Medical Information - At Your Finger Tips!

Peptic ulcer self-care

2007-12-24T11:49:00.001+05:30

Before the discovery of H. pylori, doctors often advised people with ulcers to eat a restricted diet and reduce the amount of stress in their lives. Now that food and stress have been eliminated as direct causes of ulcers, these factors are no longer of as much importance. However, while an ulcer is healing, it's still advisable to watch what you eat and to control stress. Acidic or spicy foods may increase ulcer pain. The same is true for stress. Stress may increase acid and slow digestion, allowing food and digestive acid to remain in your stomach and intestines for a longer period. If stress is severe, it may delay the healing of an ulcer.

Your doctor may also give you this advice:

Don't smoke. Smoking may interfere with the protective lining of the stomach, making your stomach more susceptible to the development of an ulcer. Smoking also increases stomach acid.
Limit or avoid alcohol. Excessive use of alcohol can irritate and erode the mucous lining in your stomach and intestines, causing inflammation and bleeding.
Avoid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). If you use pain relievers regularly, use acetaminophen (Tylenol, others).
Control acid reflux. If you have an esophageal ulcer — usually associated with acid reflux — you can take several steps to help manage acid reflux. These include avoiding spicy and fatty foods, avoiding reclining after meals for at least three hours, raising the head of your bed and reducing your weight. Avoiding smoking, alcohol and NSAIDs also may help to control acid reflux.

Peptic ulcer treatment

2007-12-24T11:48:00.001+05:30

Because many ulcers stem from H. pylori bacteria, doctors use a two-pronged approach to peptic ulcer treatment:

Kill the bacteria.
Reduce the level of acid in your digestive system to relieve pain and encourage healing.

Accomplishing these two goals requires the use of at least two, and sometimes three or four, of the following medications:

Antibiotic medications. Doctors use combinations of antibiotics to treat H. pylori because one antibiotic alone isn't sufficient to kill the organism. For the treatment to work, it's essential that you follow your doctor's instructions precisely. Antibiotics commonly prescribed for treatment of H. pylori include amoxicillin (Amoxil), clarithromycin (Biaxin) and metronidazole (Flagyl). Some companies package a combination of two antibiotics together, with an acid suppressor or cytoprotective agent specifically for treatment of H. pylori infection. These combination treatments are sold under the names Prevpac and Helidac. You'll likely need to take antibiotics for two weeks, depending on their type and number. Other medications prescribed in conjunction with antibiotics generally are taken for a longer period.
Acid blockers. Acid blockers — also called histamine (H-2) blockers — reduce the amount of hydrochloric acid released into your digestive tract, which relieves ulcer pain and encourages healing. Acid blockers work by keeping histamine from reaching histamine receptors. Histamine is a substance normally present in your body. When it reacts with histamine receptors, the receptors signal acid-secreting cells in your stomach to release hydrochloric acid. Available by prescription or over-the-counter (OTC), acid blockers include the medications ranitidine (Zantac), famotidine (Pepcid), cimetidine (Tagamet) and nizatidine (Axid).
Antacids. Your doctor may include an antacid in your drug regimen. An antacid may be taken in addition to an acid blocker or in place of one. Instead of reducing acid secretion, antacids neutralize existing stomach acid and can provide rapid pain relief.
Proton pump inhibitors. Another way to reduce stomach acid is to shut down the "pumps" within acid-secreting cells. Proton pump inhibitors reduce acid by blocking the action of these tiny pumps. These drugs include the prescription medications omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid), rabeprazole (Aciphex) and esomeprazole (Nexium). The drug pantoprozole (Protonix) can be taken orally or administered intravenously in the hospital. Proton pump inhibitors are frequently prescribed to promote the healing of peptic ulcers. If you are admitted to the hospital with a bleeding ulcer, taking intravenous proton pump inhibitors decreases the chance that bleeding will recur. Proton pump inhibitors also appear to inhibit H. pylori. However, long-term use of proton pump inhibitors, particularly at high doses, may increase your risk of hip fracture.
Cytoprotective agents. In some cases, your doctor may prescribe these medications that help protect the tissues that line your stomach and small intestine. They include the prescription medications sucralfate (Carafate) and misoprostol (Cytotec). Another nonprescription cytoprotective agent is bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol). In addition to protecting the lining of your stomach and intestines, bismuth preparations appear to inhibit H. pylori activity.

If H. pylori isn't identified in your system, then it's likely that your ulcer is due to NSAIDs — which you should quit using, if possible — or acid reflux, which can cause esophageal ulcers. In both cases, your doctor will try to reduce acid levels — through use of acid blockers, antacids or proton pump inhibitors — and may also have you use cytoprotective drugs.

Ulcers that fail to heal
Peptic ulcers that don't heal with treatment are called refractory ulcers. There are many reasons why an ulcer may fail to heal. Not taking medications according to directions is one reason. Another is that some types of H. pylori are resistant to antibiotics. Other factors that can interfere with the healing process include regular use of tobacco, alcohol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Sometimes the problem is accidental: People are unaware that a medication they're taking contains an NSAID.

In rare cases, refractory ulcers may be a result of:

Extreme overproduction of stomach acid, such as occurs in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
An infection other than H. pylori
Stomach cancer
Other digestive diseases, including Crohn's disease or cancer

Treatment for refractory ulcers generally involves eliminating factors that may interfere with healing, along with stronger doses of ulcer medications. Sometimes, additional medications may be included. Surgery to help heal an ulcer is necessary only when the ulcer doesn't respond to aggressive drug treatment.

Peptic ulcer complications

2007-12-24T11:47:00.001+05:30

Left untreated, peptic ulcers can cause internal bleeding and can eat a hole through the wall of your stomach or small intestine, putting you at risk of serious infection of your abdominal cavity (peritonitis). Peptic ulcers can also produce scar tissue that can obstruct passage of food through the digestive tract, causing you to become full easily, to vomit and to lose weight.

Peptic ulcer screening and diagnosis

2007-12-24T11:46:00.001+05:30

In order to detect an ulcer, your doctor may have you undergo the following diagnostic tests:

Upper gastrointestinal (upper GI) X-ray. Your doctor may begin with this test, which outlines your esophagus, stomach and duodenum. During the X-ray, you swallow a white, metallic liquid (containing barium) that coats your digestive tract and makes an ulcer more visible. An upper GI X-ray can detect some ulcers, but not all.
Endoscopy. This procedure may follow an upper GI X-ray if the X-ray suggests a possible ulcer, or your doctor may perform endoscopy first. In this more sensitive procedure, a long, narrow tube with an attached camera is threaded down your throat and esophagus into your stomach and duodenum. With this instrument, your doctor can view your upper digestive tract and identify an ulcer.

If your doctor detects an ulcer, he or she may remove small tissue samples (biopsy) near the ulcer. These samples are examined under a microscope to rule out cancer. A biopsy can also identify the presence of H. pylori in your stomach lining. Depending on where the ulcer is found, your doctor may recommend a repeat endoscopy after two to three months to confirm that the ulcer is healing.

Additional tests
In addition to a biopsy, these other tests can determine if the cause of your ulcer is H. pylori infection:

Blood test. This test checks for the presence of H. pylori antibodies. A disadvantage of this test is that it sometimes can't differentiate between past exposure and current infection. After H. pylori bacteria have been eradicated, you may still have a positive result for many months.
Breath test. This procedure uses a radioactive carbon atom to detect H. pylori. First, you blow into a small plastic bag, which is then sealed. Then, you drink a small glass of clear, tasteless liquid. The liquid contains radioactive carbon as part of a substance (urea) that will be broken down by H. pylori. Thirty minutes later, you blow into a second bag, which also is sealed. If you're infected with H. pylori, your second breath sample will contain the radioactive carbon in the form of carbon dioxide.

The advantage of the breath test is that it can monitor the effectiveness of treatment used to eradicate H. pylori, detecting when the bacteria have been killed or eradicated. With the blood test, H. pylori antibodies may sometimes still be present a year or more after the infection is gone.
Stool antigen test. This test checks for H. pylori in stool samples. It's useful both in helping to diagnose H. pylori infection and in monitoring the success of treatment.

Peptic ulcer when to seek medical advice

2007-12-24T11:45:00.001+05:30

An ulcer isn't something that you should treat on your own, without a doctor's help. Over-the-counter antacids and acid blockers may relieve the gnawing pain, but the relief is short-lived. If you have signs or symptoms of an ulcer, see your doctor. With a doctor's help, you can find prompt relief of ulcer pain as well as a complete healing of the ulcer.

Peptic ulcer Causes

2007-12-24T11:44:00.003+05:30

Depending on their location, peptic ulcers have different names:

Gastric ulcer. This is a peptic ulcer that occurs in your stomach.
Duodenal ulcer. This type of peptic ulcer develops in the first part of the small intestine (duodenum).
Esophageal ulcer. An esophageal ulcer is usually located in the lower section of your esophagus. It's often associated with chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

The culprit in most cases
Although stress and spicy foods were once thought to be the main causes of peptic ulcers, doctors now know that the cause of most ulcers is the corkscrew-shaped bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).

H. pylori lives and multiplies within the mucous layer that covers and protects tissues that line the stomach and small intestine. Often, H. pylori causes no problems. But sometimes it can disrupt the mucous layer and inflame the lining of the stomach or duodenum, producing an ulcer. One reason may be that people who develop peptic ulcers already have damage to the lining of the stomach or small intestine, making it easier for bacteria to invade and inflame tissues.

H. pylori is a common gastrointestinal infection around the world. In the United States, one in five people younger than 30 and half the people older than 60 are infected. Although it's not clear exactly how H. pylori spreads, it may be transmitted from person to person by close contact, such as kissing. People may also contract H. pylori through food and water.

H. pylori is the most common, but not the only, cause of peptic ulcers. Besides H. pylori, other causes of peptic ulcers, or factors that may aggravate them, include:

Regular use of pain relievers. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can irritate or inflame the lining of your stomach and small intestine. The medications are available both by prescription and over-the-counter. Nonprescription NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Aleve) and ketoprofen (Orudis KT). To help avoid digestive upset, take NSAIDs with meals.

NSAIDs inhibit production of an enzyme (cyclooxygenase) that produces prostaglandins. These hormone-like substances help protect your stomach lining from chemical and physical injury. Without this protection, stomach acid can erode the lining, causing bleeding and ulcers.
Smoking. Nicotine in tobacco increases the volume and concentration of stomach acid, increasing your risk of an ulcer. Smoking may also slow healing during ulcer treatment.
Excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol can irritate and erode the mucous lining of your stomach and increases the amount of stomach acid that's produced. It's uncertain, however, whether this alone can progress into an ulcer or whether other contributing factors must be present, such as H. pylori bacteria or ulcer-causing medications, such as NSAIDs.
Stress. Although stress per se isn't a cause of peptic ulcers, it's a contributing factor. Stress may aggravate symptoms of peptic ulcers and, in some cases, delay healing. You may undergo stress for a number of reasons — an emotionally disturbing circumstance or event, surgery, or a physical trauma, such as a burn or other severe injury.

Peptic ulcer Signs and symptoms

2007-12-24T11:44:00.001+05:30

Burning pain is the most common peptic ulcer symptom. The pain is caused by the ulcer and is aggravated by stomach acid coming in contact with the ulcerated area. The pain typically may:

Be felt anywhere from your navel to your breastbone
Last from a few minutes to many hours
Be worse when your stomach is empty
Flare at night
Often be temporarily relieved by eating certain foods that buffer stomach acid or by taking an acid-reducing medication
Come and go for a few days or weeks

Less often, ulcers may cause severe signs or symptoms such as:

The vomiting of blood — which may appear red or black
Dark blood in stools or stools that are black or tarry
Nausea or vomiting
Unexplained weight loss
Chest pain

Peptic ulcer Introduction

2007-12-24T11:43:00.001+05:30

Too much stress, too much spicy food, and you may be headed for an ulcer — that was the way the thinking used to go.

Peptic ulcers are open sores that develop on the inside lining of your stomach, upper small intestine or esophagus. The most common symptom of a peptic ulcer is pain.

Not long ago, the common belief was that peptic ulcers were a result of lifestyle. Doctors now know that a bacterial infection or some medications — not stress or diet — cause most ulcers of the stomach and upper part of the small intestine (duodenum). Esophageal ulcers also may occur and are typically associated with the reflux of stomach acid.

Peptic ulcers are common, and oftentimes successful treatment of peptic ulcers takes just a few weeks.

FDA: Nexium, Prilosec OK for Heart

2007-12-23T00:34:00.001+05:30

By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

Dec. 10, 2007 -- The FDA today confirmed that it sees no likely link between heart attacks or other heart risks and the long-term use of Prilosec and Nexium, which are drugs that treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

"We have completed our safety review ... and it is our assessment that the studies do not show a risk for heart attack or heart-related problems,"�Paul Seligman, MD, said in a press conference. Seligman is the associate director for safety policy and communication at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Cont.... www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=85756

all(R) Free Clear Center for People with Sensitive Skin

2007-12-23T00:32:00.001+05:30

all^® Free Clear is recommended most by dermatologists and allergists — doctors who know the most about caring for your family's sensitive skin and allergies. Specially formulated for people with sensitive skin, all^® Free Clear is:

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Now available in a special formula for high efficiency (HE) machines

Over-70 Adults Get New Food Pyramid

2007-12-23T00:29:00.001+05:30

Stress on Nutrient-Rich, High-Fiber Foods, Not Supplements

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Medical News

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

Dec. 20, 2007 -- A prominent nutrition group has updated its food pyramid for over-70 adults, stressing nutrient- and fiber-rich foods over supplements.

People tend to become less active and to eat less as they age. This makes them vulnerable to getting too few nutrients, note Tufts University nutrition expert Alice H. Lichtenstein, ScD, and colleagues.

