Definition of Child Sexual Abuse

There is no uniform definition pertaining to child sexual abuse. But the characteristic feature of child sexual abuse is the dominant position of an adult that allows him or her to force or coerce a child into sexual activity.

Child sexual abuse may include fondling or playing with the genitals of a child, anal intercourse, oral-genital contact, vaginal penetration, masturbation, digital penetration and touching of private parts (including breasts).

Child sexual abuse does not only mean physical contact. It involves abuse in the form of non-contact that involves exposure, voyeurism and child pornography. It includes abuse by Peers too.

There are incidents when your own family member could be involved in this issue. Before the situations turns murkier transforming your family including personal life in to a nightmare, tackle this entire issue with deftness and firmness, accompanied with patience and composure of mind. Avoid taking abrupt decisions. Remember that this is a social issue of prime importance. Never shove such incidents under the carpet-even though it may involve your own kith and kin.

Steps in dealing with the issue of Child Sexual Abuse by a Family Member

• Accept the fact that your child has been sexually abused.
• Face the reality
• To take charge of the situation.
• Discuss this topic with your family members who support the abuse of your child.
• Be calm and composed in your approach while dealing with the issue.
• Trash out the outstanding issue pertaining to sexual abuse with the concerned member of the family involved.
• Adopt a balanced and pragmatic approach pertaining to the issue of child sexual abuse.
• Sternly warn the concerned person in the family regarding the grave consequences incase if further sexual abuse of the child continues, by keeping a tab on the activities family member.
• Discuss this issue with your family physician and counselor.
• Counsel the concerned person (abuser) involved in child sexual abuse.
• Analyze the mindset of the abuser and the reason for committing such a heinous crime on the child.
• Provide ample support and counsel the child.
• Shower abundant love and repose confidence on your child. Lend your ears to her grievances.
• Never leave your child alone or let him/her feel lonely.
• Give ample time to the child to overcome the trauma. 
• Take preventive measures to see that such an incident does not re-occur again.
• Report abuse to your local child protection service agency and ask about crisis support help.

It can be hard for adults if the abuser is close to them. Still, the abuse should be reported to your local child protection agency or family-physician. It is the best method to deal with the issue of child-abuse within your own family.

Dr Sameer

In the initial stages of this disease it is necessary for a patient to be engaged in a variety of physical, social and mental activities to exercise and stimulate the brain. New experiences for the patient –plays an important role; the trick is in providing stimuli to the brain and preventing it from getting bored. However one should ensure that the patient is not over-stimulated and stressed.

There are various methods that can be used to keep the mind stimulated and active. The patient should be encouraged to take part in various activities to provide a novel experience. Activities that kindle the interest of the patient like art, cooking, walking, swimming and gardening can be focused on; the main objective being able to provide enjoyment and the emphasis on achievement should take a backseat.

It is also to be recognized that a healthy mind requires a healthy body. So, the patient should be encouraged to do daily exercises; the exercise that appeals to the patient most must be encouraged. It has been found that going for a walk of four miles in a week cuts the chances of developing dementia by fifty percent. Going outdoors for a nature walk or a drive has great therapeutic value.

In addition, brain activity and coordination can be improved by encouraging the patient to do activities by the hand like knitting, model making or playing a musical instrument. Also playing video games can help to improve eye and hand coordination, spatial visualization skills, and can increase the number of things an Alzheimer’s patient can visually attend to simultaneously.

Besides certain brain games and puzzles like doing crosswords and number puzzles, memory games and board games can be encouraged as activities to a person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. However this cannot be done if the patient is not lucid. They also help exercise the parietal lobes of the brain. Spending time with pets can also provide the peace, calm and entertainment.

Laughter and humor can also help. Even if an Alzheimer’s patient is no longer able to appreciate your jokes, he is sure to know that it is a joke and will smile or laugh which can provide some relief to them. Using humor like clowning, or teasing can be fun for them.

Besides it is also necessary to help such people to strengthen their memory. Helping an Alzheimer’s patient to learn new words can play a great part in enhancing his brain language centers, which would be of a great help. In addition, spelling exercises can help to improve his power to see a word before using it by mouth or in writing. This can help in activating various language related brain areas. In addition paying more attention to sensory exercises like practicing sharpening your brain by recollecting names of herbs, essences that you encounter in your day-to-day life can also help.

All these activities are sure to keep Alzheimer disease at bay and help a person to lead to improve the quality of life.

Links:
Alzheimers
The Brilliant Human Brain – Animation

Lowering one’s blood pressure to reach ‘ normal’ values is known to have little clinical benefit according to Cochrane analysis.
 
According to Cochrane Review’s systematic analysis  of available  evidence, researchers found that the use of  anti -hypertensive drugs to bring down the  blood pressure below  140/90 mm Hg did not reduce associated  death rates or the morbidity linked to  high BP.

A number of publications suggest that “lower is better” and recommend aiming for lower BP targets. The present study does not endorse this view.

The review included seven trials involving 22,089 people. It showed that there was no difference, between the standard group (aiming for a BP of  140/90Hg) and the second group (aiming for 135/85Hg), in terms of death rates or associated morbidities like heart attacks, strokes and  heart  or kidney failure.
 
Says Jose Arguedas, lead researcher of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Costa Rica, “At present there is no evidence from randomized trials to support aiming for a blood pressure target lower than 140/90, in the general population of patients with elevated blood pressure,”
 
“Our research included patients with diabetes or chronic renal disease, and the evidence was slightly less robust for those subgroups of patients. We intend to carry out separate systematic reviews for those subgroups, especially because guidelines recommend even lower blood pressure targets for them”, states Arguedas.
 
