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| HEALTH TRIBUNE | Wednesday, October 9, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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Air-travellers:
beware of deep venous thrombosis AYURVEDA & YOU INFO CAPSULE
RESPONSE |
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Air-travellers: beware of deep venous
thrombosis THE next time you go on a long distance flight you could face a potential risk not just from a terrorist attack but from a condition which is becoming increasingly common as the number of passengers increase. This is deep venous thrombosis (DVT).
Venous blood normally flows up from our legs by veins which carry it back to the heart . Blood has to be in constant motion to prevent it from getting clotted or clumped. If one is sitting cramped for a long time as can happen in a long distance journey, clots can form at various points in the leg as blood flow gets sluggish in the absence of regular movement of the legs. There are valves every 4–6 inches up the leg veins. A small blood clot can form behind one of the valves. The clot itself causes stasis of blood, discomfort and pain in the leg and calf and swelling at the ankles. The clot may propagate and can produce a life-threatening complication — pulmonary embolism — in upto 25-30 per cent cases. In this condition a large piece of clot breaks off and travels to the lung. The blood supply to the lungs gets suddenly choked and the patient may collapse or become severely blue and have difficulty in breathing. In some cases death can occur if appropriate medical care is not immediately available or if the clot is very large.
In the plane the only therapy available is the administration of oxygen which may not be enough. The proper treatment comprises the administration of blood thinners to dissolve the clot. This can be done only in a hospital. At times emergency open heart surgery may be required to remove the clot. This is a high risk procedure. Rarely in the presence of a hole in the heart the clot may land up in other organs like the brain where it can produce a stroke. The condition is not very rare. A Melbourne law firm — Slater & Gordon — collected 2,300 cases of which 120 involved death. DVT or the so-called economy class syndrome can strike passengers even in the business and luxury class . People at the greatest risk of developing deep venous thrombosis:
Even otherwise healthy passengers are at some risk if they remain immobile during the flight. In fact this happened recently to Australian athletes who were flying long distance to a sports meet. In a study it was found that in passengers over the age of 50 taking flights of eight hours or longer, one in 10 developed early signs of DVT. This potentially fatal complication can be prevented by: 1. Making sure that you have enough space to move your legs — store all cabin luggage in the overhead compartment 2. Drink lots of water 3. Avoid alcohol and tea or coffee 4. Straighten and move your legs intermittently 5. Move around the cabin every half an hour (avoid getting in the way of the cabin crew!!). Do not get excessively worried about not disturbing your fellow passengers. 6. Support stockings may be worn on long flights 7. A tablet of aspirin before takeoff can reduce clot formation 8. In a person with a proven predisposition, an injection of anticoagulant within 12 hours of flying would be helpful. Measures 7 and 8 should be taken only after medical consultation. The first five steps are really very simple and can easily avert a potential disaster. For the overly cautious it may not be a bad idea to consider a special insurance policy which covers DVT-related death or injury — this is being offered by Club Direct, a British travel insurer. Besides giving more space per passenger, some airlines have started programmes to help people combat DVT. Thus, JAL shows an in-flight exercise video with advice on preventing DVT. Emirates gives passengers Airogym, a sort of half-inflated water pillow which the passenger squashes with one foot and then the other pushing air back and forth. Some airlines have introduced new seats and each consisting of two airbags which mould the passenger’s body to reduce seat pressure points and allow better circulation. Not all airlines, however, are so bothered about passenger safety. PIA routinely refits aircraft during the Haj season (when thousands go to Mecca) to fit in as many passengers as possible. So, on your next trip make sure that you get a medical checkup done and follow the simple steps to avoid a major disaster. The writer, a former
Senior Cardiac Consultant, Fortis Heart Institute, Mohali, is Chief
Cardiac Surgeon & Chairman, Cardio-Vascular Surgery, Metro Heart
Hospital, Noida.
