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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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What to eat to handle menopausal syndrome
Time to protect yourself from eye flu
Sound sleep necessary for good health
Health Notes
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What to eat to handle menopausal syndrome
Nita was entering the club, in her best designer suit when the gateman’s voice interrupted, “Bebe ji, are you a member of the club?” Nita was crestfallen. Did she look like a bebeji ? Why the gateman could not recognise her? Looking herself in the glass door, she blamed it on her obesity due to menopause! She forgot to recall her parathas, pizzas, candy bars, soda, cookies and mutton tikka! What happens in menopause? Estrogen levels begin to decline, ovulation becomes less regular and weight gain tends to become a problem. Some experts believe that the reason for the weight problem is not hormones alone; overeating coupled with a decline in the muscle mass due to the lack of exercise decreases metabolism and adds to your wasteline. Some women go through menopause with symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, anxiety, depression, poor libido, bladder problems, vaginal dryness and itching, burning and discomfort during sexual intercourse, breast tenderness, dryness and ageing of the skin, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, poor memory, insomnia, hair loss, facial hair, depression, lack of energy, screaming and shouting, weight gain and so on. Consider the following nutrition guidelines:
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Eat a diet high in raw and lightly steamed green leafy vegetables and fruits. l
Mix some protein with your carbohydrate intake. l
Eat oily fish, and if you use tin fish eat the bones also. l
Eat phytoestrogens as found in soybeans and tofu. l
Substitute garlic or onion powder for salt in cooking, l
Drink plenty of water per day to help prevent drying of the skin and
mucosa. l Avoid meat, which can cause hot flashes and excrete calcium. l
Avoid alcohol, caffeine and sugar, which can cause hot flashes and mood swings. l Avoid spicy foods. l
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Get regular exercise. Better nutrition can help you to be healthier! Foods made from wholegrains (corn, barley, brown rice, buckwheat, rye, oats, etc.) are complex carbohydrates and they stabilise your blood sugar and reduce sugar cravings. This also provides protein, fibre and vitamins. Wholegrain cereals are the best for you. Seeds and nuts are good sources of protein and should be fresh, raw and unsalted. Fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods, beans and legumes are good sources of fibre. Lentils, beans and green peas are great for making soups with salads or brown rice. Cold-water fish is a good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids — EPA and DHA. Increase your intake of water (8 to 10 glasses daily is ideal). Avoid foods like cola drinks, chocolate, alcohol, hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, candy and commercial pizza. Alcohol depletes the body of vitamin B and certain minerals. It is also toxic to the liver. Exercise is essential for a healthy metabolism. Lack of exercise is one of the major factors in obesity. Love and accept yourself. Eat slowly and practice portion control. Just eat in smaller quantities. It is also recommended that you eat your heavier meals earlier in the day. The writer is a senior gynaecologist based in Chandigarh.
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Time to protect yourself from eye flu
Every summer and rainy season a large number of people suffer from eye flu. You may experience symptoms like redness of the eye watering, discharge or stickiness of eye lids, gritty or foreign body sensation, swelling of lids and discomfort. The severity of eye-flu varies with some people developing more serious problems if the disease is not diagnosed and treated in time. Eye flu, also known as conjunctivitis, occurs when the outer layer of the eye or the conjunctiva gets inflamed. This can happen for a variety of reasons such as infections with virus, bacteria, parasites or even fungus. Allergies are extremely common in hot, dusty and changing weather conditions and can cause recurrent, chronic episodes of redness and irritation of the eyes. They are seen most often in children and young adults and follow a seasonal pattern. Use of cosmetics may worsen the symptoms. Other causes include exposure to toxins/ vapours or gases and chemicals. It is important to identify the cause and avoid exposure to the offending agent, but this may not be possible in all cases. Viral conjunctivitis is responsible for a majority of the epidemics of eye flu that we see commonly. The affected person will notice redness, watering, itching, discomfort and a variable amount of swelling of the eye-lids. The disease is mostly self-limiting, and symptoms disappear in a few days. Useful tips l
Maintain good ocular hygiene l
Avoid touching/ rubbing your eyes l
Wear dark glasses to avoid discomfort in bright light l
Cold compresses provide relief and reduce swelling l
Antibiotic eye-drops may help prevent secondary bacterial infection l
Do not share handkerchiefs/ towels/ pillow cases l
Avoid eye cosmetics till symptoms resolve l
Contact lens users need to be more careful l
Do not induge in self-medication If symptoms do not improve in two-three days, contact your eye specialist who will guide further treatment depending on the severity of the disease. If ignored or incorrectly treated, eye flu can spread from the conjunctiva to the cornea and cause reduced vision, corneal opacities and other complications. You may also spread the infection to other family members or people at work if appropriate care and caution is not exercised. Children are more vulnerable and can catch infections from classrooms, playgrounds, etc. Often they may have a respiratory infection or allergy or fever along with the eye symptoms. Mild red eyes with clear, watery discharge may be viral or allergic but if discharge is thick, pus-like with the swelling of the lids, a bacterial infection may be the cause. In such cases, treatment should begin without delay. People who use contact lenses need to be extra careful. Remove your lenses the minute you notice any redness, watering, sensitivity to light or eye pain. Preferably avoid re-using the same pair of lenses. Never use tap water to clean your lenses. Follow the prescribed cleaning regimen and use only specific lens solutions. The writer is Chairman & Medical Director, Centre for Sight, New Delhi. Email: drmahipal@gmail.com
