Month: June 2014

Govt to strengthen eye health care system: Saira

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Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar on Tuesday said that the government is attaching high priority to strengthening of eye health care system in the country.

She was addressing the launching ceremony of three projects included Pakistan Australia – prevention of avoidable blindness project by the Fred Hollows Foundation Australia, strengthening of Pakistan’s response to diabetic retinopathy project by Sightsavers, UK and the regional contaract program CBM Germany, organized by National Committee for Eye Health (NCEH).

The minister said after devolution the responsibility is now shifted to the provinces, however the federal government is working on different projects for eliminating avoidable blindness.

She thanked the government of Australia for its assistance for reducing blindness in Pakistan and expressed the hope that such support will continue in future also.
She appreciated the performance of National Committee for Eye Health and particularly sincere efforts of committee’s chairman. She urged other medical professionals to come forward and play their due role in the development of health sector.

Australian High Commissioner Peter Heyward said that the government of Australia is delighted to support Pakistan in health sector and pledged to continue such support in future.

He expressed the hope that with start of these projects in Pakistan, the government will be able to achieve the goal of elimination of avoidable blindness in Pakistan.
National Coordinator and Chairman National Committee for Eye Health (NCEH), Prof Dr. Asad Aslam Khan said that prevalence of blindness is 0.9% and cataract surgical rate has crossed 4000 per Ophthalmologist per year, meaning that on an average a Pakistani Ophthalmologist is doing more than 10 cataract surgeries per day.

He added, teaching hospitals have optometrists, Refractionists, Orthopists, Oph Technicians and 50% DHQ and THQ hospitals across the country are having Refractionists, Oph Technicians working there and post of Ophthalmologists have been created at THQ hospital level in Punjab, KPK and Sindh and are gradually being filled up.

He said NCEH made its modest start in 1980 National Eye Camp and gradually evolved through the stages of National Committee for PBL in 1982, NSC For PBL in 1994 to present NCEH in 2008.

Dr Asad said that the committee with the generous support of WHO and INGOs FHF, Sightsavers, CMB, SCB, DFID and DFAT worked day and night for prevention of blindness and promotion of Eye health in Pakistan.

He said that the committee has been working for up gradation of eye health services in Pakistan on public private partnership with the support of International NGOs like Fred Hollows Foundation Australia, Sightsavers International UK and CBM Germany, AUS AID, DFAT, DFID and Corporate Sector SCB.

He added the partnership has resulted in many successful outcomes for the country, including establishment of Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology (PICO), Peshawar, establishment of College of Ophthalmology and Allied Vision Sciences (COAVS), King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital Lahore, up gradation of eye departments of all teaching hospitals in countryand up gradation of Eye units of 120 DHQ hospital in the country.

He added other achievements included integration of Primary Eye Care in Primary Health Care, National Survey of Blindness and Low Vision 2002-2004, National Survey of Trachoma, National survey of Cataract surgical services, National Survey of Refractive Error services, National Programme for Prevention and Control of Blindness, 1993-1998 and 1999-2004 and 2005-2010 and devolved National Programme for Prevention of Blindness 2012-2015.

Source: business recorder

Girl’s uncontrollable laughter caused by brain tumor

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They say laughter is the best medicine. But what if laughter is the disease?

For a 6-year-old girl in Bolivia who suffered from uncontrollable and inappropriate bouts of giggles, laughter was a symptom of a serious brain problem. But doctors initially diagnosed the child with “misbehavior.”

“She was considered spoiled, crazy — even devil-possessed,” Dr. José Liders Burgos Zuleta, ofAdvanced Medical Image Centre, in Bolivia, said in a statement.

But Burgos Zuleta discovered that the true cause of the girl’s laughing seizures, medically called gelastic seizures, was a brain tumor.

After the girl underwent a brain scan, the doctors discovered a hamartoma, a small, benign tumor that was pressing against her brain’s temporal lobe.The doctors surgically removed the tumor, and the girl is now healthy, the doctors said.