Moreover, older adults may not be as Internet savvy as younger adults, making it hard for them to use the USDA's official, web-based "MyPyramid" food guide. So Lichtenstein's team has updated their 1999 "Modified Food Guide Pyramid" for older adults to create their new "Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults" in print form.

cont... www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=85996

Moderate Exercise Cuts Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

2007-12-23T00:25:00.001+05:30

By Kathleen Doheny
Health Day Reporter

MONDAY, Dec. 17 (Health Day News) -- A brisk 30-minute walk most days of the week is enough to undo metabolic syndrome, a health condition that can lead to heart disease, diabetes and stroke, a new study suggests.

"What we found was a modest amount of moderate intensity exercise was very effective in improving metabolic syndrome risk," said study author Johanna L. Johnson, a clinical researcher at Duke University Medical Center's department of medicine.
At the start of the study, 41 percent of the 171 participants had metabolic syndrome; at the end, just 27 percent did. The study was published in the Dec. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.

About one-quarter of all U.S. adults have metabolic syndrome, a collection of risk factors that can eventually set you up for more serious health problems. While some experts debate the validity of considering metabolic syndrome a disease unto itself, the risk factors are potentially dangerous. They include a large waist circumference; high blood pressure; high levels of triglycerides; low levels of good (HDL) cholesterol; and high blood sugar. If you have three or more of the five risk factors, you have metabolic syndrome.

Johnson and her colleagues looked at the effects of different amounts and intensities of exercise.

Cont....http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=85894

What are steroid withdrawal symptoms?

2007-12-23T00:19:00.001+05:30

Steroid withdrawal symptoms can mimic many other medical problems. Weakness , fatigue, decreased appetite, weight loss , nausea , vomiting , diarrhea (which can lead to fluid and electrolyte abnormalities ), and abdominal pain are common. Blood pressure can become too low, leading to dizziness or fainting . Blood sugar levels may drop. Women also may note menstrual changes . Less often, joint pain , muscle aches, fever , mental changes, or elevations of calcium may be noted. Decrease in gastrointestinal contractions can occur, leading to dilation of the intestine (ileus).

Natural cure of Black Spots

2007-12-21T13:07:00.001+05:30

*Make a paste with mehndi and oil and apply on the face
*Make a mixture of 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and glycerin and apply it on the spots
*Apply the paste of turmeric and curry leaves on the face and wash it after 15 minutes.
*Apply a mixture of mehndi and turmeric. For a piece of turmeric, 2-3 leaves of mehndi are used
*Grind dried basil leaf, neem and mint (100 gm each). Add some turmeric powder and rose water to make it in a paste form and apply it on the spots.
*Grind betel leaf and add a little coconut oil and apply it on the spots
*Soak a chappathi in milk overnight . Make it into a paste and apply it on black heads. Repeat for several days.
*Make a paste of saffron and add some honey , apply it on the face to remove black spots.
*To remove black spots... apply a paste of turmeric and basil.
*To remove wrinkles on the face, apply a mixture of sandalwood powder, rosewater and glycerin. Wash with cold water after some time

Natural Cure of pimples

2007-12-21T13:04:00.001+05:30

Apply a mixture of turmeric and neem on the face .

A mixture of crushed mint leaves and oats will reduce pimples. Leave this for 20 minutes and wash it with warm water.

Mix thick curd, turmeric and two drops of oil. Apply on the face.

Crush garlic and take the juice and apply it on the face daily to reduce pimples

Make a paste with sandal wood and turmeric and apply it on the face.

Laxatives And Weight Loss

2007-12-19T12:19:00.001+05:30

Laxatives are available in wide varieties in market and they are most famous products available in the market for weight loss. People-taking laxatives seems to be loosing weight because they reduce their caloric intake and food consumption. Laxatives makes large bowel empty and calories will be absorbed by small intestine. By taking laxatives body will loose fluid, which causes water retention. Laxatives remove water from the large bowl as well as food residue. Laxatives removes needed fluid from the body which leads to dehydration and dehydrations causes kidney damage, faint, weakness, etc, They also irritates intestinal. So before taking laxatives it's better to take suggestion of physician. Using laxatives is not the right way for losing weight.

Using the Laxatives is not the only ways to reduce the weight gained by calories and fat in the body. Laxatives are most often taken to treat constipation. Constipation is irregularity condition in digestive system. There are several types of laxatives available. Laxative abuse is potentially serious as they lead to intestinal paralysis. Bulk form laxatives are not digested but absorb liquid in the intestines and swell to form bulk mass. Weight loss is guarantee by using laxatives but there is maximum chance of side effects, which causes permanent damage of GT tract, and it also leads to the bones weakness.

In market these laxatives are sold as low calorie and bowel cleaning products. But in real they are low calorie products and low nutrient products. These laxatives cause effect on fertility process in women. The pregnant women should not take these laxatives. It is best use those products, which are safe and natural for weight loss than using the products, which are harmful to our health. Best ways to lose weight taking healthy diet plan and doing exercise regularly. We can also go for brisk walk daily for 30 minutes. We should warm our body before doing exercises. If we want use theses products then it's better to take suggestion of physician and know the dosage and correct usage as they effects the health. We should take right procedure for losing weight. People want to lose weight fastly and they follow the easiest but they will not know the side effect that occurs by them. There are different types of laxatives such as lubricant laxatives, saline laxatives, and stimulant laxatives. stimulant laxatives are harshest laxatives. Thus is not safe to use laxatives for weight loss as it causes severe side effects.

Weight Loss and Laxatives - Conclusion

Using laxatives is not a good way to lose weight. Most weight loss is usually fluid-loss and health dangers can be significant. In a nutshell, taking laxatives for weight control or weight loss purposes is neither good for fat-loss, nor good for health. Prolonged use leads to cramps, bloating, water retention and - when laxative-use stops - withdrawal symptoms.

Healthy diet

2007-12-19T12:18:00.001+05:30

Diet is the key factor that affects your health. Having healthy diet is one of the most important things you can do help your life from health problems such as heart attack, blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol problems. We can find whether we are overweight or obese by body mass index (BMI). Health risk increases as the BMI increases.

Good nutrition food helps in having BMI in healthy range or either loose weight. Diet food should have small number of calories; it should contain fiber vegetables and fruits, foods prepared with less sodium or salt. Proteins are the essential part of your diet.

There are different kinds of fats such as saturated fats, which are found in food from animals. All kinds of fats have some amount of calories and need to be limited to prevent from overweight. By making changes in your eating habits, we can control blood pressure and also heart problems. Fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes are high in carbohydrates, rich in proteins and vitamins, minerals, low in fat. Cholesterol intake should be less than 300 milligrams per day. It is found in animal products, such as milk, meat, poultry etc.,. Maintain calcium content in the food as it necessary for bones to be strong. We should get minerals and vitamins from food but not from the supplements. Exercise and walking is also necessary for good health equally to the good diet. Excess alcohol consumption will lead to variety of health problems. Eat fish and nuts, which have healthy unsaturated fats. We should maintain balance between calories we take and calories burnt.

Total fat should be 30% of total calories we take daily. Carbohydrates should not be more than 300milligrams per day. Food should be free from caffeine and other food activities. Thus by taking healthy food we can prevent our body from obesity and overweight which further helps from health problems such as blood pressure, heart attack, cholesterol and also from depressions and tensions so that we can be always be fit and active. The easy and best way to achieve the healthy life is by taking health and diet food with diet plan. Metabolism of our body should not be low it should be high for good health. We can eat vegetables, bread, etc which are low in calories and rich in proteins. So following diet plan with healthy food keeps us from all health problems such as overweight and obesity.

Achieving Weight Loss

2007-12-19T12:16:00.001+05:30

There are lots of people who are over weight think how to be healthier, How to look and feel better, no matter what the reason is successful weight loss and healthy weight management depends on sensible goals and expectations. If you set some sensible goals for yourself then there is a chance you are likely to meet them and have a better chance of keeping the weight off. In fact losing some percent of weight is the kind of goal and that can improve your healthy automatically. Most of the people who are over weight should lose their weight gradually for safe and healthy weight loss. you should not try to exceed a rate of two pounds per week. Sometime people with serious health problems associated with obesity may have some reasons for losing weight rapidly.

Successful weight loss and weight management should follow some factors. First you think what kind of food I am having then whether your lifestyle includes regular physical activities. The reason to ignore products and programs that promise quick and easy result, or that promise permanent results without permanent changes in your lifestyle. In fact some people would call it fraud and further the use of some products will not safe. Many people will be dieting because of different reasons to lose weight. Thought many people have different reasons that they want to lose weight because they want to lose weight and feel good inside themselves and gain confidence and improve their health so that they can prevent different diseases that are caused due to obesity in our body.

Deciding your purpose is just a huge step that is being made to follow a weight loss plan, which includes a proper exercise and healthy diet habits. With this approach you will definitely follow the entire route with great comfort and make wise decision throughout your life. To lose weight, people must burn more calories than they take in, a strategy that is made more difficult by sedentary jobs, elevators, cars and the easy availability of fast foods. You say a person who sits at a computer all day, takes the elevator to the snack machine a few times each day and drives to the pizza corner for dinner and may be few beers is a good candidate for weight problems. Unless and until these behaviors change all the diet drugs in the world wont make the person thin.

Overnight Weight Loss

2007-12-19T12:15:00.001+05:30

Now a days lots of people around the world want to lose weight in a quick and rapid pace for that they use different plans to lose that extra weight. The extra weight will affect your overall life and put you in depression and puts you in several health risks. There will be a positive changes in the individual experience if the weight is loss. If u want to loss any weight then consult good doctor or a nice physician so that they will give a better idea how to loss your weight. There are some aspects that you need to change which include what to eat, seeing your body language, add fiber to our diet and don't drink any drinks which contain lot of fluid.

In order to loss your weight you have to set some targets and goals realistically and need to take right decision and stay focused on your task. You must also need to improve your body language by means of diet. You should exercise daily to get ride of the fat in your body otherwise put on some muscle mass it will help you to lose extra pound effectively. Fiber is a very good source of food it is something that is not digested and helps you to give an individual a feeling of full and let the fat get absorbed into the system and keeps the body healthy. You should always keep away from dried foods such as popcorn and crackers as they contain more fat in it.do not fry the food as it contain more fat item in it, therefore it is better to use grilled food as they contain less amount of fat.

Drinking lot of amount of water will help your body hydrated. You must drink water daily around six to eight glasses by doing this it will help your body from losing the fat that is contained in the body. You should remember that when ever you start any exercise see that is done daily without any failure. You must be positive about what are you doing and keep your self belief up and high and should not fall back in negative things you should learn what should be eaten and what should not been eaten. Find out how the unmated food cravings with healthy eating strategies that are more realistic than healthy diet recommendations. Before starting any exercise you should walk for about twenty minutes and after that take a break and stretch for a while after that start doing the exercise one by one taking sometime this will make you tire but it will boost your morals to go for more but you must not overdo it even thought you have a lot of energies inside you.

Negative Calorie Foods

2007-12-19T12:14:00.003+05:30

Negative calorie foods are those which use more calories to digest in our body rather then they might have used normally. To say literally all foods are not negative calorie rather they a good in calorie content, it all depends upon the body how it reacts to the situation while the digestion process is being undertaken inside the abdomen of every individual. These foods make the body to work a lot and stress it to get the calories out of them, so the result is that we will be having a fat content which is very less and chances of reducing our weight less then during obesity.

There are many researches being done on this Negative calorie food concept, to mention here one Dr. Dean Ornish, M.D ., of the University of California , at San Francisco, he made a research by providing a vegetarian food consisting of fruits and vegetables to certain group of people who are suffering from heart disease, to his surprise he found the results that there is a weight loss of nearly 20 pounds without cutting calories or limiting serving sizes. These patients were nearly 40 years old, and another point to note here is that there is no exercise program for the above research subjects.

There are few list of Negative calorie food, to mention a few here are : asparagus, beet, broccoli, green cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery root, celery chicory, hot chili peppers, cucumber, dandelion, endive, garden cress, garlic, green beans, zucchini, apple, cranberries, grape fruit, lemon mangoes, orange, pineapple raspberries, strawberries, tangerine, lamb's lettuce, onion, papaya, radishes, spinach and turnip. A lot of research has been done to categorize that the above mentioned foods come under as Negative Calorie foods.

There are a lot of contradictions regards this concept, though some have done a lot of research and found out that they have some foods that are negative calorie foods many still believe that no such concept exists in this subject related to nutrition and calorie production inside our body. Some say that how can we have any such foods which really take a lot of calorie from our body in order to get themselves digested, if that happens then the individual who takes it must be falling as a prey very easily to many diseases since he will be loosing his energy like anything and will also be a person to decrease his resistance level.

Best Weight Loss Programs

2007-12-19T12:14:00.001+05:30

Nowadays obesity is the worldwide problem and there are wide ranges of programs to weight loss. The easiest way of diet loss program is following diet plan. Diet plan contains balanced food that contains low calories and low saturated fats. If we don't have diet plan then there is a chance of overweight and obesity that leads to health problems such as heart attack, diabetes, cholesterol, depressions, tensions, etc., so its better to follow regular diet plan. If we follow diet plan for some days and take a break then we will be back to the obesity stage.

There are wide ranges of weight loss programs. By taking low calorie food we can control the overweight but we should not be hungry and keep ourselves starving to lose weight. Keeping stomach is not the correct way in diet process. We should take food but with required quantity of proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, and calories. Food we take should be high in proteins and low in carbohydrates. We should take vegetables and meat we should avoid dairy products, fats products as they contains fat in very large quantity. If we take products more in our diet then it will lead to cholesterol that will leads to heart problems.

