Health all you need to know

Drinking with strangers ups sexual assault risk

Women who drink alcohol with strangers or people they met just 24 hours back are at a higher risk of facing sexual assault. According to a Danish study, over 40 percent of women had consumed more than five units of alcohol before they were sexually assaulted by a stranger or someone they met within 24 hours prior to the assault.It found that 66 percent of the women were aged 15-24 years old and 75 percent had met the perpetrator before the sexual assault.Nearly 50 percent reported that the perpetrator was a current or former boyfriend, family member or someone they considered a friend. "Women with no previous contact or knowledge of their perpetrator were more likely to report to the police and were at a higher risk of sustaining an injury," said Mie-Louise Larsen from the University of Copenhagen.Besides, a physical injury was found in 53 percent of the cases and 33 percent of the victims had suffered a previous sexual assault."Our results challenge the typical stereotype of a violent rape attack by a stranger which is important in creating an environment where women are not reluctant to seek help after a sexual assault," added Larsen.The Danish study used data from all women attending the specialised Centre for Victims of Sexual assault in Copenhagen for sexual assault or attempted sexual assault between March 2001 and December 2010.A total of 2,541 women were included in the sample."The results suggest that young age and drinking alcohol were risk factors for sexual assault," researchers concluded.The paper appeared in BJOG: An international journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG). <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Drinking-with-strangers-ups-sexual-assault-risk/articleshow/44834630.cms" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>

Drinking with strangers ups sexual assault risk

Women who drink alcohol with strangers or people they met just 24 hours back are at a higher risk of facing sexual assault. According to a...

Drinking with strangers ups sexual assault risk

Drinking with strangers ups sexual assault risk

Women who drink alcohol with strangers or people they met just 24 hours back are at a higher risk of facing sexual assault. According to a...

Cling to a fine sight

This 'World Sight Day,' we talk about healthy eyes and small measures to be taken to avoid eye problems. Celebrated around the globe, World Sight Day observed on October 9, is intended to raise awareness of blindness and vision impairment as well as ways to help people with these conditions. It is impor tant to reach out to key areas with unmet vision care needs and get timely care to identify eye problems. Cataract and Glaucoma are some of the diseases that are commonly noticed in people. It is highly recommended to regularly go for an eye check-up in order to timely diagnose the vision impairment issues and take corrective measures. This years' call to action for World Sight Day was 'No More Avoidable Blindness' and according to World Health Organization (WHO), around 285 million people are estimated to be visually impaired worldwide out of which about 39 million are blind and about 246 have low vision. The major causes of visual impairment observed are uncorrected refractive errors, cataract and glaucoma.With an increasing elderly population in many countries, more people will be at the risk of visual impairment due to chronic eye diseases and ageing. We need to understand the importance of timely detection of the disease in order to fight with it. With the theme of 'Universal Eye Health,' let's pledge to keep a healthy vision to a better world. With inputs from Dr Shobhit Chawla and Dr Rajat Dhesi <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Cling-to-a-fine-sight/articleshow/44876748.cms" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>

Cling to a fine sight

This 'World Sight Day,' we talk about healthy eyes and small measures to be taken to avoid eye problems. Celebrated around the glob...

A new drug soon to treat heart attack

Some scar-forming cells in the heart have the ability to turn into cells that form blood vessels, which are required to boosts the heart's ability to heal after an injury, an Indian-origin researcher has found, suggesting a new approach to treat heart attack. The team of researchers he led also found that a drug could enhance this phenomenon - turning the scar-forming cells in the heart, known as fibroblasts to endothelial cells that form blood vessels - and improve the repair process after a heart attack."Our findings suggest the possibility of coaxing scar-forming cells in the heart to change their identity into blood vessel-forming cells, which could potentially be a useful approach for better heart repair," said the study's senior author Arjun Deb, associate professor of medicine at the University of California-Los Angeles in the US."It is well known that increasing the number of blood vessels in the injured heart following a heart attack improves its ability to heal," Deb added. Through experiments on mice in which scar-forming cells in the heart were genetically labelled, the researchers discovered that many of the fibroblasts in the heart's injured region changed into endothelial cells.This process contributed directly to blood vessel formation - a phenomenon they called mesenchymal-endothelial transition or MEndoT.The researchers also identified a molecular mechanism that regulated MEndoT and found that administering a small molecule to augment MEndoT led to less scarring and allowed the heart to heal more completely.The study appeared in the journal Nature. <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/A-new-drug-soon-to-treat-heart-attack/articleshow/44834264.cms" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>

A new drug soon to treat heart attack

Some scar-forming cells in the heart have the ability to turn into cells that form blood vessels, which are required to boosts the heart...

