The ABC's of Getting Your Child Outside and Active

Reading, writing, arithmetic, and recess. One of these things is not like the others. Though kids get plenty of reading, writing, and arithmetic at school, it turns out many can"t depend on recess any longer.



Pressure placed on schools to produce higher test scores often means cutting programs that are not graded -- like recess and PE. An estimated 40% of all elementary schools have cut recess or are in the process of doing so, says Rhonda L. Clements, president of the American Association of the Child"s Right to Play (IPAUSA).



Worse still, the CDC reports that in 2005, only 54% of high school students attended PE class, and only 33% attended PE classes daily.



Yet the CDC says the number of overweight kids has tripled since 1980, putting kids at risk for early heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Now more than ever, we need to encourage our kids to get out and get active. Nationwide, 16% of high school students are at risk for being overweight, while 13% are overweight.



"A" Is for Access to Temptation



Webster"s defines activity as vigorous or energetic action -- in short, everything that gets the blood pumping, from rolling down a grassy hill to kicking through piles of fall leaves. Adults often think fitness means a formal plan, a membership, or special gear.



Instead, just getting kids moving is the key, experts say. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends routinely promoting physical activity, including unstructured play at home, in school, and in child care. The group also recommends limiting television and video game time to a maximum of two hours a day. According to the CDC, 37% of students watch television more than three hours per day on an average school day, and 21.1% of students play video or computer games or use a computer for something other than school for more than three hours per day on an average school day.



But many kids just aren"t getting much physical activity. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, national surveys indicate that about 20% of children get two hours or less of physical activity a week. And most groups are unanimous on the prime culprit: sedentary entertainment, meaning the temptations of the TV, computer, and video games.



The first step toward fitter kids is to reduce your child"s TV and computer time by setting reasonable limits, says Rallie McAllister, MD, author of Healthy Lunchbox: The Working Mom"s Guide to Keeping You and Your Kids Trim, and a family practitioner in Kingsport, Tenn. Help your child budget their TV time at the beginning of the week, selecting the programs they most want to see. Investing in a device that automatically turns off electronics after an allotted time is also a good idea. This way "the device is the bad guy and the parent is not," says McAllister.

"B" Is for Being There



Once the TV"s siren song is silenced, it"s time to get moving yourself. That"s because children imitate what they see, and if you return laughing and full of neighborhood news after a bike ride, they"re more likely to want to take part in the fun.



But if your child is hesitant, don"t force the issue, recommends Michell Muldoon, president of FunPlayDates.com, a web site promoting creative play for kids. Instead, she recommends focusing more fully on your own activity so that it has more appeal. More often than not a child "will become involved at their own pace and enter into the activity without feeling he or she has been forced into participation," Muldoon says.



"C" Is for Choices



Like adults, children have distinct personalities, and what one thrives on might bore another. "Some children are naturally social and energetic," says Muldoon. "Some are physical. Some are creative and some intellectual. What stimulates one child may have absolutely no appeal to another."



Choice is the key. For children who flourish with free-play activities, there"s jump rope, gardening, hopscotch, hikes in the woods, or walks to school. Some families go in for kickball, tag, or hide-and-seek. Fall is a great time to build stick forts and gather autumn leaves for a collage, while winter brings with it the fashioning of snow families and other icy fun.



For kids who like more structure, there are dance classes, sports teams, and the YMCA/YWCA. Experts like Mark J. Occhipinti, PhD, president of American Fitness Professionals & Associates, recommend strength training as a great route to fitness. "Children should be strong," says Occhipinti, and strength training "develops strong bones, confidence, balance, and coordination."



Supervised strength training (everything from climbing, to medicine balls, to weights) helps kids develop into healthier, stronger adults, says Occhipinti.

"D" is for Doctor



Before kids duck out for hide-and-seek or try to become millionaire bodybuilders, most experts say they may need a trip to the doctor before starting an exercise program.



If a child is overweight, has a medical condition, or symptoms of any type (chronic shortness of breath, for example), then a physical examination is "a good preventative precaution," says Occhipinti. A doctor can also check on your child"s physical development and even make recommendations for activities. And don"t forget a checkup for yourself, especially if you haven"t been active for awhile.



Rescuing Recess



If, along with encouraging your kids to get active at home, you want to be sure they enjoy the same opportunity through school recess, get active. A few tips from IPAUSA include:

• Talk with your child"s classroom teacher to find out if, when, and how often your child has recess.
  
• If you"re less than pleased with the answer, coordinate with your school"s parent association and plan a visit to the principal to discuss recess and your concerns.
  
• Finally, band together with other schools within your district and plan a community play day.

Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic



Going beyond fitness, getting active, and playing with others helps kids form relationships, negotiate social situations, solve problems, and develop tools that teach them about the strength of their own character, says FunPlayDates.com"s Michell Muldoon. And many, including IPAUSA, believe play -- specifically recess -- enhances learning, meaning more academically focused kids and better grades in reading, writing, and ... well, you get the idea.



But "the most important consideration," sums up Muldoon, "is that we make sure our children have a chance to experience the magic of play and the richness of a community," so that kicking a ball in the park, scrambling across the monkey bars, and rolling downhill until dizzy continue to remain child"s play.

Turn off the TV, computer for good night’s rest

People who spend more pre-bedtime hours using the Internet or watching television are more likely to report that they don’t get enough sleep, even though they sleep almost as long as people who spend fewer pre-bedtime hours in front of a computer or television screen, survey findings show.

“While many people use electronic media, such as the Internet, it should be noted that the longer media use before sleep can trigger (self-perceived) insufficient sleep,” lead researcher Dr. Nakamori Suganuma, of Osaka University, Japan, told Reuters Health.

He and colleagues obtained data on self-perceived sleep problems and the use of electronic media prior to bedtime from a total of 5,875 Japanese respondents to two separate Internet-based surveys. Their findings are published in the journal Sleep and Biological Rhythms.

Nearly half of the respondents associated their lack of sleep with electronic media use before bedtime. Those reporting longer electronic media use were also more likely to report insufficient sleep.

Overall, 29 percent of light users (less than 1.5 hours) listed electronic media use as a possible cause of their insufficient sleep. By comparison, 40 percent of medium users (1.5 to 3 hours) and 54 percent of heavy users (more than 3 hours) said the same.

However, longer Internet and television use before bedtime did not correlate with less actual sleep. While heavy users averaged about 3 more hours in front of computer or television screens than light users, the heavy users averaged only about 12 minutes less pre-workday sleep time than light users.

Notably, Suganuma said, “Internet use affected self-perceived insufficient sleep more than TV watching...not only in younger Internet users but also in middle-aged or aged Internet users.”

Up to 38 percent of the respondents listed accessing the Internet far into the night as a possible cause for their sleep disturbance, while about 25 percent said watching television far into the night caused their sleep problems.

The findings suggest that while heavy computer and television use before bedtime has a small effect on sleep duration, it may have a more significant effect on “sleep demand and sleep quality,” Suganuma notes.

The First Ever Single Incision Belly Button Surgery for Kidney Removal

The surgeons at the UT Southwestern Medical Center performed the fist ever single incision belly button surgery to remove a kidney. The surgeons specializing in laparoscopic procedure performed this unique nephrectomy. This “single keyhole access” surgery performed by Dr. Jeffrey Cadeddu, associate professor of urology and radiology left the patient with only an unnoticeable scar tucked away in the navel. This is the first time that such a surgery has been done involving a kidney.

“We are proud of this novel surgical technique,” said Dr. Cadeddu, who leads the Clinical Center for Minimally Invasive Treatment of Urologic Cancer. “Laparoscopic surgery already gives patients smaller incisions, less pain and a faster recovery. This transumbilical technique is a further extension of laparoscopic surgery, which essentially removes scarring from the patient’s skin.”

Dr. Claus Roehrborn, chairman of urology at UT Southwestern, said, “Single-access surgery is the next major advance in making surgery even less invasive. For Dr. Cadeddu to be the first to perform such a surgery and remove the intact organ in this manner is a testament to the tremendous advances in clinical medicine that are being made at UT Southwestern and in our department.” Dr. Roehrborn is director of the Sarah M. and Charles E. Seay Center for Pediatric Urology.

Dr. Cadeddu performed the surgery with a newly developed set of high-dexterity instrumentation known as RealHand, manufactured by Novare Surgical Systems. The instruments enable surgeons to perform more difficult maneuvers that otherwise could not be completed. The high-dexterity instruments make it easy to manipulate and complete tasks regardless of whether the appliance is positioned over, under or around internal organs.

Japan's Birthrate Drops in the First Half of the Year

The number of childbirths in Japan slipped back in the first half of this year, dashing hopes that the nation's fertility rate would improve thanks to a better economy.
Japan has one of the world's oldest populations with many young people deciding that families place too heavy a burden on their lifestyles and careers.

For the whole of 2006, the number of births rose for the first time in six years, leading officials to say a recovering economy was leading to more marriages and children.

But the number of babies born in Japan fell to 546,541 in the six months to June this year, down by 2,714 from the same period in 2006, according to health ministry data released Wednesday.

The number of marriages also fell by 8,040 in the first half of this year, even though Japan's economy has kept expanding and the job market has been improving since last year.

Health ministry officials are scratching their heads.

"The number of marriages fell back after it kept rising until around February. We are having difficulty to think of any direct cause for the latest trend," said Sayuri Narahara, who is in charge of health statistics.

"Speaking on a long term, childbirths are on a decline," she said.

The trend spells a future crisis as a smaller number of workers is asked to support a mass of pensioners. Japan has resisted immigration on any wide scale.

Toxic Chemicals Found in Imported Chinese Garments

After a furore over toy giant Mattel recalling some of its merchandise made in China after they were found to contain lead, reports now say cheap clothes made in China contain high levels of formaldehyde.
Cheap woollen and cotton clothes made in China and exported abroad have been found to contain 500 times the amount of the chemical considered safe.

Formaldehyde, used on fabrics for decades to keep them wrinkle-free and stain-resistant, also serves as protection against mildew for consignments that have to travel long distances.

This week, New Zealand's media reported that tests on children's and adults' woollen and cotton clothes from China had found formaldehyde concentrations up to 900 times above the safety limit.

New Zealand's ministry of consumer affairs said it was investigating the "nature and size of the problem".

A British website subsequently said that the alert has been passed on to trading standards officials in Britain.

Britain's trading standards departments were expected to carry out tests to establish formaldehyde levels, Thisislondon.co.uk quoted Bryan Lewin, chairman of the Trading Standards Institute, as saying.

"The details will re-ignite concerns over the safety of cheap merchandise imported into Britain from China," the website said. If China's imports to the West are found to be violating the safety standards, its merchandise to Nepal would prove immensely more harmful.

Nepal's markets are flooded with cheap Chinese goods that are smuggled in, causing a loss to both the Nepal government and consumers. Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world with the weakest law enforcement, is used as a dumping ground for inferior Chinese goods that meet no standard requirements, have no warranty and pay no taxes.

A healthy thirst

Cocktail-drinkers are finding new ways to convince themselves that a little bit of what you fancy does you good, writes Carolyn O'Neil.

It sounds like a dream elixir, up there with chocolate-based diets, but can you drink yourself healthy? Cocktails that promise a vitamin high are all the rage in the US right now - concoctions that drinkers hope will get them tight and taut.