If we take carbohydrates more then there is risk to health as carbohydrates changes their form in fats and taking fats is not good for health. So we should take carbohydrates in less quantity in our diet. When we buy food products we should see the quantity of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, calcium, fats and calories. We should eat low fat food, which are rich in proteins such as fish, chicken, vegetables, grains, and nuts, which are also low in calcium. while following these diet plans we should also do exercise and walking regularly which keeps our body fit and active which helps us from tensions and depressions.

There are some other weight loss programs such as diet pills, etc but there is chance of side effects to our health so it is better to take a diet plan by consulting a good physician and following the suggestions given by him as it will help us from future health problems such as heart attack, depression, etc. To avoid obesity we should take of our diet plan regularly and we should also check our weight regularly from the day we start our diet plan. So it is safe to take diet plan regularly rather than keeping hungry.

Mesothelioma causes

2007-12-19T12:11:00.003+05:30

In general, cancer begins with a genetic mutation that turns normal, healthy cells into abnormal cells. Healthy cells grow and multiply at a set rate, eventually dying at a set time. Abnormal cells grow and multiply out of control, and they don't die. The accumulating abnormal cells form a mass (tumor). Cancer cells invade nearby tissues and can break off from an initial tumor to spread elsewhere in the body (metastasize).

It isn't clear what causes the initial genetic mutation that leads to mesothelioma, though researchers have identified factors that may increase the risk. It's likely that cancers form because of an interaction between many factors, such as inherited conditions, your environment, your health conditions and your lifestyle choices.

Mesothelioma signs and symptoms

2007-12-19T12:11:00.001+05:30

Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma vary depending on where the cancer occurs.

Pleural mesothelioma signs and symptoms may include:

Shortness of breath
Painful breathing
Chest pain under the rib cage
Unusual lumps of tissue under the skin on your chest
Unexplained weight loss
Dry (nonproductive) cough

Peritoneal mesothelioma signs and symptoms may include:

Abdominal pain
Abdominal swelling
A change in your bowel habits, such as more frequent diarrhea or constipation
Lumps of tissue in the abdomen
Unexplained weight loss

Signs and symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma and mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis are unclear. These forms are so rare that not much information is available. Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis may be first detected as a mass on a testicle. Pericardial mesothelioma signs and symptoms may include difficulty breathing and fever.

Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma that has spread to other parts of the body include:

Pain in the area where cancer has spread
Difficulty swallowing
Swelling in the neck and face

Mesothelioma info

2007-12-18T22:38:00.001+05:30

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer. It is a cancer of mesothelial cells. These cells cover the outer surface of most of our internal body organs, forming a lining that is sometimes called the mesothelium. So this is where this type of cancer gets its name.
The tissues lining (or covering) the lungs are called the pleura. There are two pleura. These can be called pleural membranes. The gap between them is called the pleural space . The pleura are fibrous sheets. They help to protect the lungs. They produce a lubricating fluid that fills the gap between the two pleura. This helps the lungs to move smoothly in the chest when they are inflating and deflating as we breathe.
Mesothelioma is most often diagnosed in the pleura. This is known as pleural mesothelioma. Because it is so close, pleural mesothelioma can also affect the sheet of tissue covering the heart - the pericardium. Doctors call the pericardium the lining, although it is on the outside of the heart. It protects the heart and allows it to move smoothly within the sac that surrounds it. So it does much the same job for the heart as the pleura do for the lungs.
The peritoneum
The tissue lining the abdomen is called the peritoneum. It helps to protect the contents of the abdomen. It also produces a lubricating fluid. This helps the organs to move smoothly inside the abdomen as we move around.
Mesothelioma of the tissues lining the abdominal cavity is known as peritoneal mesothelioma. It is much less common than pleural mesothelioma.
It is unusual for mesothelioma to spread to other parts of the body. But if it does, it does not usually cause troublesome symptoms.
Benign mesothelioma
There is a form of non cancerous (benign) mesothelioma that can develop in the lining of the lungs, or in the lining of the reproductive organs. It can occur in either men or women.

Where can I find information on living with mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma Aid is a good website for resource for families dealing with mesothelioma. It includes advice and referrals to other resources for coping with cancer, caregiving, financial challenges, and support groups. Alternatively, contact us here at Mesothelioma Web for help finding resouces for living with this disease.

How long does it take after exposure for the disease to show up?
People exposed in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma because of the long latency period of asbestos disease.
How do you get Mesothelioma?
Most people with malignant mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they breathed asbestos. Others have been exposed to asbestos in a household environment, often without knowing it. More about the different ways in which people have been exposed to asbestos.

Mesothelioma

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People diagnosed with this disease are often told the expected survival rate is only eight to twelve months. However, specialists in treating malignant mesothelioma at the leading cancer centers often have better statistics. For instance, the five-year survival rate has approached 40% for selected patients of Dr. David Sugarbaker at Brigham and Women's Center in Boston. To qualify for Dr. Sugarbaker's treatment you must meet certain criteria. One of them is being in the early stages of the disease, so time is of the essence.

Diagnostic Procedures

Thoracoscopy enables a physician to evaluate the pleural cavity and to conduct multiple tissue biopsies under direct vision. In up to 98% of cases, a definitive diagnosis can be obtained. Often, chemical pleurodesis aimed at relieving the accumulation of fluid in the intrapleural space, can be accomplished during the same procedure. It is also possible to gauge the extent of the tumor, and make a determination of surgical resectability. While less invasive than an open biopsy, it can only be performed on patients where tumor has not obliterated the pleural space.
VATS, or video-assisted thoracic surgery is an alternative to thoracoscopy, although because of its more invasive nature, concerns of tumor seeding increase. By utilizing small incisions, the physician can view the pleural space with the assistance of a camera, and obtain sufficient tissue samples for analysis by a pathologist. Extent of the tumor ( i.e., pleural involvement, chest wall invasion) may also determined, and recommendation as to the type of debulking procedure necessary can be made at this time. However, specialists in treating malignant mesothelioma at the leading cancer centers often have better statistics. For instance, the five-year survival rate has approached 40% for selected patients of Dr. David Sugarbaker at Brigham and Women's Center in Boston. To qualify for Dr. Sugarbaker's treatment you must meet certain criteria. One of them is being in the early stages of the disease, so time is of the essence.
In January 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the MESOMARK assay to help monitor response to treatment in epithelial and bi-phasic malignant mesothelioma patients. A specific protein, or biomarker, called Soluble Mesothelin-Related Peptide (SMRP), may be released into the blood by mesothelioma cancer cells. By measuring the amount of SMRP in a blood sample, doctors may be able to better monitor a patient's progress. Based on the limited amount of data currently available, use of this test may be beneficial, but effectiveness has not been determined at this time. The MESOMARK blood test has NOT yet been approved for the early diagnosis of mesothelioma.
Those wishing to take part in MESOMARK testing will be asked to provide one or more samples of blood. The blood samples will then be sent to a national reference laboratory for testing. In conjunction with other clinical and laboratory data obtained by your doctor, decisions regarding your treatment and care may be simplified. You may discontinue testing at any time.

The Rheumatologist’s Role In Treating AS

2007-12-18T20:55:00.001+05:30

Rheumatologists are uniquely educated to diagnose and treat AS and can also serve as educators to other physicians and patients about this disease. Rheumatologists in basic and clinical research are the leaders in improving our understanding and treatment of this disease.

Ankylosing Spondylitis Treatment

2007-12-18T20:54:00.000+05:30

The severity of joint involvement and the degree of systemic symptoms vary greatly from one individual to another. Early, accurate diagnosis and therapy may minimize years of pain and disability.

Medical treatment consists of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications. Indomethacin is most effective, while sulfasalazine may benefit those with more severe involvement. Peripheral joint arthritis may respond to methotrexate.

Rehabilitation therapies are essential. Proper sleep and walking positions, coupled with abdominal and back exercises, help maintain posture. Exercises help maintain joint flexibility. Breathing exercises enhance lung capacity, and swimming provides aerobic exercise. Even with optimal treatment, some people will develop a stiff or "ankylosed" spine, but they will remain functional if this fusion occurs in an upright position. Continuing care is critical. AS is a lifelong problem, and people often fail to continue treatment, in which case permanent posture and mobility losses occur.

Ankylosing Spondylitis Diagnosis

2007-12-18T20:53:00.001+05:30

Delayed diagnosis is common because symptoms are often attributed to more common back problems. A dramatic loss of flexibility in the lumbar spine is an early sign of AS. Although most symptoms begin in the lumbar and sacroiliac areas, they may involve the neck and upper back as well. Arthritis may also occur in the shoulder, hips and feet. Some patients have eye inflammation, and more severe cases must be observed for heart valve involvement.

At times, AS may presage the development of inflammatory bowel disease, and some patients have fever, fatigue, weight loss, anemia, eye inflammation (called iritis), and more severe cases may involve heart valve dysfunction. Other disorders of the internal organs and bones mimic spondylarthropathies and must be distinguished. Laboratory evaluation may reveal an elevated sedimentation rate (an indicator of inflammation), anemia and a positive HLA-B27 assay. X-rays and bone scans may show characteristic changes.

Cause of Ankylosing spondylitis

2007-12-18T20:52:00.001+05:30

The cause of AS is not known, but all of the spondylarthropathies share a common genetic marker, called HLA-B27, in most affected individuals. In some cases, the disease occurs in these predisposed people after exposure to bowel or urinary tract infections.

Ankylosing Spondylitis

2007-12-18T20:45:00.000+05:30

Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis of the spine. It causes swelling between your vertebrae, which are the disks that make up your spine, and in the joints between your spine and pelvis. Ankylosing spondylitis is an autoimmune disease. This means your immune system, which normally protects your body from infection, attacks your body's own tissues. The disease is more common and more severe in men. It often runs in families.

Early symptoms include back pain and stiffness. These problems often start in late adolescence or early adulthood. Over time, ankylosing spondylitis can fuse your vertebrae together, limiting movement. Symptoms can worsen or improve or stop altogether. The disease has no cure, but medicines can relieve the pain, swelling and other symptoms. Exercise can also help.

Voltaren Gel Approved for Osteoarthritis

2007-12-18T20:44:00.000+05:30

(HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Voltaren Gel to treat osteoarthritis, maker Novartis AG said Monday.

It's the first prescription topical treatment for osteoarthritis that can be applied directly to the site of pain, the company said in a statement. In clinical testing, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) showed a 51 percent reduction in pain in both the knees and joints of the hands with minimal absorption of the drug by the body, minimizing side effects.

Osteoarthritis is a chronic condition characterized by breakdown of joint cartilage. Some 21 million people in the United States have the condition, and 72 million more may be at risk of developing OA by the year 2030, Novartis said.

Weight Loss Can Control Hypertension

2007-12-18T20:43:00.000+05:30

HealthDay News) -- An Italian study has identified overweight as a direct cause of high blood pressure. And it also showed that up to half of overweight people can bring down blood pressure to healthy levels by weight reduction.
But the weight loss has to be achieved before the borderline to outright obesity is crossed, said Dr. Roberto Fogari, professor of medicine at the University of Pavia. He was to present the study findings Friday at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association's Council for High Blood Pressure Research, in Tucson, Ariz.

It's important that the study linked overweight to high blood pressure, which usually is described as "essential," a medical term meaning that the cause is unknown, Fogari said.

"The study suggests that, in many cases, hypertension [high blood pressure] is not essential," he said. "It is secondary to overweight. So, in the first stages of overweight, if we can induce people to reduce overweight, they can also avoid being treated for hypertension."
The study included 210 men and women whose body mass index [a ratio of weight to height] was between 25 and 29.9, indicating overweight but just short of the 30 mark of obesity. Their systolic blood pressure was between 140 and 159, and their diastolic pressure was between 90 and 99, indicating moderately high blood pressure.

An individualized low-calorie diet was designed for each study participant. Some also were prescribed orlistat, a drug that prevents fat from being metabolized.
After six months, 53 percent of the men and 49 percent of the women in the study achieved normal body weight, and a 5 percent reduction in blood pressure.
"The other 50 percent of those in the study already had abnormal changes in the vascular tree [blood vessel system], so that hypertension was no longer reversible by losing weight," Fogari said.

The implication for practicing physicians who see moderately overweight people with high blood pressure is that their first goal should be weight reduction, he said.
"Only after six months of trying to reduce the patient's weight can a decision be made about drug treatment," Fogari said.

Dr. Daniel W. Jones, dean of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, and a spokesman for the American Heart Association, said the study finding "is not new news, but it is important news."
There have been a number of previous studies showing that weight loss can reduce blood pressure, Jones said. "But this is an increasingly important problem in societies around the world," he said. "Once you gain weight, you find it difficult to lose weight, which is why we focus so much on preventing obesity these days."
As for drug treatment of high blood pressure, about half of California adults diagnosed with hypertension do not take medication for it, another report presented at the same meeting found.

The study of 11,467 persons given a diagnosis of hypertension found that 49.4 percent were not taking drugs to reduce their blood pressure, said the report by researchers at the California Department of Public Health's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program.
There were some bright spots in the picture. Compliance was more than five times higher for those who had seen a doctor in the past year than for those who had not. And the compliance rate was twice as high for persons with health insurance than the uninsured.

Obesity Weakens Immune Response

2007-12-18T20:40:00.000+05:30

(HealthDay News) -- Obese people find it harder to fight infections, and a weakened immune response may be to blame, suggests a new study from Boston University researchers.
In experiments with mice infected with the bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis, obese mice had less ability to battle gum infection than their normal-weight counterparts, according to the report in this week's early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"For years, we have had difficulty understanding why obese people have difficulty clearing an infection," said lead researcher Dr. Salomon Amar, associate dean for research at the university's School of Dental Medicine.

"Now we understand that dysfunction in some of the mechanisms, as a result of the obesity, explain difficulty in clearing the infection and also the difficulty in wound healing," Amar said.

In the study, Amar's team tied silk threads infected with the bacteria around the molars of obese and normal-weight mice. They then compared the animals' responses to infection, by measuring both the amount of bone loss and the growth of the bacteria around their teeth.
The researchers found that the obese mice had a compromised immune response to the bacteria, which made the animals more susceptible to the infection.

