Foods for Good Health Published by Fresh and New Articles - On 8:10 AM - This post haved 0 comments

1. Whole Grain bread – Eat the bread during breakfast, ahead of any protein rich food. Chew well for teeth exercise. Its amino acids are benefial for brain.
2. Sprouted Pulses – Whole pulses like moong, gram, etc. should be sprouted by soaking in water and may be taken during breakfast by dressing it with salt, black-pepper powder and lemon juice for taste. It is nutritious food with vitamins.
3. Plenty of water during the day – relieves fatique and is a cure for constipation. A glass of water if taken immediately after getting up from sleep early in the morning, cools and cleans the internal system. Lemon juice in a cup of water in the morning removes acidity.
4. Use of ginger for indigestion – Take a small piece of ginger and add a little salt to it. Chew well before lunch and dinner and throw away the solid part after sucking its juice. It removes indigestion and mouth germs.
5. Raw salads of carrot, cabbage leaves, tomatoes, coriander leaves, etc. are good. Some boiled vegetables may be added while taking this raw salas. Proper chewing is essential. Salad is beneficial for the health of teeth and skin.
6. Other fruits and vegetables according to the season may be added to the di

Insomnia is a sleeping disorder that troubles more than half of all Americans Published by Fresh and New Articles - On 7:47 AM - This post haved 0 comments

Not getting enough sleep or not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep long enough to get the benefits of sleep is called insomnia. Insomnia is the most common sleeping disorder in the U.S. The most serious form of insomnia is known as fatal familial insomnia (FFI). The ‘familial’ in the phrase indicates that this is a genetic disease. FFI is rare: 400 cases worldwide are known. In FFI, a person in their 50s begins to lose the ability to sleep. After losing the ability to nap, their hours of sleep decrease, and soon they don’t sleep at all, or only approach a state of drowsiness that never results in deep sleep. Their prognosis is death within a year. Studies of this form of sleeping disorder may one day lead us to an understanding of the need for sleep, but right now, we understand very little of the need for sleep, although we all know we need it.

Insomnia is the most common sleeping disorder among Americans. Most people sleep from six to nine hours a night – about a third of our lives. That gives us from 15 to 17 hours of wakefulness. Insomnia can mean having difficulty falling asleep, but finally being able to do so, or it can mean something as severe as FFI. Most people experience some insomnia in their lives. Light insomnia that does not persist night after night usually results in our feeling dull and foggy the next day. With non-persistent insomnia, we’re sure to fall asleep the next night and even sleep deeply, for a full 7 to 9 hours. Such insomnia is less a sleeping disorder than it is a part of what we can normally expect in our lives.

Persistent insomnia occurs night after night. If we didn’t have to be at work or school, or be awake at a certain time to care for our families the next day, this sleeping disorder would have little impact on our lives. We could just sleep in. Because most of us do have to wake up at a certain time, we end up sleeping for shorter periods of time. Day after day we feel tired and groggy, perhaps in a bad mood, dull and inattentive. This can have serious consequences for our family and work life. If we drive or operate heavy equipment, the consequences can be dire. When insomnia becomes persistent, it’s time to see your doctor.

The cause of persistent insomnia can be either psychophysical or only physical. Psycho-physical insomnia, also called true or classical insomnia, is what most insomniacs experience. In the U.S., about 30 million people have this condition. It is characterized by an inability to blur the focus of our consciousness on thoughts, images, emotions or sensations long enough to allow the brain to slip into sleeping unconsciousness. Meditation and acupuncture may help. Some have found they can pray themselves to sleep, but short of sleeping pills, reading a book, avoiding exciting television shows, and sleeping in a darkened, quiet space, little else can be done. For most, however, these techniques seem to work.

