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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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Pain below the belt in menopausal zone
eYESIGHT
Family environment behind people turning obese
Don’t drink during pregnancy
Diet programme helpful in prostate cancer
Eating oranges reduces Alzheimer’s risk
Ayurveda & you
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Pain below the belt in menopausal zone
While no one really knows what causes vaginal pain, over 16 per cent of all women and almost one-third of the women in the menopausal zone experience it. The most common cause is atrophic vaginitis or thinning of the vaginal lining due to the falling estrogen level in the system. Other possible causes include childhood sexual abuse, sexual or physical violence, dry vagina, childbirth, skin problems, sexually transmitted diseases, common infections and surgery.
The pain can prevent the victim from exercising,
walking or having sexual intimacy. May be, such women have lower than normal threshold of pain or they may have fewer than normal estrogen receptors in the genital region, which may relate to increased pain sensation. It is also believed that higher levels of urinary salts irritate the urethral and vaginal openings. Luckily, you don’t have to just live with this pain. A trip to your gynaecologist is the best starting point for diagnosis and treatment. How serious is it? It is not serious, as it does not increase the risk of cancer and it is not life- threatening. But it can be very annoying, to say the least, affecting many aspects of a woman’s life. A burning or stinging sensation usually characterises it. Often the slightest touch will set it off. This can make intercourse painful, if not impossible, and even using pads or tampons can be difficult. Some women are so severely affected that they cannot wear underwear or pants, and even have irritation while walking. Sometimes the vaginal and vulvar tissues appear red and inflamed, but in some women everything looks perfectly normal still the pain may be unbearable. This pain is not completely understood. Similar symptoms may occur with infections, including yeast and genital warts (HPV). Allergic reactions to soaps or detergents may do the same thing, as may systemic (body-wide) conditions such as psoriasis or lupus. Interstitial cystitis, a painful bladder condition, is not infrequently found in women with vulvodynia; treatment for interstitial cystitis (usually under the direction of a urologist) may also help with vulvar pain. Trauma to nerves from childbirth, surgery or other injury may lead to this burning sensation. Too high a level of oxalates in the diet may be a cause. How to cure it? The first step is to rule out various infections by careful examination and culture. If an infection is present, obviously it has to be treated. Often a biopsy of the painful area is done to look for conditions such as psoriasis or HPV; if something is found, it is treated appropriately. If culture and biopsy are normal, then often treatment is a matter of trial and error. Sometimes the woman can get temporary relief by applying an ointment containing xylocaine, similar to the numbing medicine dentists use. Injections of interferon have shown promise in some studies, but interferon is very expensive and does not work for everyone. Injections into the pudendal nerve, done through the vagina, sometimes help. Amitriptyline, an antidepressant, also blocks nerve impulses to and from the pelvis and may provide relief for both vaginal pain and interstitial cystitis pain. Biofeedback works in some cases. A diet low in oxalates may also help. Other treatments include pelvic floor exercises, biofeedback, behavioral therapy from a psychiatrist, hypnotherapy, surgery, etc. The most radical approach is to surgically remove all the painful tissues. This, unfortunately, does not provide relief in all cases, and occasionally the scarring that results may even make pain and burning worse. This approach is used only if all other treatments fail. —
The writer is a senior gynaecologist and author of the book, “Better Health After Menopause”.
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eYESIGHT
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a disorder of the retina in premature and very low birth-weight infants. ROP is a potentially blinding disease, but it is preventable too. With early and appropriate treatment, we can save the child from blindness and, even in advanced cases, give him/her a vision good enough to move around.
