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| Sunday, 13 March 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Headache : Commonest pain of all It is an ache that comes from the bones of the skull and tissues of the brain and it is one of the most commonest health complaints. The seemingly harmless, and all too frequent headaches. But are they as harmless as they are touted to be, or are they symptoms to something more serious?
The pain can last for 30 minutes and will continue for seven days. Pain is mild and moderate and occurs on both sides of the head. If you have occasional headaches over-the-counter painkillers would help to ease the pain. But for frequent headaches it is better to consult a doctor, who would most probably prescribe muscle relaxants or antidepressants to reduce the pain. Gentle massaging will help to get a relief. Regular exercise or relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation will also help to get rid of the pain. Over 15 per cent of people around the world suffer from migraine headaches and three quarter of them are women. Over 10 per cent of such victims experience a warning sign called 'an aura' - visual abnormalities such as flashing lights and less commonly numbness or tingling in the tongue, arm or face. The symptoms include nausea and sensitivity to light and noise and the pain usually occurs on one side of the head. This will be worsened by routine movements such as walking up or down stairs, and will last from four to 72 hours. The majority of those who suffer from migraine need medical treatment to relieve the pain. One needs to avoid migraine triggers such as chocolate, cheese and alcohol. Strong perfume fragrances also trigger the pain. A very rare type of headache is the cluster headaches and the majority of the sufferers are men. Heavy smokers and drinkers are prone to cluster headaches. This headache occurs at the same time each day and lasts for days, weeks or months, then disappear for months or years. The major symptom is the sudden series of excruciating pain on one side of the head. Other symptoms on the painful side may include a stuffed, running nose, a droopy eyelid and a watery eye. A typical attack lasts from 15 minutes to three hours. Most need to seek medical advice and some people will get relief from inhaling pure oxygen at the first signs of symptoms to stop the headache. It is essential to quit smoking and drinking when the headache occur. When should you see the doctor. Remember that not all headaches require medical attention. Some resulting from missed meals or occasional muscle tension can easily cured. But some types of headache are signals of more serious disorders, and call for prompt medical care. These include: * Sudden, severe headache * Sudden, severe headache associated with a stiff neck * Headache associated with fever * Headache associated with convulsions * Headache accompanied by confusion or loss of consciousness * Headache following a blow on the head * Headache associated with pain in the eye or ear * Persistent headache in a person who was previously headache free * Recurring headache in children * Headache which interferes with normal life A headache sufferer usually seeks help from a family practitioner. If the problem is not relieved by standard treatments, the patient may then be referred to a specialist. According to a leading local neurologist, special attention should be paid to children who complain of headaches when watching TV and reading books. " This may be a warning signal of a visual impact", he said adding most of the headaches will come and go but serious headaches with vomiting continue for more than three days need medical treatment. Origins of Ayurveda by Dr. Danister L. Perera Ayurveda is an intricate system of healing that originated in India thousands of years ago. Based on several facts and proofs, scholars of Ayurveda and ancient literature have said that Ayurveda originated before or around 6000 BC. Because prior to this Ayurveda was preached and practised orally, historians have considered this to be the time of origin of Ayurveda. We can find historical evidences of Ayurveda in the ancient books of wisdom known as the Vedas. In the Rig Veda, over 60 preparations were mentioned that could be used to assist an individual in overcoming various ailments. The Rig Veda was written over 6,000 years ago, but really Ayurveda has been around even longer than that. Therefore Ayurveda can be considered as the ancient Indian medical science, the origin of which can be traced back to the Vedas, which are the oldest available classics of the world. Vedas are the ancient books of knowledge, or science, from India. They contain practical and scientific information on various subjects beneficial to humanity like health, philosophy, engineering, astrology etc. Ayurveda is as old as humanity. Ayurveda is a holistic system of medicine from India that uses a constitutional model. Its aim is to provide guidance regarding food and lifestyle so that healthy people can stay healthy and folks with health challenges can improve their health. The word Ayurveda comprises of two Sanskrit words: 'Ayu', which means life or living and 'Veda', which means