Perhaps the trick to increase one’s life span is to keep lifestyle diseases, like diabetes, at bay. This can be realized by   following the ‘take it easy’ policy to reduce stress and by maintaining a healthy lifestyle regime. Life then becomes more pleasurable and worth every living  minute!

Dr.Reeja Tharu

Related links

1. Quiz on Hypertension

2. Blood Pressure charts

3. Stroke – First Aid and Emergency Treatment Guide

Endometriosis is a gynecological disorder that causes irregular, often painful menstrual periods and pelvic pain. It commonly occurs in women in the reproductive age group and is a cause of infertility in them.

Several treatments are available for endometriosis –the most common being laproscopic surgery and medications. However, surgery does always guarantee a complete cure; drugs, on the other hand, may have unpleasant side effects—acne, hot flushes and weight gain being a few of them.

There was news doing the rounds in the scientific circles that Chinese herbal medicine (CHM)  had an impressionable  effect on patients suffering from endometriosis and that these herbs have less side effects.

The stake was too good – which led the Cochrane review researchers to conduct systematic study on the effect of Chinese herbs on endometriosis patients.

Two trial studies were conducted —one trial proved that the symptomatic relief provided by CHM was comparable to that provided by the hormonal drug gestrinone;  the good news was that there were fewer side effects.

The other trial revealed that CHM provided greater relief than the drug danazol and therefore was much effective .It also resulted in fewer side effects.

Lead researcher Andrew Flower of the Complementary Medicine Research Unit at the University of Southampton in the UK says, “These findings suggest that Chinese herbs may be just as effective as certain conventional drug treatments for women suffering from endometriosis, but at present we don’t have enough evidence to generalize the results”.
It may be interesting to see how long the symptom relief provided by CHM lasted in comparison to the conventional drugs. One is also curious to find out if the CHM resulted in side effects that appeared with time.

The Cochrane review researchers apparently had a difficult time selecting the studies for review because many of them had poor research methodology and poor reporting quality. These are the features that future studies must look into  in order for CHM to be accepted by the scientific world and for the majority to benefit from them!
 
Dr.Reeja Tharu

Related links

1. Endometriosis

2. Alternative medicine

Have u come across anyone who is obsessively preoccupied with her dark skin or worried  beyond redemption about his ‘larger than normal’ nose?

Well, it may help to know that we are dealing with someone suffering from a psychological condition called the Body Dysmorphic disorder (BDD)  also known as ‘Dysmorphic syndrome’ or ‘Body dysmorphia’.

The disorder shot to  prominence recently with  the king of pop – Michael Jackson- himself being diagnosed with  it.

Obsessive-compulsive traits are clearly seen in several individuals with this disorder — which usually sets in during adolescence.

Several symptoms are exhibited by the BDD sufferers but the most prominent feature is the  heavy grooming that they indulge in and the gargantuan amount of time that they spend before the mirror, worrying  about a  perceived defect (often non existent) .

The illness causes psychological distress to the point of severe anxiety, depression  and  impaired  social functioning. Social phobia and  eating disorders like anorexia  nervosa are some of the co- morbidities associated with  BDD (Little wonder that  MJ faded out on an empty stomach!).

In an attempt to set right their ‘mal-aligned’ features many of these patients seek the help of dermatologists and plastic surgeons. One surgery is often followed with requests for more!! (don’t we know all know that MJ’s later day identity became synonymous with his much- operated -upon nose?)

BDD is a chronic condition that could worsen with lack of treatment. However, it must be appreciated that Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) has proven beneficial for many.

Dr. Reeja Tharu

Related links

1. Michael Jackson’s Swan Song : Sans Voice

2. Michael Jackson’s tryst with Vitiligo

We have heard of individuals who perennially complain of fatigue. A visit to the doctor does not usually bear fruit as no illness is diagnosed… and the person’s tired state continues.

Welcome to the world of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)!

CFS has finally managed to garner enough support and harness the recognition it deserves.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA, now recognizes the fact that 1 million to  4 million Americans are affected by Chronic Fatigue Syndrome( CFS). However, only half these numbers seek medical attention for their illness.

What triggers this condition still remains a mystery. Epstein –Barr virus, anemia, allergies and other factors have been implicated.

As can be guessed by the name, CFS causes severe fatigue in the sufferers to the extent that their normal life is seriously impaired. Pain (non specific) and debilitating fatigue are common hallmarks of this condition. A wide range of symptoms  have been listed including flu-like symptoms and memory loss. The vast majority of CFS patients are women and no one knows why!

Depression in these patients is quite common as the current medicines are unable to relieve the pain. However anti depressants and anti histamines are used to treat this condition. Alternative therapies, like acupuncture, are  known to relieve the pain.

Dr. Reeja Tharu

Related Links

1. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome- An Overview

2. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Calculator

3. CPAP Treatment Improves Complaints of Fatigue and Tiredness in People With OSA

We have all seen, in one way or the other, the power- packed performances of Michael Jackson. Interestingly there were many who were close to the Star who knew that there was no way MJ  could not pull off  the concert at the London 02 arena!

Among the many illnesses plaguing the ailing star was a condition called the alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a debilitating genetic disease that  predisposed the singer to lung and liver malfunctioning.

This A1A deficiency is brought about by a mutation in the SERPINA 1 gene. The normal form of this gene is required to produce the protein alpha-1 antitrypsin. This protein is required to control the activity of the enzyme neutrophil elastase which normally fights infections but which also has the propensity to attack normal cells. Alpha-1 antitrypsin keeps this enzyme in check.

The signs and symptoms of the lung disease brought about  by alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency initially appears around   20 – 50 yrs.

