The Zrii Story - The Middle

In Brief: Ayurveda - “The Science of Life”
Ayurveda, which translates from Sanskrit as the “Science of Life”, is a 5000 year old medical system from India which aims to create dynamic balance in all areas of health. As humankind’s most ancient system of healthy living, Ayurveda is commonly referred to as the “mother of all healing systems.”The ancient texts of Ayurveda focus on three primary areas: healing illnesses, preventing diseases, and promoting rejuvenation and longevity.

Central to all of these areas is one simple tenet: align yourself with the wisdom of nature, and you will experience vibrant, glowing health. Over the past two decades, Ayurveda has gained increasing popularity, through proponents such as the Chopra Center. Similar to its sister-science of Yoga, millions of people across the globe are currently embracing this science of self-healing. At its core, Ayurveda aims to empower every individual by placing the ability to heal back into their own hands. Through the use of botanical medicines, healthy dietary practices, and daily and seasonal lifestyle routines, Ayurveda embodies an unparalleled, “whole-health” approach to life and healing. Continue Reading >>

Quiz: What Fragrance Is Perfect for Your Type?

Adapted from What’s Your Dosha, Baby? by Lisa Marie Coffey (Marlowe and Company, 2004).
Here is a great tool to try when you’re feeling unbalanced: first, take the fun quiz to determine your dosha, or life-energy type, then see which fragrances will help you to stay calm and energized, serene and stable. The answers may surprise you, but they are based on a potent combination of ancient Hindu Ayurvedic wisdom and aromatherapy science. Continue Reading >>
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Creatine Has Negligible Effect on COPD Exercise Rehab

(HealthDay News) -- Taking creatine doesn't improve exercise outcomes in people who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a U.K. study reports.

Creatine is a popular nutritional supplement used to enhance athletic performance and muscle strength. This study included 100 COPD patients who received either creatine or a placebo during a seven-week pulmonary rehabilitation program.

Of the 80 patients who completed the study, there were no differences in muscle strength between those who took creatine and those who got the placebo. Any benefits of creatine may have been overshadowed by the effects of physical training, the researchers suggested.

"We have evidence to suggest Cr [creatine] uptake into muscles (in COPD patients), but are unable to explain why an increase in muscle Cr did not enhance training," wrote study lead author Dr. Sarah Deacon, specialist registrar at the Institute for Lung Health at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, England.

The study was published in the first August issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The findings suggest there's no substitute for the hard physical work that's an essential component of pulmonary rehabilitation.

"Those of us interested in pulmonary rehabilitation are happy to see confirmation of the beneficial effects of exercise training. This information indicates that creatine supplementation not be viewed as a substitute for exercise training," wrote Dr. Francoise Maltais and colleagues at the Centre de Recherche de l'Hospital Laval in Quebec, Canada.

More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about COPD.

AyurCold

AyurCold is a breakthrough formulation for immediate relief from Common Cold and Flu. It contains the most potent immuno-protective herbal concentrates available in Ayurvedic Science.

When formulated in the correct amounts and blended by our proprietary process, they reinforce the immune system to eliminate symptoms of viral infection and reinstate robust health.

AyurCold counteracts disturbances at the cellular level which cause the nagging symptoms of Cold and Flu: congestion, cough and chest discomfort, headache, fever, sore throat, and muscle and joint pains. Read more about AyurCold

Health Tip: Rid Your Home of Dust Mites

(HealthDay News) -- Creating a clean environment will help rid your home of dust mites, making breathing easier in people with allergies and asthma.

Try these suggestions for getting rid of the microscopic insects from your home, courtesy of the American Lung Association:

• Ensure that the humidity level of your home is below 50 percent. During the summer months, use an air conditioner or a dehumidifier.


• Wash all linens every week in hot water, in a temperature of at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit.


• Use protective airtight coverings over mattresses, and apply tape over the zippers.


• Avoid carpeting. Use washable rugs instead.


• Damp mop and dust your home often.


• Use washable curtains and window coverings, and clean them regularly.

Ayurveda - Art of Being Part 1

The knowledge of Ayurveda was handed from Brahma to Daksha Prajapati, onto the Ashwin twins (the divine doctors), then passed to Indra. Sage Bharadvaja volunteered to go to heaven to receive this wisdom from Indra, and so become the first human to receive the knowledge of Ayurveda. He passed it to Atreya, then onto Punarnavasu and finally Agnivesha.

Health Tip: Recovering From an Injury

(HealthDay News) -- When an injury forces you to take a break from sports or exercise, it's important to give your body enough time to heal. Returning too soon can lead to re-injury -- and even longer time away from the game.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers these suggestions for your recovery:

• Have your injury treated and monitored by a doctor and/or physical therapist.
• Just after injury, use ice/heat therapy as prescribed. Treatment may also involve a brace or cast.
• If possible, continue overall body conditioning, but be careful not to aggravate your injury.
  Join a rehabilitation program to help your body recover.
• Keep a positive attitude.
• When you are able to practice without difficulty, and your doctor has determined that the likelihood of re-injury is low, you are ready to return to play.

Active Social Life Helps Keep Aging Mind Sharp

(HealthDay News) -- People who keep up active social lives as they age may be doing their brain a favor, a new study finds.

Being socially active may increase feelings of self-worth and emotional validation that could end up helping maintain memory, researchers say. Social interaction may also present older minds with new challenges, keeping the brain more agile.

"We assessed social integration by marital status, volunteer activities and frequency of contact with children and neighbors," explained lead researcher Karen Ertel, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston.

Her team found that "people who were most socially integrated had memory decline of less than half the rate compared with those who were the least socially integrated," Ertel said.

The report is published in the May 29 online edition of the American Journal of Public Health.

In the study, Ertel's team collected data on almost 17,000 Americans, 50 and older, who participated in the Health and Retirement Study. To test memory, the researchers had participants memorize a list of 10 words. Over six years, researchers tested recall of the word list to assess any decline in immediate and delayed recall.

Average memory scores declined from 11 in 1998 to 10 in 2004, the researchers reported. People who were more socially engaged at the start of the study had a slower decline in memory, compared with people who were more socially isolated, the researchers found.

According to Ertel, the findings indicate that "social activity may help preserve cognitive functioning in the elderly. In addition, people who are socially active may also have other healthful behaviors, which may be related to cognition and better physical health."

In another study in the same issue of the journal, Finnish researchers reported that elderly people are more likely to be institutionalized following the death of a spouse.

"We found that the risk of entering long-term institutional care was higher among older adults who had lost their spouse than among those living with their spouse," said lead researcher Elina Nihtila, from the department of sociology at the University of Helsinki.

Moreover, the excess risk of institutionalization was highest during the first month after the spouse's death, Nihtila said. "The risk was more than three times among both men and women, and decreased with time from bereavement, stabilizing at approximately 20 percent to 50 percent higher over one to five years," she said.

Fortunately, a large proportion of surviving spouses are likely to recover from partner loss, and feelings of despair and anxiety typically do diminish over time, Nihtila said. This "emotional recovery could explain why the very large excess risk of entering institutional care among those recently bereaved dropped with time from the spouse's death," she said.

The study involved data on almost 141,000 people 65 and older living with a spouse. During five years of follow-up, the risk of being institutionalized rose immediately after the death of a spouse, the researchers found.

There could be various explanations for these findings, Nihtila said, including a "loss of social and instrumental support, in the form of care and help with daily activities such as help in cooking, cleaning, and shopping formerly shared with the deceased spouse."

In addition, grief and spousal loss may cause various symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, fatigue and loss of concentration, Nihtila noted. "Furthermore, grief may cause increased susceptibility to physical diseases that could also increase the need for institutional care," she said.

Home help services targeted to the bereaved immediately after a spouse's death might help ease the strain, Nihtila said.

One expert said the studies highlight the problem of growing social isolation among the elderly.

"There is nothing like being face-to-face with someone," said Colin Milner, CEO of the Vancouver-based International Council on Active Aging. "But I think we are manufacturing that [contact] out of our lifestyle and that will have a long term detrimental effect on the mental health of the population," he said.

More outreach to older people, especially when a spouse dies, will be key, Milner said. "There should be programs when a spouse dies to help them get back into the swing of life," he said.

More information
For more on healthy aging, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Air Pollution Linked to Blood Clots in Legs

(HealthDay News) -- Long-term exposure to the tiny, dirty particles in polluted air seems to increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis, which are blood clots in the thighs or legs, an Italian study finds.

"It is well-established that air pollution causes myocardial infarction [heart attack] and stroke," said Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, who led the study while at the Harvard School of Public Health. "This is the first time that anyone has connected air pollution with deep vein thrombosis."

Previous studies have suggested such a connection, said Baccarelli, who is now an assistant professor of environmental health at the University of Milan. "Several studies in animal models and in humans have shown that particulate matter, inhaled into the lungs, causes inflammation in the lungs," he said. "The inflammation can expand the cell body, so that the incidence of coagulation is increased."

Coagulation is the formation of clots that can block blood vessels.

Baccarelli and his colleagues assessed the effect of air polluted with particulate matter smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter -- about one-40th the width of a human hair. Such particles come from the exhaust of vehicles, especially those with diesel engines, and burning of fossil fuels, the researchers said.

