Dr Eric Zomawia, head of the pathology department in the Civil hospital here, said that Mizoram led the world in the number of cases of Hypopharynx cancer (Male), Tongue cancer (Male), Stomach cancer (male & female) and Esophageal cancer (male).

Zomawia said that Mizoram also has the dubious distinction of topping all states in six other types of cancer and Aizawl district is on top among districts, though other districts like Serchhip, Champhai, Lunglei and Mamit are not far behind.

The lifestyle of the people of the state, especially their extensive consumption of tobacco coupled with consumption of smoked meat, leads to the high incidence of cancer, he says.

Around 40 per cent of the cancer can be prevented by changing the lifestyle, he says. (Source: newindpress.com)

According to German researchers, forcing staff to be happy and polite all the time is likely to make them sick.

They believe most at risk are flight attendants, salesmen, call centre operators, waiters and other workers in close contact with the public.

Professor Dieter Zapf, a researcher at Frankfurt University, Germany, said fake friendliness led to depression, stress and hit the immune system.

This can trigger more serious ailments such as high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems.

“Every time a person is forced to repress his true feelings there are negative consequences,” the Mirror quoted him, as saying.

In order to reach the conclusions, for over two years, 4,000 volunteers including shop workers and flight attendants, were put in an imaginary call centre and abused by clients.

Some could answer back, while others had to stay polite and friendly.

Those allowed to stand up to clients had a rapid heartbeat for a brief period, but those who had to remain friendly found their hearts were still racing long after the client had hung up.

Researchers decided “being friendly against one’s will causes nothing but stress”.

Prof Zapf said: “We are all able to rein in our emotions, but it becomes difficult to do this over a protracted period as cabin attendants are forced to on long-haul flights.

“These people need space away from the passengers where they can be on their own and let feelings run free.

“We have to get away from the ‘customer is king’ attitude and show more respect to those in service industries.”

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Unhygienic surroundings in the area or food poisoning are suspected to be the cause. Residents complained they fell ill after eating ‘chikku’ fruit.

“In all, 35 cases have been reported, but there is nothing to panic. The area water has been tested; it has 0.1% chlorine and BWSSB has assured that it’s safe for drinking. These cases are mainly because of food poisoning. However, to be on the safer side, we have sent the water samples to the Public Health Institute,” said Dr Gayathri, chief health officer, BBMP.

Even after repeated warnings, stray gastro cases keep resurfacing, she said, blaming the same for lack of hygiene and eating habits.

BWSSB executive engineer Narayannappa said water samples were indeed tested, though no traces of contamination were found. “We have tested the water, it’s safe and not the cause for gastro in the area,” Narayannappa maintained.

However, residents have been advised to keep the surroundings clean and avoid roadside food.

In January, over 850 gastro cases were reported in Bharatinagar area after drinking water got mixed with sewage. The leaking water and sanitary pipes at three crucial points in the area had caused water contamination.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

In their study, researchers at Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that people who ate the stone-age regime for just three weeks lowered their blood pressure and slashed levels of a substance known to cause deadly clots.

And, as an extra bonus, they also lost an average of two to three kgs in weight.

“The research proved that even short term use of the diet has favourable effects on the major risk factors for heart disease,” Dr Per Wandell, who led the study, was quoted by ‘The Daily Telegraph’ as saying.

Our early ancestors survived on a diet lacking in cereals, dairy products and refined sugar for centuries before farming developed — an era which accounts for a substantial phase of human history.

To test its benefits, 20 volunteers were put on caveman diet, which included fresh or frozen fruit, berries or vegetables, lean meat, unsalted fish, canned tomatoes, lemon or lime juice, spices and coffee or tea without milk or sugar, for three weeks.

All dairy products were banned as well as beans, salt, peanuts, pasta or rice, sausages, alcohol, sugar and fruit juice. However, the participants were allowed up to two potatoes a day. They were also given some dried fruit, cured meats and a portion of fatty meat as a weekly treat.

After three weeks, the volunteers who completed the study had lost an average of five pounds.

Moreover, the researchers found that systolic blood pressure, the higher of the two readings taken, had fallen by an average of just under five per cent in the participants, and levels of a clotting agent in the blood, which can cause heart attacks and strokes, also dropped by 72 per cent.

However, Dr Wandell warned that the lack of certain foodstuffs could have other impacts on overall health. “One negative effect was the decreased intake of calcium (present in dairy goods) which could be a risk factor for osteoporosis later in life.”

Source: hindu.com

Researchers examined links between nutrient intake and skin aging in 4,025 women aged 40-74 years using data from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Aging of the skin was defined as having a wrinkled appearance, senile dryness, and skin atrophy.

The study by nutritional epidemiologist Maeve C. Cosgrove and other researchers in Britain found that those who ate plenty of Vitamin C-rich foods had fewer wrinkles than people whose diets contained little of the vitamin.

Higher Vitamin C intakes were associated with a lower likelihood of a wrinkled appearance, said the study published in the October issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Promoting healthy dietary behaviour may have an additional benefit for skin appearance in addition to other health outcomes, the researchers said.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Washington: There is, it appears, more than an element of truth in the old adage about an apple a day keeping the doctor away. A new study has found that eating an apple a day – or drinking its juice – is a sound way of maintaining a slimmer waistline and insuring oneself against high BP and cardiac disease.

Apple eaters had a 21 per cent reduced risk of increased waist circumference, predictor of cardiovascular disease and increased likelihood of metabolic syndrome.

