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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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Dengue a
preventable disease Exercise may help
keep brain healthy in elderly Health
Notes
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Learning to live well with arthritis Arthritis is not an inevitable part of aging. Today refers to more than 200 chronic diseases of the joints, bones and muscles. Arthritis thus refers to the pain and inflammation of the joints. It is now recognised that arthritis results in more loss of working hours and more sickness than any other disease. Until a few decades ago, a diagnosis of arthritis was discouraging for the patient and the doctor alike. Most types of arthritis were considered untreatable and there was little to offer in the medicine chest — a misconception which is still prevalent. However, the good news is that today there is greater understanding of the disease process and specific, safe and effective therapies are available for most types of arthritis. What is even more is that it is now being recognised that the inflammatory fire kindled in the body by autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis may be the engine that drives many of the most-feared illnesses of middle and old age like heart attack, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. 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 Christiaan Bernard, the famous cardiovascular surgeon who performed the first successful human heart transplant, 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. “Move To Improve” was the theme for the World Arthritis Day which fell on October 12. Moving is the best medicine to fight arthritis pain. Regular, moderate exercise offers a whole host of benefits to people with arthritis. Mainly, exercise reduces joint pain and stiffness, builds strong muscle around the joints, and increases flexibility and endurance. It reduces inflammation from arthritis and related conditions and lowers the risk of other chronic conditions. 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. When you’re achy and sore, the last thing you want to do is exercise. The important thing to remember is to start slow and make it a 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.
Maintain your ideal body weight
The more you weigh, the more stress you are putting on your joints, especially your hips, knees, back and feet. For every 1 lb lost, there is a 4 lb decrease in pressure on each knee.
Manage pain
Just as there are different types of arthritis, there are also different types of pain. Even your own pain may vary from day to day. Each person needs a pain management plan. What works for one person may not work for someone else. You may need to try several different treatments before you find the one that works for you.
Get healthy
One of the best ways you can manage your arthritis is by eating healthy and keeping your weight under control. When you eat right and stay fit, your body is in great shape to battle inflammation as well as keep extra pressure off the painful joints. The best way to start down the path of good nutrition and health is to make great choices when you sit down to eat. You don’t have to go on a strict diet to gain benefits from good eating. Just choose the right foods in the right portions and much of the battle will be won. Keep reading for some easy ways to make some nutritional changes and advice on how to stay motivated when the going gets tough.
Manage stress in healthy ways
Living with a chronic condition like arthritis/rheumatism can lead to emotional problems and significantly impact the quality of life. You may feel angry, frustrated, depressed or helpless because of your medical condition. Resist the temptation to handle stress in unhealthy ways — such as overeating, overindulging in alcohol, or taking drugs - that will only increase stress in the long run. Relaxation techniques like meditation can actually relieve pain, stress and depression.
Talk to your doctor
When you have arthritis, a great relationship with the right doctor can play a critical role in your treatment and management of your pain and other symptoms. A good doctor-patient relationship is based on mutual respect and understanding. You can start with your primary care physician who may end up referring you to a rheumatologist. A rheumatologist is a specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis and other diseases of the joints, muscles and bones. Many rheumatologists also conduct research to determine the cause and better treatment for arthritis and related diseases. Dealing with arthritis can be sometimes frustrating. That’s why it’s important to have a knowledgeable and understanding doctor along for the ride.
Have faith in yourself!
The belief that you can change what you want to change, no matter what the circumstances, can really impact your success. Your level of self-belief helps determine how long you can stick with a diet or weight loss plan, even when you run into a bump in the road. Ask for encouragement from friends and family and find a realistic role model so that you can tell yourself, “If she did it, I can, too!” The writer is Director, Healing Touch City Clinic, and Senior Consultant Physician & Rheumatologist, Fortis Multispeciality Hospital, Chandigarh |
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Dengue a preventable disease As the weather this year has been a bit different from the routine in the sense that the monsoon arrived a little late and persisted till almost the end of September, the pattern of the diseases has also undergone a bit of change. Diseases that spread with monsoons like dengue have reared their head a little late. A lot of cases of dengue have been reported in the recent past. As far as dengue is concerned, it is well known that this disease spreads wherever there is a collection of water and a high level of humidity. The dengue virus is spread by the aedes egypti mosquitoes, which find a fertile breeding ground in standing water, whether it be in coolers, ponds or old tyres.
