| Belly fat ruins your sleep Posted: 05 Nov 2012 09:22 PM PST Weight loss, whether it's from dietary changes alone or from diet combined with exercise, can help improve the quality of sleep among people who are overweight or obese, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers.
"We found that improvement in sleep quality was significantly associated with overall weight loss, especially belly fat," says Kerry Stewart, senior author of the study.
The volunteers of the study lost about 15 per cent of their body weight and that resulted in an improved their overall sleep score by about 20 per cent.
"The key ingredient for improved sleep quality from our study was a reduction in overall body fat, and, in particular belly fat, which was true no matter the age or gender," says Stewart.
Good sleep quality is important in general for good physical and mentalhealth,aswellasforahealthy cardiovascular system, notes Stewart.Dependingonthecause,chronic sleep disruptions increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and irregular heartbeats. Obesity increases the risk of sleep problems. MM  | | Paralysed at thirty six You are never too young to suffer a stroke. Take the case of this young office-goer Posted: 05 Nov 2012 09:19 PM PST Two years ago, Sudhakar Sawardkar was a healthy 36-year-old, who worked as head of administration at a tech-manufacturing firm.
It seemed like a regular morning on August 9, 2010 until he ambled out of bed to get to the bathroom in his Matunga home. His left hand felt a shade heavy, which he thought was the result of a weird sleeping posture. A look into the mirror before he reached out for his toothbrush, revealed a face twisted to the left. He rushed out to call his wife, but was unable to speak clearly. His speech was a series of slurs.
Sawadkar had suffered a stroke in his sleep, which was unfortunate because 10 hours had passed before he sought medical attention. The sooner a correct diagnosis is done, the less likelihood there is of long-term impairment, say experts.
Sawadkar's experience is proof that strokes, once an ailment associated with those aged 60 plus, can occur among young people. "A pressurising work schedule and unhealthy lifestyle are chief reasons," says Dr Rahul T Chakor, neurologist at BYL Nair Hospital,Mumbai, who treated Sawardkar. "30 per cent of all stroke patients we treat are aged 30 to 40," he says.
In March this year, the seventh national congress of the Indian Stroke Association that was held in Pune discussed stroke among young Indians. Dr Shirish Hastak, director stroke services, Kokilaben Hospital and a member of the executive committee of the Indian Stroke Association, who was a participant, says, "High blood pressure and glucose levels are directly linked to strokes since they lead to increased fat deposits along blood vessel walls, restricting blood flow. Both, hypertension and diabetes are increasingly seen among young adult Indians."
A WHO report released in May 2012 confirms Hastak's claim. Twenty four per cent men and 22.6 women in India — aged 25 years and above — suffer from high blood pressure. Recent figures by the International Diabetes Federation put India second to China (90 million diabetics) with 61.3 million diabetics in 2011. India is likely to cross the 70 million mark in the next two years.
WHAT IS A STROKE?
The human brain depends on the arteries to transport oxygen-rich blood from the heart. When blood flow to a part of the brain is interrupted due to a blockage in a blood vessel or rupture in an artery, brain cells in the region suddenly die due to lack of oxygen. Since these cells do not have the ability to regenerate themselves, it results in permanent damage in that part of the brain.
This damage could translate to loss of sensation in one half of the body (paralysis), vision and speech loss, incontinence or bladder problems.
Sawardkar's MRI revealed that a clot had formed in a blood vessel on the front half of his right cerebral hemisphere (which controls motor coordination on the left side of the body). Even if he recovered his speech gradually, there was a high chance that his left arm wouldn't function again.
THE ABUSIVE LIFESTYLE CONNECT
Sawardkar says he hadn't imagined that additional work load and eating junk could leave him with a useless arm.
