Month: July 2008

Categories
Positive thinking

Feeling Threatened

Afraid Of The Truth :
Most of us have had the experience of being in possession of a piece of truth that we were afraid to share because we knew it would not be well received. There are also instances in which we ourselves have been unable to handle some truth confronting us. This might be a small truth, such as not wanting to see that our car needs repairs because we don’t want to pay for them, or a large truth, such as not fully accepting that someone close to us is pushing us away. Usually the truth is evident, and we can see it if we choose, but we have elaborate ways of hiding the truth form ourselves, no matter how apparent it is.

For the most part, we avoid the truth because it scares us, or makes us angry, or makes us feel like we don’t know what to do. We often create our lives based on a particular understanding, and if that understanding turns out to be fully or even partially incorrect, we may feel that our whole sense of reality is being threatened. It takes a strong person to face the truth in circumstances like these, and many of us run for cover instead. Nevertheless, we can only avoid the truth for so long before it begins to make itself known in ever more forceful ways.

Ultimately, there is no way to avoid the truth, no matter how painful it is, so the sooner we let down our defenses, the better. When we know the truth and accept that we may have to adjust our lives to accommodate, we are in alignment with reality. At the same time, we can be patient with people around us who have a hard time seeing the truth, because we know how painful it can be. Whatever the truth is, we make a sincere effort not to close our eyes to it, but instead to be grateful that we have access to it.

Sources:Daily Om

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Health Quaries

Some Health Quaries & Answers

Q: My neighbour has about 30 cats. They are strays who have congregated on his verandah because he feeds them cooked chicken and fish offal purchased from the market. The stench permeates everywhere and is repulsive. He recently developed cancer of the colon. Could it be because of the cats? You had mentioned in an earlier column that cats harbour cancer causing H. pylori.

A: Cats do carry H. pylori which is associated with cancer of the stomach, not of the colon. But more disturbing here is the large congregation of unimmunised cats. Any one of them might harbour the rabies virus. Also, the garbage will attract flies and rodents that are responsible for spreading their own set of infectious diseases.

It is best to inform the local public health authorities about the hygiene problem. There is usually a medical health officer who can be approached on such matters. The neighbours should immunise themselves against rabies (in case a person is accidentally scratched or bitten). This can be done by taking “pre-exposure prophylaxis”. The vaccine consists of three injections and will give protection against rabies for five years. The schedule is available with doctors. Also, as far as possible, avoid contact with the cats.

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Chewing vs smoking:

Q: I have heard that chewing tobacco is safer than smoking. Is this true?

A: No, that’s a myth. If you hold tobacco flakes or leaves between your gums and cheek for 30 minutes, your body receives the same amount of harmful chemicals as that contained in three cigarettes. Chewing tobacco is as addictive as smoking cigarettes. In addition, the chemicals in it can cause cancers of the gum and cheek. As the juice is often swallowed, the risk of cancers of the throat, larynx and oesophagus also increases. Teeth and gum problems abound, with inflammation and recession of the gums.

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Rising BP:-

Q: Is there any way to control my blood pressure? I am on medication but it doesn’t seem to be helping.

A: You can buy an electronic blood pressure recording apparatus. You can then monitor your blood pressure. Other measures are to maintain an ideal body weight with diet and exercise, stop using tobacco, and reduce caffeine and alcohol intake. Sodium contained in table salt plays a role in blood pressure control and maintenance. There is a medical controversy about whether salt restriction should be recommended to all persons with high blood pressure. The recommended dietary intake of sodium is only half teaspoon (2.5gm) per person a day. Most of us consume more than this. One way to cut down is to avoid salty snacks, pickles, chutneys and preserved and canned foods. Also, do not sprinkle extra salt on your food.

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Eyesight correction:-

Q: I have poor eyesight and have been recommended surgical correction. I have heard the results are good, but no one is mentioning the side effects, if any. Is surgery advisable?

A: Technology is improving in this field rapidly. You can expect to achieve 20/20 (70 per cent) or 20/40 (90 per cent). The side effects are increased sensitivity to light, problems with glare, clouded vision, haloes around lights and intolerance to contact lenses. Before deciding on the surgeon, check for how many years he or she has been performing this operation and how good the results have been.

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Collar not cool:-

Q: I suffer from neck pain. The doctor has diagnosed cervical spondylosis and has asked me to wear a collar for three months. However, I find this awkward and uncomfortable. Is there any other way out?

A: Cervical spondylosis usually occurs as part of the normal ageing process. The cartilage cushioning bones of the neck deteriorate with age. As the body attempts to repair this damage, extra spurs of bones are formed, pressing on the nerves and causing pain. Mild cervical spondylosis needs exercises to strengthen the neck muscles and either traction or a collar to relieve the discomfort. If you do not follow the doctor’s advice, the condition may worsen. Once that happens you may require surgery. A collar worn short term is definitely an easier option.

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Baby’s day out:-

Q: I am pregnant and want to know when the baby is due.

A: You can calculate the due date if you know the date of your last menstrual period. The first day of that is taken as day 1. Add seven days and then nine months. If your period started on, say, March 7, 2008, your baby is due on December 14, 2008. If your cycles are not regular this date may not be accurate. A scan can also tell you the approximate due date. But all these calculations are only approximate. The best thing would be to have regular antenatal check-ups with a doctor. He or she will be able to advice you appropriately.

