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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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Piles & fissures: Precautions can keep diseases away Misconceptions about sinusitis Water purifier chemical may up food allergy risk
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Piles & fissures: Precautions can keep diseases away There are several risk factors which are responsible for the agonising problems of piles and fissures. Risk factors Hard motions (stools)- constipation: It is pertinent to mention that hard motions need to be prevented at any cost. Hard motions are the most important cause for piles and fissures. Straining: The straining done while passing stool is the root cause for piles, and all possible efforts should be done to avoid it. Spending too much time: Spending more than five minutes for passing motions is not recommended. The more time we spend in the toilet, the more we end up straining and increasing the risk of piles. Water jet in toilet seats: The original research done by us (published in British & European Journal, “Colorectal Disease”) conclusively demonstrated that the water jet in the toilet seats increases the risk of anal fissures several fold. The stream of water is a potentially powerful medium. At high velocity and pressure, water jet is used in the instrument — water jet cutter — a tool capable of slicing into metal or other materials (such as granite). Anal skin is very delicate and is easily injured by the repeated hit of the water jet in the toilet seats. Low fibre and junk food: The increasing trend of eating fast food, which is high in calories and low in fibre, also plays an important role in causing these disorders. These risk factors are the basic and precipitating causes for piles and fissures. So, the following lifestyle modifications should be adopted and precautions taken to prevent these dreadful diseases. Precautions High-fibre diet: We should be very careful to include adequate eatables with a high-fibre content in our diet. These include salads, green vegetables, preferring whole wheat and ‘besan’ over ‘maida’ and ‘suji’ (going for whole wheat bread) and taking a lot of fruits. If we are unsure or unable to maintain a high-fibre diet (because of travelling, unavailability as in hostels, etc), then taking Isabgol husk three-four teaspoonful daily with 400-500ml water during evening is recommended. This ensures that the fibre requirement of the body is met daily. The adequate fibre intake not only prevents constipation but also decreases cholesterol (thereby decreasing the risk of heart disease, stroke-paralysis, blockade of arteries in legs, etc), reducing weight and decreasing the risk of colon (large intestine) cancer several fold. High water intake: Adequate water intake reduces constipation and the chances of hard stools. No newspapers/mobiles in toilets: It is a very bad habit to take newspapers, laptops and mobile phones in the toilet while passing motions. It leads to spending excessive unnecessary time in the toilet. By increasing fibre and water intake, it is recommended that we do not spend more than five minutes in our toilet. Avoid water jet: It is recommended that we should use hand shower (health faucet) in toilet seats. TREATMENT If, in spite of the precautions listed above, somebody develops these diseases, then it is important to consult an expert colo-rectal surgeon early so that the treatment is started early and the operation is avoided. Quacks and unqualified practitioners should be avoided at all costs as they end up complicating the simple treatment. Piles: A vast majority of the patients of piles can be adequately treated by healthy lifestyle modifications and small outpatient procedures like banding, infra-red coagulation, injection sclerotherapy, etc. But, as mentioned earlier, proper cure is possible only if the patient comes to the expert in the early stages. However, in the last stage of the disease, an operation is needed. With the advent of newer painless methods of Stapler technique and Doppler ligation, the surgery of piles is no longer dreaded and painful, and it doesn’t require long periods of bed rest as it used to be in the past. Anal fissures: Most of the patients with acute (recent) anal fissures come to the surgeon with severe pain after the motions and spasm (contraction) of the anal canal muscles. With the availability of latest creams (Diltiazem and Nitroglycerin), it is possible to achieve much relief in this condition, and these help reduce the need for surgery in acute fissures in a big way. The writer is a senior colo-rectal surgeon at Fortis Hospital, Mohali. Email: drgargpankaj @yahoo.com |
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Misconceptions about sinusitis Sinusitis is so common that almost every person on this earth except for a newborn has suffered from sinusitis at one or the other time in his life. There are a lot of misconceptions about this disease. To put things in perspective, let us first understand what sinuses are and the purpose they serve in the human body. Sinuses are hollow spaces located within the skull around the nose. There are four pairs of sinuses. Each sinus is connected to the nose for free drainage of air and mucous. These sinuses are lined by continuous mucous membranes that extend to the nasal cavities. The mucous membranes that line these sinuses produce mucous, which washes away the offending allergens and micro-organisms. The sinuses serve a dual purpose of keeping the skull lighter and adding resonance to the voice. In addition, they act as bodyguards by keeping out minute harmful organisms and fighting infection. Therefore, it is essential that the sinuses should be free from any infection and obstruction so that they can keep performing their functions and ensure that the body remains disease-free. Sinusitis means the inflammation of the sinuses and is a commonly occurring problem. This inflammation can be caused by simple cold, which may disappear in a few days on its own. The defence system or the immunity of the human body is perfectly capable of fighting off such acute infections. But in some cases, immunity is weak and it is unable to fight off the infections, or there may be a predisposition to frequent infections. It has been found that people having diseases like allergic rhinitis or asthma are more prone to chronic sinusitis. Symptoms of sinusitis are recurring colds, obstruction of the nose and a stuffy sensation, which causes a difficulty in breathing. One is forced to keep his mouth open to breathe. The fact that one has to breathe through the mouth means that a lot of offending allergens and micro-organisms find their way into the respiratory tract which would otherwise have been blocked in the nose. This is a major source of infection. The other effect is that the voice is nasal and loses its resonance. The discharge is usually green or yellow and drains from the posterior part of the nose into the throat. Heaviness in the forehead and around the eyes is a constant irritant. Morning headache is a prominent symptom. Headache increases on stooping. Sneezing may also be present along with watery discharge from the eyes. Preventing the occurrence is not always feasible, but some simple measures do help. Exposure to cold and allergens is to be avoided especially during the change of seasons and sudden changes of temperature. Avoid exposure to pollutants. Cigarette smoke is particularly injurious for both active and passive smokers. Drink lots of warm fluids. Inhaling steam helps in decongesting the nasal cavities. Yoga provides a very good measure for succour in the form of ‘Jal Neti’. Regular practice of this kriya is very helpful in clearing the blocked sinuses. Role of homoeopathy Homoeopathic medicines work on the immunity and aid it in fighting off this infection. Further, they help in eradicating the predisposition of the person to have this again and again. Medicines like Hydrastis Candadensis, Kali Bichromium, Silicea and Pulsatilla are really helpful in treating this trouble. The acute cases are best dealt with the above mentioned medicines, which needs to be followed by constitutional treatment so as to avoid recurrence. The writer is a Mohali-based homoeopathic practitioner. drharshsharma@gmail.com. |
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Water purifier chemical may up food allergy risk
London: A byproduct of chemicals used to help purify water could be responsible for a rise in food allergies, according to a study. Researchers have found that people exposed to high levels of dichlorophenols, produced when chlorine is added to water to ensure it is free of bugs, tend to be more prone to food allergies.
“Our research shows that high levels of dichlorophenol-containing pesticides can possibly weaken food tolerance in some people, causing food allergy,” The Telegraph quoted Elina Jerschow, assistant professor of allergy and immunology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, as saying. “This chemical is commonly found in pesticides used by farmers and consumer insect and weed control products, as well as tap water,” she revealed.
Jerschow and her colleagues looked at the incidence of food allergies among 2,211 people who were participants in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. — ANI
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Surprising signs that reveal you're stressed out Washington: Our body warns us when we're stressed out. Ignoring them can cost our life because chronic stress increases risk for a host of health problems, including high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke and depression, to name a few. Experts have revealed some sneaky symptoms of stress that we might mistakenly chalk up to some other health problem or brush off as nothing to worry about, Huffingtonpost reported. The first is weird and/or recurring dreams. "Unfortunately, the stress we deal with during the day tends to follow us to bed at night and plays out in our dreams," Lauri Quinn Loewenberg, author of “Dream On It — Unlock Your Dreams, Change Your Life”, wrote for DoctorOz.com. Maybe you don't realise you're burning the candle at both ends until that dream comes back where you miss your bus or your house is on fire, two of the five most common stress dreams, according to Loewenberg. Second symptom is tight muscles. Stress causes us to tense our muscles and can even trigger muscle spasms, leaving us in some serious pain, Woman's Day reported. That funny eye twitch could also be sign of stress. While there's not exactly hard evidence to prove it, many people who complain of a twitch also say they're tired or stressed. Your teeth can also tell you that you are stressed out. A number of people grind their teeth in their sleep — or "chew over the day's stressors," Debbie Mandel, author of "Addicted to Stress: A Woman's 7-Step Program to Reclaim Joy and Spontaneity in Life", told Fitness. — ANI Applying lipstick can harm your IQ London: A new study involving 22 brands of lipstick found that 55 per cent contained trace amounts of lead. Underwriters Laboratories revealed that 12 of the lip products sampled tested positive for the toxic substance with the highest levels at 3.22 parts per million, the Daily Mail reported. Commenting on the findings, Dr Sean Palfrey, medical director for the Boston Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, warned that even low-level lead exposure poses a serious health risk and could affect mental health. He told GMA, which commissioned the study: "What we know now is that even the lowest levels of lead can harm your IQ, your behaviour, your ability to learn." — ANI Being on fruit and veggie-heavy diet won't make you eat less London: Dieters are often advised to eat fruit and vegetables at meal times to help them feel full for longer and avoid gobbling down calorie-laden food later in the day. But a new study carried out by Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, has claimed that it is not an effective long-term diet solution, the Daily Mail reported. Researchers found that eating fresh and dried fruit before a meal helps people feel fuller and eat slightly less during the main course, but being on a fruit-and-vegetable-heavy diet for months made no long-term difference in the volunteers assessments of their own hunger and fullness. — ANI
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Piles is a common disease affecting one-third of the population of the world. However, in most people it is in early stages and doesn’t require any treatment. In the rest of the patients, it progressively increases in size and keeps troubling them. It is in this category of patients on whom attention must be focused. They must adopt a healthy lifestyle and other timely non-surgical options so that an operation can be averted. Anal fissures are also very common and cause a lot of pain and anguish. They are also best prevented.