E-cigarettes may have unknown health risks: Study

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Despite our growing knowledge that smoking tobacco is bad for us more than 40 million Americans are cigarette smokers. Smoking cigarettes is known to cause damage to every organ in your body, and smoking-related illnesses are responsible for one out of every five deaths in the U.S. But nearly 70 percent of smokers report they want to quit, and a little more than 42 percent say they’ve tried to quit during the past year

In 2009 there was a 10 percent decrease in cigarette sales in the U.S., and while that directly followed an increase in the federal cigarette tax, it’s not only price that’s changing the habits of American smokers. Electronic cigarettes (known also as e-cigarettes) have also contributed.

Global sales of smokeless tobacco products, including smokeless inhalers, has grown to nearly $3 billion — and continues to grow. In an attempt to quit the tobacco habit as many as one-fifth of smokers have tried e-cigarettes [source: Ross].

E-cigarettes were first developed in China and were introduced to the U.S. market in 2007. Many are similar enough in appearance to be mistaken for regular tobacco cigarettes. But one look inside and you’ll see the main difference: This is a tobacco-free product. E-cigs are actually vaporizers; instead of burning tobacco, the mechanism heats up a liquid.

The liquid turns into vapor, which is then inhaled, or “vaped.” While some argue that vapor offers health advantages over traditional cigarette smoke, regulatory agencies and some health experts aren’t so sure that’s true. Before you consider taking up the e-cigarette habit, read on to get the facts.

Source: how stuff works

Having ice cream may not lift your mood

ice-cream-main

Do you often rush for comfort foods such as chocolate or ice cream in order to boost your mood?

Scientists have found the idea that eating certain foods makes us feel better when we are in a bad mood may be a myth.

On the other hand, people may simply feel better after some time has passed, regardless of what they eat, according to a new study.
Researchers asked study participants to pick foods that they thought would make them feel better if they were in a bad mood, such as chocolate, cookies or ice cream.

They were also asked to choose foods that they liked, but that they did not think would boost their mood, ‘Live Science’ reported.
Participants then watched a 20-minute video intended to elicit feelings of sadness, anger and fear. They rated their mood immediately after the video, and three minutes later.

In those three minutes, they were served either their comfort food, a food they liked, a granola bar, or no food at all.
As expected, participants were in a bad mood immediately after watching the video. Three minutes later, their mood improved, regardless of whether they had their comfort food, another food, or no food at all.
“We were incredibility surprised by those results,” said researcher Heather Scherschel Wagner, a doctorate candidate at the University of Minnesota.

Before the study was conducted, the researchers believed that there was something to eating comfort food, said Wagner.
“Whether it’s your comfort food, or it’s a granola bar, or if you eat nothing at all, you will eventually feel better. Basically, comfort food can’t speed up that healing process,” Wagner said.

Source: Indian Express

70 per cent metro kids have below-median growth

MEXICO-CHILDREN-CRIME-THERAPY

Raising an alarm on the need for nutritional intake for urban kids, a new survey today said 70 per cent children in Indian metro cities have below-median growth.

The Abbott SureMoms survey shows 70 per cent children in the 2-10 year age group in all four Indian metros have below-median growth parameters of height and weight.

Around 54 per cent of the below-median children fail on both height and weight parameters, while as many as 45 per cent of these children are nutritionally at-risk, the survey report said.

Around 61 per cent of below-median children were found to be fussy eaters.

Dr Bhaskar Raju, paediatrician at Mehta’s Hospitals in Chennai, said, “These findings highlight the need to track growth in children regularly to ensure they do not progressively fall below the median, which will put them at risk nutritionally”.

“Growth in children can be impacted by different factors, nutrition being one of them. Nutrition is important and is linked to eating behaviour,” he said.

In the survey, Mumbai was observed to have a high percentage of below-median children with 78 per cent failing on either height or weight or both, while Kolkata had the lowest percentage of children with below-median growth.

SureMoms, a nutrition education platform for parents by Abbott, commissioned TNS, a leading market research agency, to find out how children in Indian metros were actually faring on growth parameters.

Trained dietitians measured children’s height and weight and interviewed mothers on their child’s eating behaviour, across a sample size of 1,181 respondents.

