 |
|
| HEALTH & FITNESS |
|
|
|
Awareness helps fight
depression
Asthmatic children need not lose heart
Dogs can sniff out cancer
Extra 90 minutes in bed will make you live longer Ayurveda & you
|
|
Awareness
helps fight
depression Depression is a complex mental illness present in various forms. No one is immune to this problem. It is prevalent in every section of society, neither sparing the rich nor the poor. It torments both sexes and can occur at any age. Sadness of mood, lack of interest in work, early fatigability, disturbed sleep and appetite, poor concentration and irritability are the most common symptoms observed in people having depression. Other features of the illness are lack of confidence, negative thoughts, suicidal thinking, crying spells, guilt feelings and tiredness. Unfortunately, this illness goes undetected in most cases and in due course becomes bundles of problems. As per WHO, till 2020 it would be the second commonest illness in the world after heart illness, overriding diabetes and cancer. It is going to be number one disease among women all over the world, including India. Among the various reasons why depression remains undiagnosed are: * Lack of awareness — In the case of psychological or mental illness, usually one goes for help very late, making things complicated. * Misdiagnosis — Most of the time depression is present with physical symptoms in the form of lethargy, weakness, fatigability or vague body-pains. It is taken as some physical problem and wrongly approached. Both time and money are wasted in undesired investigation and medicines. * Poor compliance with medicine — Many patients who approach psychiatrists show poor adherence to the drug treatment prescribed or have irregular follow-up. This leads to poor recovery, and suffering persists for an indefinite period. * Family non-cooperation — Sometimes family members of the patient are in a denial phase in relation to the illness and fail to understand its nature (for example, he cannot have mental illness as he is mentally so strong). They resist the treatment, resulting in further aggravation of the problem. Sometimes close relatives have a wrong perception that the patient is making an excuse of having illness just to escape from his or her responsibilities. This attitude can have a detrimental effect on the patient. * Underlying medical illness — Quiet frequently medical disorders like hypothyroidism, diabetes, Parkinsonism and cancer may mimic or aggravate the symptoms of depression. Ignoring these medical illnesses can lead to treatment failure in depression. * Delayed response — Antidepressants used for treating depression usually take two or three weeks to show their response. If the treating physician fails to highlight this fact the patient may feel as if the medicine is not working and will give up treatment prematurely. Sometimes drugs may take even one and a half months or longer to end depression. * Nature of illness — Depression is an illness which is known to reappear periodically even after complete recovery. Therefore, in some cases treatment can go for many years to avoid relapse. Because of many reasons like financial constraints, frustration and ignorance the patients give up the treatment prematurely. * Poor facilities — The number of qualified psychiatrists who deal with this illness is very less in India. The situation is worse in small cities and peripheral areas. In civil hospitals they are almost negligible in number. Thus, patients in these areas have no option except to suffer. An awareness programme about this illness can be of great help in clearing various doubts about its nature and treatment prospects. Patients seeking the help of a psychiatrist must comply with the advice given. Due importance to mental health must be given in government health policies. — The writer is a
psychiatrist at Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh |
|
Asthmatic children need not lose heart
Asthma is indeed an anxiety-provoking disease. A child who has asthma and requires nebulisation frequently is not likely to grow out of the disease without specific treatment. Parents often are made to believe that children grow out of asthma. Children often have extrinsic (due to allergic/environmental factors) asthma as compared to adults. It is possible for children to be completely normal if they are treated scientifically. Steroid inhalers are the cornerstones of asthma treatment; they are safe. Children can achieve normal growth if they get proper treatment. There is no need for asthmatic children to be excused from PT and games. There is no need for school bus to come to their doorstep. Many parents request their doctor for such medical certificates. In fact, exercise is a positive factor. Games should be encouraged; some of the asthmatics have won in the Olympics. However, proper medical advice is a must. Children do not need to avoid milk, curd, banana, rice, etc, unless they have food allergy, which can be found out easily. Such discrimination of food articles for growing children without any reason can be disastrous for their physical and psychological growth. Even educated parents take the help of astrologers for this disease and stop white food articles on their recommendation. This is sad, to say the least. Adults too need not follow food discriminations unless they have food allergy. In adults, occupational asthma is a very important cause, which can be tested and cured if the patient cooperates. “Asthma is not contagious. But how did my son get asthma though I do not let him go near his asthmatic grandfather?” a worried mother wanted to know. It’s a pity that there is lack of knowledge to this extent in the 21st century. It is a serious social concern. Antibiotics mostly have no role in asthma treatment. There is nothing like the prevention of secondary infections. Some doctors unnecessarily strain their patients’ body and pocket and harm the community by increasing drug resistance. Allergy tests, if done scientifically, can be useful. Immunotherapy is successful if allergy tests are perfect and the therapist is trained to modify the dosage, and purified allergens are used for treatment. We must attack asthma by all means. Let not asthma attack us!
