Fit For Life

They Killed My Husband at Hal Hospital, Bangalore, Through Sheer Negligence

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:17:00 +0000

My purpose in writing this is to raise awareness about medical negligence and discuss how we as consumers can be more vigilant.

My husband Mr. R. Venkataraman passed away on 2nd January 1998. He was an AGM (additional general manager), Computer Services, at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at Bangalore. The hospital records say he died of cardio respiratory arrest as a consequence of septecemia.

A quick flashback. It was one fine morning in October 1995 when suddenly my husband couldn't get up from bed. He felt an excruciating pain in the lower back. The doctors at HAL said both his kidneys had stones (bilateral renal calculi). The left kidney had a comparatively smaller stone—1.5 cm— at the upper pole calyx, but the left kidney was described as a 'staghorn calculus' with a size 5cm x 1.2cm. Unfortunately, these had been asymptomatic till then. The doctors did not favor surgery; instead, they advocated extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). This involves projecting sound waves onto the stones so that they break and finally pass out through urine. This was a new procedure then, and the doctors said breezily it would be a simple procedure and the patient could walk back. No pain, no risk. Doctors admitted lithotripsy was not an option for big stones, but that was only later.

Here I would like to tell all readers – please ask questions. And do your own research. Ask for alternative treatment options. Maintain a diary of the events, including any questions, misgivings, doctors' responses, names of treatments/procedures undergone, etc. This would help if everything turned ok or even if it didn't. (I hadn't maintained a diary, but of course, the details are etched in my mind.) I had four school- and college-going children and I had taken up a job after they had grown up. I was a corporate trainer in a software export company and had been chronically on tenterhooks concerning job security in a fast growing field where one had to constantly upgrade the skills, pass exams. etc.

In November 1995, my husband underwent lithotripsy on the right kidney. The first session was quite uneventful; but on the second session, he reported pain, and the treatment was discontinued. The stones when blasted get broken to smithereens, but it is quite a challenge to remove them. In the next few days, the doctors used cystoscopy to remove stone fragments. During the cystoscopy procedure, the cystoscope is inserted into the urethra and an attached camera allows the body to be viewed on a monitor. Using stents, “balloons” and intravenous fluid drips, some of the fragments were removed.

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How An Average American Becomes Obese

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:49:00 +0000

How's does an average American become obese?

Exercise and diet are the twins pillars on which rest all your efforts at weight loss. Of the two, diet can be more crucial to weight loss. Why? Say, you are a conscientious fitness freak and you have successfully burnt 300-400 calories by working for an hour-and-half in a day, but how easy was that to flow back into your system with a can of coke and a generous creamy pizza you didn’t mind munching while watching your favorite show on the TV – a piece of junk food that didn’t have much nutritive value. So your best exercise regimen cannot save a badly managed diet program.

The top three tips for weight loss, understandably then, does not require any strenuous exercise. You need to totally skip processed food. You need to rely more on nuts, mono-saturated omega fats, vegetables and fruits. That’s where the American Government’s policies and laws seem to make your weight loss efforts very frustrating and … expensive.

Don’t believe it? Read it here: How An Average American Becomes Obese

Thyroid Dysfunction and Weight Gain

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:15:00 +0000

If you have been unsuccessful in your attempts at shedding those extra pounds despite best efforts, your thyroid could be the culprit. Since the thyroid produces hormones that manage your metabolism, anything that affects your thyroid will ultimately affect your metabolism. Once you address your thyroid problems, the pounds may melt off easily.

Thyroid problems have skyrocketed in recent times owing to the toxic foods and increasing exposure to pollution, petrochemical and industrial wastes . We now have substantial research to demonstrate that environmental chemicals have a direct impact on the thyroid gland. In fact, there's evidence that the toxins deplete the body of thyroid hormones, leaving the body less efficient in controlling the metabolism and the ability to burn fat.