Even if your cocktail doesn't have half a rainforest sticking out of it, calorie-content sways many when it comes to choosing a tipple - but you might be unpleasantly surprised by the comparative ratings (see "Happy hour by numbers", this page): how can something as colourless and odourless as vodka be so full of calories?

Still, incorporate that vodka shot into a bloody mary and you can tell yourself you're compensating for the hit of alcohol. There's an anecdote about a luncher who hatched a plan to enjoy a midday cocktail without anyone noticing. He would order a bowl of the restaurant's gazpacho and quietly ask the waiter to "walk the soup by the bar and sneak in a shot of vodka".

Today, such ingenuity would be viewed as advanced mixology - blending kitchen ingredients with offerings from the bar. Take that bloody mary, for instance: fresh tomatoes might be used and garnished with a colourful combo of pickled green bean, baby turnip, radish and, bizarrely, a brussels sprout.

Ben Flatman, a barman at Charlie's Bar at the Mill, in the city's Hardware Lane, finds that customers choosing from the list of 50-odd classic and modern cocktails are concerned about the quality of ingredients. "What I've noticed is the general public are more educated about cocktails and quality of ingredients. We use peach puree, fresh strawberries, mango puree, stuff like that as well as your juices."

Alex Ross, owner of award-winning Brunswick Street cocktail bar Ginger, is dubious about health claims for alcoholic drinks: "I suppose cocktails can be healthy in that a lot of them have lemon juice, so you've got vitamin C. When people go to a bar, I don't think health is necessarily the first thing on their minds, but fresh fruit ingredients are pretty much the main thing, and although most cocktails need a bit of sugar to balance them out, I noticed in the US they use agave syrup, made from the succulent that makes tequila."

A probiotic recipe for good health

Called probiotics, these "friendly" microbes with health benefits are found naturally in breast milk and fermented foods such as yogurt, fermented milk drinks, aged cheese, miso and certain pickles and sauerkraut. They work by keeping intestinal flora balanced and preventing not-so-friendly bacteria from taking over and causing disease.

But during the last 50 years, the increased use of antibiotics and a changing diet low in soluble fibre and high in refined carbohydrates have produced an "invisible epidemic of insufficient probiotics," said Gary Huffnagle, professor of internal medicine and microbiology at the University of Michigan Medical School. "We're not getting what we used to (through diet), and we're destroying what's there," he said. "As a result, the balance of our intestinal microbe population has changed, sometimes with disastrous effects on our immune system.''

The helpful bacteria and yeasts are being added to beverages, cereals, wellness bars, pet foods, infant formula and even personal-care products.

As supplements, probiotics can be purchased as pills, liquids, capsules and powders.

More people taking to yoga

It has become a common sight for morning joggers in the capitals parks -- men or women rubbing their nails as they circumambulate, some inhaling through one nostril to do breathing exercises or others attempting to balance precariously on one leg in a yoga posture.





There is increased awareness on the benefits of yoga and the capital is no exception, says a trained yoga instructor.



What Dhirubhai Ambani did to stocks or Bill Gates did to computers, Swami Ramdev has done to yoga -- taken it out of the elitist closets and spread it among the masses, says Ashwini Kumar whose classes now attract large number of people from all walks of life.



"There has been a surge in the sales figure of the yoga books in the last two or three years but it is still "slow moving" and yoga guru B K S Iyengers books with CDs are in great demand," says Murali, head merchandiser of Oxford BookStore.



Top cardiac surgeon, Dr Naresh Trehan says, "I do yoga and I would suggest everyone to do it as an essential daily routine but there are some asanas (yoga exercises) which I think not good for cardiac patients."



Dr Tapan Ghosh, Consultant, Cadiology, Fortis Hospital, feels that people should practice yoga as it improves the immune system. But he also cautions patients not to be dependent only on yoga and if it requires immediate attention then doctors should be consulted.



S C Jain, a resident of Dwarka, has been suffering from knee problem for the last four years. He says, "I was under allopathic treatment since 2003 but I could not get much relief till I started doing yoga around six months back after some of my morning walk partners advised me to take up yoga. I have been feeling much better recently."



Ashish Madan, a cardiac patient, was told by his cardiologist to supplement his medication with yoga.



Tarot card reader Ma Prem Usha believes that yoga helps to grow as an individual and makes the thinking positive and pure. "I am glad that people have now become more aware of it," she told PTI.



Today"s youth carry a heavy stress load due to odd working hours and irregular diet routines. Lifestyle diseases like spondilitis, hypertension, insomnia, fatigue, nausea, chronic headache, coronary malfunctions, back pain, computer syndrome and dry eyes have created a lot of demand space for yoga among them.



"I am doing pranayam for the last six months and each day it gives me refreshing energy to work under duress, says 27 year old Sunny Singh, assistant manager, Hewitt Consultancy.



Bollywood actor Anupam Kher believes that yoga can be useful for the people in acting profession, which involves strenuous work routines.



Having fared miserably at the World Cup, Indian cricketers were recently advised by yoga exponent Swami Ramdev -- "Practice Pranayam."



People who dont care much about the spiritual aspect of yoga are also looking towards yoga as a cure for many physical problems and most doctors suggest yoga as a supplement to their regular medical treatment.

Losing hair? Here's help

After the age of 20, most of us suffer from hair loss to some degree. What we don"t realise, however, is that with proper care, precautions and a healthy diet, half of our hair problems would be over.





Read on to find out how.



Some dos & don"ts



~Identify your hair type



If your hair does not become greasy even after five days of your last shampoo, you have dry hair. Normal hair needs to be shampooed one or two times a week. More than a shampooings per week means you have oily hair.



~Use a shampoo that suits your hair type



Avoid excessively drying shampoos for oily hair, as it may stimulate the scalp on the rebound to produce more oil. Instead, use a shampoo meant for normal hair. You can use it more frequently, even daily if needed. Frequent washing does NOT lead to hair loss.



~Oil once a week



Olive oil or almond oil are your best options. Massage it in with your fingertips to boost scalp circulation. Don"t leave in for more than one or two hours. Avoid hair oil if you have acne on your face and forehead.



~Conditioning



Use conditioners as per hair type:

• Oily: a light or volumising conditioner.
  
• Dry: a smoothening one or almond oil-based conditioner.
  
• Rough: papaya or aloe vera conditioner.
  
• Dull: henna-based conditioner.

Don"t apply conditioner to roots -- use only on the ends and the hair shaft to avoid loss of volume. Special intensive repair conditioners need to be left on for 20 to 30 minutes under a hot towel wrap. Use collagen based conditioners for excessively treated, permed or straightened hair and colour-protecting conditioners for tinted hair.



~Comb when dry



Wet hair is more prone to breakage due to rough handling than dry hair. So, after shampooing, don"t rub vigorously with a towel -- simply pat dry or wrap the towel around your head and detangle gently, with fingers or a wide toothed comb. Brush and set only when dry.



~Brush upside down



Bend over from your waist, let your hair hang down and brush from root to tip -- this adds volume to your hair. For oily hair, avoid brushing and use a comb instead, as the bristles stimulate the scalp to produce more oil.



~Do not use a hair dryer regularly



Hair dryers tend to make hair brittle. In fact, "hot comb alopecia" is a type of baldness caused due to overuse of hot rollers and blow dryers. If using one, attach a diffuser to your dryer and hold it at least 6 inches away from your hair. Stop when the hair is still slightly damp.



~Avoid using too many hair-styling products



Gels, waxes, sprays all add to the build-up of deposits on your scalp.



~Don"t colour, perm or straighten your hair too frequently



Repeated exposure to chemicals while colouring, perming or straightening could lead to permanent damage and loss of hair. Colouring should be done by a professional and always insist on a pre-colouring hair protective conditioner before applying colour.



~Keep stress under control



Stress management -- whether its meditation, introspection, yoga or whatever you like -- is a must if you want to arrest hair fall.



~Use a hair pack once a week



Try this hair pack for glossy hair -- soak a handful of fenugreek (methi) seeds overnight and grind them. Mix with henna powder, honey and tea extract and apply for one to two hours on the hair before rinsing off.



For brittle hair, apply an egg white over your hair for 15 minutes and shampoo.



For dandruff, apply tea tree oil (available at shops selling essences and natural oils). Lemon juice or vinegar mixed with a spoon of olive oil can also be applied an hour before shampooing. Use "Nizral" or "Scalpe" shampoo once a fortnight or so.



~Feed your hair



A high protein diet rich in pulses, egg whites and soybean is a must for healthy hair. Anaemia is a major cause of hair loss. So, up your iron intake with foods like spinach, mustard greens, jaggery and dates. Biotin and zinc supplements can also help.



~Seek medical help



If you notice rapid hair loss of more than 50 to 60 hairs daily, consult a dermatologist immediately. Though "familial baldness" can"t be avoided, it can be slowed down and controlled if treated timely. Consult a doctor at the first sign of a receding hairline.

~Eight-week rule




And, remember the eight-week rule: hair responds to any stimulus after eight weeks. So if you have suffered illness or stress two months back, the resulting hair fall would be manifesting now. Similarly, if you start treatment for hair loss today, it would take at least eight weeks for the results to show. So, be patient and persistent.

5 bad food habits office-goers must change

If you, like so many of us, are so caught up with work that you have little time to watch what you eat, it"s time to take a breather before your lifestyle takes its toll on your health.





Here are five bad habits which you must avoid to salvage your health.



1. Skipping breakfast



A lot of people leave home with just a cup of tea or coffee and then they wonder why they are always crabby, irritable and low on energy throughout the day.



Skipping this first, most important meal of the day is like starting a car without fuel. Your body is forced to call on its energy reserves and these do not last very long, making you irritable and snappy and lacking in concentration by the middle of the day.



What"s more, you will end up eating a lot more servings or calorie-dense foods at lunch, which will cause your sugar levels to go up and then come crashing down, making you feel sluggish and tired.



Solution: A good breakfast does not have to be elaborate; a glass of skimmed milk with 2 handfuls of corn or wheat flakes and a fruit will suffice. For hot breakfast lovers, an egg, two slices of bread and a fruit or a bowl of oatmeal porridge accompanied by a fruit are enough.



2. Drinking too much tea/coffee



Sipping constantly can be a tough habit to break. But too much of either tea or coffee can do two things:

• It may leave you feeling jittery, irritable, dehydrated, and even interrupt your sleep pattern at night so you do not get deep sleep or do not feel rested the next day.
  
• If taken with your meals, tea and coffee inhibit the absorption of iron from your food. Your body throws out the nutrient as waste.

Solution: If you cannot cut down on the number of cups, cut down on the size of cups so you drink half the quantity. If you have a choice, opt for water.



3. Not drinking enough water



Most corporate offices are air-conditioned, so we do not really sweat and therefore, do not feel so thirsty. What"s more when you are used to drinking water below your requirement, your body adapts and when you do start drinking a little more water, your body treats it as excess -- in fact, initially, the body actually throws it out causing you to run to the toilet every few minutes.



In the long run, not drinking enough water can cause constipation, indigestion, gas, increased hunger pangs, dehydration and can make your skin look dull too.



Solution: Keep a 1 litre bottle of water at your table and aim to finish it before the end of the day. It may take you two to three days to adapt to an increased dose but when you do, you will notice the positive benefits immediately -- better skin, better bowel movements and better control on your hunger pangs.



