Health

Chandigarh, April 25: About 13.80 lakh children between the age of 0 and 5 years have been administered polio drops on the first day of the National Intensified Pulse Polio Immunisation (NID) round of 2010-11 held in 11 districts of Haryana today.

A total of 8,775 booths were set-up at locations convenient to the community to administer polio drops to the children.

These booths were manned by about 35,000 officials of the Health Department, Anganwari workers, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), non-government organisations and Self Help Groups.

London, April 25: We childproof our kitchen cabinets, place cough syrup and aspirin out of harm’s way and keep cleaning products on a high shelf in the garage, but some items, like nicotine gum and tobacco mints are left out on a dresser, stuck in the corner of our purses, or in the console of the family minivan. And they are poisonous and potentially deadly when ingested by children.

With an increasing number of cities, counties and states mandating no-smoking zones, people are turning to alternatives, either to quit or to take the edge off during long lulls between puffs.

London, April 25: Much is written in the fall months about fending off colds as the temperature changes, but there is no better time than in the midst of the winter months to become reacquainted with the best ways to prevent cold and flu bugs from invading your life. Some of the tips are all too familiar, but others may be pieces of advice that, incorporated into a daily routine, can help maintain health and fend off winter sicknesses.

Washington, April 25: Green tea has increasingly become one of the world’s most popular beverages, and for good reason. The purported health benefits of green tea are nothing short of amazing.

It appears to reduce the risk for a wide range of diseases, from bacterial or viral infections to chronic degenerative conditions including cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and periodontal disease.

Hyderabad, April 25: (Siasat News) Diseases and its Treatment:
1) ASTHMA, COUGH & ALLERGY: For the treatment of these diseases the following method is adopted. Take a cup of warm water, one spoon of honey and half tea spoon of Kalonji oil. Mix this together and drink in the morning before the breakfast. Similarly after dinner in the night. Treatment for forty days. Avoid cool food stuff.

London, April 25: Millions of Britons who smoke to stay slim are risking their health for nothing because smokers tend to be fatter, say scientists.

The popular notion that cigarettes stop you eating has been debunked, with experts saying that people who have never smoked tend to be thinner, reports express.co.uk.

The study is likely to shock many die-hard smokers, especially girls who were influenced by images of waif-like models such as Kate Moss drawing on a cigarette. These images had helped to perpetuate the notion that smoking keeps you trim.

London, April 25: Green tea has always been known for its antioxidant effects and disease fighting properties, but now researchers say the benefits could help the eyes.

The report, the first to study how the lens, retina and other eye tissues absorb these substances, suggests that the drink may protect against glaucoma and other common eye diseases, reports telegraph.co.uk.

Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Chi Pui Pang and colleagues say that “catechins”, a type of antioxidant found in green tea, can pass from the stomach to tissues in the eye.

Washington, April 24: Losing about six kg of excess flab may help reverse the disturbed immune system of obese people, particularly those with Type 2 diabetes, Australian scientists have claimed.

The immune system is made up of many different kinds of cells that protect the body from germs, viruses and other invaders. These cells need to co-exist in a certain balance for good health to be maintained.

Many factors, including diet and excess body fat, can tip this balance, creating “pro-inflammatory” immune cells that can harm, rather than protect, our bodies.

Johannesburg, April 24: A leader in the search for a vaccine against HIV, which causes AIDS, said Friday that recent advances have given scientists new reason for hope.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Dr. Alan Bernstein, executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, cited the world’s first successful test of an experimental AIDS vaccine. In September, researchers said the vaccine protected one in three people from getting HIV in a large study in Thailand.

New York, April 24: About 850,000 people die each year from a mosquito bite – with nearly 90 percent of all malaria deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) said Friday.

Ahead of World Malaria Day Sunday, Unicef Executive Director Ann Veneman said there were only 250 days left to meet the challenge set by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for all endemic countries to ensure universal coverage of malaria control interventions.

London, April 23: Distressed babies who are left to cry are at greater risk of developing problems later in life, a childcare expert said.

Long periods of crying can damage developing brains, leading to learning difficulties later in life, said Dr Penelope Leach, author of the 1977 book “Your Baby And Child: From Birth To Age Five”.

“It is not an opinion but a fact that it’s potentially damaging to leave babies to cry,” she said.

Leach’s theory is contrary to popular child-rearing beliefs that a baby should be allowed to cry for up to 20 minutes.

Washington, April 22: Green tea, renowned for its powerful antioxidant and disease-fighting properties, has been found to help protect against glaucoma and other eye diseases.

The new study, the first documenting how the lens, retina and other eye tissues absorb these substances, opens the possibility that green tea may protect against glaucoma and other common eye diseases.

Glaucoma is a disease in which the optic nerve is damaged, leading to progressive, irreversible loss of vision.

London, April 22: You may want to lay off alcohol for a while. Studies have found that alcohol can cause or worsen the common symptoms of asthma and hay fever, like sneezing, itching, headaches and coughing.