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You may click to see:->Pregnancy timeline

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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News on Health & Science

Drug Dilemma

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Anti epilepsy drugs if taken during pregnancy may raise the risk of birth defects:

A widely used anti epilepsy drug called topiramate raises the risk of birth defects as much as 14-fold when taken by pregnant women, especially in combination with another drug called valproate, say researchers.

However, the study involved only 203 women and thus there was still significant statistical uncertainty about it, they caution.

But the results are not surprising, they added, because the drug — sold by Johnson & Johnson under the brand name Topamax — has been shown to cause similar defects in animals. Other epilepsy drugs that have been studied have also been found to increase the risk of such defects, suggesting that the entire class of drugs may interfere with the reproductive process.

Despite the enormous risks, doctors say that epileptic women cannot stop taking the drugs during pregnancy because the seizures can also damage the unborn infant, perhaps even more severely.

But women who are taking the drug to prevent migraines should halt its use if they become pregnant or are planning to do so, said Dr John Craig of the Royal Group of Hospitals in Belfast, Northern Ireland, who led the research, published recently in Neurology.

Epilepsy is a disorder characterised by powerful seizures. Topamax accounts for about one in every five prescriptions for treating it.

Valproate, which is one of the most common drugs used in treating the problem, has previously been associated with birth defects or foetal death in about 20 per cent of women who take it.

Craig and his colleagues studied 203 women who became pregnant while taking topiramate either alone or in combination with other epilepsy drugs. Of the 203 pregnancies, 18 ended in spontaneous abortions, two in still births and five in induced abortions.

Of those born, 16 had major birth defects. Three of those were in mothers who had taken only topiramate and 13 in those who had taken it in combination with other drugs.

Four of the babies had cleft palates or lips, a rate 11 times higher than the normal rate of one in 500 expected among women not taking epilepsy drugs. Four male babies had genital birth defects, which is 14 times higher than the normal rate of one in 300.

The women in the study were part of the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register, which was set up to determine the relative safety of such drugs.

Sources: Los Angles Times

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WHY CORNER

Why Does the Skin Tan?

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Go to any beach and you are sure to find sun worshipers baking their bodies in the sun, totally oblivious to the fact that the sunburns they acquire may develop into skin cancers 10 to 20 years later. In most parts of the world, tanning is considered to be the “in” thing, as opposed to the earlier times when pale skin was preferred. It was thought that the paler one’s skin the higher was the class, and men and women went to great (and sometimes unhealthy) lengths to be pale.

You may click to see the picture

Tans are natural shields against the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which can damage skin tissue by causing sunburns as well as cancer in the long run.

Exposure to UV rays causes certain skin cells to produce the pigment melanin, which darkens through oxidation. Over exposure causes those cells to migrate closer to the skin’s surface and produce more melanin, further darkening the skin into a suntan. It’s no wonder then our bodies are equipped to produce melanin.

Melanin absorbs UV radiation and defends against further penetration of skin tissue. In other animals it proves diversely useful. It absorbs heat, an essential for cold-blooded creatures. It colours bird feathers, fish scales and squid ink, and helps to conceal nocturnal animals. Melanin even absorbs scattered light inside the eye to sharpen vision.

But it appears that only humans will risk their skins for a little extra skin pigment!

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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Featured

A regular diet of even modest amounts of food containing soy may halve sperm concentrations, suggest scientists.

The study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, found 41 million fewer sperm per millilitre of semen after just one portion every two days.

The authors said plant oestrogens in foods such as tofu, soy mince or milk may interfere with hormonal signals.

However, a UK expert stressed that most men in Asia eat more soy-based products with no fertility problems.

“Oestrogenic compounds in food or the environment have been of concern for a number of years, but we have mostly thought that it was boys exposed in the uterus before birth who were most at risk” says
Dr Allan Pacey,Sheffield University

Animal studies have suggested that large quantities of soy chemicals in food could affect fertility, but other studies looking at consumption in humans have had contradictory findings.

The Harvard School of Public Health study looked at the diets of 99 men who had attended a fertility clinic with their partners and provided a semen sample.

The men were divided into four groups depending on how much soy they ate, and when the sperm concentration of men eating the most soy was compared with those eating the least, there was a significant difference.

The “normal” sperm concentration for a man is between 80 and 120 million per millilitre, and the average of men who ate on average a portion of soy-based food every other day was 41 million fewer.

Dr Jorge Chavarro, who led the study, said that chemicals called isoflavones in the soy might be affecting sperm production.

These chemicals can have similar effects to the human hormone oestrogen.

Dr Chavarro noticed that overweight or obese men seemed even more prone to this effect, which may reflect the fact that higher levels of body fat can also lead to increased oestrogen production in men.

Worried men

However, the study pointed out that soy consumption in many parts of Asia was significantly higher than even the maximum found in these volunteers.

Dr Allan Pacey, a senior lecturer in andrology from the University of Sheffield, said that if soy genuinely had a detrimental effect on sperm production, fertility might well be affected in those regions, and there was no evidence that this was the case.

“Many men are obviously worried about whether their lifestyle or diet could affect their fertility by lowering their sperm count.

“Oestrogenic compounds in food or the environment have been of concern for a number of years, but we have mostly thought that it was boys exposed in the uterus before birth who were most at risk.

“We will have to look at adult diet more closely, although the fact that such large parts of the world have soy food as a major part of their diet and don’t appear to suffer any greater infertility rates than those on western diets suggests that any effect is quite small.”

Sources: BBC NEWS:July 24,’08

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