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| HEALTH TRIBUNE |
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The heavy cost of alcohol consumption
Fatty fish intake may lower mental decline
Tests to detect cancer early
Neem extract useful in diabetes
Artificial glass liver may help fight disease
Ayurveda & you |
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The heavy cost of alcohol consumption History of alcohol use by human populations perhaps is as old as the human history itself. Alcohol has been described both as tonic and toxin in several ancient texts. However, when the harmful effects of alcohol are mentioned one generally talks of its bad effects on liver, stomach or brain. The cognitive functions and social behaviour which get affected by the excess use of alcohol are mostly underrated and not taken into account when one considers the overall costs of alcohol. The governments are interested in increasing their revenue returns by liberalising the alcohol sales through opening more and more sale outlets and giving licence for alcohol to be served in restaurants and small hotels. We see many “Wine & Beer” shops selling hard liquor on the roadsides, on national highways and specially at the inter-state borders with a heavy rush of customers all the time. There are hoards of cars lined up in the evenings where people have their liberal quota of alcohol before reaching home late in an intoxicated state, resulting in family disharmony, inter-spouse quarrels and a scaring and fearful effect on the children. Absenteeism from work, and frequent medical visits due to heavy alcohol intake adversely affect the family income and increase the debts. Alcohol is responsible in a large number of traffic accidents, more often killing the innocent persons sleeping on the pavements or travelling alongside. Recently many such car accidents have been reported in the media due to rash driving by young men under the effect of heavy alcohol. Easy access to alcohol and luxurious fast speed cars is often responsible for these fatal accidents, killing innocent people and disabling others. Alcohol is equally responsible for many cases of sexual assaults, rape and roadside rage. Only those cases that involve some celebrities or influential people are reported in the media. For each case of alcohol-related accident or sexual assault that we read in the newspapers, there must be several others that go unreported. What a heavy price we have to pay for alcohol consumption. Moderate alcohol intake with adequate nutrition may be a tonic for some, but uncontrolled use of alcohol specially in the youth results in serious harmful effects, including liver damage, gastritis, mental disorders, high blood pressure, high incidence of strokes and heart attacks and cognitive disorders that adversely affect the quality of life and economic productivity of the individual. About 15 per cent of those who start as mild-to-moderate drinkers end up as alcohol addicts — again costing heavily on the family and society. Easy availability of alcohol through a liberal policy may get the state more finances but at a great loss to many families and individuals who succumb to this addiction and result in the loss of family income. The habit of excessive alcohol use, specially among the youth, is increasing rapidly, thus adversely affecting their studies and vocations. These days one often reads shocking news of classmates stabbing each other and even rapes and murders being committed under the effect of alcohol. What are we heading for? The government, the parents and the teachers all have a responsibility to curb this menace. A large number of deaths and disability from various alcohol-related problems such as liver cirrhosis, stomach disorders, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks and traffic accidents can be prevented by avoiding excess alcohol intake and so can be the incidents of family quarrels and sexual assaults. The government should not be very liberal in issuing licences for serving alcohol in restaurants and small hotels. It should not allow liquor shops on the roadsides and highways; the shops should adhere to strict timings, say 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Alcohol should not be sold to a person below 20 years of age and severe punishment should be given to those found driving under the influence of alcohol. The school curriculum must include some lectures on the harmful social, physical and mental effects of alcohol like the teaching programmes on sex education and AIDS awareness and prevention programmes. The overall costs of alcohol consumption are enormous, taking into account the disease and disability it results in, the working days lost, the hospital visits, family disharmony, roadside accidents and sexual crimes. Some states which have been very liberal in their alcohol sales are facing serious problems, specially among the youth. The government, the parents and the teaching institutions must put a concerted effort so as to control and contain the rapidly increasing alcohol abuse. —
The writer is Chief Cardiologist and Medical Adviser, Batra Hospital, |
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Fatty fish intake may lower mental decline
LONDON: A new study has found that fat intake may play a role in brain functioning in middle age. According to a report in Health Scout, the study of 1,613 men and women between the ages of 45 and 70 in the Netherlands, which has a high diet in fish, found the type of fat consumed plays a role in a person’s mental flexibility, speed and overall functioning. Researchers from University Medical Center Utrecht found people who ate lots of foods rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and consumed lots of fatty fish generally had a lower risk for impaired brain functioning (19 per cent less) and speed (28 per cent less), compared to those who didn’t follow a similar diet. Fatty fish include mackerel, salmon and herring, which are found in the icy waters off the northern European coastline. “We used really sensitive cognitive tests, and it surprised me that already at that age you could see the association between diet and mental agility”, said Dr. Sandra Kalmijn, of the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care. “It convinced me and reinforced for me the link we saw between lots of fish and cognitive function.” Conversely, those with diets high in cholesterol were found at a “significantly” increased risk of impaired memory (27 per cent higher) and flexibility (26 higher). The findings appear in the latest issue of Neurology. Because a decline in mental skills can appear decades before the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, the study says it’s important to examine the effect of diet on cognitive functioning in middle age.