Childhood blindness — particularly ROP — now figures in the priority list of health planners and implementers. It is estimated that 20-40 per cent of preterm infants develop ROP, with 3-7 per cent becoming blind. As neonatal care improves, it results in a higher survival rate for preterm infants. ROP blindness is going to pose a major problem for our health planners. The challenge is to increase the awareness of ROP and introduce the screening of all infants vulnerable to ROP. Why ROP in premature babies? The last 12 weeks of a full-term delivery, from 28-40 weeks gestation, are particularly active for the growth of the foetal eye. Premature children are at risk for developing ROP because they have been taken out of the protective environment of the mother’s womb and are exposed to many things, including medications, high levels of oxygen and variations in light and temperature. Blood supply to the retina starts at 16 weeks of gestation and the vessels gradually grow out over the surface of the retina till the time of birth. In premature infants, the normal growth of the retinal vessels stops and abnormal new vessels begin to grow in response to chemical signals. Make ROP screening a must The aim of screening for ROP is to detect all treatable neonates. Good screening can work miracle as it targets all “at-risk” and can be best done at a neonatal ICU. Whom to screen? 1. Infants with birth weight at or below 1,500 grams. 2. Infants born at or before 32 weeks’ gestational age. 3. Very sick infants with high risk factors for the development of ROP: includes prolonged mechanical ventilation, blood transfusions, infection, intra-ventricular haemorrhages, anaemia, etc. Screening must be initiated at 32 weeks’ gestational age or four weeks after birth, whichever is earlier when ROP begins and is seen clinically. This is followed by another screening at 35-37 weeks’ gestational age. The last screening is done at 39-42 weeks when ROP begins to regress. These three screenings are critical. Natural course of ROP ROP is a transient disease in the majority of the infants with spontaneous regression occurring in 85 per cent of the eyes. Approximately, 7 per cent infants with a birth weight of 1251 gm will eventually develop significant ROP. Most infants with mild ROP that resolves either with or without laser treatment will have no remaining scar tissue. Treatment of ROP Treatment for ROP depends on the severity of the
condition: 1. Mild involvement usually requires nothing more than observation. 2. Moderate involvement needs laser or cryo therapy which is used to eliminate the abnormal vessels before they cause the retina to detach. 3. Severe stages need surgical management. In partial retina detachment scleral buckling is done while in total retina detachment V-R surgery is required. 4. In cases with low vision there are a variety of educational adaptations. Optical aids like hand magnifiers for close work, hand magnifiers for distance viewing, and CCTV (closed-circuit television) can be helpful. Myopic corrections are usually indicated, as well as a high level of illumination. The most significant aspect is that careful monitoring of the retinal status in premature infants will save many premature children from developing ROP. So, if you come across anybody with a premature baby inform them to have ROP screening done. A timely check-up and necessary treatment will enable the child to see this beautiful world. The writer is Chairman and Medical Director, Centre for Sight, New Delhi. E-mail:
msachdev@bol.net.in.
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Family environment behind people turning obese
WASHINGTON: A new study has shown that family environment plays a crucial role in contributing towards children becoming overweight in early adulthood.
The study by Arizona State University researchers states when children grow up in families with bad eating habits and sedentary lifestyles dominated by television watching and video games, they are 33.3 per cent more likely to become overweight or obese as young adults. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for weight control. And the amount of time spent in sedentary activities is a strong predictor of weight gain. No surprise,” said author Ashley Fenzl Crossman. In addition to poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, the study revealed other ways in which parents influence their children’s chances of becoming overweight. Crossman says that adolescents are more likely to become overweight if their parents are obese. Interestingly, the stronger the social bonds are between parent and child, the more likely the child is to be overweight. “The closer children are to their parents, the more likely they are to internalise the values and norms that their parents promote or model. Nearly two-thirds of adults are overweight and 30 per cent are obese. Other reasons might include over-eating due to separation anxiety when the child leaves the home, or parents not wanting to criticize their children’s eating habits when they are young,” Crossman said. High self-esteem has a positive influence on body weight, and children whose parents received a higher level of education have a decreased risk of being overweight or obese. Household income, however, was not significant, indicating that is the educational dimension of parents’ socioeconomic status that matters most for adolescents’ weight status. Crossman has several suggestions for families. Parents and other caretakers should be urged to exert control over children’s diets, including making a healthy breakfast a priority, and to limit the amount of free time that children have to spend on sedentary activities. Parents and other caretakers also need to be made aware that promoting a positive self-esteem in children is also an important element in preventing them from the long-term health risks of excessive weight. Finally, parents who are obese need to understand that they are putting their children at high risk for becoming overweight or obese by modelling unhealthy habits, the researchers say.
