Find Me A Cure

Sitting up straight is not the best position for office workers, a study has suggested.

Slouching over a desk is certainly not recommended

Scottish and Canadian researchers used a new form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to show it places an unnecessary strain on your back

They told the Radiological Society of North America that the best position in which to sit at your desk is leaning slightly back, at about 135 degrees.

Experts said sitting was known to contribute to lower back pain.

Data from the British Chiropractic Association says 32% of the population spends more than 10 hours a day seated

Half do not leave their desks, even to have lunch.

Two thirds of people also sit down at home when they get home from work.

Spinal angles

The research was carried out at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Twenty two volunteers with healthy backs were scanned using a positional MRI machine, which allows patients the freedom to move - so they can sit or stand - during the test.

“Our bodies are not designed to be so sedentary” says Rishi Loatey, British Chiropractic Association

Traditional scanners mean patients have to lie flat, which may mask causes of pain that stem from different movements or postures.

In this study, the patients assumed three different sitting positions: a slouching position, in which the body is hunched forward as if they were leaning over a desk or a video game console, an upright 90-degree sitting position; and a “relaxed” position where they leaned back at 135 degrees while their feet remained on the floor.

The researchers then took measurements of spinal angles and spinal disk height and movement across the different positions.

Spinal disk movement occurs when weight-bearing strain is placed on the spine, causing the disk to move out of place.

Disk movement was found to be most pronounced with a 90-degree upright sitting posture.

It was least pronounced with the 135-degree posture, suggesting less strain is placed on the spinal disks and associated muscles and tendons in a more relaxed sitting position.

The “slouch” position revealed a reduction in spinal disk height, signifying a high rate of wear and tear on the lowest two spinal levels.

When they looked at all test results, the researchers said the 135-degree position was the best for backs, and say this is how people should sit.

‘Tendency to slide’

Dr Waseem Bashir of the Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging at the University of Alberta Hospital, Canada, who led the study, said: “Sitting in a sound anatomic position is essential, since the strain put on the spine and its associated ligaments over time can lead to pain, deformity and chronic illness.”

Rishi Loatey of the British Chiropractic Association said: “One in three people suffer from lower back pain and to sit for long periods of time certainly contributes to this, as our bodies are not designed to be so sedentary.”

Levent Caglar from the charity BackCare, added: “In general, opening up the angle between the trunk and the thighs in a seated posture is a good idea and it will improve the shape of the spine, making it more like the natural S-shape in a standing posture.

“As to what is the best angle between thigh and torso when seated, reclining at 135 degrees can make sitting more difficult as there is a tendency to slide off the seat: 120 degrees or less may be better.”

You may click to see also:->Why back pain is hard to beat

Research finds knack to bad backs

Bed back pain theory thrown out

Office workers risk back strain
School books - a pain in the back
Women ‘putting up with back pain’

Back Car

Sources: BBC NEWS:

tags: Healthy Tips author: Mukul comments: No Comments

Definition:

A hiccup or hiccough (normally pronounced “HICK-up,) is a spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm that typically repeats several times per minute. In humans, the abrupt rush of air into the lungs causes the epiglottis to close, creating the “hic” listen (help·info) noise. In medicine, it is known as synchronous diaphramatic flutter (SDF), or singultus. The term “hiccup” is also used to describe a small and unrepeated aberration in an otherwise consistent pattern.

A bout of hiccups generally resolves itself without intervention, although many home remedies claim to shorten the duration, and medication is occasionally necessary.

Causes
While many cases develop spontaneously, hiccups are known to be triggered by specific events, such as eating too quickly, being hungry for long, taking a cold drink while eating a hot meal, belching, eating very hot or spicy food, laughing vigorously or coughing, drinking alcoholic beverages in excess, crying out loud (sobbing causes air to enter the stomach), some smoking situations where abnormal inhalation can occur (in tobacco or other smoke like cannabis, perhaps triggered by precursors to coughing), electrolyte imbalance, talking too long, clearing the throat, or from lack of vitamins. Hiccups may be caused by pressure to the phrenic nerve by other anatomical structures, or having the sensation that there is food in the esophagus, rarely by tumors and certain kidney disease. The American Cancer Society reports that 30% of chemotherapy patients suffer singultus as a side effect of treatment.

People have been pondering the precise cause of hiccups for thousands of years. Ancient Greek physician Galen, for example, hypothesized that hiccups were simply violent emotions that began in the stomach and erupted out the mouth. This hypothesis has not exactly been disproved, but since then, we have come up with many more.

We know what happens during a hiccup. During normal breathing, we take in air from the mouth and nose, and it flows through the pharynx, past the glottis and into the larynx and trachea, ending in the lungs. The diaphragm, a large muscle between the chest and abdomen, aids this airflow. It moves down when we inhale, and then up when we exhale. The phrenic nerves control the movement and sensation of the diaphragm. Any irritation to these nerves induces a spasm of the diaphragm. This spasm causes a person to take a short, quick breath that is then interrupted by the closing of the epiglottis (a flap that protects the glottis, the space between the vocal cords). The sudden closing creates the sound we all know as a hiccup.

So, hiccups are the result of diaphragm spasms. But what causes the irritation that leads to the spasm? There are only a few culprits for common hiccups, which usually disappear within a few minutes. One of the main irritants is a full stomach — a result of swallowing too much food or air. A distended stomach pushes against the phrenic nerves of the diaphragm, increasing the possibility of irritation and, therefore, hiccups. A full stomach of spicy food can do double damage — hot foods can be especially irritating to those nerves. As any smoker on a bender can tell you, excess smoking and drinking alcohol can also cause hiccups. A rapid temperature change outside or inside your stomach, from a cold night or a hot beverage, can be irritating enough to induce hiccups. Finally, emotions — shock, excitement and stress — can also trigger a hiccup fit.
Persistent and intractable hiccups can have more serious causes. There are hundreds, from hysteria to heart attacks, but most fit into one of five categories: central nervous system problems, metabolic problems, nerve irritation, anesthesia or surgery, and mental health issues. Because these causes are so varied and potentially serious, anyone suffering from hiccups for more than 48 hours should head straight to a doctor.

You may click to see also:->Why we hiccup

What Causes hiccups that just won’t go away?

anesthesia - asthma - cancer - fear - fever - foreign body in the ear glaucoma - heart attack - hernia - hysteria - infection - kidney failure meningitis - multiple sclerosis - personality disorders - pharyngitis sedatives - shock - stroke - trauma

The Hiccup Hall of Fame..(Long-term cases)
Persistent or intractable hiccups are more common in men than in women and tend to occur during adulthood. Charles Osborne, who hiccuped for 68 years (1922-1990), earned the Guinness Book of World Records title for Longest Hiccup Attack. A Florida teenager named Jennifer Mee hiccuped for five long weeks in 2007 only to have them return a few weeks later (she is hiccup-free as of this posting). Another Florida resident, Jaime Molisee, hiccuped for more than eight months. David Willis of Northern Ireland has undergone two unsuccessful surgeries in an effort to end his five-year hiccup ordeal.

Phylogenetic hypothesis:
Christian Straus and co-workers at the Respiratory Research Group, University of Calgary, Canada, propose that the hiccup is an evolutionary remnant of earlier amphibian respiration; amphibians such as frogs gulp air and water via a rather simple motor reflex akin to mammalian hiccuping.[1] In support of this idea, they observe that the motor pathways that enable hiccuping form early during fetal development, before the motor pathways that enable normal lung ventilation form; thus according to recapitulation theory the hiccup is evolutionarily antecedent to advanced lung respiration. Additionally, they point out that hiccups and amphibian gulping are inhibited by elevated CO2 and can be completely stopped by the drug Baclofen (a GABAB receptor agonist), illustrating a shared physiology and evolutionary heritage. These proposals would explain why premature infants spend 2.5% of their time hiccuping, indeed they are gulping just like amphibians, as their lungs are not yet fully formed.

Amniotic/atmospheric hypothesis:
Ultrasound scans have also shown that babies in-utero experience hiccups. The amniotic/atmospheric hypothesis suggests that hiccups are a muscle exercise for the respiratory system prior to birth, or that they prevent amniotic fluid from entering the lungs. The amniotic/atmospheric hypothesis holds that there are two distinct systems in the brain for controlling respiration: one that is used when the fetus is respiring amniotic fluid during its time in the womb, and another that only comes into use following birth, used for breathing air. Since amniotic fluid is much more viscous than air, a much greater effort is required from the diaphragm to inhale it. If this amniotic breathing system becomes dominant for any reason during life outside the womb, the result will be a momentary, very forceful effort at inhalation. The body senses that things are not correct, and since so much force is actually dangerous to the lungs and other organs, the system is immediately preempted and switched back to the atmospheric system. However, this preemptive control gradually relaxes, making the phenomenon cyclic as long as there is underlying activation of the amniotic respiration system: as the preemptive control falls below the threshold, the amniotic routine resumes control, only to be preempted again, and this cycle continues until the underlying conditions leading to the amniotic breathing activation revert to their normal state – at which point the hiccups stop. This theory is supported by the finding that hiccups are more common in premature newborns, as in these cases the atmospheric respiration system is less prepared to take precedence over the amniotic respiration system.