— ANI
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Tests to detect cancer early
Washington: Imagine a blood test that could detect the earliest signs of ovarian cancer to help far more women survive. Or one that could prevent thousands of ageing men from undergoing unnecessary biopsies for prostate cancer. Those tests are moving toward reality, thanks to a new technology that can spot early signals in drops of blood. The US National Cancer Institute has begun a major study to prove if the blood test detects early relapse in ovarian cancer patients. Relapse occurs dismally often, and if the test works as well as earlier research suggests, it could win Food and Drug Administration approval for that use within a few years. It would take longer to prove to the FDA’s standards whether the test also can spot ovarian cancer the first time it strikes. Two national testing laboratories aren’t waiting. Later this year, Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp hope to begin offering the blood test, by prescription, for women at high risk of ovarian cancer because of genetic or family history. Despite caution from the test’s own inventors that it is not yet ready for wide use, federal law allows those labs to offer tests that aren’t FDA-approved provided they meet other government certification standards, which they’re now attempting to do. How does the testing work? It’s called proteomics, the study of all proteins in living cells. Proteins are molecules that do the body’s work by directing cells’ actions. Scientists have long used single aberrant proteins as a signal, or biomarker, for different diseases - such as PSA, or prostate specific antigen, used to screen men for prostate cancer.— AP
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Neem extract useful in diabetes
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Delhi: Neem leaves have traditionally been used by Indians for pest control and as an antiseptic. Now scientists at the National Chemical laboratory (NCL) in Pune have reported that water extract of neem leaves reduces blood sugar and reverses diabetes-induced retinopathy that leads to blindness. A report of their work in Nature-News India says that further work might help develop a potent plant-based anti-diabetic drug from the multi-purpose neem tree. Eshrat Halim at the NCL carried out the work in rats. He induced the animals to develop diabetes with associated retinopathy by injecting a chemical called streptozocin (STZ). Retinopathy was established by injecting a fluorescent dye and taking photographs of the retina. According to the report, 16 weeks treatment with neem leaves extract at a dose of 250 mg/kg of body weight reduced the blood sugar levels and reversed retinal changes induced by diabetes. “The exact mechanism of action of neem extract is not known and it is to be investigated,” the report quoted Halim as saying. Although experiments were done on rats, he hoped “the treatment with water extract of neem leaves would be useful in diabetic cataract and retinal changes in humans also.”
— PTI
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Artificial glass liver may help fight disease
LONDON: A team of scientists from the University of Leeds is developing an artificial glass liver to improve understanding of how the organ works. According to a report in BBC, the team members hope their work will eventually lead to better treatments for people with liver disease. They also hope that the lessons learned will be used to engineer liver tissue to replace that damaged by disease. The first aim will be to replicate exactly the way the real organ is geometrically constructed. Once this is achieved, it should then be possible to study how the cells function within that structure.
— ANI
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Ayurveda & you Elderly persons are more prone to health problems than the young. Obviously, their care at home or in hospital is a complex job. In most cases, whenever an old person falls ill, there are many features which are more often met as signs of old age than those of a disease. Ayurvedic texts, while discussing etiology and pathogenesis of various diseases, give scattered references to such symptoms, which are exclusively seen among the elderly. A better understanding of these features can help us manage the situation in a proper way. Most elderly people suffer from more than one disease at a time, and multiple pathology becomes their most important feature. For example, an old person at the same time may be suffering from brain stroke, heart disease, diabetes, prostate enlargement and osteoarthritis. If such conditions require a balanced approach by the doctor, a greater amount of care and cooperation is expected from the family members and other attendants of the patient. Ayurveda has hinted “anidra” or insomnia as the most distressing feature of old age. Though a classic sign of the vitiated “vata”, most of the elderly people are found to be suffering from sleeplessness. Pain and discomfort arising due to physical ailments and increased urinary frequency coupled with psychological problems like loneliness, sense of insecurity, anxiety and depression also lead to sleep disturbances. In many conditions, sleeplessness results from the altered daily routine because many such patients keep on sleeping during the day. Old persons are also prone to digestive upsets. A brief illness and taking of a small dose of antibiotic or some other medicine results in anorexia in their case. Ayurveda defines these symptoms as weakening of “agni” or of the digestive fire. Many such patients, after losing the appetite, become fussy about diet and are seen to be content to live on liquids for many days. Atrophic gastritis, gas, distension and slow digestion are some of other important features which add to many other health problems of the elderly. Though related to the digestive tract, constipation is yet another major complaint of the old patients which need a special mention. Most elderly persons are so much irritated by constipation that instead of other serious problems, they narrate it to be their chief complaint. Many patients who suffer from its severe and stubborn form require regular help of laxatives and enemas, and a satisfactory clearance of the bowels uplifts their sagging spirits. Most of them, after taking a hard laxative, experience rebound constipation. Old age as a rule is marked by diminished physical strength. Many diseases of the old age like anaemia, heart trouble and low blood pressure can also produce symptoms like weakness, fatigue and exhaustion. Giddiness or dizziness and mental confusion are the other common problems of the elderly. As mental alertness varies in each case, some elderly persons are seen recalling old incidents vividly whereas many others look disoriented and forgetful. Due to the presence of multiple diseases, they need many medicines at a time. But most of such patients become wary of taking any drug in its full recommended dose. Ayurveda specifically mentions that elderly people need special care. They also need to be made to feel a sense of belonging, and at no stage should any sense of alienation be allowed to come to them. A peaceful and composed mind always guarantees better health. —
The writer is a Ludhiana-based ayurvedic physician |