the knowledge or science of. So the literary meaning of the word Ayurveda is the science of life and living. Actually, the word science means specific knowledge. And scientific knowledge does not mean only modern aspects of technology. Ayurveda is one such ancient science. Ayurveda is a holistic healing science dealing not only with the treatment of some diseases but is a complete way of life. To know about life however, we must fully comprehend the vast scope of Ayurveda. Let us first define 'Ayu' or life. According to the ancient Ayurvedic scholars 'ayu' is comprised four essential parts. Life according to Ayurveda is a combination of senses, mind, body and soul. So it is clear from this definition of life that Ayurveda is not only limited to the body or physical status but also gives a comprehensive knowledge about spiritual, mental and social health. Ayurveda describes life in various aspects. It speaks on advantageous and disadvantageous states of life, happy and unhappy states of life, what is good or bad for life, healthy span of life or longevity. This includes a balanced relationship between us and all the creatures, our family members, our friends, our colleagues at the place of work and also the work, the climate and the society we live in, our ideas and customs, and finally with truth and God. Ayurveda teaches how to maintain this balance. As long as we can maintain this balance we are healthy and when there is imbalance there is disease, unhappiness and misery. This confirms that Ayurveda is a complete way of life. As the name itself says- Ayurveda is the science of life, so it originated with life. One of the principal tenets of Ayurveda is that life is eternal, therefore, as life is eternal, so its science should also be eternal. So, Ayurveda has no beginning and no end. It is eternal as well as universal. It does not belong to any particular country, religion or civilization. It does not belong to any particular period of history. The eternity of Ayurveda is also described in the Charak Samhita. It says that Ayurveda is universal and everlasting because of the following reasons. It has no beginning. It deals with things which are inherent in nature. Such natural manifestations are eternal. (Continued next week) Dengue on the horizon? The tsunami has come and gone. As has the initial concern. But ... with seasonal showers, an un noticed danger is now emerging in tsunami ravaged areas. Uncleared debris and remaining 'pools' created by the waves in tsunami hit coastal areas could take hundreds of lives if the authorities fail to pay a serious thought to clean up the environment to eradicate deadly dengue mosquitos. Activities to prevent a dengue epidemic, which ravaged the country few months before the tsunami, is going at a snail's pace after the tsunami. The 'Sunday Observer' recently witnessed the adhoc activities by irresponsible authorities, which dumped truck loads of tsunami debris without heeding to proper guidance from the environmental authorities. Truck loads of debris have been dumped along the main road to Galle making fine breeding grounds for dengue mosquitos. No efforts have been made to clear breeding grounds created under these debris. The threat of spreading dengue in the tsunami hit coastal areas will be aggravated with showers which commenced in some parts of the country. Without proper sanitation and protection against dengue mosquitos, the displaced people living in 'tent cities' run the risk of infecting the dengue virus. The majority of the people are living in tents as well as in their former houses surrounded by heaps of debris and uncleared remnants. They lack mosquito nets and have not received financial assistance to get misquito repellents. Its time for the local authorities to pay serious attention to expedite mosquito eradication programs in the tsunami hit areas. Don't waste money on EMS by Davey Dunn For effects of Electrical Muscle Stimulation on Body Composition, Muscle Strength, and Physical Appearance Electrical muscle stimulation devices (EMS) have been advertised to increase muscle strength, to decrease body weight and body fat, and to improve muscle firmness and tone in healthy individuals. A new study seeking to test those claims assigned 27 college-aged volunteers to either an EMS (n = 16) or control group (n = 11). The EMS group underwent stimulation 3 times per week following the manufacturer's recommendations, whereas the control group underwent concurrent sham stimulation sessions. Bilaterally, the muscles stimulated included the biceps femoris, quadriceps, biceps, triceps, and abdominals (rectus abdominus and obliques). An identical pre- and posttesting battery included measurements of body weight, body fat (via skinfolds), girths, isometric and isokinetic strength (biceps, triceps, quadriceps, hamstrings), and appearance (via photographs from the front, side, and back). EMS had no significant effect on the any of the measured parameters. Thus, claims relative to the effectiveness of EMS for the apparently healthy individual are not supported by the findings of this study. COMMENTARY: People are always looking for an easy way to get in shape and Electrical Muscle Stimulation devices were