Amar's group also looked at the animals' white blood cells, which are the main line of defense against infection. The white cells of obese mice had lower levels of an important signaling molecule, and some of the genes that fight inflammation were altered, the researchers found.

Why obesity has this effect isn't clear, but the researchers think it may involve a signaling pathway that controls a protein called NF-kB. Alterations in this protein may be caused by constant exposure to food, Amar explained. "At some point, the body doesn't respond properly to infection," he said.
The same mechanism is at work in humans, Amar added. In fact, studies in obese people have shown they are more likely to have gum disease than non-obese people. The disease is caused by bacteria, which causes inflammation and destruction of the bone underlying teeth.

Amar thinks that obese people need to be treated differently to help them fight infections. "We need to be more aggressive in the use of targeted antibiotics in infections among obese people," he said. "Also, we need to boost the immune response."
One expert agreed the finding sheds light on the connection between obesity and infection.

"Very interesting paper," said Dr. Sara G. Grossi, a senior research scientist at the Brody School of Medicine of East Carolina University. "This is a study that needed to be done, with very interesting results and implications for both obesity and periodontal disease -- two diseases that are easier to prevent than to treat."

Experts Issue Guidelines on Treating Low Back Pain

2007-12-18T20:39:00.000+05:30

(HealthDay News) -- Primary care doctors shouldn't routinely order MRIs, CT scans and other diagnostic tests for patients with nonspecific low back pain, according to new joint guidelines released by the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society.

The guidelines, which are published in the Oct. 2 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, include a method to guide primary care doctors and other clinicians in gathering and interpreting information during a patient's first visit. This formula would place them in one of three general categories:

Nonspecific low back pain, which affects about 85 percent of patients.
Back pain potentially associated with spinal conditions, such as spinal stenosis, sciatica, or vertebral compression fracture.
Back pain potentially associated with another specific cause, such as cancer.

According to the new guidelines, doctors should not routinely order imaging or other diagnostic tests such as MRIs, CAT scans, or X-rays for patients with nonspecific low back pain. Such tests should be reserved for patients with severe or progressive neurological deficits or suspected underlying conditions such as infection or cancer.

The panel of experts who developed the guidelines also reviewed evidence on drug therapies and non-drug treatments for acute and chronic low back pain.

"Almost all medications reviewed had some benefits, but they have risks," guidelines co-author Roger Chou, head of the American Pain Society Clinical Practice Guidelines Program, said in a prepared statement. "Acetaminophen, for example, is very safe but might not be effective. NSAIDs have gastrointestinal and cardiovascular risks. Opioids and muscle relaxers can provide relief for those with severe pain, but their potential benefits and risks should be weighed carefully."

"Patients who prefer not to take medication can benefit from non-drug treatments, such as acupuncture, spinal manipulations and massage therapy. None, however, are proven to be more effective than others to warrant recommendation as first-line therapy," Chou said.

Lumbar supports help prevent recurrent low back pain

2007-12-18T20:38:00.000+05:30

(Reuters Health) - Home care workers may experience fewer bouts of low back pain if they use lumbar supports, according to the first study to evaluate the devices in this setting.

"Low back pain is a major problem among home care workers," Dr. Pepijn D.D.M. Roelofs of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, who was involved in the study, told Reuters Health. The current study suggests that for home care workers who suffer from recurrent low back pain, the addition of lumbar supports to a short course on healthy work habits may curb episodes of low back pain.

While workers frequently use lumbar supports to prevent low back pain, there has been very little research on the effectiveness of the supports.
Roelofs and colleagues had 360 home care workers, whose jobs included housekeeping or helping with personal care in people's homes, take a course on healthy work habits. Half were also assigned to the lumbar support group, and were told to use the supports on the days when they expected they might experience pain. Study participants chose from four different adjustable elastic supports widely available in the US and Europe.

After a year, the researchers found, people who used the supports had about 53 fewer days of low back pain than those who did not use back supports. There was no difference between the groups in the amount of sick leave taken. This may have been because sick leave time was high, and a larger study sample would have been necessary to identify any difference, Roelofs said; it's also possible that low back pain isn't an important contributor to sick leave time.
More research is needed to see why some workers use the devices and others don't, and to understand how lumbar supports actually work to prevent pain, Roelofs and colleagues say.

"Nevertheless, low back pain remains a major problem in industrialized countries, and lumbar supports may be a valuable addition to secondary prevention in the workplace," they conclude.

NSAID Drug Therapy Fails to Ease Back Pain

2007-12-18T20:37:00.000+05:30

(HealthDay News) -- Two widely used treatments for acute low back pain -- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and spinal manipulation -- did not help patients in a carefully controlled study, Australian researchers report.

That's not especially surprising, American specialists said, because the evidence for their effectiveness has never been overwhelming. In fact, new recommendations for treating lower back pain take the lack of effectiveness of these treatments into account.
However, this is one of very few studies to provide solid documentation of what happens -- or doesn't -- with the treatments, the experts said.

"They just don't work better than placebo control," said Dr. Todd J. Albert, professor of orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery at Jefferson Medical College, who was not involved in the research. "But they are two common things that physicians do all the time. Patients come to a hospital feeling entitled to a treatment, and doctors feel they have to treat," he said.

The Australian study, done at the University of Sydney, included 240 people who had been treated with acetaminophen for low back pain without getting major relief. They were divided into four groups -- one getting the NSAID diclofenac (sold as Voltaren) at 100 milligrams per day and manipulative therapy, another getting the drug and a fake manipulative therapy, a third getting real manipulative therapy and a placebo drug, and the fourth getting a placebo drug and the fake manipulative therapy.

"Neither diclofenac nor spinal manipulative therapy gave clinically useful effects on the primary outcome of time to recovery," the researchers report in the Nov. 10 issue of The Lancet.
New guidelines just issued by the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society already advise against general use of the two therapies, noted Dr. Daniel Mazanec, associate director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Spinal Health.

"For this group of patients, with acute nonspecific low back pain with an average duration of nine days, the guidelines recommend the importance of staying active and [taking] relatively simple painkillers such as acetaminophen," Mazanec said.
Still, "this is the first study in a well-characterized group of patients to support the guidelines," he said.

The potential side effects of NSAIDs make avoiding them advisable if possible, Albert said. But one or another of them may still be used in individual cases, since different people may get some relief from one NSAID but not another, he said.

"There is individuality to response," he said.
Other NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve).

While diclofenac did not speed the progression to recovery from pain, "that doesn't mean it should not be used, because it may make patients more comfortable along the way," Albert said.
Side effects of NSAID treatment in the study included gastrointestinal disturbances, dizziness and heart palpitations. However, the incidence of such side effects was about the same in the group getting the placebo drug treatment, the researchers noted.

What is a nebuliser?

2007-12-17T20:53:00.002+05:30

A nebuliser works by turning the medicine into a fine mist, which is inhaled through a mask or mouthpiece. Nebulisers are used for giving higher doses of medication at times when breathing becomes extremely difficult.

What is a spacer?

2007-12-17T20:53:00.001+05:30

A spacer is a device which makes it even easier to use metered dose (measured) inhalers and reduces the chances of side effects. It is also used in young children along with a face-mask. Cipla Medpro is the manufacturer of the first and only non-metal antistatic spacer called the Zerostat Spacer. (an antistatic spacer allows for better deposition of the drug into the lower airways where it is needed to combat inflammation)

Are inhalers an effective way of taking my asthma medicine?

2007-12-17T20:52:00.000+05:30

Yes. Inhalers give you quick relief while using the minimum amount of medicine. This is because the medicine is delivered straight to your lungs, where it acts at once. Inhalers also reduce the chance of side effects due to the small dosage and the minimal absorption into the rest of the system.

In how many ways can asthma medicines be taken?

2007-12-17T20:51:00.003+05:30

Asthma medicines can be taken in any of the following ways.Your healthcare proffesional should decide which will work best for you.

Nebulisers

Inhalers

Tablets

Syrups

Injections

What is "quick-relief" and "preventive" medication?

2007-12-17T20:51:00.001+05:30

To keep your asthma under control, it is important to understand the types of treatment.

"Quick-relief" medication includes drugs which give instant relief, but act only for a short period of time (4-6 hours maximum). Cipla Medpro's reliever medication is called Asthavent. Asthavent delivers Salbutamol directly to the disease site, it provides rapid symptomatic relief within minutes and therefore ensures proven efficacy in controlling bronchospasm (tight airways). Asthavent also provides excellent prophylaxis for exercise induced bronchospasm (EIB).This medication should not be taken on a regular daily basis. If "reliever" medication is required more than 3 times per week, "preventive" medication should be increased to improve control of asthma.

"Preventive" medication does not give immediate relief. However, when used over prolonged periods of time, it controls asthma better and prevents further attacks. The aim of treating asthma is to use adequate 'preventive' medication so that minimum or no usage of 'quick-relief' medication is required.

What should I expect from my asthma treatment?

2007-12-17T20:50:00.001+05:30

With regular, long-term treatment, you can achieve the following goals:

A complete absence of asthma symptoms, or only minor symptoms during the day.
Peaceful sleep at night, without any symptoms.
No need to miss work, studies or other activities due to asthma.
No emergency visits or stays in the hospital.
Being able to participate fully in physical activities.
Extremely few, if any, side effects from your asthma medicines.

If I have asthma will my children also get it?

2007-12-17T20:48:00.002+05:30

The tendency to get asthma does run in families. However, this does not mean that if you have asthma, your children will necessarily get it.

How can you control asthma?

2007-12-17T20:48:00.001+05:30

By avoiding triggers (pollen, smoking, dust etc), visiting your doctor regularly, taking your asthma medicines (as directed) without fail, leading an active life and keeping a close watch on your asthma symptoms

Can asthma be cured?

2007-12-17T20:46:00.000+05:30

Asthma cannot be cured but it can be controlled. Getting your asthma under control means that you are able to lead a normal life without having any symptoms of asthma.

What are the main symptoms of asthma?

2007-12-17T20:44:00.002+05:30

Coughing, wheezing - a whistling sound when you breathe, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath. The symptoms vary from person to person and from time to time within the same person. Some people have all the symptoms, while others may have only a cough or wheezing. If these symptoms occur especially at night, or are associated with exercise, suspect asthma.

What triggers an asthma attack?

2007-12-17T20:44:00.001+05:30

House dust, insecticides, cigarette and other smoke, animals with fur, emotional upsets, plant pollen, changes in weather, colds and physical strain.

These are just a few of the "triggers" that can cause asthma attacks. Different people are sensitive to different triggers. If you have asthma, it is important for you to identify your asthma triggers and to avoid them as far as possible.

What is asthma?

2007-12-17T20:43:00.000+05:30

As we breathe, air moves in and out of the lungs through branching airways. People with asthma have sensitive airways, which become narrowed as a result of many causes. This makes it difficult for them to breathe.

The three main factors that cause this narrowing of the airways are:
The inner lining of the airways becomes red and swollen, the muscle around the airways tighten and extra mucus may be produced.

Easy Exercise Ideas

2007-12-17T00:29:00.000+05:30

Becoming more active benefits your health, helps you lose weight and improves your body shape

Start now - make exercise part of your daily routine. At any age, increasing your daily activity, even by a small amount, can make a difference.
Our bodies are designed to be active and all activity / exercise will develop and firm the muscles of the body. Exercise doesn't have to be a chore. Moderate exercise for half an hour 3 to 5 times a week can bring enormous health benefits. Read on to find ways you can become more active, lose that fat and have some fun

Walking

Make a determined effort to walk throughout the day. Get off the bus or train a stop or two before your destination and walk the rest of the way; park your car in the furthest space in the car park; walk up and down stairs (no lifts); walk the children to school; walk to the local corner shop for your newspaper or milk, etc.
15 min moderate walking will burn 52 extra kcal*

Housework Can Do the Trick!

Turn those tiresome chores into healthy positive ones! Turn on the music and clean the windows, hoover, dust and wash up at a brisk pace, and burn off those calories.
15 min hoovering / dusting will burn 38 extra kcal*

Get Out In the Garden

Mowing the lawn, weeding and digging all count.
30 min weeding will burn 104 extra kcal*

Clean Your Car

Time you ran your car through the wash? Why not wash it by hand? It's cheaper, better for the environment and a great form of exercise. Put your back into it and you'll get a better result!
30 min moderate car washing will burn 86 extra kcal*

Play Actively With the Kids / Get Some Friends Together

How about heading for the park for some football, rounders, or frisbee throwing. Or dusting off the bike for a leisurely ride?
30 min recreational cycling will burn 90 extra kcal*

Try A Sport

Dip into our try a sport section for more information on a variety of exercise - walking, cycling, swimming, skipping, yoga ... and more.

The important thing is to become active so that your heart is pumping blood at a slightly increased rate and you are burning calories in empowering your muscles! Go for it...

Less sleep increases obesity risk

2007-12-17T00:20:00.000+05:30

WASHINGTON: A recent study has revealed that short sleep times in patients with chronic medical diagnoses increases the risk of obesity.
The researchers surveyed 200 patients attending internal medicine clinics about their sleep habits, lifestyle characteristics, and medical diagnoses.
The findings revealed people with a sleep time of less than seven hours had a notably increased possibility of obesity defined by a body mass index compared to the reference group of eight to nine hours.
The researchers believe that there is a U-shaped relationship between obesity and sleep time in women suggesting that woman who had both short and long sleep times were more likely to be obese.
The patients included young age (18 to 49 years), not smoking, drinking alcohol, hypertension, diabetes, and sleep apnea.
Kenneth Nugent, MD, of Texas Tech University and lead author of the study said short sleep times have an association with obesity in adults with chronic medical problems.