Signs and symptoms:
The characteristic sound of a hiccup, sometimes preceded by a small tightening sensation in your chest, abdomen or throat, are the only signs and symptoms associated with hiccups. People may have as few as four hiccups a minute or, rarely, as many as 60 hiccups a minute.
How long your hiccup episode lasts determines the type of hiccups you have:

• Transient or acute hiccups. This is the most common form of hiccups. Transient hiccups include hiccup episodes that last less than 48 hours. Most bouts of transient hiccups last only a few minutes.
• Persistent hiccups. These hiccups last longer than 48 hours, but less than a month.
• Intractable hiccups. Hiccups fall into this category when they last more than two months.

Medical treatment:
Ordinary hiccups are cured easily without medical intervention; in most cases they can be stopped simply by forgetting about them. However, there are a number of anecdotally prescribed treatments for casual cases of hiccups. These include being startled, drinking water while upside down, eating something very sweet, or tart (particularly lemon juice), or both , and anything that interrupts one’s breathing. Another method is to exhale air into a small paper bag and to immediately re-inhale that air from it.

Hiccups are treated medically only in severe and persistent (termed “intractable”) cases, such as in the case of a 15 year old girl who in 2007 hiccuped continuously for five weeks. Haloperidol (Haldol, an anti-psychotic and sedative), metoclopramide (Reglan, a gastrointestinal stimulant), and chlorpromazine (Thorazine, an anti-psychotic with strong sedative effects) are used in cases of intractable hiccups. In severe or resistant cases, baclofen, an anti-spasmodic, is sometimes required to suppress hiccups. Effective treatment with sedatives often requires a dose that renders the person either unconscious or highly lethargic. Hence, medicating singultus is done short-term, as the affected individual cannot continue with normal life activities while taking the medication.

Persistent and intractable hiccups due to electrolyte imbalance (hypokalemia, hyponatremia) may benefit from drinking a carbonated beverage containing salt to normalize the potassium-sodium balance in the nervous system. The carbonation promotes quicker absorption.

The administration of intranasal vinegar is thought to be safe and handy method to stimulate dorsal wall of nasopharynx, where the pharyngeal branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve (afferent of the hiccup reflex arc) is distributed.

Dr. Bryan R. Payne, a neurosurgeon at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, has had some success with an experimental new procedure in which a vagus nerve stimulator is implanted in the upper chest of patients with an intractable case of hiccups. “It sends rhythmic bursts of electricity to the brain by way of the vagus nerve, which passes through the neck. The Food and Drug Administration approved the vagus nerve stimulator in 1997 as a way to control seizures in some patients with epilepsy. In 2005, the agency endorsed the use of the stimulator as a treatment of last resort for people with severe depression.”

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Op cures year-long hiccups bout

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Home Remedies:

The following are some commonly suggested home remedies. While numerous remedies are offered, they mostly fall into a few broad categories. These categories include purely psychosomatic cures centered around relaxation and distraction, cures involving swallowing and eating (with the rationale generally that this would remove irritants or reset mechanisms in the affected region), and cures involving controlled/altered breathing.

The first two categories may prove effective for many short lived and minor cases of hiccups. For instance, with an assistant applying pressure to one’s ears, drinking any quantity of liquid whilst holding one’s nose is a common home remedy for hiccups. However, those suffering from an intractable case may become desperate sorting through various ineffective home remedies. Many of the cures centered around controlled breathing (i.e. holding breath) are often ineffective for prolonged hiccups crises, but do have a significant efficacy for the most casual, short lasting cases. For these scenarios, the underlying rationale could be the displacement of an irritated nerve through prolonged diaphragmatic expansion.

However, one respiratory remedy has a fairly sound rationale underlying it. Breathing into a bag or small enclosed container (ensuring that it is completely sealed around the mouth and nose) induces a state that is termed respiratory acidosis . The effect is caused by increasing the amount of inspired carbon dioxide, which then increases the level of carbon dioxide in the serum. These increased levels of CO₂ lower the pH in the blood, hence creating a state of acidosis. This state of acidosis produces vasodilation and depression of the central nervous system. The effect allows for increased blood flow to the affected muscles, and suppression of the aberrant nervous impulses. Inducing a state of acidemia through hypoventilation is particularly effective in curing hiccups because the diaphragm rests directly against the pulmonary vasculature that is then flowing with especially low pH blood. This is a potentially dangerous action; and should only be done with another person present. As the serum CO₂ level rises abruptly, the person will begin to feel lightheaded and within a few minutes will pass out. If done without a spotter, the person might either injure him or herself as he or she passes out, or pass out in such a way that the bag or container continues to prevent oxygen intake (see also asphyxia ).

Additionally, another respiratory remedy appears to be one of the most effective in treating persistent hiccups. One breathes out all the air that he is able to in one long exhalation then breathes in all the air he feels he possibly can in one continuous inhalation. The person then attempts to breathe in even more air in a series of short powerful puffs, until his lungs cannot hold any more. The person remains in this state for as long as he feels a small gas bubble coming at the very base of the throat, ready to be burped. Although the success rate is not 100%, many people find this method consistently works. One scientific explanation for this method is that, by breathing an extreme load of air, the lungs tend to take more space in the chest, applying pressure on the surrounding content. The so-called gas bubble, which was located in an abnormal location potentially disturbing a nerve and causing the spasm, is then released.

Psychosomatic

• Distraction from one’s hiccup (e.g. being startled, asked a perplexing question, or counting in reverse from 100 down or reciting the alphabet in reverse.)
• Concentration on one’s hiccups - using sheer will to stop them
• While standing and concentrating on relaxation, extend the right arm and point with the index finger at a point to your right, and exhale. While inhaling, bring the tip of the index finger to the nose, and hold the breath for a moment - then exhale, dropping the finger away from the nose.

Respiratory

• Cutting air off from the esophagus. This is done by tipping one’s head forward and downward as far as possible. It usually takes a minute. This usually does not work the first time.
• Similar to above, tip your head forward and downward as far as comfortably possible and then drink from the opposite side of a cup. (You will be pouring the liquid AWAY from your body and towards your head).
• “Isometric Breathing”. IE: Breathing slowly and deeply in while thinking ‘breathing out’ and breathing slowly and fully out while thinking ‘breathing in’
• Holding one’s breath while optionally squeezing one’s stomach
• Breathing deeply through the nose, then exhaling slowly through the mouth. This is also a Lamage technique.
• Exhaling all the air from one’s lungs and holding one’s breath while swallowing water or saliva
• Blowing up a balloon
• Inducing sneezing
• Insert fingers in ears and hold breath for as long as possible
• Take a gulp of water or liquid, hold in mouth, insert fingers in ears and swallow while fingers are still in ears. Repeat a few times.
• Attempting to burp
• Take a deep breath and hold it for until you feel the first pain wave, which means that your body has gotten over its hiccup, then wait for second pain wave which indicated you’ve ran out of oxygen, and breathe out
• Exhaling all the air of one’s lung and holding it until one can (theoretically stops the spasm on the diaphragm).
• Take a deep breath, hold it for 30 seconds then exhale as slowly as possible while making a growling sound.

Other

• Make out with someone. The sucking action during deep kisses stops the hiccups.
• In babies, hiccups are usually immediately stopped by the sucking reflux , either by breastfeeding or simply by insertion of a finger, bottle teat or dummy into the baby’s mouth.
• Pinch your ear lobe and breathe normally. Can turn into second-nature (psychosmatic).
• Close your eyes and look up as far as possible.
• Drinking a good amount of water
• Take 10 sips of water
• Chew a spoonful of peanut butter slowly, or put sugar on the tongue.
• Slowly swallow a spoonful of sugar.
• Mix sugar into a cup of water and drink slowly
• Eat a pickle.
• Press tongue hard against roof of mouth.
• Digital rectal massage^.
• Plug your ears with your thumbs, and use your pinkies to plug both nostrils and hold your breath until cessation of hiccups.
• Stick your tongue out for 5 seconds and then exhale and inhale and then suck on your thumb.

Click to see :->How to Get Rid of Hiccups

.Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiccup
http://health.howstuffworks.com/hiccup.htm/printable
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/articles/hiccups/7F6DD57E-E7FF-0DBD-1ABC5BABB890BFAC?section=section_01

tags: Ailmemts & Remedies author: Mukul comments: No Comments

If you want bulging biceps like Popeye the sailor, then all you have to do is eat his favourite food - spinach.
…
And, saying this are scientists from Rutgers University who have found that the green vegetable really does boost strength. The secret behind this, they reveal, is that spinach contains phytoecdysteroids, a type of steroid that increases the development of muscles.

As a part of their study the researchers used extracts of phytoecdysteriods on lab samples of human muscle, and found that it speeded up muscle growth by 20%. According to the New Scientist, on conducting trials on rats, the researchers found that spinach extracts made the rodents stronger within a month, the Daily Express reported on Thursday.