Source: business standard

People in desk jobs gain weight for sure

desk job

If you have gained extra waistline, do not get enough sunlight for your bones and strain your eyes in front of a computer screen, you have all reasons to complain about your desk job.

Over 50 per cent of employees who are deskbound said in a latest survey that they do not get enough physical activity.

Also, staring at a computer screen for most of the day and being stuck inside are the biggest disadvantages of having a desk job. Nearly half of employees surveyed gained weight in their current position compared to 30 per cent of workers in non-desk jobs.

“Overall, 58 per cent of workers in desk jobs categorise themselves as overweight compared to 51 per cent of their peers in non-desk jobs,” said the survey from a leading job portal CareerBuilder.

The study was based on a survey of 2,095 employees who typically work behind a desk and 1,102 people who do not work behind a desk. Additionally, 24 per cent said they do not like working at a desk because there is not enough variety in their work.

While 23 percent said there are too many distractions like disruptions from co-workers. There are some positive sides too.

Employees who work in desk jobs reported earning higher salaries. Desk employees also have access to technology and opportunity to communicate with bosses easily, the survey added.

For someone in non-desk job, not being informed about new company developments, having less chance for upward mobility and fewer face-to-face interactions with company leaders and peers are the disadvantages.

Source: Times of India

Mood swings: 5 quick ways to brighten up your day

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There are many times when you just lose your temper, or feel depressed, or just feel a sudden burst of different emotions rushing through you simultaneously. Well, no need to feel embarrassed or awkward about your sudden mood swings. No matter what the reason is, there are ways to bring your mood swings under control. Take a look at some of them.

A balanced diet

Proper food intake is a great solution for mood swings. Take a healthy diet that will not only keep you fit, but also allow you to balance your mood. Choose green vegetables, salads, and fruits as part of your diet. It covers all the necessary minerals, vitamins (A, C, E) and nutrients which are essential for a body. Stay away from complex carbohydrates and processed foods, and also limit your caffeine intake. Have green tea or herbal tea to rejuvenate yourself, instead of consuming the regular tea and coffee.

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Work out
A great workout not only keeps you fit, but also helps in triggering the “happy hormones” in your body. If you are not able to do any heavy exercises, then join yoga camps or simply dance! Choose an exercise routine that is comfortable, and save at least 30 minutes daily, for fitness. A simple walk in the garden, accompanied with some deep breathing exercises, can work wonders too.

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Sound sleep
A woman has a lot of responsibilities to handle, and to fulfill them efficiently, it is important to get enough sleep. Insufficient sleep causes irritation and headaches. At least, 7 to 8 hours of sleep is essential, so plan your daily routine accordingly.

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Drink Water
Water cleanses your body, and gives you energy. At times, when you feel completely exhausted, two glasses of water with some glucose can be really refreshing. Caffeine and alcohol intake can cause mood swings, and so, should be avoided completely. These can be replaced with some juice or healthy soups. Also, water is your best friend if you wish to enjoy gorgeous skin and a healthy body.

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Help from sun gods!
The sun might be an enemy for your skin at times, but it is certainly a great doctor for your mood swings. Some amount of exposure to the sun is good to get rid of depression and other negative feelings. Enjoy 15 minutes of walk in sun light to lighten up your mood. Always wear your sunscreen before you go out. Enjoy your walk in the early morning hours when the sun is not too harsh.

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These simple ways can definitely help you get your mood swings under control, especially during the time of your menstrual cycle.

Source: yahoo lifestyle

Drinking Water on Empty Stomach

drink water

It is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven its value.

We publish below a description of use of water for our readers. For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure for the following diseases:

Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.

METHOD OF TREATMENT 

  1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water
  2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minute
  3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.
  4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours
  5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.
  6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.

The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure/control/reduce main diseases:

  1. High Blood Pressure (30 days)
  2. Gastric (10 days)
  3. Diabetes (30 days)
  4. Constipation (10 days)
  5. Cancer (180 days)
  6. Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment only for 3 days in  the 1st week, and from 2nd week onwards – daily.

This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times. It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine work in our life. Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active.

This makes sense .. The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals not cold water. Maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating!!! Nothing to lose, everything to gain…

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion.

