Government employees could be first to test the free medical scheme for senior citizens

Senior citizens in Delhi now have a safe haven when it comes to their healthcare. Beginning 1st September this year, hospitals run by the Central government will offer free medical consultations. This is a move made by the government to lessen the burden on senior citizens who often have to shell out large amounts of money for their medical care.

This move comes amidst reports of the Indian National Commissions on Population stating that there has been a steady rise in the average lifespan of an individual. The commission has projected that the number of people in the 60 years plus is poised to reach 143 million in 2021. – a statistic that requires adequate medical infrastructure. 

But if you live in any other state other than the capital, the Union Health Ministry has assured people that they will duplicate the model in other states of the country if this model worked in Delhi.

According to the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, the plan is to implement the free services plan will start with 20 clinics run by the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) exclusively for central government employees and their dependent families.

Vardhan in a statement to the Press Information Bureau said, ‘We will see how much demand accrues for the CGHS clinics and the ability of the clinics to handle demand from the general public before extending the services to more people in other cities.

But there are some restrictions, the free consultation will not include free medication and the minimum qualifying age is 60 years. Apart from that the scheme will only be valid between 1.30 and 3.00 pm on working days.

Source..the health site

Researchers discover webcams can be used to diagnose abnormal heart rhythms

A new pilot study is taking an innovative approach to detecting irregular heartbeats, and they’re calling it “FaceTime” for heart diagnoses.

The results of the study were published online yesterday in the journal Heart Rhythm.

Atrial fibrillation, a common form of abnormal heart rhythm, affects more than 3 million Americans. But, it’s estimated that 30% of people with atrial fibrillation go undiagnosed.

The study tested a new webcam based diagnostic tool for heart problems and was conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, and Xerox. Researchers programmed a webcam with a Xerox developed algorithm to scan participants faces for the slightest change in skin coloration. Certain changes in skin color, undetectable to the human eye, may indicate a person is experiencing hearth arrhythmia.

The webcam is programmed to look for high levels of hemoglobin, which takes on more of the green spectrum of light. The camera works by detecting reflections of green light as blood pulses through the face. Since the skin on your face is the thinnest and blood vessels are closest to the surface, its easiest to catch changes in blood color here.

Researchers hooked 11 participants with atrial fibrillation up to an electrocardiogram, so they could measure the heart’s electrical activity while the 15 second facial scans were being taken. Researchers found that color changes picked-up by the camera corresponded to the heart rate detected on the ECG.

The video monitoring method, called videoplethymography, had an error rate of 20% compared with an error rate of 17-29% for automated ECG measurements.

Considering this is only a pilot study, a lot more research still needs to be conducted. Researchers from this study are in the process of putting together a much larger study using the same technology, but with a more diverse population including people both with and without atrial fibrillation.

“This technology holds the potential to identify and diagnosis cardiac disease using contactless video monitoring,” said Jean-Philippe Couderc, one of the researchers from the University of Rochester in a press release. “This is a very simple concept, but one that could enable more people with atrial fibrillation to get the care the care they need.”

Ultimately the hope is that the technology could be refined to be able to detect other types of heartdisease. The study was funded by Xerox and the Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences, a New York State-support Center for Advanced Technology.

Source..venture beat 

Gut bacteria may trick us into eating what they want

Washington: Gut bacteria may be affecting both our cravings and moods to get us to eat what they want, and often drive us towards obesity, a new study suggests.

US researchers concluded from a review of scientific literature that microbes influence human eating behaviour and dietary choices to favour consumption of the particular nutrients they grow best on, rather than simply passively living off whatever nutrients we choose to send their way.

Bacterial species vary in the nutrients they need. Some prefer fat, and others sugar, for instance.

But they not only vie with each other for food and to retain a niche within their ecosystem - our digestive tracts - they also often have different aims than we do when it comes to our own actions, according to senior author Athena Aktipis.

While it is unclear exactly how this occurs, researchers believe this diverse community of microbes, collectively known as the gut microbiome, may influence our decisions by releasing signalling molecules into our gut.

Because the gut is linked to the immune system, the endocrine system and the nervous system, those signals could influence our physiologic and behavioural responses.

"Bacteria within the gut are manipulative," said Carlo Maley, director of the University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) Center for Evolution and Cancer.

"There is a diversity of interests represented in the microbiome, some aligned with our own dietary goals, and others not," said Maley, corresponding author on the paper.

We can influence the compatibility of these microscopic, single-celled house-guests by deliberating altering what we ingest, Maley said, with measurable changes in the microbiome within 24 hours of diet change.

