health tips

Positive lifestyle changes to cut risk of metabolic syndrome

Data reported by the a new study reinforces the positive influence of lifestyle factors in mitigating risks which could potentially up heart disease risk and other health problems.

Findings based on 1,059 residents of New Ulm, Minnesota underscore the importance of obesity prevention and nutrition, specifically eating more fruits and vegetables, in addressing metabolic syndrome (MS), a common precursor to cardiovascular disease (CVD).

This study used an easily calculated Optimal Lifestyle Score (OLS), which is a composite summary of smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption, alcohol use, physical activity, and body mass index.

The results were presented by Jackie Boucher, MS, RD, LD, CDE, Vice President for Education, Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation on Tuesday November 19 at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Dallas, TX.

Boucher said that these findings clearly support national recommendations encouraging individuals to achieve energy balance and to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

She said that their data suggests that there is a clear connection between increased body weight or the decrease in the consumption of fruits and vegetables, and the development of metabolic syndrome, a clustering of CVD risk factors.

In 2009, 1,059 of screened residents did not have MS, with 123 (12 percent) going on to develop MS by 2011.

A decline in the OLS was associated with a nearly 3-fold increased risk of incident MS (aOR = 2.9, CI: 1.69, 5.04). Changes in BMI and fruit/vegetable consumption were the OLS components most strongly associated with MS.

People who became obese during the two-year time period were more than eight times more likely to develop MS and people who reduced their intake of fruits and vegetables to less than 5 or more servings per day were four times more likely to develop MS.

Source: ANI

Toxic waste ‘major global threat’

More than 200 million people around the world are at risk of exposure to toxic waste, a report has concluded.

The authors say the large number of people at risk places toxic waste in a similar league to public health threats such as malaria and tuberculosis.

The study from the Blacksmith Institute and Green Cross calls for greater efforts to be made to control the problem.

The study carried out in more than 3,000 sites in over 49 countries.

“It’s a serious public health issue that hasn’t really been quantified,” Dr Jack Caravanos, director of research at the Blacksmith Institute and professor of public health at the City University of New York told the BBC’s Tamil Service.

The study identified the Agbobloshie dumping yard in Ghana’s capital Accra as the place which poses the highest toxic threat to human life.

The researchers say that the report has not been hidden from governments, and they are all aware of the issue.

Agbobloshie has become a global e-waste dumping yard, causing serious environmental and health issues Dr Caravanos explained.

The study says that “a range of recovery activities takes place in Agbobloshie, each presenting unique occupational and ecological risks”.

As the second largest e-waste processing area in West Africa, Ghana annually imports around 215,000 tonnes of second hand consumer electronics from abroad, particularly from Western Europe, and generates another 129,000 tons of e-waste every year.

The study warns that that Ghana’s e-waste imports will double by 2020.

At the Agbobloshie site, the study found the presence of lead in soil at very high levels, posing serious potential health and environment hazards to more than 250,000 people in the vicinity.

Chernobyl in Ukraine ranks second in the study, while the Citarum River Basin in Indonesia ranks third.

Among the worlds top ten toxic threat sites as listed in the study, Africa, Europe and Asia have three sites respectively and Latin America one.

Children at risk

The study says that tens of thousands of women and children are at risk due to toxic dumping and environmental pollution.

“These are sites that are releasing toxic chemicals into air, water and soil. These are sites where children are particularly at risk and the numbers are rather high. We have not hidden this list from the respective governments and they are all aware of the issue” said Dr Caravanos.

He also agrees that the developed nations are part of this problem.

Dr Caravanos told the BBC that many westerners buy products without knowing the environmental impact.

He said Ghana actively wanted to progress in the IT field and as such started importing used computers from Europe 10 years ago. That had resulted in Agbobloshie becoming a dumping yard for e-waste from Europe.

In some places the damage caused to the land is so huge that it cannot be reversed, so the only option is to move people away and seal the contamination. Heavy metals are very difficult to remove from the soil, Dr Caravanos pointed out.

While the study sates that India has made significant progress in dealing with pollution issues on a national level, environmentalists and activists disagree with that observation.

The World Health Organization, in conjunction with the World Bank, estimates that 23% of the deaths in the developing world are attributable to environmental factors, including pollution, and that environmental risk factors contribute to more than 80% of regularly reported illnesses according to the report.

