Cooling down exercises prevent muscle soreness
Dr Ravinder Chadha

Exercise is an activity that causes stress on the body, which has to adopt itself to this stimulus by building muscles and strengthening the heart and respiration. Any exercise programme when initiated should comprise proper warming up and cooling down to prevent stiffness and soreness.

Acute pain occurs when exercise is intense, as it produces muscle ischaemia (decreased blood flow) and then the muscle is unable to remove the metabolic waste products such as lactic acid, potassium, etc, quickly and effectively. An increase in the concentration of these metabolites stimulates pain and is a warning signal to slow down or cease the exercise intensity for increasing blood flow and reversing the process.

Delayed muscle soreness is a dull ache developed 24 to 48 hours after unaccustomed physical activity. This is due to torn tissues, muscle spasm and strain. An increase in the intensity and duration of the exercise in a short span pushes up the enzyme activity and muscle soreness. High -intensity, short- span exercise increases enzyme activity and muscle soreness as compared to a low intensity exercise of a long duration.

In certain cases, exhaustive exercises can disturb sleep primarily in the early part of the night. If one feels more depressed and experiences more mood swings these could be signs of over-training and this means that the individual should take a break.

Regular exercisers should learn to know their heart rate by recording it as the first thing in the morning (while still in the bed). If it has increased by around eight beats per minute over a day this indicates over-exercising and hence the need to rest or cut down on the exercise.

Prior to starting any physical exercise a warm-up programme for approximately five minutes is mandatory. This can be achieved with moderate continuous movement as in walking, slow jogging or bicycling. The aim is to increase blood circulation and prepare muscles for stretching. A warm muscle is more flexible, hence it ensures protection against injury and enhances performance.

Anti-inflammatory medicines don’t alleviate pain. The following stretching exercises should be undertaken to combat muscle stiffness:

• Lie on the back with knees bend. Bring both knees towards the body. Hold for 10 seconds and feel the stretch at lower back. Return back and repeat 10 times.
• Lie on the back, arms outstretched at the shoulder level. Bend both legs at 90 degree and slowly drop the knees to the left until the left knee is touching the floor. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat on other side.
• Sit against the wall with knees straight. Hold a towel with both hands after placing it at the upper part of the foot. First push the towel with the foot away from the body for five seconds and after that slowly pull the towel towards the body to stretch calf muscle. Repeat it three-four times.

The writer is a former doctor/physiotherapist, Indian cricket team.

Health Notes
Now laser can burn fat

WASHINGTON: Here’s good news for those of you who are desperately trying to shed those extra kilos, as a new research has shown that it may be possible to melt fat with the help 
of a laser.

Researchers at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and the Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) have shown that a laser can preferentially heat lipid-rich tissues, or fat, in the body without harming the overlying skin.

Laser therapies based on the new research could treat a variety of health conditions, including severe acne, atherosclerotic plaque, and unwanted cellulite.

In the first part of the study, the researchers used human fat obtained from surgically discarded normal tissue. Based on a fat absorption spectrum, tissue was exposed to a range of wavelengths of infrared laser light (800-2600 nanometers) using the Free- Electron Laser facility at Jefferson Lab. — ANI

Spectacles can help you hear!

LONDON: Dutch scientists at the Delft University of Technology claim to have designed eye glasses that also double-up as a hearing aid.

Traditional hearing aids intensify sounds from all directions, causing wearers to hear noise, but not the people to whom they are talking. The glasses, called Varibel, features four tiny, interconnected microphones in each of the legs of the glasses frame, which selectively intensify the sounds that come from the direction the person is looking, while dampening the surrounding noise.

Apart from their unaesthetic appearance, traditional hearing aids intensify sounds from all directions, sometimes making it hard for a user to focus on normal conversation. This causes many to withdraw from social settings and even leave their jobs earlier in life. But with Varibel, sounds are picked up primarily from the direction a user is looking. — ANI

Low self-esteem is dagerous

WASHINGTON: A new study has found that low self- esteem and peer approval of drug use at age 11 predicted drug dependency at age 20 in boys.

The study, by John Taylor and Donald Lloyd from Florida State University and George Warheit from University of Miami, was conducted by analyzing data from a multiethnic sample of 872 boys collected over a period of nine years.

Dr John Taylor said that low self-esteem is a kind of the spark plug for self-destructive behaviours, and that it can lead to problems such as drug dependency.