In the last one year before he suffered a stroke, his company had diversified into film produc- tion, doubling his responsibilities. Instead of the usual 10 hours, he was now putting in 16 hours a day. Grabbing hours a sleep, skipping breakfast and eating a fat-heavy lunch of fried rice, biryani or pizza did him in. He'd chase the calorie-high lunch with samosas, vada pav or cream biscuits in the evening. Dinner was usually a burger that he'd order in at work. "Other than consuming junk, my biggest mistake was to stop high blood pressure medicating for six months," says Sawardkar.
DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT
Strokes can be of two kinds — ischemic stroke (involving a blood clot, like in Sawardkar's case) and hemorrhagic (artery bursts inside the brain). The first can be treated within the first four hours of the attack. If diagnosed in time, the clot(s) can be dissolved by tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), reducing the impact of the damage by 50 per cent.
In a hemorrhagic stroke, surgery might be required to tackle the blood spill inside the brain, and seal the leaking artery.
It's the fact that strokes are painless that often leads to misdiagnosis. Most are passed off as headaches or regular weakness.
After two months of rest, Sawardkar suffered a heart attack. Nine more clots were discovered between his head and heart. These could dislodge any time, travel to his brain via the blood stream. A bypass surgery was mandatory. Sawardkar had to change his lifestyle if he had to survive, the doctors told him bluntly.
CHANGE OF HEART
Luckily for Sawardkar, the brain damage was minor and the motor function controlling his left hand was taken up neighbouring portions of the brain. He was able to regain his speech and full function of the arm within six months. "Sawardkar's is a rare case. In most, recovery is never complete," says Dr Chakor.
Sawardkar now works no more than 10 hours, wakes up at six in time for a morning walk at Shivaji Park, and runs miles away from vada pav stalls. His breakfast consists of two oil-free parathas with tea. Lunch includes a home-cooked green vegetable and four chapatis. Aerated drinks have been replaced by fresh fruit juices, fruits and salads. Fish and daal makes up dinner.
Worry and stress play a key role, as is evident in Sawardkar's case. "We are a family of seven, and our 1 BHK home leaves us no space to breathe. Buying a new home was a concern since I'm the only earning member," he admits. Now, when worry creeps up, he plugs in his headphones and listens to calming music. Things will fall in place gradually," he says with a philosophic smile.
YOUNG, INDIAN AND PARALYSED
A 2010 report by the National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health states: Number of stroke cases in India is likely to increase to 17 lakh in 2015 (that's a jump from 12 lakh in 2005). Of these, between 15% to 30% are accounted by those below the age of 40.
CHIEF CULPRITS
» » High Obesity blood and pressure consumption of junk food » » Smoking Worry and stress SIGNS THAT COULD SPELL A STROKE
Strokes are painless, and hit you suddenly. After
the onset, you have just four hours to act if you
must prevent permanent damage. Due to misdiagnosis, treatment is often delayed in 40% cases. Rush to a neurologist if: » You experience difficulty in speaking and comprehending what others are saying. » One side of your face is dropping or feeling numb. » There is sudden loss of control (numbness or constant flapping) in an arm or leg on one
side of your body. » You experience difficulty in controlling balance, movement. » You suffer from dizziness, severe headache or abrupt loss of vision in one or both eyes WHAT DID SAWARDKAR IN
» » Skipping 16 hour work breakfast -day » Fat-heavy lunch of fried rice, biryani or pizza » Evening snack of samosas, vada pav or cream biscuits, and a
burger dinner » Skipping his BP tablets A pressurising work schedule and unhealthy lifestyle are chief reasons. 30 per cent of all stroke patients we treat are aged 30 to 40
DR RAHUL T CHAKOR, NEUROLOGIST  | | City mums averse to breastfeeding Posted: 05 Nov 2012 08:40 PM PST Only about a half of newborns in the state's urban areas, including Mumbai, are breastfed within the first hour of birth, according to a study released by the government on Monday. Out of 1,346 mothers surveyed in urban areas, over 94% said they had registered for institutional delivery (childbirth in hospitals) and also gone in for at least three antenatal care visits (ANCs).
