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16

Public Health / 10 tips for summer food safety

« on: April 27, 2014, 10:21:06 AM »

Summer eating can be enjoyable with fresh seasonal produce, outdoor eating and entertaining for special occasions or family gatherings. Unfortunately, food poisoning is more common in summer than at any other time of year.

Bacteria in food multiply faster in hot, humid weather. Most home kitchens aren’t designed for the safe handling of large quantities of food. Preparing and eating food outdoors can also be difficult, where refrigeration and places to wash hands are not readily available.

Food poisoning can cause vomiting and diarrhoea and may be quite serious for children, older people and people with conditions that weaken their immune systems. Prevent food poisoning from spoiling your summer fun. Follow these simple steps to keep food fresh and safe this summer.

    Set your thermostat. Make sure the fridge temperature is below 5 °C and keep your freezer at minus 15 °C to minus 18 °C. Stock your cooler well with ice packs or clean ice. Keep salads fresh and meat safe in the cooler or fridge at 5 °C or less until cooking or serving.

    Get food home quickly. Take chilled, frozen or hot food straight home in insulated containers.

    Keep hot food hot. If you don’t want to cool food straight away, keep hot food at 60 °C or hotter. Reheat foods thoroughly so they’re steaming (above 75 °C) or boiling.

    Don’t leave hot foods to completely cool before refrigerating. Put hot food in the fridge or freezer as soon as the steam stops rising. Cool it rapidly first by dipping the container in ice or a cold-water bath. Divide food into smaller, shallower containers so it cools more quickly in the fridge.

    Keep raw meat, chicken and seafood chilled and away from cooked food. When bacteria from raw meat gets onto cooked food, this can cause food poisoning. Keep raw meat below other foods in the fridge and don’t let raw meat juices drip onto other food. Use different chopping boards for raw and cooked food, or wash them between uses. Wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw meat.

    Thaw frozen food thoroughly. Unless food is manufactured to be cooked from frozen (check pack instructions), make sure it’s thawed right through before cooking.

    Don't overfill your fridge. Having enough room for air circulation inside the fridge is important for effective cooling. A good tip if you're catering for a crowd is to keep drinks on ice or in an insulated cooler and reserve the space in your fridge for food.

    Store leftovers safely. Store any leftovers in the fridge and eat within three to five days. If you don’t plan to eat them within this time, freeze them straight away.

    Know when to throw away. Don't eat food that’s been left out of the fridge for more than four hours – especially poultry, meat, seafood, cooked rice and cooked pasta.

    Avoid handling food when you’re not feeling well. If you have diarrhoea, vomiting, sore throat with fever, fever or jaundice, or infectious skin conditions, avoid handling food and see a doctor if symptoms persist.

Source:Better Health Channel

Dr. Nadira Mehriban
Assistant Professor
Department of Public Health

17

Public Health / 10 tips for sweat-free summer nights

« on: April 26, 2014, 03:43:50 PM »

Summer is here with a vengeance and getting a good night’s sleep is become increasingly difficult. But just because it’s hot outside it does not mean that you have to spend your nights sweating in the heat. According to sleep expert Nerina Ramlakhan says ‘there needs to be a fractional temperature difference between our body and our brain – a warm body and a cool head. When the outdoor temperature rises this becomes more difficult but there are plenty of things you can do to beat the heat.’

So, to help you get some much needed shut eye, here are some extremely useful tips to keep yourself cool this summer:

Tip #1: Keep a plant mister containing water by your bed to spray on your face during the night.

Tip # 2: A good way to stay cool at night is to prevent your bedroom from overheating during the day. Try keeping your curtains and blinds closed to help keep the room cool.

Tip # 3:  Wash your feet with cold water before getting into bed, and/or run your wrists under cold water.

Tip # 4:Place a wet flannel in the fridge for an hour or so before getting into bed and lay it on your forehead to help you drift off to sleep.

Tip # 5: Sleep in cool wet socks or even a damp T-shirt.

Tip # 6:  Use light bed sheets that will help you stay cool at night.

Tip # 7: Stay well hydrated during the day.

Tip # 8: Don’t fret too much if you can’t sleep. Use the time to rest and think positive thoughts. This will not only help you fall asleep eventually, but it will also make you extra productive the next day.

Tip #9: If you have windows with grills or mesh, wet a thick cloth with cold water and hang it on the window. This will cool the hot air entering the room, helping the temperature drop within the room.

Tip #10: You could also pour or swab the floor of the room with cold water to help lower the temperature within.

 Finally, remember that going from extremely hot weather into a cold room  is bad for your health, so make sure you allow your body to slowly cool down and acclimatize to the temperature.