The earliest symptoms include-

• Shortness of breath / decreased ability  to exercise / wheezing.
• Sudden weight loss,
• Recurring respiratory infections,
• Fatigue/ palpitations
• Vision-related complications 

With time, the disease could lead to emphysema  which in turn could completely damage the lungs.

Jackson had to be administered alpha-1 antitrypsin injections each day. His voice was reduced to a mere whisper in recent times.

The arena in London, where he was to have kick- started the concert,  boasted of the best lip synching technology in the world – an arrangement that the trouble- riddled  star heavily depended on. He was forced to go through these ‘performances’ due to his mounting debts.

But Death had it otherwise- it released him from further embarrassment and provided him with much- required respite.

Needless to say, fame and tragedy are two sides of the same coin!

Dr. Reeja Tharu

I just finished reading Sylvia Nasar’s biography of John Nash: the brilliant mathematician who did his best work in his twenties, was schizophrenic from his thirties to his fifties, and then spontaneously recovered in his sixties and went on to win the Nobel Prize.

Nasar says three things helped Nash recover – his own persistence in trying to get better, the support of his wife and friends, and the natural body changes that come with aging. He had not been taking any medicine, or in fact any kind of treatment, for his condition for the twenty years prior to his recovery.

The support of his wife and friends and no drugs: now that is something that is difficult for a lot of us to accept, and it goes against political correctness. In the film version  Nash’s character claims that newest generation of antipsychotic medicines ‘don’t cure (him), but they help.’ The real John Nash, when asked if this was true, denied it, and attributed the ‘quote’ to artistic license.

Many ‘advocacy groups’ for mental illnesses praised the film, but Nash’s real experience (as opposed to the film) goes against their current official stand on psychopharmacology – that drugs are necessary to cure mental illnesses. It seems to confirm what anti-establishment psychiatrists like Peter Breggin have said: recovery from mental illness needs a ‘healing presence’ – one element of which is love and acceptance – rather than a prescription of medicines.

Nash himself has said he was lucky he refused to take his medicines and could get away with it. Taking antipsychotic medicines over years leads to a kind of mental fog, and causes tardive dyskinesia – distressing abnormal movements and tics – that would have made his gentle reentry into normal life impossible.

Of course, love alone is not enough. You need knowledge, skills, and resources. Medicine alone is not enough either, and it can actually be harmful.

Susan Vinodh Pandian

Read more about mental illness and recovery:

1. The need to reduce the stigma of mental illness

2. Men avoid seeking help for mental illnesses

3. Twenty million Indians have mental disorders

4. Understanding mental illness through gene-environment interactions

In the recent years  emphasis had shifted from Michael’s music to the way he looked and, of course, behaved. The world saw a nice-looking, young, black man slowly being transformed into a white woman!! And many joked that such bizarre behavior could only occur in America!

But  how did the oh-so-black MJ become white with years?

 Many blamed it on his obsession for Caucasian features (which explained why his nose resembled Pinocchio’s on a bad day!) and a fair skin. The net result was a striking resemblance to a stylish (if-u- please) ghoul!

MJ was a remarkably talented man…. ‘one-in-a-century’ kind… and hence it becomes a necessity to educate the ignorant on the root cause of his ‘white’ skin…before more blasphemies are uttered.

 MJ suffered from a little known skin condition  known as  vitiligo which destroys the  melanin – producing cells, the melanocytes, causing de- pigmentation.  The condition occurs in all races, but is definitely more visible in people with colored skin .

The net result is that the affected have botchy patches of white on their skin, rendering it an ungainly appearance.

If the patches of white are few then it can be camouflaged with brown make-up. But MJ had 80% or more of de-pigmented areas and hence he chose to make the remaining brown patches white. Little do people know that ‘the king of pop’ had this condition even during his ‘bad’ and ‘thriller’ days.

The causes are not clearly understood but a lot of experts believe that stress could trigger the onset of this condition. We have all heard of MJ’s childhood abuse and his statements on  lost childhood, haven’t we!
Vitiligo makes the sufferer sensitive to the sun (that explains the umbrella) and   often occurs alongside other autoimmune disorders. It therefore comes as no surprise that MJ  suffered from lupus, an auto immune condition that has the potential to be  fatal.

Vitiligo is definitely not a life- threatening condition but it can be a blow to the self-esteem of a person, especially for one who loved the spotlight and swore by it,  like our late pop king !

It saddens me to think of Michael Jackson……  it is easy to see why he had to take ‘pain’ killers!

Although Michael Jackson succumbed to the ‘panacea’ he took for the internal and external pain attributed directly or indirectly to these little known conditions, they in turn, stand to gain from their celebrity victim!

Dr.Reeja Tharu

Related Links

1. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

2. Vitiligo (leukoderma) skin disorder treatment
 

The name sounds weird and the symptoms are weirder! Morgellons syndrome certainly stands tall among the medical mysteries….

Morgellon syndrome patient experiences a sensation akin to that of  fibers or crystals sprouting from the body. At other times, there is a feeling similar to that of an army of insects crawling all over the  body, sometimes even biting or stinging! There is a lot of scratching to be done too and this could certainly explain the persistent skin lesions.

The truth of the matter still remains unclear as there is a monumental lack of evidence. Nevertheless, symptoms such as persistent skin sores and lesions stand testimony to suffering and discomfort that the patient may experience!

Several doctors claim that Morgellons syndrome is a case of new wine in an old bottle – as it is nothing but a new name for ‘delusional parasitosis’-where a patient imagines insects or parasites crawling all over the body.

According to many experts Morgellons syndrome is more of a psychological condition than a physical one.

What causes this condition is little understood — the myth behind this mysterious disease is waiting to unfold!

