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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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Diet can prevent cancer Pain:
listen to body and act immediately
Jaw clicking: useful tips
Health Notes
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Diet can prevent cancer Adopting elements of a Mediterranean-style diet, which is high in fruit and vegetables and low on red meat and dairy produce, can reduce the risk of cancer by almost a quarter, according to a major study of people's eating habits. It has been thought for some time that making dietary changes such as eating more olive oil and less butter could lead to a significantly lower incidence of heart disease, and now comes detailed evidence of how it can dramatically cut the chances of all types of cancer developing. The research shows that just two elements of the Mediterranean diet added to daily food intake can cut the possibility of cancer taking hold by 12 per cent. Increase that to six items a day and the prospect of the disease being diagnosed falls by a staggering 22 per cent. Adding two elements to the daily diet could simply be eating more pulses and consuming less red meat. More than 26,000 Greek men and women were studied over eight years by the scientists who found that consuming high levels of monosaturated fats - the "good" fat found in olive oil - in relation to the "bad" saturated fats found in dairy produce had the single biggest effect in relation to lowering the cancer risk from the diet. More olive oil and less butter reduced the risk by 9 per cent. "Of the 26,000 people we studied, those who closely followed a traditional Mediterranean diet were overall less likely to develop cancer," said the study leader, Dimitrios Trichopoulos, professor of cancer prevention and epidemiology at Harvard University. "Although eating more of one food group alone didn't significantly change a person's risk of cancer, adjusting one's overall dietary habits towards the traditional Mediterranean pattern had an important effect." The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, monitored the prevalence of all types of cancer from stomach and bowel to liver, cervix and brain tumours. They looked at men and women, and took into account other risk factors, such as smoking and lifestyle. The research is part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer, a unique and ongoing look at dietary habits and other biological and lifestyle characteristics of more than half a million people across Europe before they were diagnosed with cancer or other chronic illnesses. The scientists carried out detailed surveys of each person to study the sort of food they regularly ate and in what quantities. The nine food groups measured were monosaturated and saturated fats, fruits, vegetables, legumes such as peas and lentils, cereals such as wholegrain bread and pasta, meat, dairy food, fish and alcohol. "The researchers found that people who more closely followed a traditional Mediterranean diet had a lower incidence of cancer. Importantly, lower risk wasn't only seen by completely adopting the traditional Mediterranean diet, closer conformity also reduced cancer risk. And the more changes, the bigger the effect," said a spokeswoman for Cancer Research UK, which helped to fund the work. Cancer specialists said the best advice for people to avoid getting cancer was not to smoke, to take regular exercise and eat a balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables and low in red meat and saturated
fats.
— The Independent
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Pain:
listen to body and act immediately Pain is a common symptom experienced during the occurrence of various problems involving different parts of the body. Addressing this common symptom at an early stage prevents many chronic problems and even surgery in certain cases. The site of pain may not necessarily indicate the origin of pain. Pain is perceived via the pain-sensitive nerve endings present throughout the body. Severe the injury, greater the number of nerve endings affected, resulting in the severity of pain. Pain may originate from the joints, muscles or neural structures. Low-back pain may be due to the occurrence of a tear on the outer part of the disc. In response to pain, muscle spasm ensues. Treatment avoided at this stage may result in fibrosis in the muscles, leading to further stimulation of nerve-ending, causing chronic pain. A patient consulting a doctor at this stage usually perceives pain from the vertebral joints, lumbar spine and muscles. Treatment must entail addressing all these conditions in coordination. Individuals suffering from the following symptoms should seek early consultation so that treatment can be initiated at the earliest. Shoulder — Inability to comb hair, scratch the back.
Low-back pain — Radiating to the buttock, groin and thigh. Knee pain — Pain after prolonged sitting.
Hip pain — Discomfort/stiffness in the groin, buttocks or thighs, particularly on waking up.
Ankle pain — Pain or soreness while climbing up or down.
Foot pain — Tilting of the greater toe towards other toes.
Every individual should listen to his/her body for pain/ discomfort and start treatment at the earliest to prevent chronic debilitating disease/ deformity. The writer is Director, Medical Services (Power Utilities), Haryana.