Internet addiction on the rise in Hyderabad

He has three profiles on social networking sites, uses multiple e-mail ids, knows the latest games on the market. His fingers race on the mobile phone and they keep twitching, pressing the buttons faster than you can keep up. The only time he meets his family is when they serve food on a plate in the dining room. He then again retreats to his bedroom, with all his gadgets in hand. "We realised something was wrong when he stopped talking to his sister and all his conversations were restricted to grunts and nods," says Rekha S, talking about her 18-year-old, son who's pursuing engineering. "We are at our wits end about what to do. Even when I take these gadgets into our bedroom, I wake up to find him on the family computer, typing furiously or giggling. I don't know what to do," confesses Rekha, who has a busy schedule as a consultant for emigration.Rekha's son is not alone — experts say that Internet addiction is on the rise. In fact, NIMHANS, Bengaluru recently set up a specialised section to deal with Internet Addiction. "We are seeing one or two patients every week in the outpatient section. But the numbers are surely on the rise across the country as Internet is rapidly expanding its footprint. Children as young as eight, nine and 10 years are getting hooked on to internet to an extent that they lose control over their daily activities like what they do, food, speech and sleep," says Dr Vivek Benegal from the institute. Talking about Rekha's son's case, he explains, "Internet addiction is not a vice. It is neither good nor bad, but the boy has apparently lost control over his habit. It can be treated with a few counseling sessions and medication. Some of the children who are addicted to internet are highly creative, but may have difficulty in concentration." But psychiatrists appear divided about Internet Addiction. It has not been included as a clinical diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Recently, after a 31-year-old patient checked into a hospital in the UK saying that he uses a digital device for 18 hours and cannot live without it, the doctors are not so sure.So, what's the difference between excessive use and addiction? "Addiction is when it starts having an adverse impact on relationships and health. Work-wise, the person may even do better. Sleeping, eating and conversations get affected. Obsessive compulsive tendencies take over and the person is lost in the virtual world," says Rahul Luther, who runs a rehab centre for net addiction. "Obviously the cases are on the rise as more and more people are getting on the Internet. And some people don't know where to draw the line about its use," he says."We are seeing rising number of cases as the digital devices are getting increasingly affordable and smaller. The youngest person who was brought in by his parents for net addiction was 13. He had the constant urge to be on the net, access it on phone or play a game. Most of the youngsters we are dealing with are in the age group of 17-20. There is no great difference between an Internet addict and an alcohol addict. Both find it difficult to live without them. Adolescents are more at risk," says psychiatrist Dr Srilakshmi, who is part of a counseling team that runs a suicide helpline."Parents have to be on alert for behaviourial change in their children. Families usually bring their children after noticing a difference in their behaviour that includes sleeplessness, lack of appetite, socially withdrawn. The onus is on the parents," says Dr Srilakashmi, about tackling the spreading pandemic of internet addiction. <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Internet-addiction-on-the-rise-in-Hyderabad/articleshow/44853008.cms" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>

Internet addiction on the rise in Hyderabad

He has three profiles on social networking sites, uses multiple e-mail ids, knows the latest games on the market. His fingers race on the m...

Cling to a fine sight

Cling to a fine sight

This 'World Sight Day,' we talk about healthy eyes and small measures to be taken to avoid eye problems. Celebrated around the glob...