4. Eating at odd hours



While you cannot be expected to leave in the middle of a meeting because the clock says lunch time, it is definitely possible to try to have a somewhat regular meal timing for the majority of the days in the week.



Having a somewhat fixed meal time helps keep your metabolic rate up and can help prevent gas and acidity, which result from long gaps between meals.



Timely eating will also prevent you from overeating as once your body is used to getting energy at a particular hour, it will stop demanding food at odd hours.



Solution: Try to have a fixed time-frame in which you can have your meal peacefully and finish it in a matter of 15 to 20 minutes.



5. Weekend binging



Most of us put in endless hours during the week eating whatever is available, and then comes the weekend. We go on another binge that we feel we deserve. Hard drinks along with food add to the damage we cause to our health in the long run.



Solution: Try to take some time to relax at the end of each day and don"t wait for the weekend to unwind. Take a relaxing massage, watch a movie or a play or read a good book. Eating is not the only way to pamper yourself!

Persistent headache? Check your blood pressure

anjeev Solanki, an accounts executive with an advertising agency, woke up one morning with a throbbing headache. Late night partying and alcohol often left him with a nagging headache the morning after. So, as usual, he popped in a painkiller and thought no more of it.

But this time the headache persisted. He couldn"t concentrate on his work and felt irritable. At his friends" insistence he decided to consult a doctor. To his shock he was told that he had high blood pressure. How could this happen? After all, he was only 28 years old!

Apart from the medication that he needed to take everyday, Sanjeev was also advised to take control of his lifestyle. This meant fewer late night parties, no smoking, giving up junk food, adequate rest, regular exercise and going easy on his work schedules -- easier said than done, considering he works in the fast-paced world of advertising.

However, faced with the possibility of suffering a stroke or a heart attack, Sanjeev"s only option was to take the warning seriously.

Sanjeev"s is no longer a stray case of a young person suffering from blood pressure. Hypertension is no longer limited to the old and the middle-aged. There is a growing number of people in their twenties and early thirties who are either already undergoing treatment or are living with hypertension without being aware of it.

Over 980 million people worldwide are estimated to suffer from hypertension or high blood pressure. The number is predicted to increase by about 60 per cent by the year 2025. But most of us are either too busy or unconcerned about watching out for early warning signs. Here"s what you need to know about this silent disease.

What is high blood pressure or hypertension?

High blood pressure or hypertension is a constant increase in the force that the blood exerts upon the walls of the arteries. This force increases with stress or physical exertion and comes back to normal when the body is at rest. However, in the case of hypertension, the patient"s blood pressure remains high even at rest.



Hypertension can be either primary (essential) or secondary. When there is no specific cause for a person"s high blood pressure it is called primary or essential hypertension. Secondary hypertension is the result of another ailment such as a kidney disease or tumors. Approximately, only 5-10 per cent of all cases are secondary.

Uncontrolled hypertension can make you vulnerable to life-threatening strokes, heart attacks and arterial aneurysms (localised, blood-filled dilation or bulging of a blood vessel caused by disease or weakening of the vessel wall).

Speaking about the dangers of hypertension, Dr Pradnya Nagle, a general physician, says, "A sudden blood pressure fluctuation can put pressure on the heart and cause a heart failure. It can even cause a brain haemorrage. Our kidneys cannot sustain high blood pressure for long and can result in a renal failure. Retinal changes or haemorrage in the eye could occur resulting in sudden blindness. High blood pressure could also cause paralytic attacks due to a clot or haemorrage in the blood vessels of the brain."

According to Dr Nagle, blood pressure can fluctuate according to the age, sex and race of a person and also with pregnancy. For an adult below the age of 40, a systolic reading of 120 and diastolic reading of 80 is considered normal. A reading of 140/90 and above is considered high.

What are the symptoms and causes?

Most people who have hypertension don"t realise it because the disorder doesn"t have any fixed, obvious symptoms, which could prove quite dangerous. So the best thing to do is get your blood pressure checked at regular intervals.

"Regular blood pressure check-ups are a must for those who have a family history of hypertension," advises Dr Nagle. "One should also screen for lipid levels, blood sugar and opt for a renal profile at least once a year."

There are, however, some signs that indicate that you might be suffering from acute hypertension. If you exhibit one or more of the following symptoms, you should get your blood pressure checked immediately.

• Persistent headaches
  
• Fatigue, drowsiness or confusion
  
• Palpitations or chest pain
  
• Bleeding of the nose or blood in the urine
  
• Numbness in the hands or feet
  
• Vision problems
  
• Ringing in the ears
  
• Difficulty in breathing
  
• Dizziness

Hypertension and urban youth

There is an alarming increase in the occurrence of hypertension among the urban youth. Apart from heredity, the other culprit is the unruly and sedentary lifestyle of the youth.

Unlike in the past, most young people today climb the social ladder quite fast. They hold positions of responsibility, which puts great pressure on them to perform at their best at all times.

There is no time to maintain a healthy diet, take up constructive physical activity or relax. The fast food or the preserved food culture, irregular meals, late night partying, binge drinking, heavy smoking, lack of sleep and almost no proper physical exercise are instrumental in causing high blood pressure.

How do you treat hypertension?

Acute hypertension needs immediate and expert medical attention; there are no over-the-counter drugs to treat it. But for those who are facing the threat of developing hypertension, here are a few lifestyle changes you could make:

• Invest in a home blood pressure kit. This will help you monitor your blood pressure at regular intervals.
  
  
• For those who are obese, it"s time to get your weight under control. A few extra kilos are enough to send your blood pressure shooting up.
  
  
• If you live a sedentary lifestyle and have no time for the gym, take to walking. Thirty minutes of brisk walking or an extra 4,000 to 5,000 steps everyday can go a long way in keeping your weight, blood pressure and blood sugar under control.
  
  
• Aerobics or yoga is another way to get some exercise.
  
  
• Limit your salt intake. Develop a low-fat, low-salt food schedule and stick to it. If you are a non-vegetarian, limit your meat intake. And if your blood pressure is soaring, cut out seafood too.
  
  
• Discard the junk and preserved food habits; eat healthy. Include a lot of veggies and flaxseed (known as alsi in Hindi, the Omega 3 acid contained in flaxseed is good for the heart) in your diet.
  
  
• Get a good night"s sleep. Uninterrupted sleep helps your body recover from the day"s activity.
  
  
• Learn to relax. Take up a hobby or a sport, read a book, listen to soothing music or watch a movie; in short, do something that helps you unwind.
  
  
• Meditate. It is a great stress relieving technique and the easiest way to calm down.
  
  
• If you are a die-hard smoker, try to cut down and gradually give it up.
  
  
• Control your alcohol intake.
  
  
• If you have been prescribed a diuretic or an anti-hypertensive drug, take it consistently.

Do you suffer frequent headaches?

Says Rakhi Mishra, a 32-year-old Bangalore-based software engineer, "Every time I have a deadline, work pressure and a long to-do list, I suffer from gruelling headaches."

Ditto for Ambarish More, a graphic artist who suffers severe bouts -- even after medication and a battery of tests to determine the cause, his pain persists.

With long hours in front of the television or computer, desk jobs, the tussle of managing a home and the office and ever-increasing stress and strain, more and more youngsters are suffering from headaches. Once considered an ailment that mainly afflicts the elderly, the opposite seems true today.

What is a headache?

A headache or cephalgia (the medical term), is pain suffered in the head and sometimes in the upper back and neck.

Usually, a headache does not indicate any serious disorder and can be alleviated by preventive measures, medication and a change in lifestyle. However, it can be very painful, annoying and can throw your schedule off completely.

What causes a headache?

According to Dr Rohini Karpe, a homeopath, headaches can be caused by a change in your daily sleep or food patterns. Stress, tensions, fatigue, migraine, eye strain, sinusitis, cold or dehydration are other common causes.

Explains Dr M M Joshi of Anandi Clinic in Pune, "Typically, a chronic headache results from tension, or muscle contraction, which may be caused by emotional stress, fatigue, menstruation, or environmental stimulation."

Types of headaches



Doctors divide headaches into two classes, primary and secondary. Primary headaches are those that are not caused or associated with any other medical condition. Secondary headaches are caused by disease or medical conditions, informs Dr Karpe.





Migraine headaches



Migraine is characterised by a throbbing headache, usually in half a part of the head. Though causes of migraine differ from person to person, some triggers include travelling in the sun, lack of sleep and food, excess junk food and menstruation. "They"re more common in women and tend to be hereditary," says Dr Karpe.




Someone suffering from migraine may also experience a vomiting sensation, loss of appetite, nausea and irritability. "Migraine is a chronic condition of recurrent attacks," adds Dr Joshi.



Tension headache



Tension headaches are of a longstanding nature and last for days. "A feeling of heaviness or tightness in the head, neck, arm and shoulder muscles is the characteristic feature of this type of headache," explains Dr Karpe. "There is generally some element of depression or anxiety, often resulting in sleeplessness and restlessness."




Most people are able to function despite tension headaches. It is important to learn how to relax, however, in order to cope with this kind of headache; stress or anxiety should be avoided and medication taken.



Sinus headache



Sinusitis can cause a headache by clogging the sinus cavities of the head; as a result, the ache is distributed in the area of the sinus cavities.





How to avoid a headache



Yes, the good news is that headaches can be avoided. Dr Joshi provides a few preventive tips:



~ Make sure your home and work place are both well-lit and ventilated.



~ Get enough sleep, or you will lose time meant for work trying to cope with your headache. Make sure not to compromise on at least seven hours of sleep a day.



~ Avoid eyestrain by working in a well-lit environment, maintaining a proper posture and the right distance from your monitor or television screen.



~ Take frequent breaks during work, or even while working at home for long hours.



~ Stick to regular mealtimes -- avoid long intervals between two meals and eating late at night.



~ Learn to manage stress through management techniques -- get into an exercise programme, or try yoga and meditation.



When a headache warrants a visit to the doctor



Says Dr Karpe, "Isolated tension headaches can be cured with over-the-counter pain killers or home remedies. However, if the headache persists, visit your doctor to discuss possible causes and prevention."

If you suffer the following symptoms over a long period of time, it"s advisable to get medical advice:



~ Repetitive attacks of sudden, severe headaches accompanied by nausea and vomiting



~ Persistent and recurring headaches accompanied by memory problems



~ Convulsions



~ Persistent vision disturbances or light flashes



~ Trouble in motor development or control over the arms and legs



Keep in mind that headaches can serve as warning signals of more serious disorders, so in case the pain persists or increases despite medication, it is advisable to consult a specialist and undergo the necessary tests. Don"t ignore such symptoms as "just another headache".

Eat, Drink, and Exercise

Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach, Zone, and Bernstein diets are in mainstream practice. Yet research is clear that as long as we are dedicated and compliant, any weight-loss diet will work. Unfortunately, 95 percent of all dieters regain lost weight.

It is no secret that we overeat on a regular basis. With our cultural holiday traditions focused on customs of feasting and plenty, it’s no surprise many of us are looking for ways to lose weight. But restrictive diets interfere with good health, which is better achieved through a regular good eating plan.

Skinny Fat

Dieters also lose the wrong type of weight. Most conventional dieting results in loss of lean body mass, causing us to remain overfat, with an out-of-balance, lean-tissue-to-fat-mass ratio. This imbalance occurs when the weight we lose comes predominantly from muscle instead of fat–producing a “skinny-fat” body composition.