Source: The Health site

Dr. Nadira Mehriban
Assistant Professor
Department of Public Health

18

Public Health / Re: Proper Uses of Medicine/ ওষুধের যথাযথ ব্যবহার

« on: March 31, 2014, 11:18:45 AM »

This is true that we misuse medicines to  great extent and it is even done sometimes by the medical practitioners. It is very much important that awareness be  created regarding this respect.

Dr. Nadira Mehriban
Assistant Professor
Public Health.

19

Public Health / Re: Health tips

« on: March 31, 2014, 11:10:49 AM »

Very nice and informative post.


Dr. Nadira Mehriban
Assistant Professor and Medical officer
Dept. of public health

20

Public Health / The Sweet Superfood That May Prevent Heart Attacks

« on: March 30, 2014, 12:38:38 PM »

The Sweet Superfood That May Prevent Heart Attacks


Watermelon’s not just for hot summer days anymore—it may help people at risk of heart attack and stroke manage cold weather, according to new research from Florida State University.

“Past research among young men has shown that supplementation with the amino acid L-citrulline can lessen increases in blood pressure during cold pressure tests,” explains Arturo Figueroa, MD, Phd, lead author of the new study. “So we wondered what would happen if we did the same test following supplementation with watermelon extract, a rich natural source of L-citrulline, in older individuals with hypertension.”

People with hypertension are at greater risk of cardiovascular events in cold conditions, when the stress of frosty temperatures causes blood pressure to rise and the heart has to work harder to pump blood.

But daily doses of watermelon extract could help them cope with the chill, suggests Dr. Figueroa. In fact, his team found that six weeks of watermelon extract supplementation helped to reduce strain on participants’ hearts during cold pressure tests.


Watermelon helps to control blood pressure

In the study, published in the American Journal of Hypertension, 13 middle-aged men and women with obesity and high blood pressure took part in the experiment over the course of three months.

For the first six weeks of the study, half of the participants received daily doses of amino acids from watermelon extract, including six grams of L-citrulline and two grams of L-arginine. The other half received a placebo. After six weeks, the participants switched regimens.

To test their tolerance of cold, each participant dipped one hand into 39°F water, while researchers assessed their blood pressure and other vital measures. Following watermelon supplementation, participants experienced fewer increases in blood pressure and less heart strain.

“People could get the same results by eating watermelon fruit if they got the same dose of amino acids,” suggests Figueroa. “But to do that, they would have to eat around 2.3 pounds of watermelon per day.”

Even for the biggest watermelon fan, that’s a tough pill to swallow! L-citrulline supplements may be the better option.
Watermelon has many potential health benefits

On top of lowering blood pressure, some research suggests that watermelon may also help to:

    Battle breast cancer, according to research published in the Journal of Medical Science. Using in vitro methods, the investigators found that watermelon juice helped to restrict growth of breast cancer cells. This may reflect the high levels of lycopene, a potent antioxidant, found in watermelon.

    Soothe sore muscles, advise researchers from Spain. In a small study reported in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, they found that athletes who drank 500 mL of watermelon juice before exercise experienced reduced recovery heart rates and muscle soreness after 24 hours.

    Reduce cholesterol, according to research conducted among mice with diet-induced high cholesterol at the University of Kentucky. After eight weeks, mice that slaked their thirst on watermelon juice had lower body weight and plasma cholesterol concentrations, compared to those that drank water.


    Keep you hydrated, counsels Lona Sandon, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern, in Medical News Today. As its name suggests, watermelon is largely made up of water. That means it’s also low in calories, making it a great snack for those watching their weight.


Enjoy Watermelon Safely

Although watermelon offers many potential health benefits, it can also be a source of food borne bugs—such as listeria or salmonella. For safe melon munching, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages consumers to:

    Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after handling whole melons.

    Scrub the surface of melons with a sanitized produce brush under running water and dry them with a clean cloth before cutting.

    Eat cut melon right away. If you have leftovers, refrigerate them at 32 -34°F for no more than a week.

    Toss cut melon that’s been left at room temperature for more than four hours


Dr. Nadira Mehriban
Assistant Professor & Medical Officer
Department of public health

Source: Yahoo.health

21

Public Health / Male Brains vs. Female Brains

« on: March 30, 2014, 11:22:10 AM »

There’s hot scientific debate about whether men are from Mars and women from Venus—or if male and female brains are actually wired similarly.

“You can’t pick up a brain and say ‘that’s a girl’s brain, or that’s a boy’s brain’ in the same way you can with the skeleton,” Professor Gina Rippon, of Aston University in the UK, told The Telegraph. “They look the same.”

Yet a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found distinctive sex differences in neural maps of brain scans from 949 youths that seem to reinforce traditional gender stereotypes. A number of other studies have also reported striking differences in male and female brains.

