|
|
|
|
| HEALTH & FITNESS |
|
|
|
Prevent diabetes; detect pre-diabetes
Chill factor affects blood pressure
Cervical cancer: Vaccination can prevent it
Music may help brain-damaged patients relearn how to walk and talk
|
|
Prevent diabetes; detect pre-diabetes
The doctor interrupted, “Madam, it is overweight that is the cause for all your problems; you may be suffering from diabetes and its complications. You have come rather late. We could save you from the suffering if you had reported early.” “What do you mean by early, doctor”? “Before you developed diabetes — the stage called pre-diabetes”, doctor replied. What is diabetes? It is a condition characterised by high blood sugar resulting from the body’s inability to use blood glucose for energy. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas no longer makes insulin and, therefore, blood glucose cannot enter the cells to be used for energy. In type 2 diabetes, either the pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body is unable to use insulin correctly. Once you start suffering from diabetes or, worse still, develop complications in your uterus, eye, kidney, heart or nerves, it is too late to detect diabetes or treat it satisfactorily. The best time is to detect a stage called pre-diabetes, when good prevention is possible and all the sufferings can be avoided. Screening for pre-diabetes in people who have no symptoms should be considered in adults with a BMI of 25 kg/m2 or more. If no there is obesity, testing should begin at age 45. If the results are normal, testing should be repeated at intervals of two years. Fasting blood sugar or glucose tolerance test, or both, could be appropriate for identifying a pre-diabetes condition. What is pre-diabetes? It is the state in which some but not all criteria for diabetes are met. It is often described as the “gray area” between normal blood sugar and diabetic levels. While in this range, patients are at risk for not only developing type 2 diabetes, but also for cardiovascular complications. It has been termed “India’s largest healthcare epidemic,” affecting more than 100 million Indians. Pre-diabetes is also referred to as borderline diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and/or impaired fasting glucose (IFG). Suspect pre-diabetes with the following symptoms: Constant hunger, unexplained weight loss, weight gain, flu-like symptoms, including weakness and fatigue, blurred vision, slow healing of cuts or bruises, tingling or loss of feeling in hands or feet, recurring gum or skin infections, recurring vaginal or bladder infections, etc. *Individuals with pre-diabetes have glucose levels higher than normal, i.e. the fasting glucose level above 100 - 125 mg. *Patients with pre-diabetes should have intensive lifestyle management that decreases cardiovascular and other risks. *Individuals with pre-diabetes should lose 5% to 10% of body weight and maintain it on a long-term basis. *Regular, moderate-intensity physical activity is recommended for 30 to 60 minutes daily. *Diet should be low in total fat, saturated fat and trans-fatty acids. There should be lower sodium intake and avoidance of alcohol. Fiber intake may reduce the risk of diabetes by improving your blood sugar control. Fiber intake is also associated with a lower risk of heart disease. It may even promote weight loss. Foods high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds. *Metformin and acarbose are safe to prevent diabetes under medical supervision. *Blood lipid-level goals should be the same as for those with diabetes. lPre-diabetics should have normal blood pressure ( 130 & 80 mm Hg). ACE inhibitors are recommended as first-line agents to treat high blood pressure. *All persons with pre-diabetes who are not at increased risk should take aspirin. *Monitoring should include an annual glucose tolerance test and twice-yearly testing for albumin in the urine and fasting plasma glucose, haemoglobin A1C, and lipid levels. The target A1C goal for adults is generally less than 6%. The writer is a Chandigarh-based senior
gynaecologist.
|
|
|
Chill factor affects blood pressure
The winter season brings with it a plethora of health problems — mainly, runny nose, sore throat, cough, cold and chest congestion. But what is a bigger scare is the fact that with the temperatures falling,, the risk for heart patients and diabetics rises.
According to experts, blood pressure and hypertension is hard to control in colder weather. It can be explained that in winters our blood vessels get narrowed, leading to higher BP. With the constriction of blood arteries, the pressure increases and affects the pumping capacity of the heart. Due to the weakening of the heart muscles, patients feel as if the lungs are clamped. The other reasons that can be responsible are: 1. Medicines taken to cure cold and cough can raise blood pressure, as can non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers. 2. Due to the chilling weather most people lead a sedentary life. They stay indoors and eat more. This can result in weight gain, which also contributes to hypertension. 3. The cold weather and the festivities make way for the excuse of alcoholic drinks like scotch, whisky, rum and brandy — the major reasons for high BP. Coffee also contributes to it. Take care of your blood pressure in the following manner: *If there is headache, insomnia, nervousness and heaviness in the eyes, consult your doctor immediately. *Blood pressure is a silent killer; hence keeping it in control round the clock is vital. *A patient suffering from high blood pressure should massage his or her entire body regularly with til oil during the winter season. *Such people should do exercises, pranayams and walking in the evening. *Restrain from using wine, tea, coffee, tobacco, etc. *Avoid eating cough-enhancing food items such as milk products and sweets. Take care of your diet: *Include in your diet leafy green vegetables like palak (spinach), mustard saag and methi (fenugreek)
saag. *Do not use more than 4 gm of salt per day. This is very important since in winters we don’t tend to sweat more, leading to the accumulation of sodium in our body, which grossly elevates the blood pressure. *Use refined vegetable oil only. *Eating 7-8 pieces of each almond and walnut will help increase the good cholesterol levels
(HDL). *Eating peeled or skinned pulses and soybean in different forms is beneficial for heart and high blood pressure patients. *It’s highly beneficial to eat bread prepared with wheat bran and maize. *Use
dalia, oats and other high-fiber food items. *Avoid oil and ghee. The writer is a cardiologist associated with BBC Heart Care Hospital,
Jalandhar.