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AYURVEDA
& YOU Dr R. Vatsyayan CALLED
payas, dugdha and kshira in Sanskrit, ancient texts have accounted milk as the best among all the life-giving substances. Describing it as a complete and ideal food, which contains nearly all the ingredients of a balanced diet, ayurveda deals with various types of milk which include milk of cow, buffalo, goat, sheep, camel and the human type. Many civilisations around the globe use milk of various other animals which also briefly finds mention in old texts. Dealing with the general characteristics of milk, Acharya Charaka has described it as sweet in taste and cold, heavy, unctuous and laxative in effect. Milk alleviates pitta and vata, but invariably aggravates kapha. With a vast array of action on human body, milk is nourishing, vitalising, invigorating, useful for mental faculties, aphrodisiac and augmenter of reproductive functions. From the modern point of view, milk contains various types of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, enzymes and mineral salts like phosphates and chlorides of calcium. Understanding the unique curative value of milk, ayurvedic texts eulogise it as immensely useful in general weakness, anemia, hyperacidity, obstinate constipation, fever, the burning hand/feet syndrome, afflictions of male and female genital tract and also in diseases like tuberculosis and diabetes. It has been described as the most wholesome and complete diet for infants and immensely beneficial in geriatrics and for persons debilitated from insufficient food, excessive physical toil and indulgence in sexual excesses. Giving details of the benefits of milk of various animals, ayurveda regards the milk of cow as most suitable for human health. It is easy to digest and is demulcent in nature. Milk of buffalo is heavy but is antacid, more unctuous, soporific and causes obstruction to the body channels. The goat milk has been attributed with similar properties as that of cow milk but it is additionally marked as light, astringent and appetising. As the goat lives upon bitter and pungent herbs, its milk is very beneficial for the patients of tuberculosis and chronic abdominal diseases. In ayurveda, milk is abundantly used to prepare numerous medicines besides being employed in procedures of the panchkarma therapy. The famous ashwagandha khshirpaka is an acclaimed medicine for nervous disorders and senile debility. It can be prepared at home by boiling two gm of ashwagandha powder in a cup of milk and the same amount of water. After evaporation of the water this milk can be given to the patient by adding a little sugar into it. In the similar manner shatawar powder can also be boiled into milk to be given to the lactating mothers and to the patients of sexual insufficiency. Due to many known and unknown reasons these days gastrointestinal allergy of milk is reported. Many people also complain of gas and distension after they consume milk. To meet such situations, a slice of fresh ginger or one long pepper (magh) should be boiled in two hundred ml of milk and such patients should be advised to take it in divided doses. In kapha situations where phlegm and chest congestion and sinus problems seem to get aggravated by the use of milk, boiling of any of the herbs like saunf, cardamom, dalchini or long pepper makes the milk more suitable. Caution:
Despite so many virtues, milk should not be used to substitute a regular meal. Over-dependence on it can easily outstrip its benefits with the possibility of reducing the iron level in growing children and raising the cholesterol in adults. Ayurveda clearly prohibits the use of milk which emits a putrid smell, has become discoloured and has acquired an acid taste or looks shreddy and curdled. These days one occasionally comes across reports of chemical milk being sold in the market. To allay doubts regarding the microbiological and other impurities in such milk, one should opt for it in the pasteurised form. The writer is an Ayurvedic Consultant based at Ludhiana. |
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INFO CAPSULE MELBOURNE: People who suffer the most common form of diabetes can avoid insulin injections by embarking on prescribed weightlifting exercises, according to a new study. Melbourne researchers from the International Diabetes Institute (IDI) found strength-training programmes helped people tackle "Type 2" diabetes, which typically develops later in life. The study, conducted over 18 months from 1999 and involving 30 people with an average age of 67, found controlled weight-training led to significant improvements in their blood-glucose levels. The study, published this month in the international journal Diabetes Care, indicated that older people who did the simple weight-training programme could perhaps stop taking insulin to treat the diseases. Training could also present those at risk from developing the disease. Bernama Is eating raw sprouts safe? WASHINGTON: The popular belief that eating raw sprouts can be beneficial