The purely physical cause of insomnia, sleep apnea, is also a more dangerous sleep disorder. People with sleep apnea have a greater risk of stroke and heart attack. With sleep apnea, a person doesn’t have trouble falling asleep, but staying asleep. Their sleep is interrupted when the throat and esophagus muscles relax to such a degree that the relaxed muscles close the air passage. The brain, recognizing the closure, wakes the person. This can happen more than a 100 times in a single night. Sleep apnea is the most common of sleeping disorders. Treatment involves inserting a device into the person’s throat to keep the air passage open. It works, although it may take some time to get used to it.

Unless you have FFI, you’ve got a pretty good chance of overcoming your sleeping disorder. Be active enough to be tired in the evening, eat what your body needs, and go to sleep at a regular time. See your doctor if your insomnia persists. Now, have a good night, have a good sleep.

Sleep Disorders and Aging Overview Published by Fresh and New Articles - On 7:41 AM - This post haved 0 comments

Are you one of millions of seniors in the US who think life would be pretty good….if you could just get some sleep?

Sleep disturbances are very common in older people. Changes in sleep patterns may be a normal part of aging, but many other factors common in older people contribute to sleep problems. These include physical illness or symptoms, medication side effects, changes in activity or social life, and death of a spouse or loved one. Sleep disorders decrease quality of life in older people by causing daytime sleepiness, tiredness, and lack of energy. Poor quality of sleep also can lead to confusion, difficulty concentrating, and poor performance on tasks. Sleep disorders also are linked with premature death.

The biggest sleep problem in older people is a feeling of not getting enough sleep (insomnia) or not being rested.

* Many take longer to fall asleep than they did when younger.

* Elderly people actually get the same amount of sleep or only slightly less sleep than they got when younger, but they have to spend more time in bed to get that amount of sleep.

* The sensation of insomnia often is due to frequent nighttime awakening. For example, older people tend to be more easily wakened by noises than younger people.

* Daytime napping is another cause of nighttime wakefulness. Older people are more likely to be sleepy during the day than younger people, but too much sleepiness during the day is not part of normal aging.

Normal sleep has different stages that cycle throughout the night. Sleep specialists classify these as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep.

* REM sleep is the stage in which muscles relax most completely. Dreaming occurs during REM sleep.

* Non-REM sleep is subdivided into 4 stages. Stages 1 and 2 constitute light sleep; stages 3 and 4 are called deep sleep. Deeper sleep generally is more refreshing.

Sleep changes with age. Older people are less efficient sleepers and have different patterns of sleep than younger people.

* The duration of REM sleep decreases somewhat with aging.

* The duration of stage 1 sleep increases, as does the number of shifts into stage 1 sleep. Stages 3 and 4 decrease markedly with age in most people, especially men. In people aged 90 years or more, stages 3 and 4 may disappear completely.

In the United States, insomnia is the third most common reason for a medical visit, behind only headaches and the common cold. Approximately 15% of adults have insomnia severe enough to seek medical attention. About 1.7% of Americans receive a prescription for a sleeping medicine annually, and another 0.8% purchase nonprescription sleep aids. Fifty million Americans occasionally take some form of sleep medication.

Among older people, women are more likely to have insomnia than men. More than half of people older than 64 years have a sleep disorder. The rate is higher among long-term care facility residents.

Majority Of Nurses' And Doctors' Hospital Uniforms Carry Dangerous Bacteria Published by Fresh and New Articles - On 9:55 AM - This post haved 0 comments

According to a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of APIC (Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology), over 60 percent of hospital nurses' and doctors' uniforms tested positive for potentially dangerous bacteria.

Yonit Wiener-Well, MD, from the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel and his colleagues conducted a study in which they collected swab samples from three different locations on 75 registered nurses (RNs) and 60 medical doctors (MDs) uniforms. The swabs were obtained by pressing standard blood agar plates onto the uniform's abdominal zone, sleeves ends and pockets.