Researchers state that eating spinach is not only a good idea if you want strong muscles, but also if you want to keep eye disease, teeth, gum problems and anaemia at bay. But it does suggest the US creators of the famous nautical hero were ahead of their time.

It is said they toyed with the idea of making garlic Popeye’s strength enhancer when they devised the original comic strip in 1919 - but by 1932 he was eating spinach to give him almost superhuman powers.

Spinach was chosen because it was known to be extremely healthy. It was used as a cure for scurvy because it was rich in iron, although it actually contains less iron than many other vegetables. But since then more and more health-giving properties of spinach have been discovered.

Apart from this, it has also been found to have heart benefits. Research has shown that the vegetable can strengthen hearts, reduce the risk of a heart attack and boost survival rates by a third for attack victims.

However, getting biceps like Popeye will not be an easy task for the researchers also stated that to do so, you would need to eat at least a kilo of spinach a day.

Spinach became one of trendiest foods in Britain and sales soared by 30% in 2006 after TV chefs and health gurus backed it as something essential for health.

“Spinach is the broom of the stomach.” French Proverb

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Spinach Recipe

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Sources: The Times Of India

tags: Featured author: Mukul comments: No Comments

We have all heard the perils of drunken driving and talking on the cell phone while driving. But here’s a new one. Studies suggest that smoking while driving is a leading contributor to injuries, and motor vehicle crashes.

You may click to see:->Plea to ban drivers from smoking

Studies done in US have pointed out that smoking causes risk factors for injury including fires, depressed reflexes, non-coordination, impaired fitness and, possibly, depressed moods.

The study done by B N Leistikow, D C Martic and S J Samuels interviewed adults (ages 18 plus) and followed up for vital status after a gap of five years using the National Death Index (NDI). Participants were classified as never smokers (fewer than 100 lifetime cigarettes), ex-smokers, and current smokers (smokers by baseline self report).

For smokers, cigarettes per day were recorded into 1-14, 15-24 and 25-plus cigarettes-per-day categories.
The study found that smokers have significant dose-response excesses of injury and death, independent of age, education and marital status. This supports earlier studies suggesting that smoking may be a leading contributor to injuries.

In fact, researchers have suggested that the correlation of smoking and driving should be studied in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Also, smoking-involved crashes may be studied in the same manner as alcohol-involved crashes.

Dr Ashok Seth, chairman and chief cardiologist of Max Heart Institute, says: “This is an interesting study. Smoking and driving may lead to accidents, and smoking is a distraction - far more distractive than any activity in the car. The accidents may occur as cigarette is an inflammable object, and lead to fires.

It may make the smoker distracted and spoils his concentration with one hand constantly engaged and moving to drop the ash. Smoking is also believed to release certain hormones which pump up confidence levels, leading to errors.”

The study is of critical importance to India, where smoking is responsible for about one in 20 deaths of women and one in five deaths of men in the age group of 30-69 years. By 2010, it is estimated that smoking will lead to one million deaths in the country.

Says Dr Anoop Misra director and head, department of diabetes, Fortis Hospitals: “Tobacco smoke contains high quantity of carboxy haemoglobin, which replaces normal haemoglobin and transiently decreases oxygenation of brain.

Smoking impairs certain motor reflexes and has adverse effects on message transfer in brain due to shifts in neurochemicals.

All these would impair any complex motor task as driving. Those who are heavy smokers or relatively new smokers are worst affected. Over long periods, smoking causes permanent damage to neurons and this results in decline of intellectual functions.”

You may click to see:->PREVENT TOBACCO-CAUSED BRAIN DAMAGE

Sources: The Times Of India

tags: News on Health/Science author: Mukul comments: No Comments

Body fat found under the skin - and particularly on the buttocks - may help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, research suggests.

The study contrasts this subcutaneous fat with visceral fat, which is wrapped around the organs, and raises the risk of ill health.

It is thought subcutaneous fat may produce hormones known as adipokines which boost the metabolism.

The Harvard Medical School study appears in the journal Cell Metabolism.

The researchers, who worked on mice, transplanted fat from one part of the animals’ body to the other.

“The surprising thing was that it wasn’t where the fat was located, it was the kind of fat that was the most important variable.” says Professor Ronald Khan,Harvard Medical School

When subcutaneous fat was moved to the abdominal area, there was a decrease in body weight, fat mass, and blood sugar levels.

The animals also became more responsive to the hormone insulin, which controls the way the body uses sugar. A lack of response to insulin is often the first stage on the path to type 2 diabetes.

In contrast, moving abdominal visceral fat to other parts of the body had no effect.

Lead researcher Professor Ronald Khan said: “The surprising thing was that it wasn’t where the fat was located, it was the kind of fat that was the most important variable.

“Even more surprising, it wasn’t that abdominal fat was exerting negative effects, but that subcutaneous fat was producing a good effect.”

Previous research has suggested that obese people with high levels of both abdominal and subcutaneous fat are more insulin-sensitive than those with only high levels of abdominal fat.

Professor Khan said it was possible that subcutaneous fat offset the effects of visceral fat.

Dr David Haslam, of the National Obesity Forum, said the finding cast new doubt on the merits of Body Mass Index (BMI) as a way to assess whether somebody was unhealthily overweight, as it did not differentiate between different types of fat.

He said it was still important that people tried to control their weight, as healthy lifestyle choices like a balanced diet and taking exercise would overwhelmingly impact on visceral, and not subcutaneous fat levels.

Women have a tendancy to lay down more subcutaneous fat, particularly on their legs and buttocks than men.

Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern, said: “If there is something about subcutaneous fat which is protective, and actually decreases insulin resistance, this could help open up a whole new debate on the precise role fat has on our metabolism.”

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Cell Metabolism
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Sources: BBC NEWS:7Th. May,”08

tags: News on Health/Science author: Mukul comments: No Comments

People who sleep fewer than six hours a night - or more than nine - are more likely to be obese, according to a new government study that is one of the largest to show a link between irregular sleep and big bellies.

…………………….

The study also linked light sleepers to higher smoking rates, less physical activity and more alcohol use.

The research adds weight to a stream of studies that have found obesity and other health problems in those who don’t get proper shuteye, said Dr Ron Kramer, a Colorado physician and a spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

“The data is all coming together that short sleepers and long sleepers don’t do so well,” Kramer said.

The study released Wednesday is based on door-to-door surveys of 87,000 US adults from 2004 through 2006 conducted by the National Centre for Health Statistics, part of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Such surveys can’t prove cause-effect relationships, so - for example - it’s not clear if smoking causes sleeplessness or if sleeplessness prompts smoking, said Charlotte Schoenborn, the study’s lead author.

It also did not account for the influence of other factors, such as depression, which can contribute to heavy eating, smoking, sleeplessness and other problems.

Smoking was highest for people who got under six hours of sleep, with 31 per cent saying they were current smokers. Those who got nine or more hours also were big puffers, with 26 per cent smoking.

The overall US smoking rate is about 21 per cent. For those in the study who sleep seven to eight hours, the rate was lower, at 18 per cent.

Results were similar, though a bit less dramatic, for obesity: About 33 per cent of those who slept less than six hours were obese, and 26 per cent for those who got nine or more. Normal sleepers were the thinnest group, with obesity at 22 per cent.

For alcohol use, those who slept the least were the biggest drinkers. However, alcohol use for those who slept seven to eight hours and those who slept nine hours or more was similar.

In another measure, nearly half of those who slept nine hours or more each night were physically inactive in their leisure time, which was worse even than the lightest sleepers and the proper sleepers. Many of those who sleep nine hours or more may have serious health problems that make exercise difficult.

Many elderly people are in the group who get the least sleep, which would help explain why physical activity rates are low. Those skimpy sleepers who are younger may still feel too tired to exercise, experts said.

Stress or psychological problems may explain what’s going on with some of the lighter sleepers, experts said.

Other studies have found inadequate sleep is tied to appetite-influencing hormone imbalances and a higher incidence of diabetes and high blood pressure, noted James Gangwisch, a respected Columbia University sleep researcher.

“We’re getting to the point that they may start recommending getting enough sleep as a standard approach to weight loss and the prevention of obesity,” said Gangwisch, who was not involved in the study.

You may click to see also:->Less Sleep = Fatter

Men Skipping Sleep Turn Obese

Sources: The Times Of India

tags: News on Health/Science author: Mukul comments: No Comments

Sitting With Our Sadness
The last thing most of us want to hear or think about when we are dealing with profound feelings of sadness is that deep learning can be found in this place. In the midst of our pain, we often feel picked on by life, or overwhelmed by the enormity of some loss, or simply too exhausted to try and examine the situation. We may feel far too disappointed and angry to look for anything resembling a bright side to our suffering. Still, somewhere in our hearts, we know that we will eventually emerge from the depths into the light of greater awareness. Remembering this truth, no matter how elusive it seems, can help.

