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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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Never ignore painful ankle
Ayurveda & you
Beyond conventional Lasik and Epilasik
Health Notes HIV hides in gut to evade drugs New device to determine cause of Parkinson’s Crucial enzyme for Huntington’s disease Fatty acids in oily fish
help cut obesity Dark skin does not block cancer
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Never ignore painful ankle Achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in the human body. It connects the large calf muscles to the heel bone —- calcaneus. This tendon transfers the energy of the calf muscles to push the foot off the ground. This puts tension on the top of the heel bone. The term Achilles is derived from a Greek mythological character, Achilles. It implies pain, swelling and tenderness in an area of around 2 cm to 6 cm above the insertion of the tendon into the heel bone. Achilles tendinitis is a painful and debilitating injury with serious complications in most cases. The pain is agonizing, and many athletes have to undergo surgery to get rid of this painful condition. The primary cause is overuse leading to inflammation and injury to the tendon area. The longer one runs, the greater is the likelihood of one’s suffering from this condition. Usual sufferers are male runners between 35 and 45 years of age. The usual presentation in these cases is a greater degree of rear-foot pronation, flat feet and reduced ankle muscle strength. Achilles tendinitis could be an acute or chronic condition. Acute injury is the result of overuse or training too much too soon, especially on the hard surfaces or up-hills. The pain experienced during the acute phase of the injury tends to disappear after a warm-up, but returns when training has stopped. If treatment is not initiated early, the condition may become chronic and then it is difficult to treat. The causes of Achilles tendinitis are the following:·
* Tight calf muscles · *
Sudden increase in the exercise· * Wearing ill-fitted shoes· *
Frequent changing between high heels and flat shoes. The symptoms are pain, redness and swelling over the affected area, especially in the morning or during the post-exercise period. The treatment suggested is rest to the affected foot and avoiding weight-bearing activities. The following can also help: *
Ice-packs to decrease pain and inflammation. * Ultrasound followed by deep friction message to decrease pain and inflammation. *
In acute cases, taping the back of the heel and leg provides support thereby reducing inflammation. *
Wearing a heel-pad takes off the strain on Achilles tendon. On not undergoing proper treatment, the tendon could rupture, making it virtually impossible to walk. If the conservative treatment mentioned above doesn’t help, then a surgical repair has to be undertaken or a cast has to be worn. Certain exercises also help reduce pain and inflammation. The aim of these exercises is to strengthen the leg muscles in a similar pattern as they work during running. *
Ankle-to-toe walks * Heel walks * Heel drop and calf raise *
One-leg knee bends * Calf stretch Stand with both hands on the wall. Place one leg in front of the other, bend the front leg without raising the heel of the back leg, a stretch will be felt at the calf muscle. Stay for a count of 15 to 20, change the legs and do three repetitions two to three times a day. Achilles tendinitis is an extremely painful and debilitating condition which could be cured easily if treatment is initiated early and correctly. If delayed it could transform into a chronic condition, requiring surgery and causing a lot of suffering and agony. |
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Ayurveda & you Acharya Sushruta, the sage surgeon of yore while describing cancer as “karkatarbuda”, had briefly dealt with its reasons. It is an intriguing fact that only a few decades ago cancer was not so common, but now every third person carries a life-time’s risk of acquiring this dreaded disease. The number of cancer-causing agents is rising everyday, and experts believe the changing lifestyle is the single-most reason responsible for its genesis. Of the many conditions said to be favourable forthe origin and growth of cancer, smoking is the deadliest of all. The type of malignancies related to chewing and smoking of tobacco accounts for more than one-third of human cancers like that of the mouth, tongue, throat, lungs, stomach, kidney and blood. India tops the list of the prevalence of oral cancer in the world thanks to the widespread habit of tobacco chewing. Even a non-smoking person sitting in the vicinity of a smoker is not spared from the carcinogenic effects of tobacco smoke. Tobacco provides many carcinogens, toxins and free radicals to the body. Ayurveda has emphasised that only fresh, wholesome and naturally prepared food is good for health, but we are living in a time when our exposure to food related carcinogens is increasing. Junk food and chemically refined eatables, additives, preservatives, sweeteners, colorants and residues of excessively used pesticides and other water borne impurities like toxic industrial wastes and heavy metals are playing havoc with our health. Not to end here, doubts are also raised about the safety of the way we store food and use modern gadgets to prepare our meals. The ancient acharyas have laid great stress on the purity of the environment. About 10 per cent of the human cancers are caused by industrial toxins and occupational hazards. Starting from various types of air pollutants to the use of harmful chemicals in our day to-day life