Dr.Reeja Tharu

It has been mired with the macabre, has provided fodder for horror movies and comedy shows and has been dubiously associated with satanic forces for a long time!

But experts believe that Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) — or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)– as it is referred today  — is a classic psychological condition.

A person is known to suffer from MPD when 2 or more ‘alter’ personalities coexists within him. To add to the existing enigma, each of these alters may boast of a separate name, age, history or identity –like many individuals living in one. These ‘alters’ emerge during certain situations and tend to take control of the original self.

MPD specialists believe that MPD is a valid, common diagnosis that can be clubbed along with schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety, as one of the four major mental health problems. It is reported to be induced by early psychological trauma involving extreme form of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse.

Although the subjects are more often women MPD is reported to be common among men too . But it has not been brought to the forefront in the latter as men hesitate to seek treatment. Most men with MPD land in mental asylums, as a result of mis- diagnosis, or in jail.

In his recently released book, “Breaking Free: My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder,” Football great Herschel Walker chronicles his life with MPD and recalls the number of “alters” that plagued his life, and of a particularly harrowing ‘alter’ which led him to attempt suicide.

Treatment for MPD involves unifying the multiple alters into a single personality. This enables the patients to regain full control over their lives.

Dr. Reeja Tharu

Manifestations of aggression such as those that involve domestic abuse or road rage or a tendency to pick fights for no apparent reason are always unsettling to others especially if a victim is involved.

Most of us tend to think that such gross public display of temper is a mere personality problem, but there are others who would vouch for the fact that it is a psychological condition known as ‘intermittent explosive disorder’. This diagnosis refers to somebody who repeatedly fails to control his aggressive drive and tends to act totally out of proportion to a situation. The condition manifests in various grades in different people.

Despite its ability to raise eyebrows the diagnosis is more common than generally perceived. A 2006 NIH- funded study has revealed that the condition affects US adults to a tune of 7.3 percent.
 
These folks who fly into a regular fit of temper display frequently experience the consequences of their unbridled temper and many such individuals are seen languishing in jails. They are often remorseful or experience embarrassment for their actions afterward. But this does not exempt them from the responsibility of their actions.
Behavioral therapy and anti-anxiety medications such as Valium and antidepressants such as Prozac are used to treat the condition.

Dr. Reeja Tharu

People who have gone through a divorce often report a bitter feeling embedded in them. It is the same with those who have lost a loved one or lost a job. Now this feeling has a name – Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder (PTED).
 
PTED shares many features with ‘post -traumatic stress disorder’ and was first identified  in immigrants from East Germany, following the collapse of the Berlin wall.

The single significant difference is that the stress trigger in PTED is not life -threatening.

PTED patients also suffer and dwell on feelings of injustice, rage, sadness and helplessness to an extent that their daily activities suffers.

Dr. Barbara Rothbaum, professor of psychiatry and director of the Trauma and Anxiety Recovery Program at the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta, believes it is vital to distinguish between PTED and other types of stress disorders in order to treat them well.
 
“The mechanism behind anxiety and anger and what you do about them is different. With anxiety, you do exposure therapy and help a person confront what they’re scared of in a therapeutic manner. That’s not the way anger works. The more you focus on it, the more angry you get. … You want to see people move through [those feelings] and not get stuck in it.” Rothbaum said.

Dr. Reeja Tharu

Case 1: A successful businessman — a married man and a father to three children,  — suddenly disappears, only to surface 3 months later in a different city under a new identity!
 
Case 2: A man, who is unable to identify himself, walks into a police station, and told the police personnel that he woke up on the street and has no idea as to who he is. His family locates him two weeks later, after which he returns to normal.

These are some of the samples of dissociative fugue state wherein an individual suffers from reversible amnesia and leaves behind everything, including their memories and identity and simply disappear.

The fugue state comes under a family of conditions called dissociative memory disorders. This state is normally short-lived  lasting upto hours or even days. Dissociative fugue, in most cases, involves spontaneous travelling or wandering. There are instances when the sufferer wakes up in unfamiliar far-off destinations. In some instances, he may even assume a new identity, which persists until such time when they are reunited with their old familiar surroundings.

This psychological disorder has invited exasperation from the public  — and triggered debates among health experts, who however agree that the condition is a legitimate one.
 
It is understood that a traumatic event such as the death of a loved one, work pressure or a traumatic past involving natural calamities or war could trigger these conditions.

Dr. Reeja Tharu

Intermittent explosive disorder…. Mathematics disorder…!!

These are some of the strange medical jargons being tossed around…

Despite their strangeness  medical experts believe they are genuine medical conditions that  warrant treatment.

Now if you have a child who displays such frequent and aggressive defiance of you as a parent, that it actually disrupts your family life, then it may be prudent for you to know that he could be suffering from another strange-sounding condition– Oppositional Defiant Disorder ( ODD) .

ODD is a diagnosis in children that is commonly linked to other childhood  behavioral disorders, such as Attentionn Deficit Disorder (ADD) .

According to the Mayo Clinic Web site, ODD occurs in 1 in 10 children .

Many people blame parenting styles, which is not surprising, considering the  socially disruptive nature of this disorder. But the diagnosis is not a fake one and often requires counseling for both the child as well as for the parent. Medications too help to control a child’s disruptive behavior.

This medical categorization of a commonly seen disorder comes with a catch as no young child can actually be blamed as a brat anymore! It seems there is an explanation!!

