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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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Suffering from arthritis? ‘Move to improve’ Why you must know your skin type Does running make you fat?
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Suffering from arthritis? ‘Move to improve’ “Move To Improve” is the theme for World Arthritis Day-2011 which falls on October 12. Being physically active is good for general health and can have specific benefits for people with rheumatic or musculo-skeletal disease (RMDs), such as helping to keep our joints mobile. The most appropriate form of activity will depend on a number of factors, including the type of RMD you have, which joints are affected, the level of joint damage, etc. This is why it is important to consult your doctor about the type of exercise you need therapeutically, as well as the type of activities you enjoy doing to keep you healthy. The common factor for most people with arthritis is the pain it can cause and this can be a major reason why they feel put off exercising, but regular and appropriate exercise can have enormous benefits. An appropriate exercise programme can reduce joint pain and stiffness, strengthen the muscles affecting the arthritic joint and improve the flexibility and joint mobility apart from other benefits like weight reduction and improvement in cardio-respiratory functions. It also helps promote overall health and fitness by giving you more energy, helping you sleep better, controlling your weight, decreasing depression, and giving you more self-esteem. Furthermore, exercise can help stave off other health problems such as osteoporosis and heart disease. So, it’s obviously a no-brainer. You’ve got to move. But sometimes it’s not so easy to get started. The important thing to remember is to start slow and make it fun. It is always good to start with flexibility exercises, which are basically stretching exercises that will improve your range of motion and help you perform daily activities. Once you feel comfortable, you can move on to weight training and endurance exercises such as bicycling. Level of exercise What will be a hard or difficult form of exercise for one person may be much easier for someone else. For example, walking, cycling or swimming at a gentle pace (low intensity) might have an aerobic effect (increase your heart rate and breathing) for some people, while others would need to exercise at a moderate-to-high intensity to experience the same effect. This will depend on a number of factors such as your age, your general state of health, disease progression and how regularly you have been exercising. Choose a level of exercise that works for you. Starting out Always begin gently and build up slowly over time. It is better to do little and often than to try and overdo things and to push yourself too hard when you start exercising. If you do need to stop exercising for any reason, always start again gently and build up slowly. When you reach your required level of function, you will need to keep up regular activities to maintain this level. How much exercise When you repeat activities regularly your body will adapt to the new situation over time and you will find that you can do more with less effort. Regular exercise can also help slow or prevent the loss of function due to disease progression. Ideally, you should try and do some stretching/flexibility exercises every day, muscle strengthening and endurance exercises two to three times a week and some form of aerobic exercise for 20 minutes three times a week. Luckily, different types of exercises can be combined in one programme! The key is to find things you enjoy doing so that being active is something you look forward to and this becomes part of your daily life. How to choose the best exercise programme A comprehensive exercise programme for a person with arthritis includes flexibility, strengthening and aerobic activities. The content and progression of the programme depends upon individual needs and capabilities. Persons with long-standing or severe disease or multiple joint involvement should undertake exercises in collaboration with a healthcare team. The most successful exercise programmes begin with the knowledge and support of people like rheumatologists, who are experienced with both arthritis and exercise. The writer is Senior Consultant-Physician & Rheumatologist, Fortis Multispeciality Hospital, Mohali. E mail: ashitsyngle@yahoo.com Did you know? The word ‘fit’ comes from the following: Frequency – how regularly you exercise Intensity – how hard you exercise Time – how long you exercise Now the word fitness is used to describe health and the ability to meet the demands of a physical task.
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Why you must know your skin type Skin, our body’s largest active organ system, is the main barrier against the external environment. The uppermost portion of the skin restricts water loss while skin-cell derived endogenous antibiotics provide an innate immune defence against bacteria, viruses and fungi. The upper (epidermal) compartment of skin also contains a network of about 2000 million special skin cells whose main function is to survey the epidermal environment and to initiate an immune response against microbial threats, although they may also contribute to immune tolerance in the skin. While skin care products have grown exponentially, few people know whether their skin is actually being benefited or harmed through the use of these products. Each person should know his/her skin type before using such products. We in India have skin photo type 4 and 5. The next step is to understand if you have a dry skin, oily skin, combination skin, hairy skin (excessive hair growth), wrinkled skin, lustreless hair and nails. Dry Skin occurs because of impairment in the uppermost skin compartment, resulting in the lack of retention of natural water and moisturiser. There is also less production of sebum by special skin glands which causes dry skin. People with dry skin need non-foaming cleansing agents that will not strip protective lipids from the skin surface. Moisturisers should be applied immediately after a wash or bath within five minutes, preferably while the skin is still damp to trap water on its surface. Lotion moisturisers should be preferred over gels or creams. Toners and facial scrubs should not be used. Oily skin occurs because of increased sebum production by special skin glands and can be measured by the sebometer. Those with oily skin should avoid wearing sun-screen which can cause acne and increase greasiness. Foaming cleansers and cleansers with salicylic acid should be preferred. Toners can be used. Only very light moisturizers, if necessary, should be applied. Gel and serum formulations are preferred over creams and lotions. The third and an important skin type is sensitive skin. Individuals experiencing this condition report exaggerated reactions to personal care products that may or may not be associated with visible symptoms. Sensitive skin can be very distressing to those who have it, because they can use only a few/limited skin products and have to keep these with them wherever they go. Persons with a sensitive skin have a delicate and disrupted skin barrier