and undue exposure to lead, arsenic, mercury, aluminium, nickel and cadmium has a certain level of negative effect on the body. Similarly, higher than permissible electromagnetic fields generated by several technological devices may also adversely interfere with the normal functioning of body cells. Studies published by Harvard University in 1995 tell that hormone-replacement therapies and certainanti-pregnancy and fertility-improving medicines have been found to raise the risk of breast and cervix cancer. There is much higher risk of cancer in those persons whose immune system is suppressed due to any factor like under-nutrition, old age, HIV or with chronic or habitual use of antibiotics and steroids. Modern lifestyle is viewed by experts as a source of many health problems. Chronic or long-term tension generated by off-putting emotions like anxiety, hate, resentment, frustration, and anger slowly suppresses the activity of immune cells by inducing secretions of negative hormones and enhances the risk of cancer. The writer is a Ludhiana-based senior ayurvedic
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Beyond conventional Lasik and Epilasik A new approach to creating a flap in the Lasik procedures has the potential of reducing induced aberrations, shortening recovery time and delivering consistently better visual outcomes. Lepto-Lasik combines the speed, comfort and stability of Lasik with the optical quality and safety of Epilasik. Lepto-Lasik derives from the Greek term Leptos or thin, and describes a method of flap creation where the emphasis is on sparing tissue. In Lasik, a specialised precision instrument called microkeratome helps create a flap of the cornea which is lifted and the exposed middle layers of the cornea are treated with the excimer laser beam with unmatched precision depending upon the degree of refractive error. With standard Lasik, the flap is created at a depth of 130-180
microns. The excimer laser treatment ablates the remaining cornea by approximately 12 microns for every 1.00 dioptre of correction. Therefore, in patients with thin corneas and high refractive errors there is risk of excessive thinning of the residual corneal bed with the risk of potential corneal ectasia (bulging of the central cornea). To get over the risk of ectasia, eye surgeons resorted to modified surface ablation (Epilasik) in patients with thin corneas and high refractive errors. But Epilasik has its own limitations (patient discomfort and pain, prolonged visual recovery, prolonged topical steroids, risk of persistent corneal haze, regression,
etc). Thus it lacks the “WOW” effect of Lasik. To overcome the problems faced with conventional Lasik and Epilasik, Lepto-Lasik (thin-flap Lasik) is the latest treatment which has been introduced. In Lepto-Lasik, the flap is created at a depth of 90 microns. It employs the use of special disposable microkeratome heads marked “90” for use with the Moria M2 (France) microkeratome. There are several clear advantages of adopting such a approach. First, the greater cellular density in the upper layers of the cornea allows for a cleaner, smoother flap and consequently an improved adhesion of the flap to the stromal bed after the ablation. Secondly, the fact that Lepto-Lasik employs a thinner flap means that there is more tissue available for the actual Another benefit of Lepto-Lasik is that the thinner flaps enable surgeons to treat a larger optical zone with a shallower ablation depth. This means that not only are we saving tissue but are also giving our patients a better quality of vision. There is also a safety benefit for patients who choose to undergo Lepto-Lasik as thinner flap prevents the risk of potential post-Lasik ectasia. Advantages over standard treatment *
Patients experienced much faster visual recovery. (Optimal visual recovery within 12 hours after surgery). *
Reduction in higher order aberrations, thus better quality of vision. *
Improvement in contrast sensitivity. * No complaints of haloes or glare. *
Useful for eyes with thin corneas. * Can correct high refractive errors safely. *
Significantly lowers the risk of potential ectasia. *
Can be used in all patients for increased safety. *
Possibility of re-treatment at a later stage. * Available with disposable microkeratome heads only. Advantages over Epilasik *
No discomfort and pain (pain, photophobia and excessive watering occurs in most cases of Epilasik for three or four days). *
Bandage contact lens not required (bandage contact lens is applied for three or four days after Epilasik). *
Visual recovery very fast. Optimal visual recovery occurs within 12 hours with Leptolasik. (It takes upto one week for visual recovery with Epilasik). *
Stability of vision is quick (It may take upto three months for the stability of vision in some cases with Epilasik). *
No risk of corneal haze (persistent corneal haze can hamper vision in some cases of Epilasik, specially with higher corrections). *
Post-operative treatment is not prolonged as compared to Epilasik. *
Results are highly predictable with Leptolasik (less predictable, specially with higher corrections in Epilasik). *
Patients experience “WOW” effect with Leptolasik. (not possible with Epilasik). The writer is a Ludhiana-based eye surgeon. |
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Health Notes WASHINGTON: A new way of delivering corrective genes with a single injection into a vein holds promise for long-lasting treatments of hereditary diseases of the heart, University of Florida researchers report. UF researchers used the approach to successfully reverse symptoms in mice with a form of muscular dystrophy that damages the heart. They also tested the virus-based delivery method in monkeys and found genes were readily absorbed by heart muscle cells, and the effect persisted for months. The findings, published on July 27 in the online edition of Circulation Research, pave the way for studies in humans that could begin as soon as early next year for patients with Pompe disease, a rare form of muscular dystrophy that is usually fatal in the first year of life.
