|
|
|
|
Healthy alternative to aspirin - tomatoes
December, 23, 2009 (ANI): Scientists are now recommending tomatoes as a healthy alternative to
aspirin. Clinical trials have shown that the natural gel in tomato seeds can prevent clotting and improve blood circulation in the body.Professor Asim Dutta-Roy from the Rowett Institute in Aberdeen made the discovery. The colourless, tasteless gel can be added to various foods and consumed.
In fact, it is already being used in one fruit juice product Fruitflow. EU health officials have also
accepted the medicinal value of the gel and permitted the use of such claims on packaged products.
Although, millions of older people presently take small doses of aspirin every day to improve blood flow, the drug can lead to
bleeding in the stomach and also trigger off the development of ulcers. “To date, no side effects have been demonstrated during the development of Fruitflow,” the Telegraph quoted Prof Dutta-Roy, as saying. Studies show Fruitflow consumption can smoothen the flow of blood
within three hours and the effect can last up to 18 hours.
Dengue fever infects 1079 in Delhi
New Delhi, November 29, 2009 (PTI): Eleven more cases of dengue were reported in the
national capital today, taking the total number of people suffering from the
vector-borne disease in the city to 1,079. The city has reported over 415 cases of dengue in the last fortnight but the
number of cases in a day has been declining over the past few days. The per day
figure ranged from 7 to 13 in the last seven days compared to around 20 to 25 cases earlier.
India tops world with over 50 mn diabetes: Report
Toronto, October 20, 2009 (PTI): India leads the world in the number of people suffering
from diabetes and by 2030, nearly 9 per cent of the country's population is
likely to be affected from the disease, the International Diabetic Federation (IDF) has warned.
About 50.8 million people are now suffering from the looming epidemic of
diabetes, followed by China with 43.2 million, a report released at the 20th
annual World Diabetes Congress of IDF opened yesterday in the Canadian city of Montreal said.
The US has 26.8 million people suffering from the disease, while it is 9.6
million in Russia, 7.6 million in Brazil and 7.5 million in Germany.
Pakistan is the third Asian country having 7.1 million diabetic patients while
Japan has 7.1 million and Indonesia has 7 million, according to the latest IDF
data.
Survey found that 20-40 age group is at high risk
September 27, 2009: Now, the man with blockages in his heart is most probably in the 30-39 age group and with another health complication such as diabetes or hypertension.
The Saffolalife Study 2009, covering 8,469 people, found that 49.1% Indians were at high risk for developing heart diseases. On the eve
of World Heart Day, the multi-city survey found that this bunch’s vital heart statistic — the ratio of total cholesterol and good cholesterol (called HDL) — is too high at 4.5 to be termed healthy.
The American Heart Association holds the ideal ratio between total cholesterol and HDL is 3.3. The survey also found most men in the 30-39 age group fell in the high risk category.
Men from Mumbai and Chennai were worst off (with a high risk ratio of 49.6% and 53.8% respectively) as compared to men in Kolkata and Delhi (32% and 29.7% respectively). The survey attributed the
difference in the risk rates for Mumbai’s men to longer commuting
time, long working hours, unhealthy eating habits, lack of physical activity and erratic eating schedules. Others had better lifestyle habits.
Diarrhoea outbreak in Orissa kills 26
Orissa, September 1, 2009 (BBC): Diarrhoea is a major killer in the developing world An outbreak of diarrhoea in the eastern Indian state of Orissa has
claimed 26 lives, a state minister has said.The deaths have been reported in several villages in Kalahandi district, Health Minister Prasanna Acharya said.
Local newspapers put the death toll at 38. Health officials say 237 people suffering from the disease have been admitted to hospitals. Diarrhoea is a major killer in the world and is thought to be
responsible for around 4% of all deaths.
A team of doctors from the federal National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) has travelled to the affected villages
and begun an investigation into the causes of the outbreak.Consumption of contaminated water and rotting food by local people may have led to the deaths, health officials say.
Give info on counterfeit drugs, get rewarded
NEW DELHI: July 23, 2009: Informing the government about spurious drugs could soon earn you big money. In an attempt to tackle the menace of fake life-saving medicines, the health ministry has proposed a "whistle blower" policy that would handsomely reward both the public and officers who inform and help seize spurious, adulterated and misbranded drugs, cosmetics and medical devices.