Dr.Reeja Tharu

There are lots more funny diseases, a la cello scrotum. Though if you suffer from some of these it’s probably not funny to you. These are some more diseases I came up with after researching the internet:

Cellist’s chest, fiddler’s neck, flautist’s chin, harpist’s fingers, jogger’s nipple, tennis elbow, typist’s wrist, radium jaw, painter’s colic, miner’s lung, nintendo thumb (also called nintendonitis, maple syrup urine disease, parrot fever, and the jumping frenchmen disease.

But the best has to be this: the shrinking penis syndrome, also called the penis panic, or very formally the genital retraction syndrome. This is apparently a psychological syndrome specific to certain cultures, when a man, or many men, come to believe their penis is shrinking because someone is putting a spell on them.

Read some more medical funnies here!

1. Medical jokes

2. The kinds of humor

Shampoos, conditioners and hair loss prevention creams are being launched in our market almost every other day. Each claiming to be superior then the other. Each claims to cure conditions such as dandruff.  Despite all the hype there is still no cure for this relatively benign but annoying condition. In the long run it can cause hair-loss.

Speaking about hair loss what information do we need to understand about this condition that is medically called  alopecia. Medindia often gets questions related to this topic. Do not get carried away by all the advertisement that claim to restore your lost hair. Some of these advertised products are extremely expensive and can burn a hole in your pocket. Before investing understand the condition and go through our different resources related to hair-loss.

The term ‘Alopecia’ comes from the Greek alopekia, which means fox-mange.

Alopecia is mostly hereditary condition and is normal in some individuals. For men, it typically starts from the forehead and the hair loss continues to recedes further back  till only a horseshoe-shaped fringe is left on the sides. For women, there is more diffuse  hair loss throughout the scalp, but they seldom  get bald.

Some of the hair loss is not necessarily genetic, and needs to be investigated by a doctor. Hair loss in patches (alopecia areata) and hair loss all over the body (alopecia universalis) are thought to be caused by an autoimmune disorder. Skin diseases, excessive hair treatments, and habits like wearing the hair pulled tight and pulling out hair are also known to cause severe hair loss in children and adults.

Doctors treat hair loss with medicines like Minoxidil and Finasteride (generic names) and surgery, and many herbal and alternative treatments are also available. If they don’t work, there are wigs and hair pieces of all colors and styles. If you are young and losing hair, doing your research and being proactive about your problem will help you find solutions and feel better.

To know more about alopecia, go to:

1. Sporting the Naked Pate: On Hair Loss and Balding
2. Hair Loss in Women
3. News: New drug may stop alopecia
4. News: Study says common treatments for patchy hair loss are useless
5. News: Smoking related to age-related hair loss in men

When something like the swine flu comes visiting, the challenge is to be prepared and avoid panic – not an easy line to tread, either for public health officials or for the average person on the street.

Remember that the best things you can do to protect yourself are the same things your mum always told you (and what President Obama said again yesterday): “Keep your hands washed; cover your mouth when you cough; stay home from work if you’re sick; and keep your children home from school if they’re sick.”

Would a face mask help? Though Britain is said to have ordered 32 million masks, the kind that will offer real protection is the more expensive kind used by health workers: they have very fine holes that filter much more effectively. You also need to use them properly to get any real protection. Also, even if you are using a face mask, you still need to be careful about keeping your hands clean and free from infection.

It might be a good idea to avoid crowds too. Preventing people from getting together in large numbers will (hopefully) prevent an infectious airborne disease like swine flu from spreading in large numbers. That is the idea behind banning big public meetings when a pandemic (which roughly means a very large epidemic) happens. Public gatherings have already been restricted in Mexico.

If you are sick stay at home. Use a tissue to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough, then throw away the tissue.

There is no vaccination for this strain of the virus yet – and it could take four to six months to get ready.

Till then, be careful, be prepared, but don’t panic.

Want to know more about the swine flu? Go to:

1. The Swine Flu factsheet

2. Swine flu or pig flu facts 

3. All you wanted to know about swine flu 

4. In the news: Mexico fights the swine flu 

Gujarat has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The latest to hit this disaster-ridden state is the hepatitis-B outbreak. It has taken the administration by surprise, and there is a struggle to cope with the situation as effectively as possible. The city of Ahmedabad and the town of Modasa have been showered attention by visiting medical teams but the villagers living in the interior parts complain of neglect.

It is infuriating to see that the deciding bodies swing into action only after the damage is done. On one side bodies are piling up for cremation while on the other, heads are rolling – some among them belong to irresponsible doctors.

What baffles one is that these doctors, despite being popular and running successful clinics, have ignored the fact that the Hepatitis B virus is a far more potent virus than most of the deadly viruses known. It is an established killer. Many of the survivors harbor the HbsAg antigen for life. In some of these individuals the Hep B virus, which is a retrovirus, gets incorporated into the DNA in the liver cells and puts them on a red alert for hepatocellular carcinoma!

Taking these facts into account, the best option would be to use and throw disposable syringes and other wares. These disposables have to be handled with extreme caution and destroyed using an incinerator. If glass syringes have to be re-used (it is recommended that they are not) they need to be autoclaved thoroughly and not just washed and heat sterilized.

Instead of going around like headless chicken after an epidemic strikes, the government’s monitoring bodies should step out from their slumber and impose regulations in a country which lacks self-regulatory traits and which believes in moral policing but shies from civic responsibilities. Those responsible for these deaths in Gujarat must be brought to book –this could act as a deterrent from future calamities.