— ANI
HIV hides in gut to evade drugs
LONDON: US scientists have found that HIV is able to survive drug attack by hiding out in the gut lining. Even when blood tests suggested antiretroviral treatment was working, the virus continued to replicate in the gut, suppressing immune function. Writing in the Journal of Virology, the authors recommend earlier, aggressive drug treatment to combat this. The University of California team also suggests monitoring patients with gut biopsies as well as blood tests. The gut is acting as a viral reservoir that keeps us from ridding patients of the virus.
— ANI
New device to determine cause of Parkinson’s
Washington: Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden are trying to develop a new genetic model, which may be able to detect one set of causes for Parkinson’s disease, the origin of which has long remained a mystery. The researchers have found out that mutations in a number of genes can lead directly to Parkinson’s disease, while other mutations may be susceptibility factors, so that carriers have an increased risk of becoming ill. A common denominator for some of the implicated genes is their suggested role for the normal functioning of mitochondria. Researchers have now mimicked disturbances of mitochondria in mice, which is thought to be one of the cause of the disease. By genetic means the disturbance of mitochondria and the energy factories of cells were directed to those nerve cells that produce the transmitter substance dopamine, which often die in Parkinson’s disease.
— ANI
Crucial enzyme for Huntington’s disease
Washington: A research team from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND) has identified an enzyme which may play a crucial role in treating Huntington’s disease. The researchers have found out that an enzyme known to be critical for the repair of damaged cells and the maintenance of cellular energy may be a useful target for new strategies to treat Huntington’s disease (HD) and other disorders characterised by low cellular energy levels. The research team has discovered a novel inhibitor of Poly polymerase (PARP1) and those PARP1 inhibitors can protect HD-affected cells from damage in laboratory assays.
— ANI
Fatty acids in oily fish
help cut obesity
London: Fatty acids found in oily fish won’t only make you age slowly, but as a new research has found, will also help keep your weight down and maintain good health — as long as you exercise a bit. A 12-week trial by a group of researchers from the University of South
Australia has led by Professor Peter Howe, conducted on 68 overweight-to-obese adults at the risk of coronary disease, found that daily doses of oil containing Omega-3 fatty acids, combined with moderate exercise like walking, can result in significant weight loss. The researchers found that fish oil helps people lose weight by increasing the elasticity of blood vessel walls and improving the flow of blood to muscles while they exercise.— ANI
Dark skin does not block cancer
WASHINGTON: Contrary to common perception that people with dark skin are less likely to die from skin cancer, a new research has found that although the disease is less common in them, when it does occur it is typically more aggressive and diagnosed later, which leads to more deaths. The Cincinnati University work is a warning to anyone who wrongly assumes skin tone makes some immune to cancer. Lead researcher Dr Hugh Gloster said: “There’s a perception that people with darker skin don’t have to worry about skin cancer, but that’s not true. Minorities do get skin cancer, and because of this false perception most cases aren’t diagnosed until they are more advanced and difficult to treat”.
— ANI
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