The scientists compared the exposure to such pollution on 870 residents of the Lombardy region of Italy who had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, and 1,210 residents who did not have deep vein thrombosis. The researchers used the average concentration of particulate matter measured by monitors at 53 sites.

Compensating for other environmental and health factors, the researchers found that the risk of deep vein thrombosis increased by 70 percent for every increase in particulate matter of 10 micrograms per square meter. Tests showed that the blood of people more exposed to such pollution took less time to form clots.

"This makes a very strong case that air pollution is connected to deep vein thrombosis," said Dr. Robert D. Brook, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan, who wrote an accompanying editorial in the journal.

"But it is a first study and a single study," he added, "and I would be cautious about making generalizations and drawing conclusions on the basis of one study."

Still, "the results are very positive," Brook said. "Even if they are overestimating the effect, the effect, which is relatively so robust, is there. But how strong it is requires further studies."

"If future studies corroborate their findings and address some of the limitations, it may be proven that the actual totality of the health burden posed by air pollution, already known to be tremendous, may be even greater than anticipated," Brook said.

Baccarelli agreed with Brook's assessment, saying, "clearly the finding needs to be confirmed in additional studies."

"We are working on that," he said. "We are seeking additional populations in which the same link between air pollution and deep vein thrombosis can be evaluated. We also hope that some of our colleagues elsewhere will be pushed to conduct other studies."

The findings are published in the May 12 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

More information
Learn more about the health risks of air pollution from the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Youtharia is a natural supplement geared towards rejuvenating your entire biological system

Youtharia is a natural supplement geared towards rejuvenating your entire biological system, impeding the aging process, and promoting longevity.

It will:
Enhance Your Cardiac Output.
Increase Your Energy and Stamina.
Strengthen Your Immune System.
Restore Your Sleep Physiology.
Improve Your Appearance.
Elevate Your Sense of Well-Being.

Aging is an accumulation of lifelong damage to macromolecules, cells, tissues and organs. The maximum life span known for humans is 122.5 years. Genetic differences between humans account for different aging rates, including efficiency of DNA repair, types and quantities of antioxidant enzymes, and different rates of free radical production.

Common diseases among older people are cardiovascular disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, and hypertension. For chronic diseases and conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, depression, psychiatric disorders, osteoporosis, Parkinson's disease, and urinary incontinence, much remains to be learned about their distribution in the population, associated risk factors, and effective measures to prevent or delay their onset.

The epidemiologic transition, combined with the increasing number of older persons, represents a challenge for public health. In the United States, approximately 80% of all persons are aged above 65 years and have at least one chronic condition, and 50% have at least two conditions. As the population ages, the impact of Alzheimer's disease, which doubles every 5 years after the age of 65, is also expected to increase. Chronic conditions also can lead to severe disability. In the United States alone, arthritis affects approximately 59% of persons aged 65 years and above and is the leading cause of disability.

more information:
http://www.youtharia.com/index.htm?aff=dreddyclinic

Metabolic Syndrome Triggered by Overeating, Not Obesity

(HealthDay News) -- Overeating, not the obesity it causes, is the actual cause of metabolic syndrome, suggests a study with mice by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of health factors that increase the risk of developing insulin resistance, fatty liver, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

This study was among the first to propose that weight gain is an early symptom, not a direct cause, of metabolic syndrome, the researchers said.

"Most people today think that obesity itself causes metabolic syndrome," senior author Dr. Roger Unger, professor of internal medicine, said in a prepared statement. "We're ingrained to think obesity is the cause of all health problems, when, in fact, it is the spillover of fat into organs other than fat cells that damages these organs, such as the heart and the liver. Depositing fatty molecules in fat cells where they belong actually delays that harmful spillover."

In this study, Under and his colleagues compared normal mice to mice that were genetically altered to prevent their fat cells from expanding. Both groups of mice were overfed.

The normal mice got fat but didn't develop signs of metabolic syndrome until after about seven weeks of overeating. The genetically altered mice stayed slim but became seriously ill within a few weeks and displayed evidence of severe heart problems and major increases in blood sugar levels eight weeks before minimal heart problems developed in the normal mice, the researchers said.

The genetically altered mice showed significant damage to heart cells and to the insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas. They also got sick quicker, because the extra calories they consumed weren't stored in fat cells, but rather in other tissues, the researchers said.

The study was published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The exact cause of metabolic syndrome, which affects about 50 million Americans, is unknown, but lack of exercise and obesity have been tagged as the primary underlying contributors to the development of the condition, according to background information in the study.

More information
The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about metabolic syndrome.

Relevence of Ayurveda in today’s life

The diseases pertaining to life science are neither contagious nor influenced by genetics. These diseases breed in exhausted bodies that are out-of-shape due to unhealthy and frenzied lifestyles. These diseases involve both mind and body and hence holistic approach of Ayurveda is essential in bringing about well being and good health and plays a major role in treating diseases prevalent in today’s world.