"Our study demonstrates that short sleep times have an association with obesity in adults with chronic medical problems and that chronic disease and attendant therapies and/or changes in physical activities do not obscure this relationship," said Nugent.
"This study suggests that adults should sleep eight to nine hours per night to maintain optimal weight, he added.
The weight and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), makes the neck thicker thereby increasing the level of fat in the back of the throat and narrowing the airway.
With more fat in the throat the airway is more likely to be blocked.
People with OSA are obese and have a neck size of more than 17 inches. Many people with OSA also have high blood pressure.
It is believed that four percent of men and two percent of women have OSA.
The study is published in the December 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM)

How Obesity Causes Knee Problems?

2007-12-16T12:29:00.001+05:30

Knee problems is part of the list of ailments that obese people face. Overweight leads many people to repair cartilage tears in the knee. Recently a study has been conducted to find out the relationship between knee problems and obesity. The study found that if a person's body-mass index is slightly more than the healthy range, then that person is three times more likely to have a cartilage tear. It is found that the heaviest men are 15 times more likely to have torn knee cartilage, and women in the same category are at 25 times more risk.

There are probably several factors involved in the meniscal injuries and obesity correlation. It is more than just putting more pressure on the knees. One possibility is that obese people have circulation problems that reduce the blood supply to the cartilage. Now researchers are just barely at the point of recognition of the severity of the problem. We don't have a good treatment and prevention strategy yet.

Research studies also showed that obese women had nearly 4 times the risk of knee problems compared to non-obese women. For obese men, the risk was nearly 5 times greater. Overweight individuals in their thirties who did not have knee problems earlier were at greater risk of developing the disease later. Investigations that performed repeated x-rays over time also have found that being overweight significantly increases the risk of developing knee problems. It is estimated that persons in the highest quintile of body weight have up to 10 times the risk of knee problems than those in the lowest quintile.

Obesity Surgery

2007-12-16T12:26:00.001+05:30

Regular exercise and good eating habits are the better ways to lose weight. But, sometimes obesity cannot be simply controlled with these, especially when it is in severe condition. In such cases weight loss surgery or obesity surgery is the best option to treat obesity. When the obese person is in frustration and facing lot of difficulties because of obesity, then obesity surgery is the right and best option to go for. Here we give you information on various obesity surgery options.

Lap-Band or Laparoscopic obesity surgery Lap-band or Laproscopic Obesity Surgery is a minimally invasive surgery. In this a prosthesis or lap-band is put around the stomach. This lap-band acts like a small gastric pouch and creates a calibrated opening to the rest of the stomach.The small gastric pouch created in this system helps in limiting the amount of food one's stomach can hold. The patient will feel that his stomach is full, as the inflatable ring easily controls the flow of food from gastric pouch to the rest of the digestive tract. This way lap-band kills the urge to eat more in between meals.The best part of lap-band or laproscopic surgery is not much surgical trauma or pain, shorter hospitalization required compared to other surgeries and individualization according to patient's needs.

Gastric bypass surgery It is a type of bariatric surgery, which helps in reducing the food intake, and thus controls obesity. It improves your appearance and increases mobility. Gastric bypass surgery also helps reduce the problems and complications overweight people have to go through. This surgery normally takes 1-4 hours and will be performed under anesthesia. After surgery the patient has to take 1-7 days rest in the hospital. Generally there are two techniques of gastric bypass surgery - Roux-en-Y-gastric and biliopancreatic diversion bypass. The technique to be performed depends on the conditions of the patient.

Plastic bypass surgery For plastic surgery to control obesity not everyone is eligible. Only candidates with BMI more than 35 are considered eligible. There are various plastic surgery procedures that are aimed at localized areas of fat. If the patient still has some concerns, body lift can be an option to go for providing the patient's BMI is under 35. The physician after considering the patient's condition and eligibility criterion will consider him suitable for plastic surgery.

Tips to Burn Fat Fast:

2007-12-16T12:24:00.001+05:30

To boost-up your metabolism and fat loss process mix cardio exercise with your strength training exercises.
Don't look for exercises that are too hard or too easy. The exercise options you choose should feel "comfortably hard". If you go for 'too hard' options you may hurt yourself or get injured. The 'too easy' ones will not help in the fat burning process.

Rapid Weight Loss Tips

2007-12-16T12:21:00.001+05:30

Putting on weight is a very common phenomena found in today's world. An excessive weight leads to many maladies coupled with depression. Many people look for some easy tips and techniques of rapid weight loss. But rapid weight loss is not an easy thing.

Overweight problems Over weight problems are of various kinds. Hypertension, depression, diabetes and maladies related to bones and joints are some among those. A fat body cannot be considered as a healthy body as the capacity to work hard decreases with rising weight. Moreover, a fat body loses its usual charm and beauty that it retains when in its original shape.

Rapid weight loss tips Losing weight needs determination in the first place. Generally rapid weight loss is a few days programme that people can stick to and get back to their earlier routine being bored of the new one. Start a new lifestyle by adopting the following rapid weight loss tips. These can also keep the boredom off and retain the urge to get rid of fatness.

Regular Exercise for weight loss A regular workout helps in losing the extra fat accumulated in body. To start with, do not go for a rigorous work out. Start with a moderate schedule. Three days a week is good for a beginner. While working out with rapid weight loss programme a trainer's advice is imperative, without which there is a chance of doing wrong exercises. However, stretching is very important to burn the extra fat in body. Right kind of exercise stimulates the metabolic rates and increases the production of fat burning hormones.

Avoid More Calorie Intake One pound of fat consists of around 3500 calories. The body burns nearly 2000 calories on its own everyday. So one has to avoid the intake of more than 1500 calories. It is better if it can be kept up to 1000 calories.

Change the Food Habits Junk food is one of the main culprits behind the vicious increase of weight. Try to avoid junk food as much as possible. Take more protein than carbohydrates. The protein will satiate hunger and maintains the strength of the muscle. Do not avoid carbohydrates totally. A balanced diet plan, which is made under the observation of a nutrition expert, can help in rapid weight loss while maintaining strength of the body.

Intake of Water While resuming to a rapid weight loss programme adequate amount of water should be taken everyday. It is a basic need of the metabolism.

Adequate Sleep Adequate sleep is imperative for anybody to remain fit. The body gets rejuvenated and repairs the harms only when it gets proper sleep. So enough of sleep is very necessary in case of a weight loss programme.A healthy mind in a healthy body is the most desired thing in today's world. The mind as well as the body can remain healthy only if there is no extra pressure on it. Therefore, getting in shape is a necessity to stay fit and safe.

Obese kids may face heart risks later

2007-12-15T19:28:00.000+05:30

The chicken nuggets are coming home to roost। By the time today's teens are middle age, the rate of heart disease could be 16 percent higher because of the extra pounds they are carrying around today, a U.S. study suggests.

A second study, by Danish researchers, documents a connection between excess weight in even younger kids and heart disease in adults — especially boys.
The two reports in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine may well be underestimating the future health effects of childhood obesity, said Dr. David Ludwig, director of an obesity program at Children's Hospital Boston.

"We've simply never had a generation that's been this heavy from so early in life. The consequences of that are unprecedented and unknown," said Ludwig, who was not involved in the research.
While the U.S. projections were based on a computer model, the Danish study is a large, decades-long look at what happened in real life to 277,000 children as they grew up. Some 14,500 of them — twice as many men as women — had heart disease or died from it before age 60.
The researchers found that the more overweight a child was between ages 7 and 13, the greater the risk of heart disease was in adulthood. The relationship was strongest in boys and increased with age.
For example, an average-size 13-year-old boy had a 12 percent risk. But for a boy of the same age and height who weighed about 25 pounds more, the risk went up by one-third, to 16 percent.

"Our findings suggest that as children are becoming heavier worldwide, greater numbers of them are at risk of having a (coronary heart disease) event in adulthood," said the researchers from the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Copenhagen.
Today, about a third of U.S. youngsters are either overweight or obese. Increasing numbers of obese children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol and other obesity complications that were seldom seen in children before.
Some of those complications are risk factors for heart disease, which could explain the link between childhood weight and a higher risk of heart disease, the Danish researchers suggest. Or it could be because many heavy children — although not all — become heavy adults, they said.

Their study used detailed health records kept for every schoolchild in Denmark. They calculated the body mass index, which is based on height and weight, for children born between 1930 and 1976. Using hospital discharge records and a death registry, they tracked the children from age 25 to find out who had heart disease by age 60.

One of the researchers, Jennifer Baker, said previous studies that have looked at the issue have been inconsistent, and this is the "first to convincingly demonstrate that excess weight in childhood is associated with heart disease in adulthood."

The U.S. researchers used obesity figures for U.S. teens in 2000 to estimate that as many as 37 percent of men would be obese when they reached 35, compared to 25 percent now. For women, as many as 44 percent would be obese; now the rate is 32 percent.

Using a computer model, they estimated that by the time the teens are 50, the rate of heart disease will rise 5 percent to 16 percent — as many as 100,000 extra cases. They also projected heart disease deaths could rise by as much as 19 percent.

"If we do nothing, the health consequences are really going to be quite dramatic," said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, of the University of California, San Francisco, lead author of the study.

Projections of increasing rates of heart disease and deaths between ages 35 and 50 were particularly striking, she said.

"This is an age when people are normally working, they're raising their families. They're not worried about going to the doctor or worried about dying or having a heart attack," said Bibbins-Domingo.

The researchers noted that their predictions are based on current treatments and trends for obesity and heart disease, and changes in prevention and treatment could make a difference.

TV can raise blood pressure in obese children

2007-12-15T13:02:00.000+05:30

Obese children who watch a lot of television are more likely to have high blood pressure than heavy children who don't spend as much time in front of the tube, the results of a new study shows.Increased psychological stress and junk food eaten while watching TV could be factors in the relationship, principal investigator Dr. Jeffrey B. Schwimmer of the University of California, San Diego, told Reuters Health.Obese children who watched 2 to 4 hours of TV each day were 2.5 times more likely than their peers who watched less TV to have high blood pressure, he and his colleagues found, while kids who watched more than 4 hours daily had more than triple the risk of having high blood pressure.

Wild mushroom can fight prostate cancer

2007-12-15T12:56:00.001+05:30

Israeli scientists claim that a wild mushroom, used in traditional Chinese medicine for a century, could treat prostate cancer, the University of Haifa said Friday.Researchers at the university in northern Israel said they found molecules in the Ganoderma lucidum mushroom, commonly known as the reishi, which help supress some mechanisms involved in the progression of prostate cancer.
"We already knew the mushroom could impede the development of cancer by affecting the immune system. The in-vitro trials we have done show that it attacks the cancer cells directly," chief researcher Ben Zion Zaidman told AFP."These results give rise to hope about developing medication to treat prostate cancer," he said of research carried out to date only in Petri dishes. The research still has to be tested on animals.The reishi is found only in remote, wild areas, preferring a habitat of rotting plum tree trunks, sometimes oak trees, in heavily forested mountain areas.The Chinese have tried to grow reishi mushrooms for centuries, but it was only in the early 1970s that Japanese experts managed to cultivate them.Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer among men, with more than 543,000 cases diagnosed worldwide each year. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced in October that he is suffering from prostate cancer and is expected to undergo surgery in the new year

Physical examinations for back pain

2007-12-15T12:15:00.001+05:30

For about four out of five people walking into their doctors' offices with low back pain, the cause is unknown. That is, four times out of five the cause of low back pain is deemed "nonspecific." The doctor isn't able to identify a cause of back pain based on:

What the person tells him or her
A physical examination

In most cases of back pain, if you have no history of prior cancer or systemic disease and no apparent nerve problems, your doctor may not recommend diagnostic tests. Instead he or she may suggest an initial conservative approach to treatment. That's because the reason for your back pain is likely some sort of nonspecific musculoskeletal cause that may respond well to conservative treatment.

To rule out other causes of back pain, or to confirm a possible cause, your doctor may recommend one or more diagnostic tests. They may include:

X-rays. X-rays can reveal bone problems, tumors or degenerative changes (wear and tear, or aging) in your spine.
Computerized tomography (CT). Using computers and X-rays, CT scanners produce a series of images that can define disk and bone problems.
Myelography. This test involves the injection of a special dye into your spinal canal. After the injection, X-rays of your spine can reveal a herniated disk or other lesions.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This test combines a strong magnetic force with radio waves. The result is computer-generated images of bones, muscles, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and blood vessels. MRI testing can identify herniated disks or other problems with your back.
Electrical nerve conduction test (electromyography, or EMG). This diagnostic approach measures the electrical impulses produced by nerves as they connect from your spinal cord, through your spine and on down to your muscles. Studies of your nerve pathways can confirm nerve injury caused by herniated disks or spinal stenosis.
Bone scan. During a bone scan, a radiologist injects a radioactive substance (tracer) into one of your veins. Doctors then use a special scanner to locate bone tumors or compression fractures caused by osteoporosis

Chronic nonspecific back pain

2007-12-15T12:12:00.001+05:30

Chronic nonspecific back pain is a common problem, and a sore back is one of the most common reasons that people in the United States seek medical treatment. However, just how common is difficult to say.

Describing back pain a challenge
Part of the challenge in precisely describing the scope of back pain is that most people who go to the doctor complaining of back pain have few or no objective physical findings. Instead, doctors rely on people's description of pain, on their perception of their limitations, and on their recall of how often they have experienced pain and to what degree. And, you and everyone else differ in how you perceive pain and in your response to it.

Additionally, when there are physical findings such as from a bulging or herniated disk, its existence may have little to do with pain. Bulging disks are a common cause of back pain for people older than 50, but some people with bulging disks have back pain and many others don't. To complicate matters, some people with no signs of age-related physical degeneration on X-rays may have back pain. In other words, two people with apparently the same degree of — or lack of — physical degeneration may have totally different experiences with back pain.

All of this makes classifying back pain and its prevalence difficult.

