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| HEALTH TRIBUNE |
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Wrong
posture main cause of neck pain Ayurveda & you Now
Western model of diseases No
connection between depression and physical pain GM blood
cells to target cancer Reading
problems linked to abnormal sound processing |
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Wrong posture main
cause of neck pain NECK pain is a common problem with people having bad posture during work, rest or sleep. People having weak muscle around the neck are more prone for neck pain. It can be manifested as headache, pain in the upper back, shoulder, elbow or the whole of the arm. A neck strain is when the neck is quickly whipped forward and back. It is also called "whiplash". This injury is usually caused by contact sports or an accident. It may cause stress and stretching of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, or other neck tissue. The posture used for a long time at office or school, etc, can change the balance of muscle strength and flexibility. Muscles that have been stretched over time tend to become weaker and can put added strain on areas around the neck that can cause a problem or make a sore area worse. An awkward posture places stress on the body that can lead to neck pain. Avoid an extreme posture like gazing up at the stars or bending your head down for long periods when reading a book. A patient needs medical help if
If you feel pain that is not associated with the above signs, here are some home treatment ideas to ease your symptoms: Rest: When neck pain strikes don’t indulge in activities that make your pain worse. Supporting your neck in certain positions can take pressure off the sore or injured areas. These positions are sometimes easier to get into by using a pillow, rolled tower, or commercial neck roll. Ice: For the first two or three days you may get help by applying crushed ice in a plastic bag or frozen beans on the sore area for up to 15 minutes a few times a day. Ice packs reduce pain and swelling by acting as local anaesthesia and reducing the oozing of blood. Heat: Once the acute symptoms are controlled (two to three days), you may get good relief using a heating pad which helps in healing by increasing blood circulation. Traction: In some cases you get good relief with neck-traction. A simple way to do traction at home is to place two tennis balls in a sock. Lay down sideways with the sock just below the back of your head. The two tennis balls give a gentle traction. Posture: Improvement in the posture can help in easing the pain. For a better sitting posture, sit with a good upright alignment by using a comfortable chair designed to support a correct posture. Avoid slouching by keeping your lower back against the back of the chair. Bending the head forward strains the neck and affects the nerves and arteries leading to the arms. Your shoulders should be relaxed, and the elbows, hips and knees bent at right angles (90 degrees). Avoid pressure to the back of the knees. Your feet should be kept flat on the floor or supported by a foot-rest. Exercise Exercise is important during all stages of recovery from neck pain. In the early stages, when your neck is still quite painful, deep diaphragmatic breathing helps air to reach even the lowest lobes of your lungs. Combining deep breathing with a slow relaxing count can help muscles relax while bringing the much-needed oxygen to the sore tissues. Movement is also important when your neck is still painful. Careful movement in a pain-free area can safely cease pain by providing nutrition and lubrication to the injured and sore areas. Avoid movements that hurt or seem to irritate the soreness in your neck. Tight muscles cause imbalances in spinal movements. A slow progression of stretching exercises can increase the flexibility in these areas, ease pain and reduce the chance of injury. Once your pain is controlled, your range of motion is improved and your strength is returning, you will be progressing to a final home programme. Neck exercises Here are some neck exercises you can do at home to help relieve neck pain. These can be done during work to prevent neck sprain. 1) Neck glides: Keeping your chin parallel to the ground. Slide your head backwards and hold for three seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat 10 times. 2) Shrugs: Stand with your arms by your side. Lift your shoulders up to your ear and hold for five seconds. Then pull your shoulders back pinching your shoulder blades together. Hold for one second. Relax your shoulders and repeat 20 times. 3) Neck rotation: Start by looking straight ahead like touching your shoulder with the chin. Slowly turn your head to the left. Hold for 10 seconds, then return to starting position. Then slowly turn your head to the other side. Hold for 10 seconds. Return to the starting position. Do 10 repetitions. 4) Neck extension: Start with the neck straight. Slowly move your head backwards so that you are looking upwards. Hold for five seconds. Return to the starting position. 5) Neck forward flexion: Start by looking straight ahead. Slowly lower your chin towards your chest. Hold for five seconds, then return to the starting position. Do 10 repetitions. In my personal experience most of the neck pain cases respond very well to manipulation, but the person doing such procedure should be an expert otherwise it can lead to complications like headache, dizziness and numbness. In nutshell, a proper posture, exercise to improve the flexibility and strength of the neck muscle can reduce the incidence of neck problems. The writer is a former
doctor/physiotherapist, Indian cricket team.
