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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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Gene is linked with obesity and diabetes
Childhood asthma: guidelines for parents
Teenage girls have natural stress-busters
Ayurveda & you
Washing hands with soap halves kids’ infection risk
Red alert for meat-eaters
BP, cholesterol combination a sure killer
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EYESIGHT EPILASIK is the world’s latest refractive vision-correction method for glass-free vision. It has come up with hope to those who show up in clinics requesting for Lasik treatment and are turned away, mostly due to thin corneas, dry eyes or very high myopia. While such patients could turn back to their trusted glasses and contact lenses, there is now a new correction system for them — that is EPILASIK. This new generation vision correction surgery uses a blunt blade to cleave or push away a thinner corneal flap to leave behind more residual corneal thickness that gives more strength and stability to the cornea.
How it differs from Lasik Epilasik is a relatively new concept in the field of refractive error correction with the promise of potential advantages over Lasik. It is a better treatment for eyes having high power, thin corneas and dry eye problems. In general, the average corneal thickness is 530-550 microns. Corneas below 490 microns cannot be operated upon in Lasik, because Lasik involves cutting a flap that is 140-160 micron thick and as a corneal residual thickness of at least 250 micron has to be left behind. High powers couldn’t be corrected using lasik because removing each power requires removing an extra 10-12 micron of the stromal tissue. This new procedure allows surgeons to make flap that is 60 microns thick, leaving more residual cornea untouched so that it corrects eyes with a higher power, treats thin corneas and leaves behind increased corneal stability. Epilasik corrects the following:
How it works
What to expect Recovery in epilasik is little longer. The thinner flap needs a bandage contact lens support for three to five days as it heals. There will be watering, irritation and some foreign body sensation in the eye for a few days as healing occurs. The patient would be required to use eye-drops for four-six weeks after the procedure. Stabilisation of vision also takes four-six weeks.
Other facts
Eligibility for epilasik
The writer is Chairman and Medical Director, Centre for Sight, New Delhi. E-mail: msachdev@bol.net.in
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Gene is linked with obesity and diabetes
WASHINGTON: A gene that may regulate the body’s response to insulin has been linked to both obesity and type-2 diabetes, researchers in Britain and France reported. The discovery helps explain how being overweight is associated with type-2 or adult-onset diabetes, the researchers reported in this week’s issue of the journal Nature Genetics. It may also some day offer new ways to treat the conditions, both of which are on the rapid rise across the world. “Although this discovery is not going to lead to a “magic pill” for curing obesity and type-2 diabetes, it could help in identifying groups and individuals at increased risk,” said Philippe Froguel, who led the team at Imperial College London,
Institut Pasteur de Lille in France and other institutions. “If we can identify those at risk at an earlier age, it may be possible to take preventive measures earlier on, and reduce the burden of ill health caused by obesity in later life,” he said. Froguel and colleagues started with 62 families prone to both obesity and diabetes. They found a gene called ENPP1 that seemed to be similar among the families. Then they cast their net widely across northern Europe, looking at more than 4,000 people, obese and not. They found 11 different variations of the gene, called single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs. Six of these forms were linked with severe obesity. The gene helps control how cells respond to insulin, which in turn helps them use glucose efficiently. In people with diabetes, cells do not use insulin correctly and their blood gets filled with too much glucose. Type-2 diabetes usually does not occur suddenly, but develops over time, beginning with a condition called insulin resistance. People who are obese or overweight are much more likely to have insulin resistance, but it is not entirely clear which comes first — the diabetes or the insulin resistance. In the children in Froguel’s study, more ENPP1 seemed to mimic the effects of insulin resistance in the brain, where insulin suppresses appetite. So, it may be that this particular form of the gene interferes with both appetite and the ability to use insulin correctly, Froguel’s team suggested. — Reuters
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Childhood asthma: guidelines for parents THE best treatment for asthma is to prevent it. Protect your child from sources of smoke such as cigarettes, kitchens and vehicles. Protect the child from fumes such as anti-mosquito mats/coils/liquids, insecticidal sprays and chemical fumes. Do not use perfumes/air-freshness in a closed room. Keep pets like dogs and cats away from the child. Remove congress grass from the vicinity of
your home. Keep the child’s room and its atmosphere free from house dust mite, a common cause of respiratory allergy, by taking the following measures: Wet-mopping of floors twice daily; making the child’s bed when he/she is away to school or is playing outside; no carpets/ durries in the room; light curtains in the room and these should be washed every week; keep a potted neem plant in the room; instal an airconditioner/air-purifier. Remove cockroaches from the house. Avoid common allergens, especially those which have been known to induce attacks of asthma. The following articles may become common causes of allergy in children: Milk, eggs, fish, nuts, artificial colours e.g tartazine, food additives e.g ajinomoto, soyabeen, fried food, and Aspirin, Ibuprofen and nimesulide (NSAID’s) Avoid Exposure to sudden changes in the environmental temperature. Breast-feed the child till the age of two years. Remember that asthma can be controlled, and that inhalation therapy (with spacers, rotahaler and inhaler) is better than orally administered drugs. Learn the proper use of these devices from your peadiatrician. Use preventive inhalers such as fluticasone, budesonide and sodium cromoglycate on a long-term basis to keep the child wheeze-free. Consult your paediatrician for this. Encourage exercise for the lungs — inflating the balloons, swimming and yoga. An acute attack of asthma, which remains uncontrolled at home, may need hospital treatment. The child may even need artificial ventilation. Therefore, shift him/her to a hospital immediately if he turns pale or blue or gets restless and exhausted, or is unable to speak or becomes unconscious. The writer is Associate Member, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (UK)
