Health

) Higlighting the discrimination against the leprosy-affected in India, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Elimination of Leprosy Yohei Sasakawa has called for extension of support to the patients to overcome the stigma associated with the disease.

“Many parts of India still face the problems of discrimination and a major social stigma is attached to those afflicted with leprosy. After meeting and understanding them, one thing I can conclude is that the leprosy situation in India needs help,” Sasakawa said.

A new research has revealed that a biological ability to compensate for the body’s reduced response to insulin could help explain why women typically develop heart disease 10 years later than men.

Lead author, Sun H. Kim, MD, MS, of Stanford University School of Medicine, said that among men and women ages 50 or younger with comparable levels of insulin resistance, their study found women experienced fewer complications than men did.

She said that this ability to deal with the fallout from insulin resistance was no longer present when we examined women who were 51 and older.

A simple measurement of the sweat gland activity of a depressed person can nearly accurately determine if they have suicidal propensity, a new research has claimed.

Lars-Hakan Thorell, associate professor in experimental psychiatry at Linkoping University, one of the researchers behind the study, said that blood pressure, blood circulation and activity in the sweat glands of the fingers can reveal if a person is suicidal.

Diet can help lower hypertension and improve heart function in patients suffering from a common type of heart failure, according to a new research.

After 21 days of following a low-sodium Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan, patients saw a drop in blood pressure similar to taking anti-hypertension medicine.

A simple measurement of the sweat gland activity of a depressed person can nearly accurately determine if they have suicidal propensity, a new research has claimed.

Lars-Hakan Thorell , associate professor in experimental psychiatry at Linkoping University, one of the researchers behind the study, said that blood pressure, blood circulation and activity in the sweat glands of the fingers can reveal if a person is suicidal.

A new research has tried to look into the principle as to why the more weight you lose, the harder it is to keep it off.

The study claims that a complex and vicious cycle of biological and behavioral factors make it so.

But eating disorder research has largely overlooked this influence, and Dr. Michael Lowe, a professor of psychology at Drexel University, has published a flurry of research studies showing that needs to change.

“The focus of eating disorder research has very much been on the state of patients’ thoughts, beliefs, emotions and personalities,” Lowe said.

A new study suggests that acupuncture or counselling, provided alongside usual care, could benefit patients with depression.

The study, conducted by a team led by Dr Hugh MacPherson, of the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York, found that in a primary care setting, combining acupuncture or counselling with usual care had some benefits after three months for patients with recurring depression.

Diet can help lower hypertension and improve heart function in patients suffering from a common type of heart failure, according to a new research.

After 21 days of following a low-sodium Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan, patients saw a drop in blood pressure similar to taking anti-hypertension medicine.

Parents, want your kids to learn better? Let them take an afternoon nap!

Taking an hour-long nap during the day can boost learning in preschool children by improving their memory, a new first-of-its-kind study has found.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that a nap helped children better remember pre-school lessons.

Research psychologist Rebecca Spencer, with students Kasey Duclos and Laura Kurdziel, said their results suggest naps are critical for memory consolidation and early learning, based on their study of preschool children.

Britain will contribute one billion pounds ($1.5 billion) to the Global Fund to fight Aids, tuberculosis and Malaria over the next three years, said Justine Greening, international development secretary at the UN.

The investment, she said, showed Britain was leading the way in international aid and claimed the contribution would save a life every three minutes, Daily Express reported Tuesday.

A 20-year-old man in China’s Hunan province attacked three nurses, including a pregnant woman, at a hospital with a knife after he was dissatisfied over the results of his plastic surgery performed four months ago.

It all occurred Monday as the man felt that the beard implant surgery which he received there four months ago was a failure. He then attacked the nurses at the plastic surgery department of the hospital in provincial capital Changsha, reported Shanghai Daily citing the hospital in a statement.

Most of us begin our day with a cup of tea and an expert suggests replacing the commonly consumed black tea with green tea.

Anil Bansal, chief cardiologist, Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon, shares the benefits of green tea for the heart

– The antioxidants in green tea help to burn fat. The fat accumulation leads to blockage of heart. If we drink green tea at least once a day we can reduce the risk of heart ailments.

– It is also recommended for those who have suffered from heart ailment as green tea can make the heart strong.

India is working on a host of innovative technologies, including developing strips to test diabetes, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said here Tuesday.

The health ministry has launched a programme to encourage development and introduction of affordable and indigenous technologies for public health applications, Azad said after giving away awards to scientists of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) here.