The girl stopped having the uncontrollable attacks of laughter and now only laughs normally, the doctors said.

Gelastic seizures are a form of epilepsy that is relatively rare, said Dr. Solomon Moshé, a pediatric neurologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. The word comes from the Greek word for laughter, “gelos.”

“It’s not necessarily ‘hahaha’ laughing,” Moshé told Live Science. “There’s no happiness in this. Some of the kids may be very scared,” he added.

The seizures are most often caused by tumors in the hypothalamus, especially in kids, although they can also come from tumors in other parts of brain, Moshé said. Although laughter is the main symptom, patients may also have outbursts of crying.

These tumors can cause growth abnormalities if they affect the pituitary gland, he said.

The surgery to remove such brain tumors used to be difficult and dangerous, but a new surgical technique developed within the last 10 years allows doctors to remove them effectively without great risk, Moshé said.

The doctors who treated the girl said their report of her case could raise awareness of the strange condition, so doctors in Latin America can diagnose the true cause of some children’s “behavioral” problems, and refer them to a neurologist.

Source: cbs news

Chikungunya virus infects 12 more in Guyana

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Guyana is reporting at least 12 more cases of a mosquito-borne virus that causes severe joint pain and fever for many of its victims.

Health Minister Bheri Ramsarran says the Caribbean Public Health Agency confirmed the new cases of chikungunya among 130 blood samples sent from the South American country.

The minister said late Wednesday that the infections occurred near the border with Suriname and about 32 kilometres from where the first two cases were documented last week.

The government is spraying pesticides to control the two species of mosquitoes that spread the virus.

The Pan American Health Organization reports more than 100,000 cases of chikungunya since the first locally transmitted case on the generally non-fatal virus in the Caribbean in French St. Martin in December.

On Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested local public health departments perform surveillance for chikungunya cases in returning travellers and be aware of the risk for possible local transmission in areas where Aedes species mosquitoes are active.

“Local transmission has been identified in 17 countries or territories in the Caribbean or South America (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Saint Maarten),” the CDC’s weekly report on illness and death said.

“As of May 30, 2014, a total of 103,018 suspected and 4,406 laboratory-confirmed chikungunya cases had been reported from these areas.”

Source: cbc news

6 ways to keep the brain young

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A third of the brain’s volume is composed of blood vessels. Maintaining a healthy blood flow to those blood vessels is critical to keeping the brain young. Here are six ways you can keep your mind sharp:

Exercise

Research has shown exercise improves brain health, and it’s never too early or too late to begin. Even moderate exercise has been shown to increase memory, mental processing speed and the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for forming new memories, even in previously sedentary adults. Simply walking three times a week has been shown to produce significant gains in memory and mental processing speed.

Eat right

Neurologists agree a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes will help keep the brain healthy. They also advocate eating fish, walnuts, flax seed or other sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Curcumin, found in the spice curry, may also be protective against Alzheimer’s. Conversely, a high-fat diet and obesity raise the risk for dementia. So do high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure if left untreated.

Watch your levels

Research has shown high levels of the amino acid homocysteine is associated with a poor memory and doubles the risk of Alzheimer’s. Vitamin B12 and folic acid lowers the level of homocysteine, which is also associated with heart disease and strokes. Green, leafy vegetables and fruits contain folic acid; meat, fish, yogurt and fortified cereals contain vitamin B12.

Ease stress

Lowering the amount of stress in your life lowers the risk for dementia. A glass of wine (or other moderate alcohol consumption), laughter and meditation are all considered beneficial. A Harvard Medical School study showed 30 minutes of meditation a day for eight weeks even increased the size of the hippocampus. Studies at Loma Linda University have shown laughter reduces the stress hormone cortisol, which is toxic to the hippocampus.

Stay social

Maintaining an active social life provides mental stimulation and lowers stress. It also lowers the risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The more social activities, the better, and people who choose mentally challenging leisure pursuits such as playing cards with friends or joining a community organization do better in general than those whose activities are primarily physical or social. Living alone or avoiding social ties raises the risk of dementia.