Symptoms
The common symptoms of dengue are high fever, headache and backache. The most important characteristic of dengue is the pain that it causes. At times, the pain is intolerable, giving dengue the name of break-bone fever. The pain could be in the head, back, legs, eyes and is also felt deep in the bones. The appetite is reduced. In some cases, the platelet levels fall. Platelets are the blood cells that help in blood clotting and thus prevent excessive blood from being lost. Once the platelet count falls, the blood does not clot and starts leaking from blood vessels. Such a fever is known as the dengue haemorrhagic fever. This is quite dangerous and can cause the patient to go into a shock or may even be fatal.
Prevention at the individual level
The prevention of dengue is not at all difficult once we understand the dynamics of its spread. The prevention of this fever starts and ends with the prevention of proliferation of the mosquitoes which is entirely dependent on the collection of water. Improving the drainage system and checking for any blockages just before the monsoon would not allow the water to collect, thereby preventing the mosquitoes from bleeding prolifically. But this is not in the hands of the ordinary citizens and has to be done by the administration. Some other things can easily be done by individuals which can help them in preventing this deadly fever. Spraying a little bit of medicated oil can prevent the mosquitoes from inhabiting the area and breeding. Old tyres, coolers that are no longer in use, small potholes and dustbins with water collected inside usually go unnoticed and mosquitoes make the best use of these. Just keeping an eye out for these would go a long way in preventing these little scourges from multiplying endlessly. Using the commonly available mosquito repellents is the other measure that is very helpful. It is important to understand that dengue is not infectious. Wearing full sleeves can also be a big protection against the mosquito bites and should not be overlooked.
Prophylactic and curative role of homoeopathy
Before we talk of the curative effects that homoeopathy has to offer in these epidemics of dengue, we also need to be aware that homoeopathy is uniquely placed in a sense that it has a prophylactic also to offer in these cases. Eupatorium perfoliatum is one medicine that almost completely mimics the signs and symptoms of dengue. It has been shown to have a prophylactic as well as a curative effect if taken in a high potency at infrequent intervals. Phosphorus, belladonna and rhus tox are some of the remedies that are very helpful in treating the haemorrhagic variety of the dengue fever. But a word of caution is necessary here. Haemorrhagic variety is best handled under expert care and hospitalisation may be required. The writer is a Mohali-based homoeopathic practitioner.
drharshsharma@gmail.com |
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Exercise may help keep brain healthy in elderly
Washington: Older adults who exercise may better protect their brain from age-related changes than those who do not, according to a study.
Researchers found that people over 70 who took regular exercise showed less brain shrinkage over a three-year period than those who did little exercise. But psychologists and neuroimaging experts, based at the University of Edinburgh, did not find any benefit to brain health for older people from participation in social or mentally stimulating activities. Greater brain shrinkage is linked to problems with memory and thinking and the researchers say their findings suggest that exercise is potentially one important pathway to maintaining a healthy brain both in terms of size and reducing damage. The researchers also examined the brain’s white matter – the wiring that transmits messages round the brain. They found that people over 70 who were more physically active had fewer ‘damaged’ areas – visible as abnormal areas on scanning – in the white matter than those who did little exercise. Additionally, the researchers from the University of Edinburgh found that the over-70s taking regular exercise had more grey matter – the parts of the brain with nerve cell bodies.
— ANI
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Health Notes Washington: Those who sit for long periods have a two-fold increase in their risk of diabetes, heart disease and death, according to a study. Importantly, associations were independent of the amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity undertaken, suggesting that even if an individual meets typical physical activity guidelines, their health may still be compromised if they sit for long periods of time throughout the day.Dr Emma Wilmot, a research fellow in the Diabetes Research Group at the University of Leicester, led the study, which combined the results of 18 studies and included a total of 794,577 participants. — ANI Access to books at age 4 may help boost brain in later life London:
If books are introduced to children when they are at the age of four, a part of their brain involved in language and thought matures more quickly by the age of 18 or 19, a study has found. Access to educational toys and trips to the zoo and amusement parks also provide this benefit. But these books and treats seem to have little impact on the brain if introduced at the age of eight, suggesting the age of four is a critical time in its development, according to study presented at the Society for Neuroscience’s annual conference in New Orleans. The University of Pennsylvania study has excited scientists because it the first to show how small differences in a normal upbringing affect the brain, the Daily Mail reported.
— ANI Popular over-the-counter drugs not as effective as claimed London:
People spend billions of pounds in a year on popular over-the-counter medicines like cough syrups, flu tablets, slimming pills and many others, but experts have revealed that they do not work as well as they claim to do. Brands such as Benylin, Covonia, Seven Seas and Bach are part of an over-the-counter healthcare industry with sales worth more than 3 billion pounds a year. But an assessment by consumer campaigners and a panel of medical experts has questioned what health benefits they have, the Daily Mail reported.
— ANI |
Dr
Ashit Syngle