Body weight, energy, sleep, and how much stamina you have for the day is directly related to your levels of thyroid hormone. The thyroid gland takes iodine and and the amino acid tyrosine to make the thyroid hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) and release them into the blood stream. Every cell in the body depends upon thyroid hormones for control of their metabolism and the mechanisms relating to how the body burns carbohydrates and fats. In addition to disrupting metabolism, thyroid modulates the levels of leptin, a hormone produced from fat cells that controls hunger. When the thyroid gland does not produce enough of thyroid hormones, resting metabolic rate becomes low, causing weight gain and obesity.

More women than men suffer thyroid problems, especially low thyroid (hypothyroid) function. Thyroid dysfunction symptoms are weight gain, along with fatigue, hot flashes, insomnia, irritability, palpitations, and fuzzy thinking. Many women experience underactive or hypothyroid issues during perimenopause and pregnancy. These are times of massive hormonal flux, and an imbalance in female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, would strongly impact thyroid function.

Deficiencies in nutrients important to good thyroid function-like selenium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids. and iodine and tyrosine-can also trigger thyroid problems. Tyrosine deficiency can lead to hypothyroidism, low blood pressure, chronic fatigue and decreased metabolism.

Dietary tyrosine is present in almonds, avocados, bananas, dairy products, beans, and seeds. You should include eggs in your diet since it provides high quality protein, vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, iron and omega-3. Similarly, salmon, flax seeds and walnuts are excellent food sources of omega 3 fatty acids. Wholegrains, such as oats, bulgur wheat and brown rice are important sources of selenium.

Causes of Thyroid Problems

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:50:00 +0000

Thyroid problems have skyrocketed in recent times owing to toxic foods and increasing exposure to pollution and petrochemical wastes, which deplete the thyroid hormones in the body. This affects the body’s metabolism, as the cells depend upon thyroid hormones for control of its metabolism that determines how the body burns carbohydrates and fats.

The thyroid is stimulated by the pituitary hormone "Thyroid Stimulating Hormone"(TSH) to produce two hormones, chiefly thyroxine (T4) and a little triiodothyronine (T3) in the presence of iodide. Most of the T3 that drives cell metabolism is produced by converting T4 to T3. Without this conversion of T4 to T3, cells have too little T3 to maintain normal metabolism.

When the thyroid does not produce enough thyroid hormone, the pituitary steps up the production of TSH that triggers the thyroid to produce more hormone. If the thyroid produces too much thyroid hormone, the pituitary slows down TSH production to return circulating thyroid hormone levels to normal.

Thus, a higher-than-normal TSH indicates an under-active thyroid, and a lower-than-normal TSH points to an overactive thyroid.

Hypothyroidism

More women than men suffer low thyroid (hypothyroid) function. Many women experience under-active or hypothyroid issues during perimenopause and pregnancy. These are times of massive hormonal flux, and an imbalance in female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, impacts thyroid function.

The thyroid gland requires iodine to function properly. A chronic lack of iodine means less thyroid hormone, and this causes the thyroid to enlarge. In this condition, called thyroiditis, body’s immune system attacks the thyroid. It is the major cause of hypothyroidism in underdeveloped countries, where iodine is often lacking in the diet.

Hypothyroidism may be the result of an autoimmune disorder called Hashimoto's disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. In Hashimoto's, antibodies react against proteins in the thyroid gland, causing gradual destruction of the gland itself, and making the gland unable to produce the thyroid hormones the body needs.

Hyperthyroidism

Taking too much of thyroid hormone or thyroiditis that causes the gland to leak thyroid hormone can cause hyperthyroidism.

Hyperthyroidism often results from Graves' disease, an autoimmune condition that causes the immune system to produces an antibody that stimulates the thyroid gland to overproduce thyroid hormones.

Another form of hyperthyroidism is called toxic nodular goiter or toxic thyroid adenoma. Adenomas, abnormal nodules of tissue in the thyroid, constantly produce thyroid hormones even when they are not needed.