Source: BBC

African Children’s Well-Being Improved, but Still Inadequate

Africa has become a better place for children in recent years, but more investments are needed in health and education to further improve the lives of African children, according to a new study of the African Child Policy Forum.

The African Report on Child Well-being 2013, says conditions for children on the African continent improved in the last five years, mostly because of recent achievements in increasing the survival rate of children, reducing infant mortality and improved access to water and sanitation.

Mauritius, South Africa and Tunisia top the list of the 52 investigated African countries in the report launched by the African Child Policy Forum. They put in place national laws that protect children from violence and maltreatment. That resulted in better outcomes for children in those countries.

But executive director of the African Child Policy Forum Theophane Nikyeme says that despite the improvements, the continent is still facing serious challenges when it comes to providing basic needs for children.

“What they need is an environment in which they can grow in freedom. Where their basic needs will be satisfied,” said Nikyeme. “Where they can go to school and get proper education. They could go to a health service not from their home, not having to go through kilometers to reach their clinic. Being able to go to school all the way to university if they want to do so.”

Many children in Africa still die from preventable diseases such as malaria, diarrhea and malnutrition. While African governments committed to spend 15 percent of their budget on health, on average only 11 percent is spent.

The worst places for children to grow up are unstable and fragile countries such as the Central African Republic, Chad and Eritrea.

The report focuses on 44 indicators such as a government’s provision for children’s basic needs and the participation of children in decisions that affect them.

Countries with low GDP such as Rwanda and Malawi scored higher than countries with a relatively higher GDP such as Namibia and Equatorial Guinea.

Nikyeme says the report shows that a child’s well-being does not necessarily depend on a country’s wealth, but on the government’s commitment:

“What we are advocating for, is for governments, when they ratify a law or a treaty at the international level or regional level, they should go back to harmonize it to the national laws. But this is not happening,” said Nikyeme.

The first report on child well-being in Africa was done in 2008. While the overall well-being of children seems to have improved, the report calls upon African governments to increase investments in education, health and social protection. The African Child Forum Policy also urges African countries to enhance accountability and good governance so that the recent economic growth on the continent should translate into concrete results.

Somalia, South Sudan and Western Sahara were not included in the report because of a lack of reliable data.

Source: All Africa

Is bottled water safer?

Drinking plenty of water is important for your health, because it maintains bodily functions, carries nutrients to cells and helps you stay hydrated and energized.

But you’ve probably wondered: Is fancy bottled water somehow better for you than plain tap water? And is it even OK to drink tap water without using a water-filtration device?

Many people believe that because bottled water goes through a filtration process that improves its taste, odor and color, it’s also healthier for you. Filtration eliminates possible contaminants such as lead, parasites and byproducts of chlorine, so it’s gotta be better, right?

Well, not really. “While (filters) can reduce exposure to (harmful) elements, it doesn’t necessarily mean bottled water will be better for your overall health,” says Katherine Patton, a registered dietician and certified sports dietician.

In the U.S., tap water is already treated to remove particles, chemicals and bacteria. During the process of treating public water, chlorine is added as a disinfectant, and fluoride is added for its dental health benefits (though there are those who say fluoride does more harm than good).

The Safe Drinking Water Act was put into place in 1974 to ensure that all drinking water that is “actually or potentially designed for drinking use, whether from above-ground or underground sources,” must meet the minimum safety standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. So whether you’re drinking water that came from a rural kitchen tap or one in a city restaurant, it should be safe.

Well water, however, is more likely to be contaminated since it doesn’t go through the same treatment and testing as water for public consumption. If the drinking water in your home comes from a well, filter it or hire a company to test its quality before you drink it.

But the water source isn’t your only concern: The pipes it flows through matter, too. Lead pipes can leach lead into water, making it harmful to drink (especially for children and pregnant women). If you aren’t sure whether or not your pipes are made of lead, have your water tested.

And what about microscopic creepy-crawlies? According to the National Sanitation Foundation website, “bottled water is regulated by the FDA, which has established water-quality requirements similar to those established by the EPA for public water supplies. Bottled water products and public water supplies are not required by either agency to be 100% free of contaminants, but the end product should always meet all federal, state or provincial drinking water standards.”

