Health and Medical - Latest News

[leo28]

Stop giving antibiotics for colds, doctors told

Doctors are to be told to stop prescribing antibiotics for coughs, colds and sore throats because over-use of the drugs is fuelling the spread of killer hospital superbugs.

Over-use of antibiotics, which can be used only on bacterial infections, has been blamed for the rise of drug-resistant tuberculosis. The drugs can strip natural bacteria from the gut and allow C.diff to take hold and kill vulnerable elderly people.

Telegraph. UK
09/01/2008

Complete Article here

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=JHP15MPFJF25TQFIQMGSFF4AVCBQ WIV0?xml=/news/2008/01/09/nbiotic109.xml

[leo28]

Warning over fake drugs on the internet

The internet presents a real danger to people's health. Dishonest traders are selling medicines online without any professional qualifications or healthcare expertise. The products they sell can be poor quality at best and dangerous at worst.

Some legitimate pharmacies run online services, but many of the websites are set up by people with no medical or pharmacy expertise and their products may be fakes.

Some fake drugs are harmless in themselves. But others are dangerous because they contain a smaller amount of the active ingredient than the patient needs.


health editor The Guardian, Friday January 11 2008


http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jan/11/drugs.health

[Mehtab Alam]

Dear All Brethren

ASAK

We have to too much concern about our health as without good health we neither can produce desired results in this world(dunya )nor for Akhirat.Significantly,Prophet SAWS liked healthy momin rather the weaker ones.
Mehtab Alam
AMU

[leo28]

Eat yourself pregnant

From The Times
January 17, 2008

For the past 25 years I have worked as a nutritionist, specialising in women’s health, and have seen thousands of people for many different reasons. But by far the most common, divisive and traumatic problem for which both men and women seek help is fertility.

Here, I highlight the speediest and most useful ways in which you can help yourself to get pregnant, fast (the fuller version is in my new book). My plan is designed for any woman who wants to have a baby, whether she is thinking about it or has been trying with no results.

STEP ONE:
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR DIET

If you’re sceptical about the connection between food and fertility, bear in mind that your body uses the nutrients from the food that you eat – and the supplements that you take – to repair cells, produce hormones and, ultimately, produce healthy eggs and sperm. In many ways your fertility depends upon what you eat.

Carbohydrates

These are your key energy source.

Protein

This is important for your fertility because it helps to maintain blood sugar balance and gives your body the even supply of amino acids it needs for building and repairing cells, manufacturing hormones and a healthy reproductive system.

Dairy products

Some studies indicate that dairy products have a beneficial effect on fertility because of their calcium content, while others have found that milk-drinking women tend to be less fertile when older. My issue with dairy foods is their production and their possible hormonal effect on your body at a time when hormones need to be functioning normally in both partners.

Fats

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) found in nuts, seeds and oily fish, on the other hand, play a crucial role in fertility and the development of a healthy baby.

Caffeine

Researchers have found that caffeine can have an adverse affect on female fertility, so if you want to conceive it makes sense to cut it out altogether.

STEP TWO:
CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE

If you smoke, quit

Alcohol

Like smoking, alcohol can interfere with your fertility. One study found that alcohol intake was a significant predictor for infertility among women above the age of 30.

Stress

Too much stress can interfere with sex hormone production.

STEP THREE:
TAKE FERTILITY-BOOSTING SUPPLEMENTS

Standard medical advice is to get all the nutrients you need from a balanced diet. Unfortunately, even if you do try to eat healthily, your food may not always contain all you need. To ensure that you do get all you need I strongly advise taking supplements.


Marilyn Glenville


Detailed article here

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3197591.ece

[Yunusa Shehu]

Assalamu alaikum,

Jazakallahu Khairan, amen.

[leo28]

Cold Medicines Too Risky for Tots

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008

(WASHINGTON)—Parents should not give sniffling babies and toddlers over-the-counter cough and cold medicines — they're too risky for tots so small, the government will declare Thursday.

The reason: There's no evidence that these oral drugs actually ease cold symptoms in children so young — some studies suggest they do no good at all. And while serious side effects are fairly rare, they do occur. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year reported that more than 1,500 babies and toddlers wound up in emergency rooms over a two-year period because of the drugs.