 Watermelons are packed with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. The fruit is tasty and highly enjoyable on a hot summer afternoon. It can be chopped in smaller pieces and eaten or one can have it as juice. Read some very interesting nutrition facts about the fruit -   

· 1)       They are ideal for health, as they do not contain any fat or cholesterol but are high in fiber content and water. The fiber content in watermelon scrubs out toxins from your system leaving your skin healthy and glowing. It serves as a natural enhancer of the digestion system of the human body. ·   

 2)     Watermelons are rich in a phyto nutrient called Lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable. Lycopene – the red pigment that is also present in tomatoes. Lycopene in the diet neutralizes free radicals in the system and reduces incidence of certain types of cancer especially prostate cancer, breast, lung and cancer of the uterus. Lycopene is also linked with reduced risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack).  

 *3)Oranges are not only the fruit that is rich in Vitamin C but also watermelons that have abundance of vitamin C. Vitamin C boosts your immune system and fights against sickness and diseases.  Vitamin C in watermelons is also known to alleviate medical conditions like cataract. So go cool, eat watermelons and boost your immune system right away.  Stay away from sickness and disease the cool watermelon way.  It doesn’t matter whether you cut, slice or juice watermelons but when nutrition matters, watermelons are number one. ! 

*4)Watermelon is robust in vitamin A, which fights off infections. Watermelon has a healing effect on inflammatory conditions of asthma, arthritis, colon cancer, diabetes and arteriosclerosis. There is good news for diabetics; you can enjoy watermelons to the core! 

 5)Watermelon contains citrulline, an amino acid compound, which helps flush out the kidneys and serves as an excellent detox agent.

6)Watermelon is a rich source of potassium*, a mineral indispensable for water balance in every cell. Low potassium levels can lead to muscle cramps. The potassium in watermelons help control blood pressure, diminish the risk of developing kidney stones, osteoporosis and also regulates heart beat.

7)The beta-carotene present in watermelon helps keeps your vision sharp, especially at night. Researchers believe that beta-carotene and vitamin C are capable of preventing heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions.   ·           

  NOW, BOOST YOUR ‘HEALTH ESTEEM’ WITH WATER MELONS!

Water Melon Juice

The benefits of using fresh mint leaves in our daily diet is manifold. Here are some of them

• Inhaling fresh mint leaves relieves you from congestion problems, like sinus infections and common cold.

Your teeth becomes white when you chew fresh mint leaves for a while at least once or twice a week.

• Mint leaves eliminate toxins from the body and when included in the diet on a regular basis, eliminates bacteria and fungus  from the body.

Tips to brewing an excellent fresh mint tea

• Drinking herbal mint tea reduces irritated bowel syndromes and cleanses the stomach.

Mint is used in a variety of ways, but the most common is through the brewing of mint tea.Fresh mint tea can be made by pouring hot, but not boiling, water over fresh leaves of mint. When preparing mint tea, it is important that the preparation be covered while it is steeping to prevent the valuable volatile oils from evaporating.
Milk and sweetener can be used optionally.

• The antifungal properties associated with mint help in curing asthma and other allergic conditions.
• Mint helps in getting rid of headaches and migraines.

Mint Leaves

According to some health professionals alternative therapies/alternative medicine used with the approval of your doctor may help ease restless legs syndrome(RLS).

Food Therapy

Medical studies advice people with restless legs to increase their intakes of folate which is found in dark green leafy vegetables says a New Jersey nutritional medicine specialist.

Massage Therapy

Place the palm  of your left hand on the largest part of your right calf. Your fingers should point toward your heel. Squeeze the muscle gently several times and gently release it. Repeat this for about five minutes and switch to your left calf and massage with your right hand.

Juice Therapy

A daily diet of asparagus or spinach juice which are rich in nutrient folate would keep your legs still at night, Calborn a certified nutritionist from Washington recommends mixing folate rich juices with equal amount of carrot juice and drinking the blend daily.
 Cure for restless leg syndrome

Normal pulse rate/How to check you own pulse rate
A normal pulse rate for a fit and healthy adult, while resting, can range from 60 to 100 beats per minute (BPM), although athletes who are highly conditioned and fit may have a healthy pulse rate lower than 60 BPM.
How to check your pulse rate?

You can check whether your pulse rate is normal or not by following these simple steps.

1. Gently place 2 fingers of your left hand on the artery on the inside of your wrist, below your thumb.
2. The thumb has its own pulse that you may feel and hence do not use it.
3. When the clock’s second hand is on the 12 you can begin counting the pulse.
4. Count your pulse for 60 seconds or 30 seconds and multiply by 2. (or for 15 seconds and then multiply by four to calculate beats per minute).
5. Concentrate on the beats of the pulse when counting and do not watch the clock continuously, but
6. Ask another person to count for you if unsure about your results.
7. Always consult your physician or nurse for additional instruction if your physician has ordered you to check your own pulse and if you are having difficulty finding it.

Pulse rate

Cure for stuttering/stammering: The Tiger Woods method!

It takes hard work and a competitive spirit to overcome childhood stuttering said top ranked golfer Tiger Woods to CBS 60 minutes.
Woods told the news program that he fought through stuttering by going to a school and working his tail off.
Tiger Woods is the latest example of how  many hours of practice and hard work to win in sports are no different from those long hours spent in therapy for stuttering said Jane Fraser, president of the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation.
NBA Hall of Famer and sports commentator Bill Walton says that he dealt with stuttering just like he did basketball. He says that he thought about starting with the basics of the basket ball game where he mechanically duplicated moves on a basket ball court” and  just applied that to speaking.
Countless hours of work taught me to manage moments of difficult speech confided Chicago Bulls’ legend Bob Love .

Denver Nuggets’ star Kenyon Martin said of his stuttering, in a recent interview, “How I got through it was just by working hard at it.”
All things are possible for the one who thinks “He Can”.
 

