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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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Knee replacement: When to opt for surgery Anti-ageing wonder shots Fear of getting it wrong stops most people learning first aid New vaccine offers hope
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Knee replacement: When to opt for surgery Similarly, due to the somewhat same reasons, we have osteoarthritis [OA] of the knee creeping in a relatively younger age group and becoming more and more common. One can easily record that about 30 per cent of any orthopaedic surgeon’s OPD relates to OA of the knees. An inactive or relatively sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercises are the main reasons for this. TV soaps, burgers, computer games, Internet browsing, etc, have all taken a toll on our children as well as on the old generation. Dietary habits definitely increase the risk of having OA-obesity being the major factor. Heredity and stressful overuse of the knee (wrestlers, contact sports, combat soldiers) also contribute to the development of OA. Any previous ligament injury or trauma, including fractures, also raises the risk. There is no diet recommendation to retard the progression of OA or to prevent it. However, having foods rich in antioxidants saves the cartilage to some extent. So, have fruits and vegetables more often. Is it age-related problem? Not at all. No age is barred for OA to show up. Now even youngsters are getting affected. It is not a rare sight to see a person of 35-40 years having a limp with pain in one of his knees. Most commonly a person would get a knee problem after 52 years of age. Treatment Can it be managed by any physician? Yes, it may be. Treatment includes exercise, physiotherapy, walking, cycling, anti-inflammatory drugs off and on, maintaining good health. Fat-free, low sugar diets and cycling are the best preventive measures. These days, due to commercialisation, it is difficult to really believe what kind of treatment one might require. Commercial compulsions of hospitals sometimes compel doctors to suggest costly treatment which may have ill-effects on the patient in the long run. The simple formula to decide the course of action is: if there is unbearable pain, search for a surgeon; if tolerable pain, look for a physician. Drugs definitely should not be used for a longer time. The other modes of treatment like the knee injection of steroid or hyalunoridase have shown good results but may cause irreversible damage if the injection gets septic. The role of diacerin, glucosamine and chondroisin remains doubtful. Surgery Surgery can be contemplated anytime, depending upon the pain tolerance level of the person concerned and his/her nature of work. But it should definitely be the last option — when drugs, etc, have failed. If one is fed up with his/her ailment and wants to live life on a fast track, he should opt for surgery soon. Remember that the original can never be had again. Then why change the whole when only a little part is damaged. One has to be careful about the hospital where one has to get the surgery done. These days doctors do not refer the patient to experts; rather they admit the patient suffering from any ailment. The writer is a senior orthopaedic surgeon associated with Orthonova Hospital,
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Anti-ageing wonder shots Facial wrinkles and lines can be reduced with cosmetic injections into the skin. The two main types of injectable substances generally used are botulinum toxin (Type A) and dermal fillers. These injections weaken the supporting muscles or plump up the skin, and this lessens the appearance of wrinkles. Facial wrinkles and lines can be reduced with cosmetic injections into the skin. The two main types of injectable substances used are botulinum toxin (Type A) and dermal fillers. To treat deep lines, a certified dermatologist may decide to use both types of injectables to get the best result. Botulinum toxin (Type A) Doctors use botulinum toxin (Type A) to treat medical conditions such as facial tics, muscle spasms and excessive sweating. Types of wrinkles treated with botulinum toxin (Type A) Botulinum toxin (Type A) is injected into certain muscles of the face to soften facial lines, including the following: Frown lines between the eyebrows Lines across the bridge of the nose ‘Crow’s feet’ wrinkles extending from the outside corners of the eyes Forehead lines Lines on the throat (‘turkey neck’). A very fine needle is used to inject the botulinum toxin (Type A) into selected facial muscles. Discomfort is minimal and brief — most patients describe it as an ant-bite sting for a few seconds. The wrinkle-smoothening effects of the injection may last for up to six months. Things to consider Before you opt for any cosmetic treatment, there are some important issues to keep in mind: Choose an appropriately qualified specialist. Inform yourself fully of the possible risks, side-effects and complications of the procedure. Think carefully about your expectations. Cosmetic treatment may improve your appearance and self-confidence, but it won’t necessarily deliver your “ideal” body image or change your life. Medical issues Botulinum toxin (Type A) injection must not be used if the following factors are there: You are allergic to any of the ingredients listed in the formulation. You have an infection in the muscles where it would normally be injected. You have any muscle disorders in other parts of your body, including myasthenia gravis, Eaton Lambert syndrome or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Dermal fillers A very fine needle is used to ‘fill’ the wrinkle, line or skin depression with the product. The wrinkle-smoothening effects of most dermal fillers are temporary, and regular treatments are needed to maintain the effect. Dermal fillers may not be suitable if you have the following: Certain medical conditions such as an autoimmune disease A history of keloid scarring Inflamed or infected skin Severe allergies such as asthma Food allergies Ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). Self-care suggestions Be guided by your doctor. General self-care suggestions for the first few days following cosmetic injections: Avoid exposing the treated skin to extremes of temperature (such as saunas). Keep the treated skin areas clean. Avoid touching or rubbing the treated areas. Use paracetamol if you need pain relief. See your doctor if you experience unusual symptoms or if you have any concerns. The effect The wrinkle-smoothening effects of most cosmetic injectables are temporary, and regular treatments are needed to maintain the effect. The writer is Chief Consultant Dermatologist & Dermato-Laser Surgeon, National Skin Hospital, Panchkula. Email: drvikas.nscindia
@gmail.com
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Fear of getting it wrong stops most people learning first aid