Researchers at this 550-bed university-affiliated hospital discovered that over half of all cultures obtained, i.e. 65 % of the RN uniforms and 60 % percent of the MD uniforms harbored pathogens, with 21 cultures from RN uniforms and six cultures taken from MD uniforms containing multi-drug resistant pathogens, including eight cultures that grew methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

These findings reveal a widespread occurrence of antibiotic resistant strains in close proximity to hospitalized patients, even though the uniforms themselves may not present a direct risk of transmitting disease.

APIC 2011 President Russell Olmsted, MPH, CIC, explained:

"It is important to put these study results into perspective. Any clothing that is worn by humans will become contaminated with microorganisms. The cornerstone of infection prevention remains the use of hand hygiene to prevent the movement of microbes from these surfaces to patients.

New evidence such as this study by Dr. Wiener-Well is helpful to improve the understanding of potential sources of contamination but, as is true for many studies, it raises additional questions that need to be investigated."



The risk of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) in some developing countries is almost 20 times greater than in developed countries, according to the World Health Organization, but even in hospitals in developed countries, such as Israel where the investigation was carried out and in the United States, the potentially deadly and expensive to treat HAIs occur too often.

The best approach for patient safety is HAI prevention, which can be achieved by applying proven prevention practices as part of a comprehensive infection prevention and control program developed by Infection preventionists working in cooperation with direct care providers.

Written By Petra Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/233713.php

CARROT AND ORANGE SOUP Published by Fresh and New Articles - On 9:54 AM - This post haved 0 comments

Ingredients
Ingredients 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 leeks, thinly sliced 6 large carrots, sliced 2 tablespoons curry powder 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind 1 cup/250mL / 8 fl oz orange juice 1 ½ cups / 375ml / 12 fl oz coconut milk 2 cups / 500 ml / 16 fl oz vegetable stock freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup / 60 g / 2 oz natural yoghurt 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint 100 g / 3 ½ oz cashew nuts roasted and chopped

Instructions
Method: I. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add leeks and cook over a medium heat, stirring, for 5 minutes or until golden. 2. Add carrots, curry powder, lemon rind and orange juice to pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until carrots are soft. 3. Stir in coconut milk and stock and simmer for 10 minutes longer. 4. Remove pan from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Place soup mixture, in batches, in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. 5 Return soup to a clean saucepan and heat over a medium heat, stirring, for 4-5 minutes or until hot. Season to taste with black pepper. Serve soup topped with yoghurt, cashew nuts and mint. Note: If commercially made coconut milk is unavailable, you can make it using desiccated coconut and water. To make coconut milk, place 500g/ Lb. desiccated coconut in a bowl and pour over 3 cups/750ml / 1¼ pt of boiling water. Leave to stand for 30 minutes, then strain, squeezing the coconut to extract as much liquid as possible. This will make a thick coconut milk. The coconut can be used again to make a weaker coconut milk. Serve 4

TV Watching That Exceeds Six Hours A Day Can Reduce Life By Up To 5 Years Published by Fresh and New Articles - On 9:51 AM - This post haved 0 comments

Research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests, watching television for approximately six hours daily could shorten the viewers life expectancy by almost five years. Competing with other well known behavioral risk factors, such as smoking and not enough exercise, the investigation indicates.

Sedentary behavior (as distinct from too little exercise) is linked with a increased risk of death, especially from heart attack or stroke. Watching TV makes up for a huge amount of sedentary activity, but its impact on life expectancy has not been evaluated, say the researchers.

To assemble a lifetime risk framework, researchers used previously published information on the connection between TV viewing time and death from analyses of the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab), together with Australian national population and mortality figures for 2008.

Including over 11,000 adults aged 25 or older, and beginning in 1999-2000, AusDiab is a national survey of a representative sample of the population.

The researchers then created a risk framework for the Australian population in 2008, based upon answers those participating in the survey had provided, when questioned about the total time they spent in the previous week watching TV or videos.

In 2008 it was estimated that Australian adults (25 years and over) watched 9.8 billion hours of TV, which led them to calculate that each hour of TV watched after the age of 25 reduced the life expectancy of the viewer by just under 22 minutes.

