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Diabetics need to be more careful about their eyes
AYURVEDA & YOU
Industry studies on cigarette additives safety may be misleading
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Diabetics need to be more careful about their eyes
The doctor counsels, “There is no shortcut, the tests and the treatment for diabetes cannot wait; you have to take leave of your work. You have bleeding on the retina in both eyes and it requires urgent intervention.” Riki was dumb-founded. Medical scientists opine, “Diabetes has become very common all over the world. India is about to become the diabetic capital of the world. Unless we develop better programmes for detecting people with elevated blood sugar and helping them to control their weight, diabetes will continue to impose a major burden on general health and vision around the world. Diabetes can damage the kidneys and cause blindness by retina damage, glaucoma or cataract. It can also cause heart disease and strokes. A simple finger-prick blood test done on all cases above 40 years of age could identify hundreds of thousands of people with type-2 diabetes, according to researchers. In a study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, UK researchers found that of the 1,000 patients tested, one-third were found to have abnormally high sugar levels in their blood, suggestive of diabetes. Indians have a lesson to learn; eat sensibly and get regular tests for diabetes done to save your vision.
Points to remember
Treatment
While traditional treatment with oral drugs, insulin injections, weight reduction and a healthy diet programme is well known, two radical treatments have also been suggested: extremely low caloric diet of 600 calories a day and surgery on the stomach. A study has shown that an extreme low calorie diet can rapidly reverse iype-2 diabetes. Surgery to reduce the digestive tract or bypass the stomach is being done in several Indian hospitals, but it should be considered as a last resort, since it entails serious risks. “People who lose large amounts of weight following surgery to alter their stomach size or by plumbing their intestines often … no longer need treatment. The National Bariatric Surgery Registry U.K. said type-2 diabetes fell by 50 per cent and on an average, patients lost nearly 60 per cent of their excess weight a year after surgery, based on 1,421 operations. In the UK, it says there are about one million people who could benefit from bariatric surgery — which includes gastric bypasses and gastric bands. A prevention strategy alone has proved ineffective.” Thus, India, suffering from both poverty and obesity, need to learn several lessons to ward of diabetes and save lives and vision. The writer, a Chandigarh-based eye specialist, has many medical books to his credit.
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AYURVEDA & YOU Medical practitioners in India and abroad are visited by a number of patients who regularly complain of vague body aches and continued tiredness. This condition is not relieved by rest and is also not caused by any perceptible pathology. Called the chronic fatigue syndrome or the CFS, it is a debilitating and complex disorder when the patient doesn’t feel relieved by taking painkillers, and even a little amount of physical and mental activity enhances or aggravates the problem. Though the exact cause of the chronic fatigue syndrome is unknown, many theories have been worked out to ascertain its reasons. These include viral infections, an inflammatory process in the body, a weak immune system, a low level of stress tolerance and depression. Other factors like age and genetics also play a role and many times the CFS is reported after the patient has undergone a psychological upheaval. According to ayurvedic perceptions, the chronic fatigue syndrome falls in the category of a wide range of complaints resulting due to an imbalance in the body’s vital energy. Apart from the persistent fatigue, which is the main feature of the CFS, the patient also complains of a number of other problems like muscle pain, shifting headache and exhaustion which continues for many days after a particular physical and mental activity. These symptoms are also accompanied by certain other complaints such as poor mental concentration, feeling not fresh even after having sleep for a proper amount of time, sore throat and experiencing mood variations and feeling low. Many patients of the CFS, while relating these symptoms, often get confused and are unable to express their complaints in proper order. There is no single test to confirm the diagnosis of the chronic fatigue syndrome. Since most of the symptoms of the CFS can mimic so many other health problems, it requires a lot of patience and expertise on the part of the physician to arrive at a proper diagnosis. Fatigue is a common symptom of anaemia, diabetes, thyroid disorders and other hormonal diseases. And psychological problems like anxiety and depression are usually accompanied by episodes of sleep disturbance and headache. A careful history taking and relevant medical tests, which generally do not coincide with other clinical presentations, help diagnose CFS cases. The treatment of the chronic fatigue syndrome includes a two-pronged approach of allaying the problem at the physical as well as psychological level. It is difficult to choose a medicine for every single symptom and the patient should be adequately counselled and reassured to allay his fears. An effort should be made to improve his immunity, and a careful study of diet, lifestyle and recreational activities helps in the overall management of such cases. A change should be made where necessary. Patients of CSF are advised not to over-use mega-vitamins or other ‘super-foods’ as they are of little use in this problem. Regular exercise, which doesn’t defy a patient’s endurance, gradually improves his strength. Yoga and breathing workouts are good for an overall well-being. Ayurveda offers a wide range of classic medicines such as Chaturmukh Rasa, Yogendra Rasa, Vaat Kulantak Rasa and Brahmi Vati which are used in conditions where the patient complains of feeling low and sagging spirits. Akik Pishti, Mukta Pishti and single herb powders of Ashwagandha, Brahmi, Jatamansi and Shankpushpi also help to counter attacks of anxiety and depression associated with CSF. Famous Unani medicine Khamira Gazwan work well to relieve the fatigue of the body and mind. Self-massage with medicated oil of Chandanbala Lakshadi Tailam helps to overcome muscle soreness and reduces vague body aches. The writer is a Ludhiana-based senior Ayurvedic physician and Guru at the Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth. E mail –
ayu@live.in)
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Industry studies on cigarette additives safety may be misleading
Washington: Scientific research published by the tobacco industry on the safety of cigarette additives cannot be taken at face value, a new study has suggested. In an analysis led by Stanton Glantz from the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California in San Francisco, the authors reanalysed data from “Project MIX” in which chemical analyses of smoke, and the potential toxicity of 333 cigarette additives were conducted by scientists from the tobacco company Philip Morris. The authors of the independent analysis used documents made public as a result of litigation against the tobacco industry to investigate the origins and design of Project MIX, and to conduct their own analyses of the results. Internal documents revealed post-hoc changes in analytical protocols after the industry scientists found that the additives increased cigarette toxicity by increasing the number of particles in the cigarette smoke.