|
|
|
Cervical cancer: Vaccination can prevent it
Cervical cancer is the cancer of cervix (neck of the womb). It is the leading cancer among women in India but awareness about this is very low. Every year around 74,000 Indian women die due to cervical cancer. One woman dies every 7 minutes in India from this deadly disease. This cancer strikes women when they are in the prime, affecting them and their families.
Cervical cancer affects women of all socio-economic strata, both in rural and urban areas. All sexually active women are at the risk of cervical cancer. It is not hereditary. It is caused by a virus — human papilloma virus or HPV. The HPV infection usually clears on its own. However, if the infection persists, it can cause cervical cancer. HPV may also cause genital warts, cancers of the vulva and vagina in women. Genital warts are lump-like growths in the genital region. Cervical cancer usually has no symptoms in its early stages, so women are totally unaware until it is too late. As the disease progresses, women may notice abnormal vaginal bleeding, bleeding between menses or periods, increased white discharge, and bleeding after intercourse. Cervical cancer can be prevented if symptoms are identified early. But, sadly, due to lack of awareness — both about the cancer and its preventive measures — there are disproportionate numbers of deaths caused by this disease. It can be prevented by using a combination of regular screening (secondary prevention) and vaccination (primary prevention). The majority of cervical cancers and their precancerous stages can be detected by screening. Regular screening with pap smears and/or HPV DNA can help detect it in its precancerous and early stages. The affected precancerous areas can then be treated. In fact, this is the only type of cancer which can be identified in its precancerous stage, and well before it turns into an advanced cancer. Being a gynae cancer surgeon, I can assure you that the treatment is simple when it is done in its precancer stage. Vaccination helps prevent the cancer from producing strains of HPV. It is given in three doses over a period of six months. For the best protection it is very important to get all the three doses of the vaccination as per schedule. Regular screening should be continued after the vaccination for the best possible protection against cervical cancer. The Indian Academy of Paediatrics and the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society of India strongly recommend regular screening along with HPV vaccination. Timely and regular screening and vaccination can help women escape this disease which can destroy their dreams and shatter their families. The writer is associated with Fortis Hospital,
Mohali.
|
|
|
Music may help brain-damaged patients relearn how to walk and talk
Washington: Music-based therapy may play a role in helping brain-damaged patients heal as songs can help create new speech pathways in the brain that evade damaged regions, researchers say. But scientists are still in anticipation of solid data to prove what seems to work in case study after case study.
“It used to be thought that music was a superfluous thing, and no one understood why it developed from an evolutionary standpoint,” Discover News quoted Michael De Georgia, Director of the Center for Music and Medicine at Case Western Reserve University’s University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland as saying. “In the last 10 years, we’ve just started to understand how broad the effect of music is on all parts of the brain. “We are just starting to understand how powerful music can be. We don’t know what the limits are.” During the post-World War II era, physical therapists observed that Big Band music helped wounded veterans get up and learn to walk again, according to Lee Anna Rasar, a musical therapist at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. Since then, researchers have recognized a consistent pattern. When given a rhythm to walk to, people with Parkinson’s disease, strokes and other forms of neurological damage are able to regain a symmetrical stride and a sense of balance. Each beat acts as an auditory cue that the brain uses to anticipate timing and regulate footfalls. — ANI
|
|
|
Soon, contact lens to monitor blood sugar ‘Couch potato pill’ may combat heat stroke too Kids inherit obesity from their parents
|
When her doctor, a gynaecologist, asked Katherine, 45, to climb on the weighing machine in the clinic the needle started trembling, seeking to settle at over 100 kg mark.
“Doctor, don’t worry about my weight, I have been a bit chubby since childhood. Now my problem is gynaecological — I have come with discharge coming from my uterus. Is it cancer, doctor? Also, I am having vision loss and there is numbness and needle pricks in hands and feet. I have breathlessness and pain in the chest. My blood pressure is high. I have to avoid urine the whole night….”