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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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What
makes us fat
Work-related stress behind major health problems How to
identify eye problem among kids
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What makes us fat Those who got only five hours' sleep were 50 per cent more likely to be obese than those who were getting a full night's rest, and those who slept for just six hours were 23 per cent more likely to be substantially overweight. Levels of the hormone grehlin, which makes people want to eat, have also been seen to increase in people who are sleep-deprived. You are what you eat l The majority of people put on weight simply because they consume more calories than their bodies require. l To shift 2lbs a week, you need to eat 500 calories fewer each day, or burn off 500 calories more. This can be achieved by eating less, taking more exercise or, best of all, combining the two. A brisk 30-minute walk burns off approximately 100 calories. l The idea that people who eat late at night will put on more weight is a myth. l It is also a myth that eating carbohydrates will make you fat. A healthy diet depends on the right balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats. Experts recommend that meals include starchy foods such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and cereal. Too much choice:
Friends:
Genes:
Hormones:
Airconditioning:
— The Independent
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Work-related stress behind major health problems Work has a close relationship with our mental and physical health. In fact, happy and healthy work is the best tonic for our overall well-being. Experts are of the view that an excessive workload and job strain are the most important factors damaging the health of young and middle-aged persons. Personal ambitions, pressure to perform, job insecurity or an unhappy relationship increases the work-related stress. The 24x7 work culture, according to ayurvedic perceptions, vitiates the “vata” dosha affecting the neuro-hormonal activities in the body. No wonder, most of the people whose working hours stretch beyond 10 hours in a day visit doctors with complaints like indigestion, headache, cervical spondylitis, lower backache, tachycardia, weakness and tiredness. Most of the times, high blood pressure and many other diseases are directly attributed to the job-related stress. On the psychological front, persistent overwork can produce undefined symptoms of anxiety and depression. Complaints like disturbed sleep, irritability of temperament, becoming tense over small matters, poor appetite, and lack of sexual desire are more common in overworked people. Many such persons additionally complain of sadness, inability to enjoy life and lack of interest in family and friends. Continuous stress emerging out of excessive work burden can also lead to low immunity, diabetes and cardio-vascular problems. Reputed business establishments are now gradually waking up to the fact that if they are to improve their productivity, they have to evolve certain programmes which help the employees to minimise work-related stress. By giving a careful thought to one’s routine, it is not difficult for a person to gain an hour extra, which can be utilised for exercise and any leisure activity and adopting stress-busting techniques like yoga and meditation. Getting sufficient time for rest and recreation and seeking family support act as safety valves in such conditions. Persons whose working hours stretch out to be longer than the normal should be extra careful about their food. Apart from taking a balanced and nutritional diet, avoiding all types of heavy, fried and junk meals, they should also get their cholesterol level and other necessary biochemical parameters periodically examined. Ayurveda views that a three-pronged strategy based on an approach to eat right, exercise regularly and think positively can in the long run safeguard a person against health hazards arising out of constant overwork and job-related stress.
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How to identify eye problem among kids Eyes being one of the essential sense organs are responsible for normal and healthy development of a child. With proper vision, children gain skills and knowledge which will remain with them for their entire life. Any disturbance in vision during the growing phase may disrupt the development of visual pathways to the brain and can cause permanent visual impairment. Children are unable to point out their eye problems. Parents, grandparents and teachers are often the first people to suspect or report the eye problem. Early detection of the problem is most important for treatment. So, whenever in doubt one should consult an eye specialist. Routinely, parents bring in their kids particularly for a squint check-up and refractive error if either or both parents are using glasses. But there are other warning symptoms which indicate that the child may have a visual problem. Some of these are: 1) Involuntary to and fro movement of the eyes 2) Baby not following light or not having eye contact with mother in three months 3) Eyes are constantly watering and are sensitive to light 4) Rubbing or squeezing the eyes to read clearly 5) Tilting of the head while watching TV 6) Holding book too close to the face while reading 7) White reflex from the centre of the eye 8) Eyelids are drooping When should one check eyes for a normal baby?
A normal baby is usually screened at birth only. The gynaecologist and the attending paediatrician usually report if any problem is suspected and there is need for a specialist opinion. Then another check-up is advised between six months and one year to rule out any squint problem. At three years usually pre-school check-up is done for the eyes. Vision testing should be conducted for all children starting around three years of age for identifying the following problems: *
Strabismus (crossed eyes) *
Amblyopia (lazy eyes) * Ptosis (drooping of the upper eyelid) *
Colour deficiency (colour blindness) *
Refractive errors (near-sightedness, far-sightedness, astigmatism) This is again advised at five years as well. Children are at increased risk for eye disease in the following cases: *
Developmental delay * Premature birth *
Personal or family history of eye disease *
Previous serious eye injury *
Some diseases that affect the whole body (such as diabetes or HIV infection) Eye check-up is most important in these cases. It will help to have your kids healthy eyes and assure their overall development.
The writer is Chairman and Medical Director, Centre for Sight, New Delhi. Email:
msachdev@bol.net.in
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Health
Notes However, researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have revealed that this link between current and past cigarette smoking and malignancies of the head and neck plays a greater role in the development of head and neck cancer in women than men. — ANI Coffee, French fries not
causing breast cancer
London: Acrylamide, a chemical compound found in coffee, French fries and many other foods doesn’t cause breast cancer. The scare started in 2002 when a study showed that acrylamide, which had been shown to cause cancers in animals, could form in a range of foods while they are being cooked. However, a new research by a team of scientists le by Lorelei Mucci at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston has given the compound the all-clear at least for breast cancer. The findings were based on a 20-year study of 100,000 nurses in the US, reports The New Scientist.
— ANI Specific ‘blood chemicals’ linked to eczema itching
London: Scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have identified two blood chemicals that are linked to itchy eczema. Reported in the British Journal of Dermatology, this discovery offers new treatment possibilities for the condition. The researchers devised an “itchometer” that was worn by 24 children, and monitored how much they scratched while they slept. As scratching increased, said the researchers, the levels of two specific chemicals also rose in the children’s bloodstream.
— ANI Cervical cancer vaccine
proposed for babies
The vaccine is currently being given to schoolgirls as part of the trials in which Suzanne Garland, the director of microbiology and infectious diseases at the hospital, has herself played a leading role.
— ANI
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Lack of sleep: People who sleep for four hours or less per night are 73 per cent more likely to be obese. A team from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York found that, even after factors such as depression, physical activity, alcohol consumption, ethnicity, education, age and gender had been taken into account, people were more likely to be obese the less sleep they had.
Washington: Smoking is usually linked to lung cancer, but a new study has found that it is associated with head and neck cancers as well, in both men and women, regardless of the anatomic site.
Sydney: A doctor at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne has proposed to test a cervical cancer vaccine in babies with a view to adding the vaccine to the infant immunisation programme.