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Diet plan for “vata” people Dr R. Vatsyayan The attention given to treat people as individuals and single entity is perhaps the greatest strength of ayurveda. While making the classification of persons according to their “doshic” predominance, the acharyas have broadly described seven type of “prakritis”, of which the “vata” type is the first and the most important. With an erratic or unpredictable appetite and digestive pattern, “vata” personalities are more in need of a proper dietary regime. “Vata” people require a calming, grounding and nourishing diet and their food should be warm and easily digestible, having moistening and strengthening qualities. Sweet, sour and salty tastes are more suitable to them and, with an exception to spices, they should use less of eatables having pungent, bitter and astringent tastes. Small, frequent and regular meals are best suited to them. As per their nature “vata” persons are very sensitive to the good and bad effect of all types of foods. Though like all other persons they are advised to personalise their food plan, here is a brief description of various food items having favourable or unfavourable effect on their constitution. Grains:
As most of the whole grains are nourishing, wheat is still the best suitable cereal for “vata”-dominated persons. Good quality basmati rice can also be taken according to personal suitability, but corn and barley are certainly known to aggravate “vata” and should be taken sparingly. Instead of taking polished or split lentils, “vata” people should take unpolished or ungrounded lentils. Bread with its yeasty nature usually causes gas and constipation to them. They are best advised to shun all types of fast food. Fruits and vegetables:
Most of the fruits have good effect on “vata” people, but these should be consumed in moderation, in ripe condition and also according to the season. Fruits increase the body fluids, maintain the electrolyte balance and, with an exception to apple and pomegranate, generally help to clear the bowels. All dried fruits are inappropriate for “vata” people unless they are reconstituted to normal juiciness by soaking in water. Cooked rather than raw vegetables are best suited to their digestive system. Carrots, potatoes, garlic, radish and onion (both strictly in cooked form), green beans, fresh peas and leafy vegetables are good for them. Dairy products:
Since most of the milk products are unctuous but heavy, these are at the same time nourishing and have properties opposite to that of “vata”. They can take all dairy products but only after taking due consideration to their digestive fire. If milk causes gas formation to “vata” people, it can be taken boiled with cardamom or long pepper (magh). Similarly, curd blended with water and spiced with rock salt, cumin (jeera), dry ginger and black pepper (kali mirch) is good. Cottage cheese, butter and ghee also suits them well and can be taken with meals. Oils
and animal products: In general most oils are good for “vata” people and sesame oil is the best. Almond oil is good for the brain, coconut for the hair and mustard oil for the skin. Oil massage is also very helpful to counter the drying effect of “vata”. Regarding the animal products “vata” persons can honestly claim to need meat in their diet, though it has been described as “tamasic”. They sometimes find that it restores their health when nothing else seems to work, particularly if they have been raised on it. Chicken, fish and egg should be given preference over red meat. Spices and vices:
Most spices are carminative and digestive in effect and are thus good for “vata”-dominated persons. Hing, turmeric, ginger, clove, garlic, coriander and cumin seeds help to digest even heavy food and prevent the formation of post-digestive impurities. Ayurveda has discussed the effect of alcohol and other intoxicating items on various persons. Though no such substance should ever be used habitually by anyone, “vata” people are specially advised to avoid tobacco and caffeine. Beer is not so good as wine because of its yeast contents and hard drink is too intense for the “vata” constitution. The writer is an ayurvedic consultant based at Ludhiana. E-mail: sanjivni
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Now Western model of diseases There is terror of fever in the air. These fevers range from dengue to cerebral malaria to Japanese encephalitis to meningitis to scrub typhus to simple influenza or coryza (common cold). The medical fraternity attributes these fevers to a host of viruses that zoom in the air we breathe, the bacteria that swim in the water we use and the vectors that rodents carry from our omnipresent garbage heaps and faulty sewage disposal systems to homes we live in. The stinking cities and cesspool of water are an open invitation to mosquitoes and flues. The latest infectious fever storming the northern region is “leptospirosis’’, which attacks kidneys, heart, liver and blood. In severe cases, at least 10 per cent cases develop “Weil’s’’ disease. This fever too is caused as much due to the lack of environment hygiene and poor disposal of sewerage water as polluted drinking water and contaminated food stuffs. The rodents are the carriers of this disease. In times to come it may become endemic. Dr S.L. Grover, a reputed physician, says, “Leptospirosis, primarily, is the disease of the southern states, where it is also called ‘sinister monsoon malady’. This disease was rare till mid-eighties. Now it is commonly prevalent there. It affects patients in the age group of 20 years to 50 years and invades the body through cuts or aberrations on coming in contact with contaminated soil or water.’’ The medical fraternity is equally worried about the increasing number of non-infectious diseases. And so overarching is the influence of the West in all walks of our life, from fashion to food and culture to economy, as nephrologist, Basant Pawar says, that “We now have the Western model of diseases as well’’. Physician Grover, says, “The hospitals are getting flooded with more cases, complaints and complications related to cardiovascular problems, strokes, hypertension, diabetes, gastroenteritis, cancer, etc. People even below 40 years of age are becoming diabetic and suffer from heart problems.’’ This is so because of society’s changing life-styles, experimenting with different foods and shifting from the traditional meals to fast-foods—fried and rich-in-fat— coupled with sedentary habits. All this has led to new health problems, particularly among the rich and middle classes. Add
to these the imbalance in the diet that also causes several malfunctions and medical problems. The real cause for worry, however, remains diabetes, which is also a major contributor to kidney problems. It is estimated that in the next five years India would have at least 20 lakh diabetic patients. Out of these, about 20 per cent will develop kidney complications, including renal failure. There is also growing concern over the high incidence of child mortality despite all the advances in medical science. It is estimated that of the total children born in the developing countries, one crore die before reaching their fifth birthday. And in 70 per cent cases, the death is due to diseases like “acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, measles, malaria and malnutrition” or even a combination of these. This is now being dealt under the “Integrated management of neo-natal and childhood illnesses’’. This scenario calls for adequate and affordable healthcare facilities, creating mass awareness, about correct diet and the need to maintain physical fitness. |
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No connection between depression and physical pain WASHINGTON: Depression is often linked to physical pain. But now a new study has found no association between the two. The study, presented on October 24 at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Orlando, suggests that pain and depression are separate processes. It also suggests that people with depression who suffer from chronic pain don’t process pain differently than people with chronic pain who aren’t depressed. The study published in Health Scout, included 30 people with fibromyalgia, a condition in which the patient experiences muscle pain. Researchers used calibrated pressure stimuli to inflict slightly intense pain in the left thumbs of the study volunteers. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans recorded the volunteers’ brain activity as they experienced the pain. The study found no significant association between depression and intensity of activity in areas of the brain involved in pain processing. But the researchers did identify a link between the severity of depressive symptoms and brain activity in two brain areas not believed to be involved in pain processing.
— ANI
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GM blood cells to target cancer LONDON: A team of Australian scientists has successfully used genetically modified blood cells in mice to identify and target cancer cells. According to scientists at the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, the technique could be tested in humans in just two years. Their technique involves removing millions of white blood cells from the patient and boosting them with cancer-fighting genes. These genetically-altered cells are then injected back into the patient to identify and destroy cancer tumours.
— ANI |
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Reading problems linked to abnormal sound processing WASHINGTON:
Recent research conducted by psychologists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston observes that dyslexic children respond abnormally to language stimuli. In a new study, when children without reading problems tried to distinguish between similar spoken syllables, speech areas in the left brain worked much harder than corresponding areas in the right brain, whose function is still unknown. The findings, appearing in the October issue of Neuropsychology, further observes that when dyslexic children attempted to do the same thing, those right-brain areas actually worked harder, going into overdrive after a brief delay. Experts aimed the suspect brain areas by isolating speech-processing sites from sites involved with other aspects of language like memory and meaning. Consequently, the research contributes to the identification of a central marker of the deficit that makes it hard for people with dyslexia to process similar but different sounds, in both spoken and written form.
— ANI
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