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Health
Oct 31, 2011 12:38 PM
Introduction
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the most common gastrointestinal disorder, affecting millions of people and takes a heavy toll in the healthcare budget. In the past, it was known by a variety of other names: spastic colon, spastic colitis, mucous colitis; and nervous or functional bowel. It is a disorder of the large intestine (colon), but other parts of the digestive system including small bowel, stomach & gall bladder can also be affected. The colon, the last five feet of the intestine, serves two functions in the body; first, it dehydrates and stores the stool so that, normally, a well-formed soft stool occurs. Second, it quietly propels the stool from the right side of the abdomen all the way to the rectum, storing it there until it can be evacuated. This movement occurs by rhythmic contractions of the colon.
The basic pathophysiology of IBS is very simple- the colon seems to contract in a disorganized, at times violent, manner. The contractions may be exaggera ...more
Aug 24, 2011 12:08 PM
This is the second and final part of "How to increase your happiness thermostat."
To recap: positive psychologists say we're all born with a particular happiness setpoint: our natural disposition or inclination for happiness. It's part of our DNA. I like to think of it as a thermostat for our happiness.
The good news is happiness research reveals that there are three ways to increase your happiness thermostat:
1. Anti-depressant drugs (covered in last month's issue).
2. Cognitive therapy (covered in last month's issue).
And finally, here's the third (my favorite, 2nd only to cognitive therapy) method for increasing your happiness setpoint/thermostat:
3. Meditation. Part of the definition of happiness extremely happy people agree on is "having a deep sense of engagement and living in the present moment."
Think about it: when does happiness happen? Tomorrow? Yesterday? NOT. It is absolutely impossible to experience happiness in any other moment than the presen ...more
Jul 26, 2011 02:23 PM
According to positive psychologists, we're all born with a particular happiness setpoint: our natural disposition or inclination for happiness. It's part of our DNA. I like to think of it as a thermostat for our happiness.
The interesting thing about our happiness setpoint/thermostat is that when people experience a catastrophe in their life, like the loss a loved one or they lose a limb or they get paralyzed from the waist down, within about six months to two years they go right back to the happiness level they experienced before the catastrophe. In other words, their happiness thermostat kicks in and they return to their happiness setpoint.
At the other end of the spectrum, when people have an extremely positive experience like winning the lottery, their happiness thermostat kicks in and they too go back to their happiness setpoint within about six months to two years.
Have you ever known someone who has always exhibited a high level of happiness and joy? My niece is like ...more
Oct 27, 2010 08:36 AM
Initial analysis shows that the death rates within 30 days after surgery are similar for patients with and without psychiatric illness – 3.8 percent and 4 percent, respectively. But when the researchers looked for other factors, the death rate was higher for patients with a psychiatric condition. People with depression and anxiety have a slightly higher risk of death after undergoing surgery.
Further analysis showed that the high risk of death was associated with depression and anxiety, but not any other psychiatric condition. Also, death rates were higher among patients with psychiatric conditions who had respiratory or digestive system surgery, but not for those who had surgery involving the circulatory, nervous or musculoskeletal systems.
According to the researchers several potential mechanisms exist to explain these findings. First, studies indicate that patients with depression frequently do not adhere to medical recommendations for underlying medical conditions. It is ther ...more
Sep 27, 2010 07:57 AM
A new research has shown that talking to oneself can turn out to be good. It was previously regarded as a condition for madness but now it is there to do all good for you.
It is found that people who practise talking to themselves have self control in stressful and tensed situation.
According to scientist in order to have a control under impulsive conditions the “inner voice” plays an important factor .
A study was conducted by the Psychologists from Toronto University in Canada. A set of volunteers were appointed with self control tasks. The task involved the participants to either talk to themselves or keep their mind blank.
On seeing a particular symbol on screen, they were asked to press a button. But on seeing another symbol they were asked not to press the button.
The test was done to measure self control as it was observed that there was more press than don’t press.
The next test conducted by the researchers was to measure the usag ...more
Sep 23, 2010 09:20 AM
The University of Oklahoma study suggested that the way kids visualize numbers reflects their understanding of what the symbols mean. Children who can visualize numbers as an evenly spaced line are better at remembering the digits, a new study has found.
When children in Western culture first learn numbers, they place them on number lines from left to right. But the placement is uneven: smaller numbers are spaced farther apart than larger numbers, which are crunched up toward the end of the line.
Gradually, this placement evens out, corresponding with the child's understanding of what the numbers mean, said Clarissa Thompson, co-author of the study.
Their counting doesn't have much to do with their understanding of how big the numbers are."
To find out how number-line visualization relates to understanding of numbers, the researchers gave a group of children a stack of blank number lines with "0" written on the left end and "20" on the right end.
Each child hear ...more
Sep 22, 2010 01:48 AM
Worried over being overweight, pondering day and night on how to shed those extra flabs? Don’t worry because now we have a few suggestions with which can add a glamour quotient in your lifestyle.
First of all don’t think in terms of dieting. Plan your diet in such a way so that you can follow it regularly. Mere dieting for few weeks won’t give excellent results as you will come back to your normal stage.
Need to check how much calories you need and what goes into your stomach. Cut down your calories by avoiding fatty food.
If you want to lose weight faster apart from dieting switch over to regular exercise. You can always go for a walk, aerobics, dance and shed the extra fats.
If you want your body to be toned you always have the option of lifting weight. It will tighten the loosened body areas and provide extra strength.
You should always go for a multivitamin intake as you never know which vitamins your body is lacking.
