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Latest skin concepts can change the course of medical care Cancer update from Johns Hopkins
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Latest skin concepts can change the course of medical care Skin banking Skin is the largest organ of the human body. When it is damaged, it either heals on its own or it needs skin grafting from the patient himself (autograft) or from a skin donor (homograft). This grafted skin prevents fluid loss and infection thus saving the life of a burn victim. Many patients die due to the unavailability of skin in cases of extensive burns, deep burns, chemical burns, electrical burns and radiation burns. These precious lives can easily be saved if enough donor skin is available. Skin banking is a new concept, where banking and storage of cadaveric skin is done and cadaveric skin transplants are performed as and when required. Stem to skin In most tissues exist stem cells, which are self-renewable and develop into one or several other cell types as and when required. Skin ageing is induced due to impaired stem cell proliferation and mobilisation. In an adult, wound heals by scar tissue, but in a foetus it heals with normal tissue because of activity of stem cells. As far as the tissue regeneration in adults is concerned, a promising method is to place stem cell “seeds” inside a tissue bed “sore” and allow them to differentiate. Till date, bone marrow is the most important source of stem cells. Platelet-rich plasma, another source of stem cells, which are derived from the patient’s own blood, has taken the stem cell therapy by a storm. This plasma or other stem cell suspensions can be introduced into the skin by direct injections, mesotherapy or dermaroller technique (aiding penetration with the help of small needles) in order to achieve facial rejuvenation. Stem to hair Stem cells in the hair follicle are the ultimate source of cells that regenerate the growth of new hair. Throughout our lifetime, each hair follicle undergoes cyclical bouts of growth, destruction and rest through an intrinsic stem cell population. In order to grow hair, these stem cells must be activated, thus leading to regeneration of hair follicles. The peptides extracted from pea are used to act as a stimulator to hair follicle stem cell growth, migration and differentiation. Future of stem cells Stem cells are the body’s master cells. These are the source of all other cells. They can transform the scope of medicine in the near future by providing treatment for blindness, spinal cord degeneration and injuries and at the same time generating cells for damaged vital organs like heart, liver and kidney. Now it will not take more than a couple of years when this stem cell treatment becomes fully developed, standardised and licensed to save millions of lives lost due to organ failure. Fat injection The face is a tri-dimensional structure, and augmentation of the subcutaneous layer with fat injections (fat being taken from a patient’s own fat surplus areas like love handles, abdomen or buttocks) provides the third dimension for facial rejuvenation. Facial fat grafting can provide long-lasting aesthetically superior replacement for soft tissue loss from ageing or disease when used in the appropriate areas. Nonallergic, naturally appearing and versatile, injected fat can be used in higher volumes than other injectable fillers. Therefore, it can provide a fuller, more youthful face with high contours and smooth skin. Bariatric surgery Bariatric surgery is a group of surgeries which are performed to induce long-term excess weight loss along with curing or improving most of the medical problems like diabetes, blood pressure, arthritis, etc. There are three types of surgeries which can be performed depending upon the requirement of the patient. In the first one, restrictive surgery is performed by banding the stomach thereby restricting the volume of food the stomach is capable of accommodating. The second type of surgery involves the gastric bypass, which reduces the absorption of food, thus leading to deliberate malabsorption. The third type of surgery is a combination of the above two surgeries and is indicated only in very very obese patients who have life-threatening implications. Hair transplant Balding is a major concern for many, making the surgery to treat hair loss one of the most common cosmetic surgery procedures performed on men today. Follicular unit extraction (FUE) is the latest method of hair restoration in which hair roots are extracted individually. In this procedure, no cut is given to remove the strip of skin as is done in ‘strip’ surgery; rather an instrument is used to make small, circular incisions in the skin around hair follicle units. These units are then extracted from the scalp one by one and this procedure is repeated until enough hair are harvested for the full hair restoration. These follicles are then placed into the recipient sites made in the bald area of the scalp, where they grow into healthy hair-producing follicles. FUE is very useful in persons who keep small hair or shave off their heads, as no scar line is visible after surgery. The writer is Chief Dermatologist, Mohan Dai Oswal Multispeciality & Cancer Hospital,
Ludhiana.