Of course, many people buy bottled water for its taste and portability. But if you’re buying it because you believe it’s safer than tap, you may want to start heading to the sink to fill up your glass.

Source: upwave

Take aspirin before bed to cut morning heart risk

Taking a single aspirin tablet before bed can reduce the risk of suffering a heart attack in the morning, a new trial has suggested

Taking aspirin before going to bed might reduce the risk of suffering a heart attack in the morning, according to a new study.

A trial involving 290 heart attack patients has shown that taking just one 100mg tablet before going to bed was more effective than taking it in the morning.

Researchers found that platelet levels were lower in patents who took the painkiller, which thins the blood and prevents clotting, at night.

Platelets, which lead to the formation of blood clots, tend to reach their peak in the morning.

This means that the risk of heart attack is often at its highest shortly before or just after waking up

Source: Telegraph

 

Nearpod helps revolutionize medical education teaching using mobile devices

One of the most impressive apps for medical education purposes is Nearpod. The premise behind nearpod is simple–to bring the classroom to life with interactive mobile presentations that teachers can create and customize themselves. Nearpod relies on a  cloud based system to distribute interactive presentations to students in a classroom. It is particularly well suited for institutions that own or use tablets regularly (although you can use a phone).

How does it work?

Nearpod allows teachers to upload their presentations and add interactive features such as polls, drawing questions, multiple choice questions and more. These are then distributed to everyone’s device in realtime which the teacher can control.

The teacher can ask a question through the app and then see everyone’s responses. The teacher then has the option to pick a certain answer and show it to everyone or just continue with the presentation. This is easiest explained in the screenshot

 

What are the advantages?

Nearpod has a range of advantages over standard presentations. Perhaps most importantly, presentations can now become interactive and students can engage with content which has been shown to increase learning efficiency. Nearpod also reports detailed statistics and analysis which could potentially be used to identify weak students.

Other advantages include:

  • ability to carry out distance learning
  • access from a web browser
  • ability to share content in real time

What are the limitations?

Setting up a successful Nearpod presentation takes more work than just a standard presentation. It takes additional time and foresight to prepare an interactive presentation using the online tool. There is currently no downloadable app to create nearpod presentations offline. There are occasionally network issues depending on the number of users and stability issues although thankfully these are limited.

What next?

iMedicalApps is going to prepare a detailed explanatory tutorial for how to use Nearpod within the next month so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Source: Medical Apps

 

Women on morning pills twice as likely to have serious eye disease

A new study has suggested that that women who have taken oral contraceptives for three or more years are twice as likely to suffer from glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness which affects nearly 60 million worldwide.

Researchers at University of California, San Francisco, Duke University School of Medicine and Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China utilized 2005-2008 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), administered by the Centers for Disease Control, which included 3,406 female participants aged 40 years or older from across the United States who completed the survey’s vision and reproductive health questionnaire and underwent eye exams.

They found that females who had used oral contraceptives, no matter which kind, for longer than three years are 2.05 times more likely to also report that they have the diagnosis of glaucoma.

Although the results of the study do not speak directly to the causative effect of oral contraceptives on the development of glaucoma, it indicates that long-term use of oral contraceptives might be a potential risk factor for glaucoma, and may be considered as part of the risk profile for a patient together with other existing risk factors.

These include factors such as African American- ethnicity, family history of glaucoma, history of increased eye pressure or existing visual field defects.

Source: Business Standard

 

Aldi Rizal, Chain Smoking Toddler, Picks Up Junk Food Addiction

Indonesia’s chain-smoking baby has kicked the habit. Aldi Rizal, the 2-year-old Indonesia boy who picked up the horrific habit of smoking 40 cigarettes a day has picked up a new habit.

The now five-year-old boy has picked up a food addiction. His huge appetite has seen him gorge on junk food and fatty snacks. According to The Sun, Rizal weigh 56 pounds, due to his unhealthy

A new documentary series revisits the family two years later to find out how Rizal is getting on and reveals he has managed to stay off the cigarettes, but he’s still dangerously unhealthy. The young boy’s mother said her son begs for food in the same way he used to beg for cigarettes, and the family struggles not to give in to his tantrums.

