HEALTH        BANANA     KNOW YOUR BODY     BODY FITNESS     TIPS FOR SOUND SLEEP    COMMON  DISEASES IN CHILDREN    DRUG ADDICTION

THE   B A N A N A ……A Banana a day keeps you fit and gay !

If you want a quick fix for flagging energy levels there's no better snack than a banana. Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose - combined with fibre, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proved that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions making it a must to add to your daily diet.

Anaemia: 
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anaemia.

Blood Pressure: 
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect food for helping to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: 
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Depression: 
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain trypotophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

Hangovers: 
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heart-burn: 
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body so if you suffer from heart-burn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: 
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: 
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: 
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.  Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods such as bananas every two hours to keep levels steady.

PMS: 
Forget the pills eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.  

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronic ulcer cases. It also neutralises over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature Control: 
Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): 
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer, trypotophan.

Smoking: 
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking, as the high levels of Vitamin C, A1, B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: 
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalise the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water-balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, there by reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: 
According to research in 'The New England Journal of Medicine' eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: 
Those keen on natural alternatives swear that, if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape! So you see a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A Banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

Courtesy: Rita Rao, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Know your Body

*  There are 206 bones in the human body.

*  There are 600 muscles in the body.

*  Bones might be classified as part of the circulatory system since they produce all of the body's blood cells within their marrow.

*  The human body consists skeletal system, muscular system, nervous system, hormonal system, circulatory system, digestive system, respiratory system, immune system and reproductive system.

*  The brain has three parts :  i) cerebrum -  outer part; governs thought, the senses and movement.  ii) cerebellum -  middle; controls balance and muscle coordination, and  iii)  cerebral cortex -  inner; governs involuntary muscles.

*  Blood is a liquid organ.

*  Skin is the body's largest  organ.

*  The liver is the second largest.

*  You have 26 ft. of intestine; the small intestine is 21ft. long and the large intestine is 5 ft.

*  Your heart is a hollow muscle about the same size as your fist.

*  Your digestive system starts working even before you take your first bite of food.  The sight and smell of the food makes special glands in your mouth produce saliva or spit.

*  Everyone is colour-blind at the beginning of life.  That's because cone cells don't develop in the eyes until a baby is about 6 to 8 months old.

*  Each hair on your body comes equipped with a tiny muscle that can make it stand upright.

*  Your heart beats about 1,00,000 times a day.

*  Your heart pumps a total of 8,000 gallons of blood 12,000 miles, through  your body every day.

*  An average adult needs between 1,300 and 1,600 calories a day; growing kids ages 7 to 10 need an average of 2,400.  Boys ages 11 to 14 need 2,700 and girls that age need 2,200.

(  Source  :  TOI  )

Body Fitness

A  good body is what most men and women aim for in the 21st century. Fitness and health go together and to stay fit one must exercise and keep the body in good condition. Kamal Doctor, Fitness expert and trainer has a figure that one could envy and believes in doing some form of workout daily to keep fit.

It could be jogging, aerobics, trademill, Exercycle, dancercises or even just plain power walking but in many cases the spirit may be willing but the flesh may be weak due to lack of energy.

"If you start an exercise program and have been at it for hours and suddenly feel you are out of steam than a quick energy booster like Gulcon-D helps, since glucose is the simplest source of energy which is absorbed by the body instantly and delivers a quick release of abundant energy," informs Kamal.

When exercising or playing strenuous games like tennis, basketball, hockey, football or swimming, your nerves, muscles and body tissues need energy to function. Most drinks have fructose or sucrose for which the body needs more time to release energy, but pure glucose works faster with Vitamin C, Calcium and Phosphorus added to it.

Vitamin C is a good anti-oxidant too and helps to metabolise and absorb iron in the body besides preventing scurvy and healing wounds. Its main source is leafy green vegetables which is very often destroyed in cooking. Calcium and Phosphorus is important for the bones and teeth and helps to release energy fast. Calcium is lost through sweat during exercising and also urine and has to be replenished fast. Hence, it makes eminent sense to include a glucose drink fortified with calcium. Phosphorus and Vitamin C in your regimen.

"At times on a hot day when one may feel weak and lethargic at which time for quick energizing, a spoon of glucose helps. Having fresh fruits and dates is a natural way of getting energized but it takes a long time and if one is in the middle of a tournament one needs instant results," adds Kamal.

Modern energy boosters are not just meant for exercise friends who want to keep fit but given to school children and adults after a hard day at work or when recuperating from illness, for pregnant women and even as a relaxing evening drink instead of aerated waters. Even housework can be tiring at times and would need an energy booster.Even a hot day in the summer sun turns cool with a glucose drink which now fortunately is available in flavours like tangy orange.  

                                                                                                             (Source : Intelligent Living)  

Public Health Message ----Useful Tips for Sound Sleep

Reduce intake of coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolates  as these contain caffeine, a powerful CN stimulant which will keep you away from sleeping.

Avoid spicy foods which could cause indigestion.