Abnormally high levels of TSH, caused by problems in pituitary gland or the thyroid, leads to constant stimulation of the thyroid gland to secrete more and more thyroid hormones. Constantly high levels of TSH makes pituitary gland become insensitive to thyroid hormones. A diagnostic method called a functional stimulation test can be used to distinguish whether the pituitary and thyroid glands are the source of medical symptoms.

Food and Thyroid Dysfunction

Deficiencies in nutrients important to good thyroid function—like selenium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and iodine and tyrosine—can also trigger thyroid problems. Tyrosine deficiency can lead to hypothyroidism, low blood pressure, chronic fatigue and decreased metabolism.

Low iodine intake leads to low thyroid function and eventually to goiter. There are a number of foods known as goitrogens that block iodine. Two goitrogens prevalent in the Western diet—peanuts and peanut butter and soybeans (found as textured vegetable protein in packaged food) and soybean oil. Soy contains phytic acid, or phytates that reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. (http://www.westonaprice.org/brochures/SoyAlertTrifold.pdf). Phytic acid in soy not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking, but need to be neutralized by fermenting. Also most of the soy in this country is genetically modified and not fully verified safe for human consumption.

Read Also:

Thyroid Dysfunction and Weight Gain

How To Engineer Perfect Teeth

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:02:00 +0000

Not everyone has perfect teeth, but even if nature did endow you with perfect set of 32 teeth, they may get chipped or stained with ravages brought in by time. Many people have problems such as unevenly spaced or crowded teeth that require the services of a dentist. Cosmetic dentists manipulate, shape and polish the teeth or use enhancers such as crowns, inlays and veneers to create dazzling smiles.

Courtesy: Aesthetic Dentistry

Gaps Between Teeth: Diastema

Gap between teeth not only looks unattractive but affects speech as well. Gaps can be caused by broken teeth, by small sized teeth or by an overly large frenum — the piece of gum tissue above and between your two front teeth.

If your frenum is too thick, the tissue may have to be removed through a procedure called frenectomy

The undersized teeth can be made to look wider by using bonding that can create the illusion of well-spaced teeth. First, the dentist selects the bonding material that matches the natural shade of your teeth. He then roughens the existing tooth and applies the composite resin to the tooth, shapes, and smoothens it to achieve the desired look. He then hardens it with a high intensity light. Lastly, he buffs and polishes the bonded tooth so that its appearance matches the surrounding teeth.

The following images show how uneven spaced and gaps between teeth can be made to look better by enlarging the teeth by bonding and sculpturing of composite material.

Using Crowns and Veneers

Sometimes the teeth can be made wider using crowns and porcelain veneers. Dental crowns enclose the entire tooth, while veneers only encase the front part of the tooth. In order to place a dental crown on a person's tooth, the dentist must grind down considerably the tooth so that the crown can sit over it. In contrast, a veneer is a wafer thin shell of ceramic that is bonded onto the front side of a tooth, unlike the crowns that cap a tooth fully. So veneers don't need as much trimming of the teeth as the crown.

Crowns are made of porcelain or plastic which, when cemented into place, fully encase the entire visible tooth becoming its new outer surface. The dental crowns can strengthen a decayed teeth that has been cleaned and filled up.

Veneers are used when the underlying teeth is strong, but requires minor alterations for a better look. If the teeth is going to be subjected to heavy-duty chewing and had a big cavity that was filled, then crowns are better, as they are stronger than the veneers.

Courtesy: Dental Veneer

Porcelain veneers are especially useful if you have to reshape several teeth in order to cover a large gap, because reshaping only one tooth to cover a gap will make it look unnaturally large. Under local anesthesia, a small portion of your natural tooth is ground using a burr to accommodate the veneer. An impression of your teeth is taken and sent to a dental laboratory for fabrication and will be glued onto the front surface of your teeth with dental cement on your next visit.