However, some critics contend that such research may be scientifically flawed or place too much emphasis on minor variations in men’s and women’s brains.  Prof. Rippon believes that culture and environment—not innate difference in mental circuitry—explain gender differences in brain activity.

Still, some researchers report that they can distinguish between men’s and women’s brain scans with 70 to 99 percent accuracy, remarks Daniel Amen, MD, who recently completed the largest brain-imaging analysis conducted to date, which included 48,000 brain SPECT scans of men and women of all ages.

Who’s right? Here’s a look at some of the latest findings about male and female brains.
Women excel at multi-tasking, but men are better at reading maps

In the PNAS study, scientists from University of Pennsylvania reported that female brains appear to be hardwired for social skills, memory, and intuitive thinking, while male brains are optimized for perception and coordinated actions.

The findings suggest that on average, women are better equipped for multi-tasking, while men are more wired for such skills as athletic performance and reading maps, the researchers say.

The scientists used a technology called diffusion tensor imaging to create maps of the neural connections in the brains of 521 females and 428 males ages eight to 22.


Men’s brains are bigger, but that doesn’t make them smarter

Studies show that on average, men’s brains are about 10 percent larger than women’s, even when differences in body size are taken into account, says Dr. Amen, author of Unleash the Power of the Female Brain. “However, in this case, size really doesn’t matter, because women’s brains are busier.”

Specifically, Dr. Amen’s soon-to-be-published study shows that the female brain has particularly high levels of activity in the prefrontal cortex, a region sometimes known as “the brain’s CEO,” because it controls planning, organizing, self-control, and learning from mistakes, among other tasks.

Men, on the other hand, show greater activity in brain regions that regulate visual perception, the ability to track objects through space, and form recognition. But such variations don’t give either sex a mental edge, since men and women use their brains differently to achieve similar results.
Male/female brain differences start before birth—and persist in adulthood

A 2012 study published in Journal of Neuroscience reported that (natural) exposure to testosterone before birth has a dramatic effect on childhood brain development.

The researchers report that prenatal variations in levels of this hormone predicted the amount of gray matter in specific brain regions in boys and girls, with males having a larger volume of gray matter in these areas, compared to females.

An earlier study of adults also reported that while there are no disparities in men and women’s overall intelligence, there are major sex variations in which brain areas are involved in intellectual performance.

Men have about 6.5 times more gray matter relative to white matter in areas related to intelligence and men have nearly 10 times more white matter in these areas. Gray matter can be compared to information processing centers in the brain, while white matter consists of networking connections between these centers.


Women worry more, but it helps them outlive men

Women have about 50 percent less serotonin—a calming brain chemical—than men do, reports Dr. Amen. This may explain why women worry more than men do, develop depression at double the rate men do, and also have higher risk for anxiety disorders.

However, appropriate worry also has health benefits, points out Dr. Amen. “In the longest study of factors that influence longevity, it was fond that the ‘don’t worry, be happy’ people—more typically men—died earlier from accidents and preventable illnesses.”

However, while worry is beneficial in small doses, it can escalate into toxic stress, which can lead to illness.


Dr. Nadira Mehriban
Assistant Professor & Medical Officer
Department Of Public  Health

Source:yahoo.health

22

Public Health / Music Benefits Both Mental And Physical Health

« on: October 27, 2013, 12:11:01 PM »

Playing and listening to music benefits both mental and physical health.

The finding came from the first-large scale review of 400 research papers in the neurochemistry of music which found that music can improve the function of the body's immune system and reduce levels of stress.

Listening to music was also shown to be more successful than prescription drugs in decreasing a person's anxiety before undergoing surgery.

A report from 2011 indicated that anxiety in cancer patients can be reduced by music. Prof. Levitin explained:

    "We've found compelling evidence that musical interventions can play a health care role in settings ranging from operating rooms to family clinics. But even more importantly, we were able to document the neurochemical mechanisms by which music has an effect in four domains: management of mood, stress, immunity and as an aid to social bonding."


Results showed that music increases an antibody that plays an important role in immunity of the mucous system, known as immunoglobulin A, as well as natural killer cell counts, the cells that attack germs and bacteria invading the body.

Listening to and playing music can also lower levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), according to Levitin and Dr. Mona Lisa Chanda, his postgraduate research fellow.

Previous research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry demonstrated that music therapy, when combined with standard care, is a successful treatment for depression.

The experts recommend a number of areas for later trials in the field. For example, identifying the relationship between the "love drug" oxytocin, group affiliation and music.

They suggested administering naltrexone (an opioid antagonist drug used when a person is having alcohol withdrawal) to determine whether musical pleasure is encouraged by the same chemical systems in the brain activated by other types of pleasure, such as food.

A study from 2011 suggested that thrilling music is similar to food and sex - more pleasure and anticipation means more dopamine.