Expressing concern at the findings, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said, "The low percentage of breastfeeding within an hour of birth, even as (most urban) mothers are having institutional delivery, suggests that private nursing homes are not encouraging breastfeeding enough."
Chavan asked if nursing homes were encouraging complementary feeding. Indeed, as per the survey, bottle-feeding and early complementary feeding is on the rise, especially in urban areas.
Including rural areas, a total of 2,694 mothers with children under two years of age were surveyed. It was found that the breastfeeding percentage in rural areas was better, with 68% of 1,348 rural mothers surveyed saying they had breastfed their infants within an hour of birth.
The findings were not encouraging even in the category of exclusive breastfeeding of infants in their first six months, with only 49% of women in urban areas and 63.5% of women in rural areas responding in the affirmative.
The only solace was that the state average for breastfeeding within an hour of delivery has increased since 2005-06, when it was 52% (as per the National Family Health Survey).
Uncief studies have shown that breastfeeding in the initial hours of birth and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months is the best form of immunity for a newborn and can arrest malnutrition and prevent neonatal deaths.
National coordinator for the Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI) Dr JP Dadhich said a lack of awareness about breastfeeding among mothers and caregivers could be contributing significantly to neonatal mortality. "Breastfeeding within the first hour makes a child more immune and healthy to fight infection, which happens to be the biggest killer of infants in the country. There is a need to counsel mothers as well as medical professionals about the advantages of a quick initiation into the practice."
Inputs by Sumitra Deb Roy   | | TAKING THE BIG STEP Posted: 05 Nov 2012 07:45 PM PST Mumbaikars kept their promise with taking the first step to health as thousands turned up on Sunday for the Max Bupa Walk for Health in association with Times Now. The 'walk' took place simultaneously across Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. Before hitting the road, participants were treated to live performances and a variety of entertainment acts. A bevy of celebrities also turned up. And kids got an opportunity to meet and click pictures with their favourite toon characters. On-spot contests like 'TheYoungest Walker', The Oldest Walker' and 'Most Bonded Family' added to the dash of excitement. Said Manasije Misra, CEO (Designate), Max Bupa Health Insurance, "Through this initiative we want to spread awareness about the benefits of walking which is one of the easiest and most accessible forms of exercise. We are happy to see that thousands of people across India have joined us in making a new beginning towards good health." Gagan Bhalla, Director Strategy and Operations, Max Bupa, was here too.
Sikander and Anupam Kher Mumbaikars warm up before embarking on the walk Kunal Kapoor flags off the walk as (L) Rajat Barmecha and (R) Anurag Kashyap look on Gagan Bhalla Aditi Govitrikar  | | 5 health benefits of skipping Posted: 05 Nov 2012 11:21 AM PST Want to get ship-shape? Get a jump rope today, for skipping is said to be to fortify the the cardiovascular system, tone up muscles, improve agility, and it's free so you can do it where and when you want to! Here's more on its benefits:
1) A great fat-buster: Skipping can help you shed upto 450 calories in just 30 minutes.
2) It promotes cardio-vascular activity: Each session leads to better cardiorespiratory improvements, making the heart stronger and allowing it to pump more blood, delivering oxygen and nutrients to your tissues.
3) Fights osterporosis: Since skipping is weightbearing, it boosts a person's bone density, helping to keep off osteoporosis. A site mentions how The Osteoporosis Society recommends 2 to 5 minutes of a physical activity like skipping every day to help prevent osteoporosis.
4) Increases focus: Skipping also helps you gain better concentration.
5) Zero-cost workout: It costs nothing, so it's for anyone and at anytime.
Note: The activity can put stress on the ankle and knee joints, so warm up before starting. Also don't skip on a hard surface and land softly, each time with knees bent. Those who suffer from cardiac problems, arthritis and osteoporosis should consult a doctor before starting.  |
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