Once this ‘sludge’ reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the
intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

Source: Why dont you try this

Old and Wise: Why Do Smarter People Live Long

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Intelligent people live longer—the correlation is as strong as that between smoking and premature death. But the reason is not fully understood. Beyond simply making wiser choices in life, these people also may have biology working in their favor. Now research in honeybees offers evidence that learning ability is indeed linked with a general capacity to withstand one of the rigors of aging—namely, oxidative stress.

Ian Deary, a psychologist at the University of Edinburgh, has proposed the term “system integrity” for the possible biological link between intelligence and long life: in his conception, a well-wired system not only performs better on mental tests but is less susceptible to environmental onslaughts. Gro Amdam of Arizona State University and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences was intrigued by the idea and last year devised a way to test it in bees.

Honeybees are frequently used as a neurobiological model for learning—they can be trained, using positive or negative reinforcement, to retain information. In Amdam’s experiment, individual bees were strapped into a straw, where they learned to associate an odor with a food reward in a classic Pavlovian conditioning scenario. After only one or two trials, many bees learned to stick out their tonguelike proboscis in anticipation of a sugary droplet. Some bees took a little longer—as in humans, there are quick learners and slower ones.

To simulate aging, the same bees were then placed in plastic tubes and exposed to a high-oxygen environment, a metabolic stress test. All animals need oxygen to breathe, but an overload drives cells to churn out damaging free radicals that break down cell membranes and cause cells to commit suicide, triggering premature aging. The better learners tended to live longer during this ordeal—an average of 58.8 hours, as opposed to the poor learners’ average of 54.6—suggesting they have a more robust antioxidant system, which mops up destructive free radicals.

Amdam suspects that general stress resilience may explain why the quick learners lived longer. In the learning trials, the bees that could stand the stress of being in the straw were able to learn faster that the odor signaled a treat, and the same resilience allowed these bees to better with­stand the stress of being in a high-oxygen environment.

For people, too, Amdam hypothesizes that the ability to handle stress could be a component of system integrity; better overall stress resilience may contribute to both higher IQ scores and longer life. And if scientists can unravel what underlies these biological differences, they might be able to alleviate inborn disparities. “There is an opportunity to help everyone live longer,” Amdam says.

Source: medical webtimes

Weight loss at any age great for your heart!

weight loss

It’s never too late to lose weight because doing so improves the health of your heart – no matter how old you are.
Researchers found weight loss at any age in adulthood is worthwhile because it gives long-term heart and vascular benefits.

In contrast, the longer an individual is overweight, the more likely they are to have cardiovascular problems in later life, including high blood pressure and greater risk of diabetes.

Adults who went from being obese to overweight, or from overweight to normal on the BMI scale reduced the strain on their cardiovascular system, says the research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

Experts recommend lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet and more exercise, to lose weight while stressing that preventing weight gain in the first place is still the best strategy.

The research examined the impact of lifelong patterns of weight change on cardiovascular risk factors in a group of 1,273 British men and women, followed since their birth in March 1946.

It showed that the longer the exposure to excess body fat, known as adiposity, in adulthood the greater the chances of cardiovascular problems in later life.

These problems included thicker arteries, raised blood pressure and increased risk of diabetes.

But heart health markers improved for each drop in BMI, for example from the obese category to simply overweight, even if the weight loss was not sustained.

Lead author Professor John Deanfield, from University College London, said: ‘Our study is unique because it followed individuals for such a long time, more than 60 years, and allowed us to assess the effect of modest, real-life changes in adiposity.

‘Our findings suggest that losing weight at any age can result in long-term cardiovascular health benefits, and support public health strategies and lifestyle modifications that help individuals who are overweight or obese to lose weight at all ages.’

He added: ‘Weight loss at any age in adulthood is worthwhile because it might result in long-term cardiovascular benefit.’
In a commentary with the research, Elizabeth Cespedes and Frank Hu from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, US, said it was ‘encouraging’ that even transitory weight loss has benefits.
They said: ‘The results of this study affirm a continued emphasis on public health policies that enable lifestyle changes to achieve and to maintain a healthy BMI.’

The study was funded by the Medical Research Council and the British Heart Foundation.

People are most likely to gain weight in middle age, a survey has found. The danger year is 38 for women and 44 for men, according to diet firm Forza Supplements.