The authors also urged for studies "in which patients are randomly assigned to musical intervention or a rigorously matched control condition in post-operative or chronic pain trials." The pointed out that proper controls include TV, comedy recordings, audio books, or films.

Additionally, the scientists developed an outline for future experiments with questions including:

    What are the different effects, if any, of playing music compared to listening to music?
    Are the positive effects of music a result of mood induction, distraction, feelings of social bonding/support, or other factors?
    What stimuli can be used as a foundation of comparison to match music along dimensions of arousal, attractiveness or lack thereof, engagement, and mood induction?
    What role does "the love drug" (oxytocin) play in mediating musical experience?
    Are certain people more likely to experience a positive impact from music than others? If so, what individual differences, such as personality traits, genetic or biological factors, aid to the success of music interventions?

Source: Medical News Today

23

Public Health / What are the health benefits of honey?

« on: October 26, 2013, 04:12:38 PM »

Honey is a sweet liquid produced by honey bees using nectar from flowers through a process of regurgitation and evaporation.

This Medical News Today information article includes a brief history of honey in traditional medicine and explains some of its potential health benefits.

The possible health benefits of consuming honey have been documented in early Greek, Roman, Vedic, and Islamic texts and the healing qualities of honey were referred to by philosophers and scientists all the way back to ancient times, such as Aristotle (384 - 322 BC) and Aristoxenus (320 BC).

Honey has high levels of monosaccharides, fructose and glucose, containing about 70 to 80 percent sugar, which gives it its sweet taste - minerals and water make up the rest of its composition.

Honey also possesses antiseptic and antibacterial properties. In modern science we have managed to find useful applications of honey in chronic wound management.

Over four thousand years ago, honey was used as a traditional ayurvedic medicine, where it was thought to be effective at treating material imbalances in the body.

In pre-Ancient Egyptian times, honey was used topically to treat wounds.1. Egyptian medicinal compounds more than five millennia ago used honey.

The ancient Greeks believed that consuming honey could help make you live longer.

Even the Prophet Mohammed glorified the healing powers of honey.

The Quran also praises honey's healing ability:

    "And thy Lord taught the Bee to build its cells in hills, on trees, and in (men's) habitations; Then to eat of all the produce (of the earth), and find with skill the spacious paths of its Lord: there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for men: verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought."

The beneficial properties of honey have been explored in modern times, and there is evidence to suggest that these historical claims may hold some truth.
Properties of honey

Honey is made up of glucose, fructose, and minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphate, sodium chlorine, potassium, magnesium.

Below is a typical honey profile, according to BeeSource:2

    Fructose: 38.2%
    Glucose: 31.3%
    Maltose: 7.1%
    Sucrose: 1.3%
    Water: 17.2%
    Higher sugars: 1.5%
    Ash: 0.2%
    Other/undetermined: 3.2%

The slightly acidic pH level of honey (between 3.2 and 4.5) is what helps prevent the growth of bacteria, while its antioxidant constituents cleans up free radicals. The physical properties of honey vary depending on the specific flora that was used to produce it, as well as its water content.


Health benefits of honey

Acid reflux

Professor Mahantayya V Math, from MGM Medical College, Kamothe, Navi Mumbai, India, explained in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) that, as it is 125.9 more viscous than distilled water at 37 celsius (body temperature), honey may be helpful in preventing GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux).3
Infantile gastroenteritis

E. Haffejee and A. Moosa reported in the BMJ on a clinical study in which they used honey in oral rehydration solution in children and infants with gastroenteritis. Their aim was twofold:

    Determine whether honey might affect the duration of acute diarrhea
    Evaluate honey as a glucose substitute in oral rehydration

They found that honey shortens the duration of bacterial diarrhea in infants and young children.4 They added that honey does not prolong non-bacterial diarrhea duration, and "may safely be used as a substitute for glucose in oral rehydration solution containing electrolytes."
Healing wounds and burns

There have been some cases in which people have reported positive effects of honey in treating wounds. Hurlburt, a borderline diabetic, with recurring cellulitis and staph infections tried taking antibiotics for months, however, they failed to alleviate the symptoms. Hulburt's physician, Jennifer Eddy of UW Health's Eau Claire Family Medicine Clinic, suggested that she should try topically applying honey. Soon after applying the honey she began to feel better.

Hulburt said that she remembers thinking "holy mackerel-what a difference. It's a lot better than having to put oral antibiotics into your system."

A review published in The Cochrane Library indicated that honey may be able to help heal burns, the lead author of the study said that "topical honey is cheaper than other interventions, notably oral antibiotics, which are often used and may have other deleterious side effects."

However, it should be stressed that there is a lack of evidence to fully support this claim. In fact, a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases concluded that applying medical grade honey to wounds of patients has no advantage over normal antibiotic among patients undergoing dialysis.
Honey for treating allergies

There is some research to suggest that honey may be useful in minimizing seasonal allergies. The Guardian reported that honey even 'beats cough medicine' at alleviating and reducing the frequency of cough.