A homemade medicine for your upset tummy

One of the most awaited festivals of the year, Diwali, is just around the corner. Everyone is busy shopping for trendy clothes, crackers and designer diyas to ring in the festival. Elders and youngsters alike are planning parties at home, and women have already started preparing menus and making sweets and savouries that would be served to the guests. While gorging on some mouthwatering delicacies is always fun during the festive season, it's important to ensure you don't end up with an upset tummy because of overindulging. It might be difficult to control your appetite, especially if you are surrounded by yummy food, but here's a sure-fire way by which you can avoid a tummy upset. Elders in the family, from a very long time, have prepared a medicinal concoction at home, which is consumed the night before Diwali and also on the big day. In fact, feeding this medicine to youngsters in the family is almost a tradition in most South Indian households. The concoction, prepared using herbs and spices that are easily available, aids in digestion. Once prepared, this medicine can be stored in a container for as many as 15 days, and a small amount of it can be consumed every day in the morning. Here's how this homemade medicine is prepared:Ingredients - Ginger (a couple of pieces) - Coriander seeds (50g) - Cumin seeds (50g) - Oregano (100g) - Black peppercorns (50g) - Long pepper (a couple of pieces) - Jaggery (sliced, proportionate to the medicinal herbs) - Honey (2 tbsp) - Ghee (4 tsp) - Lemon (one slice) Method - Dry the ginger, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, oregano, black peppercorn and long pepper in the sun for a day and pound them all together. Sift the powder through a sieve to make it fine and refined. Heat one cup of water (or as required) in a kadai and add the ground powder when water starts boiling. Keep stirring so that the powder doesn't form lumps. Continue stirring the mixture till it becomes semi-solid, like a fine gravy. - Alternatively, you can shallow roast the above ingredients in a kadai first, and powder them in a mixer with a cup of water till it becomes a paste. Now, transfer this paste on to the kadai again and start heating it up in low flame till it starts becoming semi-solid.- Meanwhile, slice a chunk of jaggery, amounting to about one cup, and add the same to this mixture. Continue stirring till the jaggery dissolves.- Keep stirring in low flame for about 30 minutes or till the concoction starts solidifying. Once every seven minutes or so, add a teaspoon of ghee and a little bit of honey to the mixture.- Once the potion reaches a semi-solid states, squeeze a slice of lemon on it. Switch off the flame and let it cool. To make sure the medicine is in correct form, try rolling it in between your fingers to form a small ball.- Remember that as the mixture cools, it will become even more solid. So, keep an eye on it while it's on flame and switch off the gas if you feel it has reached its semi-solid state sooner.- Transfer to mixture to a clean container, and store it in a cool, dry place. <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/A-homemade-medicine-for-your-upset-tummy/articleshow/44836411.cms" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>

A homemade medicine for your upset tummy

One of the most awaited festivals of the year, Diwali, is just around the corner. Everyone is busy shopping for trendy clothes, crackers an...

Does Bangalore have unhealthy eating habits?

A recent pan-India survey states that Bangalore is the frontrunner in placing food orders between 3 pm and 7 pm, which is between lunch and dinner. This study, which dealt with comprehending food-ordering trends online, states that 18% of food orders come from the city. The study adds that Italian, Chinese and fast foods are the top three cuisine choices. While it comes as no surprise that India's IT capital leads the way in online food orders, this habit of snacking on heavy food between meal times is unhealthy, reason experts. Wellness consultant Sheela Krishnaswamy says that this habit of eating heavier meals during snack hour can pose long-term health problems. "Unless these orders are for an early dinner or for those who begin their day late and work on a different shift, this is unhealthy. One cannot snack on such heavy food between meals," says Sheela, who believes that even a pizza shared among many doesn't amount to a good tea-time snack. "Soups, salads, fruit platters or even corn cups make better snacking options between lunch and dinner. People should stay away from heavier options like Chinese, Italian and Mughlai," she adds. Fitness expert Wanitha Ashok believes that this is also because a lot of the healthier meal options, which are usually smaller portions, aren't easily offered on these sites. "Ideally, south Indian foods like idli or upma serve as healthy eating options between 4 pm and 6 pm. Italian and Chinese are not adviseable. A calorie is a calorie and any excess deposits as fat in the body. Ideally, carry a fruit with you. Eventually, it comes down to mind over matter, and the matter here is food," says Wanitha. Youngsters who place food orders online in the city seem to echo Wanitha's sentiments. "While we'd prefer ordering smaller snacking options, our office is on the outskirts of the city and there are limited options for healthy eating. The trouble with these portals is that our choice is limited and there is a minimum order that has to be placed, which often leads us to order extra and eating it too," says Rashi M, brand consultant at an IT firm. <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Does-Bangalore-have-unhealthy-eating-habits/articleshow/44825427.cms" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>

Does Bangalore have unhealthy eating habits?

A recent pan-India survey states that Bangalore is the frontrunner in placing food orders between 3 pm and 7 pm, which is between lunch and...

Health all you need to know

[Title][featuredpost][random][5]

Drinking with strangers ups sexual assault risk

Drinking with strangers ups sexual assault risk

Cling to a fine sight

A new drug soon to treat heart attack

Internet addiction on the rise in Hyderabad

Cling to a fine sight

A homemade medicine for your upset tummy

Does Bangalore have unhealthy eating habits?

Does Bangalore have unhealthy eating habits?

Drinking with strangers ups sexual assault risk

Drinking with strangers ups sexual assault risk

A homemade medicine for your upset tummy

Blog Archive

Labels