Try and overcome from anxiety and pressure which can quickly lend to indigestion.

Alchohol intake before a few hours of resting causes disturbed sleep.

Avoid smoking as it leads to insomnia.

Make the bedroom dark if light hinders your sleep.

Going to bed and waking  up  at  the same time everyday even on weekends will also give you best result.

Deep breathing, yoga, exercise, meditation can help alleviate stress and induce sleep.

Listening to light music and reading before going to bed is also helpful.

Note down and make  a list of all the things to be done the next morning, you will feel much relaxed..

Courtesy : Purohit Hospital Journal

Common Diseases which Need Operation in Infants & Children 
By Dr. Vivek Rege

In this article we shall be discussing following diseases in children which need operation:
-Hernia (Inguinal)
-Hernia (Umbilical)
-Absence of testis from the Scrotum (undescended testis)
-Inability to retract the front skin of the Penis (Phimosis)
-Unusal site of urinary opening (Hypospadias)

Hernia (Inguinal)
Normally in every individual there is a canal which open inside the abdomen and outside into the scrotum. Through this canal following structures pass in the scrotum the blood vessels (veins, arteries), tube which carries semen from testis to the prostate (Vas). All these structure together are called as spermatic cord. In some children the internal opening remains big right from the birth and therefore the intestine rolls down from the abdomen into the scrotum through this big internal opening via the canal. This condition is called as Inguinal hernia.

Parents bring the child to the Doctor as they notice that there is some swelling in private part (groin) (inguinal region). The size, increases when the child cries or coughs, & swelling decreases when the child is relaxed & asleep. Inguinal hernia is diagnosed by simple physical (clinical) check-up by the doctor. This is more common in boys than in girls. There is no test or investigation required to diagnose this condition.

Treatment
The only  treatment of the Inguinal hernia is operation (Surgery).
This surgery can be done at any age, as soon as the hernia is detected.
If hernia is not operated, sometimes the child’s blood supply to the testis may get cut off due to pressure of intestines and the testies will die.
Another complication or problem, if the child is not operated is that the intestines, which are passing through the canal may get stuck up causing obstruction to the intestines. In severe obstruction the blood supply to the intestines may also get cut off resulting in gangrene of intestine, which may need immediate urgent operation.
Therefore once the condition is detected it is advisable to undergo planned operation as early  as possible.

Hernia (Umbilical)
In this condition there is a defect in the abdominal wall around the umbilicus and the intestines comes out (protude) through this opening. The child has a swelling in the umbilical region. The swelling increases when the child cries or coughs, swelling decreases when the child is relaxed & asleep. Generally no surgery is needed for this condition as the defect in the abdominal wall closes by 2-3 year. If the hernia still persist, at the age of 3 years the operation needs to be done. The surgery needs to be done if any problem (complications) arises even at an early stage.

The possible complications are as follows:
The swelling becomes irreducible.
The swelling becomes painful.
The intestines get obstructed resulting in distension of abdomen & vomiting.
Rarely the blood supply of obstructed intestine gets cut off & there can be gangrene of intestines.

Inability to retract the front skin back over the penis (Phimosis)
Normally the skin of penis can be retracted expose the external opening of urethra in the glance penis. In some children the skin opening I very small & narrow therefore the skin cannot be retracted back.

In such cases the child has difficulty in passing urine. He strains to pass urine, has a thin stream of urine, sometimes there is ballooning of the front skin while passing urine. The child may cry while passing urine or have the habit of continuously touching or pulling the front skin or rubbing of the front skin of penis very often.

The treatment for this condition is removal of part of front skin of the penis (circumcision). This is done as day care procedure.

If this condition is not treated, it can lead to repeated  local  infections, urinary infection & sometimes stone formation inside the bladder.

Unusual site of urinary opening (Hypospadiasis)
In this condition the urinary opening is not at the tip of the penis but is on the underside, and can be just away from the tip to anywhere along the length of the penis, at the junction of penis and scrotum, or rarely near the anus.

This condition is generally detected by the parents.

This condition is present right from the birth. The operation to correct this defect is ideally done at the age of 1 ½ year.

Management
The only treatment for this condition is operation, the abnormal opening is closed and another opening is created at the tip of the penis. If the surgery is not done; this condition can lead to twisting of penis, abnormal curveture of penis, (known as chordee) abnormal erection, (once the child grows) or penetration, inefficient conception, infertility.

Absence of Testis from the scrotum (undescended testis) 
Descent of Testis just before the birth

This defect is usually present from birth. Just before birth the testes descend from the abdomen into the scrotum. Failure in this can result in absence of testis from the scrotum.

Sometimes the descent of   the testis stops midway before reaching the scrotum. If it is somewhere in the inguinal canal or beyond, it can be felt by the hand.

At times the testis cannot be felt be hand it is in the abdominal cavity. In such cases sonography is done to locate the testis.

