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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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Cough tells a lot
about your health Crackers pose
serious threat to eyes Shocking images of
blackened lungs Ayurveda
& you Couples staying
together more likely to have male babies
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Cough tells a lot about your health
Although
cough is generally considered a symptom of lung diseases, it is interesting to know that the two more common causes of chronic cough pertain to diseases outside the lungs. For example, the most common cause of cough is the postnasal drip syndrome, where there is a persistent production and discharge of secretion in the throat. There is a constant desire to clear the throat and spit. In addition, there is nasal congestion, discharge and a change or hoarseness in voice. Nasal allergy and sinusitis are two important diseases which are likely to manifest with postnasal dripping. Cough in these patients is more of a problem than a useful symptom. Frequently it requires to be suppressed with anti-allergic and anti-cough medicine. More significantly, cough may indicate the presence of a lung disease. Chronic cough may indicate the presence of diseases such as chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive lung disease, bronchial asthma, bronchiectasis, tuberculosis or other similar illnesses. The character of cough would vary in different conditions. Similarly, the presence of sputum (expectoration) and/or blood in the sputum along with cough is helpful to identify the cause of cough. Smokers’ cough is a commonly used term for frequent bouts of cough with which a smoker is likely to come. Sometimes, the cough is present as a more continuous and persistent symptom. Generally, dismissed as a mere nuisance symptom, the cough in these cases may represent the presence of a more serious problem — chronic obstructive lung disease or even the onset of a lung malignancy. It should always be remembered that cough may be the only initial symptom of lung cancer while the more frequently recognised symptoms such as the blood in sputum, weight loss and other serious complaints may occur later. A careful vigilance is, therefore, essential. Tuberculosis of the lungs is another important disease which manifests with cough, with or without the presence of other symptoms like sputum production, fever, loss of appetite and weight or blood in the sputum. It is a standard recommendation in India that sputum of any patient who presents with cough and expectoration of more than three weeks’ duration should be examined for the presence of tuberculous bacilli, at least three times. The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme of the Government of India is well oiled and geared in this fashion to look for tuberculosis among symptomatic patients with cough. There are many more causes of cough which are important for a doctor than a common man to know. Drugs, for example, can cause chronic cough. Incidentally, cough becomes a habit with some individuals, especially those who are tense, nervous or otherwise shy. Besides being indicative of an underlying disease, cough has problems of its own. It is a socially annoysome symptom for both the patient and others in the company. It also results in sleeplessness, exhaustion and muscle pains. The droplets of sputum coughed out of mouth may result in the spread of diseases such as the contagious and viral infections. In case of tuberculosis, a sputum-positive patient may prove as a source of infection especially for very young children and others who are not immunised or expose to tuberculosis in the past. Fortunately, some degree of immunity or resistance to tuberculosis develops in the adults who are repeatedly exposed to the tuberculous bacilli. A violent cough can generate an airflow velocity of almost up to 500 miles per hour. This is like a big storm developing within the narrow air tubes of the lungs. The result can, therefore, be devastating, causing fractures of ribs, herniation through body orifices, bleeding from vessels, faiting and even cardiac arrythmias. It needs suppression at all costs. A weak cough, on the other hand, is equally problematic in the presence of a lung disease. Failure to cough effectively causes retention of secretions within the air tubes, thereby causing obstruction. A drowsy or an unconscious patient who cannot cough may, in fact, drown in his own secretions. The writer is Professor and Head, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, PGI, Chandigarh.
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Crackers pose serious threat to eyes
Chandigarh: The festival season is not merely about celebrations. One must take care of one’s eyes also because of increased threat to them during this period. Eye injuries can do irreparable damage to vision, especially among young children. Eye specialists agree that bow and arrow injury cases increase manifold during the festival season, culminating with Divali celebrations. “Perforating injuries are caused when arrows hit eyes and tear the eye-ball and the cornea. Such injuries are very dangerous as the wounds require stitching. These injuries, if not treated in time, can lead to total vision loss,’’ says Dr R. K. Bansal of the Department of Ophthalmology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh. In the case of an injury, especially where the eye-ball is affected, doctors say that one should never rub the eyes. “Eyes should not be rubbed at all when there is bleeding due to piercing. Cover the eye with a cotton ball and consult a specialist immediately,’’ says Dr Rajan Chugh of the Chugh Eye Clinic. The sudden bursting of crackers can badly injure the eyes. “People need to be cautious in splashing water on the eyes in the case of irritation. If some chemical has gone into the eyes, then water should not be splashed as it can aggravate the problem,’’ adds Dr Bansal. Extreme care needs to be taken in completing the treatment if one of the eyes is injured, as under the “sympathetic ophthmalitis’’, one injured eye can lead to lower vision in the other eye. “Normally, patients don’t take proper care of that eye which is not injured. But they need to be cautious as the vision in the ‘non-injured’ eye can also be affected by the one that is injured,’’ says Dr Chugh.