Source: daily mail

Untreated gum problems may lead to organ failure, cancer

dental-care

Considering the acute gum inflammation, which leads to profuse bleeding, bad breath and loosening of the teeth, health experts have cautioned against several health problems, as severe as cancer, if left untreated.

Do your parents nag you to brush your teeth before going to bed and after meals? If yes, then pay heed to their words as it can save you from the terrible consequences six-year-old Shivam Vatsayan had to face only because he skipped brushing his teeth.

It was two months ago when Shivam suffered a severe organ failure, caused by gingivitis (inflammation of gum tissues), which soon developed into periodontitis (a gum infection that damages the soft tissue and destroys the bone that supports teeth) due to lack of effective medication.

Considering the acute gum inflammation, which leads to profuse bleeding, bad breath and loosening of the teeth, health experts have cautioned against several health problems, as severe as cancer, if left untreated.

Smita Madan, a dental surgeon at Axis Dental, said signs like swollen red gums and bleeding should never be ignored.

“If avoided, the condition advances to periodontitis, which makes the gumline recede, exposing the roots of the teeth to bacteria attack,” Madan told IANS.

She added that untreated periodontal diseases can increase inflammation in the body.

”Such increased inflammation may aggravate the risk for developing severe health complications like cardiovascular diseases, organ failure, dementia and even cancer in some cases,” she said.

In periodontitis, gums pull away from the teeth and form infection-prone spaces or “pockets” which can even lead to breaking down of the teeth bone and connective tissues that hold the teeth in place.

If untreated, the bones, gums, and tissue that support the teeth are destroyed and the teeth may eventually loosen.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 70 per cent of Indian children under the age of 15 suffer from gum diseases due to poor oral hygiene and nourishment.

WHO added that such poor levels of hygiene cause several health hazards including cancer, organ failure, dementia and rheumatoid arthritis if left untreated.

Sageer, a consultant dental surgeon at the Gurgaon-based Paras Hospital, agreed and said there were various factors that link gum diseases to cardiac problems.

”The most common bacteria present in dental plaque can cause blood clots that induce heart attacks when they escape into the bloodstream,” Sageer told IANS.

He said extra caution needs to be taken by pregnant women suffering from periodontities as gum-related problems can also lead to premature births.

”A baby who is born before term is susceptible to a number of health ailments. Mothers who got themselves treated for periodontal disease were less likely to deliver before term than those who did not. Links have been found between chronic kidney diseases and gum problems too,” Sageer told IANS.

Saying periodontal disease was the leading causes of tooth loss among adults, Sageer stated that the condition was also frequently linked to diabetes.

Health experts also have a word of caution for alcoholics and chain smokers suffering from dental problems.

“They are more prone to such health hazards, as alcohol irritates the soft tissues in the mouth and also decreases the amount of saliva formation,” said Romsha Vashith, consultant dentist at Ghaziabad-based Columbia Asia hospital.

Quoting a 2000 survey, Vashith said the prevalence of dental diseases was the highest among Indian children at 65.5 percent, followed by Indonesia.

Suggesting preventive measures, she said periodic dental visits, screenings, referrals and supervised brushing programmes in schools were the need of the hour.

“Special measures need to be taken in rural areas, as dental disease is very prevalent there due to shortage of hospitals and dentists. Dental problems can be fought by maintaining proper oral hygiene and increasing awareness regarding them,” she said.

source: khaleej times

Lower Back Pain Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Lower Back Pain Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

The lower back is an intricate structure of interconnected and overlapping elements:

Tendons and muscles and other soft tissues
Highly sensitive nerves and nerve roots that travel from the lower back down into the legs and feet
Small and complex joints
Spinal discs with their gelatinous inner cores.
An irritation or problem with any of these structures can cause lower back pain and/or pain that radiates or is referred to other parts of the body. Pain from resultant lower back muscle spasms can be severe, and pain from a number of syndromes can become chronic.

While lower back pain is extremely common, the symptoms and severity of lower back pain vary greatly. A simple lower back muscle strain might be excruciating enough to necessitate an emergency room visit, while a degenerating disc might cause only mild, intermittent discomfort.

Identifying the symptoms, along with an accurate diagnosis of the underlying cause of the pain, is the first step in obtaining effective pain relief.

Source: spine health