by rakesh | Dec 25, 2009 | Health & Fitness
“People don’t realize you can get tremendous benefit from regular physical activity even if you never lose a pound,” he says. The benefits of increased physical activity include a reduced risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, bone and joint conditions, and sleep apnea.
Brubaker, who is the director of the healthy exercise and lifestyle programs (HELPS) at Wake Forest, offers several tips for how to increase daily physical activity:
— Set a goal of 30 minutes a day of physical activity. It doesn’t need
to be all at once. Five minutes here, 10 minutes there is fine. As
long as it is done at moderate intensity, you will get sufficient
health benefits.
— Walk. For most people, the easiest and most efficient activity is
simply walking.
— Wear a pedometer. Recent studies have shown that people wearing
pedometers increase their activity level by 25 percent.
— Build activity into your daily routine. Get up from your desk to
deliver a message. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Add some
extra steps when you are doing household chores. Find small ways to
get moving.
— Record daily physical activity in a journal. Self-monitoring is
important when making a lifestyle change and journaling activity
levels can be good reinforcement.
— Don’t worry so much about weight loss. Realize if you are regularly
active you can get significant health benefits even if you never lose
a pound. People serious about weight loss should build in 60 minutes
per day of physical activity.
— Find activities you enjoy and feel good about doing. Try a variety of
activities. Variety is good for the body – and the mind.
— Get the support of friends and family. Challenge them to add 30
minutes of physical activity to their daily routine and you can hold
each other accountable.
— Set realistic expectations. There is a risk in building up
expectations that you’ll make a change Jan. 1. The biggest obstacle to
successful lifestyle change is expectation. People are unrealistic
about what they can achieve and how quickly they can achieve it. Any
time is a good time to make a commitment to change your life style.
by rakesh | Feb 22, 2008 | Health & Fitness
Demand for new and more effective antibiotics continues to grow particularly as bacterial resistance to existing antibiotics spreads. The market for antibiotic drugs is huge. In 2005, worldwide sales of oral antibiotics totaled USD 25 Billion including US sales of $8.5 billion ($7.0 billion for adults and $1.5 billion for children). Apart from being huge, the market is also growing at a significant rate, with adult and pediatric prescriptions growing in 2005 at 8.5% and 10.8% respectively.
Department of Biotechnology has recently initiated a network project called “Screening for Bio-molecules from microbial diversity collected from different ecological niches”. The project involves nine institutes, with NPIL Research & Development Limited (NRDL) as an industrial partner. The total cost of the project is Rs.24.86 crores with DBT contribution of Rs.17.98 Crores. Rs. 6.88 Crores is being contributed by NRDL. The participating institutes are:-
Ø National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur
Ø National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune
Ø Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi
Ø University of Delhi, South Campus (UDSC), Delhi
Ø Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar
Ø M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai
Ø Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar
Ø Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), Imphal
Ø National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Panjim
The project envisages a mega scale screening programme for various environmental isolates. This is the first project in the country where industry and academia will work together to screen such a large number of bacterial isolates. Different academic institutes will isolate organisms specific to diverse ecological niches. For each sample, isolation of bacteria will be carried out on 30 different growth media.
This multi-institutional effort will generate approximately 7000 isolates/month (~1000/institute), which will be regularly sent to NRDL, the industrial partner of the project. Screening will be carried out for anti-cancer, anti-infective, anti-diabetes and anti-inflammation properties. In addition to culture dependent method, the culture independent approach will also be taken up for a few selected samples.
The project will lead to selection of potential candidate molecules, which will be taken to process scale-up strategies with appropriate partners. The credit sharing in this project amongst the PI and industry has been mutually worked out and an agreement has been signed on 22nd February 2008 in the presence of Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Kapil Sibal.
A separate Microbial Repository is being set up at National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune to maintain the 2,00,000 isolates generated under this project. This would be the largest such facility in the country and would confirm to International Depository Authority (IDA) standards.