The advantages of holistic treatments for combating heart diseases, diabetes and cancer, as in Ayurvedic literature has already been proven and accepted in countries like Japan, Singapore and Finland.

Ayurveda emphasizes that an individual should adopt healthy habits like regular routine schedule for sleep, proper cleansing practices, body massage, meditation, regular physical exercises, yoga, good clothing habits, a balanced diet depending on the weather, adequate intake of fluids, avoiding anger and stress and maintaining healthy relationships, sex life that is socially permissible and self education.

The holistic approach of Ayurveda involves usage of drug, behavioral changes and diet in tackling problems of mind and body to ensure vitality and good health. In Ayurveda, an illness is treated by four main procedures; cleansing (Samshodhana), Palliation (Samshamana), rejuvenation (Rasayana) and spiritual and psychological healing (Satvavajaya). When there is an imbalance of doshas, the lifestyles and dietary managements that are based on these doshas get disturbed.

Many Women Unclear About Breast Cancer Treatments

(HealthDay News) -- Only half the women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer clearly understand the risks and benefits of a mastectomy versus a breast-conserving lumpectomy plus radiation, even after they have one of the procedures, according to a new study.

If the woman is black or Hispanic, the chances are even less likely she has adequate information, say researchers whose results appear in the latest online issue of the journal Health Services Research.

The study looked at 1,132 women from Detroit and Los Angeles who had undergone surgery for ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive but not metastatic breast cancer. The women reported their race and ethnicity, knowledge of survival and recurrence, and cancer topics they had discussed with their surgeons, who also were surveyed.

Only 51 percent of women in the study knew that patients who had a mastectomy or a lumpectomy plus radiation had the same five-year survival rate. Forty-eight percent of the women reported not knowing whether cancer recurrence rates were the same for mastectomy as they were for a lumpectomy with radiation.

The survey also revealed that black and Hispanic women were less likely to know about breast cancer survival and recurrence, as were older women and those with less education.

"Overall, women were not generally well-informed about the risks and benefits of the treatment they received," study lead author Sarah Hawley, a research assistant professor at the University of Michigan Health System and research investigator at the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System, said in a prepared statement.

Women who said their surgeons discussed both treatment options did know more about survival and recurrence rates, but minority women still lagged in survival and recurrence knowledge, Hawley said.

"The authors' finding of racial and ethnic differences in knowledge of survival and recurrence according to surgical treatment are concerning because of their implications about possible suboptimal communication between surgeons and their ethnic minority patients," Dr. Leah Karliner, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not affiliated with the study, said in a prepared statement.

However, Karliner said the findings are only associations, and readers can't draw cause-and-effect conclusions about the results.

For women facing breast cancer treatment, they should always ask all of their questions before deciding on a treatment option and make sure they understand the reasons behind their doctors' recommendations for or against a particular treatment, Karliner said.

More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about breast cancer.

Ayurveda And Geriatric Care

The twenty-first century is witnessing a gradual decline in fertility, and with increase in life expectancy, the society will need to grapple with issues of longevity. The cause of morbidity and mortality world over is shifting from communicable diseases a few decades ago to non-communicable diseases. The leading causes of mortality among aged people comprise respiratory problems, heart diseases, cancer and stroke. Significant causes of morbidity among this group is chronic inflammatory and degenerative conditions such as Arthritis, Diabetes Osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, psychiatric disorders, Parkinson’s disease and age related urinary problems.

The biggest challenge with geriatric problem is that in most of the cases the condition cannot be attributed to a single cause or in certain conditions of neuro-psychiatric disorders like, Senile dementia, Alzheimer’s depression, the structural cause is unknown. In such cases the conventional medical therapy fails to come out with effective management plan and hence is severely compromised. Another challenge with conventional medical therapy is that it does not have health-promoting agents. Ayurveda on the other hand has interventions like chayavanaprasha, triphala that enhance physiological processes that influence metabolic and immunological status. Such interventions are significant in the context of geriatric care.

The twenty-first century is witnessing a gradual decline in fertility, and with increase in life expectancy, the society will need to grapple with issues of longevity. The cause of morbidity and mortality world over is shifting from communicable diseases a few decades ago to non-communicable diseases. The leading causes of mortality among aged people comprise respiratory problems, heart diseases, cancer and stroke. Significant causes of morbidity among this group is chronic inflammatory and degenerative conditions such as Arthritis, Diabetes Osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, psychiatric disorders, Parkinson’s disease and age related urinary problems.

