Month: June 2014

Eat pista for a healthy immune system

pistachios

Pistachio nuts or pista, as we Indians call it, are known to be packed with immense health benefits that range from controlling diabetes to shielding against heart disease. With a strikingly low glycemic index and fat content, pistachios are definitely a must-have snack for your all-round health. But, apart from that, pistachios have several immune-boosting powers that give you that extra-edge to fight off infections.

How it improves immune function

Pistas are high in vitamin B6, that helps boost your immune system by helping it in the production of healthy immune cells. It also enhances blood flow in the body by improving hemoglobin levels in the blood and thus, allows for a greater supply of oxygen rich blood to other body parts and organs. It also increases the production of white blood cells (WBCs) in the lymph nodes. It helps in strengthening the defense system to fight against infections and diseases. The antioxidants present in pista – lutein and zeaxanthin plays an important role in eliminating the free radicals from the body. Also, it is found to enhance production of amino acids and helps in maintaining healthy nervous system.

Some amazing diet tips to enjoy pistas

Salted or roasted pistachio nuts are a hot-favorite among adults and kids as they not only taste well but also builds up your immune activity. Take a handful of pistas in a bowl and add some honey to it. Take it in the morning to pack an immune punch to your body.

Add some pistas to your green salad and double the chances of getting protected from severe infections as it boosts your immunity in addition to providing various health benefits.

You can also add some pistachios to fried rice and even brown rice to make it taste better along with gaining health benefits.

Pistachio butter that is prepared by mixing garlic, olive oil and salt (you can also add ingredients as per your taste) is also quite popular. Put pistas in fruit salads, ice-cream, yoghurt or muffins to make it even more crunchy and tasty in addition to gaining positive health effects.

For those who have a sweet-tooth, try making pista barfi for adding up your taste quotient as well as immune boosting powers.

Source: the health site

Lifestyle diseases affecting men in metros

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Lifestyle diseases like diabetes and high cholesterol are now hitting more young men in metropolitan cities of India, says a new survey released here Monday on the occasion of World Men’s Health Week.

Of the 38,966 samples screened during June 9-15, 56.81 percent reported high diabetes levels. Over 41.48 percent of the samples were in the age group of 20-40, indicating an increasing trend of younger population getting hit by diabetes.

In another sample of 35,886 males, the survey found 8.21 percent with high cholesterol levels and 23.01 percent in the same age group with growing rate of cholesterol. The survey was conducted in Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Ahmedabad by Metropolis Healthcare Ltd.

High diabetes levels are usually associated with age, but other factors like body mass index, stress, family history of the disease, lack of physical activity etc. also significantly add to the problem. Moreover, both diabetics and high-cholesterol patients are highly risk-prone to cardiovascular diseases besides other major health problems.

The study suggested that besides regular screenings, people should go for preventive measures like reducing obesity, increasing physical activity, decreasing salt intake, among others.

Source: wonder woman

India to be No 1 for growth in wellness tourism by 2019: Study

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India could be number one for growth globally in the wellness tourism sector in the next five years, clocking over 20 per cent gains annually through 2017, according to a recent study.

Wellness tourism is a $439 billion industry worldwide within the $3.2 trillion global tourism industry, representing 14 per cent of all tourism spending, it said. The study conducted by SRI international projected India to be number one globally for growth in wellness tourism over the next five years, clocking over 20 per cent gain annually through 2017.

Wellness tourism is travel for the purpose of promoting health and well-being through physical, psychological, or spiritual activities. The study predicted that India’s total wellness market to surpass $18 billion in the next four years. Luxury Wellness Tourism segment is estimated to grow nearly 50 per cent faster than global tourism by 2017, it was reported on the sidelines of a three-day exhibition ‘Royal India Wellness 2014’ which concluded on Friday.

SRI International is a US-based nonprofit, independent research and innovation centre serving government and industry. “India has wealth of knowledge and medical systems to treat people and maintain their health through natural means and therapies,” said Paras Shahdadpuri, President of Indian Business and Professionals Council.

“India must come forward and give its gift of naturopathy to the mankind. It has a hidden treasure which should be discovered,” he said at the exhibition. “Unfortunately, we got used to quick fix through allopathy which treats only the manifestations rather than the cause,” he said.

The exhibition on Indian wellness brands with their packages on rejuvenation, holistic healing and prevention and reversal of lifestyle diseases was organised to reach out to the health conscious people.