Learn

More formal education is associated with lower rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s, but “use it or lose it” applies at any age — and more with the brain than the muscles, neurologists say. To keep the brain sharp, experts recommend learning new and fun mental activities. Crossword puzzles or sudoku, once mastered after a month or so, may not stimulate the brain the way learning a new language, picking up a musical instrument or joining a book club might.

Source: cnn news

12 Foods That Control Your Appetite

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When you’re trying to lose weight, cutting back on the amount you eat is a given—but feeling hungry all the time is one of the major reasons why most diets fail within a week.

Still, you can silence your grumbling stomach without consuming extra calories. In fact, eating certain foods sends a signal to your brain that you’re done eating, and quiets your appetite.

Shut out the ice cream pint that’s calling your name by eating these healthy and satisfying foods.

Apples

Chomp on an apple approximately a half hour before a meal—the fiber and water from the apple will fill you up, so you’ll eat less, says Debra Wein, RD, president of Wellness Workdays, a leading provider of worksite wellness programs.

Avocado

Eating half of an avocado with your lunch may help you feel full for the rest of the afternoon, according to a study published in Nutrition Journal. Women who did that felt 22% more satisfied and had a 24% lower desire to snack three hours later than on days they ate a calorically equivalent lunch without the avocado.

Beans, chickpeas, lentils

Dietary pulses such as chickpeas, lentils, beans, and peas are protein-rich superfoods that also pack in fiber, antioxidants, B vitamins, and iron. Eating more of them may also help you control your appetite. A recent meta-analysis published in the journal Obesity found that people were 31% more satisfied after a meal when it included pulses.

Soup

In a Penn State study, people who slurped a bowl of low-calorie, broth-based soup before their lunch entrées reduced their total calorie intake at the meal by 20%. “Soups can take the edge of your appetite since they take up a lot of volume in your stomach, but with very few calories,” says Beth Saltz, RD, owner of nutritionskitchen.com.

Pickles

Pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, and other fermented foods have short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and recent research in the Annals of The New York Academy of Sciences found that they help strengthen the bond between the gut and the brain. SCFAs stimulate production of hormones that cross the blood-brain barrier and improve appetite signaling. Fermented foods also boast probiotics, the healthy bacteria that help digestion. Some experts believe probiotics may reduce appetite and aid weight loss, though research is inconclusive.

Chili powder

You may already know that capsaicin, the compound in chilis that gives them their kick, fires up your metabolism. Recent research from Maastricht University in the Netherlands shows that adding heat to your meal may also control your appetite. The study, which was published in the journal Appetite, found that adding 1/4 tsp of chili pepper to each meal increased satiety and fullness. What’s more, some participants were only allowed to consume 75% of their recommended daily calorie intake, but didn’t feel any more desire to continue eating after dinner than those who were given 100% of their daily calories.

Dark chocolate

When you’re craving something sweet, reach for dark chocolate. Research suggests dark chocolate can help reduce blood pressure and protect the heart and brain. It’s also more filling than milk chocolate and may help curb cravings for both sweet and salty foods, according to a study in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes. In fact, participants consumed 17% fewer calories at a meal following a dose of dark chocolate.

Eggs

Starting your day with eggs will leave you satisfied until lunch. The power’s in the protein: research from the University of Missouri at Columbia suggests that eating a 300-calorie breakfast made up of 30 to 39 grams of protein (think: eggs and sausage) reduces hunger pangs and increases fullness during the time between breakfast and lunch. What’s more, the research revealed that high-protein breakfast eaters consume fewer calories throughout the day.

Nuts

Nuts are another filling food that may help you eat less. In a British Journal of Nutrition study, obese women who paired either 1.5 ounces of peanuts or 3 tablespoons of peanut butter with Cream of Wheat cereal and orange juice felt fuller for up to 12 hours after finishing breakfast than those who didn’t eat the peanut products. “Nuts are essentially designed by nature to control appetite because they’re rich in healthy unsaturated fat, along with bonus protein and fiber,” says Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, Health contributing nutrition editor. Together, the three nutrients slow digestion and regulate blood sugar when combined with carbs like fruit, oatmeal, or brown rice.