"Our diets have a huge impact on microbial populations in the gut. It's a whole ecosystem, and it's evolving on the time scale of minutes," Maley said.

Research suggests that gut bacteria may be affecting our eating decisions in part by acting through the vagus nerve, which connects 100 million nerve cells from the digestive tract to the base of the brain.

"Microbes have the capacity to manipulate behaviour and mood through altering the neural signals in the vagus nerve, changing taste receptors, producing toxins to make us feel bad, and releasing chemical rewards to make us feel good," said Aktipis, co-founder of the Center for Evolution and Cancer with the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCSF.

The research was published in the journal BioEssays.

Source..zee news

Mother's milk vital for premature babies

New York: Incorporating human milk fat supplement into premature infants' diets improves their growth outcomes in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), says a new study.

"For premature babies who weigh less than a kg, one of the problems is that their lungs and other organs are still developing when they are born," said Amy Hair, an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine in the US.

"If the infant gains weight and increases in length at a good rate while in the NICU, this helps improve their (growth) outcomes," Hair added.

Previous research has shown that an exclusive human milk diet protects the intestines of premature infants and supports their growth.

This diet consists of mothers' own breast milk or donor human milk, as well as a fortifier consisting of protein and minerals made from the donor milk.

In this study, researchers sought a way to optimise growth in infants who weigh between 750 and 1,250 grams and need additional calories.

As infants are already receiving enough protein from the fortifier, another way to help them grow is by giving them fat. One of the byproducts of pasteurising donor milk is milk fat, also referred to as a cream supplement.

They found that infants in the cream group had better growth outcomes in terms of weight and length than infants in the control group.

The study appeared in the Journal of Pediatrics

Source..zeenews

Health benefits of aswagandha or Indian ginseng

One herb that has been increasingly garnering a lot of attention all over the world is ashwagandha, also called as Indian Ginseng. The synonym actually gives a clue to this herb’s biological actions that have made it popular although botanically, it is not related to ginseng. Derived from Sanskrit to mean ‘smell of a horse,’ ashwagandha is credited with the ability to impart vigour equivalent to that of a stallion and traditionally, it has been used to help boost immunity following an illness.

Ashwagandha is an adaptogen

Adaptogens are herbs that act on the body to prevent the ill-effects of stress, fatigue and anxiety. These substances do not act on any particular organ, but work on the entire body system to help it stay in a balanced state called homeostasis. Ashwagandha is considered an adaptogen and plays a role in:

• Improving resistance against stress
• Boosting stamina and energy, including sexual energy
• Refreshing the body and mind
• Soothing the nervous system
• Improving quality of sleep

What makes ashwagandha special among adaptogens is that it acts as a stimulant to improve your energy levels but it can also help to calm and soothe the nervous system, resulting in lower anxiety and better sleep.

Researchers have been studying ashwagandha for years now and have found it to contain several ingredients that play a role in its activity. The most important ones are steroidal lactones called withanolides, alkaloids, amino acids, fatty acids, some sugars and choline. Thanks to this unique combination of chemicals, ashwagandha has many health benefits as discussed below.

Stress-buster

The most remarkable action of ashwagandha is its ability to combat the ill-effects of stress. This is believed to be a result of the antioxidant properties of the herb. Stress leads to an increase in free radical reactions that lead to greater oxidation of several cellular components and this causes cellular and tissue damage typically associated with stress. Ashwagandha has potent antioxidant action and therefore, it prevents such cellular oxidation and the resulting damage.

Better functioning of the nervous system

Several studies have found that ashwagandha plays a major role in improving the function of the nervous system. Research shows that this herb reduces degeneration of brain cells, improves memory and learning and also helps to reduce depression and anxiety; the best part about this last action is that unlike chemical tranquilisers and anti-depressants, ashwagandha does not induce any drowsiness. Considering these benefits for the nervous system, this herb is being investigated as a promising option to treat degenerative diseases of the nervous system such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Anti-cancer effects

Ashwagandha has been found to possess significant anti-inflammatory action. Considering that inflammation is one of the reactions implicated in the development of cancer, ashwagandha has been studied for its anti-cancer properties. Laboratory studies on animals have shown this herb to possess the ability to inhibit the growth of cancers of the lung, colon, breast, skin and stomach. These studies also indicate that ashwagandha interferes with the cancer cells reproduction and that is what makes it a potent anti-cancer agent. Considering these promising findings, researchers are now trying to investigate if the same mechanism holds true in human tumours.

Improves immunity

The powerful action of ashwagandha against stress helps to improve the functioning of the immune system, ensuring better overall health and less instances of falling sick. Besides, the herb has been found to have antibacterial activity of its own. Also, it tends to improve the ability of the macrophage cells of the immune system to destroy harmful, disease-causing microorganisms.