The biggest challenge with geriatric problem is that in most of the cases the condition cannot be attributed to a single cause or in certain conditions of neuro-psychiatric disorders like, Senile dementia, Alzheimer’s depression, the structural cause is unknown. In such cases the conventional medical therapy fails to come out with effective management plan and hence is severely compromised. Another challenge with conventional medical therapy is that it does not have health-promoting agents. Ayurveda on the other hand has interventions like chayavanaprasha, triphala that enhance physiological processes that influence metabolic and immunological status. Such interventions are significant in the context of geriatric care.

Rasayana therapy of Ayurveda is a dedicated stream of medication for immune promotive, antidegenerative and rejuvenative health care and is known for preventing the effects of ageing and improving the quality of life of healthy as well as diseased individuals. Scientific studies have proven the efficacious role of Rasayana remedies in the management of chronic life style related diseases and degenerative changes.

Rasayana is normally advised during the degenerative phase, which starts from around 45 yrs in both male and female. A holistic system like Ayurveda approaches this condition through two-fold methods. One is a radical approach in which it recharges the whole metabolic process of the body by eliminating the toxins from the system by a three to four months rigorous and organized process known as Kutipraveeshika Rasayana. However, this process is seldom practiced due to the extreme intricacy of the physiological process involved and the need for utmost care to be taken by the physician and subject including the environment where the treatment is done. Hence this Kutipraveeshika remains as a textual marvel of Ayurveda than a practical process of contemporary relevance.

The second approach of Ayurveda, which is quite popular today, is called Vataatapika Rasayana – which can go along with the normal day to day life. This type of Rasayana is particularly important in the current scenario, as it is has a relatively easy mode of administration without any restrictive pre-conditions.

Describing the effects of Rasayana, the classical texts of Ayurveda say that from Rasayana one attains longevity, improved harmony and intelligence, freedom from disorder, youthful vigor, excellence of luster, complexion and voice, optimum strength of physique and senses, command over language, respectability and brilliance. Ayurveda considers the physical structure to be composed of 7 dhatus starting from Rasa {Rasadi Dhatus} and Rasayana is the tool to create premium dhatus (body tissues). The main utility of Rasayana therapy is in functional and degenerative disorders that have a chronic or long standing nature. In such cases, in fact, Rasayana is the only solution from the point of view of effective management in any system of medicine. Rasayana becomes more fruitful and effective if it is preceded with suitable panchakarma (purificatory therapy). The reason we see mixed results in many cases where Rasayana is employed is because of the fact that either this purification is not done or improperly done. Panchakarma is a bio-cleansing regimen comprising of five main procedures that facilitates better bioavailability of the pharmacological therapies, helps to bring about homeostatis of body-humors, eliminates disease-causing complexes from the body and checks the recurrence and progression of disease. The five fold measures comprehended in this therapy are-Vamana (Therapeutic Emesis), Virechana (therapeutic Purgation), Asthapana Vasti (Therapeutic Decoction Enema), Anuvasana Vasti (Therapeutic oil Enema), Nasya Karma (Nasal administration of medicaments).

Panchakarma procedures are preceded by Snehana (therapeutic Oleation) and Swedana (Sudation) applications to make the body system conducive for elimination of bio-toxins and cleansing of channels. This is effective in managing autoimmune, neurological, psychiatric and musculo-skeletal diseases of chronic and metabolic origin.

Ayurvedic treatment as such is very individualistic and one medicine found to be useful in a condition in a particular person might not work at all in another. Hence it is a challenge to come out with generalized management solutions for a condition that would suit all. It is difficult to bring out management plans for a particular disease condition and implement the same on a large scale. It is important that we respect both holism of traditional medicine as well as reductionism of modern biomedicine because both are ways of looking at nature and depending on the purpose both the views can be extremely useful. Furthermore the whole and the part are certainly related but it is not a one-to-one relationship.

The understanding that it is not one-to-one relationship and learning how to relate the whole perspective (the systemic theories of Ayurveda & Yoga) with part (structural theories of western biomedicine) is the outlook that should underline the implementation of trans-disciplinary research projects. Today, nobody in the academic field has all the answers of how to combine and correlate part and whole perspectives in the context of clinical research design, clinical practice, content of courses on Ayurveda and Yoga, in the context of laboratory research in pharmacognosy and product development, and in assessment of community based local health practices. It is important to understand that drug trials for evaluating efficacy of Ayurvedic interventions is a reductionist approach and is an inappropriate design. Instead clinical trials should evaluate the efficacy of a whole management package which may consist of drugs, diet, Yoga, Panchakarma including differential diagnosis to identify the specific nature of tridoshic imbalance.

The World population of the elderly is increasing and by the year 2050, adults older than 65 years will comprise 1/5th of the global population. In India 3.8% of the population are older than 65 years of age. According to an estimate the likely number of elderly people in India by 2016 will be around 113 million.