A common complaint
Research indicates that in 2003, Americans with back symptoms made about 4.8 million visits to hospital outpatient departments or to hospital emergency departments. A 2004 study showed that about 7.4 million American adults made health care visits (to a hospital and other settings) for nonspecific back pain. Other studies have shown that the prevalence of low back pain is between 15 and 20 of every 100 American adults.

As troubling as back pain can be, it is a common fact of life. For most people, and for most of the time, improvement in chronic back pain occurs with self-care means or with conservative treatment. For most people with chronic low back pain, symptoms wax and wane over time, and they have strategies for dealing with them. See your doctor when your usual strategies for dealing with pain are no longer effective and the pain is worsening — particularly if the pain is affecting your work life or your life outside of work.

Back Pain

2007-12-15T12:09:00.001+05:30

Your sore back is a nuisance, or worse. It may prevent you from doing what you need to do — for example, work — or what you want to do, such as enjoyable pastimes. You may have reached the point of wondering: "Will I be able to keep my mind off the nagging pain today? Will my back pain ever go away? When can I get better and become more active again?" If you're like millions of other Americans who deal with chronic nonspecific back pain, you're more than familiar with these questions.

Chronic nonspecific back pain is different from the occasional sore back you might have for a day or two after too much gardening or painting the ceiling. Unlike instances of acute back pain, chronic nonspecific back pain is:

Long lasting. To be termed chronic, back pain usually has been present for three months at a time
Recurring. Even after resolution of one long episode of back pain, pain tends to return. However, the recurrence is highly variable among people and unpredictable.

Chronic nonspecific back pain is the kind of back pain that, by definition, is "nonspecific." In other words, in most cases the cause is unknown or difficult to pin down. If this kind of back pain describes your pain, then this decision guide is for you. If you need information about back pain that's associated with a herniated disk, especially back pain that involves radiating leg pain or leg muscle weakness, see this guide's "Related links" section for a link to another guide dedicated to that topic.

Think of you and your doctor as partners in managing and treating your chronic back pain. You'll want to carefully consider all your options and the risks and benefits of each in relation to your lifestyle and what's important to you. The information in this decision guide is intended to help you understand the various treatment options, from more conservative to more invasive techniques, and help you decide which treatment — or combination of treatments — is best for you.

You'll read about people who made different treatment choices, and watch a Mayo Clinic specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation answer frequently asked questions about back pain. This guide also frames key questions to help you in this important decision-making process.

Take about an hour to go through this information in sequence by following the links at the right or at the bottom of each page. This provides proper context and helps you understand more about chronic back pain, your treatment options, why other people made the choices they did, and the pros and cons to consider in making your decision.

Obese people prone to bad breath 1

2007-12-15T11:54:00.001+05:30

If your weight is on the higher side of the measuring scale, there's a higher chance of people running away from you due to bad breath, for a study has revealed that there's a direct link between obesity and bad breath.

The researchers have indicated that the more overweight you are, the more likely it is that your breath will smell.
The research was led by breath expert Prof Mel Rosenberg from the Department of Human Microbiology and The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University.

It was also reported for the first time that there is scientific evidence that links bad breath to alcohol consumption.
"The finding on alcohol and bad breath was not surprising because the anecdotal evidence was already there. However, the finding that correlated obesity to bad breath was unanticipated," said Prof Rosenberg.

The study was carried out in Israel and included a sample of 88 adults of varying weights and heights. On the other hand, graduate student Tsachi Knaan, a co-author in the study, asked them at a clinic for a regular check-up to test the odour of their breath and ask questions about their daily habits.
It was concluded from the data that overweight patients were more likely to have foul-smelling breath.

"This finding should hold for the general public. But we don't have any scientific evidence as to why this is the case. That will be the next step," said Prof Rosenberg.
He inferred that many factors could cause the connection between obesity and bad breath. Obese people may have a diet promoting the condition of dry mouth.
Prof Rosenberg also suggested that people who are obese may be less in tune with taking care of their mouths and bodies.

Osteoarthritis...New Risk Associated With the Use of NSAIDs and Aspirin

2007-12-14T22:42:00.001+05:30

The risks of heart attack and stroke with the use of Vioxx has been widely reported in the press and it has been removed from the market by the FDA. A single Cox II inhibitor (Celebrex) remains available by prescription and another Cox II inhibitor (Arcoxia) is under review by the FDA for potential approval. Today a panel recommended to the FDA that Arcoxia be rejected because of potential cardiovascular adverse events. Cox II inhibitors were developed to decrease the chance of stomach ulcer and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding which sometimes occur in patients taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Common examples of these drugs include ibuprofen (Motrin), Advil, Aleve, Indocin and others. They are often very effective in relieving arthritic pain. Even the common drug aspirin...which relieves pain and reduces fever...can occasionally cause GI bleeding. This bleeding can be serious and even result in death...about 16,000 patients die each year in the US from GI bleeding secondary to the use of NSAIDs. To avoid these complications researchers developed Cox II inhibitors...GI bleeding occurs less frequently with Cox II inhibitors. However, cardiovascular complications have caused great concern to patients and care givers.

New information about patients with osteoarthritis, who also have a high cardiovascular risk, suggests that if using low dose aspirin...for their heart disease...and ibuprofen they have significantly increased risk of having a heart attack. However, the risk for heart attack was not increased in similar patients if they took aspirin and Naproxin or Celebrex. Researchers suggested that the ibuprofen may "interfere with the blood thinning properties of aspirin".

For high risk cardiac patients not taking aspirin the rate of heart attacks was higher for those taking the Cox II inhibitor Celebrex, but not the other two NSAIDs studied...ibuprofen and Naproxen. The importance of this study is not only, that side effects...sometimes serious...can occur with these drugs, but also it is important to know that interactions between drugs can diminish beneficial effects or even increase the rate of serious complications.

Remember, it is important that your physicians/caregivers know each drug/herbal that you take. Also, take these arthritic medications under the control and over sight of your physician. If you are at risk for heart disease and have osteoarthritis or pain and are taking aspirin routinely...don't also take ibuprofen. If you have any concerns about using NSAIDs ask your physician for details about their use, interactions and complications.

Magnesium could help build bone strength

2007-12-14T22:36:00.001+05:30

Making sure young girls get enough magnesium may help keep their bones strong.
Magnesium plays a key role in bone formation, and many young women don't get enough of the mineral. To better understand the role of magnesium supplements and bone health in a healthy population, researchers from the Yale University School of Medicine, Connecticut, USA, randomised 44 girls aged 8 to 14 to take 300 mg of magnesium daily for one year or a placebo. All of the girls had intakes of the mineral that were below 220 mg a day; the recommended daily allowance for magnesium is 240 mg for girls aged 8 to 13 and 360 mg for girls 14 to 18 years old.
The girls given magnesium showed significantly greater bone mineral content in the hip than those who took placebo, while their spinal bone mineral content also was greater, but not significantly so. No serious side effects from the supplements were seen, aside from diarrhoea in a few study participants, which could be addressed by phasing in the supplements slowly.
The researchers emphasised that the current study was done in girls who were deficient in magnesium, so it is not clear if the findings could be generalised to young women who are getting adequate amounts of the mineral. But there is strong evidence that young women aren't getting enough magnesium, and that the number who is deficient in the mineral is on the rise.
It may be increasingly important to look at this kind of research because of the decreased dietary intake that seems to be evident. Good dietary sources of the mineral include almonds, peanut butter, shellfish, and some leafy green vegetables. But the above findings are too preliminary for any blanket recommendations to be made on taking magnesium supplements for bone health.

Osteoarthritis may predispose patients to gout

2007-12-14T22:34:00.001+05:30

Osteoarthritis (OA) may trigger the deposit of uric acid crystals in joints, the main cause behind gout.

OA is a very common chronic disorder involving the joints. It is also called degenerative arthritis as it is related to the ageing process. The rubbing of joint surfaces causes wearing away and damage to the constant cartilage, which is the elastic tissue or padding in joints that act as a smooth cushioning material inside joints, and prevents bones from rubbing together. In case of OA, the cartilage becomes rough, flaky and small pieces break off. With time, large sections of cartilage may get worn out completely, leaving the bone ends unprotected so that the rough surfaces rub against each other and cause painful joints. This also makes the joints susceptible to the deposition of uric acid crystals, leading to gout.

To investigate whether patients with gout are more likely to have arthritis, and if the same joints are affected, researchers from the University of Nottingham, UK sent questionnaires to adults aged over 30 years registered with two general practices. The questionnaire assessed a history of gout (doctor diagnosed, or episodes suggestive of acute crystal synovitis) and medication use. Patients who possibly had gout attended for clinical assessment to verify the diagnosis on clinical grounds and assess the distribution of joints affected by acute attacks of gout and OA. A total of 4249 completed questionnaires were returned (32 per cent). From 359 attendees, 164 cases of gout were clinically confirmed. It was found that there was a strong association between the site of acute attacks of gout and the presence of osteoarthritis.

The findings suggest that that the presence of osteoarthritis at an individual joint site predisposes to the formation of urate crystals at that site.

Placebo effect in acupuncture

2007-12-14T22:32:00.001+05:30

Acupuncture can relieve knee pain due to arthritis, but the benefits may be partly from a placebo effect.

Previous studies have come to inconsistent conclusions about the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating knee osteoarthritis.

Nine clinical trials conducted in Europe, US and Thailand over 15 years for the treatment of knee arthritis were combined and each trial included a patient group that received acupuncture for knee arthritis, as well as a control group that received standard therapy or sham acupuncture.

Sham acupuncture worked by using non-penetrating needles, or inserting needles only into the superficial layer of skin, at random points rather than the specific points used in real acupuncture. It also involved phoney electrodes and "mock" electrical stimulation of acupuncture points. While keeping the participants ignorant about whether they were receiving the real or the placebo treatment � the placebo effects and the actual affects were established.

Acupuncture generally seemed to improve knee arthritis sufferers' pain and stiffness in the short term. However, the benefits came partly from placebo effect. Simply speaking, the benefits of acupuncture actually providing relief compared with acupuncture doing nothing, were the same.

However, the results do not undermine the efficacy of acupuncture as a reliable mode of treatment. Acupuncture does have a genuine biological effect, and patients can still consider it as a reliable option for treatment.

The various comparisons explain the variable conclusions of earlier trials about the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating knee osteoarthritis. Placebo or expectation effects probably account for the observed benefits of acupuncture for knee arthritis.

Methotrexate for spinal arthritis

2007-12-14T22:31:00.001+05:30

A drug often used to treat rheumatoid arthritis - methotrexate- seems to improve a condition known as ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing spondylitis resembles arthritis, but the chronic inflammation is confined mainly to the spine and can lead to actual fusion of the joints.

Researchers form the Hospital General Regional, Mexico, compared the efficacy of methotrexate to an inactive placebo treatment in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis. They measured a combination of factors such severity of morning stiffness, physical well-being, and clinical assessment of disease activity to evaluate the response to treatment. A total of 17 participants were given methotrexate and 18 received the placebo. One methotrexate patient was dropped from the trial because of the lack of compliance and one placebo patient withdrew due to lack to response. After 24 weeks, 53 percent of those taking methotrexate and 17 percent those taking placebo showed significant improvement. The rate of side effects was similar between the groups, and no serious adverse effects were seen.

Methotrexate could be useful for people with ankylosing spondylitis because many do not respond to standard treatments and the newer anti-rheumatic drugs are expensive. Further studies, however, are needed to determine the long-term effects of methotrexate, its relative potency and safety in regard to other disease modifying antirheumatic drugs.

Eating fruits and vegetables reduce arthritis risk

2007-12-14T22:29:00.001+05:30

Drinking a glass of orange juice a day may help keep off arthritis. Certain carotenoids, compounds commonly found in some fruits and vegetables, appear to be responsible.

The findings from previous studies have suggested that dietary carotenoids, the chemicals responsible for the orange and yellow coloring of fruits and vegetables, can reduce inflammation through antioxidant effects.

Researchers from the University of Manchester in the UK analysed data from a study of more than 25,000 subjects to investigate the association between dietary carotenoids and arthritis risk. The subjects were followed for 8 years to assess the occurrence of arthritis affecting multiple joints. It was found that 88 subjects developed arthritis during follow-up and they were matched to 176 healthy comparison subjects.
Average daily intakes of the carotenoids beta-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin were 40 and 20 percent lower, respectively, for arthritis patients compared with healthy subjects. By contrast, consumption of two other well-known carotenoids, lutein and lycopene, did not seem to protect against arthritis.

Further analysis showed that subjects with the highest beta-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin intake were about half as likely to develop inflammatory polyarthritis than those with the lowest intake.

The above data adds to a growing body of evidence that some dietary antioxidants, such as the carotenoids beta-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin as well as vitamin C, may be protective against the development of arthritis.

Weight loss may reduce arthritis disability

2007-12-14T22:28:00.001+05:30

Overweight adults with osteoarthritis who lose just five percent of their body weight can reduce the amount of physical disability associated with this most common form of inflammatory joint disease.

It is more or less proven now that the most effective thing, for osteoarthritis of the knee, is weight loss. As such, weight reduction therapy in overweight osteoarthritic patients is a very appealing goal, both with regards to disease-specific pain and disability reduction as well as for overall health benefits such as cardiovascular risk reduction.

Researchers from the HS Frederiksberg Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, searched various databases to identify studies involving patients with knee osteoarthritis who experienced a change in weight. Of the 4 studies that met their criteria, they found that study participants experienced less pain and disability upon losing weight. The association between the study participants' weight loss and their reduced physical disability seemed convincing.

In fact, computer models predicted that a weight loss of at least 5 percent, within a set time period, would significantly reduce physical disability in overweight individuals with osteoarthritis. A weight loss of 10 percent, however, results in moderate -to-large improvement in self-reported physical disability.

