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Pressure to grow old beautifully
Importance of strength training in old age
Ayurveda and You
Health Notes
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When root canal treatment is unavoidable
Inside the hard outer coverings of the tooth lies the soft part of it — the dental pulp. The hard coverings —about 5 to 7 mm thick — are the enamel and the dentin. Dentin is the inner layer that surrounds the dental pulp. Next comes the enamel. The pulp of the tooth contains blood vessels (arteries, veins) and nerves.
In the process of development of dental caries, a cavity forms in the hard part of the tooth. If the tooth is not treated at this stage, the decay reaches the pulp in due time. While the main body of pulp resides in the crown of the tooth, another portion of pulp runs into the roots of the tooth, and is called root canals. This root part of the pulp, being connected with the crown pulp, also gets infected gradually. The spread of caries to the pulp is associated with pain, much like the pain one experiences when skin suddenly gets abraded. However, the intensity of tooth pain is much more. Why is tooth pain unbearable? The reason is that as a reaction to the infection, blood vessels expand to supply more blood to the infection site, which is a normal phenomenon following any infection. Excess blood enters the pulp but cannot leave as the apical opening at the end of the root through which the blood vessels enter into the tooth is very small, roughly 0.25mm in diameter. As a result, the blood vessels press on the nerves in the pulp, causing severe pain. Unlike an infection elsewhere in the body, a tooth infection cannot be treated by antibiotics alone. This is because the blood carrying antibiotics cannot reach the infection site. Why? In an attempt to supply more blood to the infection site, the blood vessels at the apical foramen cannot expand because the rigid walls of the tooth surrounding the foramen do not provide sufficient space. This results in self-strangulation of blood vessels. The blood supply to the tooth gets cut off and the dental pulp in the tooth dies. Since the blood coming through the narrow apical foramina cannot reach the pulp, the dead tissue remains in the root and is a potential source of bacterial infection. This infection lies dormant and erupts when one’s resistance goes down or the bacterial number increases to levels the body cannot tackle. In contrast, blood vessels in the other parts of the body can expand because of the resilience of the soft tissue; the protective and killer cells of blood remove the infected portion and healing takes place. A long-standing unattended infection in the pulp can lead to infections outside the apical foramen into the surrounding bone, and may also result in swelling, even abscess formation. The management of such teeth is root canal treatment, popularly known as RCT. It is a delicate operation and requires expertise. The procedure is carried out under local anaesthesia and normally is not painful. It consists of removing the dead tissue, first from the crown and then the root canals. The number of roots is different for various teeth. Depending upon their number, there will be corresponding small openings at the base of the crown. Using very fine needles (reamers and files) and entering through these holes, the pulp from the root canals is removed right up to the apex. The dentist checks if he has reached the apex with x-rays. He, by different means, tests if the infection in the tooth has been controlled. The whole procedure should ideally be carried out under protective stretchable rubber sheet (rubber dam). This is like draping a patient while operating on any part of the body. Here the rubber dam exposes only the tooth to be operated. This protects the patient from chance slippage of the fine needles from the hands, which is not uncommon. It also helps in maintaining the sterility of the operating field. After satisfactory removal of pulp and control of infection, the empty space in the root canals is filled with an inert material — gutta percha. Following this, the tooth is filled with a suitable filling material. Normally, it is customary to give a crown over the root-canal-treated tooth. The dentist may find adequate remaining tooth structure in some cases and forgo the crown. The RCT procedure saves the tooth, which otherwise would have been extracted. It functions like a healthy tooth without any painful episodes. The life of the root-canal-treated tooth can be prolonged if one keeps in mind the following: (i) avoid biting very hard items on it as it is a compromised tooth, (ii) take care of the hygiene of this tooth by way of brushing and Interdental cleaning. A root-canal-treated and crowned tooth requires more oral hygiene care than the natural teeth in the mouth. In case there is failure of RCT, it can still be revised. It consists of taking out the gutta percha with the help of solvents and re-doing the procedure more meticulously. It works. The writer is Professor, Oral Health Sciences
Centre, PGI, Chandigarh.
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Pressure to grow old beautifully
Anorexia used to be regarded as a teenagers' disease. But now, the prevalence of youthful-looking older celebrities such as Sharon Stone and Madonna is being linked to a rise in the number of women in their 50s being treated for anorexia and other eating disorders.