Veneer used to cover stains

Dental Braces

The large gaps can also be closed down through braces, which move all your teeth around and take one to four years for completion. This is a very good choice and provides least intervention to the individual tooth. The disadvantage is the likelihood of relapse, as the teeth have a strong tendency to return to their original positions.

Dental Braces: nnoble

If you dislike the unsightly wire-and-bracket braces, you may like invisible braces, a popular brand being Invisalign. Invisalign uses a series of clear, plastic aligners that you pop in your mouth and people can't tell that you're wearing it. They are removable, so you can brush and floss normally. They are comfortable, because there are no metal wires or sharp brackets to irritate your cheeks or tongue. This is faster than conventional braces, but more expensive. The procedure involves sending impressions of your teeth to the Invisalign lab where it is scanned by a computer. The computer aids in planning tooth movements and fabricates a series of clear aligners. The first set of aligners that you snap on your teeth represents the new position for your teeth; so your teeth will not quite fit in well. For the next few days, your teeth will gradually move to this new position and the aligner will become loose. With a few days' rest, your teeth stabilize in their new position. After two weeks, you snap in a new aligner, which again won't quite fit. This process is repeated until the teeth are moved into the desired positions.

Courtesy: Invisalign

Finally, the conventional bridge. In the event of missing teeth, this technology is specially appropriate. Dental bridges are supported by natural teeth or implants. A fixed dental bridge involves putting a crown on each tooth on either side of the missing tooth, and then a false tooth the bridge - is suspended between the crowns. The teeth on either side of the space are first prepared by the dentist under local anaesthesia. A small part of each of the surrounding teeth is trimmed away to make room for the new crown. Your dentist will then take an impression of the teeth using ìdental puttyî and send this to the local dental lab to make the bridge and crown. The dentist will fit a temporary bridge whilst the new one is being fabricated. On your next appointment, the temporary bridge is removed. The new permanent bridge will be evaluated for fit, colour match and how it affects your bite. The new bridge will then be cemented to the surrounding teeth. The advantages of a bridge are that it is fixed, stable, and feels like your own teeth.The disadvantage is that you have to treat two teeth besides the one that was extracted - these teeth may otherwise be perfectly sound.

Teeth Prepared For Bridge: Wikimedia

If the span of missing teeth is three or more, or if there are not solid teeth on both sides of the missing teeth, a fixed bridge may not work and we need to use dentures. Removable partial dentures can replace multiple teeth and are more economical way to replace missing teeth than a fixed bridge.

Is Appendix a Useless Organ?

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:38:00 +0000

Doctors have long considered appendix — a narrow, muscular worm-like pouch found at the intersection of the small and large intestines — as a vestigial organ, a evolutionary remnant that could turn out to be a potential mischief maker and become fatal if ruptured. So, they advocated its surgical removal, often unnecessarily, as a preventive measure when it got infected.

Research over the past few years prove that appendix performs several useful functions. It houses beneficial bacteria important for sound intestinal health. These intestinal flora form a micro-colony of organisms called biofilm, which is a combination of microbes, mucous, and immune system molecules. This biofilm lines the intestines. The microbes in the biofilm are nourished by the polysaccharides coating on the intestinal surfaces and, in turn, help to break down the food we eat. The important point to remember is that the biofilms exist in greater concentrations in the appendix than in the intestines.

When a person suffers from diarrhea, the body loses all the useful bacteria along with the fluids and the appendix repopulates the intestines with some of the bacteria in its reserves and restores it to normalcy soon.

The appendix has a lymphoid tissue which contains infection-fighting lymphoid cells. After birth, the lymphoid tissue in the appendix makes white blood cells and antibodies, including a special class of antibodies known as immunoglobulin A. The white blood cells in the appendix are exposed to myriad microorganisms and viruses passing through the gastrointestinal tract and learn to fight them. This strengthens the immune system.

Research also suggests that removing the appendix increases the risk of Crohn's disease, a type of inflammatory bowels with that causes pain, abdominal cramps and bleeding.