The other thing we often would rather not hear when we are dealing with intense sadness is that the only way out of it is through it. Sitting with our sadness takes the courage to believe that we can bear the pain and the faith that we will come out the other side. With courage, we can allow ourselves to cycle through the grieving process with full inner permission to experience it. This is a powerful teaching that sadness has to offer us—the ability to surrender and the acceptance of change go hand in hand.

Another teaching of sadness is compassion for others who are in pain, because it is only in feeling our own pain that we can really understand and allow for someone else’s. Sadness is something we all go through, and we all learn from it and are deepened by its presence in our lives. While our own individual experiences of sadness carry with them unique lessons, the implications of what we learn are universal. The wisdom we gain from going through the process of feeling loss, heartbreak, or deep disappointment gives us access to the heart of humanity.

Sources: Daily Om

tags: Positive thinking author: Mukul comments: No Comments

Definition:
The word “agoraphobia” is an English adaptation of the Greek words agora (a????) and phobos (f?ß??), and literally translates to “a fear of the marketplace.”

Panic disorder is characterized by repeated and unpredictable attacks of intense fear and anxiety. Agoraphobia, literally “fear of the marketplace”, develops from a panic disorder in more than one-third of cases.

…

Agoraphobia is a condition where the sufferer becomes anxious in environments that are unfamiliar or where he or she perceives that they have little control. Triggers for this anxiety may include crowds, wide open spaces or traveling, even short distances. This anxiety is often compounded by a fear of social embarrassment, as the agoraphobic fears the onset of a panic attack and appearing distraught in public.

Agoraphobics may experience panic attacks in situations where they feel trapped, insecure, out of control or too far from their personal comfort zone. In severe cases, an agoraphobic may be confined to his or her home. Many people with agoraphobia are comfortable seeing visitors in a defined space they feel they can control. Such people may live for years without leaving their homes, while happily seeing visitors in and working from their personal safety zones. If the agoraphobic leaves his or her safety zone, they may experience a panic attack.

It is an anxiety disorder, often precipitated by the fear of having a panic attack in a setting from which there is no easy means of escape. As a result, sufferers of agoraphobia may avoid public and/or unfamiliar places. In severe cases, the sufferer may become confined to their home, experiencing difficulty traveling from this “safe place.”

Agoraphobia is fear of being in places where help might not be available, and is usually manifested by fear of crowds, bridges, or of being outside alone.

Prevalence:
The one-year prevalence of agoraphobia in the United States is about 5 percent. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 3.2 million Americans ages 18-54 have agoraphobia at any given time. About one third of people with Panic Disorder progress to develop agoraphobia.

Gender differences
Agoraphobia occurs about twice as commonly among women as it does in men. The gender difference may be attributable to social-cultural factors that encourage, or permit, the greater expression of avoidant coping strategies by women. Other theories include the ideas that women are more likely to seek help and therefore be diagnosed, that men are more likely to abuse alcohol as a reaction to anxiety and be diagnosed as an alcoholic, and that traditional female sex roles prescribe women to react to anxiety by engaging in dependent and helpless behaviors. Research results have not yet produced a single clear explanation as to the gender difference in agoraphobia.

Causes :
Agoraphobia often accompanies another anxiety disorder, such as panic disorder or a specific phobia.
If it occurs with panic disorder, the onset is usually in the 20s, and women are affected more often than men. People with this disorder may become housebound for years, which is likely to hurt social and interpersonal relationships.

There is no one single cause associated with agoraphobia.

There is no one single cause associated with agoraphobia. Instead, there are a number of factors that contribute to the development of agoraphobia. These factors include:

Family factors:

*Having an anxious parent role model.

*Being abused as a child
*Having an overly critical parent.
Personality factors:
*High need for approval.
*High need for control.
*Oversensitivity to emotional stimuli.
Biological factors:
*Oversensitivity to hormone changes.
*Oversensitivity to physical stimuli.
*High amounts of sodium lactate in the bloodstream.

.Research has uncovered a linkage between agoraphobia and difficulties with spatial orientation.Normal individuals are able to maintain balance by combining information from their vestibular system, their visual system and their proprioceptive sense. A disproportionate number of agoraphobics have weak vestibular function and consequently rely more on visual or tactile signals. They may become disoriented when visual cues are sparse as in wide open spaces or overwhelming as in crowds. Likewise, they may be confused by sloping or irregular surfaces. Compared to controls, in virtual reality studies, agoraphobics on average show impaired processing of changing audiovisual data.

Some scholars have explained agoraphobia as an attachment deficit, i.e., the temporary loss of the ability to tolerate spatial separations from a secure base.

Symptoms:
*Fear of being alone
*Fear of losing control in a public place
Fear of being in places where escape might be difficult
*Becoming housebound for prolonged periods of time
*Feelings of detachment or estrangement from others
*Feelings of helplessness
*Dependence on others
*Feeling that the body is unreal
*Feeling that the environment is unreal
*Anxiety or panic attack (acute severe anxiety)
*Unusual temper or agitation with trembling or twitching

Additional symptoms that may occur:
*Lightheadedness, near fainting
*Dizziness
*Excessive sweating
*Skin flushing
*Breathing difficulty
*Chest pain
*Heartbeat sensations
*Nausea and vomiting
*Numbness and tingling
*Abdominal distress that occurs when upset
*Confused or disordered thoughts
*Intense fear of going crazy
*Intense fear of dying

Diagnosis:
Most people who present to mental health specialists develop agoraphobia after the onset of panic disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 1998). Agoraphobia is best understood as an adverse behavioral outcome of repeated panic attacks and subsequent anxiety and preoccupation with these attacks that leads to an avoidance of situations where a panic attack could occur.[16] In rare cases where agoraphobics do not meet the criteria used to diagnose Panic Disorder, the formal diagnosis of Agoraphobia Without History of Panic Disorder is used.

DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria
A) Anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult (or embarrassing) or in which help may not be available in the event of having an unexpected or situationally predisposed Panic Attack or panic-like symptoms. Agoraphobic fears typically involve characteristic clusters of situations that include being outside the home alone; being in a crowd, or standing in a line; being on a bridge; and traveling in a bus, train, or automobile.

B) The situations are avoided (e.g., travel is restricted) or else are endured with marked distress or with anxiety about having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms, or require the presence of a companion.

C) The anxiety or phobic avoidance is not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as Social Phobia (e.g., avoidance limited to social situations because of fear of embarrassment), Specific Phobia (e.g., avoidance limited to a single situation like elevators), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (e.g., avoidance of dirt in someone with an obsession about contamination), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (e.g., avoidance of stimuli associated with a severe stressor), or Separation Anxiety Disorder (e.g., avoidance of leaving home or relatives).

D)The individual may have a history of phobias, or family, friends, or the affected person may tell the health care provider about agoraphobic behavior.
The individual may sweat, have a rapid pulse (heart rate), or have high blood pressure.

Treatments:
Agoraphobia can be successfully treated in many cases through a very gradual process of graduated exposure therapy combined with cognitive therapy and sometimes anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications. Treatment options for agoraphobia and panic disorder are similar.
The goal of treatment is to help the phobic person function effectively. The success of treatment usually depends upon the severity of the phobia.
Systematic desensitization is a technique used to treat phobias. The person is asked to relax, then imagine the things that cause the anxiety, working from the least fearful to the most fearful. Graded real-life exposure has also been used with success to help people overcome their fears.

Cognitive behavioral treatments
Exposure treatment can provide lasting relief to the majority of patients with panic disorder and agoraphobia. Disappearance of residual and subclinical agoraphobic avoidance, and not simply of panic attacks, should be the aim of exposure therapy. Similarly, Systematic desensitization may also be used.

Cognitive restructuring has also proved useful in treating agoraphobia. This treatment uses thought replacing with the goal of replacing one’s irrational, counter-factual beliefs with more accurate and beneficial ones.[citation needed]

Relaxation techniques are often useful skills for the agoraphobic to develop, as they can be used to stop or prevent symptoms of anxiety and panic.[citation needed]

Psychopharmaceutical treatments
Anti-depressant medications most commonly used to treat anxiety disorders are mainly in the SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) class and include sertraline, paroxetine and fluoxetine. Benzodiazepine tranquilizers, MAO inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants are also commonly prescribed for treatment of agoraphobia.

Alternative treatments
Eye movement desensitization and reprogramming (EMDR) has been studied as a possible treatment for agoraphobia, with poor results.As such, EMDR is only recommended in cases where cognitive-behavioral approaches have proven ineffective or in cases where agoraphobia has developed following trauma.
Alternative treatments of agoraphobia include hypnotherapy, guided imagery meditation, music therapy, yoga, religious practice and ayurvedic medicine.

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Additionally, many people with anxiety disorders benefit from joining a self-help or support group and sharing their problems and achievements with others. Stress management techniques and meditation can help people with anxiety disorders calm themselves and may enhance the effects of therapy. There is preliminary evidence that aerobic exercise may have a calming effect. Since caffeine, certain illicit drugs, and even some over-the-counter cold medications can aggravate the symptoms of anxiety disorders, they should be avoided

Prognosis:
Phobias tend to be chronic, but respond well to treatment.