Source; IBN

Eat garlic to lower your bad LDL cholesterol

garlic-to-lower-cholesterol

Are you looking for effective, natural ways to lower your cholesterol level? Here’s one – garlic. Garlic is an ingredient that you must be using in your daily food preparations. If not, it’s easily available and you don’t have to necessarily cook it to reap its benefits. In fact, raw garlic is more effective than when cooked.

The medicinal properties of garlic were explored thousands of years ago. But its cholesterol-lowering effect has been controversial with different studies showing conflicting results. Here’s some clinically significant evidence that supports the use of garlic to lower cholesterol.

A study conducted on participants with high cholesterol levels showed that garlic supplementation reduced the blood concentration of total cholesterol in them by 7%. The bad cholesterol or LDL cholesterol was reduced by 10% compared to participants taking a placebo. Another study by Ried K and colleagues reported a total reduction of serum total cholesterol by 17?±?6?mg/dL and LDL cholesterol by 9?±?6?mg/dL in participants having total cholesterol levels greater than 200?mg/dL who used garlic for more than 2 months. Now, this reduction is of clinical significance amounting for total 8% reduction in cholesterol which has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease by 38%.

Although researchers suggest that additional studies are needed to confirm the fact, you can still benefit a lot from garlic due to its vast store of sulphur compounds that act as antioxidants and prevent heart disease by scavenging free radicals causing damage to the arterial walls.

Source: the health site

Common blood pressure medication may pose risk to older adults

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Adults over 65 who have recently begun thiazide diuretics are at a greater risk for developing metabolic-related adverse events, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

More than two-thirds of older adults have high blood pressure in the United States and thiazide diuretics are often recommended as the initial medication for these hypertensive patients. Thiazide diuretics primarily inhibit sodium transport in the kidney, leading to urinary loss of sodium and water, which decreases blood pressure. While the risks of this medication are well known, the risks are not well quantified in real-world clinical practice, where older adults who are treated may have a number of other illnesses.

The national observational study, undertaken by a team of researchers at UT Southwestern and the University of California, San Francisco, examined 1,060 adult veterans with hypertension who recently began taking a thiazide diuretic. The study compared them to a similar group of veterans who were not prescribed a thiazide diuretic. The findings were recently published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

During a nine month period, 14 percent of older adults prescribed a thiazide diuretic developed a metabolic adverse event, compared with 6 percent of adults not prescribed a thiazide diuretic. For every 12 adults who were newly prescribed a thiazide diuretic, one developed a metabolic adverse event that he or she would not otherwise have had.

The three metabolic adverse events that researchers assessed were hyponatremia (low sodium levels in the blood), hypokalemia (low potassium levels in the blood), and acute kidney injury (a 25 percent decrease in kidney function from the baseline value before the thiazide diuretic was started).

“Our research quantifies the risks of metabolic adverse events in older adults in real-world, clinical practice shortly after initiating thiazide diuretics,” said Dr. Anil Makam, assistant professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern and first author of the study. “From a clinical point-of-view, the implications of these findings help inform doctors of the risks associated with a common medication and their use in older adults.”

While the findings highlight that thiazide-related adverse events are common in this population, researchers were surprised to discover that only 42 percent of older adults who had recently begun taking a thiazide diuretic had laboratory testing to monitor for these adverse events within the first three months of beginning the medication.

“Our research suggests that thiazide-induced adverse events are common in older adults and greater attention should be paid to potential complications in prescribing thiazide diuretics to older adults, including closer laboratory monitoring before and after initiation of thiazides,” Dr. Makam said.

Source; science daily

Washing chicken ‘spreads infection’

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Consumers are being warned to stop washing raw chicken as doing so increases the risk of food poisoning. An online survey of 4,500 UK adults by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) found 44% washed chicken before cooking.

But it warns this spreads campylobacter bacteria onto hands, work surfaces, clothing and cooking equipment, through the splashing of water droplets. Campylobacter affects about 280,000 people in the UK each year but only 28% in the FSA survey had heard of it.

Only a third of them knew that poultry was the main source of the bacteria. Jump media playerMedia player helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue. However 90% had heard of salmonella and E. coli.

The most commonly cited reasons for washing chicken were to remove dirt or germs, or because they had always done it.

Cross-contamination
Campylobacter is the most common form of food poisoning in the UK. The majority of cases come from contaminated poultry. Symptoms include diarrhoea, stomach pains and cramps, fever, and generally feeling unwell.

Most people are only ill for a few days, but it can lead to long-term health problems, including irritable bowel syndrome and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a serious condition of the nervous system.