Scientists suggest that people in industrialized societies have a high rate of appendicitis, allergy and perhaps autoimmune diseases since their "hygienic" practices have left their immune systems less challenged by parasites or other disease-causing organisms commonly found in the environment. So when these immune systems are suddenly challenged, they can over-react.

The appendix slows down the production of antibodies after 20-30 years. Even though the appendix serves very little active purpose by the time one turns sixty, newer uses have emerged for the humble appendix. Doctors now realize they can use the appendix for reconstructive surgery. For example, the appendix tissue can be used to re-create sphincter muscle in a bladder replacement surgery

So, while there are times when it is necessary to remove the appendix, there is no need to remove it simply because you’re having an abdominal surgery, so why not remove a "useless" trouble-maker.

And who knows what other functions your appendix might have…

Health Benefits of Coenzyme Q10

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:29:00 +0000

If you regularly scour the counters of drug stores looking for good pick-me-up dietary supplements, chances are you will find CoQ10 listed as an ingredient in many of them. The anti-aging creams have them; the heart-health and immunity boosting medicines have them; and tooth gels have them too.

What is COQ10?
A coenzyme helps an enzyme do its job. An enzyme speeds up the rate at which natural chemical reactions take place in cells of the body. The body's cells use Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a fat-soluble compound found in the mitochondria, to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the form of energy that our bodies can use. If the optimal amounts of CoQ10 are not present in the body, cell metabolism can get affected and this may lead to aches, fatigue, sore muscles, weakness, and shortness of breath.

Coenzyme Q10 is found in our body tissues, most notably in the heart, liver, kidneys, and pancreas. In the mid-1960s, researchers found that CoQ10 is concentrated in the myocardium, or heart muscle, and patients with heart disease were found to be deficient in CoQ10. Since the heart needs a steady supply of CoQ10 to function and maintain blood circulation, physicians prescribe CoQ10 to heart patients as a part of their treatment.

COQ10 or ubiquinone is found mainly in oily fish, meats, nut, broccoli and spinach, vegetable oils like soybean and palm oil, and whole grains. The human liver manufactures COQ10, as long as the body has the needed supply of B vitamins —niacin (B3), folic acid, B12 and pyridoxine (B6), selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin E.

All disease caused by cellular malfunction
We can keep our bodies disease-free by maintaining optimal cellular health. All life begins with a cell, and when the cells degenerate faster than they regenerate, old age and, finally, death occur. Vitamins, amino acids and trace elements are needed for the thousands of biochemical reactions taking place in each cell and chronic deficiency of these nutrients is often the cause of cellular dysfunction. Every disease known to mankind is a result of cellular malfunction, says Dr. Gary Tunsky, a well-known naturopath and a cytopathologist.

Free radicals and the harm they cause
Every cell in your body uses oxygen to make energy. One of the byproducts of energy generation by the cells is free radical production. Free radicals are unstable because they contain an unpaired electron, and they try to become stable by pulling away electrons from neighboring cells in the body's tissues. The molecule that loses an electron, in turn, becomes a free radical, and goes on an electron-hunting spree, setting off a chain reaction.

Free radicals can cause a great deal of trouble in the body. Free radicals lead to the oxidation of LDL and the subsequent chain of events result in arterial plaque formation and narrowed arteries. They hasten the aging processes in the body. Sometimes, they damage the cell's DNA and pave way for cancer.

Free radicals in the body also come from environmental toxins such as cigarette smoke and pesticides. Other factors, such as the exposure to radiation from the sun and mental stress, can lead to the production of free radicals as well.

Antioxidants to the rescue
Antioxidants are nutrients in our foods that can put a stopper on the oxidative damage to our body. A diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables supplies a good amount of anti-oxidants that mop up the damaging free radicals and prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body.