Looking normal on the outside but having excess fat on the inside may result in the same disease risks as those who appear overweight. What the scale says is not a definitive assessment of a healthy body composition.

What’s Wrong with Dieting

Dieters don’t get enough calcium, experience loss of muscle strength and endurance, have decreased oxygen utilization, thinning hair, loss of coordination, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalances, and they experience fainting, weakness, and slowed heart rates.

Dieting also impacts your mind. When you restrict calories, you restrict your energy, which in turn can restrict your brainpower.

On our continuous and elusive quest to seek a mythical diet that’s quick and convenient, sweet yet savoury, satisfying and still good for us, we usually let go of the one thing that we’ve known for generations: eat less and exercise more. This is a simple formula, yet an increasingly difficult thing to do when faced with provocative promises of easy weight loss and so many confusing, often deceiving, diet “solutions.”

Regular and Reasonable

To achieve optimal body composition and overall health, we must let go of archaic methods of dieting and begin enjoying our food in regular, reasonably sized portions, without bingeing. We must also integrate effective lifestyle changes that include routine exercise and stress management.

To not diet, and have it work for you, write out a two-week diary of your current eating habits. List everything you eat and drink, along with the times of day you do so. Don’t alter your habits until you review them on Day 15. If you are not doing all 10 things in the This Is Not a Diet guidelines (right), then find creative ways to work them into your routine. Evaluate yourself again after one month. Repeat this re-evaluation procedure until you find that all 10 guidelines have been implemented. You will end up with a healthy body composition and be successful at not dieting.

Food Facts

In 2005, Canadian consumers spent slightly more than $131 billion on food and beverages. Curiously, we then proceeded to spend more than $92 million on diet supplements.
Recent Canadian trend analysis suggests that 65 percent of adult females and 35 percent of adult males are currently dieting.

Apparently food is an obsession that we all pay for. An article published in 1999 in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association estimated the total direct cost of obesity to taxpayers is approximately $1.8 billion, or 2.4 percent of the total health care expenditures for all diseases in Canada.

This is Not a Diet

Maintain ideal body composition and good health with a nutritional routine that follows these 10 guidelines:

1. Chew food well.
2. Increase antioxidant foods to protect you from disease by eating beans, berries, chocolate with 85 percent cocoa solids, and one or two glasses of red wine daily.
3. Drink plenty of water between meals rather than with meals, when it dilutes digestive enzymes.
4. Eat small meals often (but don’t exceed your energy needs).
5. Eat eight servings of veggies and two servings of fruit every day.
6. Eat organic as much as possible.
7. Avoid processed foods.
8. Avoid meal replacements or nutrition bars.
9. Supplement with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
10. Never eat fast food and don’t eat takeout or in restaurants more than once a week.

The Cycle of Life

Cycling has enormous physical benefits. In a one-hour ride, you can work on strength and endurance, aerobic capacity, balance, and, depending on how many car doors you managed to dodge, agility.

When we cycle in natural areas, we also reap benefits to the soul. Self-propelled speed makes us feel closer to nature. We become philosophical and ponder the universal questions: “Is that what really fresh air smells like?” or “Has that view always been there?” Perhaps, “If I’m on only two wheels, why am I not in the ditch?”

The first time I managed enough velocity for the gyroscopic effect to kick in, I felt I’d broken free of the chains of gravity. The wind was in my face, and I felt taller as the scenery zipped past me. I began to think of the rotation of the earth, the dog snapping at my ankles, and whether I had a plan for dismount.

Good for the Brain…

Many people equate more contemplative activities with philosophical development; napping under apple trees and fly-fishing come to mind. Cycling involves physical exercise. Recent research shows that exercising can increase brainpower by prompting brain cells to multiply, strengthening their connections, and boosting their resilience against damage and disease, especially in older adults. A study published in 2005 reports on older Italian cyclists who, despite their ages, maintain extraordinary activity levels. The study explores “the physical and mental health effects of intensive exercise in older people…and the cultural and social features that support and promote bicycling in Italy.”

…and the Soul

This exercise-generated brainpower is conducive to philosophy and the soul. Cycling in nature provides the sensory impetus. The smells of the area may awaken long-lost memories that can add fuel to thought. Sounds of bugs, birds, and large hairy woodland creatures (whoa!) spark the development of more thought. On a bicycle you can experience every pothole on the trail and the resulting mud and water splashing up your back. On a trail there is a cacophony of sensory input to spark those new brain cells. Riding on a trail, you can think. Thinking is like an adventure holiday.

Try this helmet on, and get on this mountain bike. You’re on your own, so start thinking. I can hear your thoughts.

You’re thinking about how the low gear really flattens out the hill. Now you’re thinking about the Stone Age and wondering whether you can fashion a stone tool that will help extract the chain from between the sprocket and the wheel.

An Hour of Bicycling…

Body weight: 154 lbs (70 kg)
Speed: 12-13.9 mph (19-22 kph) –moderate effort
Calories burned: 560
New thoughts generated: infinite

Body Piercing 01

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/shareID812131/fileID55078043/Body_Piercing_01.pps

Helpful Tips on Eye Care

With so many of us spending lots of time in front of the computer every day it comes to no surprise that research is showing a rise in visual problems. What can one do? First, it’s important to find out how you can protect your eyes through eye health exams and by making a few minor changes in your computer viewing habits.



Here are some helpful Eye Care Tips -

Positioning is everything

Correct positioning of your computer, keyboard and typing copy is essential. Your screen should be positioned about an arm’s length from your eyes and 20 degrees below eye level. Consider foot and wrist rests for added comfort.

Lighting can make all the difference

Room lighting should be diffuse, not direct, to reduce glare and reflections from your screen. Look into an internal or external glare screen and be sure to set your colour, contrast and brightness levels to suit you.

A little extra help for your glasses

Anti-reflective coatings on the lenses of your glasses can be applied by your optometrist to reduce discomfort and to ease reduced vision from bright and/or flickering light sources such as VDTs and fluorescent lights. And don’t forget, your doctor of optometry can talk to you about eyeglasses designed specifically for people who use computers a lot.

Take time out, our 20-20-20 rule

Step I :-
After every 20 minutes of looking into the computer screen, turn your
head and try to look at any object placed at least 20 feet away. This
changes the focal length of your eyes, a must-do for the tired eyes.


Step II :-
Try and blink your eyes for 20 times in succession, to moisten them.


Step III :-
Time permitting of course, one should walk 20 paces after every 20 minutes
of sitting in one particular posture. Helps blood circulation for the entire body.

It’s all in the blinking

Did you know that on average we blink 12 times per minute? But wait, did you know that when we’re on the computer we only blink 5 times per minute? That can add up to dry eyes. Relieve the discomfort by using artificial tear drops or gels and remember to blink!



Palming

Sit straight at your workstation and rub your palms against each other till you feel them warm. The warmth of your palms helps soothe and relax tired eyes. Then, lightly cup your eyes with your palms and relax for 60 seconds. Count the seconds in your mind. Repeat this exercise two to three times whenever your eyes feel tired, or as often as you want. While palming, you can either rest your elbows on your desk or keep away from the desk and cup your eyes. Both ways are fine.

Splash water on your face

During breaks, splash water on your face while closing your eyes. This has an overall relaxing effect and helps you feel refreshed.

Use tea bags

Keep two used tea bags in the refrigerator before you leave for work. Once you are home, place the tea bags on your eyes for a few minutes as you relax. This not only soothes tired eyes, but also reduces puffiness.



Eat healthy

Incorporate Vitamins A, C, and E on a daily basis; eat citrus fruits, green leafy veggies, tomatoes, spinach, poultry and dairy products. Pack a box of chopped carrots, cucumber and fresh fruits and munch in-between meals at the office.

Indo-Pak Willing to Share Information on Smuggling and Drugs Trafficking

The two-day talks between Indian Coast Guard and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency concluded here today with both sides expressing willingness to sharing of information on matters of "mutual importance".

The Indian side was led by Director General of the Coast Guard, Vice Admiral R F Contractor and the Pakistani side was led by Rear Admiral Tayyab Ali Dogar, Director General of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency.

Both countries discussed modalities for exchange of information regarding smuggling and illicit trafficking.

Reaffirming their commitment to carry out coordinated search and rescue operations, both sides noted that that regular communication on the hotline had significantly brought down incidents of fishermen's arrest during the last nine months.

The discussions also encompassed issues pertaining to violation of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by fishermen and procedures for their repatriation along with their boats.

The high-level talks were part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by two sides in 2005 where they agreed to meet once a year alternately in India or in Pakistan to review the progress of the MoU.

Women Drivers With Chunky Sunglasses Might Be a Road Safety Hazard

Some of the summer's hottest styled chunky glares might be dangerous for women while driving, a survey has found.

The survey estimated that or one in eight women in Scotland drive with wide-armed sunglasses, ultra-dark or tinted lenses, popularised by the likes of Kylie Minogue, Paris Hilton and Victoria Beckham, which can limit peripheral vision.

The survey found that less than two in five women wore driving-specific sunglasses while nearly three in four did not wear sunglasses at all while driving in bright light.

Nearly one in four women had driven while wearing sunglasses with dirty lenses, while one in five had driven with scratched lenses.

The Eyecare Trust charity, which took part in the research, also warned against sunglasses with pink or blue lenses, which could distort vision. Instead they are asking women to choose neutral lens colours that provide true colour definition, such as grey or brown.

The charity also advised against the use of very dark lenses, which the survey said were used by one in ten of the women in Scotland who were polled.

Niki Bolton, a spokeswoman for insurer Sheilas' Wheels, which commissioned the survey of 766 women in the UK, insisted that wearing insensible sunglasses was a safety hazard, which fashion-conscious women should realize when in control of a car.

"Wearing unsuitable sunglasses is just as dangerous as wearing none when driving in bright conditions," the Scotsman quoted Bolton, as saying.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is however helpless as it cannot stop drivers from wearing a sunglass as long as it does not hamper their field of vision.

Crying Shame of Stigma

New research commissioned by the Priory Group(i) reveals that a shocking 72% of adults in the United Kingdom think that there is a stigma associated with having a mental illness and describe people with a mental illness as unpredictable (79%), dangerous (50%) and scary (49%).Less than half (45%) of the adult population think that people with long-term mental illnesses are able to lead independent, fulfilled lives.
Over half the sample (52%) agree that being diagnosed with a serious mental illness and being diagnosed with cancer were as bad as each other and 57% believe that all aspects of their lives would be negatively affected if they were diagnosed with a mental illness.

Most damningly, 77% of adults state that the media does not do a good job in educating people about mental illness and 76% say that the media does not do a good job in de-stigmatising mental illness.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr. Natasha Bijlani at the Priory Hospital Roehampton says, 'Mental illness does not respect age, sex, marital status, class or region, which means that anyone, at any point in their lives, can become mentally ill. Susceptibility to mental illness is part of the human condition - no one is immune. We must stop being judgmental about people with mental illness. Mental illnesses are real illnesses, just like cancer, diabetes or arthritis.'The perceived devastation that mental illness causes led 76% of adults surveyed to say that they would feel upset if they were diagnosed with a serious mental illness, 75% would feel worried and 69% would feel fearful about the future.
Interestingly, 59% of the sample believe that alcohol or drug addiction is a serious mental illness like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression.
Positive perceptions Unusually, the Priory Group's research showed that 65% of the sample describe people with a mental illness as intelligent and 63% as kind, while 76% said that they did not think mental illness was the result of some type of personal weakness.