to health has been dismissed by health experts, who warn that eating raw or even lightly cooked sprouts can cause serious food poisoning. The Food and Drug Administration for years has warned Americans not to eat raw alfalfa, clover and other sprouts after hundreds of reports of salmonella and E. coli infections. The FDA reissued its warning because of a late-summer E. coli outbreak in California caused by alfalfa sprouts, says a report in Nandotimes. While the young, elderly and people with weak immune systems are most prone to serious infections when exposed to salmonella or E. coli, the food-poisoning germs can cause diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal cramping and fever for several days even in healthy people. ANI A gene that fights breast cancer WASHINGTON: US scientists have identified a gene, the absence or inactivity of which was found to be associated with non-hereditary breast cancer, according to a study to be published soon. More than 90 per cent of breast cancer cases are not hereditary. Researchers discovered that a particular gene was missing in 60 per cent of the breast cancer cases examined. The genes is one of the first to be identified with tumour suppressions. The absence of the gene, laballed DBC2 (for "deleted in breast cancer"), could also play a role in certain cases of lung cancer, according to the study to be published in the October 15 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. AFP Ginger for expectant mothers WASHINGTON: Expectant mothers often cope with morning sickness, nausea and other such unpleasant side-effects. A new study has now found that ginger can relieve the queasiness in many women during their pregnancy. Researcher from the University of South Florida had 26 pregnant women, aged 24 to 37, drink ginger honey tonic, a syrup that contained ginger mixed with water. A second group of women drank water containing a placebo syrup. All the women had experienced morning sickness during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Researchers then asked the women to rate their morning sickness symptoms on a 10-point scale. The study, published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, found that 77 per cent of the women drinking the ginger tonic reported a four-point or greater decrease in symptoms within nine days. ANI Adjustments in insulin doses LONDON: A new study published in this week's British Medical Journal says that adjustments in insulin doses in accordance with the food choices of diabetics not only helps improve diabetes control but also the quality of life. Developed in Germany, this new approach to insulin treatment was put to test in 169 adults with type 1 diabetes in the British cities of Sheffield, Northumbria and London, with the dose adjustment for normal eating (DAFNE)trial.
Patients either attended a five-day
training course, or continued to receive usual care for six months as
controls and then attend a course. ANI
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RESPONSE DR R. Kumar in his write-up
(The Tribune, Oct 2) has rightly cautioned that, like any surgical procedure, LASIK surgery can lead to serious complications. I was horrified to go through the list of complications that this "Five Minutes Miracle" to get rid of glasses can cause to the unsuspecting patients. Padamshri Dr Daljit Singh of Amritsar was the first to draw attention of the medical fraternity worldwide to the gross endothelial cell loss caused by LASIK, which can predispose to corneal edema and possibly blindness. His findings were ignored by foreign medical journals because of obvious reasons. The eminent professor strongly feels "that the truth about the corneal endothelium can upset the applecart of LASIK surgery and all the industry connected with it". LASIK lawsuits are on the rise in USA. Studies at Ohio State University reported vision problems in one out of every three LASIK patients. It is reported that there is so much potential for profits in the LASIK industry that the serious problems are hidden from the patients. It was alleged that financial gains was the motive for the FDA approval of LASIK. The listed complications are: Induced cataract, (Wachtlin, et al, Dept of Ophthalmology, Free University of Berlin); retinal detachment (Farah ME, Fed University of Sao Paulo, Brazil); corneal ectasia (geggel HS, Virginia Medical Centre, USA); corneal abrasions/sloughing, wrinkled flap; diffuse lamellar keratitis, central Islands, Infections, Lasik Flap dehiscence; maculopathy (J. Cat & Refrac. Surgery, 2000, 26,922); macular haemorrage (Arch Clinical & Exp. Ophthal.); branch retinal vein occlusion; nere fible layer thinning; posterior vitreous detachment (Dr Julian Stevans, UK); steroid induced glaucoma and problems in diagnosing glaucoma; permanent irregular astigmatism. The list is endless. The moral of the story is that if you are not very adventurous, you should be very careful in choosing this potentially dangerous tool for just getting rid of your glasses. Dr Amrit Sethi, Bathinda |