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Jaw clicking: useful tips Jaw-popping/clicking/ cracking is the clicking sound accompanied by pain which sometimes happens when you open or close your jaw, or during other jaw movements. It feels as if some obstruction has blocked the movement, and then it has been suddenly removed. Jaw-clicking during mouth-opening affects about 40 per cent of the population at one time or the other. The condition most commonly affects adults, but is also seen in children. What makes the jaw click? Jaw-clicking is a malfunction of the hinge joint (temporal mandibular joint-TMJ). It is in this area that the lower jaw bone (mandible) meets the skull. The lower jaw makes a connection with the head (skull) through its condyle. The head of the condyle is a rounded structure that fits into a concave structure in the skull — the articular fossa. This articular fossa continues forward as articular eminence. The lower jaw makes two joints, one each on the left and right side, just in front of the ears. The joints allow you to open and close your mouth, and move it from side to side or backwards and forwards. These movements are brought about by muscles and ligaments that surround the joints. Normally, the muscles that control your jaw usually work in harmony on both the sides of the jaw. When the muscles are tired or overworked, or if you are chewing on some hard stuff, they will not pull together evenly. When one muscle pulls one way and another pulls in the opposite direction or doesn’t move at all — your jaw clicks. Though there are many reasons for the clicking of the jaw joint, the main precipitating factor is stress, as the muscles in the jaw become more tense and tighter than usual. In people with no clicking problem, when the mouth opens, the head of the condyle moves forward over the articular eminence a little short of its maximum convexity. In individuals who experience clicking, the head of the condyle moves past the maximum convexity of the articular eminence and “clicks” on the return journey. Jaw-clicking is actually the clicking of the jaw joint. Sometimes jaw-clicking comes along with other symptoms — such as pain in the temporal and joint area, headache, neck pain, and stiffness. If there is a combination of the problems mentioned above, in medical terminology it is known as MPDS — Myofunctional Pain Dysfunction Syndrome. Routinely, the patient ignores the early signs and reports with chronic signs and symptoms. MPDS can also present itself as an acute state where the person gets up in the morning with severe pain at the joint area and inability or great difficulty in opening the mouth. It can be incredibly painful. What can you do? Here are a few tips that may help solve the problem, or at least reduce its extent:
The following jaw exercises may help relieve the symptoms:
Once your jaw is relaxed, with a loose jaw and mouth, hold your chin between your thumb and pointer finger. Very carefully and loosely, shake your chin back and forth, allowing your jaw to relax and release. Continue until your jaw feels loose, aligned and relaxed. Do these exercises at least once a day. Do not attempt any of these exercises if they cause you pain. If the symptoms persist for more than three or four days, it is better to consult a dentist. The writer, Head, Dental Department, The Apollo Clinic, Chandigarh, is a former Head, Oral Health Sciences Centre, PGI, Chandigarh.
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Health Notes
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Melbourne, Monash University and Menzies Research Institute in Tasmania, has called for trials of aggressive therapies against childhood eczema in a bid to reduce the incidence of asthma in later life. Researchers followed more than 8500 people who are part of the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study from the ages of seven to 44. — ANI Better IVF technique
for infertile men
London: Researchers from Italy have shown that infertile men can more than double their chances of fatherhood with a new IVF technique called intra-cytoplasmic morphologically-selected sperm injection (IMSI). The method, which was first developed in 2004 by a team led by Benjamin Bartoov, of BarIlan University in Israel, involves examining sperm under a high-magnification microscope, about five times more powerful than standard laboratory equipment, to select those with a shape and size that indicates good genetic quality.
— ANI Cancer: new treatment
lowers depression
London: A new treatment programme introduced by Cancer Research has been found to significantly reduce clinical depression among cancer patients. Nearly 10 per cent of the people who have cancer suffer from clinical depression and helplessness. In the study led by University of Edinburgh scientists, and involving 200 cancer patients, half of the patients received the new treatment while the other half received standard care, either from a GP or hospital specialist.
— ANI Treatment delay is dangerous for men with breast cancer
Washington: A new study has revealed that delayed treatments can worsen the outcomes for men with breast cancer. According to Dr Marina Garassino from the Orion Collaborative Group, men are often diagnosed with breast cancer when the disease reaches its advanced stage. In 50 per cent of cases the cancer had already reached the lymph nodes, a development that increases the likelihood of metastatic spread to other parts of the body.
— ANI Oral syrup for
toddlers’ teeth
For the study, children 6 to 15 months old were given oral doses of xylitol in fruit-flavoured syrup daily to determine whether the substance can prevent early-childhood tooth decay, or “caries”.
— ANI
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Washington:
A new Australian study has suggested that more aggressive treatment of childhood eczema may be an important step in preventing asthma.
Washington:
Researchers at the University of Washington have suggested that tooth decay in toddlers can be treated with the topical syrup xylitol, a naturally occurring non-cavity-causing sweetener.