PIB/PRA/SKK
by rakesh | May 7, 2007 | Health & Fitness
The National Level Expert Group in its report submitted to the Hon’ble Supreme Court has provided details of possible harmful effects of
(i) Soft drinks/beverages and obesity
(ii) Soft drinks/beverages and dental health
(iii)Other health related effects due to consumption of soft drinks/beverages
(iv) Contents of soft drinks/beverages
– Caffeine
– Phosphoric Acid
– Ethylene glycol
– Aspartame
– Carbon Dioxide
The said report is based on research carried out on scientific basis in various countries of the world. However, the group has noted that the studies to establish co-relationship between consumption of carbonated water and its effects on health are extremely difficult as it involves several compounding factors. The group has recommended that there is a need to carry out well-controlled studies to assess effect of consumption of carbonated water on health.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Smt. Panabaka Lakshmi on 4th May, 2007 in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
by rakesh | Dec 22, 2006 | Health & Fitness
A section of the media has reported the claim made by Baba Ramdev that yoga can cure AIDS. He is also reported to have claimed that AIDS cannot be prevented by using condoms.
While Yoga and regular exercise certainly help people including those who are HIV positive to be healthier, it would be far-fetched to claim that a cure for AIDS will be found through yoga in the next couple of years. The reported statement may mislead the masses and undo the immense efforts that countless social activists, volunteers and organizations have rendered over the years to check the spread of the epidemic by promoting safe behavioural practices.
National AIDS Control Organization, through its partners, public and private sector organizations, NGOs/CBOs, faith based organizations, media and other stakeholders has been at the forefront of the battle against HIV/AIDS, promoting the ABC (Abstinence, Being faithful & using Condoms) strategy for HIV prevention. Condom is the only prophylaxis against the transmission of the virus apart from giving protection from STIs and unwanted pregnancies.
Further, the reported suggestion by Baba Ramdev to do away with sex education among youngsters will be a retrograde step. Sex education helps the new generation to gain knowledge on this vital aspect in a scientific manner, instead of relying on half-cooked and wrong information from peers and other sources. The demand of the time is to open up discussions on the issues of sex and sexuality and break the silence surrounding HIV/AIDS. Information and knowledge is the only way of saving the lives of our youths.
by rakesh | Dec 15, 2006 | Health & Fitness
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, Friday, December 15, 2006 — (Business Wire India) — Dr Shalin Thakore and Dr Himanshu Patel,the city based renowned cardiologist and embryologist respectively have ignited a ray of hope for PPH and DCM diseases by successfully implemented stem cell procedure.
Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH) or unexplained pulmonary hypertension is a lung disorder in which the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery rises far above normal levels for no apparent reason. Pulmonary artery is a blood vessle that carries blood from the heart to the lung.The normal pulmonary artery pressure is less than 30 mmHg in patients with PPH the presuure is progressively putting a strain on the heart leading to fatigue, tiredness, difficulty in breathing, dizziness and swelling of the feet. The diagnosis of PPH is often delayed due to the slowly progressive and insidious onset of symptoms.
Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the condition, where the muscles of the heart become weak for no apparent reason, leading to an enlargement of the heart. Patients with DCM present with difficulty in breathing and tiredness.
Both diseases occur commonly in patients between the age of 20-40 years. The diseases are more common in females and also after pregnancy. As per American Heart Association and Pulmonary Hypertension Association, there is no such known cure for the diseases till date. The goal of the treatment was only to control symptoms.
The city based team of medical experts Dr Shalin Thakore and Dr Himanshu Patel carried out stem cell therapy in patient with incurable conditions. The first patient with PPH was admitted in critical condition with a pulmonary artery pressure of 160 mmHg.The stem cell therapy has never been reported for the treatment of this disease. The first patient with PPH underwent stem cell infusion in the pulmonary artery on 4th November,2006. Her improvement was miraculous. Within few days,she was taken off oxygen and her PA pressure decreased to 65 mmHg. She was discharged from the hospital 5 days after the procedure and she is now able to carry out her routine household activities.