Additionally, they had significantly reduced C-reactive protein levels, another measurable marker related to cardiovascular risk.

These findings, presented at the Experimental Biology 2008 meeting, were based on analysis of data collected under a 1999-2004 national survey in the US.

Victor Fulgoni, who analysed the data, noted that adults who eat apples and apple products have smaller waistlines that indicate less abdominal fat, lower blood pressure and a reduced risk for developing what is known as the metabolic syndrome.

Apple-eaters’ diets were healthier than non-consumers. They had a greater intake of fruit and key nutrients, including dietary fibre, vitamins A and C, calcium and potassium.

They had less total fat, saturated fat, discretionary fat and added sugars.

Sify.com

Five years ago, 54-year old Venkatakrishnaiah was a field engineer with the Karnataka Electricity Board until one day he could not even walk the few steps leading to his ground floor office.

That’s when he knew there was something wrong. Several trips to the hospital confirmed that he had severe heart failure. Even after a bypass, life was nowhere near normal.

”My family has undergone so much trouble, sometimes even getting angry at my condition. Things like this can’t be expressed,” said Venkatakrishnaiah, Patient.

That is when doctors at Narayana Hrudayalaya decided to implant the left ventricular assist device to help pump blood into Venkatakrishnaiah’s heart in the first of its kind operation in any hospital in Asia.

”We do 30 heart surgeries every day. So there was no fear. But we chose him because he fit the criteria of someone who we wanted to try it on,” said Dr Devi Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya.

Venkatakrishnaiah now has a device, which helps pump blood to his heart and a battery, and control pack, which he has to carry around. Just two weeks after the surgery, he can now walk without assistance and even climb 24 steps.

”I am able to now do this all on my own, something I had never expected to achieve,” added Venkatakrishnaiah.

With over 20 million people in India living with heart failure, this surgery has perhaps come at the right time. Doctors and experts in this field said it could be the next huge boost for medical tourism in the country.

Source: ndtv.com

The premier All India Institute of Medical Services ranks fourth in the overall rating. Over 4,000 consumers from six metro cities and nine districts have said that they would recommend these two hospitals to their friends and relatives. The study conducted by Voluntary Organisation in the Interest of Consumer Education (VOICE) in collaboration with Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has some surprises as well.

For instance, the famous Lilavati Hospital of Mumbai, known for treating film stars is at the 15th position. The least recommended was the Apollo Gleneagles. Providing information about fee charged is a major issue with which the patients are concerned.

Unfortunately the study has found that not many hospitals are transparent. A little over 30 per cent feel that the super-specialty hospitals are transparent as far as their financial dealings are concerned. A majority of those surveyed felt that super-specialty hospitals do not inform the patients about the various charges for services.

They did not see any information about hospital service charges near the registration counter. Wockhardt Hospital of Mumbai was found to be transparent as all its patients said they saw the charges displayed clearly.

As for the charges for various services, Wockhardt Super-specialty hospital of Bangalore led the way with 91 per cent of its patients reporting that their charges were higher than that of other hospitals.

The AIIMS patients were the happiest as nearly one-third of them admitted that the AIIMS was a very cost effective hospital. As for the emergency services, 73 per cent of those surveyed felt that they had used the service in Manipal Hospital and the least used emergency service were that of the Apollo Hospital, Chennai. Very rarely patients choose hospitals. Over 49 per cent choose a hospital based on doctor’s advice.

Reputation of the hospital came second. Patients were satisfied with regard to doctor’s visit and their trust level was also high. More than 7 per cent of the patients had problems like charging excess fee or hidden costs or behaviour of the nurses.

The AIIMS seems to be the most problem- ridden, as one out of every four reported having faced a problem. The study also focused on other facilities for the disabled, provision for parking and waste disposal systems.

Though hospitals were found to be clean, an effective waste disposal system could not be found in any of the hospitals. Is the Pollution Control Board listening?

The survey included some big secondary hospitals. The District Hospital, Palakkad, Kerala, stands first, followed by GNRC, Assam, and Owasi Hospital, Andhra Pradesh (both private). Among the small hospitals, once again Welcare Hospital, Palakkad tops the list followed by Parasiya Community Health Centre, Madhya Pradesh and Cooperative Health Care, Palakkad. Overall analysis show that only in 6 out of 60 patients who used ambulance services said that it did not reach on time.

The study show there is a direct co-relation between the education level of consumers, their financial standing and the call for usage of ambulance.

The usage of ambulances was found higher among post graduates and professionally qualified respondents

daijiworld.com

A team of international researchers has carried out a study and found that taking a daily dose of Vitamin D lowers the risk of mortality- the findings have been reported in the ‘Archives of Internal Medicine’ journal.

“It’s very new to see (the effects of) Vitamin D on organs different than the bones. These are very ordinary doses. You don’t need four or five pills a day. You should probably get rid of all the other vitamins.

“At this point, that’s where we are. This is quite real,” according to lead researcher Dr Philippe Autier of the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France.

In fact, the researchers came to the conclusion after analysing 18 trials involving Vitamin D supplements on nearly 57,000 patients. They evaluated doses ranging from 300 to 2,000 international units.

The team members found that over an average of nearly six years, those who took Vitamin D had a seven per cent lower risk of death from all causes than those who did not.

However, according to the researchers, getting enough Vitamin D in diets isn’t enough- one should also spend ten minutes in the sun during peak hours daily to produce the currently recommended level of 1,000 IU of the compound.

Fish, liver and egg yolk are the only foods which naturally contain Vitamin D, though some other foods are fortified with it.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com