'Psychiatric patients are scared, and scarred, by their diagnoses,' says Dr. Bijlani. 'They are usually terrified at their initial consultation and feel that they are blamed for their illness in a way that other patients, say those who require orthopaedic surgery, are not. We hope that this new report will raise widespread awareness of the shocking stigma that still surrounds mental illness and encourage people to be more accepting of sufferers. Stigma is borne out of fear and ignorance. Stigma is created, not inherent, and it can and must be eradicated.'

High Blood Pressure Leads to Heart Failure

Many people with long-standing high blood pressure develop heart failure. But some don't. Daniel P. Kelly, M.D., and colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other institutions are trying to figure out what could explain that difference.
Their latest research reveals that impaired energy production in heart muscle may underlie heart failure in some hypertensive patients. The researchers assert that a molecular factor involved in maintaining the heart's energy supply could become a key to new approaches to prevent or treat heart failure.

The molecular factor, a protein called estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERR alpha), helps the heart keep up with energy-draining conditions like high blood pressure, which makes the heart work harder to pump blood.

West Bengal in the Threat of Chikungunya

Scores of people suffering with the crippling fever, Chikungunya, have been reported from West Bengal's North 24 Pargana District.

Twenty-one of the 36 samples that were earlier sent to the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) have tested positive.

'Chikungunya' virus spreads through mosquito-bite and causes a non-fatal self-limiting illness, marked by high fever, headache, severe joint pain, rashes and nausea.

Health officials are working over-time in the region to provide assistance and curb the spread of disease.
Medical camps have been set up and health workers are taking precautionary measures like spraying disinfectants in villages. Health workers are also carrying out door-to-door visits to keep a check on patients.

"Our health staff and doctors are visiting houses and identifying the cases and accordingly we are giving priority in treating the patients," said Kusum Kumar Adhikari, Health Officer.

The outbreak has caused an alarm in the region.

"We are really terrified," said Padma Sarkar, a villager.

Like dengue, another mosquito borne disease, there is no vaccine for Chikungunya, and at best, symptoms can be countered through painkillers, intake of plenty of fluids and lots of rest.

Chikungunya, first reported in India in Kerala in 2000, has taken a toll of several hundred lives. Thousands were admitted to hospitals across the State since May this year that followed the southwestern monsoon.

"STROKE" : REMEMBER THE FIRST THREE STEPS

STR**OKE IDENTIFICATION:*

During a party, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured

everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just

tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and

got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid

went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid"s husband called

later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at

6:00pm , Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the party. Had

they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be

with us today. Some ?don"t die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless

condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...*





A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he

can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally**. He said the trick

was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient

medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough. **





RECOGNIZING A **STR** OKE* *

Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, **STR* *. Read and Learn!

*

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the

lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain

damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple

questions: *





S* *Ask the individual to* SMILE* . *

T* *Ask the person to *TALK* , to* SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE *(Coherently: It

is sunny out today.) *

R* *Ask him or her to* RAISE BOTH ARMS*. *





{NOTE: Another "sign" of a stroke is this: Ask the person to "stick" out

their tongue... if the tongue is "crooked", if it goes to one side or the

other that is also an indication of a stroke} *





If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency

services immediately and describe the symptoms. This is URGENT *





A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people;

you can bet that at least one life will be saved. *

Youth Food

It's not what you cook but the way that you cook it that can keep you young. We all know the foods that are good for us and those that aren't. Did you know though that the way you cook even the "good" foods can turn them into bad foods. A new study has found that the way you cook food can raise levels in the food of substances that will make you age faster.

The culprits in this case are things called "advanced glycation end products" (we will call them AGEs). This acronym is quite apt since we know that AGEs do in fact accelerate the aging process. AGEs have a range of negative impacts throughout the body and some aging theorists (that is, they have theories about aging, not that they are elderly philosophers) believe that they cause much of the deterioration that we associate with so called "normal" aging.

AGEs do four things that precipitate decline as you age. Firstly, they cause oxidation. As we have touched on in other Tonic blogs, oxidative damage to DNA is a major driver of age-related decline. When DNA in your cells becomes damaged through excess oxidation beyond what your body can defend, then cellular and then organ failure follows.

Secondly, AGEs cause a decreased sensitivity to insulin. Becoming insensitive to insulin disposes you to diabetes and obesity, two maladies that plague the Western world as we age. AGEs also increase inflammation throughout the body. This disposes you to arthritis but also to a range of conditions including heart disease. Lastly, when AGEs accumulate in body tissues, they cause the tissue to become more rigid and less flexible.

This latest study (J Gerontology A Biological Science and Medical Science) found that people who had the highest blood levels of AGEs had more free radicals (which cause oxidative damage) and greater insulin resistance than people with the lowest levels. Also, those with high AGEs had high levels of c-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation and a risk factor for heart disease. So where do these dreaded AGEs come from? Well, to paraphrase a favourite Beatles' song of mine from the Sgt Pepper's album; they come from within you and without you. (Although I admit that it is highly unlikely that George had advanced glycation end products in mind when he wrote the song.)

AGEs do form in your body. This happens when proteins or fats react with sugars. If you have high blood sugar then you will be forming AGEs at a greater rate. However, you also eat AGEs. This study found that those people who ate the most AGEs from food did have higher AGE levels in their blood and so presumable will experience more rapid declien than those with lower AGE levels. The results of this study show that cooking at high temperatures can dramatically increase the levels of AGE in a certain food.

The found for instance, that AGE concentration in chicken is nine times as high when you oven cook it compared to when you boil it. Fried potatoes (chips) contain 90 times more AGEs than boiled potato. Some commercial cereals which are prepared under high temperatures had more than 100 times the AGE content of oatmeal.

So your health depends not only on what you eat but how you cook it. Roasting, frying and grilling form more AGEs than water based methods like boiling, steaming and poaching. Use the oven a little less and use the steamer a little more and maybe you will slow the aging clock a little.

Footnote: Alas, as of the end of this month The Tonic will not be appearing on the SMH and Age websites. There is always plenty of interesting stuff to report on in health but if there are issues of burning interest, let me know by making a comment here and I'll see what I can do over the next couple of weeks.

A hug a day keeps the doctor away

"EVERYBODY NEEDS TOUCH, especially the elderly," says Beata Aleksandrowicz. "Very often they are alone, their partners have gone or have died or they're sick, and nobody is touching them." Aleksandrowicz, a massage therapist, is speaking about a project she launched last month that saw therapists across England give free hand massages to elderly people in nursing homes. The response was heartening. "I had reactions such as, 'Oh, I had no idea that I need touch so much' or 'Oh, it's like I'm in fairyland!' "

Bertrand Russell once wrote: "Not only our geometry and our physics, but our whole conception of what exists outside us is based upon the sense of touch." But our experience of touch is dwindling. Increasingly we live alone, have virtual friends, shy away from any kind of physical contact with strangers for fear it might be unhygienic or inappropriate or could become violent.

The effects of not touching can prove detrimental to our wellbeing, both as individuals and as a society. "When you touch or are touched, you get the feeling of being connected with yourself and with others," Aleksandrowicz says, placing one hand on my arm. "When I touch you, you feel my touch - so by my touch you feel that you exist and you can connect with me. It is a feeling of being important, of being taken care of."

A 1997 study into the amount of touching and aggression among adolescents looked at the behaviour of 40 teenagers in McDonald's outlets in Paris and Miami. It found American adolescents spent considerably less time stroking, kissing, hugging and leaning against their peers than their French counterparts did.

Interestingly, the Americans showed more self-touching, such as playing with rings on their fingers, wringing their hands, twirling hair, wrapping arms around themselves, cracking knuckles, biting their lips, and also behaviour that was more aggressive, verbally and physically, towards their peers.

These findings are worrying, particularly because research suggests an absence of touching and physical interaction during adolescence may result in violent behaviour in later life. Touch deprivation appears to lead to a depletion in norepinephrine and serotonin, which, with dop-amine, are neurotransmitters affecting mood. When levels of norepinephrine and serotonin fall, levels of dopamine are left uninhibited, leading to the impulsive, often aggressive, behaviour associated with high levels of dopamine. (Research also suggests that levels of norepinephrine and serotonin may be increased through touch.)

Even though we're isolating ourselves from it, humans crave physical touch. It is one of the reasons people keep pets, Aleksandrowicz believes. "Because they can touch them, they can exchange warmth with them."

In many ways it was her own yearning for touch that brought Aleksandrowicz to massage. "I had some problems with my second husband," she says. "We had a lot of problems with intimacy, we couldn't open up for each other, and our friend just gave us the advice to try to touch each other a lot and just see how it goes. And I was amazed how closed I was to touch. I could not receive touch - it made me panic."

Now she offers courses for couples (as well as encouraging parents to massage their children, so they grow up to find touch usual). "You suddenly see these men who open up so much," she says.

Aleksandrowicz recently returned from a trip to meet bushmen in the Kalahari. She expected them to have a much freer approach to physical interaction and was shocked to find that was not the case. "I was in the middle of Namibia, 40C, sitting on the sand, with people who I've never seen before, whose culture is 40,000 years old, and they were all asking about touch," she says.

She massaged everyone in the village, sometimes several times. The first to be massaged was the oldest woman in the village. "Suddenly there was silence, this whole village stopped what they were doing - they stopped talking and started to sing," Aleksandrowicz says. She believes that the political situation of the bushmen - landless, powerless, severed from their traditions and history - has led to this intense feeling of disconnection. "It was very interesting. All of them asked me to touch their chests, the most emotional part of the body and also responsible for the ego. They don't know who they are - they're lost."

Some would say that people in the West are also losing sight of who they are. We shy from touching each other but are obsessed with appearance. We would rather, for example, go under the surgeon's knife than accept our own bodies. "We are living in a materialistic time where if you don't see you don't have," Aleksandrowicz says. "So we have cars, we have high salaries, we have the right shape of our bottom ... But we stop believing that we have enormous potential inside us."

And what does Aleksandrowicz get from a career that involves touching people all day? "It's amazing," she says. "It is a communication on the most basic, fundamental level, where there are no words or judgement or ego. It's just the purest possible interaction between two people."

Bust stress with an Ayurveda massage

Do you spend long hours in odd postures, poring over computer screens? Do chronic complaints like spondylitis and arthritis threaten you? If you do, this may be the perfect time of year to try ayurvedic treatments offered by some of Kerala"s leading medical houses in your city.


For this is Karkitaka -- or the special month of healing -- according to the Keralite calendar. It comes around July or August, when Ayurveda believes the body is at its weakest and also most responsive to treatment. Authentic Ayurveda centres in all major Indian cities are specially geared for the month of Karkitaka, which sees a flux of patients and health enthusiasts from India and abroad.

Let"s find out what these centres offer.

Stress busters

An hour-long medicated oil massage, custom-designed by a physician for your body type and condition, costs approximately Rs 350, inclusive of an oil bath. Add Rs 150 for a steam bath and enjoy being massaged and bathed, perhaps for the first time since your diaper days.