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Cancer update from Johns Hopkins After years of telling people that chemotherapy is the only way to try (‘Try’, being the key word) to eliminate cancer, Johns Hopkins is finally starting to tell you that there is an alternative way. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person’s lifetime. When the person’s immune system is strong, the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumours. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic reasons, but also environmental, food and lifestyle factors. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet to eat more adequately and healthy, 4-5 times a day and by including supplements will strengthen the immune system. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly growing cancer cells. It also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, etc, and can cause organ damage like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, etc. Radiation, while destroying cancer cells, also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumour size. However, prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumour destruction. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation, the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply. Cancer cells feed on the following: Sugar substitutes like Nutra Sweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc, are made with aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. A better alternative is Bragg’s aminos or sea salt. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting it with unsweetened soya milk, cancer cells are being starved. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little other meat like chicken. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer. A diet made of 80 per cent fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20 per cent can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables two-three times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at a temperature of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C) Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. When it comes to drinking water, it is best to drink purified water, or filtered water to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic build-up. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body’s killer cells to destroy the cancer cells. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs, etc) to enable the body’s own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body’s normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells. Don’ts 1.No plastic containers in micro-wave ovens. 2.No water bottles in the freezer. 3.No plastic wrap in microwave. Plastic bottles with water in the freezer release
dioxins. Recently, Dr Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Programme Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV programme to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said we should not be heating our food that in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass or ceramic containers for heating food.
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Tackle diarrhoea, pneumonia to save young lives London:
Unicef has urged countries around the world to focus on treating diarrhoea and pneumonia to save children’s lives. It said introducing routine vaccination programmes against diarrhoea and pneumonia could save two million of the world’s poorest children. Further it said focusing on these diseases would narrow the survival gap between the richest and poorest children. Pneumonia and diarrhoea account for one-third of all global deaths among children under five. Unicef’s report, in advance of a child-survival initiative, calls for better access to vaccines and antibiotics. Anthony Lake, its executive director, said it was a question of commitment and funding. “We know what works against pneumonia and diarrhoea — the two illnesses that hit the poorest hardest. Scaling up simple interventions could overcome two of the biggest obstacles to increasing child survival and help give every child a fair chance to grow and thrive,” the BBC quoted Lake as saying. Nearly 90 per cent of deaths from pneumonia and diarrhoea occur in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
— ANI Second-hand smoke ‘affects kids’ bladder function’ Washington:
Parents are responsible for 90 per cent of children’s exposure to environmental, second-hand tobacco smoke, a new study has revealed. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, children with mothers who smoke are at even higher risk for developing health disorders. Physicians at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital showed that second-hand cigarette smoke was associated with moderate to severe irritative bladder symptoms in children. “Our research shows that exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke increases the risk of severe urinary disorders in children, that may otherwise be reduced or even prevented,” Joseph G. Barone, said.
— ANI London: Neck ‘cracking’ could trigger ‘catastrophic’ health problems such as strokes, experts have warned. The common therapy to ease pain is “clinically unnecessary” and should be abandoned for an affliction that affects two in three people at some point in their lives. Its effectiveness divides medical opinion with some doctors even believing it helps lower blood pressure. Known scientifically as spinal manipulation, the technique involves the application of various types of thrusts to the lumbar spine for the lower back or cervical spine for the neck to reduce back, neck and other musculoskeletal pain. However, physiotherapy lecturer Neil O’Connell, Brunel University, and colleagues have warned that cervical spine manipulation “may carry the potential for serious neurovascular complications.”
— ANI Aspirin before heart surgery good for kidney Washington: Aspirin taken for five days before a heart operation can halve the numbers of patients developing post-operative acute kidney failure, a new research has revealed. In a study of 3,219 patients, pre-operative aspirin therapy was associated with a reduction in acute renal failure of about three in every 100 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), valve surgery or both, said Professor Jianzhong Sun, attending anaesthesiologist at Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia, USA). The patients were divided into two groups: those taking aspirin within five days before their operation (2,247 patients) and those not taking it (972 patients) [1]. Although the researchers had no record of the precise dose taken, doses of between 80-325mg per day is the normal dose for aspirin that is taken over a period of time.
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Skin treatment has got revolutionised so much in the last few years that incurable diseases seem to be curable now. With the new regimens, one can easily cure diseases like pemphigus, vitiligo and even psoriasis. Major research is going into anti-ageing treatments, which has led to the development of new lasers, other equipment and various cosmeceuticals. Here are certain new concepts: