Health is Wealth

TB spike puts focus back on lung surgery

2012-01-23T17:03:00.001-08:00

Mumbai: When extra-extremely drug-resistant (XXDR) tuberculosis made its presence felt in Mumbai last week, bureaucrats and public health experts jotted down an ingredient that was dangerously low in availability: surgeons. The BMC is planning to get surgeons to restart the surgery programme at its TB specialty hospital in Sewri, said BMC additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar. But given the city's history, this may not be the easiest of tasks.

    The words of the former head of surgery at the same hospital decades ago show why it's difficult to get surgeons into the TB fold. "Why should doctors who have trained in cardiothoracic surgery look at the lungs when operating on the heart is certainly more glamorous,'' asks Dr Harikant Bhanushali, 76, who still operates on TB patients using a minimal access technique at Kaushalya Hospital in Thane.
    At Sewri's TB Hospital, he operated on over 7,600 patients from 1966 to 1991. "But it's a difficult and time-consuming surgery. May be that is the reason many don't opt for it,'' he says. India to ban 'inaccurate' and costly blood tests I ndia will soon ban blood tests to detect tuberculosis. These tests are widelyavailable across the country. Following a WHO proposal, an expert group set up by the Drug Controller General of India found that blood tests are mostly inaccurate for TB detection. Experts said they are also expensive compared to the standard culture test provided free by the government. P 11 Resistance to drugs could push surgery
Mumbai: Dr Harikant Bhanushali, a veteran surgeon, says TB surgery is both difficult and time-consuming. It takes 45 minutes to access the lungs and another 45 minutes to close them. A cardiothoracic surgeon can complete a bypass heart surgery in the same time.
    Doctors trained in cardiothoracic surgery can operate on both vital organs — heart and lungs. "But you get Rs 30,000 for a lung surgery while you can get 10 times that amount for a bypass surgery. The choice is clear,'' says a doctor attached to a state government hospital.
    It is not as if surgery is not done at all. Dr Yatin Dholakia of the State Anti-TB Association says that surgery is regularly offered for cases of extra-pulmonary TB or TB in any organs other than the lungs. But extrapulmonary TB forms only about 10-15% of all TB cases. In the last few decades as medicines acted well on the bulk of TB patients, surgery took the backseat. "But with drug resistance emerging now, surgery will certainly be more often. Small lesions in the lungs that don't react well to medication need surgical treatment,'' says Dr Dholakia. But he is clear that surgery is only a way to get medicines to start acting on a patient with drug-resistance TB. In medical terms, surgery is just an adjuvant or additional therapy.
    Considering that Mumbai adds between 3,000 and 4,000 multi-drug resistant patients to its TB pool every year, the percentage—however small—of patients needing the adjuvant
surgical therapy could be significant. Not surprisingly then, some private hospitals also offer TB surgery. Hinduja Hospital in Mahim that first reported the 12 "totally drug resistant TB'' cases is one of the major such hospitals. Fortis Hiranandani Hospital in Vashi is another. Dr Nitish Jhawar, who is a minimal access surgeon at the Vashi Hospital, gives the example of Sia Shetty (name changed). "She was diagnosed with multidrug resistant TB and was in our ICU for a month. Her family had almost given up. That is when we surgeons were called to use the video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery to remove the diseases tissue or lesions form her lungs,'' says Dr Jhawar.
    A video camera was fitted to one of three scopes that were introduced into the lungs through small holes."In less than two hours, we had removed the lesions and the patient started responding better to medicines thereafter,'' he added.
    A doctor in the Sewri Hospital says the decision has to be taken judiciously. "One cannot operate on a patient who may just worsen due to complexity of surgery.'' However, Bhanushali feels many doctors delay surgery for too long. "A decision on surgery can be taken once the doctor notices that despite three months of medication, the patient is not responding well. Earlier such lesions or pus cells are removed, the better the TB medication can act,'' says Bhanushali, who was among the first to use video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in this part of the country. "Patients can walk away from the hospital in three days of surgery.''

2012-01-23T16:52:00.001-08:00

Oily fish such as salmon are packed with healthy omega 3 fats. Photo: Nazma Lakhani

Thankfully, people today are living longer, but it's not much fun having extra years if you suffer from conditions that hamper your quality of life. Nutrition plays an important role in preventing diet-related diseases, so making making the right food choices is important. Here are five dietary tips geared specifically to seniors and those approaching their elder years.

Make sure each meal has a moderate amount of protein such as meat, fish, eggs, beans, lentils or cheese. Eat fish twice per week, choosing an oily fish for one of these meals — this will provide you with omega-3 fats. Oily fish include canned sardines or salmon, fresh tuna (not canned), mackerel, herring, trout or salmon.
Aim to have one or two portions of vegetables or fruit with each meal. You don't need to eat fresh veg – frozen or even canned sources, may be softer and easier to chew.
Choose whole grain starchy foods such as granary or wholemeal bread, brown basmati rice, chapatti made with wholemeal flour, and low sugar whole grain breakfast cereals. These give you fibre, which can help prevent constipation.
Make sure you drink enough fluid. Poor bladder control may mean you choose to drink less so you don't need to urinate so often, but being dehydrated can have consequences on your body cells, your mental agility, and your skin. Drinking more fluid also helps to reduce symptoms of constipation.
Cut down on sugary, fatty and salty foods. This means eating fewer nasthas likechevda, puris, nankhatai, cakes and biscuits. Instead of butter or ghee — which are high in harmful saturated fat — cook with oils that are based on unsaturated fatty acids, such as rapeseed (canola), olive, corn or sunflower oil.

Carrot Creativity

2012-01-22T09:34:00.001-08:00

Gajar ka halwa may be the most common way to cook carrots in India but there is more to this winter vegetable. Try out carrot cakes, carrot subzi with bajra roti or even stuffed sandwiches

It's difficult to say when exactly did carrots start evoking the contempt that they do in not just local Indian kitchens but folklore and colloquial expression but the fact is that the vegetable can easily grace the most interesting of menus, not just as steamed-up sides beautifying meat platters, but as the legit main ingredient for starters, soups, mains and, of course, desserts. In Hindi, we may dismiss gajar-mooli, carrots and radish, as the ultimate symbol of being a non-entity (faceless armies can be decimated like gajarmooli, or you can be a person of non-significance like these root veggies) but that is perhaps only because cooking with these was so pervasive in our community cuisines.

    Today, in the face of round-the-year vegetables that significance and many of those recipes may have been lost. But still, if you apply yourself, carrots, so beautiful and abundant during winters, can be much more than a reluctant glass of Vitamin A that mother hands out to improve vision and the complexion. One of the most ancient of Indian vegetables, carrots exist in both the desi version today as well as in the more orange "English" avatar (during colonial times, a newer variety was planted in Shimla). And then there are those pretty little baby carrots, increasingly making their way into our salad bars. Should you be able to lay your hands on these, serve them lightly steamed with an assortment of dips.
    However, the most common way in which Indians know how to cook carrots traditionally is perhaps as gajar ka halwa. Though terrible khoya-enriched, bazaar-bought versions are convenient and increasingly common, the recipe is no-fuss and deserves to be tried. It was also the first recipe that I possibly picked up — when as a precocious three year old (truly), my grandmother made me learn by heart the proportions she used: 2 litre milk, 1 kg carrot, ½ kg sugar. The trick to a good halwa is to bhuno it well after the milk soaks up, adding a dash of ghee. My grandmother would set this into thin katlis.
For Diverse Tastes
If you want to eat healthily, try making a simple sweet and sour carrot subzi with bajra roti, a homely winter lunch. Methi dana or bitter fenugreek seeds are spluttered in oil and the carrots lightly sautéed. Once done, finish with a little khatai sour (dried mango is the souring agent of choice in my part of the world) and sugar.
    Today, chefs consciously juxtapose diverse tastes (and textures) in any dish. With carrots, it seems almost instinctive. Caperberry's immensely talented chef Abhijeet Saha suggests a simple Tunisian dip omi huriya, which is quite doable: boil carrots and coarsely grind to paste, add extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt, roasted cumin powder and chilli flakes. You can also add roughly ground (roasted) almonds and use this as a sandwich spread.
    Or, make a pickled salad/cold appetiser: cut into batons and pickle in white wine vinegar. Mix 250 ml of vinegar in 1 litre of water, add pepper, chilli, bay leaves or any spices plus salt and sugar and boil. Soak the carrot batons in this and leave overnight.
    The traditional kanji served in Delhi and UP homes around Holi is similar to this pickling process, except the sourness comes from fermentation. To make this at home, grind mustard seeds (the red ones, rai) into a paste and mix in warm water. Add some jaggery and allow it to ferment for three-four days. Add lightly steamed carrot batons once the water is sour enough.
Winter Tales
In winters, nothing can be better than carrot soup. Chef Saha suggests a warming lemon, coriander and carrot one. Saute carrots with onion and garlic, add stock and cook till soft. Then, puree these, adjust seasoning and add stock if required. Finish with lemon juice and freshly-chopped coriander. Another option is the vichyssoise, which, though a cold soup typically, can be served warm. And though typically made of pureed potatoes, leeks, onions, cream (no, this is certainly not for weight-watchers) and stock, it can be wonderful with carrots added on.
If you are serving grilled or roasted meats/fish, you can saute blanched carrot in butter and herbs or rustle up a sweetish, bright orange carrot puree. From spicy samosas (carrots and green chillies go into Irani samosas in Hyderabad) to "spring rolls" to Kerala stew to whole cabbage stuffed with green peas, diced carrot and a generous sprinkle of garam masala, the veggie can enhance many dishes. But the one thing you cannot go without this winter is carrot cake. Take equal quantity of flour and grated carrot (squeeze out the water for that crunch) and use spices like cinnamon and all-spice (kebabchini) for a treat.
HEALTH BENEFITS
Carrots contain huge amounts of carotene that the body converts into Vitamin A, good for the eyes. Carrots also have Vitamin B and C They are a good source of potassium, folic acid and can help lower cholesterol
Because raw carrots have tough cellular walls which makes it difficult to free up nutrients inside, these are one of the few vegetables, studies say, that are better when consumed cook or juiced than raw But most of the goodness is contained in the skin or just below it. Peeling takes away these nutrients

The author is a Delhi-based food writer and curates food festivals

Nippon Life to buy 26% in Rel MF

2012-01-19T17:19:00.001-08:00

In Biggest FDI Flow In MF Industry, Japanese Co To Pay $286M For Stake

Mumbai: Japanese insurance major, Nippon Life Insurance, will buy a 26% stake in Reliance Mutual Fund, the Anil Ambani-controlled group's asset management business, for about Rs 1,450 crore ($286 million). This is the single-largest foreign direct investment (FDI) in the MF industry, and also the largest deal in this sector.

    The transaction values Reliance MF, India's second largest fund house by assets under management (AUM), at about $1.1 billion. This is the second deal between the Japanese insurance major and the Anil Ambani-promoted Reliance Group after it earlier picked up a 26% stake in Reliance Life Insurance. Reliance MF is an arm of Reliance Capital.
    Nippon Life, also called Nissay, is a 122-year-old life insurer which manages over $600 billion (Rs 30 lakh crore) in assets, among the largest total assets in the world for any life insurer. As of September 30, 2011, Reliance MF managed a little over Rs 93,000 crore in assets across mutual funds, client accounts and hedge funds. As of December 31, Reliance MF's average AUM was about Rs 82,300crore, data published by AMFI, the fund industry trade body, showed. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two groups was signed in Mumbai on Thursday by Nippon Life president Yoshinobu Tsutsui and Reliance Capital chairman Anil Ambani. Morgan Stanley was the financial advisor to Nippon Life in this acquisition.
    Under the deal, no new shares will be issued and USbased hedge fund Eton Park will continue to have a 5% stake in the Indian asset manager, Nippon Life will have 26% while the remaining 69% will be with Reliance Capital. Eton Park has been a stakeholder in the company since 2007, when it paid Rs 501 crore to get this minority interest. The funds that the company got from the current deal will be used in its other businesses, like commercial lending, mortgage finance, etc, officials said.
    Ambani said that the mutual fund partnership with Nippon Life strengthens the relationship between Reliance Group and its Japanese partner further and "takes it to a new level". Nippon Life said that since the opening up of the Indian MF sector to foreign players, it has grown rapidly. Speaking to TOI, Sam Ghosh, group CEO, Reliance Capital, said that after this partnership, Reliance MF would advise and manage Nippon Life's investments in India, and would also explore the opportunity for the Japanese major to distribute its products in Japan and other south Asian markets. In addition, "like in life insurance, Nippon Life would also extend their technical support in terms of systems and products," Ghosh said.
    Last March, Osaka-based Nippon Life signed an agreement with Reliance Group to acquire a 26% stake in Reliance Life Insurance at an aggregate value of Rs 3,062 crore ($680 million). The transaction had valued the Indian life insurer at about Rs 11,500 crore ($2.6 billion). In Thursday's strong market, the RCap stock closed at Rs 330, up 3.7% on the day. Since touching a 52-week low at Rs 226, the stock is currently up 46%.

Flower power Having flowers at home not only adds colour but also hashealth benefits

2012-01-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

Why wait till you're gifted a bouquet of flowers to put them up — having floral arrangements at home not only makes your abode look more vibrant but is also known to improve mood. A behavioural research study reveals that people feel more compassionate toward others, have less worry and anxiety, and feel less depressed and agitated when fresh-cut flowers are present in the house. Flowers have an immediate impact on happiness, say experts. Participants of the study expressed delight and gratitude while receiving flowers — a reaction that was universal, across all age groups.

    You can place flowers in your kitchen, dining room, living room or balcony— essentially areas where you spend a lot of time when you're at home. Living with flowers can also provide a boost of energy, happiness and enthusiasm at work. The study added that people were more likely to feel happier and more enthusiastic and energetic at work when flowers were present in their home. When you start the day in a positive mood, one is more likely to transfer that happy feeling to others.
    The aroma of roses is supposed to aid in elevating mood while marigold or genda have antiseptic and stimulant properties. Magnolia blossoms, lilac, gardenia, lily, jasmine, lavender, chamomile, evening primrose, hibiscus and several other flowers are available at local, neighbourhood florists — choose whichever appeals most to your senses!
    The vase you choose is based on the size and shape of the flowers you want to display. For longstemmed flowers (roses or sunflower) use a tall, slender vase. For short-stemmed flowers with round, full blossoms (gardenias) use a smaller, spherical vase to accentuate the shape. When you have a large arrangement of a variety of flowers, use a vase that has a wide, heavy base for extra support. Individual flowers simply need a narrow vase of medium height.

VIBRANT: Flowers liven up spaces and moods

KING OF NUTS Walnut tops health chart, can help lower cholesterol: Study

2012-01-16T20:44:00.001-08:00

London: It's official now: Walnuts are the healthiest nuts to eat. Scientists have discovered that walnuts are loaded with antioxidants and snacking on as few as seven a day could help ward off disease and lower cholesterol.
    They found that walnuts contain very high levels of polyphenol, an anti-oxidant which can protect the body from molecules which damage tissue.
    Tests carried out on nine commonly eaten types of nuts showed that walnuts contained the most polyphenol than others.
    Brazil nuts and pistachios were close behind, and cashews and hazelnuts had slightly lower levels of antioxidants, said the researchers from the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania. "Walnuts rank above Brazil nuts, pistachios, pecans, peanuts, almonds, macadamias, cashews and hazelnuts," Joe Vinson, who led the study. PTI

SHAMEMATERNAL MORTALITY 13L kids die before 1st birthday

2012-01-16T20:42:00.001-08:00

Infant Mortality Rate In Rural India Is 55, Urban Less Than 34

Over 55,000 women die during child birth in India every year. Of the total children born in one year, a mind boggling 13 lakh die before they reach their first birthdays, most of them within a few weeks of entering this world. Another indicator that the world watches is how many children cannot survive beyond five years of age. In India every year, over 16 lakh under-5 years children die.

    These are hair-raising numbers, the highest in the world, mainly because India has the highest number of births in the world — over 2.62 crore per year. But how can one compare this with other countries with lower population or lower birth rates? That is done by expressing mother's deaths in terms of how many per 1 lakh live births. For India this maternal mortality rate works out to 212. And for infant deaths the ratio is written as so many per 1000 live births. For India this works out to 50. Under-5 mortality in India is 63.
    Although maternal mortality has fallen drastically from 570 in 1990, this should not be a matter of complacency. In highly advanced countries, like those in Western Europe, it is below 15, and even in countries with medium human development, such as Russia or Brazil, it is below 133. China has maternal mortality of just 38. Death of the mother during or immediately after child birth is a direct function of health infrastructure, says Dr Amit Sengupta of the People'sHealth Movement. "Child birth is a natural function. Death will occur only if there is an emergency, like an obstruction. For that you need trained personnel and facilities. If people have to rush 30-40 kms in an emergency, a tragic and avoidable death results," he explains.
    Infant mortality rates are still high in India, despite slowly reducing from about 65 in 2000. Our neighbours, though poorer, have done better — IMR is 48 in Nepal and 52 in Bangladesh. In China it is just 19. Most infant deaths occur in the first few weeks because, again, health facilities and doctors are not easily available or cost too much. A clear indication of this comes from the wide difference between rural and urban rates. In rural areas, infant mortality is 55 while in urban areas it is much less at 34.
    Infant mortality varies from 67 in MP, 65 in Orissa and 63 in UP to just 12 in Kerala, 28 in Tamil Nadu and 33 in West Bengal. Maternal mortality varies from 390 in Assam and 359 in Uttar Pradesh to 81 in Kerala. Obviously there are some lessons in all this: better education, better infrastructure, better nutrition. But what is perhaps most direly needed is political will across the board.

Marathon grows along with Mumbai’s FITNESS

2012-01-15T02:58:00.001-08:00

Mumbaikars' Desire To Stay In Shape Has Received A Great Impetus From The City's Most Famous Athletic Event

You need to be a runner to know the pain and stringent training it takes to get to the finish line. And over the past eight years, running has been taken seriously by many in this city, thanks to the Mumbai marathon. Today's Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2012, the ninth edition of the event, in which The Times of India is the print partner, is another milestone in Mumbai's tryst with international competition.

    Running the Mumbai marathon might mean various things to different people, but for a major chunk of Mumbaikars it's a way of staying fit and healthy.
    Last year, Harpeet Singh, 24, was one of those standing outside the racetrack cheering on participants. This year he chose to take the challenge himself. "I was never an athlete and fitness and health never made sense to me. But after I attended the marathon last year I realized that men and women the age of my grandparents were fitter than me. So I decided to change," said Singh, who has since been religiously practising and is all set to run the half marathon today. "My body is fit and I feel much healthier now, so I might keep participating in the event every year," added the second-year MBA student of Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies.
    The marathon has also made many Mumbaikars more aware of fitness, even though they may not choose to run. Fitness instructors across the city have noticed an upsurge in the number of people aiming at leaner and fitter bodies. "The marathon is publicized on a great level and carries a lot of weight. But it is not the kind of event that one can get through by practising once a week," said Samir Purohit, a fitness expert. He is currently training a group of runners aiming to participate on Sunday, but added that there's an equal number of people who have started exercising regularly to stay fit. "There's increased awareness and a desire to be fit. The general public is taking personal fitness very seriously now," he said.
    For 68-year-old Mahendrabhai Mehta, it's his fifth Mumbai marathon, but it's his son for whom this year holds a lot of importance. "I was always sure that I was healthy and fit, until recently when I heard about a friend who suffered a stroke at the age of 33. That's when I decided to take my health seriously," said Chirag Mehta, 36, who has been going for regular walks and runs at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park with his father for the past year.
    Dheeraj Gupta, 36, took up the challenge of running the half marathon for the same reason. "For the initial month, I started walking 3 to 5 km regularly to build my stamina. Now I'm sure that I will finish the event," said Gupta.
    Many fitness experts believe that the marathon has changed people's psyche. "People now are not looking at just preparing for the run, but looking forward to maintaining their fitness even after the run. It is a welcome change," said John Gloster, a fitness expert.
BRAND AMBASSADORS
Vijay Amritraj | John Abraham
PARTICIPANTS TO WATCH FOR CELEBRITIES: Madhuri Dixit | Ranbir Kapoor | Prateik Babbar | Chitrangada Singh
CORPORATE HONCHOS:
Anil Ambani | Anand Mahindra | Neeraj Goenka | Siddharth Mallya
ON RACE DAY
Water available | 1.12 lakh litres Water stations | 24 Medical stations | 12 (including 2 base camps) Ambulances | 8 Doctors on duty | 350 Police on duty | 1,869 Security guards | 1,000 Volunteers | 800
Money raised last year | 12.16 crore

HEELS OVER HEAD: A trainer helps a runner work out

MORNING WALKER MEETS PRO RUNNERS: Athletes do work-outs at Marine Drive in preparation for the big race

Walnut tops health chart, can help lower cholesterol: Study

2012-01-12T17:21:00.001-08:00

KING OF NUTS

London: It's official now: Walnuts are the healthiest nuts to eat. Scientists have discovered that walnuts are loaded with antioxidants and snacking on as few as seven a day could help ward off disease and lower cholesterol.

    They found that walnuts contain very high levels of polyphenol, an anti-oxidant which can protect the body from molecules which damage tissue.
    Tests carried out on nine commonly eaten types of nuts showed that walnuts contained the most polyphenol than others.
    Brazil nuts and pistachios were close behind, and cashews and hazelnuts had slightly lower levels of antioxidants, said the researchers from the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania. "Walnuts rank above Brazil nuts, pistachios, pecans, peanuts, almonds, macadamias, cashews and hazelnuts," Joe Vinson, who led the study. PTI

Owning a car, TV ups heart attack risk 27%

2012-01-11T16:55:00.001-08:00

Mumbai:Owning a car or television set could be injurious to health.

    A new study mapping people's possessions and physical activity against their risk for heart problems found a 27% increase in heart attacks among people who had a car and/ or TV in comparison to those who didn't.
    But the INTERHEART study spanning 52 nations and 25,000 people holds out the heartiest
promise ever: the risk of heart attack can be neutralized with the mildest of physical activity. The study was published in the European Heart Journal on Wednesday.
    Said Dr Aashish Contractor, a preventive cardiologist who is medical in-charge of Sunday's marathon, "The study is heartening because it makes it clear that people don't need strenuous exercises to reduce the risk of a heart attack. Even mild physical activity can be useful.''
    The INTERHEART study is a long-running global study (from February 1999 onwards) on heart attacks that includes data from India as well. A couple of years back it showed that Indians got heart-attacks a decade before their Caucasian counterparts; part of this study was done at Parel's KEM Hospital.
    The new study was undertaken for obvious reasons: rising urbanization has led to a sedentary lifestyle across the world. 'Mild exercise can cut heart attack risk'
Mumbai: The INTERHEART study shows the link between a sedentary lifestyle and heart problems.
    "A sedentary lifestyle has become common in many developing countries, and with it, the incidence of metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cardiovascular disease has also risen,'' said the study's main author, Claes Held of Uppsala University in Sweden.
    The team identified various factors leading to illhealth: increasing urbanization, mechanization at work, more motorized transportation, "a societal structure that discourages walking but encourages the use of physical activity limiting devices (cars and elevators), and the widespread availability of appliances that promote sedentary behaviour such as the television and computers''.
    The researchers began mapping possessions—a TV at home or car to work—versus the risk of a heart attack among people. After comparing the possessions of people who have undergone a heart attack against those who hadn't, the association was clear: while people with a TV or car or both had a 27% greater risk of a heart attack, people who had none of these machines or owned cattle had the lowest risk.
    Incidentally, a Mumbaicentric study done by Lilavati Hospital's endocrinologist Dr Shashank Joshi, who is the editor emeritus of the Journal of Association of Physicians of India, had shown a similar association. "This study ties in with our study that showed that for every gadget a family acquired it also put on eight kilos,'' said Dr Joshi. "People put on ectopic fat (fat that gets deposited in cells and tissues that are not meant to store it). Considering that Indians have more body fat and less muscle than their Caucasian or African counterparts, this results in obesity that could lead to development of heart problems,'' added Dr Joshi.
    But all is not lost. Said Dr Prafulla Kerkar, who heads the cardiology department of KEM Hospital, "The West went through this a few decades back. Their growing realization has led them to shed sedentarianism. Some European buildings have lifts available only from the second floor onwards, forcing people to climb stairs."
    The INTERHEART study in fact focuses a lot on physical activity at leisure that can help control heart problems. "The study shows that people doing any activity can reduce their heart attack risk (compared to those who don't do any activity at all) by almost 50%,'' said Dr Aashish Contractor, who is attached to the Asian Heart Institute in BKC.
    "The study says that people who do 30 minutes of activity per week in their leisure time could reduce their heart attack risk by 21%. Those who do 210 minutes of activity per week can reduce the risk by over 44%,'' he said. Those who pursued activity for 60-180 minutes per week could reduce their risk by 40%. "The INTERHEART study shows that one need not do fabulously hard work to stay fit. Even small steps—just 30 minutes per week—will help keep your heart healthy.''

Practical or positive?

2012-01-04T20:38:00.000-08:00

A recent study says that positive psychology doesn't have any effect on physical health

Positive attitude does not play any role in making people physically healthier or speeding up their recovery, a new study has revealed. One of the studies, which took into consideration 4,600 people with cancer over 30 years, found that irrespective of whether the patients were extrovert or neurotic, their attitude to life had no relationship with how long they survived their illness.
    It is not an isolated finding. An analysis of research by Dr James Coyne, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, found that there were no good quality studies showing that 'positive psychology' had any effect on physical health, the Daily Mail reported. In one of his own large studies, he found that the sense of emotional well-being of cancer patients had no impact on how long they lived.
    Claire Murrell, head of nursing at the Barts and the London Hospital Cancer Unit, asserted that too many people are being told to 'be positive' after a cancer diagnosis, when they need to be realistic and realise they will experience emotional lows. "I think that some people with cancer do come down with a bump when they realise that, for all their positive attitude, they haven't been cured," she said.
    Dr Gerard Molloy, chair of the UK Society For Behavioural Medicine's scientific committee, said that while psychological traits such as optimism may be linked to longer survival from illness, there is no evidence that such traits can be cultivated by 'positive thinking'. "Remaining positive is sometimes harder than dealing with the chemo side effects and having cancer," he said.
    ANI

BE REALISTIC: Just being happy and positive won't help deal with diseases

How to check obesity? Give extra marks to children who are slim

2012-01-04T19:37:00.001-08:00

HEALTH GETS SPECIAL WEIGHTAGE

Paris: Pierre Dukan, the nutritionist behind the popular but controversial Dukan diet, has suggested that France tackle child obesity by giving extra exam marks for slimness. Dukan, who has sold 8 million copies of his diet book worldwide, made the proposal in a 250-page book called 'An Open Letter to the Future President', which he sent out Tuesday to 16 candidates for France's presidential election.

    The plan calls for high school students to be allowed to take a socalled "ideal weight" option in their final year exams, the "baccalaureat", under which they would earn extra points if they kept a body mass index of between 18 and 25.
    Those already overweight at the start of the two-year course would score double points if they managed to slim down over a period of two years. "It's a fantastic motivator," Dukan said.
    "The baccalaureat is really important in France. Kids want to get it, their parents want them to even more, so why not get them to work together on nutrition?"
    Weight gain is becoming an increasing problem in France and experts say sedentary lifestyles and poor nutrition are to blame.
    "There's a real problem. Since the 1960s the number of overweight people in France has risen from 500,000 to 22 million and it's going up every year," Dukan said. "When you reach those levels, it's no longer a health problem, it becomes a political problem, and leaders of the nation need to worry about it." REUTERS

12 Health resolutions for 2012

2012-01-03T20:22:00.000-08:00

To bring in 2012 with a health bang, here are 12 resolutions for the mind, body and soul

Zoha Tapia

Posted On Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Go for your health checkups
A lot of tend to ignore are health, either by citing time constraints or because we feel nothing is wrong with us. This year, let us give our body first priority and go for an annual health check up. For women do make time for a breast exam and pap smear and for those with problems make sure you get your important tests, like blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid, done from time to time.

Quit smoking
We all have said it an umpteenth amount of times that smoking is bad for health. In 2012, let all the non-smokers and smokers come together to make this world and our body's smoke free. While non-smokers can lend the necessary support, the smokers need to make a plan to kick the butt. Click here for a three step plan to stop smoking.

Protect yourself
Protect yourself from seasonal diseases by getting yourself vaccinated. Click here for the vaccines that would be useful to you and your family in 2012.

Don't indulge in self medication
This year a lot has been said about anti microbial resistance, which has made most viruses immune to the medicines we usually take. Lets do our bit to stop this by taking drugs and medicines only when prescribed and to desist from self-medication. A wrong medicine can make the situation worse at times, so always buy and have medicines as per your doctors advice.

Exercise for 45 minutes daily
The benefits of exercise are endless from losing weight to increasing your bone density and muscle mass to releasing endorphins and so on. Hence, to keep diseases at bay and to live a healthy lifestyle, all you need to do is reserve 45 minutes of your time for some exercise. Join a gym or a dance class, run, walk or use the stairs… there are many ways to stay fit.

Spend more time outdoors
In this digital world, lets give our eyes and body a break from the compute screens and televisions and venture oudoors. Go for a stroll in the park or start playing an outdoor game. Plan your holidays on the country side or go for a trek or a hike.

Eat healthy
A healthy diet goes a long way. So stop yo-yo dieting and maintain a balanced meal plan. Have 5-6 mini meals and ensure you get your 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. Cut down on the oil, fried and processed food and maida. Keep one cheat day during the week so you don't feel deprived and a bit of dark chocolate is good for health, so indulge your sweet tooth at times.

Drink healthy fluids
Thirst often masquerades as hunger and many a times we tend to ignore the need of hydrating ourselves. So, let us promise ourselves this year to drink our 12 glasses of water and to add to that a few refreshing healthy drinks like fresh fruit juices or limbu paani during the day. For those of you who drink, don't stop but cut down on the alcohol and limit your intake to twice a week.

Pamper your skin
Being healthy is not only about feeling good but also looking good. So take care of your skin and hair as much as you would take care of the rest of your body. Pamper your skin with suitable moisturises and go for your monthly face cleanups. When it comes to your hair wash it daily with a compatible shampoos and indulge in some oil massages and hair spas.

Sleep for 7 hours
Unbroken, peaceful sleep is important for your mind and body to function well. So get yourself into the routine to sleep for seven hours at night and avoid having alcohol or caffeine around those times along with avoiding those tempting but not so healthy midnight snacks.

Relax
In today's fast paced life, stress seems to be something everyone is suffering from. It can lead to poor digestion, a weak immune system, high blood pressure and not to mention the mental strain. Drop the load of your shoulders once in a while and de stress with some breathing exercises, meditation or maybe a spa treatment.

Build your support network
Meaningful relationships are the much needed support system we need for mental and spiritual peace. This year lets invest more of our time in developing and nurturing the relationships we share with our family and friends, thus prioritising our heart over our mind.

SKIN IMPERFECTIONS NOW A THING OF THE PAST

2011-12-18T01:08:00.000-08:00

With the new Lancôme - Visionnaire there's nothing to fret about

Lancôme, the world leader in luxury beauty introduced Visionnaire, an extraordinary skincare serum in India this October. Since its launch, Visionnaire has sparked an unprecedented enthusiasm amongst women, dermatologists and retailers. It has become a must have in the skincare regime for anyone with open pores, uneven and dull skin.
    After 12 years of research and 17 patents, Visionnaire actually recreates even tone skin giving you perfectly radiant skin. Lancome, known globally for its advanced research and technology on skincare, has developed a unique molecule LR 2412. This breakthrough molecule is able to penetrate to the deepest layer of your skin and as a result, imperfections are evened-out, open pores are minimised and signs of ageing are reduced.
    First unveiled at the World Congress of Dermatology, in Seoul, Korea to thousands of dermatologists and researchers from all over the world, Visionnaire was launched in India in October and has since then seen thousands of bottles sold across the country, a testimony to its popularity. So powerful is the product that more than two out of three women postponed cosmetic procedures.
    Actress Emma Watson was amongst the first few ladies in the world to try the new 'miracle' beauty serum from Lancôme - Visionnaire setting off an unprecedented storm amongst British women to get their hands on the product.
GOVIND SRIKHANDE, CEO, LEADING RETAIL CHAIN:
Visionannire is one of the best and innovative launches done by any skincare brand. It is a marvellous product, unparalleled when it comes to skin correction and making the customer look younger. Visionannire is the first product of its kind when it comes to a holistic skin redefining. It has given the Indian consumer a product most wanted. The response from customers has been astounding. It is a winner all the way.
ADITYA NADKARNI,
BUSINESS HEAD, LEADING UK BASED DEPARTMENT STORE:
The launch of Visionannire or the 'magical serum' as it is called has been a key milestone in delivering one of the biggest skincare needs of women around the world. As a retail partner we saw a massive surge among consumers who wanted to be the first one to own the product. We had customer enquiries since the day it was launched and some even pre-booked the product; a rare phenomenon for a skincare product. The impact on sales has been phenomenal. The demand was so overwhelming that the stocks planned for two and a half months got sold out in a day and we had a long waiting list of customers wanting to buy the product.
MUMBAI CONSUMERS: SHAGUFTA SHAIKH,
HOMAMAKER FROM BANDRA:
I have given up on micro peels; lasers for my skin when Lancôme introduced a genie called Visionnaire. After using it, my skin felt soft instantly and after a month my skin was reborn and transformed into an even-toned skin, my open pores had visibly reduced. Every time I look in the mirror I thank Lancôme.
DELSHAD DAMLE, CUSTOMER SERVICE PROFESSIONAL:
I have been using Visionnaire for about a month now and have been really happy with it. Firstly I love the texture; it is thin and gets absorbed into my skin very easily. As a moisturiser it is absolutely amazing. My skin feels smooth, hydrated and pampered. I have also noticed that the minor imperfections such as spots and pigmentation have been slowly fading away. Overall I love the way my skin looks and feels. I would definitely use this as a part of my regular skincare routine.
    Visionnaire is available in Mumbai at Lancome Boutique, Pheonix Mills; Shoppers Stop at Bandra, Juhu and Malad. Ph: 022 40183712

MARCO RIGGIO,
DIRECTOR LANCÔME:
Mirroring the huge success worldwide, Indian women have truly embraced Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector. This is a clear sign that the Indian luxury beauty market is increasingly getting sophisticated. At Lancôme, we are highly committed to address the Indian woman's beauty needs.

KIRAN SINGH,
BUSINESS HEAD LANCÔME:
We had several women who paid in advance to secure their bottle of Visionnaire serum. The consumer response to the product has been very encouraging. It would be our endeavor in coming years to bring in high performance Lancome products to Indian consumers.

DR PURNIMA MHATRE, DERMATOLOGIST:
I recommended Visionnaire to those who have concerns of uneven skin texture, open pores and fine lines or wrinkles. After two weeks, I saw my customer's skin looking smooth, clear and glowing. I would say that Visionnaire is one solution for all problems from open pores to uneven skin texture, fine lines and wrinkles. I was amazed to get this feedback from 20 of my customers after two weeks of regular usage.

MANASI SCOTT,
SINGER:
I have enjoyed using Visionnaire this past month and will continue doing so. It has definitely helped my skin reduce its uncanny knack of getting dark spots and freckles. My skin feels lovely, less prone to breakouts and I love the fact that Visionnaire suits our muggy climate, by being light on the skin.

KADAMBARI LAKHANI,
BEAUTY EDITOR OF A LEADING BEAUTY MAGAZINE:
Visionnaire is a leap in skincare technology. One experiences a vast difference after using it for even a couple of weeks of continuously. Visionnaire improves skin quality and texture and overall the result is a fresher and clearer complexion without aggravation or sensitivity. Especially for dull and patchy skin, it brings back luminosity.

The‘acid’factorin yourfood!

2011-12-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

Also known as the pH or the Acid-Alkaline diet, this new diet aims at balancing the pH levels in the body

In an effort to stay healthy and sport a svelte body, you've tried various diets either recommended by a friend, a colleague, a health professional, or in some cases, followed celebrity diets. If you are a celeb diet junkie, you probably know about all of them. The most well-known ones include The Atkins Diet, The South Beach Diet, The Zone and the Macrobiotic diet. But there's another diet called the Alkaline or the pH diet that is gaining popularity among celebs like Kirsten Dunst, Anna Faris and Gwyneth Paltrow, to name some.
Diet Theory
The Alkaline diet is based on the theory that as we consume more foods of an acidic nature, it may lead to health complications. Skin and hair expert Dr Jaishree Manchanda describes the diet as one "that emphasises fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts
    and legumes."
    Alkaline foods
Vegetables: Broccoli, Carrot, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Eggplant, Garlic, Tomato, Alfalfa, Asparagus, Barley Grass, Spinach, Coconut Fruits & nuts:Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Banana, Blackberries, Coconut, Grapefruit, Grapes, Lemon, Lime, Muskmelons, Orange, Almonds, Chestnuts Liquids:Water, herbal and green tea Oil: Cold pressed organic olive and flax seed oilCondiments & sweeteners: Apple cider vinegar, molasses, herbs, organic honey and maple syrup
    Acidic foods
Vegetables: Corn, Lentils, Olives, Potatoes Fats and Oils: Animal fat and other vegetable oils Grains: Oats, Rice, Wheat, Buckwheat, Barley Animal protein: Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Oyster, Lobster Dairy: Milk, Butter, Cheese, Ice cream, Margarine Condiments & sweeteners: Sugar, bottled dressings, artificial sweetners, Vinegar It's a diet based on the theory that certain foods, when consumed leaves an alkaline residue, the food is thus classified as alkaline food." Nutritionist and naturopath Zainab Sayed says, "The Alkaline diet maintains the balance of acid-base homeostasis in the blood, which is the balance of acids and bases (commonly known as pH), in the body. Without this balance, the body is unable to sustain itself. Being acidic means that our body's pH level is less than optimal. The optimal pH level is around 7.35 to 7.45, slightly alkaline."
WHAT ARE ACIDIC & ALKALINE FOODS?
Foods are classified under three groups as neutral, acid-forming or alkalising depending on the effect they have on the body. Clinical nutritionist Dr Nupur Krishnan explains, "An acid-forming food contributes hydrogen ions to the body, making it more acidic. An alkalising food removes hydrogen ions from the body and reduces acidity level in our body." A common misconception is that if a food tastes acidic, it is more acid-forming effect on the body. It is important to note that this classification is based on the effect foods have on the body after digestion, not on their own intrinsic acidity or alkalinity (how they taste to us). For example, citric fruits like lemon, lime, grapefruit melons are considered as acidic because of their taste. However, their mineral content after digestion has alkalinising effect.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The Alkaline Diet focus is to balance the pH level of your body, achieve a healthy pH level, rebuild your cells and your tissues, and eventually leading to a healthy body. Your body is an easy target for disease to occur only if, your pH levels are acidic, opines Sayed. Dr Manchanda says that she would recommend this diet as it can be followed easily. For proper cell functioning it is important to detox all the toxins from the body and it can be done through this diet. Apart from this it also makes teeth healthier, reduces pains and slows down ageing. In short it helps in proper digestion of food and to give you a perfect body.
BENEFITS & DRAWBACKS
The benefits of the pH diet include renewed energy levels, good digestion, weight loss, reduce aches and pains, and control of hypertension and better management of blood sugar levels. Besides these, there's healthier teeth and gums, better immune system and slowing of the ageing process. As for the drawbacks, Sayed says that one shouldn't go overboard with the diet. One needs to keep in mind that you have to stick to the 80:20 per cent factor whereby, you consume 80 per cent alkalising foods to 20 per cent acidifying foods. Certain fats and oils that are restricted from the alkaline diet can provide essential fatty acids, which are required to maintain immunity and make healthy cells. However, Dr Manchanda opines that not all of the benefits claimed for this diet is supported by scientific research.
    lisa.antao @timesgroup.com

NOT TRUE! It's a myth that citrus fruits have a high acidic value

A 'CHEESY' FACT: Cheese is known to have a high acidic value

The Truth About... SLEEPING AT NIGHT

2011-12-14T07:54:00.000-08:00

Before electricity, people would generally go to sleep when the sun set and rise when it rose, assuring that they got enough sleep to maintain a healthy mind and body.

    Animals too change their behaviours such as reproduction, hibernation, and migration based on the season. It is believed that animals perceive the change of seasons by the patterns of light and dark. The mechanism used to implement this behaviour is by the secretion of melatonin. When daylight hours grow shorter during the
autumn months, melatonin production in animals automatically increases, helping to make the almost constant sleep of hibernation possible. When daylight hours increase during the spring, the pineal gland secretes less melatonin, triggering a new pattern of physical activity. But in a highly industrialised nation the light bulb has expanded man's day from 12 to 24 hours.
    It is becoming apparent that more and more people are sleep deprived. And with that deprivation, comes not only a mental deficiency, but also a physical one. The attempt to erase the night or to confine it to a small artificially defined window comes with a price.
    Melatonin is a natural hormone made by your body's pineal gland. During the day the pineal gland is inactive. When the sun goes down and darkness occurs, the pineal is turned on and begins to actively produce melatonin, which is released into the blood. That is why melatonin is sometimes called the 'Dracula of hormones' — it only comes out in the dark.
    In the morning, when we perceive that it is light, melatonin secretion ceases, which stimulates the production of other hormones and hence other body activities to begin. This orderly daily rhythm is of prime importance to our physical condition, intellectual capabilities, and emotional health.
    The pineal gland and melatonin are the body's primary timekeepers imparting information about the time of day, season of the year, and phase of life to the brain and throughout the body. Resetting this rhythm also means that the body is working overtime, making it more out of balance and less efficient. Thus, not only are the necessary chemicals imbalanced, but the body will age faster as it is forced to work for longer and longer hours without being
able to restore itself.
    Melatonin is believed to influence the internal processes so that all of the body's systems work together, in coordination. Should this internal structure become disorganised in any way, the body becomes more susceptible to disease as sleep is not just a mental recharger, but also important for the body as well. When a person sleeps, the body and mind are working just as hard as when the person is awake, correcting chemical imbalances, building immunity, assuring proper blood sugar levels for the next day, and maintaining memory.
    For all you late night sleeper's — If you are exposed to light till wee hours in the morning, your melatonin won't rise to high enough levels to do its job. Light coming in from the window or from another room or even a nightlight can disrupt the production of melatonin. Sleeping for six to eight hours in complete darkness is important for good health and looking young.

Sejal Vora Naturotherapy Practitioner

TAKE NOTE: Sleeping for six to eight hours in complete darkness is important for good health and looking young

Cough & cold medicines overtake antibiotics

2011-12-08T19:19:00.001-08:00

Mumbai: Cough and cold seem to be our biggest worry as far as healthcare concerns go. The trend is visible with not only certain cough and cold medicines being the largest selling drugs, but with popular cough medication Phensedyl also overtaking antibiotic Augmentin to become the top-selling drug in the pharma retail market.

    Phensedyl, after showing a dip earlier this year, has regained its share from Augmentin. Phensedyl which is marketed by Abbott, witnessed a growth of little over 12% for the 12-month period ended October this year, while GlaxoSmithKine's Augmentin grew just 7% during the period, according to consultancy firm, IMS Health which tracks retail pharma sales.
    Industry experts say that sales of cough and cold medications register a spurt during the August-October months with the rise of respiratory infections. There may also be a host of issues at play including the supply of the medication as well as raw material for manufacturing it. Phensedyl had a market share of 0.43%, while Augmentin was slightly lower at 0.40%, followed by anti-diabetic therapy Human Mixtard at 0.39% and cough and cold drug Corex at 0.37% during the 12-month period ended Octoberthis year.
    Others which posted a robust double-digit growth during the 12-month period include Human Mixtard, Revital, Monocef and Betadine. In October, Corex was the top-selling brand, followed by Augmentin, Phensedyl and Human Mixtard was at the fourth slot in the over Rs 5,000-crore market. The overall growth in October dipped to 13%, the lowest during the year.
    Says Amit Backliwal, MD IMS Health, "Though the 13% growth registered by the industry in October 2011 is the lowest growth observed over the past 10 months, it still remains healthy and in double-digits. A look at the past trends indicates that the market trajectory in 2011 is in line with previous years; sales have peaked in the July-September quarter (coinciding with the monsoon season where infectious / respiratory diseases also peak), and then declined marginally, which is a normal trend. We expect the industry growth for FY11 to remain bullish in the range of 14-17%, and in-line with the IMS Market Prognosis report forecast".
    While the top pecking order in terms of market share remained the same led by multinational Abbott, there was a huge growth witnessed in certain mid-size companies.
    "One such prime example is Macleods Pharma, which we believe will move to into the elite top-10 players group very soon, if they continue to clock their current growth momentum," he added.

Footballers: Too many headers 'can damage the brain'

2011-11-30T11:12:00.001-08:00

For the perfect header, keep your eyes on the ball and make contact at the peak of your jump, say coaching experts

Frequently heading a football can lead to brain injury, warn doctors who say they have found proof on brain scans.

Imaging of 32 keen amateur players revealed patterns of damage similar to that seen in patients with concussion.

There appears to be a safe cut off level of 1,000 or fewer headers a year below which no harm will be done, but the US investigators say more work is needed to confirm this.

Heading is believed to have killed the English footballer Jeff Astle.

Astle, 59, who died in 2002, developed cognitive problems after years of playing for England and West Bromwich Albion.

The coroner ruled that his death resulted from a degenerative brain disease caused by heading heavy leather footballs.

"Start Quote

Repetitive heading could set off a cascade of responses that can lead to degeneration of brain cells"

Lead researcher Dr Michael Lipton

Repeated trauma

Although the balls used to play soccer today are much lighter than those used in the 1960s when Astle was playing, they can still pack a punch, says lead researcher Dr Michael Lipton of Montefiore Medical Center, the university hospital for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Footballs can travel at speeds as high as 34 miles per hour during recreational play and more than double that during professional play.

However, others doubt that the force exerted by the ball would be enough to cause damage.

Dr Lipton's team set out to determine what impact on the head repeated contact with the ball might have.

They used a special type of brain scan known as diffusion tensor imaging, which is good for visualising nerve and brain tissue.

The 32 volunteers who underwent the scans were asked to say how often they headed the ball during football training and play.

This revealed that players who were "frequent headers" had obvious signs of mild traumatic brain injury on their scans.

Five brain regions were damaged - areas in the front of the brain and towards the back of the skull where processes like attention, memory, executive functioning and higher-order visual functions take place.

Jeff Astle played 361 games for West Bromwich Albion

The researchers believe the injuries build up over time.

Cumulative damage

Dr Lipton, who presented his findings at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, said: "Heading a soccer ball is not an impact of a magnitude that will lacerate nerve fibres in the brain.

"But repetitive heading could set off a cascade of responses that can lead to degeneration of brain cells."

The same volunteers also performed worse on tests designed to check cognitive abilities like verbal memory and reaction times.

The damage only occurred in players who said they headed the ball at least 1,000 times in a year. Although this might sound like a lot, it amounts to a few times a day for a regular player, say the researchers.

They recommend further studies to confirm what is a safe amount so that footballers could be advised on this.

Dr Andrew Rutherford from the School of Psychology at Keele University has been researching the possible damage caused by heading for several years. He says he is yet to be convinced by the evidence so far.

He suspects that researchers are looking at the wrong thing. He believes most head trauma seen in football is due to players clashing heads when they are going for a header, rather than contact with the ball itsel

Stressful lives and an addiction to smartphones can lead to the phenomenon of sleep texting

2011-11-27T20:43:00.001-08:00

Don't sleep over this one!

Case study: A young woman working in a private company gets up in the middle of the night to her vibrating smartphone. Sleepy, she notices a message and texts back. The next morning, she has no memory of sending the text.

    The above phenomenon is now being referred to as 'sleeptexting'. Psychologist Seema Hingoranny says, "People with stressful lives are so much into sending (work-related or otherwise) messages to people the entire day that they keep doing it during the night, without even realising that they are."
    This, however, is not a common trend yet, but city experts agree that it is happening. Former president of the Bombay Psychiatric Society, Kersi Chavda, states, "People do get up in the middle of the night to text, check their phone for emails or updates on social networking and microblogging sites, but it is not that they are unaware of it, like in sleep walking."
    Experts agree that since smartphones are addictive for some, sleep texting is becoming common. People are not ready to ignore their smartphones - they check their phones even in the middle of intimate moments with their partners, say Chavda. "But unless it is compulsive and you are completely unaware the next morning of texting from your phone at night, this is not a serious problem." In an earlier report, sleep specialist Dr David Cunnington said that he was so worried about the disorder that he warned those experiencing the condition to leave their mobile phones out of their bedrooms. He was quoted as saying, "People are doing so much during a normal day that it can mean they feel like they're on call even at night. Because it's so easy to communicate with smartphones, it becomes more difficult to separate waking and sleeping lives."
    Seema adds, "The symptoms of sleep texters include stress, low attention and memory spans, and low concentration. And if there are instances of something like this happening, one must start taking precautions."
SAVE YOURSELVES

• Avoid keeping your handset in your bedroom.

• Accept that your body and mind need six-eight hours of sleep.

• Try to 'switch off' from work once you are at home.

• Do not keep your phone on the vibrate mode because that is very distracting . and will invariably wake you up.

Sleep texting is on the rise

Heart attack between 1 & 5 am deadliest

2011-11-22T21:39:00.000-08:00

Study Reveals Brain Releases Hormones During Sleep Which Put Strain On The Organ

New Delhi: Scientific studies have revealed that heart attacks are worst when they take place between 1 am and 5 am.
    Researchers say the size of the heart attack and the subsequent left-ventricular function is significantly different based on the time of the attack.
    Astudy on humans, published online in the reputed journal "Circulation Research", says "the greatest amount of injury to the heart occurs when individuals have a heart attack between 1 am and 5 am".
    Indian doctors agreed. Dr Ramakant Panda, cardiac surgeon at Asian Heart Institute, said, "There are different phases of sleep. Early morning sleep is called rapid eye movement sleep during which people dream. The body is asleep but the mind is awake. The autonomous nervous system is stimulated which releases hormones such as adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol. These hormones increase the activity of the heart which beats and works harder. But the hormones constrict the blood supply to the heart."
    Chairman of Escorts Heart Institute Dr Ashok Seth said, "One main reason why heart attacks are worst at night is because people wait till morning to go and get an ECG. Initially, they rubbish it by thinking its indigestion and take some antacids. Instead if it occurred in the morning, people would immediately go to the hospital for an ECG."
    "We were trying to ascertain whether the time of day when a heart attack occurs influences the amount of damage that the heart sustains," said the study's senior author Jay H Traverse, a cardiologist at Minneapolis Heart.
    An analysis of 1,031 patients of acute heart attack identified 165 patients with their firstheart attack who had blocked arteries.
    What are the implications of these findings? "It is important to understand that theheart 's ability to protect itself against more severe damage varies over a 24-hour cycle. Identifying those protective changes may be particularly relevant for pharmaceutical manufacturers that are seeking to develop cardioprotective drugs," Traverse added.

Health & the city: They don’t go together

2011-11-21T20:12:00.001-08:00

Studies Show Babies Born In Cities Face Battery Of Mental And PhysicalHealth Problems

London: Living in a city can take a toll on your health — it can make you obese, infertile, depressed, and may give you potentially life-threatening diseases such as cancer, say researchers.
    A number of studies have shown that babies born in cities, and children who grow up in them, face a battery of health problems that afflict both their physical and mental well-being.
    In fact, urban living carries a significantly increased risk of chronic health disorders like mental illness, immune diseases, arthritis, heart diseases, cancer and fertility problems, according to the researchers.
    The studies indicate that daily exposure to urban pollution can affect people before they are even born, leaving them prone to a lifetime of illhealth. The researchers have discovered that babies born in cities are bigger and heavier — normally a good sign — than those born in the countryside. But when they compared the placentas of mothers from a busy city and a rural area, they found that the city mums had far higher levels of chemical pollutants called xenoestrogens in their blood and in that of their unborn babies.
    Xenoestrogens are industrial chemicals that affect human bodies in similar ways to the female hormone — oestrogen. As well as causing excess foetal growth, they have been linked to problems such as obesity, hyperactivity, early puberty, fertility problems and cancers of the lung, breast and prostate.
    The researchers from the University of Granada, Spain, found that although city mothers were older and weighed less than rural mothers, they still gave birth to larger babies.
    Maria Marcos, who led the study, has said that the toxic xenoestrogens seem to have a significant effect on the development of unborn children. Her report provides the latest evidence that city air can seriously hinder normal childhood development. But it doesn't end there. Laboratory tests undertaken at the Ohio State University showed how urban pollutants may cause metabolic changes in toddlers resulting in raised blood sugar levels and increased resistance to insulin. PTI

Risks of urban living affect babies even before birth

% of people in Mumbai, Thane hit by COPD

2011-11-21T11:08:00.001-08:00

In The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee brought to the fore a disease that society and the medical world are still grappling with. But there is another disease that claims more lives than cancer; considered as dangerous as AIDS, its fatality rate is surpassed only by heart attacks, strokes and acute lung infections—Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Described as a slow killer, COPD is fast emerging as an epidemic, affecting eight out of 100 people living in Mumbai and Thane district. The results of a city-based study show that the percentage of Mumbaikars and Thaneites suffering from COPD is much higher than the all-India figure of 4.1%. The culprit, say doctors, is smoking.

    Researchers at the Indian Institute of Environmental Medicine
    (IIEM) put the urban and rural
    prevalence of COPD at 7-8%.
    The most common cause of
    COPD is smoking. "Around 90%
    of people who smoke risk the chance of developing COPD," said IIEM director Dr Rohini Chowghule, a chest specialist who conducted the study on 500 men and 500 women above the age of 35 years.
    Though the study reflected 2006 figures, city doctors say the incidence rate would have only increased in the last few years.
    One reason, say doctors, for the higher prevalence of COPD in Mumbai is the massive population. "There is a bigger population in the city, especially of those who smoke—actively as well as passively. This is the reason more people suffer from respiratory problems," said Dr Ashok Mahasur, a chest specialist with Hinduja Hospital. "Another problem is the environmental pollution in the city. Many Mumbaikars have occupational exposure to pollution and end up falling prey to COPD," he said, adding that if repeated respiratory infections during childhood are not treated, they too can become COPD at a later age.
    "For a long time, there are no visible effects of smoking. But over a period of time, the tubes of the air ways get inflamed. The person gets bronchitis, which is still reversible. If, however, the person continues to smoke, then the alveoli, which are tiny air sacs in the lungs, start getting damaged," said Chowghule. There are about 300 million alveoli in two adult lungs and provide a surface area almost equal to the singles area of a tennis court. But with COPD, the elasticity of the alveoli is lost. The walls of the air sacs break, thus reducing the capacity and the surface area. "The air is trapped in these damaged alveoli. There is stale air in the lungs and one has to strain to breathe," said Chowghule.
Biomass fuel is a health hazard Another worrying aspect, say doctors, is the prevalence of COPD among women who don't smoke. Studies show that women who have to use biomass fuel for cooking purposes are more prone to COPD. Dr Amita Athavale, head of the chest department at KEM Hospital, said: "It is not just a rural phenomenon. Even women in Mumbai slums and pavements use this technique for cooking purposes." According to doctors, the morbidity is higher and gradual among women who use biomass fuel. "In the course of the disease, there comes a time when they cannot perform the most basic household chores and have to strain the abdominal and neck muscles to breathe. It is important that women are taught to maintain smokeless chulhas so that they don't fall prey to COPD at a later age," said Athavale. WHAT IS COPD?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is a chronic obstruction of the flow of air through the airways and out of the lungs. The obstruction is usually permanent and progressive—the disease gets worse over time
CAUSES
CIGARETTE SMOKING AND SECOND-HAND SMOKE | Smoking is responsible for 90% of COPD cases. When a COPD patient stops smoking, the decline in lung function slows to the same rate as a non-smoker AIR POLLUTION | It can cause problems for people with a lung disease, but it is unclear whether outdoor air pollution contributes to the development of COPD. In the nonindustrialized world, the most common cause of COPD is indoor air pollution, usually due to indoor stoves used for cooking
OCCUPATIONAL POLLUTANTS | Some occupational pollutants such as cadmium and silica do increase the risk of COPD. People at risk include coal miners, construction, metal and cotton workers
SYMPTOMS
COPD symptoms usually slowly worsen over time. Over time, symptoms may become severe enough to see a doctor
Typically, after smoking 20 or more cigarettes a day for more than twenty years, patients with COPD develop a chronic cough, shortness of breath (dyspnoea), and frequent respiratory infections Chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis symptoms—chronic cough and sputum production—are telling signs Periodic chest infections can cause fever, dyspnoea, coughing, production of purulent (cloudy and discoloured) sputum and wheezing ADVANCED COPD SYMPTOMS Patients may develop cyanosis—bluish discoloration of the lips and nail beds—due to a lack of oxygen in blood
They also may develop morning headaches due to the inability to remove carbon dioxide from the blood
Some patients experience weight loss, primarily because of the additional energy that is required to breathe. Patients with COPD may cough up blood DEADLIER THAN CANCER
Worldwide, one in 10 adults over the age of 40 may have COPD prevalence In India, the is 4.1%
Worldwide, nearly 3 million people die from COPD every year
    According to the World Health Organization, COPD is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, surpassed only by heart attack, stroke, and acute lung infections. It kills more people than cancer, and as many people as AIDS

DIAL DFOR DENTIST

2011-11-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

Are we really as aware as we should be when it comes to oral health? Debarati S Sen finds out how to ward off diseases with proper dental care

    Dental care is something not many people in India bother much about, and 'daily dental hygiene', an almost alien concept for most, just translates to brushing teeth twice, instead of once a day.
    And the alarming part is that even that little use of the toothbrush is not up to the mark. A recent survey conducted by Indian Market Research Bureau on Consumer Usage and Attitudes has found that India has the lowest per capita toothbrush consumption as most people use their fingers, neem sticks and other tools for brushing teeth.
    Experts say that we do not take a teething child to a dentist, usually. Dr Sagar Shah, dentist, stresses on the importance of the same, "It is important to take your child for a dental visit when the first tooth erupts or the child's first birthday. Don't ignore the treatment of milk teeth as decay is passed on easily from the milk to the permanent teeth."
    Experts suggest visiting a dentist twice a year is a
must. Senior dentist Dr
Mukul Dhabolkar says, "The mouth is where the digestive system begins and is the gateway for most of the nutritional processes. It is the starting place for keeping bacteria out and letting essential oils in."
    Recent studies illustrate the link between dental health and diseases like diabetes and heart diseases. Dr Dhabolkar states, "If oral health is not maintained well, the endocrine system has to work harder to break down foods during the digestive process and the immune system has to struggle to fight harmful bacteria that ultimately lead to compromised or incomplete efficiency."
    Your mouth is more than just a pretty smile. Dr Shah says that the mouth is also the gateway to your overall health and keeping it clean may keep you healthier and younger for longer.
    A well-balanced diet is also important — it not only enables you to watch your waistline but your dental health too. Choose a diet that's rich in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein. Limit foods high in saturated and trans fats, salt and added sugars says Dr Dhabolkar
Here are a few
    other points that
    you need to keep in mind...
Brush with essential oils
Add a drop of cinnamon oil on to your toothbrush before brushing. It is anti-bacterial and anti-viral and can prevent infection and protect you against colds and flu bacteria in winters especially.
Get the whole mouth involved
Brush into your gums and tongue at the end of a brushing cycle to build resistance against cold/flu bacteria and other sickness. Rinse after meals.
Take professional help
A professional deep clean is the best way to clear out all the bacteria from the mouth. Visit a dentist every six months to proactively combat hard-to-reach bacteria and keep your mouth extra clean. Thorough gargling with water after every meal will help in absolute cleanliness of the mouth.
Brush and floss regularly
Brush after having sticky, sweet food and brush twice a day at least, with a soft bristled, brush that does not damage your enamel. Dr Shah says, "People brush their teeth vigorously thinking their teeth will become white — actually they become yellow, as the white outer layer gets worn out by brushing hard." Flossing will remove the bacteria and food particles that your toothbrush cannot reach.
Say not to tobacco and smoking
Avoid chewing tobacco and smoking — this is one of the major causes for tooth and complete oral tissue damage. The tobacco powder and its smoke causes stains on teeth and weakens them. It can lead to discolouration of teeth and sometimes is also responsible for oral cancer.
Avoid aerated drinks
Soda, cola drinks contain citric acid, and phosphoric acid have a corrosive effect on teeth and dissolve them.
    With inputs from IANS DID YOU KNOW?
65% Indians who change their toothbrush only after visible signs of damage

SMILE PRETTY: A toothbrush is vital for daily oral hygiene, maintenance and helps in reducing plaque, caries and other dental problems

Tongue cleaning is very important. Use a tongue cleaner or the back of a toothbrush

BRUSH RIGHT: Begin with the front, then back and then reach into the molars

Gorging On Green

2011-11-18T20:15:00.000-08:00

Remember the time when our mothers ran after us telling us to gorge on the greens? Believe it or not, there is some truth to it and here is why you should have a lot of that green colour on your plate.
    Gorge On Greens: They are good for you. Green, dark and leafy vegetables offer the maximum amount of protection against diseases. The darker the colour, the higher the nutritive value it holds. Spinach, among other greens, have the least amount of fat, salt and calorie content and is a great source of fibre.
    Calorie Conscious: For the calorie conscious, green vegetables are a boon as they are extremely low in calorie content, except avocado which maybe higher. Greens, thus, are good weight watchers.
    Nutrition: Green veggies are enriched with vitamins, fiber, minerals and even phytochemicals, all of which are extremely important for good health and immunity-building. With very low to moderate fat content, they benefit the body in more ways than one.
    Disease Combat: Studies have shown that consuming green vegetables on a regular basis cuts down risk of cancer, obesity and other chronic illnesses. With high magnesium content and low glycemic index, green leafy vegetables are good for people with type 2 diabetes. High levels of vitamin K in greens are essential for bone health and reduces the risk of bone diseases and displacement in those who consume more servings of green vegetables on a regular basis.
    Green, leafy vegetables come in a great variety of colours from the bluish-green of kale to the bright kelly green of spinach. With assorted flavours, the leafy greens oftfen range from sweet to bitter, and peppery to earthy. Make sure you pick the crisp leaves with vibrant green color as opposed to the yellowish ones that indicacte that the veggies may have lost their flavour.
    Include greens wherever possible; in your salad, snacks and meals, and chances are you will be embracing a happy, healthy and a green and gorgeous life.

A HEALTHY SUGAR ALTERNATIVE

2011-11-18T20:13:00.001-08:00

If you are diabetic and need to satisfy your sweet tooth, here is a sweet leaf that can do the needful

Stevia rebaudiana bertoni is a perennial shrub of the asteraceae family that is popularly known as honey-leaf, sweet-leaf, or Madhuparni. A boon for diabetics, this natural sweetener has zero calories, zero carbohydrates and zero glycemic index. So if you crave sweets but diabetes prevents you from satisfying it, these leaves are 30 times sweeter than sugar and will take care of your sweet tooth. They are also rich in minerals, vitamins, phytonutrients, proteins and fibre and can be used in cooking and baking as well. It can be a substitute to artificial sweeteners like saccharin and cyclamate. It activates the beta cells of pancreas to secrete more insulin and increases glucose tolerance in diabetic patients.
Health benefits
It can improve digestion and prove to be beneficial for an upset stomach Another importanthealth benefit is that it has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties Stevia can also contribute to stablisation of blood sugar allowing those who are currently insulin dependent to eventually not need treatment for high blood sugar levels and inhibit candidiasis - a yeast infection that flourishes with sugar It contributes to lowering blood pressure
Suggested use
When having tea or coffee add 6-7 leaves instead of sugar. In case you need to make a concentrated syrup, add 50gms of Stevia leaves to two litres of water and boil until the water is reduced to 1.5 litres. Filter the leaves, and cool the water, which can be used in place of sugar syrup.

Wanna be fitter? Grow taller? Holistic health guru Mickey Mehta tells you how...

2011-11-18T20:11:00.001-08:00

HOPING WITH ONE LEG

This is one of the simplest exercises ever and can be done anywhere — while watching TV at home, while playing in the park, even in school during recess! Just hop on your left leg eight times with your hands up pointing towards the sky and then hop the same way on your right leg.
BENEFITS
This bouncing activity is great for brain development. It also strengthens the legs and generates growth hormones. CAT STRETCH
This is the Indian dandwat. Put your palm and toes on the floor and become a mountain shape. Then, slowly glide down getting the chest towards the ground and become serpentine, thereby getting into bhujangasan. Your spine at this position is arched; bum is low, shoulders high and elbows straight, pelvic bone touches the floor. Then simply reverse the position and glide out. Now, push yourself out and become a mountain again. BENEFITS
This activity helps to open up your spine, strengthen your shoulder, palms, chest, back, and puts a stress on the stomach and stretches hamstrings. It is good for circulation. HANG ON
This exercise involves hanging from a rod and stretching your body completely. You should keep your toes pointed to the ground, stomach and buttocks should be sucked in tight and chin should be up.
BENEFITS
This exercise increases height. It also strengthens your hands arms and shoulders and leads to a strong stomach.

Mickey Mehta demonstrating a cat stretch

‘Self-harm growing among girls’

2011-11-18T20:07:00.001-08:00

Changing Society, Increasing Stress & Reducing Social Support To Blame

New Delhi: Self-harm is becoming common among women aged 15-24 years, globally. The first population-based study on self-harm has found that almost one in 12 young people inflicted self-harm as adolescents, with more girls being involved in such acts.
    Published in the Lancet, the study said self-harm has become a global health problem. "It is especially common among 15-24 year old women, a group in whom rates of serious self-harm seem to be rising," it added.
    Self-cutting/burning as the commonest form of selfharm for adolescents along with other methods of selfharm, including poisoning/ overdose and self-battery.
    The authors followed a sample of young people from 1992 to 2008. The young people had a mean age of 15 years during the entry period of 1992-93, and a mean age of 29 years during the final wave of follow up in 2008.
    Dr Nimesh Desai, head of the department of psychiatry at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, agreed with the trend.
    He said, "As gender roles change and women get more empowered, they demand and enjoy more financial and personal independence. Along with this increase their frustrations they can't address. We call these personality disorders and not mental illnesses." He added, "Among adolescents, self-harm is becoming very common. This is the result of our society changing —stress increasing and social support reducing. India too is seeing an increase in incidents of non-fatal deliberate self harm."
    Experts say self-harm is an act with a non-fatal outcome in which an individual deliberately initiates behaviour (such as self-cutting), or ingests a toxic substance or object, with the intention of causing harm to themselves.
    In the study, a total of 1,802 participants responded in the adolescent phase, with 149 (8%) reporting self-harm. More girls (10%) than boys (6%) reported self-harm, translating to a 60% increased risk of self-harm in girls compared with boys.
    Adolescents, who experienced depression or anxiety, were around six times more likely to self-harm in young adulthood than adolescents without depression/anxiety.
    During adolescence, incident self-harm was independently associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety (3.7 times increased risk as compared with no depression/anxiety), anti-social behaviour (doubling of risk), high-risk alcohol use (doubling of risk), cannabis use, (near-doubling of risk) and cigarette smoking (2
·4 times increased risk).
    A substantial reduction, however, in the frequency of self-harm during late adolescence was recorded and by age of 29, less than 1% of participants reported self-harm. In order to look at the continuity of self-harm, the authors looked at length at the 1,652 participants who had observations in both time periods, 136 of whom reported selfharming during adolescence.
    Of these 136, 122 (90%) reported no further self-harm in young adulthood and only 14 (10%) reported continuing self-harm. Of the 14, who did continue with their selfharming behaviour, 13 were female and one male.
    The study was conducted by Dr Paul Moran, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, UK, and Professor George C Patton, Centre for Adolescent Health at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.

‘Beat Diabetes’ and live a healthy, active lifestyle’

2011-11-14T02:41:00.001-08:00

'Lifestyle presents Beat Diabetes' is a Landmark Group initiative to spread awareness about the condition and the causes leading to it. Renuka Jagtiani, Vice Chairperson Landmark Group, speaks about her organisation's role in educating people about this silent killer disease through innovative campaigns and health drives, in this chat with Leena Mudbidri

Why did you choose the 'Beat Diabetes' campaign as part of your health initiative?
    Landmark Group has a presence across the Middle East and India, and other countries in the sub-continent, all of which are culturally diverse.
    However, we found that across these countries, the number of people suffering from diabetes is alarmingly high. As a retail and hospitality conglomerate, we felt that we have the ability to impact public awareness by leveraging our presence across malls and other public places. Hence, we decided to launch the 'Beat Diabetes' campaign which will enter its second edition in India this year.
    What events and awareness campaigns have you lined up and what does the Landmark Group seek to achieve through these?
    Awareness is the first step in the battle against diabetes, and that is what Landmark Group seeks to achieve. Today 50 percent of people suffering from Type 2 diabetes don't even know they have it. Through the annual walkathon, free blood glucose test and awareness drives we intend to educate people about diabetes, and how regular blood glucose testing and adopting a healthy active lifestyle can assist them in battling this condition.
    How are you planning to sustain this health initiative over the months instead of restricting it to only one day?
    We do various awareness activities and blood glucose testing year round to sustain ourhealth initiative. It all just cumulates with the walkathon in November across various countries since that is the World Diabetes Awareness Month with November 14 being World Diabetes Day.
    What would you like to communicate to our readers?
    Diabetes does not discriminate, once it was associated with the elderly but today increasingly, younger people are getting diagnosed with the condition and juvenile diabetes is on the rise.
    Stress and sedentary lifestyle is the main cause for this epidemic and I would like to encourage people to take up any physical activity they enjoy - sports, dancing, yoga etc. it is fun and also helps tackle stress. The alarming rate at which diabetes is growing is a wake-up call to change our lifestyle and it is something we simply can't ignore.

Landmark group is Dubaibased retail & hospitality conglomerate which operates retail formats such as Lifestyle, Home Centre, Max, Spar, Bossini, Splash and Gloria Jean's Coffees in India.

Warning signs of Type 2 diabetes

2011-11-14T02:40:00.000-08:00

According to the Diabetes Association of India, almost 98 percent of all diabetes cases belong to the Type 2 category or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus - in other words the diabetes one gets with poor lifestyle choices. Usually occurring in adults over 30 and overweight, type 2 Diabetes can be controlled through weight loss, diet and exercise. Let's take a look at some of the vital warning signs for Type 2 Diabetes.

Excessive thirst: If you find yourself drinking more water than usual, and still feel that you just can't get enough, it could be an indication of Type 2 Diabetes. This is because due to the excess of glucose in your blood, your kidneys have to work harder to absorb the additional sugar. However, some of the sugar still remains unabsorbed which is then excreted along with body fluids. This is the main reason why a diabetic patient feels dehydrated all the time.
Sudden weight loss: Unexplained loss of weight is primarily due to the loss of body sugar. You may feel happy that you have suddenly acquired a slim figure, but do not allow this to divert your mind. Always remember that although overweight and obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes, it can eventually lead to sudden loss of body mass.
Blurring: Type 2 diabetes may also lead to blurred vision and you may often face difficulty in focusing. This is primarily due to the fact that a portion of the fluids excreted from the body gets drawn by the eyes. If left untreated, it can even lead to complete or partial blindness.
Fatigue and weakness: The loss of water and glucose from the body is the main reason why a diabetic patient always experiences a sense of fatigue and overall weakness. The cells of the body utilize glucose from the foods to produce energy to sustain. The cells sans the glucose are starved and run down.
Headache: Another major sign of type 2 diabetes is constant headaches. This is due to the combined effect of dehydration, malaise and unexplained weight loss.
Dry mouth: One of the most common oral health problems for diabetics is dry mouth or altered salivary flow. Most of us are not aware of the fact that our oral health affects our control of diabetes and that our diabetes control alters our oral hygiene. However, it is seen that in majority of the cases, dry mouth occurs due to medications.
Frequent slow-healing infections:
Many renowned physicians across the globe claim that diabetics have frequent infections that are slow-healing in nature. They believe that the condition weakens a person's immune response thereby making it a favorable ground for infections to occur. Some of the most frequently seen infections seen in women are bladder and vaginal infections.

World Diabetes Day is United Nations World Day

2011-11-14T02:25:00.002-08:00

World Diabetes Day takes place on 14 November every year and is an official United Nations World Day. The date was chosen because it marks the birthday of Frederick Banting, who, along with Charles Best, is credited with the discovery of insulin. While many events take place on or around the day itself, a themed campaign runs throughout the year.

    World Diabetes Day was introduced by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1991, in response to concern over the escalating incidence of diabetes around the world. Since then, the event has grown in popularity every year.
A UN World Day
    World Diabetes Day is now an official United Nations World Day. On 20 December 2006, the UN General Assembly passed resolution 61/225, which designated the existing World Diabetes Day as an official world day beginning in 2007. This landmark resolution also recognized diabetes as "a chronic, debilitating and costly disease associated with major complications that pose severe risks for families, countries and the entire world."
Celebrated worldwide
    World Diabetes Day is celebrated worldwide. It brings together millions of people in over 160 countries to raise awareness of diabetes, including children and adults affected by diabetes, healthcare professionals, healthcare decision-makers and the media. Numerous local and national events are organized by the member associations of the International Diabetes Federation and by other diabetes representative organizations, healthcare professionals, healthcare authorities, and individuals who want to make a difference. World Diabetes Day unites the global diabetes community to produce a powerful voice for diabetes awareness.

Telemedicine to bring US docs into Indian homes

2011-11-14T02:25:00.001-08:00

Mumbai: It will soon be possible to consult US doctors in the comfort of your home. The US government recently announced that the US and India will share a transparent telemedicine system, wherein people will have access to doctors of both countries.

    Aneesh Chopra, advisor to US President Barack Obama and chief technology officer at the White House, said that there would soon be an open government charter, as a result of which anyone having access to the internet would be able to get health-related information and consultation from doctors overseas.
    "The potential of health information technology and telemedicine is now shifting to results," said Chopra at the 7th Annual International Telemedicine Congress. "We realized that there are quality healthcare givers in every nook and corner of the world. If all these could be brought together, it will be of great benefit to people at large," he said.
    India has so far been in a pilot phase so far as telemedicine is concerned. In fact, the theme of the conference, which ended in Mumbai on Sunday, was moving "beyond the pilot phase and leveraging technology for chronic diseases management".
    According to Chopra, both the governments will be spending on community health, provider directories, quality consumer product information, medical and scientific knowledge and tele-conferencing and data sharing. "As of now, we have invited bids from groups who will design the programme. The main criterion is that each group should have one Indian and one US citizen as members. This will ensure that the group will remain sensitive towards the needs of both countries," said Chopra.
    Representatives of Polycom, a California-based multinational dealing in unified technology, who were at the conference said that telemedicine in markets such as India is expected to grow rapidly mainly because of the gap between demand and supply of quality healthcare facilities.
    Polycom's global director Marc Alexis Remond said, "In India, 2% of the healthcare facilities are located in the rural areas where 65% of the population lives. So, Indian families have to travel quite a bit to get healthcare." He added, "Technology could come into play here. Indian villages already have access to technology." Many companies offer tech "clouds" that can provide e-connectivity to carry out not only distance education and ehealthcare, but even government work such as taxes, planning, etc. "There are a number of pilot projects going on in India, but it's time to upscale. While in the West doctors are reluctant to adopt technology, here doctors have themselves taken up telemedicine projects. So, India seems ready for the next step," said Remond. Baramati Model A pilot project being carried out since over a year in Baramati and two other talukas has benefited 18,800 pregnant women.
    Netbooks were provided to 100 grassroot health workers, who would feed in information about existing and newly pregnant women. "The application itself detects if a mother was high-risk with the help of data like her blood pressure, ECG etc. The health worker visits the primary health centre in her area and as soon as she reaches the centre, her data on the women she is catering to automatically synchronizes with the terminal at the centre," said Atul Bengeri, industry manager from Intel, which conducts the project. TNN

Indian children’s EQ declining fast

2011-11-14T02:24:00.001-08:00

Mumbai: Indian parents often goad their babies to not grow up fast. If childhood is about magic, it is vanishing even before it is lived. In fact children are indeed growing up fast, speeding past the springtime of their lives, say psychiatrists who connect that to the falling levels of emotional quotient. The warm hugs, the tiny kisses, a ride on the Ferris wheel, a family camping trip, vanishing into a book with mum, playing chess against dad, are all now just cloying instances tucked away in fables.
    "The EQ among our children is on the decline. They have a lower threshold for tolerance, they are easily depressed, their coping ability has reduced and complexity has gone up. Seven- and eight-year-olds talk of violent acts and of dying these days," says psychiatrist Dr Nirmala Rao.
    The new toys like Angry Birds, Crime Life: Gang Wars and other ultraviolent games don't score too well in enriching EQ. Our cities' kids-unfriendly design doesn't help either: you need to go to a hill station even for a horse ride or to spend time under a waterfall.
    Peggy Mohan, an English teacher with a Delhi school, says, "We are living in tiny cocoons. Our children are like aliens who've ventured into the adult space. They are as nice as ever, but they do not have the sense of the landscape they live in."
    A textbook on EQ records an experiment on two sets of children sitting in front of a bowl full of marshmallows. They are told that those who would wait can pick two marshmallows, and those wanting them immediately would have to be happy with just one. Those who waited were later tracked in life: they were happier, scored better in school and went on to have strong family bonds. CHILDREN'S DAY 'Teaching children to wait is important' Parents Should Discipline Kids, Not Just Empower Them: Experts
    Psychiatrists have pointed to the declining level of emotional quotient in children.
    "Teaching children to wait is so important. But a Black-Berry is given as soon as it is demanded, then there is an instant ice cream, a laptop is handed out immediately after it is asked for. Instant gratification is bringing down the EQ," explains psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty.
    Kids hold more power, less discipline; they order, but take fewer orders and PG (parental guidance) is just an inane abbreviation that pops up before some movies. "Children these days know that they don't have to obey someone just because they are older or in a position of authority. While we would blindly follow the instructions of any elder including a teacher, an aunt, parents or even a neighbour, when we were young, children these days choose who they want to listen to," says Krithika N V who teaches in a playschool in Chennai and is also a mother to two children aged three and eight.
    Is parenting to be blamed for that? "Partly," say experts. Mohan mocks at the idea; she says, "Parents are barely seeing their kids."
    And the stayhome mums have denounced the soft cuddling style of parenting they were brought up on. Instead they are Amy Chua worshipers who put their kids through tough parenting. "Parents squeeze all kinds of classes into a day. Kids start going for swimming, but soon their parents push them to clock better timings. It's about competing, winning, rarely ever about the joy of learning," says a school head.
    Schools have realized they are working with several students whose emotional ability is fractured and are trying to amend the situation. "We have been organizing events to increase interaction among students. We are also organizing a weeklong event called 'dare to care' to sensitize students," said Jamnabai Narsee School principal Sudeshna Chatterjee.
    At Indus International, Bangalore, children are put through community service from day one. Says principal Sarojini Rao, "The changing times and the exposure our children are put through, made us feel that the manner in which we are bringing up our children is wrong. In our times, we had moral lectures. They no longer work. So, we make our children work in orphanages, in public health centres, and without realizing they imbibe the virtues of love, empathy and respect."
    Children absorb from the culture, from the space around them. So, Dr Shetty adds that there are other ways to enrich their EQ. "The ambience matters; feelings should be spoken about generously, they matter more than thoughts."
    (With inputs from Sharanya Gautam in Chennai)

RETURN TO INNOCENCE
On Children's Day, TOI takes a close look at stories of children from very different sections of society who show a zest for life and the will to take on its challenges. P 20

Processed food later triggers obesity, diabetes

2011-11-10T19:38:00.000-08:00

Mumbai: The changing snacking trends among urban kids can lead to chronic health problems later in life, say doctors. Besides obesity, diabetes and hypertension, which may stem from prolonged intake of packaged or junk food, children may also suffer from certain kinds of cancer, if not careful.

    Nutritionists say packaged snacks do not have the same nutrition value of a freshly prepared meal. In fact, prolonged consumption of certain components in these foods, coupled with physical inactivity, can cause obesity among children and teenagers. "Urban children have developed a taste for maida. Everything—from instant noodles, to pasta and even bread—includes maida. These give instant calories and energy as maida gets absorbed fast. But there is no satiety value," said Vibha Kapadia, a nutritionist. A child is thus never satisfied after eating large quantities of these foods and still feels hungry, she said.
    Since children tend to play and thus have physical exercise, the instant foods do not show their effect immediately. However, in the teenage years the obesity starts showing. "Though these foods appeal to children, they are high on fat and salts. The biggest problem is they lack fibre and are high on glycemic index. Continuous consumption of such foods coupled with lack of physical activity causes obesity especially in teenagers," said Dr Shilpa Joshi, from the Indian Dietician Association.
    City doctors fear an addiction to junk and instant food can cause major health crises later. "The habit of cooking and eating instant food is a lifestyle problem in itself. One or two packets in a month is a different matter, but if children are given instant food every other day due to lack of time to prepare a fresh meal, then mothers are playing with their child'shealth themselves," said Dr Hemant Thacker, physician with Jaslok and Breach Candy Hospitals.
    Head of Tata Memorial Hospital, Dr Rajan Badwe says an unhealthy diet is a major contributor to cancer among those with sustained obesity. "Adolescent obesity is known to produce diabetes, hypertension and certain cancers like those of breast, ovary and uterus in women and stomach, kidney and colon in men in later years," he said. Parents need to be role models for kids and keep a watch on what they eat and how much, say doctors. "Until the age of fivesix, till a child is exposed to media, birthday parties and peers, he/she eats whatever the parents eat. If parents don't eat
    much junk food, the child will not have a habit of eating them," said Sonal Modi, nutritionist with DENMARC. "Restrictions don't help with older children. Instead, whatever the child eats outside, make it yourself (not with the help of packets) at home with slight modifications to make it more nutritious," she added.

Prevention, innovation keys to heart care

2011-11-10T19:37:00.001-08:00

Indians are different and more prone to coronary artery heart diseases; and it's a genetic fact. In fact, 50% of all heart diseases in the

world are happening in India. So it's important to know how to save oneself," said Dr Ashok Seth, President Elect, Cardiological Society of India. The epidemic of CVDs is increasing rapidly in India, especially coronary heart disease and stroke resulting in epidemiologicalhealth transition in the country. Though CVDs are the world's number one killer, it can be prevented. Responding to the need of the hour, The Times of India organised a conclave in association with Cardiological Society of India, on October 20, in the Capital, to offer a platform to various stakeholders of the healthcare fraternity to deliberate upon effective healthcare solutions for growing concerns of health threats. Titled as 'India Heart Conclave', the health forum was spread over various sessions, namely, 'Public awareness on preventive measure before life threatening event strikes'; 'Prevention-A multi pronged strategy'; Hard hitting facts on CVDs - Millennium development goals'; 'Clinical insights: Cutting edge treatments and technologies'; and 'Making advanced care affordable to the man: Where are the road blocks and the solution'.
    "In India, communicable diseases have become less burdensome, but non communicable ones are more problematic now. Longevity and fast lifestyle have landed us into this challenging situation," said Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Govt of India, while addressing the audience at the inaugural session. He added, "Besides, we should have more curative centres in the country and follow a systematic approach to prevention. Role of public and private sector together is important and government must help to promote and encourage the partnership."
    The forum started with training session on 'Public awareness on preventive measure before life threatening event strikes' which was followed by discussion on prevention and role of diet, food habits and lifestyle interventions.
    In India, CVDs are on the rise due to stressful lifestyle. Poor and lower middle class can't afford private hospital treatment costs. "First three hours are very important for a person being diagnosed with cardiac disease. The only government super specialty hospital to cure CVDs is G. B. Pant Hospital. Understanding the dire need, we are planning two more super specialty hospitals in the Capital," said Dr Ashok Walia, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Employment, Revenue and Irrigation Delhi and Flood Control, Govt of NCT of Delhi.
    Food habits play a major role in keeping one healthy and sturdy. One should know what and what not to eat. What oil we use and in what quantity also make a lot of difference apart from daily exercise and yogic exercises. As per Dr Anju Ghei, Head, Preventive Healthcare, VLCC, "Mustard oil is the best for cooking food. Or you can mix mustard oil with other refined oil to make it. Besides, canola oil is also good and isn't as expensive as olive oil." "You do exercise at least one hour a day. Yoga is very good for health. Also, 30 minutes of aerobic per day is a must to keep your heart healthy," added Ghei.
    In cardiology cases, we need to focus more on availability, accessibility and affordability. "We have to go and build brick by brick. At least
10 % of GDP should be spent on healthcare, besides upgradation of at least 100 more hospitals like AIIMS. Also, telemedicines should be harnessed, for 80 % of our population has mobile phones," said Dr Balram Bhargava, Sr Consultant, Department of Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Sciences Centre and Executive Director, Satndford India Biodesign Centre, AIIMS. Anshu Prakash, Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare), Govt of NCT of Delhi, said: "First thing is affordability which is different for different individuals. But before anything, it's always prevention. The most important aspect one should focus upon is the health check up, which we all must get done at regularly to diagnose the disease at the initial stage itself."
    Three hours is the maximum time period to evacuate the patient and perform treatment on the heart patient. The government needs to create more healthcare facilities. In India, we have cheaper treatment procedures as compared to any other country. "The problem is we are not focusing on generic drugs. If we produce more on them, quality checks could be conducted in a better way," added Prakash.
    The next session focused of advancements and future applications of medical technology inhealth. It dwelled on bringing modern health technology to people by encouraging innovations related to diagnostics, treatment methods as well as prevention in terms of vaccines. "Innovations should be encouraged more in the health sector. Innovations in drugs and vaccines can change the paradigm of health sector in India," said Dr Naresh Trehan, Chief Cardiologist and Chairman, Medanta - The Medicity.
    India does not have good quality regulatory bodies to access medical procedures and equipments which is why people do not have confidence in products and procedures being made here. "People want to have foreign stamped or world known branded medical devices for they are established ones and tried and tested," said Seth.
    According to Amit Kumar, Regional Director and GM, South East and South Asia, Abbott Healthcare, "India needs to have novel technology in the medical field. India has caliber and skills to manufacture medical devices. What perhaps is missing is the enabling environment in terms of competent suppliers. As far as intel lectual property is concerned it can always be acquired. We need to scale up in terms of technology and support from government is most important.
    As per Dr H. S. Rissam, Di rector Clinical Cardiac Sciences and Senor Interventional Car diologist, Max Heart & Vascu lar Institute and Member Board of Governor, Medical Council of India,"Government must give free land and cut down on custom charges on medical de vices. Government must en courage the private sector to come and play its role. The PPP model should be encouraged for the advancement Indian med ical industry; future lies with the private players," said Rissam.

Flu affects 1 in 8 children globally

2011-11-10T19:36:00.001-08:00

New Delhi: Around 90 million children contracted seasonal flu in 2008, causing around one million hospital admissions and as many as 1,11,500 deaths due to the influenza-related pneumonia. About 99% of these deaths were recorded in developing countries.

    Senior citizens have long been vulnerable to influenza. However, studies suggest the burden of the disease due to hospital admissions for influenza-associated acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in young and very young children is substantial.
    The first global study on the incidence of influenza-associated ALRI and resultant mortality in children younger than five years was announced by the medical journal Lancet on Friday.
    The study by Dr Harish Nair, Centre for Population Health Sciences at University of Edinburgh, concluded that the world recorded 20 million cases of influenza-associated pneumonia, which comprise about 13% or one in eight cases of all paediatric pneumonia globally. Some one million cases of influenza-associated severe pneumonia were estimated, comprising 7% or one in 14 of all severe pediatric pneumonia cases worldwide.
    The authors say, "Influenza is the second-most common pathogen identified in children…. Our estimates should inform public health policy and vaccine strategy, especially in developing countries."
    Around 156 million new episodes of ALRI occur worldwide every year, and about 1.56 million children died because of such infections in 2008. Earlier, it was estimated that respiratory syncytial virus is present in 22% of such episodes, making it the most prevalent pathogen in children with ALRI. Also, there were no estimates of global burden of disease from seasonal influenza virus-associated ALRI in young children.
    Globally, there is an increasing capacity for laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of influenza infection that led to increased recognition (especially) of severe influenza-related illness in children.

Mobile Safety - Try to follow

2011-11-09T22:45:00.000-08:00

Dont press #90 or #09 on mobile
Please circulate URGENTLY.

Dear All,

IF SOME ONE CALLS & ASKS YOU TO DIAL #09 or #90. Please Do Not Dial This.

New Trick of Jehadi Muslim Terrorists to Frame Innocent People!!

If you receive a phone call on your Mobile from any person saying that they are checking your mobile line, and you have to press #90 or #09 or

any other number. End this call immediately without pressing any numbers.

Team there is a fraud company using a device that once you press #90 or #09 they can access your SIM card and make calls at your expense and

to make the matter worse they will use it to call for terrorist activities and state agents will instead come for you, arrest you and will rot in jail

innocently. Forward this message to as many friends as u can, to stop it. This information has been confirmed by both Motorola and Nokia.

There are over 3 million affected mobile phones. You can check this news at CNN web site also.

Mobile Safety - Try to Follow!

GM mosquito fights dengue by killing its own

2011-10-31T22:43:00.001-07:00

This May Help Raise Tweaked Bugs To Fight Insect-Borne Diseases And Control Pests

    These mosquitoes are genetically engineered to kill — their own children. Researchers on Sunday reported initial signs of success from the first release into the environment of mosquitoes engineered to pass a lethal gene to their offspring, killing them before they reach adulthood.
    The results, and other work elsewhere, could herald an age in which genetically modified insects will be used to help control agricultural pests and insect-borne diseases like dengue fever and malaria. But the research is arousing concern about possible unintended effects on public health and environment, because once genetically modified insects are released, they cannot be recalled.
    Authorities in the Florida Keys, which in 2009 experienced its first cases of dengue fever in decades, hope to conduct an open-air test of the modified mosquitoes as early as December, pending approval from the agriculture department.
    "It's a more ecologically friendly way to control mosquitoes than spraying insecticides," said Coleen Fitzsimmons, a spokeswoman for the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District. The agriculture department, meanwhile, is looking at using genetic engineering to help control farm pests like the Mediterranean fruit fly, or medfly, and the cotton-munching pink bollworm, according to an environmental impact statement it published in 2008. Millions of genetically engineered bollworms have been released over cotton fields in Yuma County, Ariz. Yet even supporters of the research worry it could provoke a public reaction similar to the one that has limited the acceptance of genetically modified crops.
    In particular, critics say that Oxitec, the British biotechnology company that developed the dengue-fighting mosquito, has rushed into field testing without sufficient review and public consultation, sometimes in countries with weak regulations.
    "Even if harms don't materialize, this will undermine the credibility and legitimacy of the research enterprise," said Lawrence O Gostin, professor of international health law at Georgetown University. NYT NEWS SERVICE

HEALTHY HABIT Spirituality helps cure illness

2011-10-30T20:04:00.001-07:00

Washington: Saints and religious gurus have been saying this since ages, now a new study has reinforced their idea that spirituality improves health outcomes for both men and women facing chronic illnesses.

    Researchers at the University of Missouri in the US found that being involved in religious or spiritual activities improves women's mental health, while men experience better physical health as well as improved mental health. "The new findings reinforce the idea that religion or spirituality may help buffer the negative consequences of chronic health conditions," study author Stephanie Reid-Arndt said.
    Numerous previous studies have shown the positive effects of spirituality and religion on health. To delve deeper into the religion-health link, Reid-Arndt and her colleagues looked at the role of gender in using spirituality to cope with their chronic health conditions such as stroke, cancer, spinal cord injury or brain injury. For their study the researchers recruited 168 people, aged 18 and more, from an academic health center who had chronic health conditions.
    After gauging each participant's level of religiousness or spirituality, the researchers measured their general mental and physical health by asking them to fill out questionnaires. Though women are stereotypically regarded as more religious than men, the researchers found no differences between two sexes in terms of self-reported levels of spiritual experiences, religious practices or congregational support. PTI

Mumbai records 200-300 strokes daily

2011-10-29T22:51:00.001-07:00

Mumbai: It's a mind-numbing statistic: the city records between 200 and 300 cases of stroke every day. But Indian Stroke Association officials say the bigger worry is that less than a fourth of these patients actually seek medical attention. Not surprisingly, the WorldHealth Organization lists stroke as the third leading killer in India, behind heart attacks and cancer.

    "About 15 lakh strokes occur across the country every year, averaging between 3,000 and 4,000 a day,'' says Dr Shirish Hastak, a member of the Indian Stroke Association.
    Of the 200-300 daily stroke victims in Mumbai, barely 50 reach treatment centers. "Of those, only seven get thrombolytic treatment within the golden period of six to seven hours,'' says Hastak.
    Dr Sangeeta Ravat, head of KEM Hospital's neurology department, says that smoking, along with stress, is the biggest risk factor for stroke in India. "Three factors hamper stroke treatment in India: scarcity of dedicated stroke clinics, shortage of neurologists, and the failure of patients to reach treatment centers within six to seven hours," she says. Timely treatment can not only save lives but also prevent complications such as paralysis. Intravenous treatment within six hours of a stroke will leave little or no effect. Even for a patient who comes later—within eight to 12 hours — there is a new device that can be surgically put to remove the clot.
    Despite having a few dedicated stroke units, Mumbai has another problem: improper distribution of patients as per the severity of their stroke. "The scale devised by the US-based National Institutes of Health needs to be used,'' Hastak says. Usually, a patient with a stroke score of less than four can be treated at nursing homes. "Those with a score of over 8 definitely need to be moved to a stroke clinic within six hours.''

Benefits of Turmeric ( Haldi)

2011-10-25T23:43:00.001-07:00

Take 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric and 1/4 teaspoon of ginger powder add 1/2 teaspoon of pure honey in cup of warm water. Drink it 2 to 3 times a week. A real GURU.

Super Spice Secrets: Can This Miracle Spice Stop Cancer, Alzheimer's and Arthritis?

By Dr. Mercola

For more than 5,000 years, turmeric has been an important part of Eastern cultural traditions, including traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. Valued for its medicinal properties and warm, peppery flavor, this yellow-orange spice has more recently earned a name for itself in Western medicine as well. Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant, which is native to Indonesia and southern India, and is widely used as an ingredient in currydishes and yellow mustard. As research into this powerful spice has increased, it has emerged as one of nature's most powerful potential healers. Said Dr. David Frawely, founder and director of the American Institute for Vedic Studies in Santa Fe , New Mexico :

"If I had only one single herb to depend upon for all possible health and dietary needs, I would without much hesitation choose the Indian spice Turmeric. There is little it cannot do in the realm of healing and much that no other herb is able to accomplish. Turmeric has a broad spectrum of actions, mild but certain effects, and is beneficial for long term and daily usage. Though it is a common spice, few people, including herbalists know of its great value and are using it to the extent possible. It is an herb that one should get to know and live with."

Turmeric's Beneficial Effects in a Nutshell

Strengthens and improves digestion

Reduces gas and bloating

Assists in the digestion of protein and with rice and bean dishes

Improves your body's ability to digest fats

Promotes proper metabolism, correcting both excesses and deficiencies

Maintains and improves intestinal flora

Improves elimination of wastes and toxins

Supports healthy liver function and detox

Turmeric helps increase bile flow making it a liver cleanser that can rejuvenate your liver cells and recharge their capability to break down toxins
Helps to prevent alcohol and other toxins from being converted into compounds that may be harmful to your liver Supports formation of healthy tissue

Purifies your blood

Stimulates formation of new blood tissue

Anti-inflammatory: Helps to reduce irritation to tissues characterized by pain, redness, swelling and heat

(1) Contains curcuminoids that fight cancer, arthritis, and Alzheimer's

Curcuminoids are potent phytonutrients (plant-based nutrients) that contain powerful antioxidant properties

Counteract the damaging effects of free radicals in your body

Relieve arthritis pain and stiffness, anti-inflammatory agent

Anti-carcinogenic: "Curcumin has been shown to prevent a large of number of cancers in animal studies.

Laboratory data indicate that curcumin can inhibit tumor initiation, promotion, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis.

Supports treatment of Alzheimer's disease: "Because Alzheimer's disease is caused in part by amyloid-induced inflammation, curcumin has been
shown to be effective against Alzheimer's.

Clinical trials are in progress at UCLA with curcumin for Alzheimer's.

(2) Curcumin: Turmeric's Active Anti-Inflammatory "Ingredient"

Most notably turmeric is known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties, which come from curcumin -- the pigment that gives turmeric its yellow-orange color, and which is thought to be responsible for many of its medicinal effects. There are an estimated three to five grams of curcumin in 100 grams of turmeric. Curcumin has been shown to influence more than 700 genes, and it can inhibit both the activity and the synthesis of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) and 5-lipooxygenase (5-LOX), as well as other enzymes that have been implicated in inflammation.

(3) Turmeric's Cancer-Fighting Properties

In India where turmeric is widely used, the prevalence of four common U.S. cancers -- colon, breast, prostate and lung -- is 10 times lower. In fact,

prostate cancer, which is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in U.S. men, is rare in India and this is attributed, in part, to turmeric. Numerous studies

have looked into this potential cancer-fighting link, with promising results. For instance, curcumin has been found to:

Inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells

Inhibit the transformation of cells from normal to tumor

Help your body destroy mutated cancer cells so they cannot spread throughout your body

Decrease inflammation

Enhance liver function

Inhibit the synthesis of a protein thought to be instrumental in tumor formation

Prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth

As for the results of research studies, a study in Biochemical Pharmacology found that curcumin can slow the spread of breast cancer cells to

the lungs in mice.

(4) "Curcumin acts against transcription factors, which are like a master switch," said lead researcher, Bharat Aggarwal. "Transcription factors regulate

all the genes needed for tumors to form. When we turn them off, we shut down some genes that are involved in the growth and invasion of cancer cells.

" A second study in Biochemical Pharmacology also found that curcumin inhibits the activation of NF-kappaB, a regulatory molecule that signals genes to produce a slew of inflammatory molecules (including TNF, COX-2 and IL-6) that promote cancer cell growth.

(5) Turmeric's Essential Role for Your Liver

Your liver's primary role is to process and remove toxins carried in your bloodstream. When functioning at its peak, it can filter up to two liters of blood per minute and easily break apart toxic molecules to reduce their toxicity. Your liver is also a crucial part of vitamin, mineral, protein, fat, carbohydrate and

hormonal metabolism. However, poor diet, allergens, pollution and stress can cause your liver to become sluggish, and this can impair its vital functions.

This is where turmeric can be a very useful part of your liver support system. Studies have shown that it:

May increase important detoxification enzymes in your liver

Induces the formation of a primary liver detoxification enzyme, glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzymes

Turmeric is also a natural cholagogue, a medicinal agent that promotes the discharge of bile from your system. Increased bile flow is important to

help your liver detoxify and to help your body digest fats.

(6) Turmeric for Your Heart, Brain and Overall Health

Turmeric inhibits free radical damage of fats, including cholesterol. When cholesterol is damaged in this way, or oxidized, it can then damage your

blood vessels and lead to a heart attack or stroke. Therefore, research suggests that turmeric's ability to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol may be

beneficial for your heart. It's also rich in vitamin B6, high intakes of which are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Meanwhile, turmeric

appears to be highly protective against neurodegenerative diseases. In fact, in India levels of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's are very low,

and studies have shown that curcumin can slow the progression of Alzheimer's in mice. The compound has also proven capable of blocking the

progression of multiple sclerosis. Further, Professor Moolky Nagabhushan from the Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, who has been

studying turmeric for the last 20 years, believes that turmeric can protect against harmful environmental chemicals, and in so doing protect against

childhood leukemia.

(7) The research showed that curcumin in turmeric can:

Inhibit the toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (cancer-causing chemicals in the environment)

Inhibit radiation-induced chromosome damage

Prevent the formation of harmful heterocyclic amines and nitroso compounds, which may result in the body when eating certain

(8) processed foods, such as processed meat products

Irreversibly inhibit the multiplication of leukemia cells in a cell culture

Turmeric's volatile oils also have external anti-bacterial action. As such, they may help prevent bacterial wound infections and accelerate wound

healing. Johnson & Johnson even sells a curcumin-containing Band-Aid in India ! And the therapeutic potential of turmeric and curcumin do not end there. Evidence suggests the spice may also be beneficial for:

Cystic fibrosis

Type 2 diabetes

Crohn's disease

Psoriasis

Rheumatoid arthritis

Cataracts

Gallstones

Muscle regeneration

Inflammatory bowel disease

(9) Which Type of Turmeric is Best?

For use in cooking, choose a pure turmeric powder, rather than a curry powder. At least one study has found that curry powders tend to contain very

little curcumin, compared to turmeric powder. Turmeric is also available in supplement form and for many this is a more convenient method to obtain

these health benefits discussed above, especially if they are from a high-quality organic source and if one doesn't particularly enjoy the taste of curry.

3 cups of coffee a day may keep skin cancer away

2011-10-25T23:36:00.001-07:00

BREW THAT SAVES

Washington: Good news for the coffee buffs, especially women drinkers: Consuming copious amounts of the beverage daily may help reduce the risk of the most common type of skin cancer, a new study has claimed.
    Researchers at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found that women who drank over three cups of coffee daily were 20% less likely to develop basal cell carcinoma (BCC), a slowgrowing form of skin cancer, than those who drank less than one cup a month.
    But, men who drank same amount of the beverage saw only a 9% reduction in the disease, found the study. BCC rarely spread to other parts of the body, and rarely return if they are promptly removed.
    "Given the nearly one million new cases of BCC diagnosed each year in the US, daily dietary factors with even small protective effects may have great public health impact," study researcher Fengju Song said.
    The study, presented at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Boston, found an association, not a direct cause-effect link. PTI
Drinking water cuts bladder cancer risk
    Downing more than four pints of the beverage daily can cut men's risk of bladder cancer by a quarter, say researchers. A new study of 48,000 men, carried out by Brown University, found that those who drank more than 2,531 ml of fluids a day — equal to almost four and a half pints — had a 24% lower risk or bladder cancer. This could be because the liquid flushes any cancer-causing agents out of the bladder before they are able to cause any harm, according to the researchers. PTI