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Sound sleep necessary for good health
Called a support pillar of good health, sleep has been described as a natural phenomenon for rest and resurgence of the body and mind. It is an absolute relaxation which is essential for human beings. Ancient ayurvedic texts have it that considering the right time and the right period, sleep enables the body to get vigour and strength. Proper and timely sleep is known to remove drowsiness, augment the power of digestion and restore the natural equilibrium among the various physiological systems of the body. There are a number of factors which are considered to be conducive for good sleep. A mind devoid of worry and anxiety and the body free of pain even if it is exhausted from the day’s hard work are the two basic conditions for restful sleep. The other conditions which can keep a person awake are just environmental like persistent noise, uncomfortable surroundings and an extreme weather. Most people cannot sleep with lights on, whereas some are afraid of sleeping in darkness. A late night dinner or burning stomach due to the gastro-esophageal reflux, a stuffy nose or frequent trips to one’s bathroom due to an enlarged prostate are the commonest sleep-deterrent conditions. Caffeinated drinks, cola beverages and certain prescription drugs can also delay the sleep process in the case of some persons. Though alcohol initially induces sleep, when its level in the blood falls in the early hours of the morning there is a rebound phenomena causing the person to wake up. Sleep deprivation, whether it is a long-term one or for a short time, has its own bad effects on the body and mind, and many times anxiety and depression are viciously related to the quality of sleep. Insufficient sleep makes a person irritable and lowers his performance. Studies have revealed that chronic patients of insomnia are more prone to get upset with psychological upheavals. Certain other problems like those suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes and hormone aberrations may also behave in the same manner if they remain deprived of good sleep. Ayurveda believes that no drug howsoever good can produce natural sleep. Most of the tranquilisers and hypnotic medicines are habit forming and should never be used on a long-term basis. Except for the summer season, day-time sleep is contraindicated to all able-bodied and healthy persons. As a rule, one sleeps comfortably only at a time when one is accustomed to sleep. The cause of stress and anxiety should be identified and handled accordingly. A light and timely dinner, avoiding late night TV programmes and purposeless socialising, cutting back on caffeinated drinks in the evening and a restful environment help getting proper sleep. Fixing proper time to go to bed and adhering to it gradually sets the biological clock in order. The writer is a Ludhiana-based senior
ayurvedic consultant. Email: yourhealth@rediffmail.com |
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Health Notes London: Children conceived by in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) are 42 per cent more likely to develop cancer in their early years, new research reveals. A team of Swedish scientists arrived at the conclusion after analysing the records of over 26,000 children born after IVF treatment and linking them to the registers of cancer diagnosis. The researchers found that 53 children developed cancer, ranging from a very young age up to 19-years-old, against an expected number of 38. The cancers included leukaemia, cancer of the eye and the nervous system, solid tumours and six cases of a condition called Langerhans histiocytosis. There is debate over whether this condition is a real cancer or not but even after these cases were excluded the increased risk of cancer was still 34 per cent, according to the study group. Compared with the general population, IVF-conceived children were 87 per cent more likely to have received a diagnosis of cancer by the time they were three years old. After this age the risk of cancer in IVF children gets reduced. — ANI
Ecstasy can cure post-traumatic stress
London: Ecstasy may prove useful to distressed victims of post-traumatic stress in overcoming their demons, research has revealed. During a test, scientists found dramatic effect on previously untreatable patients who had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for more than 19 years. Doctors in the United States held two eight-hour psychotherapy sessions three to five weeks apart for the patients during which they administered the ecstasy chemical MDMA. Two months later, 80 per cent of those treated no longer had symptoms that met the medical definition of PTSD. —
ANI
Depression does make the whole world seem gloomy
London: The whole world seems to be dull and gloomy if you are depressed. This is because the ability to perceive contrast is impaired, say experts. The researchers ran an electrode along one eye in each of 40 people with depression, and 40 people without. The electrodes measured activity in the nerves connecting photoreceptors — which detect different aspects of light — to the optic nerve, but not the brain. They were made to see black and white chequered screen, which became greyer in six distinct stages, reducing the contrast between each square. Each stage was presented for 10 seconds, and the experiment was repeated over an hour.
— ANI
Physically fit teens have better appetite control
Washington: A research reveals that children in good shape have better appetite control and energy expenditure. The study conducted at the Department of
Physiology of the University of Granada revealed that physically fit adolescents aged 12-17 present increased levels of insulin and leptin. Insulin and leptin are hormones involved in the development of
diabetes, appetite control and energy expenditure. The study analysed the nutritional status and lifestyle of adolescents,
including the aspects such as physical activity, fitness and hormonal profile, among others.
— ANI
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Dr Meenal Kumar
Dr Mahipal Sachdev