One placebo-controlled study which included 36 people with ocular allergies, found that participants responded better to treatment with honey compared to placebo. However, a third of them reported that eating a tablespoon of honey every day was hard to tolerate due to its overly sweet taste.

Fighting infections

In 2010, scientists from the Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam reported in FASEB Journal that honey's ability to kill bacteria lies in a protein called defensin-1.

Source: The Medical News Today

24

Public Health / What are the benefits of ginger?

« on: October 05, 2013, 11:35:56 AM »

Ginger is an herb that is used as a spice and also for its therapeutic qualities. The underground stem (rhizome) can be used fresh, powdered, dried, or as an oil or juice. Ginger is part of the Zingiberaceae family, as are cardamom, turmeric and galangal.

According to the National Library of Medicine, part of the NIH (National Institutes of Health), ginger is widely used throughout the world for treating loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting after surgery, nausea resulting from cancer treatment, flatulence, stomach upset, colic, morning sickness and motion sickness.

Some people find ginger helps them with the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, cough, menstrual cramps, arthritis and muscle pain.

In some parts of the world, ginger juice is applied to the skin to treat burns.

Ginger is also used as a flavoring by the food and drinks industry, as a spice and flavoring in cooking, and for fragrance in soaps and cosmetics.

Ginger contains a chemical that is used as an ingredient in antacid, laxative and anti-gas medications.

According to Kew Gardens, England's horticultural royal center of excellence, ginger has a long history of usage in South Asia, both in fresh and dried form.
The University of Maryland Medical Center writes that ginger has been used in China for over 2,000 years to help digestion and treat diarrhea, nausea and stomach upsets.

The Mahabharata (circa 4th century BC), one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, describes a stewed meat meal which includes ginger. Ginger has also been a key plant in Ayurvedic medicine, a system of traditional medicine native to the Indian subcontinent.

Approximately 2000 years ago, ginger was exported from India to the Roman empire, where it became valued for its therapeutic as well as culinary properties.

Ginger continued to be traded in Europe after the fall of the Roman empire, where its supply was controlled by Arab traders for hundreds of years. During medieval times it became a popular ingredient in sweets.

During the 13th and 14th centuries ginger and black pepper were commonly traded spices. By the sixteenth century one pound in weight of ginger in England would cost the equivalent of one sheep.

What are the therapeutic benefits of ginger?

Inflammation of the colon
A study carried out at the University of Michigan Medical School found that Ginger Root Supplement administered to volunteer participants reduced inflammation markers in the colon within a month.
The study was published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

Muscle pain caused by exercise
A study involving 74 volunteers carried out at the University of Georgia found that daily ginger supplementation reduced exercise-induced muscle pain by 25%.

Nausea caused by chemotherapy
Ginger supplements administered alongside anti-vomiting medications can reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea symptoms by 40%, a PhaseII/III study carried out at the University of Rochester Medical Center found

Ovarian cancer
A study found that exposing ovarian cancer cells to a solution of ginger powder resulted in their
death in every single test.

Asthma symptoms
A team at Columbia University carried out a study to determine what effects adding specific components of ginger to asthma medications might have on asthma symptoms.
Team leader, Elizabeth Townsend, PhD, explained "In our study, we demonstrated that purified components of ginger can work synergistically with β-agonists to relax ASM (airway smooth muscle)."

Liver damage caused by acetaminophen
Acetaminophen, known more commonly as "Tylenol" in the USA and "paracetamol" elsewhere, is a popular painkiller and antipyretic (reduces fever). However, acetaminophen is also associated with a higher risk of chemically-driven liver damage (hepatotoxicity), especially among patients with liver disorders.

Scientists at the National Research Centre in Egypt wanted to determine whether ginger pretreatment might reduce the incidence of acetaminophen-induced liver damage in rats.

The researchers wrote in the Journal of Dietary Supplements "Our results demonstrated that ginger can prevent hepatic injuries, alleviating oxidative stress in a manner comparable to that of vitamin E. Combination therapy of ginger and acetaminophen is recommended especially in cases with hepatic (liver) disorders or when high doses of acetaminophen are required."

High blood pressure (hypertension)
A study reported in the journal Pharmaceutical Biology found that cassumunar ginger extract was more effective than prazosin hydrochloride in reducing blood pressure in hypertensive laboratory rats.
The researchers, from Chiang Mai University in Thailand wrote "The cassumunar ginger extract exhibited the maximum decrease of mean arterial blood pressure at 39.83 ± 3.92%, which was 3.54-times that of prazosin hydrochloride."

Dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation)
Ginger can help reduce the symptoms of pain in primary dysmenorrhea (period pains), researchers from the Islamic Azad University in Iran reported in the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association.

Seventy female students were divided into two groups:

    The ginger group - they took capsules containing ginger
    The placebo group - participants took capsules containing placebo

The participants took their capsules for three days at the beginning of their menstruation cycles.

The researchers found that the 82.85% of the women taking the ginger capsules reported improvements in pain symptoms compared to 47.05% of those on placebo.

Migraines
A study performed at the VALI-e-ASR Hospital in Iran and published in the journal Phytotherapy Research found that ginger powder is as effective in treating common migraine symptoms as sumatriptan. Sumatriptan is a common medication for migraine treatment (Imitrex, Treximet, Imigran, Imigran).

The double-blind, randomized clinical trial involved 100 participants. They all suffered form acute migraine without aura. They were randomly selected to receive either sumatriptan or ginger powder.

The study authors concluded "Efficacy of ginger powder and sumatriptan were similar. Clinical adverse effects of ginger powder were less than sumatriptan. Patients' satisfaction and willingness to continue did not differ. The effectiveness of ginger powder in the treatment of common migraine attacks is statistically comparable to sumatriptan. Ginger also poses a better side effect profile than sumatriptan."



Source: Medical News Today

25

Public Health / Hot chocolate may prevent memory decline

« on: September 22, 2013, 12:52:00 PM »

Scientists at Harvard Medical School suggest drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day may keep the brain healthy and prevent memory decline in older people by preserving blood flow in working areas of the brain.

They write about their findings online in the August 7th issue of Neurology.

The team was investigating the effect of cocoa consumption on thinking and memory performance, as well as something called neurovascular coupling, where blood flow in the brain changes in response to local brain activity.

Farzaneh A. Sorond, lead author and member of the American Academy of Neurology, told the press:

"As different areas of the brain need more energy to complete their tasks, they also need greater blood flow. This relationship, called neurovascular coupling, may play an important role in diseases such as Alzheimer's."

For their investigation, the team recruited 60 dementia-free older people of average age 73 and asked them to drink two cups of hot cocoa a day for 30 days.

Half the participants drank hot cocoa high in antioxidant flavanol, while the other half drank flavanol-poor hot cocoa. (There is substantial evidence that consuming cocoa flavanols helps circulation and heart health.)

The participants were asked not to consume any other products containing chocolate during the study.

The team tested the participants' memory and thinking skills before and after using a set of standard tests.

Using ultrasound, they also measured neurovascular coupling (the blood flow response to brain activity) as the participants completed the mental tests.

At the start of the study, 18 of the 60 participants had impaired neurovascular coupling. By the end of the study, it had improved by 8.3%.

These participants also improved their scores on a working memory speed test. At the start of the study, it took them 167 seconds to complete the test, while at the end they did it in 116 seconds.

In participants with regular neurovascular coupling at the start of the study, there was no change either in blood flow measures or working memory.

A subset of 24 participants also underwent MRI scans to look for tiny areas of damage in the white matter of the brain. These can occur when there is a restriction in blood flow.

The MRI scans showed that the participants with impaired neurovascular coupling were the ones most likely to have these tiny areas of brain damage.

There was no difference between the participants who drank flavanol-rich cocoa and the ones who drank flavanol-poor cocoa.

In their study paper, Sorond and colleagues conclude:

    "There is a strong correlation between neurovascular coupling and cognitive function, and both can be improved by regular cocoa consumption in individuals with baseline impairments. Better neurovascular coupling is also associated with greater white matter structural integrity."

In an editorial accompanying the team's study report, Paul B. Rosenberg, an Alzheimer's expert at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, says the study is an important first step, but:

"More work is needed to prove a link between cocoa, blood flow problems and cognitive decline."

A research review of 20 trials that was published in The Cochrane Library in 2012, found that consuming dark chocolate or cocoa may reduce blood pressure by a small amount.


Source: Medical News Today

26

Public Health / Eat breakfast to improve your heart health

« on: September 14, 2013, 03:48:06 PM »

A new study appears to confirm that when you eat is just as important for health as what and how much you eat.

US researchers asked men to complete questionnaires about what they ate and when they ate it, then tracked their health for 16 years. Those who said they skipped breakfast were found to have a higher risk of heart attack or fatal coronary heart disease.

Lead author Leah Cahill, of the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), and colleagues, write about their findings in a July 23rd issue of the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

In a statement, Leah Cahill, who is a postdoctoral research fellow in the department of nutrition at HSPH, explains what may lie behind the findings:

    "Skipping breakfast may lead to one or more risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, which may in turn lead to a heart attack over time."

