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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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A less traumatic technique for baldies to have hair
When to get yourself screened for cancer?
How to beat backache
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A less traumatic technique for baldies to have hair
All the techniques used so far, no doubt, give a permanent solution to the problem of baldness, but require considerable time (to the tune of one year) before one is able to achieve a good crown of hair. For this reason, the hair implantation ready-to-go technique has gained popularity since its first introduction in 1976, spreading from Japan to all over the world. The implantation is done with artificial synthetic hair fibres, which are available in 13 standard colours and have a standard length of 15 cm. These fibres, of course, are not able to grow and stay as such, with their knots firmly embedded in the scalp. These fibres can be washed and dried like natural hair but cannot be blow-dried, bleached, dyed or permanently waved. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the technique launch, some mistakes affected the performance of this kind of implants. First, the implanted materials chosen led to foreign body reactions. Second, the artificial hairs were often implanted in non-sterile environments by untrained operators. Third, no careful patient selection on the basis of general health and scalp conditions was ever carried out. To overcome these problems, researches were done to obtain a non-toxic and non-allergic hair-like dyed fibre suitable for hair implant. Very strict guidelines were defined by trained dermatosurgeons for surgical implantation of fibres and that too only in sterile operation theatres. These guidelines were necessary not only for ethical reasons but also for the success rate of hair implantation. The technique became popular and successful only after standardisation, especially for those patients who were in the advanced stage of baldness, with no donor area left for hair transplantation. The ideal candidates for hair implantation are all those suffering from and- rogenetic (male pattern baldness) alopecia as well as cicatricial (scarring) alopecia. Patients are informed of the temporary nature of the artificial hair implants, since maintenance sessions are required on an yearly basis to replace 15 to 20 per cent yearly loss of these fibres. Patients are submitted to two preliminary tolerance implant tests of 100 fibres each, performed at an interval of 30 to 40 days. If there is no sensitivity observed for 30-60 days after the second test implantation, subsequent sessions of 500-600 fibres are repeated every 20-30 days till a satisfactory cosmetic outcome is achieved. Some 3000-4000 fibres are implanted on an average in toto in multiple sessions. Once at home, the patients is instructed to maintain scalp hygiene by washing hair daily with antiseptic mild shampoo and applying lotions containing sebum-control products. The evaluation of results is excellent in more than 85 per cent of the patients treated with hair implantation. It is definitely a suitable method for dermatosurgeons who prefer a less traumatic technique in baldies seeking in immediate aesthetic result. The writer is Chief Dermatologist, Mohan Dai Oswal
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When to get yourself screened for cancer?
Every year, lakhs of people die from cancer. It is thought to develop due to a complex interplay of genetics and environment. It is very important to detect cancer before it spreads, as treatment is most effective when cancer is found early. It is hard to predict or explain why one person gets cancer and another does not. Therefore, it is important to get screened for cancers when you reach a certain age. A screening test is useful only when it leads to early treatment and decreases death from the disease. That is why only a few cancers have established guidelines for early detection.
Breast cancer: Clinical breast examination by a doctor should be incorporated into a regular health check-up every three years starting at age 20 and yearly after age 40. Mammography has been found to be a useful tool in the early diagnosis of breast cancer. Yearly mammograms starting at age 50 have been shown to decrease mortality by 20 per cent to 30 per cent. Screening starting at age 40 is controversial, but has shown some benefits. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) should only be used to screen women at high risk for breast cancer (family members with a history of breast and/or ovarian cancer). Screening women at regular risk for breast cancer with MRI is more expensive and not proven to be better than mammography. Cervical cancer: Screening for cervical cancer should begin at age 21. The test is called a PAP smear and should be done by a gynaecologist. If by age 30 women have had three negative PAP smears, then the screening can spread out to every three years. The recommended age to stop screening is 70 years or women who have undergone a total hysterectomy (removal of uterus and cervix). This screening test has resulted in many cancers being diagnosed early and is necessary for all women. Colon and rectal cancer: Men and women both can benefit from screening for this cancer. There are multiple tests that can be used. Starting at age 50, one can get either colonoscopy every 10 years, a sigmoidoscopy every five years, fecal occult blood test yearly or a double contrast barium enema every five years (Discuss these tests with your doctor to see what fits you best). The fecal occult blood test is the easiest test to perform and can be done at home. People should begin screening earlier if they have a family history of colorectal cancer (Starting 10 years before the youngest family member developed colon or rectal cancer). Prostate cancer: Men should get yearly prostate specific examination (PSA); which is a blood test and digital rectal examinations yearly starting at age 50. Men whose first-degree relatives (fathers or brothers) were diagnosed before age 65 should begin testing at age 45. Screening can detect cancers, but it is still unknown if it leads to a significant reduction in death. Lung cancer: Due to the high incidence of lung cancer in smokers, multiple screening techniques have been tried. These include serial computed tomography (CT) scans or genetic analysis of sputum samples. However, to-date none of these interventions has succeeded. Several large studies are currently going on to try to answer this question. Though most of these guidelines were developed in Western countries, they are applicable to the Indian population. Screening tests are important as they can detect disease early in the people who otherwise feel fine. A screening test is not the diagnosis of cancer. It usually leads to other tests like a biopsy for diagnosis. Research is going on to identify screening tests for diseases like head and neck, lung and ovarian cancers. Nevertheless, until then quitting smoking, chewing tobacco and a healthy lifestyle are extremely important in keeping cancer away. The writer is Chief Fellow, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Division of Hematology and Oncology, USA.
