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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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It’s for the lifetime: Artificial
ceramic hips improve flexibility
Impact of environment on human health
Eating oily fish ‘can extend life’
Health
notes
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It’s for the lifetime: Artificial
ceramic hips improve flexibility
Arthritis is one of the leading and severely debilitating disease conditions that exist in India today. Currently there are 5 million arthritis suffers in our country. The ironical state is that the younger arthritic population is vertically on the increase. The reasons can be rheumatoid arthritis, AVN (damaged blood supply to hip), osteoarthritis, pre-existing trauma or recent hip fractures. The life of an arthritis sufferer comes to a painful standstill. Normal household and social activities become a burden. When medication, physical therapy and other conservative methods of treatment no longer relieve pain, total hip replacement is recommended by surgeons. Joint replacement has to a great degree helped manage this disease, restoring the joys of motion to many of these sufferers. They are now able to lead a normal pain-free life. However, today for the modern patient, just a normal restoration of basic activities is not enough. Why not get back to playing active sports? Or go for a morning jog? Or sit on the floor and play with the children or do puja or namaz? And especially walking up and down several kilometres just for daily living in the hills. After all, these are the activities that bring about the true joy of living. With the growing demands, technology is also trying to keep abreast providing best possible results. In India, the skeletal structure is generally smaller than the western countries. However, the demand for high flexion activities like using the Indian toilet, sitting on the floor for religious activities, etc, is significantly higher. What this means is that there is a demand of a high range of movement along with high stability and ability to withstand joint stress in the smaller Indian anatomies. Now the latest innovation in technology in total hip replacement addresses these very demands of the modern Indian patient- The “Delta Motion” —- the world’s first and only large head ceramic on ceramic cup technology leading to a higher range of motion and greater stability with longevity. The Delta Motion ceramic technology offers much lower wear than metal on metal or poly components —- meaning longer lasting and avoiding debris that can be harmful to the body. Lots of concerns over metal ions having carcinogenic properties, not suitable for young pregnant women, metal ions causing allergies, etc, have come up worldwide in recent times- ceramics don’t have this issue. The material used is “Delta” ceramic which is the new generation advanced ceramic technology and is up to 30 times as hard as the previous ones, overcoming concerns of cracking or fracture or breakage of the ceramic. The demand today is for an implant that could last a life time to avoid revision surgery —- a well implanted Delta Motion with a well implanted stem could potentially deliver that without compromising on range of motion and stability. It is indeed the hip for the lifetime!
Points to remember
The writer is the Director & Head, Deptt. of Orthopaedics & Joint Replacement,
Fortis Hospital, Mohali. manuj.wadhwa@gmail.com |
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Impact of environment on human health
The environment comprises surroundings in which people live. In a broader sense, the environment includes the physical, climatic, socio-political and emotional milieu which affect our lives, behaviour and well-being. In this article, we focus our attention specifically on the atmospheric air which is the primary constituent of our physical environment.
Air is taken in and out of the body with every breath by all living beings. No one can, therefore, escape the vagaries of anomalies in atmospheric air. Oxygen, the essence of life, comprises about one-fifth (21 per cent) of air. Fortunately, the concentration of oxygen in the air remains the same whether at sea level or at high altitude in the hills. The concentration also remains the same in both indoor and outdoor environments. It is only the dense smoke from a massive fire or massive leakage of a gas which causes temporary lowering of oxygen (due to replacement of normal air by the smoke or the gas). Air pollution is the most important environmental problem which adversely affects human health. Pollution is defined by the abnormal presence of gases and particulate materials in the air. Contrary to common beliefs, air pollution does not result in oxygen deficiency. The adverse effects are, therefore, attributable to the presence of pollutant gases such as nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and dioxide, ozone and other rare gases. In the indoor micro-environment, the pollutants may also include the chemical vapours, fumes and other volatile materials from consumer goods and cosmetics as well as the construction materials such as the oils and paints. Concentration of carcinogens such as the radium products (radon daughters) may be also high indoor. Incidentally, the indoor environment is significantly more important than the outdoor environment. Indoor surroundings are relatively poorly ventilated, and therefore, the concentration of the pollutants remain high for longer periods of time. Moreover, we spend more time indoors whether at homes, in the offices, or while shopping and travelling. On an average, an individual spends only 10-20 per cent of his/her time out-doors. Different constituents of air pollution are responsible for different health effects. In totality, the assault is borne by the whole body and most of the organ systems — either directly or indirectly. Some of the organs (e.g. eyes, skin, nose, mouth and respiratory system) are directly exposed to the air and suffer immediate problems on exposure to pollutants. Other organs (heart, brain, vascular system and others) are likely to suffer from delayed and chronic ill effects. Irritative and allergic reactions are common, and are responsible for persistent watering, redness and itching in the eyes, skin, nose and throat. Chronic, dry and hacking cough sometimes progressing to asthma and chest tightness may occur in the predisposed individuals. Respiratory infections are frequent in children, the elderly and the immune-compromised patients. More lasting effects of air pollution are slow at the onset but chronic and persistent in nature. There is undisputed relationship of air pollution with hypertension and atherosclerosis of blood vessels which are responsible for occurrence of heart attacks, brain-strokes and increased mortality. Air pollution is also responsible for respiratory problems such as chronic bronchial asthma, impairment of lung function, pneumonias and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There is also evidence to link pollution with carcinogenesis. There is an increased presence of allergens in the indoor environment in the dust gathered in the furnishings such as the carpets, curtains and sofa-sets. This is further complicated by the presence of humidity and heat produced by water seepage, leakages and poor ventilation. There occurs an overgrowth of fungi, mites and insects acting as allergens for causing diseases such as asthma and other allergens. The need for clean environment should never be undermined. It is rather a paradox that we often sacrifice the environment in favour of economic considerations. This is almost a suicidal tendency since we ourselves tend to create hostile conditions for our own living. The polluted environment promotes both disease and death. "The health of human beings is determined not by their race but by the conditions under which they live" (Rene Dubos). The indoor environment in particular is largely determined by us as individuals and families. We are directly responsible for our homes. As a society we also need to take care of our environment by adopting steps to avoid the sources of pollution. The writer is Professor & Head, Department of
Pulmonary Medicine, PGI, Chandigarh. |
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Eating oily fish ‘can extend life’
London: Eating oily fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids can add years to your life, a study has shown.