According to the policy, the reward — a maximum of 20% of the total cost of consignments seized — will be payable to the informer which
should not exceed Rs 25 lakh in each case. In respect to an officer in the government or in the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), the reward will not exceed Rs 5 lakh for one case and a maximum of Rs 30 lakh in his or her entire service. Under the proposal, the reward will be given only when there confirmation of the seizure of spurious drugs, cosmetics and medical devices by the designated officers of CDSCO.
According to the proposal, once fake drugs are seized, the government will engage senior advocates who have sufficient experience of such cases to help punish the guilty. To ensure speedy trials, these cases will be filed before designated special courts set up for the purpose of drugs related issues, as
per the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Drug Controller General of India will be the nodal officer who will oversee
functioning of the reward scheme.
According to DCGI, the size of India's pharmaceutical industry is Rs 85,000
crore, out of which Rs 35000 crore worth of pharma products are being exported. Studies estimate fake medicines globally bring in up to $80 billion
a year, but penalties for getting caught are relatively modest. The latest estimates show more than 30% of medicines sold in southeast Asia are counterfeit. - TOI
India's health budget up by nearly Rs.4,000 crore
New Delhi, July 6, 2009 (IANS): India's health budget has gone up by nearly Rs.4,000 crore to
Rs.21,113.33 crore ($4.35 billion) with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday giving special emphasis to the rural healthcare. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) that aims to provide quality healthcare to villagers Monday saw its budget allocation increase by Rs.2,057 crore.
Describing the NRHM as an "essential instrument for achieving goal of health for all", Mukherjee in his budget speech proposed "an increase of Rs.2,057 crore over and above Rs.12,070 crore provided in the interim budget" he had presented before the general elections
earlier this year. The flagship programme of the United Progressive Alliance
(UPA) government, the NRHM was launched in 2005. The aim was to improve availability and access to quality healthcare for people living in remote areas.
The main focus is on 18 states that have weak public health infrastructure - Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Mizoram,
Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Orissa, Rajasthan, Sikkim,
Tripura, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Hoping to strengthen the tertiary sector, the government is setting
up six All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-like institutions in the country and upgrading 13 existing medical
colleges.
Ayurveda drug for cancer: Experts
BHUBANESWAR, July 3, 2009: Experts in ayurveda claim to have come up with medicines which can make life more comfortable for patients suffering from HIV/AIDS, cancer or some physical deformity. The Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha (CCRAS), the apex body that oversees research in ayurvedic medicine, has developed the drugs. The council has also begun clinical trials in different hospitals across the country.
Director general of CCRSA, G S Lavekar said, "The traditional system in association with modern technology can do wonders in medical science. The age-old practice has been adopted by developing countries and our medicines are in much demand in abroad. Diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer and mental illness may not be totally cured but the drugs can definitely improve the standard of life of the patients."
Tomato pill can protect against stroke
Jun 1, 2009 ( ANI): Scientists from Biotech firm Cambridge Theranostics have found that
lycopene, the antioxidant red compound in tomato skins, prevents cholesterol build-up. During a study, the scientists mixed lycopene with milk and soya bean proteins to solve the riddle of how to create a concentrated
form. The resulting pill Ateronon was found to reduce the level of harmful fats in the blood.
Ateronon can reduce the damage to the arteries, which is the damage that ends up causing heart attacks and stroke,” the Sun quoted TV doctor Rob Hicks as saying. “It can potentially extend life and also possibly save lives on a global basis. The potential is enormous,” Hicks added. The tablet will be unveiled at a British Cardiovascular Society Conference in London. |
|
|
Saffron may prevent blindness
London, May 18, 2009 (PTI): The high-priced golden culinary herb saffron may hold one of the keys to preventing the loss of sight in old age, and even help to improve vision in people suffering from certain blinding eye diseases,a new study says.
An international team has found that saffron slows the loss of sight in old age as the herb has remarkable effects on the genes which actually regulate the performance of the eye's key vision cells.
According to researchers, the herb from crocus flowers not only protects the vision cells from damage, but also slows and possibly reverses the course of blinding diseases, such as age-related muscular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.
