Married or intimate first cousins have healthy babies.

Australian researches are now calling the belief that chilren born to married first cousins are at danger of some grave deformities, a myth.In his study he has come come up with a fact that most children born to first cousins are healthy. This is in contradiction to a study published in 2001 which said that babies born to first-cousins are nearly three times more likely to have serious birth defects.
Professor Alan Bittles, director at the Centre for Comparative Genomics at Murdoch University, reviewed 48 studies from 11 countries and found that the risks of birth defects rose from about 2% in the general population to 4% in consanguineous or same blood couples. He found that only 1.2% suffered higher infant mortality rates, a find similar to another review from 2002 that suggested first-cousin children are less than 3% more likely to have genetic deformities.

The Health Benefits of Sex | sex good for health

The Health Benefits of Sex - sex makes us feel good AND improves overall health?! Did we all miss a meeting? One minute,sex good for health and its effect upon our health is literally transforming this former'taboo topic' into a legitimate medical necessity when it comes to maintaining peak mental and physical health.

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Cocoa is BENEFICIAL in diabetes!!!

Cocoa is harmful to diabetics. This has been the popular belief till date. A research publication in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has proved it wrong. According to the study the cocoa consists of special compounds called flavonols which play a role in improving the function and condition of blood vessels.
In their study, two groups of diabetes patients were served low and high dose flavonol respectively in the form of cocoa servings. The blood vessel function was calculated before and after cocoa consumption at the beginning of the study and 8 and 30 days after the start of the the study.
The study concluded that the group receiving the high dose of flavonols showed significant improvement in their blood vessel function as opposed to the group which was served low dose flavonols that did not show any significant improvement in blood vessel function.
The study also stressed upon the fact that the dose of flavonols showing improvements in blood vessel function far exceeds typical dietary intake of flavonols in the US and its also not possible to buy it in stores. The researchers are now looking up to flavonol-diets as an approach to prevent heart disease.
Sources:
1. Campia, U. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, June 3, 2008: vol 51; 2150-2152.
2.Balzer, J. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, June 3, 2008: vol 51; 2141-2149.

Albuterol inhalers for asthma containing CFC (chlorofluorocarbons) replaced by HFA (hydrofluoroalkane) versions.

US FDA has banned the marketing of CFC containining asthma inhalers from January next year as the CFC's are known to cause depletion of OZONE layer. Albuterol inhalers that contain CFC's will not be sold any longer in the United States of America. The CFC propelled inhalers are being replaced by HFA(hydrofluorolkane) propelled inhalers. The FDA has asked the doctors to start recommending the patients to switch the type of inhaler they have been using to the HFA propelled ones. Since the CFC inhalers will not be available from January 2009, the patients need to familiarize themselves with the taste and consistency of the HFA versions which may taste different and feel softer.According to FDA most patients have already switched, but still there is one company that is still selling the CFC brand. The HFA versions are costlier than their CFC counterparts and may cost up to $65 approximately.The FDA-approved albuterol HFA inhalers are Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd's ProAir HFA, Schering-Plough Corp's Proventil HFA and GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Ventolin HFA.Sepracor Inc's Xopenex HFA is another option, the FDA said. It contains levalbuterol.Fusco-Walker said many patients without health insurance are eligible for discounted, or in some cases, free inhalers. People with insurance may see co-payments rise, or their insurers covering only one of the four HFA inhalers, she said. Her group is pushing for broader coverage.

Vitamin C increases the absorption of Iron in the intestines

Vitamin C is an antioxidant and thus converts iron into its ferrous form. Iron when present in the ferrous form is more easily absorbed through the intestinal membrane than the ferric form. Hence doctors often recommend citrus foods along with foods rich in iron to anemic patients. A lot of commercially available iron tablets in the market are coupled with vitamin C which is chemically known as Ascorbic acid.

Vitamin E protects against heart attacks and cancer

Vitamin E, also known as tocopherol protects against heart attacks and cancer through its potent antioxidant action. Through its antioxidant action it acts as a free radical scavenger in the human body. Free radicals are produced as a result of various oxidation reduction reactions and modify the DNA and proteins in various cells of the human body. Free radical induced damage to DNA results in a number of diseases like cancer, autoimmune diseases, SLE etc. It also protects against heart attack by the same mechanism by preventing oxidation of LDL by free radicals.Some physicians prescribe a weekly tablet of Vitamin E to their above 45 yrs of age patients.

Condom: Today's necessity

A condom provides a physical barrier between 2 sexual partners involved in the sexual act. A remarkable invention of the 20th century, its primary function was supposed to be birth control. In addition it serves a wonderful function of protection against sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS, infections and birth control. It bears a slight disadvantage of decreased sensations but still the benefits outweigh the disadvatage by miles. Moreover, it offers an economical advantage over a number of other modes of contraception. In the worldwide campaign against AIDS, the use of condoms has been promoted with all the force by major agencies of the world like the WHO so much so that a large number of free distribution campaigns have been organised.