— The writer, who was earlier associated with the PGI, is a Chandigarh-based allergy |
|
Dogs can sniff out cancer
Dogs can sniff out cancer, adding a new dimension to the image of man’s best friend, according to research published today. Doctors writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) have presented the first scientific evidence of the canine’s ability to put its exceptional sense of smell to good use in detecting tumours. Tumours are thought to produce volatile organic compounds with a distinctive odour, but often in quantities too small for humans to detect. For years, doctors have discussed anecdotes about patients who turned up in the surgery worried about a skin blemish or a mole after their pet dog kept licking or nuzzling it, which turned out to be cancer. Now research has indicated that the canine sense of smell, said to be 1,000 times better than the human one, can indeed pick out malignancies. Researchers from Amersham Hospital in Buckinghamshire, working with dog handlers from a charity for the deaf, trained six dogs of varying breeds and ages to spot the distinctive odour of malignant cells. After seven months, the dogs were able to identify cancer in samples three times more often than would be expected by chance. They were given urine samples to sniff from 36 patients with bladder cancer, which they had to distinguish from 108 control samples from patients with other non-cancerous bladder problems and from healthy
individuals. For the final test, the dogs were given seven samples, from which they had to select the one with bladder cancer. They did so by lying down next to it. The results showed that the dogs chose the right sample on 22 out of 54 occasions, a success rate of 41 per cent, compared with 14 per cent expected by chance alone. “Our study provides the first piece of experimental evidence to show that dogs can detect cancer by olfactory means more successfully than by chance alone. The results we achieved should provide a benchmark against which future studies can be compared,” the doctors wrote. Dr John Church, a retired orthopaedic surgeon who led the study, first encountered the diagnostic skills of dogs in the case of a 66-year-old man who developed a patch of eczema on his leg. The man’s pet labrador, called Parker, began to push his nose persistently against his owner’s trouser leg. The patch of eczema turned out to be a skin cancer, and once it was removed the dog’s behaviour stopped. After Dr Church described the case in a letter to The Lancet published in 2001, other patients contacted him with similar stories. He says: “I have collected 16 cases now. One involved a lady with a
Chihuahua who would sit with it resting on her bosom as she watched television. It turned round and started nuzzling and pushing against her breast. She went for a mammogram and they found breast cancer.” He added: “We can’t say the dogs recognise cancer. But we know that dogs are good at recognising danger that threatens their owners. That is what they are sensing.” In another case, a dog belonging to a deaf person had been taken to visit its owner while she was in hospital. Shortly after arriving on the ward it started barking and was obviously agitated by the patient in the neighbouring bed. The patient had had a cardiac arrest and, thanks to the intervention of the dog, was resuscitated. Mr Church said he had been “trying for years” to set up a research project to test his canine theory but had not had success until now. “I have been extremely fortunate to discover a dog-training team close to my home,” he said. The trainers, from the charity Hearing Dogs, which supplies dogs for the deaf, used their own pets in the project. The results showed that the three cocker spaniels performed best, closely followed by the papillon, and the mongrel did worst. |
|
Extra 90 minutes in bed will make you live longer London: Britain is burning the candle at both ends. Longer working hours and the temptations of the 24/7 society are leaving a yawning gap in our lives: sleep. We now get an average of 90 minutes less than we used to. Lack of sleep is leading to a host of problems, ranging from irritable behaviour and inefficiency at work, to ill health, road accidents and even divorce, according to an authoritative new report, provisionally entitled “Dream On”, to be published next month. The government and businesses should take sleep deficiency far more seriously, say researchers for the influential think-tank Demos, who recommend daily power-naps. “Britain is running on a sleep deficit, and it is taking a growing toll, both economically and socially,” said the report's author, Charlie Leadbeater, political analyst and New Labour adviser, who is a former journalist at the Financial Times and Independent. The average night's sleep in Britain has fallen noticeably over recent generations, in both quality and quantity. A century ago, Britons slept an average of nine hours a night, but that figure is now seven-and-a-half hours. Adults between the ages of 25 and 55, particularly those with children, slept even less. Britons already work some of the longest hours in Europe and have far more temptations. Television no longer closes down after the epilogue at 11pm; bars, supermarkets, petrol stations, clubs and other distractions have wiped out the national bedtime with a cup of Ovaltine.