“When Ardi first quit smoking he would demand a lot of toys,” his 28-year-old mother, Diane said. “He would bang his head on the wall if he couldn’t get what he wanted… Now I don’t give him cigarettes, but he eats a lot. With so many people living in the house it’s hard to stop him from getting food.”

Nutritionist Fransisca Dewi said the young boy is overweight and his ideal weight should be 17kg to 19kg. He’s 24kg already.

“I think it is difficult for them. The mother says Aldi is a spoilt kid,” Dewi said. “If she wants to forbid him eating, it will be hard. She will need the cooperation from the entire household. One obvious thing is they let him have too much condensed milk. He drinks three cans a day and eats too many carbohydrates.”

Loved ones are now trying, again, to steer the young boy in the right direction, by feeding him a steady diet of fruit and vegetables. Diane said she is trying to persuade her son’s siblings and the rest of the family not to give in and provide him with junk food when she is not around.

Rizal early smoking habits may contribute to his current weight problems, as nicotine affects hormone, insulin and glucose levels in the body.

According to The Mirror, Rizal quit smoking in a rehabilitation program set up by the Indonesian government. Rizal’s smoking habit even caused such outrage that the administration launched a nationwide campaign to end childhood smoking.

During his rehabilitation treatment, Aldi saw psychiatrists who encouraged his mother to keep him busy with playing and taught her about the dangers of smoking. Diane said people still offer her son cigarettes even though he has kicked the habit.

 

Source: Food World News

 

New York City bans tobacco sales to people under age 21

Mayor Bloomberg signed the legislation, which makes the city’s tobacco laws among the nations most stringent

Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed landmark legislation Tuesday banning the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21, making New York the first large city or state in the country to prohibit sales to young adults.

During a brief ceremony at City Hall, Bloomberg said rising the legal purchase age from 18 to 21 will help prevent young people from experimenting with tobacco at the age when they are most likely to become addicted. City health officials say 80 percent of smokers start before age 21.

The mayor, a former smoker, also signed companion legislation setting a minimum price for all cigarettes sold in the city to $10.50 per pack. That law also bans retailers from offering coupons, 2-for-1 specials or discounts.

In signing the bills, Bloomberg deflected criticism from some retailers that the measures would prove economically harmful and lead to job losses.

“This is an issue of whether we are going to kill people,” Bloomberg said. People who raise the economic argument, he said, “really ought to look in the mirror and be ashamed.”

The ban has limitations in its ability to stop young people from picking up the deadly habit. Teenagers can still possess tobacco legally. Kids will still be able to steal cigarettes from their parents, bum them from friends or buy them from the black-market dealers who are common in many neighborhoods.

But City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said the idea is to make it more inconvenient for young people to get started, especially young teens who had previously had easy access to cigarettes through slightly older peers.

“Right now, an 18-year-old can buy for a 16-year-old,” he said. Once the law takes effect, in 180 days, Farley said, that 16-year-old would “have to find someone in college or out in the workforce.”

Source: Aljazeera America

Stress reduction through meditation could help slow Alzheimer’s progression

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A new study has suggested that the brain changes associated with meditation and stress reduction could play an important role in slowing the progression of age-related cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

First author Rebecca Erwin Wells, MD, MPH, who conducted her research as a fellow in Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School, said that they know that as people age, there’s a high correlation between perceived stress and Alzheimer’s disease, so they wanted to know if stress reduction through meditation might improve cognitive reserve.

Wells evaluated adults between the ages of 55 and 90 in BIDMC’s Cognitive Neurology Unit. 14 adults diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment were included in the study.

Participants were randomized two to one either to a group who participated in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) using meditation and yoga, or a control group who received normal care.

The study group met for two hours each week for eight weeks. They also participated in a day-long mindfulness retreat, and were encouraged to continue their practice at home for 15 to 30 minutes per day.

All participants underwent a functional MRI (fMRI) at baseline and then again after eight weeks to determine if there were any changes in the structures of the brain or in brain activity. The neuroimaging was conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Martinos Center.

The results of fMRI imaging showed that the group engaged in MBSR had significantly improved functional connectivity in the areas of the default mode network. Additionally, as expected, both groups experienced atrophy of the hippocampus, but those who practiced MBSR experienced less atrophy.

The study has been published online in journal Neuroscience Letters.

Source: Ani News