 |
|
| HEALTH TRIBUNE |
|
|
Who bothers about mental health care? Study to develop new prostate tumour drugs Foreskin helps to pass on HIV infection Brains of parents ‘tuned’ to toddlers’ cries Vitamin A can cure smoking disease Ayurveda & you
|
|
Who bothers about mental health care? There is an urgent need for an adequate number of mental health professionals in all states. There should be at least one full team of mental health professionals (psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, psychiatric social worker, psychiatric nurse) in each district. To have fully trained professionals in all of these categories will, however, take a long time. In order to achieve short-time results, alternatives have to be thought of. One such alternative is training groups of 6-10 medical officers for a short duration (about three months) and post them to work in the district hospitals. The current postgraduate training centres at Chandigarh, Patiala, Rohtak, Amritsar, etc, should take up such training programmes immediately with the support of the state governments. In about two years, all the districts could have at least one or two “psychiatrically trained doctors ”. The urgency for training clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers and psychiatric nurses is even more acute. A similar programme needs to be taken up by providing six months’ training in appropriate clinical skills so that they can join the mental health team. It is expected that these short-term trained persons, in course of time, can take up further postgraduate training to become fully trained professionals. Simultaneously the undergraduate curriculum of doctors, psychologist, social workers and nurses should be revised to prepare them to take up basic mental health care after graduation. The fuller utilisation of family members for informal care by training them in caring skills is an another measure which can result in an increase of human resources. It is necessary to carry out public mental health education campaigns on a regular and continuous basis. The public has to understand that mental disorders are like any other illness; these are treatable; the mentally ill are not dangerous; all mental illnesses are not in heritable; families are important for the recovery of mentally ill persons; mentally ill can do work and take responsibility like any other person; recovered persons can marry and lead full normal lives, punishment is not the right approach to care for the ill person, and all individuals can acquire personal skills towards better mental health. Experience shows that the provision of effective services is probably the best method of changing the opinion of the general public. The media can play an important role in this regard. The improvement of mental health of children and prevention of childhood emotional problems is a very important part of any mental health programme. This can partly be done by teaching the school children the essentials of mental health and giving training in life skills. Life skills are living skills or abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with demands and challenges of everyday life. In India, this activity has been taken up as a measure at a number of centres. Total mental health care requires a number of community-level services in addition to the routine things. The most important is the rehabilitation service. Due to the lack of such services, a number of mentally ill persons develop poor social functioning and a serious handicap in life. These persons need opportunities for rebuilding their lives in protected settings. This can be done through day-care centres where sick individuals spend the day in the company of other patients and professionals, relearning the lost social skills. There could also be the half-way homes where patients live for a few months and acquire social and vocational skills for future life. For some, who do not have families to care for or those who need constant support and supervision, there should be long-stay homes. To organise such facilities in the community, voluntary organisations can be a great help. In South and West India, there are many voluntary groups who are doing excellent work in the field of mental health. Unfortunately, the movement to run voluntary organisations for mental health is still very poor in North India. There are many other activities that voluntary organisations can do in the area of mental health care like suicide prevention, counselling for drug dependence, forming self-help groups of families, public education, advocacy to fight stigma, etc. A total mental health programme should create a space and support for voluntary organisations. Today, the challenge of mental health care is not one of discovering new knowledge, but primarily the application of the available knowledge in a humane and caring way. The state and civil society have vital roles to play in this respect. —
Dr Murthy is Professor of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences, Bangalore. Dr Wig, a former Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, PGI, Chandigarh, is currently an Emeritus Professor at the PGI.
|
|
Study to develop new prostate tumour drugs
Washington: Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers have discovered a surprisingly straightforward mechanism that causes prostate cancer cells to develop resistance to cancer-fighting drugs. The studies also point to specific ways to improve drugs to prevent the problem of drug resistance in prostate tumours. The researchers describe the molecular mechanism of resistance to anti-androgen therapy for prostate cancer in the December 21, 2003, issue of the journal Nature Medicine. HHMI investigator Charles L. Sawyers at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, led the research. Sawyers and his colleagues were trying to understand why drug therapy for prostate cancer often fails despite early success.