But the problem is not always the alcohol itself. Beer, wine and liquor contain histamine, produced by yeast and bacteria during the fermentation process. Histamine, of course, is the chemical that sets off allergy symptoms. Wine and beer also contain sulfites, another group of compounds known to provoke asthma and other allergy-like symptoms.

London, April 22: Young people are putting their hearing at risk by listening to music as loud as a jet engine, a researcher has warned.

Playing music at high volume and using earphones that fit in the ear canal could lead to loss of hearing, reports.

Professor Peter Rabinowitz, from Yale University School of Medicine said: ‘Some players generated volumes in the ear higher than 120 decibels – similar in intensity to a jet engine.’

During the research Rabinowitz also found that the leading cause of preventable hearing loss was exposure to excessive sound levels.

London, April : Having dense breasts has long been known to increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer, and new research confirms that a decline in breast density over time does, in fact, decrease that risk.

New research also has found that women taking hormone replacement therapy are more likely to experience an increase in breast density, a finding consistent with previous research that found women taking the hormones had a 24 percent increased risk for breast cancer.

Washington, April 21: Using insulin to treat diabetes could be harmful if the patient has chronic high blood pressure (BP), says the latest research.

Insulin is a hormone that controls the levels of glucose, a key source of energy, in our blood via its effects on the liver, muscle, and fat cells.

How insulin affects the heart is not very clear, animal studies suggest that insulin protects the heart from stress, whereas clinical studies suggest a link between high levels of insulin in the blood and heart failure.

Paris, April 21: There may be many people who believe that as its first anniversary looms, this is a great moment to consign swine flu to the Book of Great Health Scares.

To them, virologists sound a word of caution.

Yes, they admit, rather chastened, the novel virus did turn out to be less nasty than many predicted.

Possibly hundreds of millions have been infected by the bug, officially known as 2009 H1N1 influenza, since it was officially notified on April 24 last year.

But less than 18,000 have been killed by it, according to the UN’s official death toll.

London, April 21: Tanning is as addictive as drugs and booze, say experts.

Many Britons who use sunbeds display the same patterns of behaviour seen in serious substance abusers, reports a news website.

Researcher of the study, Catherine Mosher of University at Albany, New York, said: “Treating a mood disorder may be a necessary step for those who frequently tan indoors.”

-IANS

Hyderabad, April 21: Thirteen-Year-Old Sode Sayamma, a healthy girl, was administered the HPV Gardasil vaccine in August last.

Days later, she died. Her parents Sode Mudiraju and Maremma weren’t even aware of the vaccination. The Class IX girl, a student of the Narsingpet Ashram School in Kunavaram mandal, Khammam district, died an ‘‘unnatural death’’ or so her parents thought.

Washington, April 20: A 29-year-old from the US has become the first woman in the world to give birth to twins after having a heart transplant.

Only a handful of women have ever given birth after a heart transplant, and until now, never to twins, doctors said.

Stefania DeMayo was still recovering from her operation when she unexpectedly fell pregnant and doctors warned her against having a baby so soon after major life-saving surgery as it would put her in serious danger again.

Washington, April 20: A simple blood test can identify people who are at risk of heart attack, even those who don’t have high cholesterol, research says.

The new test measures gamma-prime fibrinogen, a component of the blood’s clotting mechanism.

Its elevated levels indicate greater likelihood of a heart attack, even when other signs don’t point to cardiovascular trouble, says David H. Farrell, professor of pathology at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Medicine.

“Half a million people suffer fatal heart attacks each year,” Farrell says.

London, April 20: Kissing is getting common in these days, but for students at Edinburgh University it spells trouble — they are falling ill owing to what has been termed as the ‘kissing disease.’

Buzz up!

Owing to the kissing disease, 57 students of the university are suffering from glandular fever. The girls have more severe symptoms than their male counterparts suffering from the illness. At an average, the female patients missed 16 hours of classes because of the illness compared to three hours for men.

London, April 20: Imaging tests used to screen symptom-free people for lung cancer often find suspicious growths that turn out to not be cancer, according to a U.S. government study published Monday.

Researchers say the findings point to a significant downside of using the tests — chest X-rays or spiral CT scans — to try to detect lung cancer early.

In recent years, CT scans, in particular, have been promoted by some hospitals and advocacy groups for lung cancer screening, even though studies have not yet shown whether such screening saves lives.

London, April 20: Taking multivitamin tablets may help reduce the risk of breast cancer, a new study claims.

Women who took regular doses of vitamin pills saw their chance of suffering from the disease fall by as much as 40 percent, reports express.co.uk.

The authors believe the study provides early evidence that along with other important lifestyle factors, such as reducing alcohol intake, doing exercise and keeping slim, vitamin pills could help to reduce a woman’s chance of suffering from the disease.

London, April 20: Taking multivitamin tablets may help reduce the risk of breast cancer, a new study claims.
Women who took regular doses of vitamin pills saw their chance of suffering from the disease fall by as much as 40 percent, reports express.co.uk.

The authors believe the study provides early evidence that along with other important lifestyle factors, such as reducing alcohol intake, doing exercise and keeping slim, vitamin pills could help to reduce a woman’s chance of suffering from the disease.