The researchers calculated based on these figures, that in comparison to someone who does not watch TV, those who spend a lifetime average of over six hours daily watching television can expect to live just under 5 years less.

These figures compare with additional well known lifestyle risk factors of death from cardiovascular disease after the age of 50, including physical activity and obesity.

According to the researchers risk framework other investigations, for example, have shown the lifelong smoking is connected with the shortening of life expectancy by over 4 years after the age of 50, with the average loss of life from each cigarette calculated to be 11 minutes - the same as half an hour of watching TV.

The researchers say their findings indicate that substantial loss of life may be linked with prolonged TV viewing. Also adding,

"While we used Australian data, the effects in other industrialized and developing countries are likely to be comparable, given the typically large amounts of time spent watching TV and similarities in disease patterns."



They conclude,

"If these [figures] are confirmed and shown to reflect a causal association, TV viewing is a public health problem comparable in size to established behavioral risk factors."



Written by Grace Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232902.php

Smoking After Menopause May Increase Sex Hormone Levels Published by Fresh and New Articles - On 9:49 AM - This post haved 0 comments

A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that postmenopausal women who smoke have higher androgen and estrogen levels than non-smoking women, with sex hormone levels being highest in heavy smokers.

Previous studies have shown that high levels of estrogens and androgens are potential risk factors for breast and endometrial cancer as well as type 2 diabetes. Cigarette smoking is a well established risk factor for chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but earlier studies examining the relationship between smoking and sex hormone levels have yielded inconsistent results. This new cross-sectional study in a population-based sample of postmenopausal women suggests that sex hormones may provide one plausible mechanism through which cigarette smoking influences chronic disease risk.

"The observed increase in sex hormone levels with cigarette use suggests that tobacco smoke, apart from its direct toxic and carcinogenic effects, may also influence chronic disease risk through hormonal mechanisms," said Judith Brand, MSc, of University Medical Center Utrecht in The Netherlands and lead author of the study. "The good news is that the effect of cigarette smoking appears reversible, as an almost immediate reduction in sex hormone levels was seen in women who quit using cigarettes."

In this study, researchers examined blood samples from 2,030 postmenopausal women aged 55-81 years. Study participants were categorized as 'current', 'former' or 'never' smokers based on their responses to questions regarding cigarette use. Researchers found that study participants who were 'current' smokers had higher circulating levels of androgens and estrogens, while 'former' smokers who had quit within 1-2 years had sex hormone levels the same as 'never' smokers.

"Obviously, quitting smoking has major health benefits such as prevention of cancer, respiratory and heart diseases," said Brand. "Our research suggests that smoking cessation may have additional effects by modifying hormone-related disease risks, but this was not the subject of the present study and requires further investigation."

Other researchers working on the study include Mei-Fen Chan, Robert Luben and Kay-Tee Khaw of the University of Cambridge (UK); Mitch Dowsett and Elizabeth Folkerd of Royal Marsden Hospital in London, UK; Nicholas Wareham of the Medical Research Council in Cambridge, UK; and Yvonne van der Schouw of University Medical Center Utrecht in The Netherlands.

The article, "Cigarette smoking and endogenous sex hormones in postmenopausal women," appears in the October 2011 issue of JCEM.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/233727.php

Neurological Manifestations Of Aids Published by Fresh and New Articles - On 9:44 AM - This post haved 0 comments

What are the neurological manifestations of AIDS?

DESCRIPTION: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the result of an infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This virus attacks selected cells of the immune, nervous, and other systems impairing their proper function. HIV infection may cause damage to the brain and spinal cord, causing encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), meningitis (inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain), nerve damage, difficulties in thinking (i.e., AIDS dementia complex), behavioral changes, poor circulation, headache, and stroke. AIDS-related cancers such as lymphoma and opportunistic infections (OI) may also affect the nervous system. Neurological symptoms may be mild in the early stages of AIDS, but may become severe in the final stages. Complications vary widely from one patient to another. Cerebral toxoplasmosis, a common OI in AIDS patients, causes such symptoms as headache, confusion, lethargy, and low-grade fever. Other symptoms may include weakness, speech disturbance, ataxia, apraxia, seizures, and sensory loss. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a disorder that can also occur in AIDS patients, causes weakness, hemiparesis or facial weakness, dysphasia, vision loss, and ataxia. Some patients with PML may also develop compromised memory and cognition.