Though our bodies synthesize CoQ10, the production declines with age. Certain medications for hyperthyroidism, depression and hypercholesterolemia also interfere with the production of the coenzyme. The cholesterol-lowering statin drugs (lipitor, etc), diuretics and anti-diabetic drugs, which are widely prescribed, deplete the body of CoQ10, Vitamin B12 and folic acid and block the production of COQ10 in the liver. As a side effect of these drugs, you start experiencing fatigue and cramps; in such cases, you should supplement your medications with COQ10.

CoQ10 is a good anti-oxidant. It accepts the free electrons from free radicals and turns them into harmless compounds. CoQ10 enhances the effectiveness of Vitamin-E (another antioxidant) by helping its regeneration in the body after its antioxidant activities. Vitamin E is generally prescribed for its anti-inflammatory action on the heart, as it can reduce CRP (C reactive protein), an indicator of inflammation.

Side effects of COQ10 and caution
Remember COQ10 can lower blood sugar as well decrease blood pressure in the body. Whenever you take supplementary COQ10, inform your doctor about it so that he can adjust the dosage of the drugs.

When CoQ10 is applied topically as a cream, it can possibly protect the skin from oxidative DNA damage caused by the sun's rays. The antioxidants within CoQ10 can preserve the collagen and elastin within your skin cells, so its use can make you look younger.

The best and well proven use of COQ10 is, of course, for treating hypertension. People with high blood pressure have been shown to have less CoQ10 than normal. CoQ10 is therefore used to supplement the hypertension drugs.

Early Breast Cancer Detection With Thermography

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:26:00 +0000

Breast cancer is the leading cancer in women. Early detection of breast cancer increases chances of total recovery. Traditional recommendations by far have been regular and periodic self examination and annual check ups using mammography. Mammograms can also detect micro-calcifications (calcium deposits) in the breast. The deposits come from the debris from cell secretions or from foreign bodies.

But mammography as a screening tool for early detection has many drawbacks.Due to the threat of cancer from the ionizing X rays, many doctors and alternative medicine practitioners recommend Thermography, or thermal imaging. Just as unique as a fingerprint, each patient has a particular infrared map of their breasts.

Cancer cells grow faster than other cells and to match the rapidly increasing need for nutrients, more blood flows into the area. Cancerous tissues emit more infra-red heat than healthy tissues. Thermography makes use of these facts and measures the infrared radiation using sensors and converts this information into anatomical images. Thus, thermograph is able to detect chemical changes associated with a tumor’s birth and growth (angiogenesis or new blood vessel formation).

Thermography offers a very early warning system, and is often able to pinpoint cancer years before it would be detectable by mammography.

For more details about limitations of mammography and why thermography is a better option for screening breast cancer, read Early Breast Cancer Detection With Thermography

The Hidden Dangers of Vaccination

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:05:00 +0000

Vaccination is based on the Germ Theory of diseases as proposed by Louis Pasteur in 1840’s that postulated that microorganisms are the cause of many diseases. This theory forms the foundation of modern medicine and clinical microbiology. We live in a world filled with pathogens, yet we do not always fall sick. Some of us can fall sick all of the time and all of us, some of the time, but all of us do not get sick all of the time. So, what protects us is the body’s immune system. Vaccination or immunization stimulates the immune system with an ‘immunogen’. For example, polio vaccine introduces weak polio virus so that the vaccinated person develops immunity against polio virus.

Yet, in the 1990s people’s confidence in science, medicine and government got steadily eroded and many turned away from conventional medicine. With the rising epidemic of autoimmune diseases and neurological dysfunction in children, people started questioning whether injecting toxic chemicals into the bodies of young children in the name of vaccination adversely affected their immune systems. They started wondering if bacteria and viruses were the cause of diseases or the result of diseases. In other words, did we fall ill first with processed food, stress and sedentary life style, and then created a biological environment in the body in which bacteria and viruses could thrive.

To learn about how vaccines are made and how they affect our body, read The Hidden Dangers of Vaccination.