function. These people show a strong inflammatory response. They have also been labelled as “stingers” as they develop symptoms such as mild redness and feeling of flushing or fullness over their cheeks or nose even during some stress or excitement. The persons with this skin type need specific medical face washes and moisturisers, and should use only “fragrance-free” products. Melanin, the pigment, which gives normal skin colour, also provides protection against DNA damage from ultraviolet radiation. Those having a fairer skin have less melanin and so they are more prone to get freckles or skin cancer. They need to wear a broad spectrum sunscreen and barrier creams more often. Those with a darker skin have more melanin. They should apply less oil or gel over hair. An important function of our skin is thermoregulation; dilatation and constriction of blood vessels help regulate heat loss. However, a few individuals tend to develop persistent dilatation of blood vessels over their face. These patients tend to develop a skin disorder known as rosacea. Such patients have to follow the instructions given for those having a sensitive skin. Nails provide protection to the ends of the fingers and toes. Those with brittle nails are more prone to develop adverse reactions to various nail cosmetics. Those having red and swollen skin around nails should avoid wearing nail polish. The writer is Chief Consultant-Dermatologist & Dermato-Laser Surgeon, National Skin Hospital, Mansa Devi Complex,
Panchkula. E-mail: drvikas.nscindia@gmail.com
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Many of us take up jogging to help lose weight. But the latest research shows it could have just the opposite effect. Sophie Morris, who ran a marathon and ended up heavier, explains why. Not lonng ago, a friend called me on a Sunday morning, flushed with fresh air and pride after completing an early run. “I can already smell that lunchtime burger,” she reported. I wasn’t going to deny her the pleasure of a good burger. I probably had one lined up myself. But after jogging for 40 minutes, she would have burned off around 400 calories. Even if she cooked a burger herself at home, chose a healthy bun and passed on the butter and mayo, the minimum possible calorie intake would cancel out those she used up running. It’s much more likely, given the sort of treats we like to indulge in after exercise, that she went out and ordered a cheeseburger with fries on the side. The result being that she consumed far more calories than if she hadn’t gone running. The idea that exercise, and running in particular, will lead to weight loss, is a common misconception. I have been running for years. Net weight loss: zero. When I ran a marathon, under the extremely naive apprehension I would cross the finish line looking like Paula Radcliffe, I put on weight. At the time, this seemed astonishing. In fact, it is quite common. This is partly because muscle is denser than fat. But there is also a more subtle connection. Getting up at 6am for long runs demands an increase in calorie intake. My response? Two breakfasts, minimum, and then protein-based snacks before and after runs. Ah yes, and the cake. “It is possible to lose weight with dietary changes alone,” explains Laura Clark, a registered dietician with the British Dietetic Association, “but to lose weight just through exercising is very difficult.” One pound of fat equates to 3,500 calories. You need a deficit of 500 calories a day to lose a pound, so rewarding yourself with a burger or a cake will automatically cancel out that deficit. The catch is that this is so easy to do. “It can take an hour to burn off 400 or 500 calories, and just two minutes to eat that,” says Clark. Exercise has been found both to curb and stimulate hunger. Unfortunately, only very intense exercise will suppress appetite. A Loughborough University study found that vigorous exercise increases levels of peptide YY, an appetite-suppressing hormone, and reduces ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone. But an hour later, the appetite will kick in again. Another study, from the University of Massachusetts, found that not only does exercise increase hunger, by increasing levels of insulin and leptin, both appetite-stimulating hormones, but that women are affected more than men. It is important not to downplay the benefits of exercise. The part it plays in weight loss has been overstated, but it has a crucial role in most aspects of our physical health, in fighting disease and in moderating mental health. Even better, a morning jog will put a smile on your face. Running and weight loss: the dos and don’ts
— The Independent
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Lack of sleep could affect teens’ brain development London: A University of Wisconsin-Madison study has suggested that an ongoing lack of sleep during adolescence could lead to more than dragging, foggy teens. The researchers have found that short-term sleep restriction in adolescent mice prevented the balanced growth and depletion of brain synapses, connections between nerve cells where communication occurs. “One possible implication of our study is that if you lose too much sleep during adolescence, especially chronically, there may be lasting consequences in terms of the wiring of the brain,” said Dr Chiara Cirelli, associate professor in the department of psychiatry at the School of Medicine and Public Health. Mental illnesses such as schizophrenia tend to start during adolescence but the exact reasons remain unclear. — ANI Why saturated and unsaturated fats have opposite effects Washington: A new study shows that saturated fats activate a key metabolic pathway associated with the development of type 2 diabetes, while polyunsaturated fats like omega-3s shut this pathway down. The finding may explain why animal-derived saturated fats like lard and butter are strongly linked to adverse health effects, while unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from plants and cold-water fish like salmon and mackerel are not. The research revealed that saturated fat blocks the cell membranes at the molecular level, causing abnormal cell signalling that ultimately throws basic metabolism out of whack. According to the research conducted at the University of California, San Diego, saturated fats tend to be solid at room temperature as they contain fatty acids that are saturated with hydrogen atoms and the carbon atoms are bonded to as many hydrogen atoms as possible, whereas unsaturated fats contain fatty acids with a lower ratio of carbon to hydrogen, Live Science reported. — ANI |
Today one in five adults suffers from arthritis. Beyond the human pain, the disease also carries a high economic tag. The good news is that arthritis is not inevitable or untreatable. Relief is available for many forms of arthritis. Apart from specific treatments, a person afflicted with arthritis needs to follow self-help strategies to manage the disease better in coordination with the healthcare provider. Dr Christian Bernard, the famous cardiovascular surgeon who performed the first successful human heart transplant operation, himself suffered from arthritis. He once said, “Control your arthritis, do not let it control you.” Physical activity is a key self-management strategy for persons with arthritis.