Is there any treatment?

TREATMENT: There is no cure for AIDS but recently developed, experimental treatments appear very promising. Some symptoms and complications may improve with treatment. For example, antidementia drugs may relieve confusion and slow mental decline. Infections may be treated with antibiotics. Radiation therapy may be needed to treat AIDS-related cancers present in the brain or spinal cord.

What is the prognosis?

PROGNOSIS: The prognosis for individuals with AIDS in recent years has improved significantly because of new drugs and treatments, and educational and preventive efforts.

What research is being done?

RESEARCH: The NINDS supports a broad spectrum of basic and clinical research studies on the neurological complications of AIDS. Much of this research is conducted at leading biomedical research institutions across the country.

Where can I find more information?

These articles, available from a medical library, are sources of in-depth information on the neurological manifestations of AIDS:

McArthur, J. "Neurologic Manifestations of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection." In Diseases of the Nervous System: Clinical Neurobiology, W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, pp. 1312-1330 (1992).

Mintz, M, and Epstein, L. "Neurologic Manifestations of Pediatric Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: Clinical Features and Therapeutic Approaches." Seminars in Neurology, 12:1; 51-56 (March 1992).

Newton, H. "Common Neurologic Complications of HIV-1 Infection and AIDS." American Family Physician, 51:2; 387-398 (February 1, 1995).

Pajeau, A, and Roman, G. "HIV Encephalopathy and Dementia." Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 15:2; 455-466 (June 1992).

Simpson, D, and Tagliati, M. "Neurologic Manifestations of HIV Infection." Annals of Internal Medicine, 121:10; 769-785 (November 1994).

Source: http://www.healthieryou.com/aids.html

Half of Americans drink daily soda, sweet beverage Published by Fresh and New Articles - On 2:13 AM - This post haved 0 comments

ATLANTA (AP) — Half of Americans drink a soda or sugary beverage each day — and some are downing a lot.

One in 20 people drinks the equivalent of more than four cans of soda each day, even though health officials say sweetened beverages should be limited to less than half a can.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the figures Wednesday in a report said to be the government's first to offer national statistics for both adults and kids.

Sweetened drinks have been linked to the U.S. explosion in obesity and related medical problems, and health officials have been urging people to cut back for years. Some officials have proposed an extra soda tax and many schools have stopped selling soda or artificial juices.

But advocates say those efforts are not enough, and on Wednesday a coalition of 100 organizations announced a new push. The effort includes the American Heart Association and the some city health departments who plan to prod companies to stop the sale of sugary drinks on their property or providing them at business meetings — as Boston's Carney Hospital did in April. There will also be new media campaigns, like one starting soon in Los Angeles that will ask "If you wouldn't eat 22 packs of sugar, why are you drinking it?'

The new CDC report may be ammunition. It found:

—About half the population drinks a sugared beverage each day.

—Males consume more than females, with teenage boys leading the pack. On average, males ages 12 through 19 drink the equivalent of nearly two cans of soda each day.

—Poor people drink more than the more affluent. Low-income adults got about 9 percent of their daily calories from sugary beverages; for high-income adults it was just over 4 percent.

—Blacks get more of their calories from sweetened beverages than other racial and ethnic groups.

The study is based on in-person interviews of more than 17,000 people in the years 2005 through 2008. They were asked to recount everything they ate and drank in the previous day. However, diet sodas, sweetened teas, flavored milks and 100 percent fruit juice did not count.