Several other actions are attributed to ashwagandha – cholesterol-lowering action, blood sugar stabilising action and even anti-malarial properties. However, these effects are still being probed to evaluate the extent of the herb’s actions.

As a rejuvenative, ashwagandha is recommended in a daily dose of between 600 to 1000 milligrams, upto twice a day. Laboratory studies have shown the herb to cause abortions in animals and although no data is available for humans, it is best for pregnant women to avoid this herb. If you feel very stressed, irritable, tired and unenergetic, you could consider taking ashwagandha but please make sure you take it under the supervision of a reliable Ayurveda practitioner.

SOURCE - .the health site

Beware men, high intake of sugary drinks can lead to infertility

The Deccan Herald reported a study published in the journal Human Reproduction, lean, healthy men who consume more sugary drinks may have a low sperm quality and motility.

The study was an analysis of semen of 189 men aged between 18 and 22 years, from Rochester, New York. Each participant underwent physical examination, and had to answer a questionnaire about his health habits and diet. The men reported how often they consumed sugar-sweetened drinks ranging from zero to six drinks every day. 

Although researchers found no link between consumption of sugary drinks and sperm motility in overweight or obese men, the link was apparent in lean, healthy men. The top 25 per cent of men who consumed the most sugary drinks, consumed an average of 2.7 sugar-sweetened beverages per day, ‘Live Science’ reported. Lean men with this high-intake had 6.3 per cent lower sperm motility than other obese men who consumed, on average, less than one sugary drink per day. 

Higher sugary drink consumption was also found to be associated with decreases levels of a follicle stimulating hormone, or FSH, a reproductive hormone that helps sperm production. But the study reported that both lean and obese men, who consumed the most sugary drinks had lowered FSH levels.

What are the causes of infertility?

Laptops

While a laptop may be your go-to device for everything from ordering a meal to earning your salary, scientists have said that keeping a laptop on your thighs can affect your sperm quality and make you infertile. A study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility suggests that ejaculated sperm (of men working with a laptop) was significantly damaged. 

Obesity

The list of diseases linked to obesity is long. It is also the leading cause of infertility in both men and women. In men, it can affect the sperm count and in women, it makes miscarriages likelier and also interferes with their menstrual cycle. If you are obese, it is important that you fight the condition and get back in great shape. It may take months of hard work, but will keep you happy for years after. Not only will it make you healthier, it will be great for your self confidence too! 

Smoking

Like obesity, the list of diseases linked to smoking is long. Its harmful effects are well publicized and are prominent in public consciousness. A report by the British Medical Association showed that smokers may have up to a 10-40 percent lower monthly fecundity (a.k.a. fertility) rate.

 SOURCE - thehealthsite. com

Smoking rates fall among Indian men, rise for women

While smoking rates have fallen among Indian men, they have risen among women.

A factor, doctors say, that can be attributed to rising cases of infertility and higher risk of cancer among Indian women these days. 

A study published earlier this year in the British Medical Journal and which was earlier carried by the The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) examined the prevalence of smoking and cigarette consumption in 187 countries between 1980 and 2012 and found that while cigarette smoking among Indian men has fallen from 33.8% in 1980 to 23% in 2012, it has risen from 3% to 3.2% among Indian women within the same time frame. 

In absolute terms, the number of female smokers in India has more than doubled - from about 5.3 million to 12.2 million in that time frame. 

Commenting on the trend, Nevin Kishore, consultant in Pulmonology at Max Hospital, said the changing lifestyles are leading to more women taking up smoking in the Indian scenario. 

"The effects of smoking, like lung damage, do not show in a person who smokes about four-five cigarettes a day in the initial few years.

Although tobacco does not discriminate on the basis of gender, women smokers are more at risk of infertility. They also face the risk of all kinds of cancer," Kishore told IANS. 

Agreed Sapna Nangia, oncologist at Apollo Hospital. "There has been a rise in the number of women smoking cigarettes and there are two main reasons for it. The first is a carefully devised plan by the tobacco industry which has faced a lot of lawsuits in this regard in the west, and has therefore realised that instead of going on facing the difficulty of advertising their product there, it would be easier to encourage women in India and China to smoke under the pretext of making smoking a socially acceptable norm," Nangia told IANS. 

"If women in India and China started smoking in big numbers, the tobacco companies felt that they would no longer have to depend on the west. This, plus a mistaken notion that smoking denotes independence of women, has led to the numbers rising," she added. 