— ANI
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Fish oil may help cure leukemia
Washington: A compound found in fish oil, which apparently kills leukaemia stem cells, may lead to the cure of the disease, a new study including Indian origin researcher has revealed. The compound, delta-12-protaglandin J3, or D12-PGJ3 targeted and killed the stem cells of chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML, in mice, according to Sandeep Prabhu, associate professor of immunology and molecular toxicology in the Department of Veterinary and Medical Sciences. He said that the compound is produced from EPA, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, an Omega-3 fatty acid found in fish and in fish oil. “Research in the past on fatty acids has shown the health benefits of fatty acids on cardiovascular system and brain development, particularly in infants, but we have shown that some metabolites of Omega-3 have the ability to selectively kill the leukemia-causing stem cells in mice,” said Prabhu. “The important thing is that the mice were completely cured of leukemia with no relapse,” he noted.
— ANI
Virgin olive oil, fish fatty acids may help mitigate acute pancreatitis
Washington: Compounds found in virgin olive oil and fish may help alleviate symptoms of acute pancreatitis, a new study has revealed. The researchers at the University of Granada Physiology Department evaluated the role of Mediterranean diet ingredients in the prevention and mitigation of cell damage. Oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol, present in a particularly high concentration in virgin olive oil and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish affect the cellular mechanisms involved in the development of acute pancreatitis, a disease of oxidative-inflammatory etiology. Therefore, oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol can be considered potential functional ingredients, as they may prevent or mitigate this disease.
— ANI
Healthier dietary habits
benefit beyond weight loss
Washington: Researchers have revealed that improvements to health remain even if weight is regained after long-term healthy dietary interventions. Long-term healthy dietary interventions frequently induce a rapid weight decline, mainly in the first four to six months, followed by weight stabilisation or regain, despite continued dieting. The partial regain may discourage people from adhering to healthier habits, but research now shows that improvements to health remain, regardless of partial weight regain. The study identified two distinct biomarker patterns that correspond to weight change, one of which continues to improve with time. The study was conducted among 322 participants during the two-year Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial (DIRECT) performed by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev at the Nuclear Research Center Negev, Israel (New England Journal of Medicine).
— ANI
5 tips to help you slash flab this New Year
Washington: Scientists have presented New Year gifts for obese people and those aiming to shed some extra pounds — some tips for losing weight. Researchers at Temple’s Center for Obesity Research and Education (CORE) work year-round to study the treatment and prevention of obesity, and found five tips to stick to the pledge to lose weight throughout the year. You can start with getting support, as researchers say having a support system can make it easier to achieve weight loss goal, even if that support comes from the computer or your smart phone. The research led by Melissa Napolitano, an associate professor of kinesiology and a clinical psychologist at CORE, found that college-age women who were invited to a private Facebook page and received daily, personalized text messages with tips and information on nutrition and exercise, lost more weight than their counterparts who had no extra support.
— ANI
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Riki, a known diabetic, was too busy to go to a doctor. But now he has no option since he cannot see his files properly! He visits his eye doctor and demands for a normal vision. The doctor, after examining him, enquires, “Are you suffering from any medical problem like diabetes?” He retorts, “Doctor I am in a hurry to attend a meeting — Mainu sugar te BP de chakara vich na pao. I will reply all your questions and get all the tests done on some other occasion. Give me some good glasses as of now so that I can attend my urgent meeting.”