Oatmeal

Consider ditching cereal for warm, gooey oatmeal. Oatmeal will keep you feeling fuller longer, suggests a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Participants were served 250 calories of cereal or oatmeal with 113 calories of milk. The oatmeal-eaters were satiated longer, and they also experienced a greater reduction in hunger and a decreased desire to eat compared to ready-to-eat cereal eaters. Why the difference? Oatmeal is higher in fiber and protein and also has higher amounts of beta-glucan–the sugars that give oatmeal its heart-healthy properties, hydration, and molecular weight compared to ready-to-eat cereals.

Water

Being low on H2O can trick you into believing you’re hungry. Why? The symptoms of hunger are similar to those of being dehydrated: low energy, reduced cognitive function, and poor mood. So next time you’re craving an afternoon snack, drink a tall glass of water and wait 10 minutes. Chances are, your hunger pangs will pass, and you’ll have saved hundreds of calories.

Source: yahoo news

Harsh Vardhan raps Medical Council of India, says it failed to fulfil task

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Holding Medical Council of India (MCI) responsible for the deterioration in standard of medical colleges, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan today said senior doctors should promote values which formed part of medical community in earlier generations. “They (MCI) have not fulfilled their task,” the Minister said as he referred to the general perception that the quality of medical colleges were not up to old standards.

“It was therefore up to senior doctors to continuously promote the values which formed part of the medical community in earlier generations,” he said during his visit to Safdarjung Hospital. “All doctors should consider themselves privileged to be able to serve their families as well as society. The greatest challenge for a doctor is to be a good human being,” Vardhan said.

The Health Minister who visited the RML Hospital and AIIMS over the past two days asked the medical community to begin a process of introspection without which they cannot hope to conquer disease. “We conquered polio by tapping the best in people, and I am sure we can do it in the case of meeting all the Millennium Development Goals before the target date,” he said.

The Minister also asked doctors to promote rational use of essential drugs. “Young doctors should be trained in this principle which has been recommended by WHO. Patients should be administered drugs appropriate to their clinical needs in doses that meet their requirements. However, the present culture seems to be to write out medicines without thought to their justifiability,” he said.

He instructed the Medical Superintendent of Safdarjung hospital to initiate the process of training of junior doctors about rational use of drugs as soon as they join hospitals.

Source: daily news and analysis

TAU School of Education Program

school of education

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For more details please register here: http://www.tauedu.org/texila-connect/signup.html

Watch our school of education program video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz92zrINwX0

Woman about to have ovaries removed delivers baby instead

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Rebecca Oldham found herself suffering painful cramps, and after multiple tests, New Zealand doctors decided to remove her ovaries in November, believing them to be the cause of the problem.

But then they woke the 25-year-old up to deliver some very surprising news: Instead of removing her ovaries, they were about to perform an emergency caesarean section …

to deliver a 9-pound baby boy, with whom she was 32 weeks pregnant. “I was facing not being able to have any more children because they thought there were problems with my ovaries and all of a sudden we had a son,” Oldham told

She and her partner already had a 20-month-old daughter, Hayley, at the time surprise son James was born. “When he cried at night I would say, ‘ssshhhh Hayley,’ and then remember it wasn’t her and that I had a newborn baby,” Oldham said.

“People say ‘how could you not know?’ But I really didn’t.” Doctors are baffled as to how the advanced pregnancy didn’t show up on any tests (the following were reportedly completed: three scans, two blood tests, and six pregnancy tests), though they told her the cramps were likely caused by the baby being so snugly lodged along her back.

Oldham says she’s about to receive findings of the hospital’s investigation and says she hopes it will provide some answers. How often does a woman make it so late into pregnancy without knowing she’s pregnant? Per Jezebel, estimates range from 1 in 500 pregnancies to 1 in 7,000.