In light of the above findings, the researchers advise overweight individuals to lose 10 percent of their weight within two months. In so doing, the knees will last longer.

Climate affects arthritis pain

2007-12-14T22:27:00.001+05:30

People who say that they can predict the weather by the pain in their arthritic knees may be right after all.
While many arthritis sufferers feel the weather affects their pain; some say their pain increases when it's cold or when it rains, but scientific evidence of the phenomenon has been hard to find. One problem is that, given many people's strong convictions about the effects of weather on their pain, it's difficult to get unbiased reports of pain flare-ups.
Using data from a study of U.S. adults with knee arthritis, researchers from the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston found that patient' pain flare-ups are correlated with changes in temperature and barometric pressure. They used data from an earlier study that investigated glucosamine for knee arthritis.
The 200 adults in that study reported on their pain levels at several points over three months. The researchers took that data and compared it with meteorological information obtained from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration on the same days in each patient's local area.
It was found that patients' pain tended to worsen when the temperature dropped or when the barometric pressure increased. The data corroborated the general assertions by people with osteoarthritis that weather conditions influence their pain. Even the 19th century notion that arthritis sufferers fare better in climates that are warm and sunny year-round may be partly correct.
It's not fully clear why temperature and barometric pressure might influence arthritis pain. Cold temperatures may, for instance, affect joint range of motion, or the flow of the synovial fluid that lubricates the joints. Barometric pressure refers to the weight of the surrounding air, and it fluctuates with changes in altitude or weather. Some research suggests that atmospheric pressure plays a role in the stabilisation of the body's joints.

Gene therapy for arthritis

2007-12-14T22:24:00.001+05:30

Gene therapy using a novel virus encoding a TNF inhibitor injected into the inflamed joints may be a safe and feasible approach for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Some of the most successful treatments for rheumatoid arthritis work by blocking an inflammatory factor called tumour necrosis factor or TNF. It has been found that gene transfer can also deliver this treatment.

To assess this treatment in animal experiments, researchers at the University of Amsterdam used a modified virus (using rAAV5) encoding the gene (TNFRI-Ig) for the receptor of human TNF. It was thought that once the gene was expressed, the product would in essence block the TNF activity that leads to inflammation.

The results showed that when the gene-carrying virus was injected into the joints of rats with induced arthritis, there was a significant reduction in paw swelling in treated animals. This tells us that intra-articular gene therapy may be a safe and feasible approach for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

This animal experiment promises that gene therapy could be used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Antioxidants keep away knee arthritis

2007-12-14T22:23:00.001+05:30

A diet rich in antioxidants can help in protecting against knee arthritis.

People who have plenty of antioxidants in their diet can protect themselves from bone changes associated with knee arthritis. Antioxidants protect cells throughout the body from accumulating oxidative damage, which has been shown to play a role in osteoarthritis. The higher a person�s intake of vitamin C, the lower is the risk of knee arthritis.

Australian researchers at Monash University studied 293 middle-aged men and women, who were followed up for a period of ten years. At the beginning of the study, these subjects were made to complete detailed questionnaires on their diet. During this period, they obtained all the nutrients through food, and not from supplements. Ten years later their knee was examined using MRI scan.

It was found that higher intake of vitamin C at the beginning of the study reduced the risk of bone changes 10 years later. Certain carotenoids, such as the lutein and zeaxanthin found in green vegetables, were also related to a lower risk of cartilage defects in the knee.

The results highlighted the potential of diet rich in antioxidants to modify the risk of osteoarthritis. Thus, the best way to get the full gamut of antioxidants in one�s diet is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables every day. By doing this, one can protect oneself against the risk of developing knee arthritis.

Dietary supplements may slow bone loss

2007-12-14T22:21:00.001+05:30

Two dietary supplements widely used by arthritis sufferers may help slow the bone loss associated with the joint disease.

In experiments with bone tissue samples from patients with knee arthritis, the supplements � chondroitin and glucosamine � affected the activity of certain proteins involved in bone "remodelling." Bone remodelling refers to the continuous process in which existing bone is broken down and replaced with new bone tissue. Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage cushioning the joints begins to break down; but there is also a breakdown in the bone underneath the cartilage. This bone loss is related to an imbalance in the activity of the cells that break down bone (osteoclasts) and cells that build bone (osteoblasts).

Researchers from the University of Montreal Hospital Centre in Canada used osteoblast cells taken from patients undergoing knee-joint replacement for severe knee arthritis. They exposed some of the bone cells to chondroitin, glucosamine or a combination of the two, then analysed the samples for changes in activity related to bone remodeling. It was found that the supplements, particularly when used together, affected osteoblast activity in a way that may slow bone breakdown.

The results provide interesting information about and an insight into the mechanisms by which these drugs exert positive effects on the osteoarthritis disease process. Whether arthritis sufferers actually benefit from the supplements is not completely clear. A recent large US trial found that people with moderate-to-severe arthritis pain saw some relief, but those with milder symptoms did not. In general, experts advise that arthritis patients talk with their doctors before trying chondroitin and glucosamine, and that they not abandon their current treatment.

Milk and egg allergies hard to outgrow

2007-12-14T22:19:00.001+05:30

Childhood allergies to milk and eggs appear to be harder to outgrow than in the past.

Milk allergy is the most common childhood allergy, affecting 2-3 per cent of young children. Egg allergy is the second most common, affecting 1-2 per cent of young children.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, Maryland examined medical records of more than 800 children with milk allergies and nearly 900 with egg allergies over a 13-year period. Among children in the study with milk allergies, they found that by the age of four years, less than 20 per cent of them had become able to tolerate milk, and by the age of eight years, only 42 per cent had outgrown the allergy. That compared with prior studies, which suggested 75 per cent children would overcome their milk allergies by the age of three years. A similar trend was found with egg allergies. Just four per cent outgrew this allergy by the age of four years, and just 37 per cent outgrew it by the age of 10 years. Many of these children eventually did outgrow their allergies, however, with 79 per cent of the milk allergy group and 68 per cent of the egg allergy group outgrowing their allergies by the age of 16 years.

The findings showed that some children were able to lose their allergies during adolescence, suggesting that pediatricians should keep testing older children.

Stem cells ease muscular dystrophy

2007-12-14T22:08:00.001+05:30

The idea of treating people with their own cells is attractive because their bodies would not be expected to reject the cells as foreign.

Obese people prone to bad breath

2007-12-14T22:02:00.000+05:30

The researchers have indicated that the more overweight you are, the more likely it is that your breath will smell.

orlistat (Weight lose medicine)

2007-12-14T13:43:00.001+05:30

DRUG CLASS AND MECHANISM:

DRUG CLASS AND MECHANISM: Orlistat is a drug that promotes loss of weight by preventing the digestion and absorption of fat in food. In the intestine, an enzyme called lipase (produced primarily by the pancreas) breaks apart fat in food so that it can be absorbed into the body. Orlistat blocks the action of lipase and thereby prevents the breakup and absorption of fat. Orlistat blocks absorption of about 25% of the fat in a meal. The unabsorbed fat is excreted in the stool. The FDA approved Orlistat by prescription in 1999. alli, a lower dose formulation of orlistat, was approved for purchase without a prescription "over the counter" in 2007.

PRESCRIBED FOR:

Orlistat is combined with a reduced–calorie diet to promote weight loss. Orlistat also may be used to prevent weight gain after weight has been lost. Candidates for treatment with orlistat are patients who are obese with a body mass index (a measure of obesity) of more than 30 kg/m2. Candidates also include patients with a body mass index of between 27 and 30 kg/m2 if other risk factors for arteriosclerosis are present such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and elevated blood cholesterol or triglycerides. Based on several scientific studies, the average weight loss that is achieved when orlistat is taken as recommended for six months to one year is 12.4 to 13.4 pounds.

DOSING:

The recommended prescription dose for Xenical is one capsule (120 mg) three times daily. The recommended dose for alli is 60 mg three times daily. Orlistat should be taken one hour after or during a meal containing about 15 mg of fat. Meals without fat do not require orlistat. No additional benefit has been shown when orlistat was taken in doses greater than 120 mg. Patients should eat a nutritionally balanced, reduced calorie diet that contains approximately 30% of calories from fat. alli includes an individually tailored online weight loss support program.

Some dietary vitamins bind to fat (vitamins A, D, E and beta– carotene). When orlistat is taken, these vitamins are not absorbed and are eliminated in the stool in increased amounts along with the fat. Therefore, patients taking orlistat should take a multivitamin containing these "fat–soluble" vitamins to ensure that adequate amounts of the vitamins are available for absorption. To ensure that the vitamins in the multivitamins are not bound to fat like the vitamins in the diet, the multivitamin should be taken at least two hours before or several hours after the orlistat.

SIDE EFFECTS:

The most common side effects of orlistat are oily spotting on underwear, flatulence, urgent bowel movements, fatty or oily stools, increased number of bowel movements, abdominal pain or discomfort, and inability to control stool (incontinence). Between 1 in 250 and 1 in 70 patients experienced one or more of these symptoms in the first year. Generally, the side effects occurred within three months of starting therapy. In about 50% of patients, the side effects resolved within one to four weeks, but the effects in some patients lasted six months or longer. To reduce the occurrence of these side effects, meals should contain no more than 30% fat because it is the unabsorbed fat that causes most of the symptoms. alli causes fewer side effects because it contains half the dose of prescription–strength orlistat. Patients receiving orlistat with a history of oxalate kidney stones may develop increased levels of oxalate in their urine, which may increase the risk of kidney stones.

Prescription Medications for the Treatment of Obesity

2007-12-14T13:37:00.001+05:30

Most available weight-loss medications are "appetite-suppressant" medications. Appetite-suppressant medications promote weight loss by decreasing appetite or increasing the feeling of being full. These medications decrease appetite by increasing serotonin or catecholamine--two brain chemicals that affect mood and appetite.

In 1999, the drug orlistat was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an obesity treatment. Orlistat works by reducing the body's ability to absorb dietary fat by about one third.

Most currently available weight-loss medications are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for short-term use, meaning a few weeks or months. Sibutramine and orlistat are the only weight-loss medications approved for longer-term use in significantly obese patients, although the safety and effectiveness have not been established for use beyond 1 year. (See table 1 for the generic and trade names of prescription weight-loss medications.) While the FDA regulates how a medication can be advertised or promoted by the manufacturer, these regulations do not restrict a doctor's ability to prescribe the medication for different conditions, in different doses, or for different lengths of time. The practice of prescribing medication for periods of time or for conditions not approved is known as "off-label" use. While such use often occurs in the treatment of many conditions, you should feel comfortable about asking your doctor if he or she is using a medication or combination of medications in a manner that is not approved by the FDA. The use of more than one weight-loss medication at a time (combined drug treatment) is an example of an off-label use. Using weight-loss medications other than sibutramine or orlistat for more than a short period of time (i.e., more than "a few weeks") is also considered off-label use.

Table 1


Generic Name	Trade Name(s)
Prescription Weight-Loss Medications
Dexfenfluramine	Redux (withdrawn)
Diethylpropion	Tenuate, Tenuate dospan
Fenfluramine	Pondimin (withdrawn)
Mazindol	Sanorex, Mazanor
Orlistat	Xenical
Phendimetrazine	Bontril, Plegine, Prelu-2, X-Trozine
Phentermine	Adipex-P, Fastin, Ionamin, Oby-trim
Sibutramine	Meridia

Defining Overweight and Obesity

2007-12-14T13:30:00.001+05:30

Definitions for Children and Teens

For children and teens, BMI ranges above a normal weight have different labels (at risk of overweight and overweight). Additionally, BMI ranges for children and teens are defined so that they take into account normal differences in body fat between boys and girls and differences in body fat at various ages. For more information about BMI for children and teens (also called BMI-for-age), visit BMI for Children and Teens.

Defining Overweight and Obesity

2007-12-14T13:28:00.001+05:30

Definitions for Adults

For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using weight and height to calculate a number called the "body mass index" (BMI). BMI is used because, for most people, it correlates with their amount of body fat.

An adult who has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight.
An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.

See the following table for an example.

Height	Weight Range	BMI	Considered
5' 9"	124 lbs or less	Below 18.5	Underweight
	125 lbs to 168 lbs	18.5 to 24.9	Healthy weight
	169 lbs to 202 lbs	25.0 to 29.9	Overweight
	203 lbs or more	30 or higher	Obese

It is important to remember that although BMI correlates with the amount of body fat, BMI does not directly measure body fat. As a result, some people, such as athletes, may have a BMI that identifies them as overweight even though they do not have excess body fat. For more information about BMI, visit Body Mass Index.

Other methods of estimating body fat and body fat distribution include measurements of skinfold thickness and waist circumference, calculation of waist-to-hip circumference ratios, and techniques such as ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Healthy Weight

2007-12-14T13:25:00.001+05:30

Finding Your Balance between Food and Physical Activity

Becoming a healthier you isn�t just about eating healthy � it�s also about physical activity. Regular physical activity is important for your overall health and fitness. It also helps you control body weight by increasing the calories you expend each day.

Be physically active, at a moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes most days of the week.
Increasing the intensity or the amount of time that you are physically active can have even greater health benefits and may be needed to control body weight. About 60 minutes a day may be needed to prevent weight gain.
Children and teenagers should be physically active 60 minutes every day, or most every day.

Whether you want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, it�s important to understand the connection between the calories your body takes in (through the foods you eat and the beverages you drink) and the calories your body uses (through normal body functions, daily activities, and physical activity)

Healthy Weight

2007-12-14T13:23:00.001+05:30

Getting the Most Nutrition out of Your Calories

There is a right number of calories for you to eat each day. This number depends on your age, activity level, and whether you are trying to gain, maintain, or lose weight. You could use up the entire amount on a few high-calorie foods, but chances are, you won't get the full range of vitamins and nutrients your body needs to be healthy.