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How to beat backache
This morning, you probably didn't think twice about slinging your overstuffed bag over your shoulder, while reaching for the keys with one hand and backing out of the door with a piece of cold toast in the other. But there may come a time when one of these simple, everyday manoeuvres will trigger a backache bad enough to call in sick, see a doctor or, at the very least, pop a few painkillers.
Four out of five of us will develop a back injury at some point in our lives and, according to research published last month by the health club LA Fitness and the charity BackCare, half of us will have suffered in the past year alone. But a few simple changes can stop you adding to the statistics. The trick, says Garry Trainer, the osteopath, acupuncturist and author of Back Chat: The Ultimate Guide to Healing and Preventing Back Pain (Arum Press, £10.99), is to separate the misconceptions from the facts. "A lot of the advice floating around out there is unhelpful or, in some cases, even harmful," he says. We asked Trainer, who treats Sir Paul McCartney and Gwyneth Paltrow, and other experts to set the record straight on preventing and treating back pain. Does lifting heavy objects strain your back? Most injuries are caused not by what you pick up, but how. "The majority of onsets [of pain] are very innocent," Trainer says. "Switching on your computer, turning your head too quickly, even sneezing. It's about making the wrong move at the wrong time." When lifting, follow this drill: squat, keeping your back straight; grab the object, bringing it close to your body; and stand up, making sure that your thigh and bottom muscles are taking some of the strain. Just grabbing a pen off the floor? You still need to follow the drill, as even twisting the wrong way can harm your back. "There are so many 'innocent' movements you can make before one of them becomes the straw that breaks the camel's back," Trainer says. — The Independent
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Health Notes
Morning sickness is the body’s way of telling mums-to-be that she’s eating the wrong things. Scientists believe that it could just be an annoying byproduct of a healthy pregnancy, as pregnant women and their embryos carry out a tug of war over the body’s resources.
— ANI Most kidney cancers are caught early today
Washington: A nationwide study by a UC San Diego Medical Center researcher has found that currently the number of patients likely to be detected with smaller tumors, in the earliest, most treatable stage of kidney cancer, is much more than it was a decade ago, thus leading to a higher survival rate. The study led by Christopher J. Kane, chief of urology at UC San Diego Medical Center and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center, examined records of more than 200,000 kidney cancer patients described in the National Cancer Data Base, in order to determine the change in kidney cancer presentation in the last 12 years.
— ANI Oz parents call for regulation of junk food ads
The new survey released by consumer group Choice has shown that eight out of 10 parents want the government to regulate the marketing of junk food to children. And nearly nine out of 10 respondents admitted that junk food ads were making it difficult for them to promote healthy eating at home. However, the survey did not reveal whether parents support a total ban. “I don’t think any parent wants to deny the occasional treat or sweet or trip to a fast-food restaurant, The Age quoted Peter Kell, Choice’s chief executive, as saying.
— ANI
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Hair transplantation is the redistribution as well as rearrangement of the existing hair follicle in a particular pattern by various techniques so as to give a good cosmetic camouflage to the bald area of a person. The only significant disadvantage to single-strip harvesting is the resultant donor scar. Although the scar usually heals as a nearly undetectable fine line, such a scar can potentially present cosmetic problems in patients who choose to wear their hair very short or, in rare cases, who heal with a widened scar.
Washington: Morning sickness is considered to be a good sign of a healthy pregnancy, and now scientists have provided an insight into why it occurs.
Sydney: A majority of parents in Australia have urged the government to regulate junk food advertisements, as the commercials are making it harder for them to promote healthy eating habits among their kids, according to a survey.