Possible Complications :
Some phobias may affect job performance or social functioning.

When to Contact a Medical Professional:
Call for an appointment with your health care provider if symptoms suggestive of agoraphobia develop.

Prevention:
As with other panic disorders, prevention may not be possible. Early intervention may reduce the severity of the condition.

.Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agoraphobia
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000931.htm

tags: Ailmemts & Remedies author: Mukul comments: No Comments

Botanical Name: Melilotus officinalis (LINN.), Melilotus alba (DESV.), Melilotus arvensis (LAMK.)
Family: N.O. Leguminosae/ Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Tribe: Trifolieae
Genus: Melilotus
Synonyms: Yellow Melilot. White Melilot. Corn Melilot. King’s Clover. Sweet Clover. Plaster Clover. Sweet Lucerne. Wild Laburnum. Hart’s Tree.
Part Used: Herb.

Habitat – It grows in waste land, and sandy, poor soil, so is frequent around the coast, but also found inland.

The Melilots or Sweet Clovers - formerly known as Melilot Trefoils and assigned, with the common clovers, to the large genus Trifolium, but now grouped in the genus Melilotus - are not very common in Britain, being not truly native, though they have become naturalized, having been extensively cultivated for fodder formerly, especially the common yellow species, Melilotus officinalis (Linn.).
Although now seldom seen as a crop, having, like the Medick, given place to the Clovers, Sainfoin and Lucerne, Melilot seems, however, to have been a very common crop in the sixteenth century, seeding freely, spreading in a wild condition wherever grown, since Gerard tells us,
‘for certainty no part of the world doth enjoy so great plenty thereof as England and especially Essex, for I have seen between Sudbury in Suffolke and Clare in Essex and from Clare to Hessingham very many acres of earable pasture overgrowne with the same; in so much that it doth not only spoil their land, but the corn also, as Cockle or Darnel and is a weed that generally spreadeth over that corner of the shire.

Description: The Meliots are perennial herbs, 2 to 4 feet high, found in dry fields and along roadsides, in waste places and chalky banks, especially along railway banks and near lime kilns. The smooth, erect stems are much branched, the leaves placed on alternate sides of the stems are smooth and trifoliate, the leaflets oval. The plants bear long racemes of small, sweet-scented, yellow or white, papilionaceous flowers in the yellow species, the keel of the flower much shorter than the other parts and containing much honey. They are succeeded by broad, black, one-seeded pods, transversely wrinkled.

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All species of Melilot, when in flower, have a peculiar sweet odour, which by drying be comes stronger and more agreeable, somewhat like that of the Tonka bean, this similarity being accounted for by the fact that they both contain the same chemical principle, Coumarin, which is also present in new-mown hay and woodruff, which have the identical fragrance.

The name of this genus comes from the words Mel (honey) and lotus (meaning honeylotus), the plants being great favourites of the bees. Popular and local English names are Sweet Clover, King’s Clover, Hart’s Tree or Plaster Clover, Sweet Lucerne and Wild Laburnum.

The tender foliage makes the plant acceptable to horses and other animals, and it is said that deer browse on it, hence its name ‘Hart’s Clover. ‘ Galen used to prescribe Melilot plaster to his Imperial and aristocratic patients when they suffered from inflammatory tumours or swelled joints, and the plant is so used even in the present day in some parts of the Continent.

In one Continental Pharmacopoeia of recent date an emollient application is directed to be made of Melilot, resin, wax, and olive oil.

Gerard says that:
‘Melilote boiled in sweet wine untile it be soft, if you adde thereto the yolke of a rosted egge, the meale of Linseed, the roots of Marsh Mallowes and hogs greeace stamped together, and used as a pultis or cataplasma, plaisterwise, doth asswge and soften all manner of swellings.’
It was also believed that the juice of the plant ‘dropped into the eies cleereth the sight.’
Water distilled from the flowers was said to improve the flavour of other ingredients.

There are three varieties of Melilot found in England, the commonest being Melilotus officinalis (Linn.), the Yellow Melilot; M. alba (Desv.), the White Melilot, and M. arvensis (Lamk.), the Corn Melilot, which is found occasionally in waste places in the eastern counties, but is not considered indigenous.

The dried leaves and flowering tops of all three species form the drug used in herbal medicine, though the drug of the German Pharmacopceia is M. officinalis. Two yellowflowered species are, however, often sold under this name, the common M. officinalis, which has hairy pods, and M. arvensis, which has small, smooth pods.

The White Melilot found in waste places in England, particularly on railway banks, is not uncommon, but apparently not permanently established in any of its localities. It differs from M. officinalis by its more slender root and stems, which, however, attain as great a height, by its more slender and lax racemes and smaller flowers, which are about 1/5 inch long and white. The standard is larger than the keel and wings, which alone would distinguish it from M. officinalis. The pods are smaller and free from the hairs clothing those of M. officinalis.

A new kind of Sweet Clover, an annual variety of M. alba, has been discovered in the United States. To distinguish it from the other Sweet Clovers, it is called Hubam, after Professor Hughes, its discoverer, and Alabama, its native state. Some five or six years ago, small samples were distributed by Professor Hughes among various experimental stations, with the result that the superiority of the plant has been generally recognized and its spread has been rapid, over 5,000 acres now being cultivated. The plant has specially valuable characteristics - great resistance to drought, adaptability to a wide variety of soils and climates, abundant seed production, richness in nectar and great fertilizing value to the soil, and has been grown successfully in the United States, Canada, Australia, Italy, and many other countries. The quantity of forage produced from a given acre is second to no other forage plant, and the quality, if properly handled, is excellent. It is of very quick growth and blooms in three to four months after sowing, producing an unusual wealth of honey-making blooms. The flowers remain in bloom for a longer period than almost any other honey-bearing plant, and in the matter of nectar production the quantity is surprising, equal to that of any other honey produced in the United States, and the quality compares favourably with the best honey produced either there or in Great Britain. It is considered that this annual Sweet Clover will one day stand at the head of the list of honey plants of the world, if the present rate of spreading continues.

Parts Used Medicinally: The whole herb is used, dried, for medicinal purposes, the flowering shoots, gathered in May, separated from the main stem and dried in the same manner as Broom tops.

The dried herb has an intensely fragrant odour, but a somewhat pungent and bitterish taste.

Constituents:

The characteristic constituent of melilotus is the aromatic, crystallizable coumarin (C9H₆O₂), which is the anhydrid of ortho-coumaric acid (C₆H₄OH.CHCHCOOH). The latter, and hydrocoumaric (melilotic) acid (C₆H₄OH.CH₂CH₂COOH) likewise occur in the plant. Cumarin forms with melilotic acid a crystallizable compound (Zwenger and Bodenbender). Melilotol of Phipson (1875), is a volatile oil, probably the anhydrid (lactone) of melilotic acid. As much as 0.2 per cent has been obtained by distilling the fresh herb with water. Chenopodin, a crystallizable principle occurring quite frequently in various plants, was observed by Reinsch (1867) as a deposit from an alcoholic extract of Melilotus alba; it is probably identical with leucin (amido-caproic acid, C₅H10NH₂COOH) (Flückiger, Pharmacognosie, 1891).

Coumarin is also the odoriferous principle of many other plants, occurring, e. g., in Tonka beans where it was first discovered; in Liatris, Asperula odorata, etc. (see list of coumarin-bearing plants in Husemann and Hilger, Pflanzenstoffe, p. 1037). It was found in melilotus only in small quantity (about 0.04 per cent, in combination with melilotic acid). Coumarin is now obtained synthetically by the action of acetic anhydrid and sodium acetate upon the sodium compound of salicylic aldehyde (C₆H₄OHCHO). It forms hard, colorless prisms, melting at 67° C. (152.6° F.), and boiling at 291° C. (608° F.). It sublimes, however, at ordinary temperature, in the form of white needles; sometimes it is found in crystals on the herb. Coumarin is soluble in ether, volatile and fatty oils, in acetic and tartaric acids, also soluble in boiling alcohol, and requires 400 parts of cold, and 45 parts of hot water for solution. Hot alkalies convert it into ortho-coumaric acid.

Coumarin, the crystalline substance developed under the drying process, is the only important constituent, together with its related compounds, hydrocoumaric (melilotic) acid, orthocoumaric acid and melilotic anhydride, or lactone, a fragrant oil.