Sudden flashes of light in the eye, haziness and decrease in vision are some of the symptoms of retinal detachment and are not to be ignored, caution eye care experts, creating awareness on the occasion of the World Retina Week.

Retinal detachment is a condition where the retina – the light sensitive area of the eye – gets separated from its normal position, leading to deterioration in vision. The retinal tissues get detached from the layer of oxygen providing blood tissues and fail to form a clear picture.

Eleven more dengue deaths were reported from the Capital today even as municipal authorities cracked the whip suspending two top officials from the north corporation for failing to check the rising cases.

“We received reports of 11 more deaths from the Shahbad Daulatpur area in the Rohini Zone today. We have already
suspended the Deputy Health Officer and Malaria Inspector of the Rohini Zone with immediate effect, and also issued stern warning to the MHO,” North Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Azad Singh told PTI.

Barack Obama has revealed that he hasn’t smoked in years, and all the credit goes to his wife, first lady Michelle Obama.

According to a CNN report, the US President was heard asking a U.N. official, Maina Kiai, during a private conversation, about his smoking habit, the Huffington Post reported.

When the official asked Obama about his own cigarette use, Obama said he hadn’t had a cigarette in six years, because he is scared of his wife.

Michelle has actively promoted healthy habits in kids and adults. (ANI)

A new research has revealed that `energy less` artificial sweeteners are unable to satisfy the sugar craving of the body, and instead make people more desperate to gorge on sugary snacks.

According to the research, our pleasure in consuming sweet solutions is driven to a great extent by the amount of energy it provides: greater reward in the brain is attributed to sugars compared to artificial sweeteners.

A new study has found that young women with breast cancer often overestimate the chance that cancer will develop in their other healthy breast, and decide to have that breast surgically removed.

The survey conducted by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators also showed that many patients opt for the procedure, known as a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy, or CPM, despite knowing it will be unlikely to improve their chance of survival.

A yoga instructor has revealed the yoga poses that you can do without even getting out of your bed.

Vyda Bielkus, co-founder of Boston’s Health Yoga Life, said that people underestimate the power of those few minutes before we get out of bed and rush into our day, asserting that in those moments, a person can set up some clear intentions and choices.

She said that reclining goddess pose, where you lie with the soles of your feet touching with your arms by your side or stretched above your head, is a good pose to do before you go to sleep, as it settles the mind and helps you unwind.

Researchers have revealed that the breast cancer drug tamoxifen is toxic to cells of the brain and central nervous system, and produces mental fogginess similar to “chemo brain.”

Corresponding author Mark Noble, Ph.D., professor of Biomedical Genetics and director of the UR Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, said that it is exciting to potentially be able to prevent a toxic reaction to one of the oldest and most widely used breast cancer medications on the market.

Researchers have discovered a form of yoga- “partner yoga”- which they claim may help couples who are struggling with sexual dysfunction.

This form of yoga uses massage, breathing exercises and mutually beneficial postures couples can do together to build trust, relax and have fun.

Susan Walsh, PsyD, psychologist and certified yoga instructor for Loyola’s Sexual Wellness Clinic, said that distance and resentment can develop in marriages over time, but partner yoga can clear this negative energy and help a couple reconnect and become comfortable with touch and intimacy.

A Danish study has found that people who exercise for just 30 minutes a day shed more weight than those who work out for an hour every day. Researchers believe that the shorter workout stints left subjects with more energy and motivation to live healthier lifestyles, while those who hit the gym for an hour were more likely to feel burned out, the New York daily News reported.

Regular intake of alcohol poses hidden health risks in women and it may not surface until decades later, it has been revealed.

Experts are worried about daily drinking: the insidious alcohol affliction of middle-aged women, which rises in prevalence the older women get, Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Experts said whereas the ill effects of binge drinking were immediately apparent, the health risks of a few glasses of wine each night could remain hidden for 20 years.

People who love exposing themselves to the sun can now take solace, as a new study has revealed that though spending long hours in sun may up health hazards, it has lot of benefits too.

The research suggested that men and women with non-melanoma skin cancer have nearly half the risk of an early death as people without the disease, and also have reduced risk of heart attacks and hip fracture, the Independent reported.

A new study suggests that statins, which are taken by millions of Britons every day to slash cholesterol, could actually trigger sight loss.

People taking statins to protect against a heart attack or stroke are far more likely to be diagnosed with cataracts, scientists have claimed.

The condition causes cloudy patches on the lens at the front of one or both eyes, making vision blurred or misty, the Daily Express reported.

It is a leading cause of blindness and at least 200,000 people in the UK are treated each year.