The biggest challenge in the contemporary application of Ayurvedic geriatrics would be to come up with protocols to document, diagnose in an integrative framework and manage geriatric problems. This would require critical investment in establishing advanced research, treatment and teaching centers that have a state of the art facility to deal with geriatrics. It is essential that a multi-dimensional intervention be conceived that will involve a) trans-disciplinary research b) advanced treatment centers and c) specialized postgraduate education. There is a very urgent need to establish centers in the country that would engage in the kind of trans-disciplinary research that we are envisaging in order to take Ayurveda globally and also to bring the clinical services of Ayurveda into the mainstream. This would require a generous funding for undertaking such research and also establishing centers that would provide effective clinical services. There is also a need to support specialized trans-disciplinary PG researches in centres where PG in geriatrics is offered.

Source: PIB

AyurGold-Maintain Optimal Blood Chemistry for Good Health

Blood chemistry is regulated by negative feedback in order to keep the body in homeostasis (optimal equilibrium). The levels of glucose in the blood are monitored by the cells in the pancreas.

If the blood glucose level falls to dangerous levels (caused by very heavy exercise or lack of food for extended periods), some pancreas cells release glucagon, a hormone that acts on liver cells to increase blood glucose levels.

Stored glycogen is converted into glucose by a process called glycogenolysis. The glucose is then released into the bloodstream, increasing blood sugar levels.

Blood sugar levels are also increased by "stress" hormones such as adrenalin, steroids, infections, trauma, and the ingestion of food. When levels of blood sugar rise, whether as a result of glycogen conversion, or from the digestion of a meal, a different hormone is released from beta cells found in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas.

This hormone, insulin, causes the liver to convert more glucose into glycogen. This process is called glycogenesis and it forces about two-thirds of body cells (primarily muscle and fat tissue cells) to take up glucose from the blood, thereby decreasing blood sugar levels. A breakdown in body homeostasis can lead to dangerously high or low blood sugar levels.

This can become a chronic condition leading to the onset of diabetes. According to the World Health Organization, in 1985, an estimated 30 million people worldwide had diabetes. By 1995, this number shot up to 135 million. The latest WHO estimate for the number of people with diabetes worldwide is 177 million. This will increase to at least 300 million by 2025.

The number of deaths attributed to diabetes is likely to be around 4 million. These projections take into account the fact that there will be more people in the world due to population growth and that there will be more elderly people due to population aging.

They also account for urbanization - the fact that people are moving from rural areas to cities, particularly in developing countries. This migration affects the number of people who are likely to have diabetes, because people living in cities of developing countries tend to be less physically active and have higher levels of obesity than people in rural areas.

In fact, current trends in obesity suggest that these projections are conservative and that the increase in the prevalence of diabetes may be even greater. In developing countries, people in the middle and most productive years of their lives are particularly affected by diabetes.

In these countries, three-quarters of all people with diabetes are under 65 years old and 25% of all adults with diabetes are younger than 44. In developed countries, more than half of all people with diabetes are older than 65, and only 8% of adults with diabetes are younger than 44. Because of its chronic nature, the severity of its complications, and the means required to control it, diabetes is a costly disease, not only for the affected individuals and the families involved, but also for the health authorities.

Studies in India estimate that, for a low-income Indian family, as much as 25% of family income may be devoted to diabetes care. For families in the USA, the corresponding figure is 10%. The total healthcare cost of a person with diabetes in the USA is between two and three times those for people without the condition.

A recent analysis of healthcare expenditure in the Western Pacific region has shown that 16% of hospital expenditure was spent on people afflicted with diabetes. In the Republic of the Marshall Islands, this figure was 25%. The cost of diabetes affects everyone, everywhere, but they are not only a financial problem. Intangible costs (pain, anxiety, inconvenience, and generally lower quality of life) also have great impact on the lives of patients and their families and are the most difficult to quantify.

Direct costs to individuals and their families include medical care, drugs, insulin, and other supplies. Patients may also have to bear other personal costs, such as increased payments for health and life insurance. Recent treatment cost estimates for Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico were US $3.9 billion, US $0.8 billion and US $2.0 billion, respectively.

Each of these is an annual figure and is rising as prevalence of diabetes increases. For most countries, the largest portion of diabetes expenditure is cost of hospital admissions for the treatment of long-term complications, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and foot problems.

Western medicine relies on aggressive prescription drugs and surgery to deal with many problems related to irregular blood chemistry in the body. Unfortunately, these methods often result in unwanted and even dangerous side effects. And natural pills provide only fleeting, inconsistent results.