— ANI
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London: Mothers who drink even low levels of alcohol during pregnancy could permanently damage their children's intelligence, research suggests.
The study of seven-and-a-half-year-olds by scientists in Detroit found lower IQ scores, and memory and problem-solving difficulties among those who had had low-level exposure to alcohol during pregnancy. The research, which the Department of Health says it wants to consider, appears to challenge current British Government advice that pregnant women can safely consume one to two units of alcohol a week. It has long been established that serious problems such as severe learning difficulties and physical abnormalities can occur when women drink large amounts of alcohol during pregnancy, leading to foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Now American scientists say more research is needed to look at the damage caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol at lower levels. Julie Croxford, from Wayne State University in Detroit, said: "In the past, much focus was placed on studying full-blown FAS. More recent research has considered those individuals damaged by lower levels of exposure. This is an important focus." The study, published in the journal, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, looked at 337 African-American children who were exposed to moderate to heavy levels of alcohol in the womb. It found they were able to perform memory, number and other tasks as well as other youngsters when these tasks were simple, such as naming colours. But when the children were pressed to respond quickly while having to think about the response, their processing speed slowed down significantly.
— The Independent
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Diet programme helpful in prostate cancer
WASHINGTON: A strict vegetarian diet combined with relaxation therapy and exercise may be able to control slow-growing prostate cancer, according to researchers.
Diet guru Dr Dean Ornish said his vegan diet programme, which some studies have suggested can reverse heart disease, also seemed to halt the progression of prostate cancer. Tests on middle-aged and elderly men who had opted to watch indolent prostate tumours rather than treat them suggested that the programme slowed the growth of their cancers. “This is not the definitive study, but it certainly advances the field and it adds new information about how powerful these simple changes can be”, Dr Ornish said in a telephone interview. Writing in the Journal of Urology, Dr Ornish and colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco, and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York said they tested 93 men with prostate cancer. They had an average age of 65 to 76. Prostate cancer is diagnosed in more than 200,000 men every year in the United States and will kill 29,000 this year, according to the American Cancer Society. It can sometimes be a slow-growing cancer and men often opt for “watchful waiting” when they have been diagnosed. They get regular tests of prostate specific antigen, or PSA — a compound in the blood that can help indicate prostate health — digital rectal exam and sometimes ultrasounds of the prostate. Dr Ornish, along with urologist Dr Peter Carroll at UCSF and other experts, divided their 93 volunteers into two groups. One group was not told anything and the other was put on Dr Ornish’s programme. This includes an ultra low-fat vegan diet with fewer than 10 per cent of calories from fat, plenty
of fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains and legumes. “About half their meals were prepared”, Dr Ornish said. They were also told to exercise daily. “It was
mostly walking”, Dr Ornish said. “We asked them to do yoga and meditation”. There were also group sessions once a week during which they did an hour of yoga, ate a group meal and had a group session. After a year, on an average, PSA levels rose in the group that made no changes but fell in the group that followed the Ornish plan. PSA is not always directly linked with cancer, but, Dr Ornish said, it is the best measure available.
— Reuters
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Eating oranges reduces Alzheimer’s risk
WASHINGTON: A new study conducted by researchers at The University of California Irvine suggests that folates or B-vitamin nutrients found in oranges, legumes, leafy green vegetables and folic acid supplements are more effective in limiting Alzheimer’s disease risk than antioxidants and other nutrients.
