a piece of cardamom with a little
mishri is a common practice. Bad breath and stomatitis: Cardamom is a known remedy to cure bad breath (halitosis). Simply putting a piece of cardamom in the mouth works as mouth freshener. Gargles with a decoction of a pinch of roasted
phitkari (alum) and crushed cardamom helps cure mouth ulcers and inflammation. As a general tonic:
In emaciated conditions, especially in growing children, it is a trusted home remedy to give empty stomach one gm of cardamom, a couple of peeled almonds, a little sugar and 10 gm of butter, all mixed together. Using it for a couple of weeks during convalescence and also administering to underweight couple of weeks during convalescence and also administering to underweight children improves both their metabolism and general well-being. Cardamom is used in a number of classic Ayurvedic medicines like
eladi vati and sitopladi churna. Barhi elaichi (amomum subalatum), in its action and properties, is in many ways different from that of cardamom. The writer is a Ludhiana-based Ayurvedic consultant.
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INFO CAPSULE Washington The researchers led by the study’s principal investigator, Linda S. Williams, M.D., assistant professor of neurology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, analysed the electronic medical records of 656 stroke patients hospitalised over a period of five years. According to a report published in the current issue of the journal Neurology, over 40 per cent of these stroke patients had high blood sugar levels. Although most had previous diagnosis of diabetes, they did not have their blood sugar levels under control.
ANI Can induced heart attacks cure a rare disease? London When the heart beats, the muscle wall contracts and bulges into the pathway of blood trying to leave the heart, causing an obstruction. Dr Rod Stables, a cardiologist at the Broadgreen Cardiothoracic Centre in Liverpool, will insert a temporary pacemaker into the right side of the patients’ hearts and place a tube into a blood vessel leading to the affected area. He will then inject pure alcohol into the bloodstream. This will cause a heart attack which will damage that particular section of the heart and kill off the excess muscle, reports BBC.
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