“Low self-esteem is a kind of the spark plug for self-destructive behaviors, and drug use is one of these. It’s a fundamental need to have a good sense of self. Without it, people may become pathologically unhappy with themselves, and that can lead to some very serious problems,” he said.

The researchers found that children with very low self-esteem, or “self-derogation” at the age of 11, were 1.6 times more likely to meet the criteria for drug dependence by the time they reached 20, and that the odds of drug dependence among early drug users were 17.6 times greater than among those who had not tried drugs by age 13.— ANI

Dementia linked to ovary removal

LONDON: A new study has found that women who have their ovaries removed may be at an increased risk of dementia — the loss of cognitive function (cognition) due to changes in the brain.

The study, by a team of researchers led by Dr Walter Rocca from Mayo Clinic, was based on data collected from 1,209 women who had both ovaries removed, and 1,302 who had one removed, between 1950 and 1987.

The researchers found that the removal of one ovary by the age of 38 raised the risk of dementia in women by 260 per cent while women who had both ovaries removed by the age of 46 had a 70 per cent increased risk of dementia or cognitive impairment. — ANI

Parents and child’s emotions

WASHINGTON: Contrary to the earlier belief that teachers are better than parents at evaluating the behaviour of school kids, because teachers have a bigger group of children to compare from, a study done by a researcher at the University of Virginia shows that while teachers are better at rating bad behaviours, parents are better at assessing their child’s emotional states.

The findings of the study emphasise the importance and role of teachers and parents working together in the child’s best interest.

“Our results indicate that both parents and teachers are important considerations when assessing a child’s overall behavioral disposition,” said Associate Professor Timothy Konold, coordinator of research, statistics and evaluation at U.Va.’s Curry School of Education.

“The results have important implications for the manner in which we collect information on child behaviour problems that are used to inform instruction and counselling decisions,” he added.

One of the study’s commonly used questionnaire rating 96 behaviours typically reveals different scores on the same behaviours when mothers, fathers and teachers evaluate their children, who sought to determine which rating was a better assessment. — ANI

BOOKS
Eye care: the basic facts
Dr R. Kumar

Mayo Clinic, USA, has remained dedicated to providing comprehensive diagnoses, accurate answers and effective treatment to patients since the early 1900s. It occupies an unparalleled position as health information resource for millions of people all over the world. The book under review, "Mayo Clinic on Vision and Eye Health", brought out Orient Paperbacks, Delhi, gives the information one needs for proper eye care and protecting one’s eyesight. It provides basic facts about the functioning of the eye, normal and abnormal vision and colour vision, refractive errors and their correction with spectacles, contact lenses and surgical modalities, including lasers.

The eye problems affecting older age groups are discussed in detail. Common problems of aging include presbyopia (need for reading glasses at 40 plus), glaucoma, cataract, macular degeneration, eyelids problems and dry eye. The authors have emphasised that the information given is to supplement the advice of the doctor and not to replace him.

Stating the importance of a periodic examination by your eye specialist, it says regular check-ups help to detect the eye disease when it is easily treatable.

In the case of children, it should be done at birth, after one year, three years and five years and then every alternate years. For adults, one examination between 20-39 may be enough, if everything is right.

After 40 years of age once in two years up to 60 and then every year should be the practice. Wearing of corrective spectacles is the most useful exercise in children or adults and as long as they correct your sight, there should be no hesitation or delay. However, one can choose contact lenses or laser correction if so desired.

Occurrence of symptoms like hazy or blurred vision flashes of light or black spots, halos or rainbow around lights and severe pain can signal a serious disease. Persons with these symptoms and those with eye injury of any kind should be taken to an eye specialist without delay. Use of protective eye-glasses and sun-glasses is highly recommended. Those suffering from diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and headache must get eye consultation.

In the case of those suffering from diabetes, an eye examination and follow-up are very important. The authors caution about smoking — it not only irritates the eyes, but triples the risk of cataract and macular degeneration as well. Advising on diet, the authors say that you must take vegetables and fruits several times a day. Look for dark green, deep yellow or orange fruits and vegetables. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, mango, spinach and potatoes are very helpful. Mega doses of vitamins can have serious side-effects, so better avoid these.

What the book has not mentioned is the existence of NETROPNISHAD in ancient Indian literature, where chanting of mantras from the Upanishads can prove beneficial in otherwise incurable conditions of the eye. However, the book does tell about the importance of low vision aids, where vision does not improve with glasses.

The writer is a Chandigarh-based eye surgeon.