Lead researcher Prof Silvia Bisti of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science said: "Saffron is not simply an anti-oxidant. It seems to possess a number of other properties which are protective to vision. "For example it appears to affect genes which regulate the fatty acid content of the cell membrane and this makes the vision cells tougher and more resilient. And, the point about saffron is that it is completely safe and harmless. It's been used in cooking and medicine for three thousand
years." |
The golden culinary herb saffron |
|
Scientists have claimed that climate change is the biggest global health threat
of the 21st century
London, May 14, 2009 (ANI): While a heat wave in India has led to an increase in hospital deaths in recent
weeks, scientists have claimed that climate change is the biggest global health
threat of the 21st century. In a report launched in London, doctors and climatologists have said that in the
coming century, climate change will worsen virtually every known health problem,
from heart disease and heatstroke to salmonella and insect-borne infectious diseases.
"The health sector has in the past not only underestimated but completely
neglected and ignored the issues. This has not been an issue on the agenda of
any professional body in health over the last 10 years in any significant way,"
‘New Scientist’ magazine quoted Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, as saying.
30 million Indians suffer from asthma
Bhopal, May 7, 2009: According to an estimate Asthma is prevalent worldwide and an estimated 300 million people of the globe are suffering from this disease. People of all age group, all ethnic groups and socioeconomic levels suffer from Asthma. In India 30 million people are affected by this disease which is 10 per cent of the total world
patients suffering from Asthma. Asthma cannot be treated but it can be controlled.
The report which is available from Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) also documents that the prevalence of asthma is
increasing throughout the world and it is estimated that there will be an additional 100 million persons with asthma by 2025. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) May 5: is observed as World Asthma Day and the primary reason behind this disease is air pollution.
Vitamin D deficiency can exacerbate asthmatic symptoms
Washington, April 23, 2009: Vitamin D deficiency can exacerbate asthmatic symptoms in children, says a new
study. They study led by Dr Juan Celedon, Dr. P.H. and Dr Augusto Litonjua, of Harvard
Medical School has shown that children with lower vitamin D levels were
significantly more likely to have been hospitalized for asthma, tended to have
airways with increased hyperreactivity and were likely to have used more inhaled
corticosteroids, all signifying higher asthma severity. These children were also significantly more likely to have several markers of
allergy, including dust-mite sensitivity.
"To our knowledge this is the first study to demonstrate an inverse association
between circulating levels of vitamin D and markers of asthma severity and allergy," said researchers. - ANI
Viagra pill for sex drive could leave you deaf, blind
LONDON, March 18, 2009: Viagra might help men rise to the occasion, but its side effects can be oddly devastating, which include — wonky willies, flatulence, toothache and hiccups. According to a health watchdog, the drug is responsible for 109 deaths in UK. In Britain, more than 1,000 reports of problems are logged in a huge database listing more than 1,500 side effects. The blue pill is prescribed more than one million times a year. A further 31 patients complained of priapism — a potentially harmful and painful medical condition in which the erect penis does not return to its flaccid state, despite the absence of both physical and psychological stimulation, within four hours.
While two patients complained about rare condition of Peyronieis disease — where the male organ starts to look like a U-bend. Other side effects include two people who said it made them deaf and seven
claiming it turned them blind. “The submission of a suspected report does not necessarily mean that
it was caused by the drug,” said an MHRA spokesman.
Source: The Times of India
Stem cell hope for diabetics
Kolkata, January 14 , 2009: Singapore-based
CordLife, the leading network of private cord blood banks in the Asia-Pacific, has pledged to bring in fruits of latest global research in stem cell therapy to the city soon, on the back of its cord blood banking facility.
“Type 1 diabetes and cerebral palsy are two critical areas where stem cell transplant could soon provide a cure. We are hopeful of bringing home some therapeutic products in the next 18 months,” Mark Kirkland, the chief scientific officer of
CytoMatrix, an associate of CordLife, said on Tuesday.
Kirkland was in town for the official flag-off of CordLife’s city facility near Joka with a storage capacity of 150,000 units, rolled out by CordLife Sciences India, an equity-partnership venture with city-based Strassenburg Pharmaceuticals.
Source: The Telegraph
22 children hospitalised after consuming jatropha seeds
Raipur, January 1, 2009 (IANS) : At least 22 children, all less than eight years old, were admitted to hospital in a serious condition in Chhattisgarh after consuming seeds of the poisonous jatropha plant which is being grown on a large scale to extract bio-fuel, police said Thursday.
"As many as 22 children of Durg town were rushed to the
district government hospital in a serious condition after they
mistakenly consumed jatropha seeds grown in a local field late
Wednesday, "Dipanshu Kabra, district superintendent of police,
told IANS. Durg town, located some 40 km from state capital Raipur,
is in Durg district.
|
|
|