It can also kill. Those most at risk are children under five and older people. FSA chief executive Catherine Brown said: “Although people tend to follow recommended practice when handling poultry, such as washing hands after touching raw chicken and making sure it is thoroughly cooked, our research has found that washing raw chicken is also common practice.

“That’s why we’re calling on people to stop washing raw chicken and also raising awareness of the risks of contracting campylobacter as a result of cross-contamination.

“Campylobacter is a serious issue. Not only can it cause severe illness and death, but it costs the economy hundreds of millions of pounds a year as a result of sickness absence and the burden on the NHS.”

She said the FSA was also working with farmers and producers to try to reduce the rate of campylobacter in broiler chicken flocks and with slaughterhouses and processors to minimise the levels of contamination in birds.

Source: bbc news

The dangers of junk sleep

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People love to use their electronic devices in the bedroom. With so many small gadgets providing news articles, e-books and games in one tiny package, who can blame them?

National Sleep Foundation polls show approximately 95% of Americans use an electronic device within an hour of going to sleep. In 2013, the foundation found that 89% of adults and 75% of children have at least one electronic device in their bedrooms. Televisions were the most common; MP3 players, tablets and smartphones were also popular.

And if you use your smartphone as an alarm clock, chances are you’re literally going to bed with some form of electronic device.
Phones, tablets becoming more popular in the bedroom than TV
Technology can interfere with a good night’s sleep in several ways. The biggest problem is these devices are often left on at night and emit light and noise that can disrupt sleep cycles and alter sleep-related hormone levels. The light from electronic screens can trick your body into thinking it’s daytime and stop it from producing melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate sleep.

Sleep & Health Sleep tips for more zzzzzs!
News articles and games can also keep your mind very active, making it difficult to relax and fall asleep. A 2013 study published in the Behavioral Sleep Medicine journal found that computer and mobile phone use before bed was positively correlated with insomnia.

As long as your phone is on and not in airplane mode, it’s communicating intermittently with nearby cell towers, emitting low levels of radiation. While the effects of cell phone radiation aren’t well understood, a 2008 study found people exposed to mobile radiation for three hours before going to sleep had more trouble falling into and staying in a deep sleep.

The result is later bedtimes and a higher incidence of waking during the night. It’s not surprising, then, that research shows children with electronic devices in their bedrooms sleep less and experience lower-quality sleep than children without gadgets. Sleep quality suffers most dramatically when devices are regularly left on during the night. And the higher the number of gadgets, the lower the quality of sleep.

So what to do?
One solution is an electronic curfew. One hour before bed, remove all electronic devices from the bedroom.

Some sleep specialists suggest no TV right before bed, but some people feel they need the distraction of TV to fall asleep. Those people can try using a TV-timer — featured on most modern TVs — which will automatically turn off the television after a chosen period.

If you use your phone as an alarm clock, consider switching to an “old school” alarm clock with no digital lights. It will not be as disruptive to sleep. And while it might be tempting to track your sleep using an app on your tablet or phone, it’s probably best to leave these devices in the living room. You’ll get a better night’s sleep, even if you don’t have the data to prove it.

Source: cnn

Sprouted Chia Seeds and Clover Linked to Outbreaks

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Two outbreaks involving foods made from either sprouted chia seeds or clover have sickened more than 70 people in the United States and Canada, and more than 10 of them have been hospitalized.

A salmonella outbreak has been linked to a powder made from sprouted, ground chia seeds and another product made from sprouted chia and flax seeds,  reported.

The chia products have been linked to 21 illnesses in 12 states and 34 infections in Canada.

In the other outbreak, sprouted clover has been linked to an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 17 people in five states. Nearly half of those people have been hospitalized, USA Today reported.

Officials traced the outbreak to raw clover sprouts produced by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts of Moyie Springs, Idaho.

Source: webmd

Separated parents are ‘damaging’ children by sharing their care, expert claims

damaging parents

Penelope Leach, a psychologist and one of Britain’s best known parenting experts, has claimed young children can be ‘damaged’ by splitting their time between their parents if they are separated

Separated parents who share the care of their young children and allow them to stay overnight at both of their homes are damaging them, a parenting expert has claimed. Penelope Leach, one of Britain’s leading childcare experts, said shuttling children backwards and forwards between two homes and allowing them to ‘sleepover’ with the parent they do not normally live with can affect the development of their brains. Her comments have angered fathers’ rights groups as children usually stay primarily with their mothers when their parents divorce or separate.

Ms Leach, a former president of the National Childminding Association who has written a number of books about caring for children, says allowing under fives to spend a night with one parent when they primarily live with another creates “unhealthy attachment issues.”