— The Independent
|
|
|
Ayurveda
& you To understand constipation, it helps to know how the colon (large intestine) works. As food moves through the colon, it absorbs water while forming waste or stool. Muscle contractions in the colon push the stool towards the rectum. Ayurveda, while describing constipation as “anaha” and “koshthabadhata”, has highlighted it more as a symptom and less as a disease. It has been cited to result when, for one reason or the other, a person’s digestive system doesn’t function as it should, and also due to the vitiation of “vata” which controls the functions of assimilation and elimination in the body. Of the numerous causes attributed to constipation, it is the dietary factor which is the most important of all. Consumption of food which is low in fibre — both soluble and insoluble — and a diet consisting of heavy and slow digesting food items is the foremost cause of acute and chronic constipation. Taking less of liquids which add fluid to the colon and bulk to the stool also make the fecal material hard and difficult to pass. Lack of physical activity can lead to the sluggishness of the bowels. It is seen more in people who are given to a sedentary lifestyle and who have a prolonged sitting job but do less of walking or any other physical exercise. Constipation often occurs during an illness, when a person is bed-ridden or is physically less active. Aging may also affect bowel regularity because a slower metabolism results in reduced intestinal activity and diminished muscle tone. People who habitually take laxatives become dependent on them and may require increasing dosage until finally the intestines become insensitive and fail to work properly. Abuse of laxatives is a common reason for constipation, especially among the elderly who are obsessed with having a “satisfactory” daily bowel movement. Long duration use of hard laxatives permanently damages the nerves of the colon or at least alters its functioning. For the same reason, regular use of enemas can also lead to the loss of normal bowel actions. Ayurveda has described the bowel movement as a non-suppressible urge. Frequent rejection of the push to defecate leads to the disappearance of this natural urge, resulting into constipation. Changes in life routine such as travelling or having meals at late hours also interferes with the normal digestive pattern. During pregnancy women may be constipated because the uterus compresses the intestines. Constipation also results as a side-effect of certain medicines like some of the antacids, anti-depressants, anti-spasmodic drugs, pain- killers, anti-hypertensive medicines, diuretics and iron supplements. Many of the neurological disorders like paralysis and Parkinson’s disease, metabolic problems like diabetes and hormonal diseases like thyroid malfunctioning are more or less accompanied by constipation. Certain other conditions like piles and fissures, idiopathic colonic inertia and pelvic floor dysfunction (known as outlet obstruction or outlet delay), where muscles of the pelvis that surround the rectum and anus do not work properly, also result in improper and ineffective opening of the bowels.
— The writer is a Ludhiana-based ayurvedic consultant |
|
| HOME PAGE |
|
Constipation means different things to different people. Many people tell it as infrequent stools whereas for others it means hard stools. There are those who explain it as difficulty in passing stool (straining) and a lot many describe it as a sense of incomplete emptying after a bowel movement. Constipation, indeed, is one of the most intricate health problems facing mankind today.