The team led by Maria Corrada and Dr. Claudia Kawas of UC Irvine’s Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia analysed the diets of non-demented men and women aged 60 and older. They compared the food nutrient and supplement intake of those who later developed Alzheimer’s disease to the intake of those who did not develop the disease. “Although folates appear to be more beneficial than other nutrients, the primary message should be that overall healthy diets seem to have an impact on limiting Alzheimer’s disease risk,” Corrada added. The researchers used data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging to identify the relationship between dietary factors and Alzheimer’s disease risk. Between 1984 and 1991, study volunteers provided detailed dietary diaries, which included supplement intake and calorie amounts, for a typical seven-day period. Ultimately, 57 of the original 579 participants developed Alzheimer’s disease. But the researchers found that those with higher intake of folates, vitamin E and vitamin B6, shared lower comparative rates of the disease. And when the three vitamins were analysed together, only folates were associated with a significantly decreased risk. “The participants who had intakes at or above the 400-microgram recommended dietary allowance of folates had a 55-per cent reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. But most people who reached that level did so by taking folic acid supplements, which suggests that many people do not get the recommended amounts of folates in their diets,” Corrada added. —
ANI
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Ayurveda & you
Known as fenniculum vulgare scientifically, mishreya in sanskrit and saunf in common parlance, fennel is a yellowish green herb which is cultivated throughout India as a leaf-vegetable and seed spice. While forming an important ingredient of the Indian kitchen since ages, it is also a household health recipe of grannies. Fruits, root and oil of the plant have medicinal usages.
Saunf is at the same time sweet, pungent and bitter in taste and is light, sharp and cold in effect. Its chemical analysis shows that it consists of protein, fat, certain minerals, fibre and carbohydrates. It contains both volatile and stable oils having a characteristic taste and odour. It alleviates “vata” and “kapha” is primarily used as digestive, appetising and stimulating agent. Though saunf is shown in different systems of medicines as an aromatic, digestive and carminative agent, ayurvedic texts additionally describe it to be a repellent of abdominal wind, anti-emetic, neutraliser of digestive impurities and an expectorant. Besides this, it is also endowed with anti-colic, glactaguage (that produces milk in breasts) and diuretic properties. It is also mildly antiseptic and vermicidal in action. It is used in a number of digestion-related ailments such as diarrhoea, dysentery, nausea, gas trouble, and anorexia. It is also beneficial in conditions involving minor coughs and colds, burning micturation and halitosis (bad breath). Due to its strong odour, saunf is used as a corrective agent for less pleasant drugs. Many of the confectionary items are invariably flavoured with saunf. Given below are some tips to gain its medicinal benefits: * A drink prepared by boiling a tablespoonful of saunf in 100 ml water is beneficial in indigestion, biliousness, flatulence and dyspepsia. Chewing of saunf after meals is considered helpful not only in digestion of the food and but also in countering the problem of bad breath. As a household remedy, fennel decoction is used in infantile colic and flatulence. it checks diarrhoea and excessive gas formation. Saunf in roasted form has more pronounced anti-diarrhoeal action. * A drink prepared by adding cardamom, cinnamon (dalchini), kiquorice and saunf is a common household remedy to treat minor flu and cough conditions. Soaking overnight one teaspoonful each of coriander and saunf seeds in a glass of water and taking after straining it in the morning ameliorates burning urine occurring in hot weather. * Mix fine powders of saunf, dry ginger, dry rose leaves, senna and rock salt. Taking occasionally one teaspoonful of this powder at bed time relieves the symptoms of gas, flatulence and constipation. * “Arq saunf” drawn with aqueous distillation method is a well-known medicine of the Unani pharmacopea and is used to allay symptoms of indigestion, vomiting and other gastrointestinal disturbances. Dissolved 20 ml of it in a cup of warm water and taken as an adjunct with any other medicine to treat digestive upsets brings faster relief. * Around the globe saunf is
available in many varieties. The Indian saunf, which is a bit rough and bigger in size, is considered to be endowed with all active ingredients and is considered the best for medicinal usages. —
The writer is a Ludhiana-based senior ayurvedic physician.
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