It’s also very important to get the right meas ...more
Sep 21, 2010 01:43 AM
Scientists of a U.S. government-funded asthma study had to spend nearly $1 million of taxpayers' money after British drug-maker GlaxoSmithKline PLC declined to donate its asthma drug and look-alike dummy medicine for the study, which compared two other treatments. Researchers have found a possible new treatment for adults with hard-to-control asthma. Editors of the New England Journal of Medicine, which published the study, chastised Glaxo, saying its actions made the research harder and more expensive to do.
"In the end, the study results provided the truth" — the drug, Spiriva, was as good as Glaxo's Serevent, they wrote. The study was published online Sunday to coincide with a presentation at a medical meeting in Barcelona, Spain.
About 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma. In the U.S., 22 million Americans have asthma, which kills about 4,000 a year. For people who can't control their asthma with inhaled steroid medicine, current guidelines call for doubling the d ...more
Sep 17, 2010 06:35 AM
Taking a dip in indoor chlorinated pools may induce genotoxicity (DNA damage that may lead to cancer) as well as respiratory problems, revealed a study.
The chemicals present in the swimming pool can turn out to be hazardous to your skin and may cause severe health syndrome
The disinfectant by-products or DBPS may hamper us a lot. The DBPS are formed by a reaction between the disinfectants such as chlorine or the natural substance produced by the swimmers such as sweat, urine or skin cells.
The toxic level is found to increase and there is a relation between exposure to DBPs in drinking water and risk of having bladder cancer.
A study has compared two group of pools one with chlorine and another with bromine. The genotoxic effects became evident after 40 minutes in 49 healthy adults.
The researchers found an increase in the genotoxic biomarkers. One was found as micronuclei in blood lymphocytes and urine mutagenicity, it is a biomarker of exposure to genotoxic agents.There ...more
Sep 16, 2010 08:10 AM
The health benefits of organic milk are immense, reveals a survey and this is why…
The demand for organic milk is booming and may reach up to double the cost of regular milk. The ‘United States Department of Agriculture’ has defined organic milk as ‘milk from cows that has not been treated with synthetic growth hormones or antibiotics’. These cows should have been kept in a natural environment and fed exclusively on organic fodder with long grazing time. Organic milk is treated in high temperatures to increase its shelf life. According to the ‘Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance’, organic milk needs to stay fresh for longer periods of time because organic milk is not produced throughout the country. The packaged milk has to travel long distances to reach stores and shops in different cities around the country and at times different parts of the world. The health benefits of organic milk are immense.
Benefits of Organic Milk:
• Since the cows are not treated with antibiotic ...more
Sep 15, 2010 10:00 AM
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It's also the most neglected. One recent government study showed students who ate healthy breakfasts paid better attention in school, scored higher on math and reading tests and behaved better overall. Eating a healthy breakfast also helps both kids and adults maintain a healthy weight and have lower blood cholesterol. Finding time in your family's busy schedule for breakfast will make both you and your kids happier, smarter and healthier. Here are some recipes for morning meals that will get your kids out of bed
CRUNCHY BRAN FRENCH TOAST
• slices whole-grain bread
• 4 tablespoons light cream cheese
• 4 teaspoons low-sugar orange marmalade
• 2 large eggs plus 2 egg whites
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups bran flakes cereal
• 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (optional)
Directions
Spread 4 bread sli ...more
Sep 15, 2010 09:43 AM
Compared with wearing flats, wearing heels regularly can lead to shortened calf-muscle fibres and thicker, stiffer Achilles' tendons, according to physiology professor Marco Narici and his colleagues at Britain's Manchester Metropolitan University and at the University of Vienna. This may be why some women feel tightness in their calves when they kick off their heels. So if you are getting ready to put your summer sandals at the back of closet and break out your high-heeled pumps, consider the latest study examining the physical costs of adding height to your step.
From a group of 80 volunteers ages 20 to 50 who had worn two-inch or higher heels five times a week for at least two years, the researchers selected 11 who felt discomfort in their calves after taking off the shoes. Researchers did not assess physical activity level or heel thickness. A control group included nine women of comparable age, height and mass who wore flats regularly. With magnetic resonance imaging, researche ...more
Sep 06, 2010 08:51 AM
Yoga helps reduce the catabolic process of cell deterioration. To get the maximum benefits of yoga one has to combine the practices of yogasanas, pranayama and meditation.
Regular practice of asanas, pranayama and meditation can help reduce ailments like diabetes, blood pressure, digestive disorders, arthritis, arteriosclerosis, chronic fatigue, asthma, varicose veins and heart conditions. Laboratory tests have proved that yogi`s can consciously control autonomic or involuntary functions, such as temperature, heartbeat and blood pressure. Research into the effects of yogic practices on HIV is currently underway with promising results.
The most important benefit of yoga is physical and mental therapy. The aging process, caused mainly by autointoxication or self-poisoning, can be slowed down by practicing yoga. By keeping the body clean, flexible and well lubricated, we can significantly reduce the catabolic process of cell deterioration.
As per medical science, the yoga therap ...more
Aug 01, 2009 05:34 PM
Candles Can Be Deadly!
More that 15,000 home fires are caused each year by the inappropriate or sometimes careless use of candles. My wife absolutely loves candles and a day does not go by without burning 3 to 4 in our home. It is a challenge to keep them in sight as we burn them in two or three areas. So we do not have to be afraid of candles but we must respect them.
Most candle fires start in the bedroom 38%, living room 15%, bathrooms 14% and kitchen 8%.
Items ignited are the:
Mattress or bedding
Curtains/Blinds/Draperies
Cabinets
As a Life Safety expert my findings show that the US Consumer Safety Commission suggests that 85% of candle fires could be avoided by following these very basic rules:
1. Never leave a burning candle unattended
2. Don’t burn a candle next to anything that might catch fire
3. Keep out of the reach of children and pets
4. Always trim candle wicks to ¼ inch each time before burning
5. Keep away from drafts, vents, ceiling fans a ...more
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