Source :fox news

Six simple steps to healthy nails

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A few magic ingredients from grandma’s kitchen can give you strong, healthy and shiny nails!

Step 1- Chip your nails to the length you want.

Step 2- File your nails in one direction. Never file them in back and forth direction as it causes the nails to chip and break.

Step 3- Take a lemon, make a hole in it, put your finger in up-to the nail part and rotate the lemon.

Step 4- Slightly heat some coconut oil and massage your nails with it.

Step 5- Put a few drops of lemon onto your nails and rub them before wiping it off with a cotton swab.

Step 6- Wash with lukewarm water and pat dry.

The idea behind using lemon is, that it is high in Vitamin- C content which targets brittle nails, making them healthy and strong. Coconut oil nourishes and replenishes the lost moisture of your nails due to the damage done to them by nail polish, detergents and other chemicals.

Source: zee news

Post-menopausal woman at risk of developing heart diseases

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A staggering 43 million Indian women are affected by heart disease, with one in every three women dying of the condition as against one in 31 from breast cancer and experts say that it is post-menopausal women who are at a greater risk.

Tapan Ghose, director and head of department of cardiac sciences at Paras Hospitals, said that in 2012, 56 percent of women identified heart disease as the leading cause of death compared with 30 percent in 1997.

India is considered the cardiac as well as the diabetic country of the world. It has been estimated that 60 percent of the Indian population is suspected to be suffering from some cardio-vascular disease. Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease,” Ghose told IANS.

“While one in 31 Indian women die of breast cancer each year, one in three dies of heart disease,” he added.

Agreeing with Ghose, N.N. Khanna, senior consultant, cardiology at Indraprastha Apollo hospital, said that post-menopausal women are at greater risk as compared to their male counterparts.

“Once they develop a cardiac disease, chances are they might face death due to it. We do not have real statistics in India; but death toll is higher in India since women are prone to diabetes,” Khanna told IANS.

Women are more susceptible to cardiac ailments after menopause since their natural protection wears off, he added.

According to Deepak Khurana, director of cardio thoracic and vascular surgery at Rockland Hospital, Manesar, urbanization of society, stress level, smoking, consumption of alcohol and lack of physical work are some of the main reasons for the growing trend.

Anil Bansal, chief cardiologist at Columbia Hospital, Gurgaon, said that diabetes, hypertension and obesity are equally responsible.

“With changed patterns in urban culture, the trend of smoking and excessive alcohol has increased among women, making them vulnerable to heart diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are also rising due to affluence with which there is increased dependence on junk food, leading to rising heart conditions,” Bansal told IANS. “Along with high cholesterol, obesity, reduced physical activity combined with over-nutrition, increase in smoking and alcohol consumption and sedentary or moderate lifestyle,” he added.

Intake of oral contraceptives is another reason, said Khanna

Listing out the challenges faced by women suffering from heart diseases, Khanna said that symptoms of cardiac ailments can be very different in women as compared to men.

“Women usually have atypical symptoms such as breathlessness, palpitations, listlessness, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, vomiting… which are difficult to diagnose.

Another challenge is denial amongst women and society when it comes to female health. Women tend to neglect their health and disregard the symptoms and hence, early detection of the disease is not possible,” he contended.

He added that the biggest challenge for women suffering from heart diseases is to get the appropriate diagnosis at right time which he said can be attained by long-term heart monitoring with the help of implantable devices like Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD).

“The device automatically monitors heart rhythm and delivers therapy as needed to prevent sudden cardiac arrest,” he said. Sharing similar opinion, Bansal said that proper diagnosis is one of the many challenges as the heart disease is either misdiagnosed or the symptoms are perceived to be linking towards some other heart problem.

“The reason behind this is that the symptoms are vague and the parameters of diagnosis of heart disease is majorly based on symptoms that are found in men which result in under diagnosis. Symptoms can be atypical from men, normal classic symptoms are less, more shortness of breath, and even modern standard screening test like exercise stress test are more likely to be falsely positive in women,” he said.

Source: first post