Ayurveda, the science of life, prevention and longevity, is the oldest and most holistic and comprehensive medical system available. Its fundamentals can be found in Hindu scriptures called the Vedas - the ancient Indian books of wisdom written over 5,000 years ago. Ayurveda applies the inherent principles of nature to help maintain optimum health in a person by keeping the individual's body, mind, and spirit in perfect equilibrium with nature.

India Herbs has a seasoned group of Ayurvedic doctors specialized in Vajikarana, one of the eight major specialties of Ayurveda. Vajikarana prescribes the therapeutic use of various herbal and tonic preparations to address the root cause of irregular blood chemistry, while strengthening your body and overall well-being.

India Herbs' Vajikarana scientists combine a proprietary herbal formula based on centuries' old wisdom with advice on diet, exercise, mental training, and relaxation to help men and women overcome their health concerns through safe and natural means.

Results: The precise combination of ingredients in AyurGold along with a mind-body focus precisely addresses your blood chemistry concerns!
more information:
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Health Tip: Is GERD Causing Sleep Problems?

(HealthDay News) - Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can cause symptoms during the night that can prevent a good night's sleep.

The National Sleep Foundation offers these suggestions to keep GERD symptoms calm at night:

• Be careful of the foods you eat from late afternoon until bedtime. Try to avoid spicy foods, onions and chocolate.
• Eat a larger meal at lunch, and have a small, light dinner.
• Don't eat anything after two or three hours before you plan to go to bed.
• Don't drink alcohol or smoke before bed.
• Sleep on a pillow or two, with your head and shoulders elevated.
• Try sleeping on your left side.

Ignition Locks Prevent Repeat DWI Offenses

(HealthDay News) -- Breath-testing devices that prevent a vehicle from starting if the driver's blood alcohol level exceeds a preset limit can dramatically reduce more DWI offenses among first-time offenders, a new study shows.

First offenders with "interlock" devices installed on their cars were 60 percent less likely to have a repeat offense than those who did not use the devices, according to findings published in the current issue of Traffic Injury Prevention.

"This study on first-time offenders reinforces prior studies on this issue that show a 65 percent reduction in drunk driving while interlocks are installed," Paul Marques, of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, said in a prepared statement.

The findings may help resolve questions about whether interlocks work as well with first-time offenders as with repeat offenders. Two earlier studies had questioned their effect, but the researchers noted that in those studies, only a small proportion of those required to install the interlocks actually did.

In the new study, researchers examined the records of 1,461 first-time DWI offenders in New Mexico who had interlocks installed in their vehicles and compared them with 17,562 first-time offenders in the state who didn't use the devices. The two groups were matched by age, gender and blood alcohol concentration at the time of arrest.

"The average first offender has driven drunk many times before he or she was arrested. The big risk difference is between non-offenders and first offenders. The risk difference between first offenders and repeat offenders is small by comparison," Marques said.

This research -- funded in part by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropic organization that focuses on health and health-care issues -- also cited possible economic benefits to vehicle interlocks.

One device cost the offender $2.25 per day, leading the authors to estimate that for every dollar spent on interlocks for first offenders, the public saves $3 in damage and destruction caused by DWI crashes.

"Interlocks present an opportunity to help change behavior rather than simply punishing or incarcerating the offender," Marques said. "It's not enough to revoke a license -- 75 percent of all people with revoked licenses drive anyway -- but you don't want to sentence an entire family to poverty if they're dependent on that driver getting to and from his or her job. By installing an interlock, the risk that the DWI offender poses is controlled, and interlocks become a public benefit."

Only about 10 percent of arrested DWIs nationally are ordered a period of interlock-controlled driving, Marques said. Four states mandate interlocks for first DWI offenses: New Mexico, Louisiana, Arizona and Illinois (effective in 2009).

More information
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism offers has more about preventing alcohol abuse.

Fixing Poor Vision Boosts Preschoolers' Test Scores

(HealthDay News) -- Preschoolers with poor vision significantly improved their test scores within six weeks of consistently wearing prescription glasses, a new study shows.

"It has been theorized that when young children have early vision problems that are undiagnosed and uncorrected, their development and performance in school are impacted," Stuart I. Brown, chairman of ophthalmology and director of the Shiley Eye Center University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement. "This study shows that children with vision impairment do perform below the norm in visual-motor coordination tests, and that they catch up quickly once they are given corrective [lenses]."

The study, published in the February issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology, followed 70 children, aged 3 to 5, about half of whom had normal vision, and half were diagnosed with ametropia -- abnormal refractive eye conditions leading to poor vision, such as astigmatism.

The children took two standardized tests that relate directly to future school performance: the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI) and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R).

Before being given glasses, the vision-impaired children scored significantly lower on both tests, demonstrating reduced ability of the brain to coordinate the eyes with the hands, the researchers said.