For their study the researchers analyzed food frequency questionnaires completed by 26,902 male health professionals aged between 45 and 82 years and tracked their health for 16 years from 1992 to 2008. The men were free of heart disease and cancer at the start of the study.

Over the follow-up, 1,572 men experienced non-fatal heart attacks or died of coronary heart disease.

When they analyzed the data the researchers found men who said they did not have breakfast had a 27% higher risk of heart attack or death from coronary heart disease than men who said they ate breakfast.

Men who skipped breakfast had other risk factors

The men who said they skipped breakfast tended to be younger, single, smokers, who worked full time, did not do much exercise and drank more alcohol.

The researchers also found when they adjusted the results to take out the effect of body mass index, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, the links between skipping breakfast and higher risk for heart attack or death from coronary heart disease became much weaker: they were no longer statistically significant.

They note this suggests "eating habits may affect risk of coronary heart disease through pathways associated with these traditional risk factors."

They also found no links between how many times a day the men said they ate and risk of coronary heart disease.

Eating late at night linked to heart disease

They did find a link, however, between eating late at night and coronary heart disease. Compared with men who said they did not eat late at night, among those who did, there was a 55% higher risk of coronary heart disease.

But the authors note that, judging by the few men in the study who ate late at night, this was unlikely to be a major public health concern.

Leah Cahill says the message from the study, which reinforces previous research, is: "Don't skip breakfast." Eating a healthy meal at the start of the day is linked to lower risk of heart attacks.

Breakfast tips

Incorporate many types of healthy foods into your breakfast, Leah Cahill advises - as this is "an easy way to ensure your meal provides adequate energy and a healthy balance of nutrients, such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals."

Adding nuts and chopped fruit to cereal is "great way to start the day," the authors say

If eating a bowl of cereal, try adding nuts and chopped fruit, or  oatmeal. This is a "great way to start the day," Leah Cahill adds.

Senior author Eric Rimm, associate professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, says the team has spent decades looking at the effects of quality and composition of diet on health, and now this new study suggests overall dietary habits should also be considered in lowering risk of heart disease.

At a conference in 2012, UK scientists presented a study that explained why people who skip breakfast tend to find high calorie food more appealing later in the day: their brain circuits may be primed toward seeking it when fasting.

      Source: Medical News Today

27

Public Health / 7 surprising health benefits of Ramadan

« on: July 06, 2013, 11:38:34 AM »

Dates

Although three dates are eaten at the start of Iftar every day during Ramadan for spiritual reasons, they also come with the added bonus of multiple health benefits. One of the most important aspects of fasting is getting the right amount of energy, and considering an average serving of dates contains 31 grams of carbohydrates, this is one of the perfect foods to give you a boost. Dates are also a great way of getting some much-needed fibre, which will aid and improve digestion throughout Ramadan. Add to that their high levels of potassium, magnesium and B vitamins, and it quickly becomes apparent that dates are one of the healthiest fruits out there.

Boost your brain

No doubt you’ll be aware of the positive effects fasting can have on your mental well being and spiritual focus, but the brain-boosting powers of Ramadan are even more significant than you might think. A study carried out by scientists in the USA found that the mental focus achieved during Ramadan increases the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which causes the body to produce more brain cells, thus improving brain function. Likewise, a distinct reduction in the amount of the hormone cortisol, produced by the adrenal gland, means that stress levels are greatly reduced both during and after Ramadan.

Ditch bad habits

Because you will be fasting during the day, Ramadan is the perfect time to ditch your bad habits for good. Vices such as smoking and sugary foods should not be indulged during Ramadan, and as you abstain from them your body will gradually acclimatise to their absence, until your addiction is kicked for good. It’s also much easier to quit habits when you do so in a group, which should be easy to find during Ramadan. Fasting’s ability to help you cut out bad habits is so significant that the UK’s National Health Service recommends it as the ideal time to ditch smoking.

Lower cholesterol

We all know that weight loss is one of the possible physical outcomes of fasting during Ramadan, but there’s also a whole host of healthy changes going on behind the scenes. A team of cardiologists in the UAE found that people observing Ramadan enjoy a positive effect on their lipid profile, which means there is a reduction of cholesterol in the blood. Low cholesterol increases cardiovascular health, greatly reducing the risk of suffering from heart disease, a heart attack, or a stroke. What’s more, if you follow a healthy diet after Ramadan, this newly lowered cholesterol level should be easy to maintain.

Lasting appetite reduction

One of the main problems with extreme fad diets is that any weight lost is often quickly put back on, sometimes even with a little added extra. This isn’t the case with Ramadan. The reduction in food consumed throughout fasting causes your stomach to gradually shrink, meaning you’ll need to eat less food to feel full. If you want to get into the habit of healthy eating then Ramadan is a great time to start. When it’s finished your appetite will be lower than it was before, and you’ll be far less likely to overindulge with your eating.

