Want to protect your kids from obesity? Get enough sleep

 If you wish to protect your kids from obesity, make sure you get enough sleep on a daily basis as a study has shown that a parent’s sleep has an effect on the likelihood that their children will be overweight or obese.
More parental sleep is related to more child sleep, which is related to decreased child obesity, the findings showed.

“We viewed how long parents slept and how long children slept as part of a household routine and found that they really did go together,” said Barbara Fiese from University of Illinois in the US.

In the study, socioeconomic characteristics were assessed in relation to protective routines and prevalence of being obese or overweight for 337 preschool children and their parents.

The routines assessed in parents included adequate sleep (over seven hours) and family mealtime routine.

The four protective routines assessed in children were adequate sleep (10 or more hours per night), family mealtime routine, limiting screen-viewing time to less than two hours a day, and not having a bedroom TV.

The only significant individual protective factor against obesity or overweight in children was getting adequate sleep.

Children who did not get enough sleep had a greater risk for being overweight than children who engaged in at least three of the protective routines regularly, even after controlling for parents’ BMI (body mass index) and socio-demographic characteristics, Fiese said.

But the researchers also learned that the number of hours a parent sleeps is related to how much sleep children are getting.

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Make the most of Strawberries

Strawberries are making their way in the summer menus, so get ready to eat them dipped in chocolate, smothered in cream, dropped in champagne or simply eaten fresh.

What’s more – they can add to your beauty and health too!

Neil Nugent, executive chef of product development at Morrisons, a chain of supermarkets in Britain,provides his top five ways to make the most of your strawberries this summer, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

- Try dipping in a good balsamic vinegar. It’s a perfect appetiser.

- Serve whole with shaved parmesan cheese, a kind of Italian extra-hard cheeses. The salty cheese goes perfectly with the strawberries to create a sweet fragrant flavour.

- Try on a skewer-rub with a little olive oil, then barbeque quickly over hot coals and then serve with freshly ground black pepper.

- Strawberries are perfect for smoothies with a little yoghurt, banana and orange juice.

- Crush strawberries using a fork with a little sugar and freshly chopped mint. This is delicious served with vanilla ice cream.

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New policy for holistic health care system: President

The government Monday announced it will formulate a new health policy to achieve the objective of holistic health care system that is universally accessible, affordable and effective.

“Our country needs a holistic health care system that is universally accessible, affordable and effective. To achieve this objective, my government will formulate a New Health Policy and roll out a National Health Assurance Mission,” President Pranab Mukherjee said addressing the joint sitting of both houses of parliament.

He added that the mission will promote naturopathy and AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy).

The president said that to address the shortfall of health care professionals, health education and training will be transformed.

India has a shortage around 6.4 million allied health professionals, according to a study.

Mukherjee also said, “AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) like institutes will be established in every state in a phased manner.”

At the moment, there are eight AIIMS-like institutes in the country.

Recognised in Southeast Asia as a centre of excellence in the field of medical sciences, education and research, the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has inspired the government to set up similar super-speciality institutes in other states.

With the aim to provide similar kind of multi-speciality facilities at affordable rates in other states, the Congress-led UPA government in 2006 approved the setting up of six AIIMS like institutions.

But the idea was first proposed in 2003 by the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. It was, however, cleared in 2006 by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The six institutes are in Patna (Bihar), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Bhubaneswar (Orissa), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and Rishikesh (Uttarakhand).

These institutes will also provide undergraduate medical education for 100 students a year.

In 2009, the government approved two more such institutes, taking the final number to eight. The two AIIMS-like institutes are being set up at Raiganj (West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district) and Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh). Rae Bareli is the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

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Can yoga help treat my PCOS problem?

am a 28-year-old woman and suffer from PCOS. I am taking medication for it, but apart from that I would like to know if there are any yoga poses that I can do to help treat the condition.

I have observed that women who tend to get emotionally insecure and disturbed, are the ones who experience hormonal imbalance leading to conditions like PCOS. First of all  I would suggest that you and all other women learn to be emotionally independent. It is also important to remember that even though most of us are handling a number of responsibilities, our primary duty is towards ourselves and therefore our health is the most important aspect we need to take care of. If we fail to do so, then we will not be able to all the other activities we do. 

When it comes to PCOS I would recommend a lifestyle change. Be more active, get up and walk around every two hours. Indulge in healthy eating habits and you will see a definite change. Apart from that you need to calm your mind and practice relaxation techniques  like Anitya Bhavana, Nishapanda Bhav. Apart from that there are some regualr yoga exercises that you could do to help relieve the condition and its symptoms. 