Choose the most nutritionally rich foods you can from each food group each day – those packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients, but lower in calories. Pick foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products more often.

Healthy Weight

2007-12-14T13:22:00.001+05:30

Understanding the Energy Equation

Whether you want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, it�s important to understand the connection between the calories your body takes in (through the foods you eat and the beverages you drink) and the calories your body uses (through normal body functions, daily activities, and physical activity).

Want to find out if you are at a healthy weight? Use our Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator.

School-age children and adolescents

2007-12-14T13:18:00.001+05:30

Nutrition-related health problems in children are increasingly significant causes of disability and premature death worldwide. While undernutrition continues to be a major problem in many developing countries, the problem of overweight and obesity have reached epidemic proportions globally, and both developed and developing countries are seriously affected. In some countries, the epidemic of obesity sits alongside continuing problems of undernutrition, creating a double-burden of nutrition-related ill health among the population, including children.

Based on the principle that effectively addressing the increasing global public health problem of the double-burden of nutrition-related ill-health requires common policy options, the Nutrition-Friendly Schools Initiative (NFSI) has been developed as follow-up to the WHO Expert Meeting on Childhood Obesity (Kobe, 20-24 June 2005).

Nutrition-Friendly Schools Initiative (NFSI)
The main aim of the NFSI is to provide a framework for designing integrated school-based intervention programmes which address the double-burden of nutrition-related ill health, building on and inter-connecting the on-going work of various agencies and partners. These include the FRESH Initiative, Essential Package (UNICEF/WFP), Child-Friendly Schools (UNICEF), Health Promoting Schools (WHO), School Food and Nutrition Education programmes (FAO) to mention just a few. NFSI applies the concept and principles of the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI).

Improving the nutritional status of school-age children is an effective investment for the future generation. Pre-schools and schools offer many opportunities to promote healthy dietary and physical activity patterns for children and are also a potential access point for engaging parents and community members in preventing child malnutrition in all its forms (i.e. undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity & other nutrition-related chronic diseases). The universality of the school setting for gaining access to children makes it highly relevant to global efforts to combat the increasing public health problems of the double-burden of nutrition-related ill health.

Obesity

2007-12-14T13:15:00.001+05:30

Obesity and overweight are defined as an accumulation of excess body fat, to an extent that may impair health. A crude population measure of excess fat is the body mass index (BMI), a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of his or her height (in metres). WHO defines overweight as a BMI of 25 or more, and obesity as a BMI of 30 or more. These cut-off points can provide a reference for individual assessment.

There is also evidence that, on a population level, the risk of chronic disease increases progressively as average BMI increases above 21. A high body mass index is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes.

TYPES OF OBESITY

2007-12-14T13:07:00.001+05:30

Android: - Android type of obesity is likened to the shape of an apple. The shoulders, face, arms, neck, chest & upper portion of the abdomen are bloated. The stomach gives a stiff appearance. So also the arms, shoulders & breast. The back seems to be erect but the neck is compressed and there will be protruding chest because of the bulk in the stomach. The lower portion of the body the hips, thighs & legs are thinner beyond proportion in comparison with the upper part. In these persons the vital organs affected will be mostly the heart, liver, kidneys & lungs. Though this typed of obesity is found more in males it is common in females too. Those females, who are under hormone treatment for their menstrual abnormalities or after childbirth, are more prone to this type of obesity. It occurs in females around menopause too due to thyroid gland's functional disturbance. In this type, the excess flesh is less likely to reduce especially in female than males. Android type of obesity is a major risk for heart damage & heart disease due to high cholesterol.

Gynoid: - In this type the lower part of the body has the extra flesh. This type of obesity is also common to both sexes though females are more affected. Gynoid type of obesity is similar to pears. The flesh is somewhat flabby in the abdomen, thighs, buttocks & legs. The face & neck mostly give a normal appearance. In some persons, the cheeks may be drawn too. As these persons grow old the whole figure assumes a stooping posture and the spine is never erect due to the heavy hips & thighs. This vital organs affected mostly are the kidneys, uterus, intestines, bladder & bowls. But the functions of these organs some times have a direct effect on the heart. In this type of obesity, exercises or dieting will not help appreciably in reducing weight. Here Unani herbal medicine is the only hope. One should have more patience & undertake proper treatment to achieve the coal of reducing weight & preventing further weight again.

The third type: -Besides android & gynoid, there is one more type of obesity. Some people do not belong to any of the above type of obesity. Their whole body from head to toe looks like a barrel. Their gait is more to rolling rather than walking. The fat tissues in their body hinder the movement of all the internal organs & consequently affect their brisk functioning. For them any exercise is difficult due to the enormous size of the body. So such person should follow a strict in diet & do plenty of exercise. But Unani herbal medicines & treatment will help successfully in reducing weight

Steps Regarding Obesity

2007-12-14T12:59:00.001+05:30

You need an understanding of what foods are high in saturated fats and cholesterol therefore you can avoid these items which build up in your stomach, arteries, and veins. (A yolk of an egg contains 300 mg of cholesterol, eat the white instead; Eat 10 whole eggs in a week and you then have 3 grams of cholesterol in your body; Most fried foods absorb the fats that they are cooked in, so avoid all fried foods.)
Use positive affirmations as a way to build your self confidence. One way this can be tackled is to use a hypnothearpy cd, or a sibliminal message cd. Learn to love yourself. If you are unhappy with your appearence do something about it.
Friends aren't friends if they make fun of you. Ditch any that insult you, and find friends who like you for your personality. Someone's got to be out there. Real friends like you for who you are, not what you look like. Always remember that.
If plans and diets scare you, don't worry. Start small, and set goals for yourself, like, today I will walk to school, today I will do twenty minutes of exercise, today I won't eat so much for dinner, and so on. Once you feel you can cope a little easier, draw up a simple and flexible plan for yourself. Include exercise, meals, and room for occasions. And remember-just because you eat one slice of cake doesn't mean your whole plan is wrecked. You're allowed to treat yourself! Don't starve yourself-you'll probably end up with some kind of an eating disorder, and that's even harder to cope with.

Warnings Regarding Obesity

2007-12-14T12:57:00.001+05:30

Never resort to crash diets. They sometimes work, but you will gain all the weight back, and gain a messed up digestive tract, liver and possibly screwed up kidneys.
Never starve yourself

Tips Regarding Obesity

2007-12-14T12:55:00.001+05:30

Always have a great attitude!
Loose weight for yourself not for someone else
Losing weight takes time so dont be discourage with tiny results
Just block all the negative things people say about you. If they think your overweight, then dont believe it. Everyone is perfect just the way they are and no one needs to be discriminated because of a minor flaw.

Musculoskeletal Drugs Approved by the FDA (2007)

2007-12-14T12:22:00.001+05:30

Musculoskeletal

Evista (raloxifene hydrochloride); For the treatment/prevention of osteoporosis and reduction of breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women; Eli Lilly; Approved September 2007

Reclast (zoledronic acid); For the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis; Novartis; Approved August 2007

Reclast (zoledronic acid); For the treatment of Paget's disease; Novartis Pharms; Approved April 2007

Somatuline Depot (lanreotide acetate); For the treatment of acromegaly; Beaufour Ipsen; Approved August 2007

Dermatology Drugs Approved by the FDA (2007)

2007-12-14T12:17:00.001+05:30

Dermatology/Plastic Surgery

Altabax (retapamulin); For the treatment of impetigo due to Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes; Glaxo;    Approved April 2007

Extina (ketoconazole); For the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis; Stiefel; Approved June 2007

Xyzal (levocetirizine dihydrochloride); For the treatment of seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis and urticaria; UCB Inc.; Approved May 2007

Cardiology Drugs Approved by the FDA (2007)

2007-12-14T12:12:00.001+05:30

Cardiology/Vascular Diseases

Azor (amlodipine besylate; olmesartan medoxomil); For the treatment of hypertension; Daiichi Sankyo; Approved September 2007
Fenofibrate; For the treatment of hyperlipidemia, dyslipidemia and hypertriglyceridemia; LifeCycle Pharma; Approved August 2007
Letairis (ambrisentan); For the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension; Gilead; Approved June 2007
Soliris (eculizumab); For the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria; Alexion Pharm; Approved March 2007
Tekturna (aliskiren); For the treatment of hypertension; Novartis Pharms; Approved March 2007

Meat linked with cancer risk

2007-12-14T01:53:00.000+05:30

People who eat a lot of red meat and processed meats have a higher risk of several types of cancer, including lung cancer and colorectal cancer.Researchers defined red meat as all types of beef, pork and lamb. Processed meat included bacon, red meat sausage, poultry sausage, luncheon meats, cold cuts, ham and most types of hot dogs including turkey dogs. Previous studies have also associated meat consumption with cancer risk. Meats can cause cancer by several routes, as they are sources of both saturated fat and iron, which have independently been associated with carcinogenesis. Meat is also a source of several chemicals known to cause DNA mutations, including N-nitroso compounds, heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.Researchers at the US National Cancer Institute studied 500,000 people aged 50-71 years who took part in a diet and health study done in conjunction with the AARP, formerly the American Association for Retired Persons. After a follow-up of eight years, 53,396 cases of cancer were diagnosed. Statistically significant elevated risks (ranging from 20 per cent to 60 per cent) were evident for oesophageal, colorectal, liver and lung cancer, comparing individuals in the highest with those in the lowest quintile of red meat intake. The people in the top 20 per cent of eating processed meat had a 20 per cent higher risk of colorectal cancer — mostly rectal cancer — and a 16 per cent higher risk for lung cancer.Furthermore, red meat intake was associated with an elevated risk for cancers of the esophagus and liver. These differences held even when smoking was accounted for. However, red meat intake was not associated with gastric or bladder cancer, leukaemia, lymphoma or melanoma.The findings show that a decrease in the consumption of red and processed meat could reduce the incidence of cancer at multiple sites.
PloS Medicine,December 2007

Vitamin A can improve infant survival

2007-12-14T01:48:00.000+05:30

According to a recent study, the intake of vitamin A supplements can reduce the risk of infant deaths caused by diarrhea, fever and respiratory infections.
Every year, a large number of infant deaths occur due to infections and metabolic disorders. It is believed that if vitamin A supplements are given in the early newborn period, the number of these infant deaths can be reduced to a great extent.
To test the efficacy of vitamin A supplements in reducing infant deaths, researchers at the Aravind Centre for Women, Children and Community Health in Madurai, South India randomly assigned 5,786 newborns to receive vitamin A supplements within the first 48 hours after birth and 5833 newborns to receive inactive placebo. Infants in both groups were followed up through home visits for 6 months and details of illness were recorded.
The results showed that death rates due to diarrheal diseases and fever were markedly lower among vitamin A-treated infants compared with those given placebo. It was also found that vitamin A reduced the risk of death from respiratory infection. Though vitamin A supplementation reduced mortality, its role in reducing the incidence of these diseases remains a matter of contention.
Thus, by providing all infants with vitamin A supplements, we can decrease the infant mortality rate.
Journal of Nutrition,December 2007

Physical activity linked to lesser body fat

2007-12-14T00:40:00.000+05:30

Adolescent girls with more physical activity have a lower percentage of body fat as compared to those who are less active.

Food intake and physical activity have a direct impact on one’s body size. And not only is this relevant to adults, it especially hold true for adolescent girls. It has been seen that middle school girls who are more physically active have a lower percentage of body fat than their counterparts with lower activity levels. With an additional 11 minutes of daily exercise, girls of this age can reduce body fat to a great extent.

To assess the relationship between physical activity and body fat, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill calculated body fat among 1,576 girls in the sixth grade, who were randomly selected from six middle schools in six different metropolitan areas across the country. The girls wore an accelerometer belt over a 6-day period to measure their daytime physical activity. The investigators repeated these measurements 2 years later in 3,085 eighth-grade girls. The food intake of these girls was left as it is.

The results showed that the percentage of body fat was 2.64 points higher among sixth grade girls with the lowest levels of physical activity compared with those with the highest levels. It was found that girls who averaged 12.8 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity each day, compared with those who averaged 34.7 minutes, were 2.3-times more likely to be overweight. To add to this, girls who increased their activity levels by 6.2 minutes per day between the sixth and eighth grade had a decrease in body fat that was nearly 0.3 percentage points lower than girls who decreased their activity levels by 4.5 minutes over the 2-year period.

It is, thus, vital to include some amount of physical activity for adolescent girls to remain fit and healthy.

Physical activity linked to lesser body fat

Adolescent girls with more physical activity have a lower percentage of body fat as compared to those who are less active.

Food intake and physical activity have a direct impact on one’s body size. And not only is this relevant to adults, it especially hold true for adolescent girls. It has been seen that middle school girls who are more physically active have a lower percentage of body fat than their counterparts with lower activity levels. With an additional 11 minutes of daily exercise, girls of this age can reduce body fat to a great extent.

To assess the relationship between physical activity and body fat, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill calculated body fat among 1,576 girls in the sixth grade, who were randomly selected from six middle schools in six different metropolitan areas across the country. The girls wore an accelerometer belt over a 6-day period to measure their daytime physical activity. The investigators repeated these measurements 2 years later in 3,085 eighth-grade girls. The food intake of these girls was left as it is.

The results showed that the percentage of body fat was 2.64 points higher among sixth grade girls with the lowest levels of physical activity compared with those with the highest levels. It was found that girls who averaged 12.8 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity each day, compared with those who averaged 34.7 minutes, were 2.3-times more likely to be overweight. To add to this, girls who increased their activity levels by 6.2 minutes per day between the sixth and eighth grade had a decrease in body fat that was nearly 0.3 percentage points lower than girls who decreased their activity levels by 4.5 minutes over the 2-year period.

It is, thus, vital to include some amount of physical activity for adolescent girls to remain fit and healthy.

American Journal of Epidemiology,
December 2007