That changed after the vision-impaired children were provided with prescription glasses and monitored with the assistance of their families over six weeks to ensure that they wore their glasses consistently.

Upon retesting, the VMI scores of the children with vision problems were at the same level as the scores of the children with normal eyesight. The WPPSI-R scores did not show the same dramatic improvement, but the researchers speculated that the test might not be as sensitive to changes in visual-motor integration skills tested by the VMI tool. The researchers are following the children to test whether the WPPSI-R scores change further over time.

"Amazingly, this is the first controlled study of preschool children to show the cognitive disadvantage preschool children have when they are farsighted and/or have astigmatism, as well as to show the benefit of early intervention with glasses," study co-author Barbara Brody, director of the Center for Community Ophthalmology at the Shiley Eye Center, said in a prepared statement.

More information
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality offers a guide to good health for children.

Baseline Exam Is Key to Eye Health

(HealthDay News) -- Even people with no signs or risk factors for eye disease can suffer vision loss and need to get baseline eye exams at age 40, says the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).

The reminder is part of the academy's EyeSmart campaign to mark Save Your Vision Month in February.

"Many eye diseases progress without any warning sings," Dr. Stephanie Marioneaux, a clinical correspondent for the AAO, said in a prepared statement. "Gradual changes in vision can affect your ability to function independently and have confidence in your abilities. One of the hardest adjustments a person can make is adapting to life with permanent vision loss. That is why nothing replaces a comprehensive baseline eye exam."

Based on the findings from the initial screening, an ophthalmologist will create a schedule for follow-up eye exams.

People of any age who have symptoms of eye disease or at high risk due to family history, diabetes or high blood pressure should consult with their ophthalmologist to determine how often they should have their eyes checked, the AAO recommends.

By 2020, 43 million Americans will be at significant risk for vision loss or blindness due to age-related eye diseases such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and macular degeneration. That's a more than 50 percent increase over the current number of Americans with such vision-threatening diseases.

But many Americans are unconcerned about the risk of vision loss. Only 23 percent of Americans are very concerned about losing their vision, while most feel weight gain or joint or back pain are greater worries than vision loss, according to an AAO survey conducted for its EyeSmart campaign.

"Unfortunately, millions of people with suffer significant vision loss and blindness because they don't know the risks. That is why the academy launched the EyeSmart campaign, because knowing your risks can save your sight," Marioneaux said.

More information
The U.S. National Eye Institute has more about eye disease risk.

Test Detects Sensitivity to HIV Drug

(HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that an expensive blood test could help a small minority of HIV patients discover whether they should avoid a common AIDS drug that can sometimes cause serious side effects.

The test detects sensitivity to the medication abacavir by checking to see if a patient's genetic makeup is linked to poor reactions to the medicine.

"This is very important news in relation to the great hopes from the work with the Human Genome Project," said Magnus Ingelman-Sundberg, a professor at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, who wrote a commentary about the research. The genome project aims to analyze the genetic blueprint of humans.

At issue is the AIDS drug abacavir, also known by the brand name Ziagen, which is found in compound drugs known as Trizivir and Epzicom. The drug is known as a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor and works by preventing the AIDS virus from going through the motions of multiplying.

About 8 percent of patients suffer from hypersensitivity to the drug, said study author Simon Mallal, a researcher at Murdoch University & Royal Perth Hospital in Australia. His report on the results is published in the Feb. 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The problems typically occur within the first six weeks that patients use the drug, he added.
According to the study, the side effects include fever, rash, gastrointestinal symptoms and other problems.

By testing patients for a genetic trait that was found in 5.6 percent of 1,956 female and male patients, the researchers found they could spot potential cases of sensitivity to abacavir.
The test's use could allow doctors to do a better job of personalizing drugs for individual patients, Mallal noted.

The study was funded by GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of the drug, and several researchers reported receiving funding from the company. Mallal is the sole shareholder of a company that is trying to get a patent for a test for the genetic trait.

Rowena Johnston, vice president of research for amfAR, The Foundation For AIDS Research, said it remains to be seen if the test will be cost-effective.

According to Mallal, the test could potentially cost $100 to $150 in the United States. Ingelman-Sundberg, the Swedish researcher, put the cost at about $200.

"On the more favorable side, we certainly need more effective ways to predict who will tolerate which drugs or combinations better or worse," Johnston said. Patients who have side effects on drugs often don't bother to take them, which can make their bodies develop immunity to medications, she said.

"This might be one start towards building a battery of tests that could predict who will do well on which antiretrovirals," she said. "But I think more research could provide tools that are easy to implement and might ultimately help patients achieve high adherence so they can take full advantage of the ability of antiretroviral therapy to prolong life."

More information
Learn more about abacavir from the National Institutes of Health.