Here are some yoga asanas that can help: 

Bhadrasana: Also known as the butterfly asana is the best thing you can do for your inner thighs and beat stress. It is one pose in yoga that will help you target this problem area while simultaneously strengthening your spine, muscles of the groins, knees and lower back. It also helps relieve menstrual discomfort and improves digestion. Read more on how to do this asana.

Bhujangasana: Bhujangasana has a number of benefits. It not only helps improve your digestion, is a great way to bust stress, helps relieve upper back pain. It opens up the chest, lungs and shoulders helping you breathe better. Bhujangasana stretches the spine, stimulates the organs in your stomach and abdomen, helps beats stress and fatigue, stimulates the abdominal organs, soothes sciatica and is therapeutic for people with asthma. An added intensive for doing this pose is that it gives you a firmer butt by working out the gluteus muscles. And it’s also believed to awaken your kundalini (dormant corporeal energy or feminine shakti) which will make you better in bed! Read more about how to do this asana. 

Konasana:  This asana is very easy to do and has a number of health benefits. It not only stretches out the spine and heps beat stress and fatigue, but this asana also helps relieve a backache, tones the muscles of your thighs, tummy and legs. Apart from that it also helps relieve the symptoms of sciatica and constipation. 

Chakrasana: This pose is great to stretch the spine and relax the muscles of the back. Moreover it helps relax the mind and make it stress free. Read more about how to do the asana. 

Sukhasana: Also known as the happy pose or easy pose, this asana helps deepen the meditative state and relaxes the mind. It also helps tone the muscles of your back, thighs and groin. read about how to do this asana.

Pranayam: Pranayam is an easy asana tha involves deep breathing. This asana not only helps your body get a large amount of oxygen (a great resource for it to heal faster) but it also helps to make you healthier and beats stress. Read more about how to do this asana. 

You should ideally do these asanas for atleast 5 to 10 mins twice a day would help bring about some relief in your condition. 

Source:in.lifestyle.yahoo.com

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E health authority to monitor healthcare providers

The union health ministry was planning to set up a central authority to ensure the compliance of standards in electronic health record (EHR) by all healthcare providers, an official said here Wednesday.

“The ministry intends to set up a mechanism to monitor and evaluate implementation of and adherence to EHR standards and guidelines by various healthcare practitioners and vendors,” said Lov Verma, the health and family welfare secretary.

He was speaking at Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) national summit on “ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) in Healthcare”.

“We need to have an e-health authority which will be the regulator and which will see that EHR standards are being adhered to,” he said.

Verma said with the adoption of ICT, the ministry was hoping to achieve remote consultation, diagnosis and treatment through tele-medicine while at the same time facilitate collaboration and co-operation among healthcare providers.

“ICT will bring a lot of transformation in healthcare service delivery as providers will have easier access to patient data and citizens will get the benefits in terms of better healthcare services.”

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Health focused fiscal policy for tobacco control is need of the hour: PHFI study

The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) organised a consultation on National and State Fiscal Policies for Tobacco Control. Key findings from a PHFI study on “An Empirical Study of India’s Fiscal Policies against Tobacco: A State Level Analysis” was released by Union Secretary Health and Family Welfare Sh. Luv Verma.

The objective of the study, given the complexity of tax structure for different tobacco products was to understand the tax policy measures and their implications on tobacco consumption in the country. The study was funded by International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Speaking on the findings of the study, Dr Sakthivel Selvaraj Senior Public Health Specialist, Economics & Financing, PHFI said, “The current tax rates of tobacco products are not only low but the tax structure of tobacco products are complex and tax governance poor. As a result, tobacco taxes and therefore prices have not deterred tobacco consumption. Bidi, which is largely consumed at the population level, is least taxed. Significant potential exists in India to hike taxes rates in India to reduce tobacco consumption and mop up revenue to the government which is presently fiscally-challenged.”

The specific objectives of the study were:
- To highlight the need for a health-focused fiscal policy for tobacco;
- To examine the current tax structure on all tobacco products (smoking and smokeless) and their contribution to revenue generation;
- To examine the changing shares of household expenditure on different tobacco products over the years;
- To provide likely scenarios of revenue generation from an increase in tax on tobacco products and its distributional effects across populations in Indian states[1]; and,
- To disseminate evidence generated from this exercise for stronger and more effective and health focused fiscal policies at all levels of government in India.

Key Findings:- A 10% increase in cigarette prices will lead to almost 3% decrease in consumption and 7% increase in government revenues
- A 10% increase in bidi prices will lead to almost 5% decrease in consumption and 4% increase in government revenues
- Cigarette excise can be increased by 370% of present levels, leading to a 54% decline in consumption and 115% increase in revenue
- Bidi excise can be increased by 100% of present levels, leading to a 40% decline in consumption and 22% increase in revenue
- In the states of West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, price elasticity for bidi is extremely high with a 10% increase in taxes resulting in a 6-10% decline in consumption
- In India, so far, taxes have not been used effectively to reduce tobacco consumption at the population level.