Understanding MRI

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:10:00 +0000

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a radiation-independent, non-invasive medical diagnostic technique in which a powerful magnetic field and radio frequency pulses. Hydrogen atoms in water in the tissues get magnetized and aligned by the powerful magnetic field, and the Radio-frequency fields systematically alter the alignment of this magnetization, causing the hydrogen nuclei to produce signals. The scanner detects the signals and produces detailed pictures of organs, soft tissues, bone and other internal body structures on a computer screen.

MRIs have been used since 1980s to detect breast cancer. The traditional mammograms cannot detect very small tumors. Also, certain parts of breasts such as those in the periphery or near the chest wall or the armpit cannot be adequately accessed by the mammograms. Because of these limitations of mammography, MRI has become increasingly popular and has been used to screen high-risk women for cancer.

Read more: How Does MRI Work?

How Diabetes Affects Kidneys

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:48:00 +0000

The process of adding a sugar or sugar chain to a protein or fat – for example, on a cell surface membrane is called 'Glycosylation'. Many proteins that are critical to normal cell physiology are glycosylated; that is, the proteins have attached sugar groups.

in reference to:

"The diabetics have high levels of blood glucose or sugar circulating in the body. When excess glucose circulates in the blood, it binds to proteins in the serum and plasma, causing what is called glycosylation. "
- How Does Diabetes Affect the Kidneys? | Healthmad (view on Google Sidewiki)

How to Do an Indian Head Massage

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:38:00 +0000

Home Remedies To Stop Bad Breath

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:20:00 +0000

Fewer than one in 10 people would tell friends and family that they have bad breath, according to a survey. They prefer to keep their lips sealed and avoid socializing with the friends and family, the survey finds. Halitosis, the malodorous breath and the cause of maximum social embarrassment, is caused by anaerobic oral bacteria growing on the tongue, around the teeth and in the gap between the gum and the teeth. These bacteria may cause abscesses with foul-smelling pus to form in the gums. Even small cavities in the teeth may provide a place where germs can multiply. Many cases of bad breath, however, are caused by gastro-intestinal disorders, intestinal sluggishness and particularly by chronic constipation. Having an excessively dry mouth is a frequent reason too. Alcohol, certain medicines or medical conditions, stress, nasal infections, foods that are high in protein and smoking can cause dry mouth.

Learn the top twenty-one home remedies to combat halitosis.

Home Remedies to Whiten Teeth

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:06:00 +0000

Who wouldn’t want to have white teeth? White teeth is an attention grabber; it adds instant appeal to even ordinary looking faces. Eating certain foods, having alcoholic drinks like red wine, chewing tobacco, smoking, taking certain medications and having periodontal diseases caused by poor dental hygiene are some of the reasons for dull teeth.

You can whiten your teeth using ingredients available at home. Read Home Remedies to Whiten Teeth.

Wisdom Teeth — Is it Wise To Remove Them?

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Wisdom teeth erupt in your late teens and early twenties, which is why they are called wisdom teeth. Whenever there is not enough space in the jaws for them to poke through, they drift about looking for a space in the jaw and get blocked by tissues and other teeth.

There is lack of consensus among dentists whether the wisdom tooth should be removed. Should they be extracted only if they cause problems, or should they be pre-emptively extracted giving them no chance for mischief?

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Is Appendix a vestigial organ?

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:08:00 +0000

One of the "vestigial" organ is appendix. But is the appendix entirely useless?
in reference to:

"In Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859) and in his later works, he referred to several "vestiges" in human anatomy that were left over from the course of evolution. These vestigial organs, Darwin argued, are evidence of evolution and represent a function that was once necessary for survival, but over time that function became either diminished or nonexistent."
- Top 10 Useless Limbs (and Other Vestigial Organs) | LiveScience (view on Google Sidewiki)

Read Is Appendix a Useless Organ?