Flab busters

Burn that excess fat in your gym by all means, but ayurveda can help you there too. It offers udwarthanam or a massage with herbal powders. According to Ashtang Hridaya, the bible of ayurveda, special herbal medicine taken internally, in combination with massage, raises fat metabolism and leads to a considerable loss of weight. An individual session costs Rs 475 per day, and it is generally administered over 7, 14 or 21 days, depending on the patient"s condition.

Skin nirvana

The controversy over chemicals in some of the most-reputed face packs in the market may have you worried. Ayurveda offers safer herbal packs for acne, skin tone and skin glow. An assortment of face packs costs Rs 350; body packs, Rs 500.

A new you

Ayurvedic rejuvenation, or Sukha Chikitsa, is an elaborate spa session that reactivates every cell and restores your stamina. It"s a stress-busting, body-purifying procedure that is said to leave you looking younger, stronger and vibrant. It attempts to leave you calmer, your voice better modulated, and neutralises the ill-effects of junk food. There is a catch though -- the session goes on for seven days.

Dr Rekha Nair, a qualified ayurvedic practitioner at the Estuary Island resorts of Poovar, Kerala, makes a strong pitch for ayurvedic procedures. "A regular date with Ayurveda puts the body in prevention mode and protects it from severe damage," she says. "It is often successful where other methods fail. It has treatment for ailments, advice on routine life and support for a healthy lifestyle. It is merely waiting to be discovered by the world in a bigger way."

Ayurveda centres

Make sure you visit an authentic centre like the ones listed below, where qualified physicians oversee the treatment and a trained masseuse executes the sessions. Most of these centres have set up shop in major Indian metros.

• Arya Vaidya Sala
  
• Dhanwanthari Madom
  
• Vasudeva Vilasom
  
• Pankajakasthuri Ayurveda Centre

You can also visit www.healingveda.com and www.ayurveda.iloveindia.com for more information.

16 healthy Ayurvedic mantras

Having a bout of indigestion?





Feeling uncomfortable after a spicy meal?



Get Ahead brings you 16 practical Ayurvedic mantras to incorporate into your daily diet.



1. Instead of using plain water in beverages, use water in which cumin seeds have been soaked overnight. Cumin seeds have a cooling effect on the body and are an effective digestive.



2. Add flavour to juices by making ice cubes out of fruit juices, lemon juice and rose water.



Lemon juice is an excellent source of Vitamin C while both lemon juice and rose water have a cleansing and cooling effect on the body. They blend with any fruit juice without causing any side effects, even as they enhance the flavour of the drink.



3. When making juices, use castor/ powdered sugar (colloquially known as pitti/ khada shakkar) instead of cubes or grains. Pitti/ khada shakkar is good for health as it is not processed as much as ordinary sugar.



If you do not have powdered sugar, grind 250 grams of sugar in a mixer and keep handy. Use approximately one spoon of powdered sugar (seven to eight grams) per glass of any juice. It takes less time to dissolve.



4. Excessive sugar consumption can contribute to dehydration, so switch to natural sweetners such as honey, raw sugar or jaggery.



5. Use glucose powder to add energy to your drink.



6. Substitute cow"s milk with soya milk. Soya milk is high in protein and adds nutritional value to your diet. Here"s how to make it.

• Soak soya beans overnight in water.
  
• Drain the water next day.
  
• Blend the soaked beans with three cups of very hot water for three minutes.
  
• Cool till warm to the touch and filter through a muslin cloth by squeezing.
  
• Simmer soya milk on a stove for 20 minutes.
  
• Stir and allow to cool.
  
• Use it to whip up some yummy milk shakes.

7. Substitute table salt with saindhave mamak (rock salt).



8. Substitute chocolate-flavoured health drink powders like Bournvita, Complan and Horlicks with plain cocoa powder to add more nutrition value to the drink.



9. For garnishing juices, use chopped fresh fruit and dry fruits.



10. Want extra spice in your food? Use generous amounts of ground dry ginger blended with powdered sugar, chaat masala and cinnamon powder.



11. Never mix more than three types of fruits while making a juice; the combination of different fruit enzymes could cause acidity and digestion problems.

12. Citrus fruits (orange, sweet lime, grapefruit) can be consumed in combinations (say orange and sweet lime, sweet lime and grapefruit).

However, citrus fruits should not be combined with any other type of fruits as their enzymes can chemically react with other types of fruit enzymes, causing allergies in extreme cases.



13. Never combine citrus fruits and milk as it leads to an undesirable curdling of milk and renders the combination futile



14. Vegetable juices (cabbage, carrot, beetroot) should preferably be diluted in the proportion of 7: 3 (vegetable juice: water).



15. Never have strong concentrated juices (unless recommended) early in the morning on an empty stomach.



Dilute the juice with water and then consume it.



16. Try to drink freshly prepared fruit juices only. Juices that have been stored without preservatives for a long time undergo oxidation and lose a considerable amount of their nutritional value.

Monsoon rejuvenation using Ayurvedic treatments

Come monsoon and the landscape around you turns into a verdant green. Sleeping at nights suddenly becomes a pleasant experience. While it is the time to enjoy the cool downpour it is also the time to welcome a host of diseases.

The queues in front of hospitals and clinics become longer as the rainy season progresses. Arthritis, gastric disturbances, asthma, sinusitis, diarrhoea, indigestion and skin diseases are just some of diseases that plague most of us during this season.

While allopathic medicines may cure a host of these ailments, Ayurvedic medicines too play an effective and vital role in controlling as well as treating monsoon disorders.

In Ayurveda, mid-June to mid-August is referred to as the Varsha Rithu or the Monsoon period. And this is the right time, it is said, to take a treatment in Ayurveda. Let us take a look at some of the treatments and diets to keep diseases at bay.

Panchakarma
Dr Vijayalakshmi B, Ayurveda Physician, Santhigiri Ayurveda Heritage, Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram, says, "Ayurveda bases its principal on preventing diseases."

According to Shreekumar.V, Manager, Santhigiri Ayurveda Heritage, Kovalam, Kerala, the monsoon is the best time to take treatments in Ayurveda.

"The ailments or injuries in your body show up during this season," he adds. "For all the doshas (problems) and for the overall functioning of the body, Panchakarma (panch meaning "five" and karma meaning "action") treatment is recommended."

How does Panchakarma benefit you?
Says Dr Vijayalakshmi B, "It helps increase your immunity power and circulation, it removing wrinkles and helps you get better sleep." However, if you are going for an Ayurvedic rejuvenation package or treatment for any other ailments, take the advice of an experienced physician.

Here are some of the Panchakarma treatments you can opt for during monsoon (strictly to be done as per your physician"s advice):

Abhyanga: Abhyanga, or massage as we commonly known it, is a whole body massage with herbal oils. This helps in nourishing and revitalising your body. Abhyanga helps in improving blood circulation, relaxing body, and reducing stress.

Dhara: In this treatment medicated oils are poured on the forehead. This treatment helps in reducing stress, headaches, improves memory, relieves sleep disturbances and tension. It allows calmness to creep in slowly while the stress and tension slip away with the Shirodhara oil (a stream of oil on your forehead). When buttermilk is used in place of oil, it is referred to as Takra Dhara.

Swedanam: The patient is made to sweat by using steam of herbs, depending on the ailments.

Pizhichil: Pizhichil involves pouring oil all over the body accompanied with a massage. It is helpful in reducing fatigue, dryness and neurological disorders.

Virechana: Therapeutic Purgation or Virechana as it is known is a medical purgation therapy. It helps in removing toxins (Pitta dosha -- disorders related to secretion fo bile) from your body. This treatment is effective in treating skin disorders, diabetes, asthma, digestive disorders etc.

Cost
The cost of treatment varies depending on the treatment.

For instance, Abhyanga could cost you Rs 400 or more (depending on herbs, oils used) for a single sitting to around Rs 60,000 or more for a three-week therapy involving various treatment procedures.

Dietary tips
Apart from treatment, a diet suiting your body constitution also helps. Here are some general tips for you to follow during the monsoon:

Dos

• 
  
  Drink only boiled and cooled water. Adding a little honey is also good
  
  
• 
  
  Herbal water is recommended
  
  
• 
  
  Drink plenty of water
  
  
• 
  
  Eat only moderate quantity of food
  
  
• 
  
  Use ginger for easy digestion
  
  
• 
  
  Include green gram and plenty of milk in your daily diet
  
  
• 
  
  Spices should be in moderate quantity
  
  
• 
  
  Wash all fruits and vegetables with warm water
  
  
• 
  
  Oil massages are good during the rains
  
  
• 
  
  Bathe in warm water
  
  
• 
  
  Wear clean and dry clothes
  
  
• 
  
  Keep physical exercise at a moderate level
  
  
• 
  
  Keep surroundings dry and clean

Dont"s

• 
  
  Avoid foods that are hard to digest
  
  
• 
  
  Avoid cold foods and drinks
  
  
• 
  
  Curds is a no-no during monsoon
  
  
• 
  
  Strike out raw vegetables and salads from your menu during the monsoon
  
  
• 
  
  Sleeping during the day is not recommended

Why you should breastfeed your baby

Since World Breastfeeding Week officially commenced yesterday, presented here are a few benefits of breastfeeding your child. As you will soon find out, breast milk is far more than jusy a source of nutrition -- it promotes the health and well-being of both mother and baby:





~ It is best to keep your infant on a strict diet of only breast milk for the first six months of his/ her life, because it protects against gastrointestinal problems -- it is easier to digest and will not cause constipation. It is also known to boost a baby"s gastrointestinal immunity.



~ Breastfeeding protects against asthma and ear infections -- this is because it creates a protective layer upon the membranes of a baby"s nose and throat.



~ Cows" milk can cause some babies to react with severe allergies. Breastmilk, in contrast, is 100 percent safe.



~ Research has shown that breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from obesity in later age -- this is probably because they can feed for as long as their appetites demand and are less likely to gain excess weight right from the start.



~ Breastfeeding has been linked to the prevention of childhood leukemia, Type 1 diabetes and high blood pressure later in life.



~ Breastfeeding is believed to boost a child"s intelligence, in part because of the emotional bonding that takes place between mother and baby, and in part because it contains several fatty acids that contribute to the development of an infant"s brain.



~ New mothers who breastfeed are known to shed weight quicker post-pregnancy, than those who do not. It also helps reduce stress and postpartum bleeding.



~ The risk of breast and ovarian cancer is believed to reduce if breastfeeding takes place post-pregnancy -- the longer the period of nursing, the lesser the risk.



~ Breastfeeding is convenient, cost-free (as compared to expensive formula, feeding bottles and other baby paraphernalia required for top feeds) and best of all, helps a mother bond with her child emotionally -- the physical contact is also a source of comfort to infants.

Goat's milk is healthier than cow's milk

Drinking goat's milk is healthier than consuming cow's milk, a new study has found.

The study, by researchers at the University of Granada has revealed that goat milk has more beneficial properties to health than cow milk.

Researchers conducted the study on mice with induced nutritional ferropenic anaemia, and found that goat milk is better at preventing ferropenic anaemia (iron deficiency) and bone demineralisation (softening of the bones).

In order to know how the nutritive utilisation of iron, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium may affect their metabolic distribution and destination, lead researcher Doctor Javier Diaz Castro determined the concentration of these minerals in the different organs involved in their homeostatic regulation and different haematological parameters in relation to the metabolism of the minerals.

Results obtained in the study reveal that ferropenic anaemia and bone demineralisation caused by this pathology have a better recovery with goat milk.