advertised as the solution for people not wanting to workout. Many people bought the devices hoping that they could just strap them to their different muscle groups and build muscle and lose fat while watching television or even while sleeping. This study done at the University of Wisconsin shows that Electrical Muscle Stimulation devices are useless for building muscle, increasing muscle strength, improving muscle tone or reducing bodyfat. WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS STUDY? Do not waste your money on Electrical Muscle Stimulation devices as a substitute for exercise. Malnutrition on the rise A recent survey done in welfare camps in Western, Southern and North Eastern provinces has found that over one third of children in these camps are underweight and malnourished. Over 1,000 children under five-years were monitors in the nutrition survey jointly carried out by the UNICEF, World Food Program and Medical Research Institute. According to the survey, over 34 per cent of the children are underweight, 16 per cent suffer from acute malnutrition, over two third of children suffers from acute respiratory infections and one in five children suffer from diarrhoeal diseases. The rate of malnutrition and underweight reported among these children are higher than the national average. According to the research the main cause for malnutrition and underweight is loss of their natural sources of food. They had also suffered due to inadequate safe water supply and poor sanitation and hygienic facilities. The survey found that although the food distribution for adults was adequate, children lacked necessary supplementary food to meet their nutritional requirement. Stressing the need to provide Vitamin A among these children, the survey recommends the setting up of a nutrition surveillance system in the tsunami affected areas to continue monitoring the situation and to expand the activities to cover the whole island. It also suggests health care workers be trained in each tsunami hit districts to monitor malnutrition in children and to provide necessary care and support. Tips to reduce morning sickness "You are going to become a mother", your doctor's first hint about your pregnancy would be the most joyful news that you heard in your life. From that day onwards you may be browsing the web and reading whatever book you find to learn more about your unborn. This column will help you to enhance your knowledge on pregnancy and healthy ways to raise your baby - the miracle of life. Pregnancy is the beginning of a magical journey. After five weeks, your baby, who is gently floating in the amniotic fluid attached only by the umbilical cord, would be the size of just a grain of rice (seven mm). You may feel completely exhausted because of the hormonal changes in your body but you would not look different. Your breast are getting bigger and your waist is starting to thicken. After six weeks you may feel the first symptoms of morning sickness which can last the whole day for some. Here are some tips to reduce the 'gravity' of the morning sickness. * Start the day with a cream cracker biscuit. This is not a mouth watering snack but can relieve morning nausea. * Drink a cup of milk * Do not try to be isolated. Be with your family talking to them. It will help you to forget the awful feeling. * Do not skip meals and eat whatever the food you prefer. Try to eat small meals to keep your stomach full. If you vomit after meals take as anti-emetic tablet before meals. * Eat fresh vegetables and fruits. * Stick to your normal routine but have a two-hour resting period daily. * Drink plenty of water. It will help avoid dehydration. Drinking fresh fruit juice is important. Add little salt to the drink to recover the potassium content that releases when vomiting. * Avoid foods like crabs and prawns. * Add a little ginger to the food and lime to drinks. * Remember to 'say no to oily and chilly food'. * On doctors advice take the required amount of folic acid and vitamin B. * Be in an environment that you can really relax. * Have a 8-hour good sleep at night. Even with all these efforts sometimes it is difficult to cope up the unusual feeling. But... try out, sometimes, a slow jog or a brisk walk will really make you feel more energised and breathing fresh air will help you to ease the tiredness. However, the best thing to do is to tolerate morning sickness, nausea and tiredness. Because they are 'magical signals' from your body during pregnancy. It is important to remember... these pregnancy related irritants won't - last for ever. - Based on an interview with Dr. Hemantha Dodampahala. If you have any pregnancy related questions you can write to us and Dr. Hemantha Dodanpahala will answer your questions. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
According to neurologists, the majority of headaches are due to the
instability of chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters. Over 95 per
cent of headaches do not have any connection to any underlying disease.
Tension-type headache is the most common headache which occurs, as the name
suggest, mainly due to tension. This headache can hurt you occasionally or
even more than 15 days of the month. 