LONDON: Lives are being put at risk because people are avoiding learning first aid for fear of getting it wrong, a leading charity warns. A British Red Cross poll of more than 2,000 adults across the UK found that nearly two-thirds of respondents thought people avoid learning first aid because of the responsibility it carries. The survey also showed that only 3 per cent of people would like to learn first aid if they had two hours of free time. However, 81 per cent of those questioned thought everyone should know basic first aid. The findings come ahead of World First Aid Day on Saturday, when the British Red Cross will launch a free online resource designed to be the simplest way to learn basic life-saving skills. Everyday First Aid allows users to learn at their own pace through videos, real-life scenarios and downloadable content. The charity gave face-to-face first-aid training to 335,900 people last year. Joe Mulligan, head of first aid education at the British Red Cross, said it was "extremely concerning" that people may be put off by fear of the perceived responsibility. "Basic first aid is very easy to learn, extremely simple to do and could literally save someone's life," he said. "We have to combat this myth that knowing first aid is a great responsibility. Knowing these skills does not bring the pressure of responsibility, but the confidence and peace of mind of knowing that you'd be able to help your friends and family if they needed
you." Mr Mulligan claimed there was a false perception that first aid was complex and that there was a chance of being sued for trying to help. To date, no one has been successfully sued in the UK. He added there was a need to
"democratise" first aid and to change its "slightly geeky image" by instead seeing it as a "humanitarian act". "It's still seen by some people to be almost exclusive and not relevant to them," he explained. "Absolutely everyone should have access to it." Builder and foster parent John Gaul, 55, of Peverell in Plymouth, attended a British Red Cross first aid course run through the Fostering Foundation in
Tavistock, Devon, in 2009. He admitted he only did the course because it was compulsory but now believes everyone should learn basic first aid skills. He used what he had learnt during a holiday in Italy with his wife, Lorraine, last year to save an old man in a park who was choking on a piece of bread. "The greatest buzz was seeing father and son walking out of the St John Ambulance has launched a first aid awareness month — Save a Life September — after research last year showed that up to 150,000 people die annually in situations where first aid could have made a difference. That figure includes nearly 900 people who choke to death. The charity will be giving hundreds of free first aid demonstrations across the country. Last month, London Ambulance Service (LAS) appealed for more Londoners to learn life-saving skills after its figures showed that while more patients were surviving a cardiac arrest, bystanders only performed basic life support in around a third of cases before paramedics arrived. "If you perform any sort of basic life support on this patient while the ambulance is on the way you are effectively doubling that person's chance of survival," said LAS first responders manager Chris Hartley-Sharpe.
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New vaccine offers hope
LONDON: Scientists believe they have made a breakthrough in the development of a new vaccine against tuberculosis which kills an estimated 1.7m people in the world each year. The existing vaccine, bacile Calmette-Guerin
(BCG), provides some protection against childhood forms of the infection but is unreliable against the adult lung disease, which is steadily spreading. Professor William Jacobs of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York has devised a prototype vaccine against the TB microbe, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Professor Jacobs and his colleagues deleted a set of genes called ESX-3 from the mouse bacterium and substituted them with ESX-3 genes of the human infectious agent. Mice inoculated with the new strain survived infection with TB microbes. "Most notably, those vaccinated animals that survived for more than 200 days had livers that were completely clear of TB bacteria, and nobody has ever seen that before.
— The Independent
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Health Notes London: Treating children early for anxiety would reduce their risk of developing severe mental problems in later life by 60 per cent, a new study has suggested. It is estimated that 38.2 per cent — 165 million — of people in Europe suffer from a mental disorder and that anxiety is the commonest. The incidence of depression has doubled since the 1970s and the average age at onset has fallen from the mid-twenties to the late teens as adolescents lost their sense of security in a changing world, according to Professor Hans Ulrich
Witten, lead author of study of the state of Europe’s mental health. “We screen for dental caries (decay) — why not for anxiety, because the potential treatments are so effective?” The Independent quoted him as saying. Anxiety disorders could also be a warning sign of neurodegenerative illnesses, such as Parkinson’s disease, Professor Witten said. Professor David Nutt, Head of the Department of Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College, London, said: “If you can get in early you may be able to change the course of the illness so that people don’t progress on to disability.” The study has been published in the journal European Psychopharmacology. —
ANI First anti-stroke pill in 50 years goes on sale
London: A pill being hailed as the biggest breakthrough in stroke prevention in 50 years is on sale today. More than a million Britons could benefit from
Pradaxa, which is up to a third more effective than warfarin, the gold-standard blood-thinner, when it comes to preventing strokes. The 2.50 pounds once-a-day drug is the first of a new generation of anti-clotting medicines. Pradaxa could vastly improve patients’ quality of life by allowing them to eat what they want without fear of upsetting the levels of medication in their blood and triggering a stroke or
haemorrhage. It would also remove the need for the frequent blood tests associated with
warfarin, which is also used as rat poison. Now, Pradaxa, which is also known as dabigatran
etexilate, can be used to thin the blood in people with atrial fibrillation, in which erratic beating of the heart raises the odds of stroke five-fold. — ANI
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With the per capita income going north-ward and an overall increase in the spending power of Indians, especially Punjabis, the routinely hard working community is gradually falling into slumber. As a result of this, certain diseases are creeping into society insidiously. Not uncommonly we see a fat child munching a burger, etc, at MNC outlets. This gives rise to many thoughts as to where the problem is and where we are heading.