Detoxify

As well as being great for spiritually cleansing yourself, Ramadan acts as a fantastic detox for your body. By not eating or drinking throughout the day your body will be offered the rare chance to detoxify your digestive system throughout the month. When your body starts eating into fat reserves to create energy, it will also burn away any harmful toxins that might be present in fat deposits. This body cleanse will leave a healthy blank slate behind, and is the perfect stepping stone to a consistently healthy lifestyle.

Absorb more nutrients

By not eating throughout the day during Ramadan you’ll find that your metabolism becomes more efficient, meaning the amount of nutrients you absorb from food improves. This is because of an increase in a hormone called adiponectin, which is produced by a combination of fasting and eating late at night, and allows your muscles to absorb more nutrients. This will lead to health benefits all around the body, as various areas are able to better absorb and make use of the nutrients they need to function.

Source: Healthy active living

28

Public Health / Sibling Aggression Linked to Poor Mental Health

« on: June 26, 2013, 10:25:32 AM »

"It's not fair!" " "You're not the boss of me." "She hit me!" "He started it." Fights between siblings -- from toy-snatching to clandestine whacks to being banished from the bedroom -- are so common they're often dismissed as simply part of growing up. Yet a new study from researchers at the University of New Hampshire finds that sibling aggression is associated with significantly worse mental health in children and adolescents. In some cases, effects of sibling aggression on mental health were the same as those of peer aggression.
"Even kids who reported just one instance had more mental health distress," says Corinna Jenkins Tucker, associate professor of family studies at UNH and lead author of the research, published in the July issue of the journal Pediatrics. "Our study shows that sibling aggression is not benign for children and adolescents, regardless of how severe or frequent."
The study, among the first to look at sibling aggression across a wide age and geographic range, is unique in its size and scope. Tucker and her co-authors from UNH's Crimes against Children Research Center -- center director and professor of sociology David Finkelhor, professor of sociology Heather Turner, and researcher Anne Shattuck -- analyzed data from the center's National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV), a national sample of 3,599 children, ages one month through 17.The study looked at the effects of physical assault with and without a weapon or injury, property aggression like stealing something or breaking a siblings' things on purpose, and psychological aggression such as saying things that made a sibling feel bad, scared, or not wanted around.

The researchers found that of the 32 percent of children who reported experiencing one type of sibling victimization in the past year, mental health distress was greater for children (1 month to age 9) than for adolescents (age 10 -- 17) who experienced mild sibling physical assault, but children and adolescents were similarly affected by other psychological or property aggression from siblings.

Their analyses also showed that, while peer aggression like bullying is generally thought to be more serious than sibling aggression, sibling and peer physical and psychological aggression had independent effects on mental health. The mental health of those experiencing property and psychological aggression, whether from siblings or peers, did not differ.

An important implication of this research, Tucker says, is that parents and caregivers should take sibling aggression seriously. "If siblings hit each other, there's a much different reaction than if that happened between peers," she says. "It's often dismissed, seen as something that's normal or harmless. Some parents even think it's beneficial, as good training for dealing with conflict and aggression in other relationships." This research indicates that sibling aggression is related to the same serious mental health effects as peer bullying.

The authors suggest that pediatricians take a role in disseminating this information to parents at office visits, and that parent education programs include a greater emphasis on sibling aggression and approaches to mediate sibling conflicts.

Source: Science Daily

29

Public Health / Vitamin D nd Hypertension

« on: June 19, 2013, 03:48:13 PM »

The world's largest study to examine the link between vitamin D levels and hypertension has found that low levels of Vitamin D can be a major cause of hypertension.Researchers presented their findings at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG).

Data were gathered from 35 studies, which included more than 155,000 participants from different parts of Europe and North America.Dr. Vimal Karani S, from the Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK, led the study.

Participants with high levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) had reduced blood pressure and were at a lower risk of developing hypertension.
There are two ways that people can obtain vitamin D:

    By eating or drinking it
    By exposing the skin to sunlight, which triggers the production of vitamin D

The liver and the kidneys are then able to convert it to a form that our body can use.

People with high levels of vitamin D in their blood enjoy several benefits, apart from improved bone health. Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine reported in PLOS ONE that people with high levels of vitamin D have significantly better immunity and a reduced risk of several diseases.

Vitamin D insufficiency (between 21-29 ng/mL) and vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) lead to a heightened risk of:

    Autoimmune diseases
    Cancer
    Type 2 diabetes
    Infectious diseases
    Cardiovascular diseases
    Obesity

Dr. Karani said that the study provides further data to support the importance of vitamin D. It suggests that vitamin D supplements or food fortification can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Source:Medical News Today

30

Public Health / Re: A good night sleep can make you more confident

« on: June 15, 2013, 04:48:45 PM »

Good post