Nangia however stressed that the upward trend is only in the urban areas, because "women in the rural areas have always consumed tobacco in high numbers".

Kailashnath Gupta, pulmonologist at Columbia Asia Hospital, went on to say that the consumption rate of smokeless tobacco has also risen among women. "Tobacco does not differentiate, but the effect of smoking on pregnant women and those in the reproductive age group of 22-40 can be detrimental to the foetus and on their fertility," Gupta said. 

He also said that while the overall number of smokers in India has increased, the percentage of smokers has come down "since it's in relation to the size of our population. I also think that the younger generation today, those in the 20-25 age group, is smoking lesser than of the yesteryears," Gupta added. 

His words find resonance in the study which revealed that although the prevalence of cigarette smoking in India has dropped by over five percent over the last three decades, the number of smokers in India has risen from about 74.5 million in 1980 to 110.2 million in 2012. However, as compared to 1980 when Indians used to smoke an average of 11.6 cigarettes a day, now they average 8.2 a day.

The study used data from several multinational and national surveys, including the Global Adult Tobacco Survey. India is the third largest producer of tobacco and the second largest consumer of tobacco products worldwide, the study said.

A different study in 2012 further found that 42 percent of cancers in men and 18.3 percent cancers in women were related to tobacco consumption. Cardiovascular disease is also linked to it. "The only way out of this health mess is for the government to implement the anti-tobacco laws more effectively.

Increasing taxes, I feel, hardly discourages people, and it's only the government that benefits. Advertisements against tobacco usage like the ones in movie theatres is one of the best ways to make people aware and therefore discourage them," Gupta said.

SOURCE - 

करेला के गुण

मधुमेह के रोगी विशेषतः इसके रस और सब्जी का सेवन करते हैं | समस्त भारत में इसकी खेती की जाती है | इसके पुष्प चमकीले पीले रंग के होते हैं | इसके फल ५-२५ सेमी लम्बे,५ सेमी व्यास के,हरे रंग के,बीच में मोटे,सिरों पर नुकीले,कच्ची अवस्था में हरे तथा पक्वावस्था में पीले वर्ण के होते हैं | इसके बीज ८-१३ मिमी लम्बे,चपटे तथा दोनों पृष्ठों पर खुरदुरे होते हैं जो पकने पर लाल हो जाते हैं | इसका पुष्पकाल एवं फलकाल जून से अक्टूबर तक होता है | आज हम आपको करेले के कुछ औषधीय प्रयोगों से अवगत कराएंगे -

१- करेले के ताजे फलों अथवा पत्तों को कूटकर रस निकालकर गुनगुना करके १-२ बूँद कान में डालने से कान-दर्द लाभ होता है |

फायदेमंद है डीप ब्रीदिंग, 5 मिनट की एक्सरसाइज से ही दूर होंगी कई बीमारियां

रोजमर्रा की भागदौड़ भरी जिंदगी में हम कई प्रकार के तनाव से गुजरते हैं। सोते-जागते, खाते-पीते हर समय दिमाग में कोई न कोई परेशानी या तनाव चलता ही रहता है। इसके चलते सिरदर्द, गर्दन में अकड़न, कमर का दर्द, मोटापा और थकान जैसी समस्याएं अक्सर हो जाती हैं। ऐसे में ब्रीदिंग एक्सरसाइज की मदद से दिमागी तनाव और अन्य समस्याओं से छुटकारा पाया जा सकता है।

जब हम सांस लेते हैं तो इसके साथ हमारे शरीर में पहुंचने वाली ऑक्सीजन खून के माध्यम से शरीर की कोशिकाओं को पोषण देती है। ब्रीदिंग का महत्व सालों पहले भी प्राणायाम के रूप में बताया गया है। केवल गहरी सांस लेने और छोड़ने से ही हमें कई तरह के फायदे होते हैं।

ध्यान के दौरान डीप ब्रीदिंग का बड़ा महत्व है। डीप ब्रीदिंग के लिए सीधे बैठ जाएं और एक हाथ अपनी छाती पर रखें और दूसरा पेट पर। इसके बाद गहरी सांस लें और फिर धीरे-धीरे छोड़ें। यदि ब्रीदिंग सही तरीके से की जाए तो इससे कई फायदे मिलेंगे।

- रोजमर्रा के कामों के साथ भी कर सकते हैं ब्रीदिंग एक्सरसाइज।

- बहुत अधिक तनाव की स्थिति में ब्रीदिंग लेवल अचानक बढ़ जाता है, इसे कंट्रोल करने के लिए ये एक्सरसाइज करें।