Glamorous images of celebrities in their 40s, 50s and 60s looking as slim and youthful as they did in their 20s may give older women unrealistic expectations of how they should look as they age, experts have warned. The British Dietetic Association
(BDA) says eating disorder clinics are no longer the preserve of young females. Eating disorder specialists say they are increasingly seeing middle-aged women being treated in their clinics. Ursula Philpot, a dietitian at the Yorkshire Centre for Eating Disorders and chairman of the BDA's Mental Health Group, said older women now made up at least 10 per cent of eating disorder patients. The number of men being treated is also on the rise, she added.
— The Independent
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Importance of strength training in old age
It is true that old age brings with it many physical and physiological changes. But it is also true that by undertaking appropriate strengthening and endurance activities one can remain fit and at least postpone many changes. There is also a shift in thinking now that much of the deterioration in various body tissues is more due to disuse than the aging process.
The saying goes that “One is as old as one thinks”. The general feeling is that if one becomes old one is too weak to exercise. This brings in lack of physical activity leading to a decrease in strength, stamina and self-confidence. Having a positive attitude vis-à-vis aging makes an individual not only more confident and physically active but also
mentally healthy. The effects of aging are: Muscle strength decreases particularly after the age of 60 years. Bone mass declines especially in women after menopause due to the hormonal imbalance. In the spine, bone mass loss can cause fracture of the vertebrae, resulting in upper-back hump. Osteoporosis can also
cause hip fractures. The heart muscles become weak to propel a large quantity of blood to the body. Cardiac output decreases by about 20 per cent compared to the situation in a young adults. Blood pressure increases by 10 mm due to decreased elasticity
of the blood vessels. Lack of coordination occurs due to slow reaction time. Joints become inflamed and arthritic as the cushioning cartilage begins to break down from a lifetime of use. The following exercises help all-round physical well-being: Cardio exercises for seniors: Endurance can decline over the years. It is important to engage in some type of aerobic exercise --- walking, swimming, biking, gardening, golfing, tennis, etc. It is recommended that seniors should do cardio exercise daily for 30 minutes. If they are not able to go in for an exercise programme for some reason, they should start doing 5-10 minutes of a cardio exercise three times a week to allow their body to get used to it. Each week they should add a
few minutes of exercise until one can move continuously for 30 or more minutes. Strength training has incredible benefits, especially for seniors. It is believed that “resistance exercises may forestall a decline in strength and muscle mass for decades.” Strength training by lifting weight or with a stretch-band can make bones stronger, increase muscle strength and ultimately improve the body’s balance. Performing strength exercises at least twice a week but not for the same muscle group on any two days in a row is ideal. Wrist Flexion: Sitting on a chair, place one end of the stretch-band under the foot and hold the other end in the hand with the palm up. Rest the forearm on the thigh, with the wrist and one of the hands protruding beyond the knee and bend the wrist and feel the tension in the forearm muscles. Repeat 8-10 times. Biceps: Sitting on a chair, loop one end of the stretch-band under
the foot, holding the other end in the hand. Rest the forearm on the thigh. Bend your elbow to feel tension
in the biceps muscle. Repeat 8-10 times. Rowing: Sitting on a chair with one leg extended, loop the band around the ball of the foot and hold the ends with the hands. Now pull the stretch-band towards the chest. Return back and repeat 10 times. Calf stretch: Sit on a bed with one leg outstretched. Loop the stretch-band around the ball of the foot. Pull the band towards the body. A stretch shall be felt in the calf muscle. Stay for a count of 10. Return back,
repeat 8-10 times. Quadriceps stretch: While lying on the back, wrap the band around both ankles. Raise one leg towards the ceiling. Feel tension in the
front of the thigh muscle. Repeat 8-10 times. Hamstring stretch: Lying the face downwards, loop the band around the ankles. Bend one leg towards the hips and feel the tension in the back of the thigh muscles. Return back, repeat 10 times. With age, people undertaking appropriate physical activity, including a strengthening exercise, remain comfortable, active and alert throughout their life. Lack of it leads to early osteoporosis and inadequate muscle strength, thereby leading to long-term physical and mental disability with associated complications. The writer is a former doctor/physiotherapist, Indian cricket team.
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Ayurveda and You
Though depression is not a normal or necessary part of aging, many elderly persons face the risk of suffering from this problem owing to significant changes in life. Affecting the person in totality, depression is a whole body disorder which makes the patient sick both physically and mentally.