Due to the higher bioavailability of iron, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, the restoration of altered haematological parameters and the better levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), a hormone that regulates the calcium balance in the organism was found in the rats that consumed this food.

Dr Castro points out that the inclusion of goat milk with normal or double calcium content in the diet "favours digestive and metabolic utilisation of iron, calcium and phosphorus and their deposit in target organs - parts of the organism to which these minerals are preferably sent - involved in their homeostatic regulation".

According to him, all these conclusions reveal that regular consumption of goat milk - a natural food with highly beneficial nutritional characteristics - "has positive effects on mineral metabolism, recovery from ferropenic anaemia and bone mineralisation in rats. In addition, and unlike observations in cow milk, its calcium enrichment does not interfere in the bioavailability of the minerals studied".

Drinking Coffee Reduces Risk of Liver Cancer

A new study has revealed that coffee consumption reduces the risk of HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma) or liver cancer.
At least eleven studies conducted in southern Europe and Japan have examined the relationship between coffee drinking and the risk of primary liver cancer.

The current study, led by Francesca Bravi of the Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri in Milan, Italy, was a meta-analysis of published studies on HCC that included how much coffee patients had consumed. Researchers combined all published data to obtain an overall quantitative estimate of the association between coffee consumption and HCC.

The results showed a 41 percent reduction of HCC risk among coffee drinkers compared to those who never drank coffee.

"Moreover, the apparent favourable effect of coffee drinking was found both in studies from southern Europe, where coffee is widely consumed, and from Japan, where coffee consumption is less frequent, and in subjects with chronic liver diseases," the researchers state.

They point out that animal and laboratory studies have indicated that certain compounds found in coffee may act as blocking agents by reacting with enzymes involved in carcinogenic detoxification.

Other components, including caffeine, have been shown to have favourable effects on liver enzymes. Coffee has also been related to a reduced risk of liver diseases and cirrhosis, which can lead to liver cancer.

Nicole Richie Admitted of Smoking Marijuana

Socialite Nicole Richie has admitted that she smoked Marijuana, but had Vicodin, that she took for pain, already in her system on the night of her DUI arrest in December, last year.
The ‘Simple Life’ star has been sentenced to four days in prison after she pleaded guilty of the charges. In an interview to ABC’s Diane Sawyer, Richie opened up about her DUI arrest.

“I had smoked marijuana that night, just marijuana. I had Vicodin in my system from that day, which I take for pain,” Us Magazine quoted her, as saying.

Richie added that she did something wrong, and that she wants to apologise to everyone who has lost their loved one from drunk-driving.

"I have a responsibility and it's something that I did wrong, and if I could personally apologize to every single person that has lost a loved one from drunk driving I would. And unfortunately I can't, but this is my way of paying my dues and taking responsibility and being an adult,” she added.

On the show, she also revealed that she is expecting her first child with beau Joel Madden.

Regular Neck Massage Could Lower Your Blood Pressure

An accidental discovery in the lab has helped University of Leeds scientists to show how the treatment for a stiff neck could do wonders for your blood pressure.
Chiropractors have long known that tackling pain and stiffness by "cracking" the neck through manipulation can also lower blood pressure - but the reasons were never clear.

Now a team led by Professor Jim Deuchars has examined pathways between the neck and the brain to show how the neck muscles could play a crucial role in controlling blood pressure, heart rate and breathing.

Their study provides the first evidence for a role for these connections in influencing brain regions which control body functions that we don't need to think about, such as breathing and blood pressure.

The area of the brain where the signals from the neck terminate were first identified by "Godfather of Neuroscience" Ramon Y Cajal, more than 100 years ago, though its function was not understood. What happened after these signals arrived remained a largely-overlooked area of research until new techniques allowed the Leeds team to take the work forward.

"Cells in the area that receive neck signals jumped out at us when we labelled sections with particular markers. We wanted to know how these cells were organised and the other brain regions to which they were connected," the researchers said.

The team, which includes researchers from Japan and Hungary, found a link between these cells and the nucleus tractus solitarius, an area of the brain that is pivotal in control of autonomic functions - body functions under unconscious control.

They propose that nervous signals from the neck could play a key role in ensuring that adequate blood supply is maintained to the brain as we change posture, such as from lying down to standing up. Where such signalling fails, we can suffer problems with balance and blood pressure.

Regular Neck Massage Could Lower Your Blood Pressure

An accidental discovery in the lab has helped University of Leeds scientists to show how the treatment for a stiff neck could do wonders for your blood pressure.
Chiropractors have long known that tackling pain and stiffness by "cracking" the neck through manipulation can also lower blood pressure - but the reasons were never clear.

Now a team led by Professor Jim Deuchars has examined pathways between the neck and the brain to show how the neck muscles could play a crucial role in controlling blood pressure, heart rate and breathing.

Their study provides the first evidence for a role for these connections in influencing brain regions which control body functions that we don't need to think about, such as breathing and blood pressure.

The area of the brain where the signals from the neck terminate were first identified by "Godfather of Neuroscience" Ramon Y Cajal, more than 100 years ago, though its function was not understood. What happened after these signals arrived remained a largely-overlooked area of research until new techniques allowed the Leeds team to take the work forward.

"Cells in the area that receive neck signals jumped out at us when we labelled sections with particular markers. We wanted to know how these cells were organised and the other brain regions to which they were connected," the researchers said.

The team, which includes researchers from Japan and Hungary, found a link between these cells and the nucleus tractus solitarius, an area of the brain that is pivotal in control of autonomic functions - body functions under unconscious control.

New Prototype Vaccine Could Be Effective Against Tuberculosis

Using a novel approach, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed a prototype vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) that works better in animal models than the only TB vaccine now available.
In this era of multi-drug resistant TB and growing numbers of people with active TB due to coinfection with HIV, the advance could herald a needed breakthrough against one of the world’s leading killers. Their study appears in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterial species that infects one third of the world’s population (up to 10% of whom will develop active TB) and causes up to three million deaths annually. The only available vaccine--known as Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG)—is a live, attenuated (weakened) strain of M. bovis, which causes TB in cattle. Despite being the world’s most widely used vaccine, BCG fails to protect adults from TB infection and doesn’t reliably stem the reactivation of pulmonary TB (the most common form of the disease) in adults.

“Virtually all efforts to develop a better TB vaccine have focused on ‘boosting’ BCG—modifying it to elicit a stronger immune response in people,” says Dr. William Jacobs, Jr., co-senior author of the paper and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Einstein as well as professor of microbiology & immunology and molecular genetics.

“But we feel that tweaking the marginally useful BCG vaccine is the wrong strategy. So we’ve started with virulent M. tuberculosis—the organism that actually causes TB in humans—and are knocking out certain genes to yield a live, attenuated M. tuberculosis strain that still produces a strong immunological response that protects people.”
TB bacteria invade human cells and then--successfully evading a person’s immune response--lurk inside cells and multiply. A key evasion strategy involves preventing their host cells from undergoing apoptosis—the “cell suicide” often triggered when microbes invade cells.
For intracellular TB bacteria, avoiding apoptosis is an understandable aim: Apoptosis flushes them into the open, activating immune cells known as CD8+ T cells. These T cells make important contributions to the immune response by mopping up the bacteria and then becoming “memory” cells that can respond swiftly if the same bacterial species infects the person later on.

In designing their TB vaccine, the Einstein researchers discovered a gene in M. tuberculosis, known as secA2, that the TB bacteria rely on to prevent apoptosis of the mammalian cells they infect. The researchers then knocked that gene out of the TB chromosome, creating a weakened mutant strain of the bacterium.

When the mutant TB strain was injected into laboratory animals, infected cells underwent apoptosis, eliciting a strong and long-lasting T-cell response against the bacteria—just what is needed from an effective TB vaccine.

“Our secA2 mutant TB vaccine elicited protective immunity that was measurably superior to the standard BCG vaccine,” says Dr. Steven Porcelli, professor of medicine (rheumatology) and microbiology & immunology at Einstein and the paper’s other senior author.

“Two months after vaccination, significantly fewer bacteria persisted in the tissues of secA2 mutant-vaccinated animals than in the tissues of animals vaccinated with BCG. And compared with BCG, animals vaccinated with the mutant vaccine had much larger populations of the vital CD8+ memory T cells that a vaccine must elicit to optimally protect against infection.”

Since the completion of this study, the Einstein researchers have knocked out an additional gene that has made the vaccine safer for human use without reducing the protective immunity it provides. The researchers now plan to knock out yet another gene to make the vaccine safer still. “We’re hopeful that initial human trials of the secA2 mutant TB vaccine could begin within two to three years,” says Dr. Porcelli.

New Prototype Vaccine Could Be Effective Against Tuberculosis

Using a novel approach, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed a prototype vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) that works better in animal models than the only TB vaccine now available.
In this era of multi-drug resistant TB and growing numbers of people with active TB due to coinfection with HIV, the advance could herald a needed breakthrough against one of the world’s leading killers. Their study appears in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterial species that infects one third of the world’s population (up to 10% of whom will develop active TB) and causes up to three million deaths annually. The only available vaccine--known as Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG)—is a live, attenuated (weakened) strain of M. bovis, which causes TB in cattle. Despite being the world’s most widely used vaccine, BCG fails to protect adults from TB infection and doesn’t reliably stem the reactivation of pulmonary TB (the most common form of the disease) in adults.

“Virtually all efforts to develop a better TB vaccine have focused on ‘boosting’ BCG—modifying it to elicit a stronger immune response in people,” says Dr. William Jacobs, Jr., co-senior author of the paper and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Einstein as well as professor of microbiology & immunology and molecular genetics.

“But we feel that tweaking the marginally useful BCG vaccine is the wrong strategy. So we’ve started with virulent M. tuberculosis—the organism that actually causes TB in humans—and are knocking out certain genes to yield a live, attenuated M. tuberculosis strain that still produces a strong immunological response that protects people.”
TB bacteria invade human cells and then--successfully evading a person’s immune response--lurk inside cells and multiply. A key evasion strategy involves preventing their host cells from undergoing apoptosis—the “cell suicide” often triggered when microbes invade cells.
For intracellular TB bacteria, avoiding apoptosis is an understandable aim: Apoptosis flushes them into the open, activating immune cells known as CD8+ T cells. These T cells make important contributions to the immune response by mopping up the bacteria and then becoming “memory” cells that can respond swiftly if the same bacterial species infects the person later on.

In designing their TB vaccine, the Einstein researchers discovered a gene in M. tuberculosis, known as secA2, that the TB bacteria rely on to prevent apoptosis of the mammalian cells they infect. The researchers then knocked that gene out of the TB chromosome, creating a weakened mutant strain of the bacterium.

When the mutant TB strain was injected into laboratory animals, infected cells underwent apoptosis, eliciting a strong and long-lasting T-cell response against the bacteria—just what is needed from an effective TB vaccine.

“Our secA2 mutant TB vaccine elicited protective immunity that was measurably superior to the standard BCG vaccine,” says Dr. Steven Porcelli, professor of medicine (rheumatology) and microbiology & immunology at Einstein and the paper’s other senior author.

“Two months after vaccination, significantly fewer bacteria persisted in the tissues of secA2 mutant-vaccinated animals than in the tissues of animals vaccinated with BCG. And compared with BCG, animals vaccinated with the mutant vaccine had much larger populations of the vital CD8+ memory T cells that a vaccine must elicit to optimally protect against infection.”