She also claims in her latest book, Family Breakdown, that there was “undisputed evidence” that a period of separation from the parent they normally live with – typically their mothers – can adversely affect a child’s brain development.

She argues that “When people say that it’s ‘only fair’ for a father and mother to share their five-year-old daughter on alternate weeks, they mean it is fair to the adults – who see her as a possession and her presence as their right – not that it is fair to the child.”

Ms Leach said when lawyers bid for their client to have overnight access with their young children they are ignoring evidence about the distressing and damaging impact on the child.

Leach said the rights of the child must always outweigh those of the parents and added: “It can be damaging to the child to divide time equally between the parents.” Ian Maxwell, from Families Need Fathers, told the Independent on Sunday that society had moved on from classic attachment theory when bonds between mother and child were seen as the strongest.

He added: “The bond between fathers and children is just as important and we would question the evidence Ms Leach is citing for the primacy of the maternal bond.” He said her argument did not accord with common sense was described her claims as “worrying.”

Leach has previously drawn criticism for her previous bestselling book, Your Baby & Child: From Birth to Age Five, published. In this she claimed only mothers could care properly for their children.

She has also attracted controversy after she claimed scientific evidence showed that leaving a baby to cry could affect the development of its brain and make it prone to anxiety in later life.

It comes as a think tank suggested that working fathers should be given the chance to play a bigger role in early parenting, through an entitlement to four weeks of paid leave following the birth of their child.

The IPPR argues that this doubling of the current paternity leave entitlement of just 2 weeks should be combined with a doubling of the level of pay and paid at least the national minimum wage.

They claim that more than 400,000 working dads a year would benefit.
Only 55 per cent of fathers take the full 2 weeks off work when their child is born and one third of eligible fathers do not take any of their statutory leave at all. Most state this is because they can’t afford to take the entitlement.

The proposed 4 weeks of paternity leave would be a period of leave specifically for fathers that cannot be taken by mothers. The IPPR also argues that working dads should also be able to get twice as much paid time off to go with their parenters to hospital scans and midwife appointments.

Kayte Lawton, IPPR Senior Research Fellow, said: “New parents need time away from work to care for their young children, and to strengthen their relationship with each other at what can be a hugely enjoyable but also very stressful time. However, this is often difficult for fathers because they have limited entitlements to paid leave, and so they often assume the role of breadwinner while their partner is on maternity leave.

“Fathers who take more than a few days off around the birth of their child are more likely to be actively involved in raising their child than those who do not. Fathers’ greater involvement in family life can make it easier for mothers to return to work after taking maternity leave, which helps to raise the family’s income and lessen the impact of motherhood on women’s careers.”

Source: The telegraph

Pollution link to irregular heartbeat and lung clotting

pollution

Air pollution is linked to increased risk of developing an irregular heartbeat and blood clots in the lung, research suggests. The impact of air pollution on the risk of heart attack and stroke is less clear, say UK experts.

Analysis of data from England and Wales shows air pollution is particularly harmful in the elderly. Further research is needed on pollution and cardiovascular health, says the British Heart Foundation.

A team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine analysed data collected in England and Wales between 2003 and 2009 on links between cardiovascular problems and short-term air pollution.

They found short-term air pollution was linked to arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) and blood clots in the lung. The strongest link was in the over-75s and in women, lead researcher Dr Ai Milojevic told.

“Our study found some evidence of air pollution effects on irregular heart beat (arrhythmia) but no clear evidence on heart attack (Myocardial Infarction) and stroke which represents ultimately blood clotting process[es],” she said.

“Elderly people and hospital patients with chronic ischaemic heart disease or irregular heart beat are observed to be at particular risk.”

Commenting on the study, published in the journal, Heart, the British Heart Foundation said previous studies had shown air pollution could make existing heart and circulatory conditions, including heart attacks, worse in vulnerable people.

“This research adds weight to what we already know, but goes further to suggest a link between air pollution and an increased risk of blood clots in the lungs and heart rhythm atrial fibrillation,” said Julie Ward, senior cardiac nurse.

“But, as with many studies, we do need to look at the bigger picture and, although this is a large comprehensive study, it did have its limitations. “We do, therefore, recognise that further research into exactly how air pollution particles affect the cardiovascular system needs to be carried out.”

Seven million people died as a result of air pollution in 2012, according to World Health Organization estimates. Its findings suggest a link between air pollution and heart disease, respiratory problems and cancer.

Source: bbc