Actor John Travolta’s 16-year-old son, Jett, died in the Bahamas yesterday after hitting his head in the shower following a seizure. According to an ABC-News story, an autopsy is planned. While this tragic event clearly new by any measure, it has become big news in the autism community because, for years, it has been suspected that Jett had untreated autism (rather than Kawakaki Disease, as reported by his father). The belief was that Travolta, a Scientologist, was unwilling to admit the possibility of autism.

There has been a good deal of speculation – in and outside of the autism community – about the Travolta’s views of autism and their choices of treatments for Jett. In part, that’s because of attention drawn to the family by John Travolta’s filmmaker brother, Joey, who produced the film Normal People Scare Me and founded the organization Actors for Autism.

The death of Jett Travolta is raising strong feelings among in the autism community; some are angry that a child of a celebrity was not provided with appropriate treatment. Others are simply sympathetic to a couple who has lost a child.

Celebrities who conquered stuttering!

Bruce Willis – Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a German-born American actor and singer. He became a celebrity in the late 1980s and has since retained a career as both a Hollywood leading man and a supporting actor. Being the leading actor in some of the greatest action movies Bruce Willis has had stuttering problems throughout his youth and was always scared it would affect his acting career. Fortunately he successfully grew out of it not too much from a therapist but from being an actor, it actually removed his speech disorder.

Tiger Woods – Tiger Woods (born Eldrick Tiger Woods, December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Tiger Woods had stuttering problems at childhood but he got past it through hard work and practice. He admitted doing everything possible to conquer his speech disorder including talking to his dog until he would fall asleep. He did have a lot of help from his family, especially his mother. He then became one of the most successful golfers the world has ever known.

Julia Roberts – Academy Award-winning actress. Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an Academy Award winning American film actress and former fashion model. Roberts has become the highest paid actress in the world, topping the annual power list of top earning female stars for four consecutive years (2002-2005). Julia Roberts admitted the fact that she stuttered when she was younger without ever going into much detail, but she now speaks fluidly and is a respected actress.

The Beijing Olympics is finally over but still evokes fond memories of champions who are a part of history. One such Olympic champion is Greg Louganis who has dealt with his own abuse and social prejudices as a HIV+ and prevailed.

Early life as a champion

The New York Times once described Greg Louganis as having “pierced the water like a dart.’ Now 48, Louganis is considered as the greatest diver in US history .The American diver was born on January 29, 1960, in El Cajon, California. He broke on to the Olympic scene when he won a silver medal at the age of 16 in the Montreal games of 1976. From there on he went on to win the Olympic championships and multiple world championships.

Louganis’s diving skills were revered by the Chinese diving team which went on to film his performances and in doing so, the Chinese have risen to international prominence as some of the best divers in the world today by adopting his mechanics and approach to diving. Many diving experts say that the Chinese rise in world diving is due in part to emulating Greg Louganis.

Heights of glory

With all his success as a diver, some of Louganis’s greatest moments came, ironically, after one of his worst dives. Seeking another gold medal in the Seoul Olympics of 1988, Louganis attempted a very difficult reverse 2 1/2 pike dive in the preliminary round. During the dive, he struck his head on the board, and suffered a concussion that caused a large laceration on his head. Amazingly, despite his concussion, he finished the preliminary round and repeated the dive in the finals, getting record-setting scores en route to another gold medal. The performance earned him the ABC Sports’ Athlete of the Year in 1988.

Louganis announces that he is HIV positive

In the year 1994 Louganis announced to the world that he was gay. Louganis’s autobiography “Breaking the surface” which was also published in the year 1995,detailed a relationship of domestic abuse and rape. It was in that book that he also disclosed to the world that he was HIV positive, having been diagnosed a few months before the Seoul Games. Most of his corporate sponsors dropped him as a client when they heard the news of his HIV status. Swimsuit manufacturer Speedo was the only exception and retained him as an endorser of their products until 2007.

Louganis says in his book that dealing with HIV was really difficult for him and also he was paralyzed with fear when his head hit the springboard in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Now he says that the fear is all gone.

Louganis has also co-authored ‘For the Life of Your Dog’ A Complete Guide to Having a Dog in Your Life, From Adoption and Birth Through Sickness and Health.

Turning adversity into an opportunity to serve!

These days, Louganis tours the country speaking about issues that affected him throughout his life — AIDS, chronic depression, learning disabilities and diversity (he’s half Samoan and half Nordic). Louganis also travels around with other athletes including Peggy Fleming, Bruce Jenner and Jackie Joyner-Kersee as they discuss living with long-term illnesses. “It’s just telling my story really,” he said.

Still admired in the diving community, where he helps trains the next generation of divers, Louganis says he wants to be remembered as more than an athlete.

“I want to be remembered as a strong and graceful diver,” he said. “But as a person, I want to be remembered as someone who made a difference.”

Cure for AIDS at last?

20 months after receiving a genetically selected bone marrow transplant an American man who suffered from AIDS appears to have been cured of the deadly disease. Doctors say that bone marrow transplant is generally used to combat leukamia but cleary caution that this may be a “miracle case”.

Many people across the world are however inspired and say it may motivate research in gene therapy to fight the disease that claims 2 million lives each year. The deadly AIDS virus has infected 33 million people across the globe.

Dr. Gero Huetter said that his 42-year-old patient, an American living in Berlin had been infected with the AIDS virus for more than a decade. The patient no longer shows signs of carrying the virus after 20 months of undergoing a transplant of genetically selected bone marrow.

The Berlin’s Charite hospital and medical school have confirmed that tests on his blood, bone marrow, and other organ tissues have all been clean and Huetter said that a bad reading has not come so far.