Healthy-eating recommendations call for people to limit sugary beverages to about 64 calories per day. That's a little less than half of a 12-ounce can of regular Coca-Cola, which is 140 calories.

In other terms: An average can of sugared soda or juice has 10 to 12 teaspoons of sugar.

There have been efforts to reduce children's access to sodas and sports drinks in schools, with beverage companies agreeing to remove full-calorie soft drinks. But the CDC study found more than half of the drinks are consumed at home. Less than 1 percent are bought at schools or day-care centers.

That's why some members of the coalition argue that parents shouldn't drink sweetened beverages, so they don't serve as a poor example at home. They hope drinking soda will become as unfashionable as smoking.

A spokesman for Carney Hospital — the 149-bed Boston facility that stopped allowing full-calorie soft drink sales — said the approach makes sense. When the policy was implemented in April, sales of beverages dropped, but have gone back up, as more people apparently are adjusting to water and other non-sweetened drinks.

The hospital's Dorchester neighborhood has high rates of diabetes and other weight-related illnesses, said spokesman Joe Burnieika. "We can't afford to feed people's bad habits if we can give them a healthy alternative," he said.

In a statement, the American Beverage Association on Wednesday suggested that the coalition's effort was misguided. Citing sales data and some other research, the industry group said sales of full-calorie soft drinks have been declining, which they credited to soda makers offering more no-calorie and low-calorie options and improved calorie labeling on the front.

These initiatives "will contribute far more to solving complex health issues like obesity than (the coalition's) sound bite solution that offers plenty of hype but no substance," the statement said.

___

Online:

CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs

Vitamin D levels tied to colon cancer risk Published by Fresh and New Articles - On 2:11 AM - This post haved 0 comments

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new analysis of earlier research finds that both higher vitamin D intake and higher blood levels of the vitamin's active form are linked to lower risk of colon and rectal cancers.

In 18 studies that included more than 10,000 people, colon cancer risk was as much as 33 percent lower in subjects with the highest blood levels of vitamin D compared to those with the lowest levels, researchers report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Those with the highest intake of vitamin D through supplements and food had 12 percent lower risk than those with the lowest intakes.

The total of studies available for analysis is still sparse, noted senior author Dr. Huanlong Qin and his colleagues from The Sixth People's Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai. Additional studies would be "highly desirable to enable more precise estimates and a better understanding of the role of vitamin D in colorectal cancer carcinogenesis," they write.

Vitamin D has previously been linked to protection from various cancers, heart disease, diabetes and asthma, among other conditions. How the vitamin might exert a beneficial effect is still poorly understood, however. Some evidence suggests that to achieve a benefit people may need more than current recommended daily requirements.

Up to 58 percent of U.S. adults and adolescents may have vitamin D deficiency, which is "an important health problem in the industrial world," Qin's team said. While there are biologically plausible mechanisms through which low vitamin D levels could increase colon cancer risk, the researchers add, studies have had mixed results so far.

A recent review by the U.S. Institute of Medicine concluded there isn't enough information to justify increasing recommended intakes of vitamin D.

For their analysis, Qin's group looked only at the strongest studies that investigated the relationship between vitamin D intake or blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the active form in the body, and colorectal cancer, colon cancer or rectal cancer.

They identified nine studies of vitamin D intake including 6,466 patients, four of which were conducted in the US, three in Europe, and two in Asia. Nine more studies, including 2,767 cases and 3,948 people in comparison groups, looked at blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, with six conducted in the US, two in Europe and one in the US. One study included both vitamin D intake and blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

Limitations of the analysis, the researchers note, included the lack of uniform criteria for comparison groups across the various studies; also, not all of the studies had information on vitamin D intake or its blood levels for individuals, only ranges for groups. The "lowest" and "highest" categories in different studies also varied significantly.

Hence, the researchers' conclusion that their findings need to be confirmed in large, gold-standard randomized clinical trials of vitamin D supplements.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/mWPeli Journal of Clinical Oncology, online August 29, 2011.