Encouraged by the results of stem cells in patients with heart attacks, the same team of medical experts carried out this treatment on a 22 year old patient with DCM,who was admitted with severe breathlessness, low blood pressure and poor pumping function of the heart.(Normal is 55 % and above. In this case,lvef:4 %). The treatment was carried out on 28th November, 2006.The patient’s recovery was dramatic. After 15 days of the treatment her pumping function of the heart was improved to 15 %. Such amazing improvement has never been reported with any modality of the treatment anywhere in the world in both the conditions. Possible mechanisms for recovery are improvement in endothelial function and neoangiogenesis.
by rakesh | Nov 11, 2006 | Health & Fitness
New Delhi, Delhi, India, Saturday, November 11, 2006 — (Business Wire India) — The first ever Global Youth Meet 2006 (GYM 2006) will be held in India between November 14 to 19. GYM 2006 is being organized by HRIDAY-SHAN (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth and Student Health Action Network) to empower young people to become informed advocates for policies towards promoting health.
National and international health experts, about 10,000 students and 270 delegates from 37 countries will participate in GYM 2006. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the meet on November 14, 2006 at the National Stadium in New Delhi.
The Global Youth Meet will travel to Agra from November 15 to 18 and a total of 220 youth leaders in the age group of 14-19 years will engage in four days of extensive deliberations. International experts from the World Health Organization, World Heart Federation, American Cancer Society, UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNDP, Clinton Global Initiative, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Bank as well as a host of Indian experts and health advocates will interact with the students. Health-related subjects, such as health and development, appropriate diet and nutrition, physical activity, stress management, environment conservation, tobacco and alcohol avoidance, healthy gender relations and promotion of peace and non violence will be discussed over several sessions during the meet.
Explaining the objectives of GYM, Hony. Executive Director of HRIDAY-SHAN Dr. K. Srinath Reddy said ” The present and future health of children across the world is threatened by many factors such as a degraded environment, unhealthy foods, tobacco marketing, unsafe roads, physical inactivity and HIV-AIDS. While it is important to provide young people adequate information about how to protect their health, it is also essential to ensure that governmental and societal policies promote and support health and not create unhealthy living conditions”.
“At this unique health meet we aim to discuss health issues and encourage students to actively articulate their demands for appropriate governmental policy to create a healthy living conditions. We will also use skill building workshops where they will increase their capacity to promote healthy environments at school, home and the community,” Dr Reddy added
International experts like Janet Voûte, Chief Executive Officer, World Heart Federation Geneva; Dr. Chris Dawe from Clinton Global Initiative Dr. Carolyn Dresler, Head of the Unit for Tobacco and Cancer at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France; Ms. Anna White, Coordinator of Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control (GPTC), and Dr. Robert Beaglehole, Director of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion at WHO, Geneva will be participating in this youth meet. Several eminent Indians will also be among the resource persons.
On November 19, 2006, the Global Youth Meet will conclude with the launch of the Youth for Health (Y4H) campaign. Y4H, an initiative on a global scale, will conduct regular exchange of views on policy issues related to health, have concerted global e-advocacy and regularly coordinate national and international action programmes. Y4H envisages a worldwide movement of health advocacy by young change agents and will provide a powerful global platform of advocacy for health-promoting policies. This network will be facilitated by e-connectivity and assisted by HRIDAY-SHAN, WHO, World Heart Federation and GLOBALink.
About HRIDAY-SHAN
HRIDAY (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth) – SHAN(Student Health Action Network) is a voluntary organization of health professionals and social scientists, engaged in activities aiming to promote health awareness and informed health activism among social and college students in India, since 1992. Its work won international recognition through the WHO Tobacco Control Award in 2002.