Old age depression is a matter of concern because it turns out to be a devastating condition not only for the patient but also for the whole family. One can visualise the description of depression in ancient ayurvedic texts as “kaphaj unmada”. Older adults with a family history of depression are more prone to be afflicted by it. Loneliness and isolation coupled with the feeling of purposelessness due to retirement or cessation of an active lifestyle many times bring depressive mood changes in elderly people. Similarly, prolonged or chronic illness and disability and some prescription medicines can also trigger depression. Fear of death, anxiety over financial burdens, health issues and bereavement in the shape of death of spouse or a close friend result in depression in many old people. Quite often recognising depression in the elderly unless it is acute is difficult because there are many other signs and symptoms which actually mask it. The patient may simply feel sad and fatigued and lose interest in hobbies and other pleasurable pastimes resulting in social withdrawal. The sleep pattern also gets disturbed, and many aged persons having depression feel difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep while some others may oversleep. Loss of appetite, negative thinking, less interest in personal make-up and hygiene, worries about being a burden, self-loathing, irritability and increasing the use of alcohol are some of the important signs of depression in older adults. Many elderly persons may deny feeling sad or depressed, still they have a major depression problem. Most of the times unexplained aches and pains, low motivation and other complaints which are incompatible with the clinical findings too have their origin in a depressive state of mind. Another old age problem called dementia often gets confused with depression. It should be remembered that in dementia the mental decline happens slowly and the patient remains confused and disoriented even in familiar situations and his other cognitive skills are also impaired. Depression interferes with a person’s ability to seek help besides robbing him of energy, vibrancy and, to some extent, self-esteem. Many depressed seniors, raised in an era when psychiatric illnesses were stigmatised, are too ashamed to talk about their problem. Depression is less likely to happen in the case of those who remain active and are socially interactive. Maintaining a healthy diet, a regular exercise schedule and staying positively connected with family members and friends and enjoying leisure time with satisfying hobbies definitely improve the life of elderly people. In case depression is increasing, professional help becomes necessary. Since depressive illness has a complex ateopathogenesis and variable clinical presentations, ayurvedic researchers like their allopathic counterparts are trying hard to re-evaluate their approach to find an appropriate remedy for it. Apart from the panchkarma therapy and many classical medicines, combinations of many herbs like Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera), Jyotishmati (Celastrus Paniculatus), Kapikachhu (Mucuna Pruriens) and St. John’s Wort (Hypericum Perforatum) are being worked upon to find a safe and suitable medicine for geriatric depression.
The writer is a Ludhiana-based senior ayurvedic consultant.
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Health Notes
WASHINGTON: Skipping breakfast might seem like a good way to many teens to save on calories, but a new study suggests the opposite, and says that eating healthy breakfast daily may help adolescents avoid overeating later in the day and might help disrupt unhealthy eating patterns.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health Project Eating Among Teens (EAT) studied the link between breakfast frequency and five-year body weight change in more than 2,200 adolescents. Their findings indicated that daily breakfast eaters consumed a healthier diet and were more physically active as compared to the breakfast skippers during adolescence.
— ANI
All dietary guides ‘share
consistent messages’
WASHINGTON: Researchers at National Cancer Institute (NCI) have revealed that even though dietary guides are derived from different types of nutrition research, they share consistent messages. With increased advances in nutrition science, there has been an evolution of sorts in the advice regarding what to eat for optimal health. This has resulted in contradicting the dietary recommendations made time and again. However, the researchers after reviewing three leading dietary guides found that all the primary recommendations in the guides are consistent despite using different methodologies to create them.
— ANI
Cancer patients more likely to go for dietary supplements
WASHINGTON: Cancer survivors are turning to complementary and alternative medicine in increasing numbers to manage the short-term and long-term effects of their conditions. Thus, researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have concluded in a study that having a chronic medical condition such as cancer is the primary factor in a person’s decision to use dietary supplements. For the study, the NCI researchers assessed the records of more than 9,000 people. It was discovered that adults with cancer or other chronic conditions were more prone to use supplements than people reporting no illness.
— ANI
Adult stem cells may help explain premature aging in kids
These findings, by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are the first to indicate a biological basis for the clinical features of HGPS, also known as progeria.
— ANI |
WASHINGTON:
Skipping breakfast might seem like a good way to many teens to save on calories, but a new study suggests the opposite, and says that eating healthy breakfast daily may help adolescents avoid overeating later in the day and might help disrupt unhealthy eating patterns.
LONDON: Adult stem cells may help explain what causes Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), a rare disease that triggers premature aging in kids, a new study has found.