— ANI |
|
|
Foreskin helps to pass on HIV infection
London:
Human foreskin may have a key role in helping to pass on HIV infection, suggests research in the Journal of Clinical Pathology and The British Medical Journal. Previous research suggests that circumcision may protect against the transmission of some viral infections. Researchers examined tissue samples from nine specimens of human foreskin. In the skin of each sample, they found cells expressing the protein DC-SIGN, in addition to the necessary receptors for HIV to gain entry to those cells. This is important, because DC-SIGN makes it easier for HIV to bind its receptors on cells much more easily, and so gain entry to them more readily. The researchers speculate that the presence of DC-SIGN in human foreskin may therefore help the virus to be passed on more easily.
— ANI |
|
|
Brains of parents ‘tuned’ to toddlers’ cries
London:
A baby's wailing brings mum and dad running to comfort him. What makes them do it? A research reveals that the brains of mums and dads are tuned in to the sound of a toddler's cry. Non-parents, on the other hand, remain largely oblivious. Researchers at the University of Basel, Switzerland, played parents and childless adults recordings of babies' cries and laughter. They measured their brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging
(FMRI). Parents' brains fired up more in response to sobs than giggles, the researchers found. The cries activated one brain region in particular, called the amygdala, which is involved in processing emotions, says a report in Nature. "This makes biological sense," says Erich Seifritz, who led the study.
— ANI |
|
|
Vitamin A can cure smoking disease
London: A form of vitamin A could one day provide the basis for a cure for the smoking disease, emphysema. A study by Professor Malcolm Maden and colleagues at the Medical Research Council's Centre for Developmental Neurobiology at King's College, London, has found that retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, can cure the disease in mice by reversing the damage done to tiny air sacs in the lungs, says a report in BBC. There is currently no cure for emphysema. The disease causes progressive damage to the lungs and can eventually kill. Emphysema usually affects older people. It is generally the result of long-term damage to the lungs, such as a lifetime of smoking. It can also affect people working in certain industries such as mining.
— ANI |
|
|
Ayurveda & you by Dr R. Vatsyayan Ayurvedic scholars opine that massage has an overall salutary effect on a person. It improves the texture and tonicity of the skin, strengthens the bones and joints, promotes the vitality, strength and stamina and maintains youthfulness. If done regularly, it helps to relax the mind, invigorates digestion and activates blood circulation and the flow of life-supporting oxygen. Massage and physical exercise are very closely related to each other. For a weak person unable to perform physical exercise, massage can act as a mild substitute. Types of massage: There are various techniques mentioned for massage. First, the self-massage which a person does for himself. All able-bodied persons can massage themselves a few minutes before they take a bath. For this purpose, hot and warm oils are used in winter and in summer it is vice-versa. Though there are various medicated oils indicated in different conditions, simple oils like those of sesame and mustard and even desi ghee serve the purpose of a general massage. Self massage removes the dryness of the skin, improves blood circulation and supports the body at the tissue level. It is akin to a light exercise. The classic ayurvedic massage is administered by a trained masseur who has the knowledge of the basic human anatomy including the vital points of the body. Various techniques like the soothing rubbing movement, kneading, pressing and small circular thumb movements are applied in different conditions. To get the maximum benefits of massage therapy, it is necessary that the therapist should be well versed in this art. While applying the massage, he should also be calm and free of anger and his hands must be warm with nails clipped, clean and unpolished. With an access to natural light, the massage room should be clean, dry and devoid of any dampness. Indications and contraindications: Massage benefits the growth and development of infants and children and gives strength to aged and infirm persons. It is specially helpful in chronic fatigue, arthritic conditions, frozen joints, paralysis, spine and disc disorders, skin diseases, post-delivery conditions and in anxiety and depression. Apart from trauma and injuries, massage is applied in various other health problems like emaciation, wasting diseases, auto-immune disorders and neuro-muscular afflictions. Despite its numerous benefits, massage is contraindicated in certain conditions like in high fever, in the flare-up phase of rheumatoid arthritis and in fasting conditions. Massage should also be deferred during the first two hours after meals, during menstruation and in fulminating infectious diseases. Massage oils:
There is a common practice to use any single oil like that of sesame, coconut and mustard for self-massage. Almond and olive oils are better known for their role in the beauty massage. Ayurvedic texts are replete with references of medicated oils which are applied in different diseases. —
The writer is a Ludhiana-based ayurvedic consultant. |
The country’s resources for mental health care are far from adequate. The situation is pitiable particularly in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. This is especially true of the public sector, with about one or two psychiatrists for one million people. The position in developed countries is at least 100 psychiatrists per million population.