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Teenage girls have natural stress-busters
Washington: A new research by researchers from the Medical College of Georgia has shown that teenage girls’ ability to maintain lower blood pressure as compared to their male counterparts may protect them against the effects of stress. The researchers measured blood pressure levels in individuals before and after they participated in some stress-producing activities, and found that females showed less of an increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) than male. The stress activity series comprised a two-hour baseline period followed by a one-hour period of playing a competitive video game. Blood pressure and heart rate measures were taken at 15-minute intervals and averaged for analysis. The study measured blood pressure and heart rate differences between European-American (EA) and African-American (AA) youth exposed to the same activities. While blood pressure rates for females were lower than males after the stress activity, the opposite was true for heart rate. Both EA and AA males reacted similarly to stress in regard to The heart rate; however, females had slightly higher heart rates than males. “Very few studies have reported a teenager’s response to prolonged mental stress. Our findings indicate that females are protected against the effects of stress as demonstrated by their ability to maintain lower blood pressure,” said Dr Gaston Kapuku, lead author of the study. By understanding the mechanisms that prevent excessive blood pressure increase as shown by this study, the researchers hope to develop solutions for preventing cardiovascular damages resulting from stress.
— ANI |
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Ayurveda & you IT is generally seen that in the case of many patients, careful eating reduces the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). According to the basic principles of ayurveda, an effort should be made to study the diet and the life-pattern of such patients, and each case needs be tackled independently. Where wrong diet is the aggravating factor , the patient should be advised to stick to simple, light, easily digestible and home-made food. It is an acknowledged fact that fibre in the diet is beneficial for health. As refined cereals are considered detrimental to easy digestion, healthy assimilation and proper elimination, patients of IBS should always avoid the use of maida items. Wholegrain cereals are rich in B vitamins and soluble and insoluble fibre. Wholegrain flour of wheat, maize and barley and the use of brown rice and fibre-rich fruits and vegetables increase the bulk of the stool. Though high-fibre diet keeps the colon mildly distended, these symptoms go away in a few days as the body adjusts to the new dietary regime. Large meals can result in abdominal discomfort in cases of IBS. Eating smaller meals and taking food items which are low in fat and are easy to digest should always be preferred. Taking an adequate amount of water is also important because in the cases of both increased frequency of stool and constipation its importance cannot be undervalued. Slowly taking one or two glasses of warm water, specially in the morning, helps in regulating the bowels and eases proper evacuation. There is much variation regarding the suitability of milk and other milk products in people suffering from IBS. Ayurveda believes that milk and its other products nourish the body and help lubricate the bowels. But in IBS cases milk should only be used where constipation is the overwhelming symptom. To dispel the fear of any gas formation with milk, one can opt for its skimmed form or can boil a piece of long pepper (magh) or a little of saunf in a cup of it. Curd helps control an increased frequency of stool, but should be used only during breakfast or lunch and that too after sprinkling digestive spices on it. Butter milk (chhachh) is an all-season delight for IBS and is recommended for fore-noon sessions only. While opting for cheese, make sure that it is fresh and hygienically prepared. Ginger, jeera, ajwain, saunf, hing, kali mirch and rock salt are the carminative and digestive spices. Their moderate use releases digestive juices, prevents spasm and distension, expels the abdominal wind and allays digestive impurities. Off and on, taking light meals consisting of anything like dalia or khichri is also beneficial for long-standing abdominal discomfort. Fruits like pomegranate, banana and apple result into constipation and papaya, melon, mango, grapes and orange (with pulp and not the juice) are mildly laxative. Pulp of half-ripe bael fruit is very effective in conditions where a patient has recurrent urge but passes incomplete, unformed and unsatisfactory stool. Drinking carbonated beverages and use of alcohol and its accompaniments of fried snacks and non-vegetarian food usually enhance the complexities of the irritable bowel syndrome. Similarly, eating at irregular timings and in a hurried manner also hampers proper digestion. Stress reduction training and relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation, regular exercise and adopting right daily routine are of great help for this problem. Patients of IBS are advised to adopt positive thinking and should not always be mentally occupied by bowel related complaints which are generally minor in nature but are often magnified. The writer is a Ludhiana-based senior ayurvedic physician. |
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Washing hands with soap halves kids’ infection risk Washington: A new research has reaffirmed the notion that washing hands with soap can reduce the incidence of diarrhoea, pneumonia and respiratory infections in kids of developing countries by 50 per cent. According to the study, published in the recent issue of the Lancet, every year more than 375 million children aged less than five years die from diarrhoea and acute lower respiratory tract infection, making these two clinical syndromes the largest cause of childhood deaths globally. Lead researcher Stephen Luby and his colleagues did a randomised controlled trial in adjoining squatter settlements in Karachi, Pakistan, to measure the broad health benefits brought about by an improvement of handwashing and bathing with soap. They recruited 36 neighbourhoods to take part in the study. Six hundred households in these neighbourhoods were assigned to hand-washing promotion and 300 to control. Half the households in the hand-washing promotion group were given antibacterial soap and half received plain soap. Fieldworkers visited households at least once a week for a year to distribute the soap and encourage handwashing and to record all symptoms in the household.