Medicinal Action and Uses:

Melilotus (species), placed between woolen clothing, is used in Europe to guard against the ravages of the moth. The medicinal properties of melilotus are undoubtedly chiefly due to coumarin. ? Many observers have found it peculiarly effective in certain painful disorders, particularly neuralgias of long standing and associated with debility. It is adapted to idiopathic neuralgic headaches, and to neuralgic affections not depending upon reflex causes, although it has given good results in headaches arising from painful disorders of the stomach. Recurring neuralgia, especially from cold or fatigue, have been promptly relieved by small doses of the drug. It relieves ovarian neuralgia sometimes as if by magic, and in dysmenorrhoea its beneficial effect is observed when lameness and soreness are prominent symptoms, and particularly when the trouble seems to follow the great sciatic nerve. Rheumatic cases, showing marked lameness, are also said to be cases for its exhibition. It is likewise of value in painful dysuria, colic, painful diarrhoea, and menstrual colic. Gastralgia, neuralgia of the stomach, and other abdominal viscera, have been promptly relieved by it, and a prominent symptom in these disorders, that has been met by the drug, is the coldness of the extremities. We should remember melilotus in painful states, with coldness, and marked soreness or tenderness to the touch. Dose of specific melilotus, 1 to 10 drops; of a strong tincture, 1 to 20 drops. The leaves and flowers of these two plants (M. officinalis and M. alba) are boiled in lard, and formed into an ointment, which is found of utility as an application to all kinds of ulcers. The Vanilla, or Seneca grass, used for a stimulant purpose, is the Hierochloë borealis.

Specific Indications and Uses.—Idiopathic headaches; long-standing neuralgias; coldness, tenderness, lameness or marked soreness of parts; painful menstruation with lameness or sensation of cold; menstrual colic; ovarian neuralgia; colic with diarrhoea and much flatus.

The herb has aromatic, emollient and carminative properties. It was formerly much esteemed inmedicine as an emollient and digestive and is recommended by Gerard for many complaints, the juice for clearing the eyesight, and, boiled with lard and other ingredients, as an application to wens and ulcers, and mixed with wine, ‘it mitigateth the paine of the eares and taketh away the paine of the head.’

Culpepper tells us that the head is to be washed with the distilled herb for loss of senses and apoplexy, and that boiled in wine, it is good for inflammation of the eye or other parts of the body.

The following recipe is from the Fairfax Still-room book (published 1651):
‘To make a bath for Melancholy. Take Mallowes, pellitory of the wall, of each three handfulls; Camomell Flowers, Mellilot flowers, of each one handfull, senerick seed one ounce, and boil them in nine gallons of Water untill they come to three, then put in a quart of new milke and go into it bloud warme or something warmer.’
Applied as a plaster, or in ointment, or as a fomentation, it is an old-fashioned country remedy for the relief of abdominal and rheumatic pains.
It relieves flatulence and in modern herbal practice is taken internally for this purpose.

The flowers, besides being very useful and attractive to bees, have supplied a perfume, and a water distilled from them has been used for flavouring.

The dried plant has been employed to scent snuff and smoking tobacco and may be laid among linen for the same purpose as lavender. When packed with furs, Melilot is said to act like camphor and preserve them from moths, besides imparting a pleasant fragrance.

‘In Switzerland, Melilot abounds in the pastures and is an ingredient in the green Swiss cheese called Schabzieger. The Schabzieger cheese is made by the curd being pressed in boxes with holes to let the whey run out; and when a considerable quantity has been collected and putrefaction begins, it is worked into a paste with a large proportion of the dried herb Melilotus, reduced to a powder. The herb is called in the country dialect “Zieger kraut,” curd herb. The paste thus produced is pressed into moulds of the shape of a common flowerpot and the putrefaction being stopped by the aromatic herb, it dries into a solid mass and keeps unchanged for any length of time. When used, it is rasped or grated and the powder mixed with fresh butter is spread upon bread. ‘ (Syme and Sowerby, English Botany.)
Species
Melilotus albus
Melilotus altissimus
Melilotus dentatus
Melilotus elegans
Melilotus hirsutus
Melilotus indicus
Melilotus infestus
Melilotus italicus
Melilotus macrocarpus
Melilotus messanensis
Melilotus neapolitanus
Melilotus officinalis
Melilotus polonicus
Melilotus segetalis
Melilotus serratifolius
Melilotus speciosus
Melilotus suaveolens
Melilotus sulcatus
Melilotus tauricus
Melilotus wolgicus

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_clover
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/melilo29.html
http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/kings/melilotus.html
http://web.guernsey.net/~cdavid/botany/files/melilotus%20indicus/index.html

tags: Herbs & Plants author: Mukul comments: No Comments

Botanical: Anthemis cotula
Family: N.O. Compositae

Synonyms: Maroute. Maruta cotula. Cotula Maruta foetida. Manzanilla loca. Dog Chamomile. Wild Chamomile. Camomille puante. Foetid or Stinking Chamomile or Mayweed. Dog’s Fennel. Maithes. Maithen. Mathor.
Parts Used: Flowers, leaves.
Habitat:Habitat: dry roadsides and waste places. Most are very common in the temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and America, as well as in northern and southern Africa, and some are naturalised in Australia. M. occidentalis is native to North America; other species have been introduced there.

Description: This annual herb, winter or summer annual with finely dissected leaves that may reach 2 feet in height. Primarily a weed of landscapes, nursery, and some agronomic crops that is found throughout the United States, growing freely in waste places, resembles the true Chamomile, having large, solitary flowers on erect stems, with conical, solid receptacles, but the white florets have no membraneous scales at their base. It is distinguished from the allied genera by its very foetid odour, which rubbing increases.

These are hardy, pleasantly aromatic annuals, growing along roadsides in ruderal communities and in fallow land rich in nutrients. Though many are considered nuisance weeds, they are suitable for rock gardens and herb gardens, and as border plants.

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Stems below the cotyledons (hypocotyls) are green and become maroon with age. Cotyledons are thick and smooth, approximately 7 to 8 mm long. The first true leaves are opposite, but all subsequent leaves are alternate. All true leaves are thick and finely dissected with some short hairs.
Leaves: Alternate, finely dissected, approximately 3/4 to 2 1/2 inches long and 1 inch wide. Leaves emit an unpleasant odor and may have some short hairs.

The whole plant, including the fennel-like leaves, has this odour and is full of an acrid juice that has caused it to be classed among the vegetable poisons; it is liable to blister.

Its action resembles that of the Chamomiles, but it is weaker, and its odour prevents its general adoption.
Height: 6-18 inches

Flowers: Occur in solitary heads at the ends of branches. Flowers are approximately 2/3 to 1 1/3 inches in diameter and are white (ray flowers) with yellow centers (disk flowers). White ray flowers have 3 distinct teeth.

• Flower color: white rays around a yellow disk
• Flowering time: May to October
Bees dislike it, and it is said to drive away fleas.

The flowers must not be gathered when wet, or they will blacken during drying.

Identifying Characteristics: Plants with finely dissected leaves that emit an unpleasant odor and have white flowers with a yellow center. Mayweed chamomile may resemble Dogfennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) when in the seedling stage, however dogfennel seedlings have petiolated cotyledons and hairy stems. Pineapple-weed (Matricaria matricarioides) also has similar characteristics, but has green flowers and emits a pineapple-like odor when crushed.

Constituents: The flowers have been found to contain volatile oil, oxalic, valeric and tannic acids, salts of magnesium, iron, potassium and calcium, colouring matter, a bitter extractive and fatty matter.

Medicinal Action and Uses: The flowers are preferred for internal use, being slightly less disagreeable than the leaves. In hysteria it is used in Europe as an antispasmodic and emmenagogue. Applied to the skin fresh and bruised it is a safe vesicant. A poultice helpful in piles can be made from the herb boiled until soft, or it can be used as a bath or fomentation.

It is administered to induce sleep in asthma. In sick headache or convalescence after fever the extract may be used.

A strong decoction can cause sweating and vomiting. It is said to be nearly as valuable as opium in dysentery. It has also been used in scrofula, dysmennorrhoea and flatulent gastritis.

Dosage: Of infusion, 1 to 4 fluid ounces.
The extract of German chamomile (M. recutita) is taken as a strong tea. It has been used in herbal medicine as a carminative and anti-inflammatory. It is also used in ointments and lotions, and as a mouthwash against infections of mouth and gums. Aromatherapy uses two essential oils of chamomile: the “true chamomile” oil (or german chamomile oil, from M. recutita) and the Roman chamomile oil (from Anthemis nobilis).

Other Species: Anthemis tinctoria has similar properties and yields a yellow dye.
A. arvensis is considered in France to be one of the best indigenous febrifuges.