Since the completion of this study, the Einstein researchers have knocked out an additional gene that has made the vaccine safer for human use without reducing the protective immunity it provides. The researchers now plan to knock out yet another gene to make the vaccine safer still. “We’re hopeful that initial human trials of the secA2 mutant TB vaccine could begin within two to three years,” says Dr. Porcelli.

Consuming Raw Red Beans and Rice can Make You Sick

Scientists have discovered how lectins, a family of proteins believed to be a natural insecticide that is abundant in undercooked legumes and grains, can make you feel temporarily miserable.
“It’s known that it can be a toxin,” Dr. Paul L. McNeil, cell biologist at the Medical College of Georgia, says of the lectin protein that’s commonly found in vegetables. Lectins, which bind strongly to carbohydrates that decorate cell surfaces, have a particular affinity for the heavy-carbohydrate coats of epithelial cells that line the gastrointestinal tract.

Researchers have long known that ingesting too much undercooked lectin can cause nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. What they didn’t know was how lectin caused food poisoning.

Work published Aug. 1 in PloS One shows lectins disable GI tract cells, which are constantly bombarded while digesting food, from repairing tears in cells walls from all the activity. Repair normally occurs in seconds: internal membranes move up to patch the tear, the cell recovers and the one-cell layer lining of the GI tract remains intact.

“If those individual cells cannot repair tears, they die,” says Dr. McNeil. “That means you have gaps in the integrity of the surface area of the epithelium and you are exposing the nasty internal world of your GI tract to your blood supply.”

The epithelial lining is a continuous, natural barrier between digesting food in the GI tract and the blood supply. When intact, it allows only good stuff like nutrients to pass through.
“Your body senses that lack of barrier function and tells you to eliminate the entire contents of the GI tract,” says Dr. McNeil, noting that lectin’s apparent role as a natural insecticide and as a source of food poisoning are related. “If you get vomiting and diarrhea you are going to eliminate the entire contents of your gastrointestinal tract, right" And, you are not going to eat red beans again the next day, right" That is probably the point if they are natural insecticides. Alcohol will do the same thing. When you drink too much alcohol, you can destroy the lining of your stomach.”

But the scientist who first identified how injured cells patch themselves says lectin blocks this repair mechanism better than anything else he’s seen. Interestingly, he and his colleagues showed in PloS Biology in 2006 how roughage – which includes beans – help people stay “regular” by causing more cell tears, which enables more mucus to escape from cells, essentially greasing the GI tract.

That same research team, which includes Dr. Katsuya Miyake, MCG cell biologist, and Dr. Toru Tanaka, pharmacologist at Josai University in Japan, has now shown lectin is also very good at blocking mucus expulsion from cells.

In fact, they discovered lectin’s role in stopping cell-patching and mucus release while researching roughage. The multipurpose lectin is a powerful stain the team used to look at mucus released by cells after tearing. They found if they used too much lectin there was no patching or mucus, just cell death.

“Biologically it’s interesting because it might tell us more about the mechanism of repair,” says Dr. McNeil, who wants to learn more about how lectin interferes with repair. “We know the mechanism involves surface binding because you can add lectin and the cells can’t repair. You take the same culture of cells, wash the lectin away, injure other cells in the culture and they repair fine. We also know it’s a very rapid, surface-initiated inhibition.”

In addition to the immediate discomfort undercooked beans and rice can cause, long term concerns ingestion of lectin has also been linked to colorectal cancer and celiac disease, a common problem in which individuals are sensitive to gluten, a mixture of proteins derived from wheat flour that includes lectins. The small intestine of the celiac sufferer is unable to properly absorb nutrients after gluten ingestion.

Oddly, in a laboratory dish, safe from mechanical stresses that cause surface tears, lectin can make cells divide, “which is quite the opposite of making cells sick,” Dr. McNeil says. A recent Science paper implicated lectin in diabetes as well.

“It’s possible that this bioactive property of lectin that binds to our cells could have long-term consequences taken even in small amounts,” he says, noting that thorough cooking destroys most but not all lectin. “Maybe the bloating and gas is telling us something about lectin when it’s just a minor irritation.”

Researchers Have Identified Gene Fusions That Trigger Prostate Cancer

Researchers at the University of Michigan (U-M) Comprehensive Cancer Center found that pieces of two chromosomes can trade places with each other and cause two genes to fuse together.

These fused genes then supersede the "off" switch that prevents uncontrolled cell growth -- key to the development of prostate cancer.

The researchers, who conducted experiments with mice and cell cultures, found that this prostate-cancer causing fusion can take place in a number of genes from the same family. The genes from that family fuse with eitherERGorETV1, two genes known to be involved in several types of cancer.

"Each of these switches, or gene fusions, represent different molecular subtypes. This tells us there's not just one type of prostate cancer. It's a more complex disease and potentially needs to be treated differently in each patient," Nature quoted lead author Dr. Arul Chinnaiyan, director of U-M's Michigan Center for Transitional Pathology, as saying in a prepared statement.

Several abnormal gene fusions were involved in 60 percent to 70 percent of the prostate cancer cell lines examined by the researchers. The genes involved in the fusions are controlled by different mechanisms, including four genes regulated by the male sex hormone androgen, which is known to fuel prostate cancer.

Identifying the gene fusion that caused a patient's prostate cancer could help doctors determine the best treatment. For example, if an androgen-regulated gene is involved, androgen therapy may be appropriate, the research team said.
"Typing someone's prostate cancer by gene fusion can affect the treatment given. We would not want to give androgen to someone whose prostate cancer gene fusion is not regulated by androgen," says Chinnaiyan, who is the S.P. Hicks Collegiate Professor of Pathology at the U-M Medical School.
Rearrangements in chromosomes and fused genes are play a significant role in blood cell cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, and in Ewing's sarcoma. A fused gene combination that plays a role in chronic myelogenous leukemia led researchers to build up the drug Gleevec, which has dramatically improved survival rates for that disease.

Chinnaiyan believes that the prostate gene fusions will ultimately lead to parallel treatments for prostate cancer.

"More immediately, we hope to develop tests for diagnosis or prognosis. But long-term, we hope this will lead to better therapies to treat prostate cancer. The key challenge is to find a drug that would go after this gene fusion," Chinnaiyan says.

Human Movement Could Generate Electricity

Two MIT students claim to have developed a new technology that transforms energy generated by human movement, such as walking or jumping in crowded settings, into electricity.

The "Crowd Farm" technology works something like this: A responsive sub-flooring system is placed under, say, the platform of a subway terminal. The blocks that make up the system would depress slightly under the force of human footsteps. As the blocks slip against each other, they generate power in the form of an electric current.

According to its developers, the electric current could be used, among other things, to light up signs about the energy created by the pedestrians.

"We want people to understand the direct relationship between their movement and the energy produced," said co-creator Thaddeus Jusczyk.

While the Crowd Farm wouldn't work in the home (a single human step generates only enough power to light two 60-watt light bulbs for one second), it could draw power from a crowd producing thousands of steps.

Some 28,527 steps, for example, could power an entire moving train for a second, the scientists said.

The Crowd Farm could also be used to harness the head-bashing energy at a rock concert, they added.

Electrode Implants Awake Man from Coma-like State

Pioneering surgeons said on Wednesday they had implanted electrodes to stimulate the badly-damaged brain of a man who had been lying in a virtually unconscious state for six years, enabling him to speak, eat and recover some limb movement.
he unidentified 38-year-old patient had received a traumatic brain injury in an assault that had left him bed-ridden and under 24-hour nursing care, incapable of moving or communicating except with slight movements of the eye or finger.

Reporting in the British journal Nature, the US team used a technique called deep brain stimulation, in which electrodes deliver impulses to the central thalamus, a region that helps adjust brain activity to match cognitive demands.

They used computer-generated maps, image-guided navigation and 3-D mapping of the brain to manoeuvre the electrodes in place with millimetric accuracy and connect them to programmable pacemaker batteries, implanted in the chest.

Sixteen months after the operation, the patient has enjoyed "remarkable and sustained" improvement, said lead author Ali Rezai of the Center for Neurologic Restoration at the Clevic Clinic Foundation, Ohio.

The patient now interacts with family and friends, using words and gestures and responding swiftly to questions.

In addition, he now chews and swallows his food, whereas previously he needed a feeding tube to provide nutrition.

He can also perform some complex movements, including those required for drinking from a cup or brushing hair, although long years of immobility and tendon damage crimp his ability to carry out those tasks, said Joseph Giacino, a neuropsychologist at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute and the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute.

Guinea Pigs In A Beauty Clinic

Campaigners from a consumer watchdog warn that Britons may be unwilling lab rats, due to a poor regulation of cosmetic products.

The group called ‘Which?’ in its magazine claims that companies are testing cosmetic fillers in the UK before applying for a US license, which is a lot tougher to get.

As of now, only seven fillers (injectable substances used to reduce wrinkles) containing hyaluronic acid are licensed in the US as against 65 in the UK.

Each year around 400,000 people undergo non-surgical cosmetic treatments such as fillers, and the numbers are rising. Most cosmetic fillers in the UK are covered by EU legislation, which allows companies to self-certify or use independent testing laboratories.

An example of weak regulation, according to the watchdog is Isolagen - a treatment that used patients' own cells to smooth out skin. The treatment was withdrawn in the US in 1999 but introduced to Britain in 2002. Which? also claims that the manufacturers have used information gathered in Britain to support its pending license application to the Federal Drug Administration in the US.

Listening to Music Makes the Brain Work Better

A new research has found that listening to music could make the brain pay more attention and work better.

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine found that people listening to music have peak brain activity between when the music stops and starts again.

The finding may help scientists understand how the brain sorts out inputs from the chaotic world around it.

People listening to music engage the parts of their brains involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory, researchers found.

Scientists used magnetic resonance imaging to see what parts of the brain are working during different activities. The study used short symphonies from an obscure 18th century composer to capture the attention of the people in the study.

"In a concert setting, for example, different individuals listen to a piece of music with wandering attention, but at the transition point between movements, their attention is arrested," said the paper's senior author Vinod Menon, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and of neurosciences.

"I'm not sure if the baroque composers would have thought of it in this way, but certainly from a modern neuroscience perspective, our study shows that this is a moment when individual brains respond in a tightly synchronized manner," Menon added.

The team used music to help study the brain's attempt to make sense of the continual flow of information the real world generates, a process called event segmentation. The brain partitions information into meaningful chunks by extracting information about beginnings, endings and the boundaries between events.

Additives in Cirgarette Makes Addict to Smoking

A new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has found that cigarette additives may be making it harder for smokers to kick the butt.


The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Michel D. Rabinoff, assistant research psychiatrist at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

As a part of the study the researchers investigated tobacco industry documents and other sources for evidence of possible pharmacological and chemical effects of tobacco additives.

The study found that 100 of the 599 documented cigarette additives have "pharmacological" actions that camouflage the negative impact of smoke in the environment by masking odour, visibility and irritation (without equivalent efforts to decrease the harmful effects of second-hand smoke).

These additives also enhance or maintain nicotine delivery; and mask symptoms and illnesses associated with smoking behaviours.

The researchers state that their study is important as it points to a need for regulation of cigarette additives as well tobacco.