People with (ADD)Attention Deficit Disorder or(ADHD) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may have it harder, but many of them do find successful and rewarding lives. Here are five things you can do to be one of the winners who happen to have ADD or ADHD:

1.Have a vision for your life

Stephen Covey, in First Things First, suggests that each of us should have a vision for ourselves based on our need to live, love, learn, and leave a legacy. Most likely, when you think about your purpose, you will go back to the basics: your family, the people around you, and you yourself. Once you are clear about your purpose, it is easier to work towards what is really important in your life, and not scatter your efforts in ways many of us with
ADD or ADHD do.

2.Take responsibility

I know one young man diagnosed with ADD or ADHD as a child who went through a succession of special schools and even got into trouble with the law. No one expected him to make much of his life, but he was lucky to find teachers who did not accept his excuses of a poor family life and a defect in his brain for his bad behavior. After he accepted that he was responsible for his own life, he turned his life around. He learned carpentry at a vocational school and now successfully runs his own shop and a small carpentry school.

3.Do what you love

For those of us with ADD or ADHD it is easier if we find job where we are paid for doing what we love. Those with ADD or ADHD are often capable of hyperconcentration when they do things they are interested in. When we do what we love, we are using all our strengths instead of struggling to compensate for our weaknesses
and mistakes half of our working lives.

4.Nurture your assets

Which brings us to the next point – take care of the things which are your strengths: your talents, you health, and your relationships. We with ADD or ADHD tend to be careless in this – maybe we don’t know what we are good at, or we are too disorganized to exercise consistently or eat right, and we seem constantly have trouble getting along.

One part of nurturing is looking for things within our control that hold us back. Sometimes something as simple as a eliminating milk and sugars from your diet will make you feel better.

5.Plan to succeed

Some of us distractible, disorganized ADD or ADHD adults are lucky enough to find spouses who are fanatically organized. If you are not so lucky, do your own personal planning. This is actually not so difficult when you have a vision for your life. Ask your self, is this important or urgent? Does this help me fulfill my vision for my life? Concentrate on what you have power or influence over.

So there is no excuse for using ADD(attention deficit disorder) or ADHD(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ) as an excuse. Take charge of your life, and good luck!

How did Lewis Carroll produce the fantasy world of Alice in Wonderland and become famous?

Alice’s wonderland of rushing rabbits, magical brews, queen of hearts, shrinking sizes, Cheshire cats, pool of tears, knaves and tumbling cards did not blossom merely from Lewis Carroll’s imagination. Experts opine that the author who weaved the Wonderland has recreated, in his fantasy yarn, some of his experiences while grappling with migraine.

“Many of the descriptions conjured for Carroll’s stories were based on classic migraine experiences,” says neurologist Mary Ann Mays, M.D, of the Cleveland Clinic. “Only a person who had experienced these phenomena would be able to describe them.”

Today, “Alice in Wonderland syndrome” is a term used by neurologists to refer to a perception disorder that is characterized by hallucinations and visual disturbances –symptoms that are associated with the ‘aura’ that precedes a migraine.

A migraine is a traumatic experience, which the sufferer usually hates to recall. It is an intense, throbbing pain affecting one or both sides of the head. A migraine episode may last for a few hours or may extend for days; some are so severe that it incapacitates the sufferers, leaving them bed-ridden

It is still not clear why migraines occur although several triggers have been identified such as stress, pollution, noise, odors, certain medications, caffeine, champagne, red wine, processed meat, old cheese and chocolates. Hormonal changes and change in routine schedules are also known to usher in migraines.

Migraines seem to favor women, as they are three times more likely to suffer from the condition, compared to men. And it also observed that there is a genetic predisposition involved- the chances of the victims’ children being affected is higher than the children of normal individuals.

All about Aura

The word ‘aura’, which conjures up a surreal vision of subtle splendor, is actually an array of psychologic or neurologic disturbances that precedes a migraine episode.

Auras have a short life span; they may last for 5 to 20 minutes with their frequencies varying among individuals. Some experience it once in a lifetime while others experience it every day.

Auras comprise of symptoms such as vertigo, imbalance, confusion or numbness. Another intriguing feature of the aura is the dramatic visual effects or ‘special effects’-flashing lights, floaters, zigzag lines, complex colors and shapes.

Migraines are broadly classified into two- those with and those without aura. Although migraines with aura are less common , they are more challenging, medically, and can be more unsettling for the affected individuals.

The ‘one-eyed’ monster

In the ocular variety, which is the rarest migraine, individuals experience the ‘bizarre’ associated with the aura, but only in one eye. These symptoms are temporary and do not cause permanent damage. This is commonly followed by a migraine headache.

Some patients see blind spots or “holes,” which is actually a reference to the missing segments in a normal visual field. Shades of black or gray over the visual field are also viewed by some. Some people draw a comparison between these visual phenomena and the faulty patterns produced by an old television, with compromised reception. Others believe it is like looking through wet glass.

Although the experiences are similar for patients who experience ocular migraine and conventional migraine, there are differences.

One key difference is the source of the visual disturbances in the two headaches. In case of ocular migraine, the retinal blood vessels, inside the eye, play the trick, while the occipital cortex of the brain is the source of visual disturbances in migraines with aura.

Therefore, there seems to be some instant remedy for those affected with the ocular migraine. All they need to do is to close the affected eyes to stop the symptoms.

Taking the bull by the horn

Visiting a neurologist is not a bad idea for people who suffer from ocular headache. This would help to rule out other conditions, such as stroke or retinal artery thrombosis that produce similar symptoms.

Traditionally, anti-inflammatory agents have been used to treat migraines. Although not ideal for ocular migraines, the recently discovered triptans, are believed to be God –sent. A healthy life style with consistent patterns holds the key to a migraine-free existence.