Species:-
Matricaria acutiloba
Matricaria albida
Matricaria arabica
Matricaria arlgirdensis
Matricaria auriculata
Matricaria brachyglossa
Matricaria burchellii
Matricaria capitellata
Matricaria caucasica
Matricaria confusa
Matricaria conoclinia
Matricaria coreana
Matricaria corymbifera
Matricaria courrantiana: Crown Mayweed
Matricaria decipiens
Matricaria dichotoma
Matricaria discoidea : Disc Mayweed (synonym of Chamomilla suaveolens (Pursh) Rydb.)
Matricaria fuscata
Matricaria glabra (synonym of Otospermum glabrum (Lag.) Willk.)
Matricaria glabrata
Matricaria globifera
Matricaria grandiflora
Matricaria heterocarpa
Matricaria hirsutifolia
Matricaria hirta
Matricaria hispida
Matricaria inodora (synonym of Matricaria perforata Mérat)
Matricaria intermedia
Matricaria lamellata
Matricaria lasiocarpa
Matricaria laxa
Matricaria macrotis
Matricaria maritima
Matricaria maritima f. coronata
Matricaria maritima ssp. maritima
Matricaria maritima ssp. phaeocephala
Matricaria maritima ssp. subpolaris
Matricaria matricarioides : Pineapple Weed; Rounded Chamomile (synonym of Chamomilla suaveolens (Pursh) Rydb.)
Matricaria melanophylla
Matricaria microcephala
Matricaria nigellifolia
Matricaria occidentalis : Valley Mayweed
Matricaria otaviensis
Matricaria parvilfora
Matricaria perforata : Scentless Mayweed
Matricaria pinnatifida
Matricaria praecox (synonym of Matricaria parviflora (Willd.) Poir.)
Matricaria recutita : German Chamomile, Scented Mayweed, Wild Chamomile, Common Chamomile
Matricaria raddeana
Matricaria rosella
Matricaria schinzinna
Matricaria spathipappus
Matricaria subglobosa
Matricaria suffruticosa
Matricaria tempskyana
Matricaria trichophylla
Matricaria tridentata
Matricaria tzvelevii (synonym of Chamomilla tzvelevii (Pobed.) Rauschert)

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/maywee26.html
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/anthemiscotu.html
http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/antco.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayweed

tags: Herbs & Plants author: Mukul comments: No Comments

Definition:
Colic is when an otherwise healthy baby cries more that three hours a day, for more than three days a week, between ages three weeks and three months. The crying usually starts suddenly at about the same time each day. This is actually just an arbitrary definition made years ago . By this definition, a surprising number of babies actually would have colic: some experts have even estimated as many as half of all babies!

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If your baby is crying a lot, you should call your doctor. Your pediatrician will want to check your baby to make sure there is no medical reason for the crying. If your baby’s doctor finds no underlying cause, then they will probably say your baby has colic. Colic is perfectly normal, and does not mean there is anything wrong with either baby or parents. Colic can be distressing for both you and your baby. But take comfort in the fact that it’s not permanent. In fact, in a matter of weeks or months — when your baby is happier and sleeping better — you’ll have weathered one of the first major challenges of parenthood.It does not have any lasting effects on the child or the mother in later life.

Signs and symptoms:

The baby’s cry is loud and they may have a red face and a tense, hard belly, because the abdominal muscles tighten with crying. Baby’s legs may be drawn up and fists clenched. This is often just the typical baby crying posture. However, the first time your baby has a long jag of inconsolable crying like this—with a tense, hard belly—you should call your doctor. This can sometimes be a sign of a serious condition that requires medical attention.
A fussy baby doesn’t necessarily have colic. In an otherwise healthy, well-fed baby, signs of colic include:

*Predictable crying episodes. A baby who has colic often cries about the same time every day, usually in the late afternoon or evening. Colic episodes may last anywhere from a few minutes to three hours or more on any given day. The crying usually begins suddenly and for no clear reason. Your baby may have a bowel movement or pass gas near the end of the colic episode.
*Intense or inconsolable crying. Colic crying is intense. Your baby’s face will likely be flushed, and he or she will be extremely difficult — if not impossible — to comfort.

*Posture changes. Curled up legs, clenched fists and tensed abdominal muscles are common during colic episodes.
*Colic may affect up to about 25 percent of babies. Colic usually starts a few weeks after birth and often improves by age 3 months. Although a few babies struggle with colic for months longer, colic ends by age 9 months for 90 percent of babies.

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Causes:
No one really knows what causes colic. Researchers have explored a number of possibilities, including allergies, lactose intolerance, an immature digestive system, maternal anxiety, and differences in the way a baby is fed or comforted. This last idea speculates that Baby’s immature nervous system can’t handle the stimuli of everyday life, and that crying is their only way of communicating this “overload.” An opposite hypothesis is that Baby needs more stimulation, and gets it through crying. Colic is mysterious, but not harmful to your baby. et it’s still unclear why some babies have colic and others don’t.

Diagnosis:
Your baby’s doctor will do a physical exam to identify any possible causes for your baby’s distress, such as an intestinal obstruction. If your baby is otherwise healthy, he or she may be diagnosed with colic. Lab tests, X-rays and other diagnostic tests aren’t usually needed.

Treatment:
Colic improves on its own, often by age 3 months. In the meantime, there are few treatment options. Prescription medications such as simethicone (Mylicon) haven’t proved very helpful for colic, and others can have serious side effects.

A study published in January 2007 suggests that treatment with probiotics — substances that help maintain the natural balance of “good” bacteria in the digestive tract — can soothe colic. More research is needed, however, to determine the effects of probiotics on colic.

Consult your baby’s doctor before giving your baby any medication to treat colic.

Risk factors:
Infants of mothers who smoke during pregnancy or after delivery have twice the risk of developing colic.

Many other theories about what makes a child more susceptible to colic have been proposed, but none seem to hold true. Colic doesn’t occur more often among firstborns or formula-fed babies. A breast-feeding mother’s diet isn’t likely to trigger colic. And girls and boys — no matter what their birth order or how they’re fed — experience colic in similar numbers.

Popular Myths related to colic?
Let’s debunk some of the popular myths about colic. Here are the facts:

*Babies do not cry to manipulate their parents.
*Holding babies and picking them up when they cry cannot “spoil” them.
*We do not know whether colicky babies are in pain or not, but they sure seem to be, and that can really stress out parents. Keep in mind that your baby may not actually be in pain or distress, but just doing what they need to do for their immature nervous systems.
*Giving rice cereal does not help solve colic.
*Studies have shown that Simethicone (Mylicon) and lactase (the enzyme that helps digest lactose—the sugar in cow’s milk—which is in breast milk if the mother consumes dairy products) do not help colic. ,
*Sedatives, antihistamines, and motion-sickness medications, like dicyclomine (Bentyl) are NOT safe or effective in treating colic in babies. Often grandparents will suggest these medications. They were commonly used years ago, but now we know better.

Self Care:

Your baby’s doctor may not be able to fix colic or make it go away sooner, but there are many ways you can try to soothe your baby. Consider these suggestions:

• Feed your baby. If you think your baby may be hungry, try a feeding. Hold your baby as upright as possible, and burp your baby often. Sometimes more frequent — but smaller — feedings are helpful. If you’re breast-feeding, it may help to empty one breast completely before switching sides. This will give your baby more hindmilk, which is richer and potentially more satisfying than the foremilk present at the beginning of a feeding.
• Offer a pacifier. For many babies, sucking is a soothing activity. Even if you’re breast-feeding, it’s OK to offer a pacifier to help your baby calm down.
• Hold your baby. Cuddling helps some babies. Others quiet when they’re held closely and swaddled in a lightweight blanket. To give your arms a break, try a baby sling, backpack or other type of baby carrier. Don’t worry about spoiling your baby by holding him or her too much.
• Keep your baby in motion. Gently rock your baby in your arms or in an infant swing. Lay your baby tummy down on your knees and then sway your knees slowly. Take a walk with your baby, or buckle your baby in the car seat for a drive. Use a vibrating infant seat or vibrating crib.
• Sing to your baby. A soft tune might soothe your baby. And even if lullabies don’t stop your baby from crying, they can keep you calm and help pass the time while you’re waiting for your baby to settle down. Recorded music may help, too.
• Turn up the background noise. Some babies cry less when they hear steady background noise. When holding or rocking your baby, try making a continuous “shssss” sound. Turn on a kitchen or bathroom exhaust fan, or play a tape or CD of environmental sounds such as ocean waves, a waterfall or gentle rain. Sometimes the tick of a clock or metronome does the trick.
• Use gentle heat or touch. Give your baby a warm bath. Softly massage your baby, especially around the tummy.
• Give your baby some private time. If nothing else seems to work, a brief timeout might help. Put your baby in his or her crib for five to 10 minutes.
• Mix it up. Experiment to discover what works best for your baby, even if it changes from day to day.
• Consider dietary changes. If you breast-feed, see if eliminating certain foods from your own diet — such as dairy products, citrus fruits, spicy foods or drinks containing caffeine — has any effect on your baby’s crying. If you use a bottle, a new type of bottle or nipple might help.

If you’re concerned about your baby’s crying or your baby isn’t eating, sleeping or behaving like usual, contact your baby’s doctor. He or she can help you tell the difference between a colic episode and something more serious.

How you can help your baby relieve their colic distress?