- फिट रहने के लिए मुंह की बजाय हमेशा नाक से ही सांस लेनी चाहिए।

- चलते हुए भी ब्रीदिंग एक्सरसाइज की जा सकती है।

रिलैक्स मिलेगा: डीप ब्रीदिंग न सिर्फ शरीर को पूरी तरह रिलैक्स करेगी, बल्कि आपको मानसिक सुकून भी देगी।

डिटॉक्सीफिकेशन: ब्रीदिंग के जरिए शरीर के 70 प्रतिशत टॉक्सिंस बाहर निकल जाते हैं। इसे नियमित करें।

दर्द से निजात: डीप ब्रीदिंग से दर्द से भी राहत मिलती है। इसे प्राकृतिक पेन किलर के रूप में जाना जाता है।

खुशी मिलेगी: नियमित रूप से डीप ब्रीदिंग करने से ब्रेन में न्यूरोकेमिकल्स का प्रोडक्शन बढ़ता है, जो अंदर से खुश रखने में आपकी मदद करता है।

पोस्चर में सुधार: कुछ अध्ययन के मुताबिक, आपका बैड पोस्चर ब्रीदिंग में गड़बड़ी की वजह से होता है। यदि आप डीप ब्रीद करें तो इसमें निरंतर सुधार खुद देख पाएंगे।

दिल की सेहत अच्छी रहेगी: इसे लेकर भी कई शोध हुए, जिनमें सामने आया कि एक्सरसाइज से पहले डीप ब्रीदिंग करने से आप ज्यादा बेहतर तरीके से वर्कआउट कर पाएंगे। इससे दिल की कार्यक्षमता सुधरेगी और वजन भी घटेगा।

पाचन तंत्र बेहतर होगा: डीप ब्रीदिंग करते हुए ज्यादा ऑक्सीजन डाइजेस्टिव ऑर्गन्स में पहुंचती है। इससे आपका पाचन तंत्र बेहतर तरीके से काम कर पाएगा।

Source..bhaskar

पेट की प्राब्लम्स में रामबाण है ये देसी नुस्खा

उज्जैन। यदि आप को अक्सर गैस, एसिडिटी या पेट दर्द जैसी समस्याएं रहती हैं। यदि आप इन समस्याओं के लिए दवा खा खाकर थक गए हैं, लेकिन फिर भी थोड़े-थोड़े समय में ये समस्याएं आपको परेशान करती रहती हैं तो रोज योगा करें। भद्रासन इन समस्याओं में विशेष रूप से लाभदायक माना गया है। इन आसनों के नियमित अभ्यास से ये समस्याएं हमेशा के लिए खत्म हो जाती हैं।

भद्रासन की विधि- भद्रासन के लिए नीचे दरी या चटाई बिछाकर उस पर घुटनों के बल खड़े हो जाएं। अब अपने दाएं पैर को घुटने से मोड़कर पीछे की ओर ले जाकर नितम्ब (हिप्स) के नीचे रखें। फिर बाएं पैर को भी घुटने से मोड़कर पीछे की ओर ले जाकर नितम्ब (हिप्प) के नीचे रखें। घुटनों को आपस में मिलाकर जमीन से सटाकर रखें। पंजे को नीचे व एडिय़ों को ऊपर नितम्ब से सटाकर रखें। अब अपने पूरे शरीर का भार पंजे व एडिय़ों पर डालकर बैठ जाएं। इसके बाद अपने दाएं हाथ से बाएं पैर के अंगूठे को पकड़ें और बाएं हाथ से दाएं पैर का अंगूठा पकड़ लें। अब जालन्धर बंध लगाएं यानी सांस को अंदर खींच कर सिर को आगे झुकाकर कंठ मूल से सटाकर रखें और कंधे को ऊपर खींचते हुए आगे की ओर करें। अब नाक के अगले भाग को देखते हुए भद्रासन का अभ्यास करें। इस स्थिति में जब तक रहना सम्भव हो रहें और फिर जालन्धर बंध हटाकर सिर को ऊपर करके सांस बाहर छोड़ें। फिर सांस को अंदर खींचकर जालन्धर बंध लगाएं और भद्रासन का अभ्यास करें।

लाभ- इस आसन से शरीर फूर्तिला और फिट रहता है। याददाश्त बढ़ती है। कल्पनाशक्ति का विकास होता है। चंचलता कम होती है। पाचन शक्ति बढ़ती है। सिरदर्द, अनिद्रा, दमा, बवासीर, उल्टी, हिचकी, अतिसार, पेट के रोग और आंखों की बीमारी आदि रोगों में इस आसन से लाभ होता है।