Usually these patients are detected on routine health check up, or sometimes the parents notice the absent testis while giving bath to the child. If the testis is left at the place and not brought down into the scrotum at the earliest; the testicular development does not occur due to the heat inside the abdomen. If it is bilateral condition it can lead to infertility. It can lead to psychological disturbance, as the child grows old. Also in the later age it can sometimes get converted into cancer.

Therefore it is advisable to bring the testis down into the scrotum.

The ideal age of surgery is 1-11/2  years, it is a day care procedure; the child is discharged on the same day or the next day.

                                                                                                       Courtesy: Purohit Hospital Journal

Medical Advances

As the human body has become better understood; so too have the diseases and ailment associated with it. In time, cures have been found for many illnesses. The 20^th century began an era of technological innovation in medicine, particularly in diagnosis and today doctors are able to save many lives.

1543 – First accurate anatomical drawings by Andreas Vesalies enable better understanding of the body.
1628—William Harvey understands  heartbeat and blood circulation, laying foundations for modern  physiology.
1796 – Vaccination discovered, starting with smallpox vaccine. Big effect on eradication and prevention of diseases such as polio.
1840 – Anaesthetics pioneered by Americans Horace Wells and William Morton, leading the way to pain-free surgery.
1847 – Antiseptics developed by Hungarian Ignaz Semmelweiss for use in childbirth, one of the first doctors to connect disease and hygiene.
1860 – French Chemist Louis Pasteur demonstrates  bacterial cause of disease. From 1875 –1906 more than 20 diseases were made preventable through immunization.
1867 – Modern Mercury Thermometer developed.
1885 – Psychoanalysis pioneered by Signiund Freud.
1895 – X-Rays  used for the 1^st time.
1950 – Ultrasound used to screen pregnant women.
1954 – Contraceptive Pill developed to aid birth control.
1958 – Heart Pacemaker developed, first implants 1960’s
1960  -1970 – Development of Laser Surgery
1964 – Chemotherapy developed to treat illness particularly cancer.
1967 – First successful heart transplant.

Drug Addiction is Suicide

Remember you only  live once.Drug addiction means physical and psychological dependence on drugs and get  habituated  to the drugs. Any drug addict person becomes restless and irritated in the position of not getting the drugs. He doesn’t feel like doing any work, he feels giddiness and cold turkey. And in this conditions to get his stuff he may go up to any extent. Only after getting his stuffs he becomes relaxed and relieved from mental and physical pain. This particular condition is called addiction.

Addiction can be of following drugs:

Affim, Smack, Ganga, Charas, Bhang:- After consuming these drugs person feels drowsy and feels relaxed, some times he dreams of strange colourful unreal things which is calle“HALLUCINATIONS’. Addicted person wants to remain aloof. To get the kicks he increases the intake of drugs. Day comes when he is under addiction for all 24 hours. And in position of not getting his daily stuff his hands and legs become cold, starts having loose motion. He feels pain in whole body and in this condition to get his stuff of addiction he does anything.

Bidi, cigarettes, Tobacco,Gutka:-

 Person feels fresh energetic & stimulated for sometime after taking Bidi, Cigrarettes, Tobacco, Gutka etc. gradually he forms habit. Due to these habit of chewing tobacco & Gutka he is unable to wide open his mouth. The condition is called “submucous Fibrosis” and it becomes very difficult for him to eat even daily meals.

Smoking of cigarettes & bidi causes Lung cancer, Throat cancer, Heart attack, Oesophageal ulcer, Gangrene, impotency and blindness.

Non smokers standing along with smokers are also effected. While breathing they consume this smoke, and they have to suffer for no reason. Specially children and ladies are more effected. Blackness of the feet is due to non circulation of blood in feet & is called “Gangrene”

Liquor:- ,Alcohol is commonly and more consumed compared to other drugs. On consumption of liquor makes body semi conscious and to get the kick of this state persons consumes more and more liquor, thus he becomes alcoholic. Nowadays alcohol is freely available at every nook & corner. It’s consumed in every occasion like marriage or even in case of death, drinking liquor has because common as well as fashion.

Consumption of liquor damages liver and person gets the disease like Jaundice. Slowly liver gets spoiled and person goes into coma. Even ulcers are caused in stomach. Impotency is also caused.

Tea:- Excess consumption of Tea may cause ulcer in stomach which may lead to cancer. Drug addict becomes careless towards his duties, thus causing difficult to manage his family and the family is destroyed/ ruined. To  come out  of this  addiction person should have strong will power. These persons should be made aware of evils of addiction and sent for rehabilitation. Where his needs of drugs will be minimized and he will come out of the addiction.

Indication of Cancer

Irregular habits of passing stool & urine.
Prolonged healing of wounds.
Irregular bleeding in females.
Fever for longer period.
Complain about indigestion.
Sudden change in the mole.
Cough for longer period.
Change in voice.
Boil or wound in tongue lips & neck.
Difficult in swallowing food.
Lump in breast.

Indication of Aids

Loss of weight.
Loss of appetite.
Persistent fever.
Frequently having loose motion.
Lumps found in different parts of the body. 

Courtesy:  Purohit  Hospital  Journal 

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