Dr Monika Arora, Director Health Promotion PHFI said, “According to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010, tobacco use is the second largest risk factor for death today. The enormous burden of tobacco use in India is well documented with nearly one million Indians dying each year. With India adopting a national target of 30% relative reduction of tobacco use by 2025, it is paramount that India’s response to mitigate the tobacco problem is strengthened. The WHO recommended MPOWER strategies must be implemented strategically, with international best buys like raising tobacco taxes being adopted in national fiscal policies.”

The study used data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) India, 2009-10 to study tobacco consumption patterns. Household consumption expenditure data on tobacco were obtained from the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CES) from 1999-00 to 2011-12. A theoretical model developed by Deaton (1989, 1997) was followed to estimate the own and cross price elasticity of tobacco products.

India faces the challenge of double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, leading to enormous loss to both society and economy. This is exacerbated by the high tobacco use. More than one-third of Indian adults (34.6 percent, an estimated 275 million persons) consume tobacco products.[4] Among the economic measures outlined in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), tobacco taxation is the most cost effective intervention to reduce tobacco consumption. The FCTC stipulates that all tobacco products be taxed at a tax incidence of 75%.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) theme for this years’ World No Tobacco Day is ‘Raise Tobacco Taxes’.

The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan supported for raising taxes on tobacco products during an event organized by PHFI in collaboration with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and WHO to commemorate World No Tobacco Day 2014 last week.

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Minimal Approach makes Joint Replacement almost painless

Despite struggling with diseased joints and restricted motion, many people often feel intimidated by the idea of a joint replacement surgery because they believe it will have painful after-effects and will not be sustainable. This apprehension, however, is unfounded.

With the advent of minimally invasive joint replacement procedures, it is possible for doctors to conduct surgical intervention through just one or two small incisions. This not only makes the post operative time much less painful for patients but also ensures a faster rehabilitation as compared to traditional joint replacement surgery to replace a diseased or a damaged joint.

As compared to traditional joint replacement surgery, the minimally invasive approach ensures a better long-term stability of the joint because the muscles and tendons around the joint are not damaged during this surgery.

In a hip replacement surgery, a doctor removes the head of the thighbone and then places artificial implants to replace the faulty ball and socket of the hip that have been causing problems and restricting movement. The artificial implants will relieve the patient of the constant pain that he or she lives with and also improve mobility remarkably. You will be able to lead a much normal life, walk, climb stairs, stand up from a chair without much problem and have much better quality of life

“In a minimally invasive hip replacement procedure, a smaller incision 3-6 inches, as compared to 10 inches in the traditional method is made and special instruments are used to insert an artificial implant. This results in less damage to the muscle and tissue surrounding the area, lesser blood loss and a faster return to normal life. The most important advantage of this procedure is that the major muscles in the hip and thigh area that give support to the joint are not cut. This not only speeds up recovery but also reduces the risk of dislocation of the replaced joint as the muscles around it are strong and functioning” saysDr.Rajeev K Sharma,Orthopedic & Joint Replacement Surgeon,Indraprastha Apollo Hospita,New Delhi

Most patients are able to walk a day after the surgery and put their weight on the artificial implant. With the wound needing healing much smaller, they are able to start physiotherapy very soon after the procedure and the hospital stay is much shorter.

55-year-old Sanjoy (not his original name) developed arthritis of the joints at an early stage and required a hip replacement. However, he believed he was too young to go for a joint replacement and felt the surgery would be painful and his active lifestyle will be compromised.

However, a day after the surgery, he was on his feet. On the third day, he was walking around without any support. A few months after the minimally invasive procedure, he is leading a perfectly normal life. With the diseases hip joint replaced, his mobility restored and quality of life improved.

This procedure is particularly more suitable for younger patients who have more active lifestyles and need greater strength to their joints for a longer period of time. This may cut the need for a revision surgery. It is also good for patients in whom a major surgery can be risky.

Prolonged restricted movements, apart from deteriorating quality of life and productivity, may also lead to other health complications like obesity, diabetes and cardiac ailments. Hence, it is advisable to patients rendered increasingly immobile due to arthritis or other joint diseases to go for a joint replacement.

In the case of knee replacement too, new techniques for opening the knee have improved the quality if surgery in recent years. The latest techniques help protect the crucial tendons and muscles around the knee for better post operative recovery and long term stability of the artificial joint.

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