— ANI
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Red alert for meat-eaters THERE have been two warnings in a little over a month about the dangers of eating lots of red meat. The first, a huge European study, suggested a strong link with bowel cancer, and now a smaller British study has found a powerful association with the inflammatory bowel condition Crohn’s disease. Now consider this puzzle. Mormons and Seventh-Day Adventists lead similar lifestyles — they don’t smoke, they don’t drink and they go to church. But there is a key dietary difference: Mormons eat meat while most Seventh-Day Adventists are vegetarians. If red meat is a major cause of bowel cancer, then Mormons ought to have higher rates of the disease. But they do not. Some commentators think this demolishes the claims of scientists who would have us cut down on meat-eating. It doesn’t - but it does highlight the difficulty of establishing clear causes. There are only two really significant causes of cancer — smoking and getting older. Everything else pales into insignificance by comparison. With lesser causes, such as red meat, other mitigating factors play a greater role — genetic inheritance, exercise, other elements in the diet. As a counter to the evidence from the Mormons and Seventh-Day Adventists, it is worth noting that bowel-cancer rates have risen sharply among the Japanese as they have adopted a Western diet. Last month’s study was the largest ever conducted into the health effects of Europe’s passion for meat. Called the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (Epic), and funded by the UK Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK among others, it involved 500,000 Europeans in 10 countries whose diets were monitored for five years. The results, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, showed that those who ate two portions a day of red meat —beef, lamb, pork, veal and their processed varieties, ham and bacon — had a third higher risk of developing bowel cancer than those who ate one portion a week. The high-risk group were eating more than 160 grams of red meat a day — equivalent to two large beef burgers (80 grams each). The average Briton eats 93 grams of red meat a day according to British Meat, allowing it to claim that there was no reason for most people to change their habits. “If you eat meat you are not going to get cancer,” a spokesman said. It is a fair claim. Man has been eating red meat for millennia. But aside from the fact that we live longer now — long enough to develop cancer — we also probably eat more meat than our ancestors. Red meat is also high in fat, which increases the risk of heart disease, providing an added reason to cut down. In many parts of the world, and in some Mediterranean countries, meat is regarded as a relish or a treat, with the bulk of the meal coming from carbohydrates and vegetables. The study showed that the effects of meat-eating were lessened among those who ate plenty of fibre in the form of vegetables and fruit. Those who ate fish every other day also cut their risk. Doctors believe up to two-thirds of bowel cancers could be prevented by changes in diet and lifestyle. But there is no magic bullet as there is with lung cancer (by cutting out smoking). Defeating bowel cancer will require a multi-pronged approach — changing aspects of diet and lifestyle (especially smoking and drinking, which also contribute to bowel cancer) across a wide front. The second, smaller study published last week, by researchers at the University of East Anglia, followed the diets and lifestyles of 218 patients over two years and found a 40 per cent increased risk of Crohn’s disease among meat-eaters. The Food Standards Agency has asked its food safety advisers to examine the findings and consider what further research may be necessary.
— The Independent |
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BP, cholesterol combination a sure killer
Washington: People with high blood pressure and high cholesterol are at greater risk of heart disease and stroke than those without these combined conditions, a new study has shown. The study conducted by Dr Daniel T. Lackland from the Medical University of South Carolina indicate that a significant number of adults have elevated blood pressure and elevated cholesterol. These combined conditions were found to increase health risks for heart disease and stroke in all populations. The greatest disease risk was identified with the highest categories of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and total cholesterol (TC) for all race-sex groups. The greatest risks for the higher levels and the higher prevalence of elevated SBP and TC increase the disease burden. The study emphasizes the need for control of high cholesterol and hypertension to significantly reduce the incidence of stroke and cardiovascular disease. “The occurrence of these combined conditions indicates an acute need for early diagnosis and aggressive treatment,” stated Dr Lackland. “While other studies have shown similar findings, this study is the largest of its kind and covers a longer follow-up period to provide more accurate comparisons between males/females as well as among ethnic groups,” he said.
— ANI |