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Shocking images of blackened lungs Brussels: Shocking pictures of blackened lungs, rotten teeth, throat tumours and corpses in hospital morgues were unveiled the other day, as the European Commission called for the images to be used on cigarette packets in all EU countries. The library of 42 pictures, that will begin appearing on packs from next year, range from the graphic to the humorous, and highlight the effects of smoking, from cancer to impotence. Unlike the written health warnings, the pictures need not be made compulsory throughout the EU. Each government will decide whether to force cigarette companies to use them, and Ireland and Belgium have already promised to do so. But the move is a significant heightening of the EU anti-smoking campaign and young people are targeted in an effort to persuade them not to take up the habit. One picture depicts a cigarette as a syringe, illustrating the addictive nature of the habit, another points out the ageing effect on skin. The images also highlight the risk to fertility, through a picture of a woman wheeling an empty baby carriage, and of impotence by showing a drooping cigarette. David Byrne, the outgoing European Commissioner for health and consumer protection, also announced a Euro 72m (£50m) anti-smoking publicity campaign. He argued: “People need to be shocked out of their complacency about tobacco. “The true face of smoking is disease, death and horror — not the glamour and sophistication the pushers in the tobacco industry try to portray.” Mr Byrne said he “strongly urged all member states to use these”. Mr Davies argued: “We have to break the impression among teenagers that smoking is cool and sexy — and I can think of few things more likely to be effective than illustrating the proven risk that tobacco use leads to reduced male sexual potency.”
— The Independent
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Ayurveda & you All
of our physiological functions follow a set pattern and seem to be controlled by a biological clock. During the day and night our body temperature, weight and hormones have their well-defined periods of highs and lows, and most obvious of our body functions — the sleep and wake cycle — also follows its own rhythm. Ayurveda believes that to be optimally healthy, we should tune our bodies to nature’s master cycle which in turn regulates our body functions in a right manner. The right “dincharya” or the balanced daily routine is instrumental in keeping our body in harmony with nature, thus preventing disease and promoting good health. Of the vast treasure of ayurvedic wisdom, here are a few guidelines regarding the daily routine we should follow:
The writer is a Ludhiana-based ayurvedic consultant
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Couples staying together more likely New Delhi: Couples who enjoy “stable” relationships and spend more time with each other are more likely to have male child as compared to those who, for whatever reasons, do not have time for each other, a study has suggested. Environmental conditions within a house which includes interpersonal relations between the parents at the time of conception might play a role in determining the baby’s sex, a report published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society said. The United States National Bureau of Economic Research conducted a study and collected data from 86,436 births in various hospitals and found that parents who were living together at the time of conception were more likely to have a male child than those who were not. The study showed that living arrangements of the parents before the conception time play a role in its sex as 51.5 per cent of babies born to couples living together were boys.
— PTI |
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Environment affects female memory Washington: Stimulating environs and estrogen can independently sharpen memory in females, a Yale University research has revealed. The researchers observed the effect of estrogen on mice, which were raised in rich environs with those raised in non-stimulating environments and found that mice raised in standard conditions showed significant spatial and object memory, whereas memory in animals in the enriched environment is unaffected by estrogen treatment. “We saw no beneficial effect of estrogen in the animals in cognitively and physically stimulating environments (also known as enriched environments),” Karyn Frick, Assistant Professor of psychology and principal investigator on the study, said.
— ANI |
The second most common but often unrecognised cause of cough is the gastro-oesophageal reflux syndrome which implies the regurgitation of the acidic contents of stomach into the foodpipe and the throat causing irritation and cough. This happens especially on lying down after a full stomach and is obviously worse at night. This type of cough is best managed with measures to keep the stomach relatively empty and the use of drugs which suppress acid formation. 
The injured person should not be given anything to eat or drink after the injury, as an emergency operation may be required under general anaesthesia. “Since the immediate treatment of the eye injury is surgery, the patient should be kept on fasting so that anaesthesia is effective. If this is not followed then the patient will have to wait for five to six hours before he can be operated upon,’’ adds Dr Chugh.