Health And Pharmacy Blog

Sometimes there are some small health issues that bother women but most of them don’t know what to do and also find uneasy to consult a specialist with such small problems. But those problems keep bothering all right. So here they go-

Q.1) Why can’t I get a good night’s sleep?

Ans:- The condition for this is known as insomnia. It can also happen with thyroid problem or restless leg syndrome. What most doesn’t think is our modern lifestyle! It is so stressful that our adrenaline and anxiety is always there during the day.

The solution for this is to make the mind free of all the stresses one has to go through during the day by relaxing. Listening to music, watching some low-key movie or other things that help you relax. One should refrain from doing what will make the adrenaline rush again such as working out or eating.

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There are many ways to get relief from back pain. Back pain relief can be achieved by medical management, by surgical management, by physiotherapy, by use of alternative medicine like Ayurveda, Homeopathy, and Acupuncture etc. Acupuncture is a very old Chinese traditional system of alternative medicine which uses needle prick at particular anatomical site for relief of symptoms. Chinese have identified the different sites of needle prick for different disease & gathered knowledge since centuries.Ayurveda (knowledge of life) an Indian traditional medicine form uses herbal formulations for treatment of medical problems. (continue reading…)

In a recent finding, researchers at the Queen Mary University of London have found that two glasses of beetroot juice per day may lower blood pressure by 10mm, a level that can normally be achieved with only proper medication. The study was done on healthy volunteers in UK. The report of the study, led by Amrita Ahluwalia, Professor at the William Harvey Research Institute at Barts and the London School of Medicine, has been published in the latest edition of Hypertension.

According to Dr. Ahluwalia – “This is the kind of drop that would see in people effective drug therapy for high blood pressure”. Anoop Mishra, an internal medicine specialist at Fortis Hospital in New Delhi said “A 10mm fall in blood pressure is very significant”. Compared to this, a reduction of salt in foods causes only 5-6mm decrease in blood pressure.

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While most people were celebrating the arrival of another New Year on 1^st January, 2008 in the hope that the New Year would bring joy, peace and prosperity – some poor families in India were praying to God to save their livelihood. The dreaded AVIAN FLU has attacked their poultry stocks!

It has been almost 3 weeks since the first reported outbreak of the bird flu in the rural areas of west Bengal, India but government officials are still fighting to get the affected poultry stock culled. In the meantime, the virus has spread to many adjoining areas and now signs are that, the dreaded disease will hog the limelight for many more days.

It has been the 5^th time over the last two years that there have been confirmed reports of the avian flu being found in India. Fortunately, there has not yet been any confirmed report of the disease being transmitted to humans unlike the 2003 global outbreak that saw human casualty in Thailand, China, Vietnam and Indonesia. But scientists fear that, it is just a matter of time before the virus gain the strength to inject itself into the human body and triggers pandemic.

So what to do if such a situation arises? According to experts, people should follow some guidelines to avoid being infected by the virus especially if you are in the affected zone–

• Only fully cooked foods- Avian flu can survive at temperatures of up to 70 degree Celsius. So take only fully cooked rids/chicken/duck or egg preparations.
• Cross contamination – do not use same utensils for washing the raw meat/egg and that of other vegetables/items.
• Careful bird watching – Bird enthusiasts who flock water bodies to watch migratory bird should take the outmost caution. They should I no way come into contact with the water.
• Droppings – Avian flu spread through droppings and hence it is a must to boil the water before taking it in infected and nearby areas.
• Avoid direct contacts with strangers as they might carry the flu. Always wear protective mask or hand gloves if you have to come into direct contact with others.
• Tamiflu (Oseltamivir) and Relenza are the only two known anti-viral drugs that can fight the Avian Flu. Store it at your home if there is any chance of it reaching at your doorstep.