Higher blood levels of omega-3 reduce the chances of dying from heart disease by more than a third, according to the research. They cut the overall risk of dying by as much as 27 per cent.
Scientists found that people with the largest amounts of the fatty acids in their blood lived on average 2.2 years longer than those with lower levels. “Although eating fish has long been considered part of a healthy diet, few studies have assessed blood omega-3 levels and total deaths in older adults,” said lead researcher Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, from the Harvard School of Public Health in the US. “Our findings support the importance of adequate blood omega-3 levels for cardiovascular health, and suggest that later in life these benefits could actually extend the years of remaining life.” The scientists analysed 16 years of data from around 2,700 US adults aged 65 and older taking part in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). Participants gave blood samples and were questioned about their health, medical history and lifestyle. Three key omega-3 fatty acids, both separately and together, were associated with a significantly reduced risk of death. One, docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA) , was linked to a 40% lower risk of death due to coronary heart disease. This was especially true for deaths caused by heart rhythm disturbances. Another omega-3 compound, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) was strongly associated with a lower risk of death from stroke. The third type of omega-3, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was linked to a reduced risk of non-fatal heart attack. Overall, participants with the highest levels of all three types of fatty acid had a 27 per cent lower risk of death from all causes. The findings appear in the online edition of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Oily fish, such as mackerel, tuna and sardines, is the most important source of omega-3. The fatty acids can also be found in flaxseed, walnuts and rapeseed oil.
— The Independent
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Health
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Washington : Focusing on the present rather than letting the mind drift may help to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis. The ability to focus mental resources on immediate experience is an aspect of mindfulness, which can be improved by meditation training.“This is the first study to show a direct relation between resting cortisol and scores on any type of mindfulness scale,” said Tonya Jacobs, a postdoctoral researcher at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain and first author of a paper describing the work. High levels of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland, are associated with physical or emotional stress. Prolonged release of the hormone contributes to wide-ranging, adverse effects on a number of physiological systems.
— ANI How extra pounds slow
you down Washington: Researchers have studied physical activity and its relation to obesity for decades but no one has studied the reverse – obesity’s effect on physical activity. So BYU exercise science professor Larry Tucker decided to look at the other side of the equation to determine if obesity leads to less activity. The findings, no surprise, confirmed what everyone has assumed for years. “Most people talk about it as if it’s a cycle,” senior-author Tucker said. “Half of the cycle has been studied almost without limit. This is the first study of its kind, in many ways, looking at obesity leading to decreases in physical activity over time,” he said. To study this reciprocal effect objectively, the researchers attached an accelerometer to more than 250 participants.
— ANI Eating more fibre could reduce risk of stroke Washington:
Eating more fiber can decrease your risk of first-time stroke, a new study suggests. Dietary fiber is the part of the plant that the body doesn’t absorb during digestion. Fibre can be soluble, which means it dissolves in water, or is insoluble. Previous research has shown that dietary fibre may help reduce risk factors for stroke, including high blood pressure and high blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) “bad” cholesterol. In the study, researchers found that each seven-gram increase in total daily fibre intake was associated with a 7 percent decrease in first-time stroke risk. One serving of whole wheat pasta, plus two servings of fruits or vegetables, provides about 7 grams of fibre, researchers said.
— ANI
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Lifestyle in the young and active is very different from the geriatric population .In the young, active life flexibility and durability are the main demands whether for sports, recreation or managing daily chores of life. These activities demand much higher degrees of pressure to the joints. Modern total hip arthoplasty is now able to address this very demand for a high range of movement with high stability via the large head monobloc ceramic hips—- ‘Delta motion’