Time Magazine


http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1704399,00.html

[leo28]

Two coffees a day doubles risk of miscarriage, says US study

Monday January 21 2008
Guardian. UK


Women are being advised to cut out caffeine during the first three months of pregnancy, to help reduce their risk of having a miscarriage.

The warning follows a study that found pregnant women who consumed two or more mugs of coffee a day were twice as likely to miscarry than those who abstained from caffeine completely.

The study of 1,063 pregnant women showed that those who had at least 200mg of caffeine each day had a 25% risk of miscarriage compared with a 12% risk for women who avoided all caffeine, including in tea, soft drinks and chocolate.


Details here


http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jan/21/health.medicalresearch

[hafs]

o

[leo28]

Exercise Could Slow Aging Of Body, Study Suggests

Washingtonpost
January 29, 2008


Physically active people have cells that look younger on a molecular level than those of couch potatoes, according to new research that offers a fundamental new clue into how exercise may help stave off aging.

The study, involving more than 2,400 British twins, found for the first time that exercise appears to slow the shriveling of the protective tips on bundles of genes inside cells, perhaps keeping frailty at bay.

Previous research has shown that being physically active reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases, potentially extending longevity.


Source


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/28/AR2008012801873.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR

[leo28]

Smoking Will Kill 1 Billion People


One billion people will die from tobacco-related causes by the end of the century if current consumption trends continue, according to a global report released Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO).

5.4 million people die each year — one every six seconds — from lung cancer, heart disease or other illness directly linked to tobacco use. Smoking killed 100 million people in the 20th century, and the yearly death toll could pass 8 million as soon as 2030 — 80% of those deaths will be in the developing world, where tobacco use is growing most rapidly


TIME
Thursday, Feb 07, 2008


http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1711154,00.html




Stub out those cigarettes, please!


DO NOT kill yourself. Allah is Merciful unto you." (4:29)


The dangers of cigarette and even 'Shisha' smoking are undeniable. Tobacco smoke affects both the smoker and the people around them who cannot escape the toxic plumes as they exit the smoker's lungs. New research has proven that second-hand smoke is often more deadly then actually smoking cigarettes first-hand. Second-hand smoke is a carcinogen and is equivalent to other deadly carcinogens like Arsenic and Radon. Some of the diseases caused by smoking cigarettes include lung cancer, respiratory disease, infertility, cancers of the mouth, emphysema, tuberculosis, hypertension, heart disease and a slew of kidney diseases. As with all human affairs, the Holy Quran serves as a guide for all humans throughout all the ages. And the vice of smoking tobacco is no exception.

Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:

"...he allows them as lawful At Tayyibaat (that is, all good and lawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods), and prohibits them as unlawful Al Khabaa'ith (all evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods).

Allah forbids humans all things, which can harm us or others like tobacco smoking, illicit drugs or alcohol. Humans are allowed things, which are lawful and of benefit to us like fresh foods and medicines that can cure us from infections, etc. Smoking tobacco is of no benefit to humans. It is a waste of time and money. It is harmful to our bodies. It is harmful to those around us.

Islam also forbids extravagance in all of our affairs. The Muslim should lead a life of simplicity in humbleness to Allah for his bounty. Sitting around in a 'Shisha" bar smoking while trading gossip until the wee hours of the morning, for example, is a luxury that many a Muslim indulges in on a daily basis.

Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:

"...and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not Al Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)" (7:31)

Tobacco smoking is also an unnecessary distraction. How many car accidents have been caused because the driver was busy puffing on his cigarette while trying to steer with one hand? How many homes have been burnt to the ground because someone fell asleep with a cigarette in his or her mouth or left a lit 'butt' unattended? Smoking is an evil vice that has often led man into desperation and despair. Smoking is not worth losing your health or your wealth.


Khaleej Times
8 February 2008


Sumayyah Meehan is a Kuwait-based American writer who embraced Islam.


http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/editorial/2008/February/editorial_February17.xml&section=editorial&col=

[leo28]

Skin-lightening creams: Doctors sound warning

KhaleejTimes
15 February 2008


PARIS - British doctors have issued a warning about illegal skin-lightening creams after a case in which a woman fell sick from using a product laced with a powerful steroid.