Colic usually starts to improve at about six weeks of age, and is generally gone by the time your baby is 12 weeks old. While you are waiting for that magic resolution, try these techniques to help soothe your infant:

• Respond consistently to your baby’s cries.
• Don’t panic and don’t worry. If you are worried, bring your baby to their pediatrician.
• When your baby cries, check to see if they are hungry, tired, in pain, too hot or cold, bored, over-stimulated, or need a diaper change.
• Some parents find that carrying their baby more reduces colic. You can try different baby carriers to make it easier and free your hands. Many parents (and babies!) love slings once they get the hang of them—but sometimes it takes a little experimentation. One study found carrying babies four to five hours a day resulted in less crying at six weeks of age, as compared to carrying them only two to three hours a day. On the other hand, a later study by the same researcher did not find significantly less crying in babies carried more. So your best bet is just to see if it makes any difference with your baby.
• Vacuum while wearing your baby in a baby carrier.
• Rock your baby.
• Change formula. Talk with your baby’s doctor first.
• Breastfeeding moms can try changing their diets. In a recent study , researchers found that taking out allergenic foods (cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy and fish) from the breastfeeding mom’s diet reduced crying and fussing in babies under 6 weeks.
• Play music and dance with your baby.
• Talk a walk with your baby in the stroller. This can really help with your stress level, in addition to soothing your baby.
• Get support from family, friends, your religious community, neighbors, etc. Let them help in any way possible.
• Take care of yourself and manage your stress. Eating a well-balanced diet, getting sleep and exercise, and having people to talk to can do wonders. If the stress or blues become too much, it’s good idea to get professional help. Your or your baby’s doctor might be able to help you figure out where to start.
• Nurse your baby every 2-3 hours if you are breastfeeding.
• Don’t smoke, and don’t allow anyone to smoke around your baby. Babies of smokers cry more, and get sick more often, too. Smoker’s babies also have an increased risk of SIDS.
• Quitting smoking during pregnancy may reduce the likelihood that your baby will develop colic . in addition to all the other benefits to you and your baby.
• You could try a device that attaches to the crib. It’s designed to simulate a car ride, but it is not clear that the device actually works. The Sleep Tight Infant Soother consists of a vibration unit that mounts under the crib and a sound unit that attaches to the crib rail. Your pediatrician can tell you whether it would be a good idea to try in your baby’s case. The device is not promoted directly to consumers. Some insurance companies may reimburse the cost if you have a physician prescription. You can reach the manufacturer at 1-800-NO-COLIC or 1-800-662-6542. There is no research to prove that the Sleep Tight works, and some parents have been dissatisfied with it.
• Provide white noise, such as running the vacuum cleaner, clothes dryer, or hair dryer near your baby while in their car seat. (Do not put your baby on top of the dryer—they could fall off!) White noise machines are also available. White noise simulates the whooshing sound your baby heard constantly while in utero. You can also do your own “whooshing” or “shushing” with your voice as you rock or carry your baby.
• Go for a car ride.
• Massage your baby. Find out how to do infant massage for colic. Massage has many benefits for both the baby and the giver of the massage.
• Some parents have found that herbal tea is helpful. The combination of chamomile, fennel, vervain, licorice, and balm-mint was found to be effective in one study. Other traditional herbs for colic tea include anise, catnip, caraway, mint, fennel, dill, cumin, and ginger root. Gripe water, available in Britain and Canada, is made from dill. These remedies are not produced or regulated in the same standardized ways that medications are—so you don’t know exactly what you are getting. These herbs have not all been studied, and therefore it is not certain that they are all safe. More research is needed to be sure these preparations are safe and effective. If you choose to give herbal tea, start by giving only an ounce, and never give more than four to six ounces per day. Babies who fill up on tea don’t drink enough breast milk or formula and then have trouble growing. Please remember that just because something is “natural”, it is not necessarily safe.

Places where you to get more information about colic:
On the Web:

• Cólicos (niño llorón)—Spanish fact sheet
• Have hope: Colic will not last forever!
• How to massage a colicky baby
• Fussy babies—here is a wealth of suggestions for comforting fussy and colicky babies
• Handling the crying child—with tips for soothing baby, and for parents’ coping.

Recommended reading:

• The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer, by Harvey Karp
  This book teaches you simple techniques based on other cultures where babies do not get colic, and on the idea a baby’s first three months are like a fourth trimester.
• Check out the chapter on colic in the book, The Holistic Pediatrician (second edition), by Kathi Kemper.
• Infant Massage: A Handbook for Loving Parents, by Vimala Schneider McClure
• Crying Baby: Resource List—recommended books about soothing crying babies.

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose.

Resources:
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/colic.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/colic/

tags: Ailmemts & Remedies author: Mukul comments: No Comments

Washing fruits and vegetables does reduce the risk of food poisoning. However, washing alone may not be enough.

Studies show that some disease-causing microbes can evade even chemical sanitizers. These bacteria can make their way inside the leaves of lettuce, spinach and other vegetables and fruit, where surface treatments cannot reach them. Microbes can also organize themselves into tightly knit packs called biofilms to protect themselves from harm.

Biofilms can harbor multiple versions of infectious, disease-causing bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. coli.

Researchers suggested that irradiation, a food treatment that exposes food to a source of electron beams, could effectively kill internalized pathogens that are beyond the reach of conventional chemical sanitizers.

Irradiation disrupts the genetic material of living cells, inactivating parasites and destroying pathogens and insects in food.
Sources:
Science Daily April 16, 2008

tags: Featured author: Mukul comments: No Comments

A special high-fat diet helps to control fits in children with epilepsy, a UK trial suggests.

The number of seizures fell by a third in children on the “ketogenic” diet, where previously they had suffered fits every day despite medication.

……………….

tags: News on Health/Science author: Mukul comments: No Comments

Definition
An abscess is an enclosed collection of liquefied tissue, known as pus, somewhere in the body. It is the result of the body’s defensive reaction to foreign material.

An abscess (Latin: abscessus) is a collection of pus (dead neutrophils) that has accumulated in a cavity formed by the tissue on the basis of an infectious process (usually caused by bacteria or parasites) or other foreign materials (e.g. splinters, bullet wounds, or injecting needles). It is a defensive reaction of the tissue to prevent the spread of infectious materials to other parts of the body.

The organisms or foreign materials kill the local cells, resulting in the release of toxins. The toxins trigger an inflammatory response, which draws large numbers of white blood cells to the area and increases the regional blood flow.

The final structure of the abscess is an abscess wall, or capsule, that is formed by the adjacent healthy cells in an attempt to keep the pus from infecting neighboring structures. However, such encapsulation tends to prevent immune cells from attacking bacteria in the pus, or from reaching the causative organism or foreign object.

Abscesses must be differentiated from empyemas, which are accumulations of pus in a preexisting rather than a newly formed anatomical cavity.

Description
There are two types of abscesses, septic and sterile. Most abscesses are septic, which means that they are the result of an infection. Septic abscesses can occur anywhere in the body. Only a germ and the body’s immune response are required. In response to the invading germ, white blood cells gather at the infected site and begin producing chemicals called enzymes that attack the germ by digesting it. These enzymes act like acid, killing the germs and breaking them down into small pieces that can be picked up by the circulation and eliminated from the body. Unfortunately, these chemicals also digest body tissues. In most cases, the germ produces similar chemicals. The result is a thick, yellow liquid—pus—containing digested germs, digested tissue, white blood cells, and enzymes.

An abscess is the last stage of a tissue infection that begins with a process called inflammation. Initially, as the invading germ activates the body’s immune system, several events occur:

*Blood flow to the area increases.
*The temperature of the area increases due to the increased blood supply.
*The area swells due to the accumulation of water, blood, and other liquids.
*It turns red.
*It hurts, because of the irritation from the swelling and the chemical activity.

These four signs—heat, swelling, redness, and pain— characterize inflammation.

As the process progresses, the tissue begins to turn to liquid, and an abscess forms. It is the nature of an abscess to spread as the chemical digestion liquefies more and more tissue. Furthermore, the spreading follows the path of least resistance—the tissues most easily digested. A good example is an abscess just beneath the skin. It most easily continues along beneath the skin rather than working its way through the skin where it could drain its toxic contents. The contents of the abscess also leak into the general circulation and produce symptoms just like any other infection. These include chills, fever, aching, and general discomfort.

Sterile abscesses are sometimes a milder form of the same process caused not by germs but by non-living irritants such as drugs. If an injected drug like penicillin is not absorbed, it stays where it was injected and may cause enough irritation to generate a sterile abscess— sterile because there is no infection involved. Sterile abscesses are quite likely to turn into hard, solid lumps as they scar, rather than remaining pockets of pus.

Manifestations
The cardinal symptoms and signs of any kind of inflammatory process are redness, heat, swelling, pain and loss of function. Abscesses may occur in any kind of solid tissue but most frequently on skin surface (where they may be superficial pustules (boils) or deep skin abscesses), in the lungs, brain, teeth, kidneys and tonsils. Major complications are spreading of the abscess material to adjacent or remote tissues and extensive regional tissue death (gangrene). Abscesses in most parts of the body rarely heal themselves, so prompt medical attention is indicated at the first suspicion of an abscess.

Causes and symptoms
Many different agents cause abscesses. The most common are the pus-forming (pyogenic) bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, which is nearly always the cause of abscesses under the skin. Abscesses near the large bowel, particularly around the anus, may be caused by any of the numerous bacteria found within the large bowel. Brain abscesses and liver abscesses can be caused by any organism that can travel there through the circulation. Bacteria, amoeba, and certain fungi can travel in this fashion. Abscesses in other parts of the body are caused by organisms that norm