GOLDEN RULE: Have safer sex, use condoms. Join the campaign against AIDS and STDs(sexually transmitted diseases).

Oral Cancer: Is tobacco the culprit?

Oral cancer is one of the highest occurring cancers worldwide. Though the causes could be many, but tobacco has been medically proved to be a major cause of oral cancer. It dramatically increases the risk of oral cancer in individuals who are habitual of tobacco chewing. In countries like India tobacco chewing is very prevalent and the most worrying fact is that a good percentage of younger generation enjoys tobacco eating as their favourite pass time. Apart from cancer, it causes leucoplakia, ulceration of mouth, restriction of jaw movements, damage to dentition, infections etc. In addition to oral cancer it also predisposes to cancer of our gastrointestinal system.

Treatment of Diabetes

Once diagnosed, diabetes requires the patient to make the necessary lifestyle modifications namely the dietary modifications, fat, sugar and salt restriction in diet, weight reduction and a strict schedule of exercise has to be followed for best results. The role of medical treatment comes into play if the above measures fail to bring down the blood sugar levels to normal. The various drugs used for the treatment of diabetes belong to the groups of biguanides, sulphonylureas, thiazolidinediones, insulin etc. The best way to monitor blood sugar levels is to do so at home regularly at frequent intervals. This can be done by using a glucometer, which is an instrument that measures blood sugar levels electronically by analysis a small drop of blood causing negligible pain or discomfort to the patient. The procedure is so smooth that most of the time the patient doesn't even make out that the blood sample has already been drawn. the blood is drawn in the form of a minute droplet. Urine dipstick tests are also available in the market but are not very accurate.

The patients prescribed with insulin are often under a notion that use of insulin would develop a level of dependence in them and that they would have to take insulin lifelong. NO!!!! Insulin is prescribed when the lifestyle modifications and the drug treatment both fail to normalize the blood sugar levels. When prescribed by the physician, a strict routine has to be followed both for meals and insulin injections. The injections are not painful at all. After all they have been engineered to make them as painless as possible. Insulin pens are a revolution in this regard. Its an easy way to administer insulin dose at the prescribed time intervals during the day without the hassle of changing the needles measuring the doses. A lot of companies have their products in the market.

In the end I would advice the patients to be aware of their health needs and take necesary precautions at the earliest.

Precautions for Diabetics

DIABETES IS NOT A DISEASE. It is only a derangement of blood glucose levels which can be controlled by simple modifications of lifestyle with a few changes in our diet pattern, a little bit of exercise, minimising and not removing fat content in food, minimising and not removing the sugar content in your food, slight cooperation by family members and last but not the least, an urge to keep fit. Of all these, EXERCISE is the best and the most effective control measure.
REMEMBER: Exercise minimises the body's need for insulin. BUT: it only minimises and doesn't eliminate the need for insulin.
GOLDEN RULE: Diet and Exercise

Assess yourself if you have Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the commonest diseases on earth and still a large proportion of people suffering from diabetes are actually not aware that they are having diabetes. A lot of indications have been cited to part and rof diabetes but still they are often so unnoticeable that the disease goes unnoticed for years. Ask yourself these simple questions and you may get an indication to consult your physician:

1. Do you experience slight weakness during the day?
2. Do you feel the need urinate too frequently?
3. Do you experience increase thirst?
4. Have you started eating a bit more than before?
5. Has a minor injury or wound taken longer than usual to heal?
6. Are you overwieght?
7. Is there somebody in your family who is also diabetic?

If the answer any or few of them is yes you may be having it. Remember the earlier you confirm the easier it gets to lead an absolutely normal life like anybody else.

Diabetes: Introduction

Diabetes is a disease characterised by raised blood glucose levels due to insufficient insulin secretion or action. Insulin secreted from pancreas (an organ in human body) has a primary function to increase the utilisation of blood glucose by cells of various organs of the body. When the utilisation of blood glucose by the cells is hampered, it results in diabetes. There are mainly 2 reasons for this and either of them may be responsible for the occurrence of the disease separately or simultaneously:

1. The pancreas is not able to secrete insulin in sufficient amounts.
2. The insulin although secreted in normal amounts, is not able to exercise its function properly due to various reasons which range from a defect in the structure of insulin molecule to the malfunction of insulin receptors in the cells of the human body or even due to the inappropriate levels of other hormones like growth hormone, adrenal steroids etc.

Signs and symptoms: Weakness, excessive urination, excessive thirst, excessive hunger, delayed healing of minor wounds.