The woman was extremely obese, had thin, bruised, stripy skin and suffered from muscle weakness. She had been trying unsuccessfully to conceive for the previous 18 months even though she had regular periods.

Physicians initially believed she had a disorder called Cushing’s syndrome, caused by the adrenal or pituitary glands. But blood tests turned up no sign of excess levels of two hormones that are the usual telltales of this syndrome.

After further inquiries, the patient admitted she had been using a skin-lightening cream for seven years, bought not from a pharmacist but from a local shop that was unauthorised to sell it.

The cream contained the steroid clobetasol, a powerful corticosteroid usually used against psoriasis and eczema. The woman had been using two tubes of it, amounting to about 60 grammes (three ounces), a week.

Reporting the case study in next Saturday’s British Medical Journal (BMJ), the doctors at London’s Hammersmith Hospital urge physicians to be aware of the risk of illegal skin whiteners.

“The market is worth millions of pounds (euros, dollars) a year, in the UK alone. Creams can contain toxic substances, such as steroids and hydroxyquinone — and patients are typically unaware of the risks,” they say.



http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2008/February/theworld_February493.xml&section=theworld

[leo28]

Antidepressant drugs don't work – official study


Independent
Tuesday, 26 February 2008


They are among the biggest-selling drugs of all time, the "happiness pills" that supposedly lift the moods of those who suffer depression and are taken by millions of people every year.

But one of the largest studies of modern antidepressant drugs has found that they have no clinically significant effect. In other words, they don't work.

The finding will send shock waves through the medical profession and patients and raises serious questions about the regulation of the multinational pharmaceutical industry, which was accused yesterday of withholding data on the drugs.

In the study, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of all 47 clinical trials, published and unpublished, submitted to the Food and Drug Administration in the US. The results showed the drugs were effective only in a very small group of the most extremely depressed.

Alternative treatments for depression, such as counselling or physical exercise , should be tried first, Professor Kirsch said. The pharmaceutical companies had withheld data that was available to the licensing authorities so that doctors and patients did not understand the true efficacy, or lack of it, of the drugs.

We have put a lot of emphasis on medication in the past and it is about time we redressed the balance and put more emphasis on talking treatments."

Exercise: Helps some people with depression. Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, said running helped him cope with depression.

Antidepressants: seen as a second-line treatment, if exercise or talking treatments do not work.



http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/antidepressant-drugs-udontu-work-ndash-official-study-787264.html

[Shaykh]

My parents have been in biomedical and molecular research for more than 30 years. They have strictly prohibited use of any medicine unless dire need. The main reason is to prevent body from developing un necessary immunity towards medicine.

Skin creams / gels etc. etc. that are applied externally are always harmful no matter what...they always have chemicals which are never wanted by the body

Exercise does try to remove depression...the greatest remedy for depression is being active in a social circle and trying to be alone as minimum as possible...

I am one of the greatest patients of depression...and have been undergoing depression for the past 10 years...right now at 29 my body has completely succumbed to fatigue and burndown...i am a receptor to many diseases...to curtail this i have joined Sunniforum :) and have also started exercising...

Pumping Iron Really Works

[leo28]

Crowded Cribs Linked to Baby Deaths

WASHINGTON Feb 28, 2008

Parents are putting their babies at risk when they place pillows and other soft bedding in their cribs, the Consumer Product Safety Commission warned Thursday.

From 2002 to 2004, 241 children under age 5 died in incidents involving nursery products. About 40 percent of the deaths involved cribs, with soft bedding cited as the leading contributing factor. Many of the children suffocated when lying face down on pillows or other bedding, the agency said.

To reduce risk of suffocation and sudden infant death syndrome, parents should place babies on their back in a crib that meets current safety standards, the agency said. Among other incidents of death in cribs, babies became trapped when the mattress was ill-fitting.

The agency said there were 36 deaths over the same period relating to baby baths and bath seats. All occurred when caregivers left the baby unattended. In many instances, babies slipped out of bath seats, fell out of baby seats or tipped forward or sideways into the water.

At no time, even for a few seconds, should babies be left unattended in the tub.

In 2006, the most recent year in which injury data was about 66,400 emergency injuries linked with nursery products among children under age 5. Most of these were related to baby carriers and car seats, excluding motor vehicle accidents, followed by incidents involving cribs and mattresses.



http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=4358245