How To Teach Sign Language to Babies

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:34:00 +0000

More and more parents are using Baby Sign language with their infants, whether they are hearing-impaired or normal. If you thought using sign language was not “natural” , think again. We teach our babies to wave 'good bye' when somebody leaves home; we nod our head up and down to convey ‘yes’ or approval, and we nod our heads side to side to indicate ‘no’ or disapproval; and we put our finger to our mouth to tell the baby to keep quiet. We do this unconsciously, because it’s natural to enhance our speech with gestures for clarity. When you point your finger at a bird, you will, in all probability, flap your hands to indicate flying and your child will flap his hands in glee, just as you do. Baby Signs is just an extension of the gestures that parents already use with their babies.

Your child need not be hearing impaired for you to teach your baby to sign.
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How to Take Care of Your Baby's Hearing and Speech

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:24:00 +0000

After the initial euphoria of the birth of the baby, it’s time for parents to ensure baby’s hearing is sound.

Most hearing loss of a child is congenital, but babies can develop hearing loss after the birth as well, especially if they were born prematurely, developed severe infections and had to be treated with certain antibiotic medications that can be ototoxic. High levels of bilirubin (jaundice) in newborns can also damage the delicate auditory nerves of the baby.

Because the baby doesn’t hear well, the baby may lose the capacity to speak too. The absence of auditory stimulations can interfere with its cognitive development as the baby grows. Screening all newborns for hearing problems could make a big difference in kids’ lives. Babies begin to develop speech and language in the earliest months of life. The sooner the hearing problems are identified, the sooner the kids can start programs to help them develop to their full potential.

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Impact of Genetically Modified Food on Health and Environment

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:06:00 +0000

Wouldn’t you be concerned if the food you so lovingly serve your family is just ‘Frankenfood’? As consumers, we have a right to know what we eat, and to eat what we know, or believe, is right.

Many food products we consume today contain genetically modified ingredients — but the lack of useful labelling of such food keeps this information hidden from us. We are the unwitting guinea pigs in food engineering experiments involving the entire planet’s ecosystem, our health and our very genetic makeup.

Understanding the Genetic Modification

A genetically modified organism (GMO) is one that has a foreign gene injected into its embryonic cells. Strands of deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA, the genetic material constituting the chromosomes in the nucleus of all the cells in living things, is ‘cut’ out and then ‘pasted’ into the nucleus of another living organism. The genetic strands are ‘trimmed’ so that only a precise, fully defined piece of DNA is pasted into the recipient organism. These “engineered” plants and animals are referred to as GMO.

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Excitotoxins, the Taste That Kills

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:51:00 +0000

"Excitotoxins, the Taste That Kills," is a shocking book by Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, a professor of neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi, who claims certain ingredients found in most prepared food are poisoning us. Our food contains biochemicals — glutamate, aspartate, and cysteine — amino acids that, as neurotransmitters, excite neurons in the brain and can cause their death. That's why they are called "excitotoxins."

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Halitosis Prevention Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Uma Shankari) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:39:00 +0000

Halitosis, or bad breath, could be the reason spoiling those precious moments with the person you love!

Imagine the embarrassment when a friend you are talking to suddenly recoils back as you come closer. Or an intimate moment when your partner shows reluctance to kiss you. Halitosis, or bad breath, could be the reason spoiling those precious moments with the person you love!

Only rarely does offensive breath originate from the stomach, like for example, when a gastric reflux causes digested food coming up from the stomach into your mouth. Over ninety percent of halitosis originates from the mouth. Even in the cleanest mouth there are millions of bacteria that thrive on the microscopic food particle in the mouth and produce acid. Odorous gases are produced in the mouth as a result of the anaerobic ingestion of food by the bacteria. The acids destroy tooth enamel and result in tooth decay over a period of time. Plaque can also develop on the tooth roots under the gum and cause breakdown of the bone supporting the tooth. The more areas where plaque collects both above and below the tooth gum edge, the greater the amount of anaerobic bacterial activity and so the greater the volume of offensive gases which are produced.

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