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From Standard Times Press News Paper YOUR HEALTH Did you realise that supporting a football team can put you at risk of suffering a heart attack on match days? Surprising though this may seem, it’s been proven! A study carried out on Dutch supporters during the 1996 Football European Nations Cup produced some indisputable results!
On the day of the match, which the Dutch team lost, the researchers recorded no fewer than 22 deaths in Holland due to cardiovascular causes. They compared this figure with those gathered during the 11-day period covering the day of the match and the five days before and after it, and also during the same period in 1995 and 1997 – ie one year prior to the match and one year later.
And, amazingly, they discovered that there was a 50% increase in deaths on the day of the fateful match, compared with the same period the year before and the year after! This remarkable phenomenon could be explained by a number of factors such as high levels of mental stress and strong emotions, but also too much heavy food and alcohol… Beware Of Pot Belly Syndrome!Once considered a sign of wealth, having a pot belly is no longer good news. At least as far as doctors are concerned. Dr Boris Hansel of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, France, reminds us of the causes and risks associated with pot belly syndrome.
It is a sign of what is sometimes euphemistically described by the more fashionable but disputed term metabolic syndrome. This is triggered by excess fat inside the abdomen, he explains. This abdominal overload is responsible for many anomalies, such as pre-diabetes, excess fat in the blood, high blood pressure, etc. It can lead to the appearance of cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis, infertility and sleep apnoea.
Waist measurement appears to be a good warning sign. In women, waist circumference should be less than 80 cm. Above this, experts refer to a high waist circumference and to a very high circumference if it is over 88 cm. In men, it should be less than 94 cm. If above 102 cm it is considered to be a pot belly.
However, it is important to measure correctly. Dr Hansel’s advice is as follows: take a tape measure and place it half way between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone. Run it around your middle making sure it is not too tight or too loose. This is useful advice that could help you to avoid metabolic syndrome and its unfortunate consequences.
Don’t Let Anaemia Go Unnoticed! Iron is essential for our body to function efficiently. It is a major constituent of the haemoglobin in our red blood cells and it carries oxygen from the lungs to the heart, brain and muscles. So it would be fair to say that iron gives us life.
When the level of haemoglobin in the blood is too low, this is referred to as anaemia. It is a condition that can give rise to serious disorders. It is also a real public health problem in developing countries. In fact, anaemia due to lack of iron affects more than two thousand million people across the world.
But we are not all at equal risk. It poses more of a threat to some people than others, most particularly to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. And, to women of reproductive age in general. Anaemia during pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight, and in some cases can present a risk to life for both mother and child.
Unfortunately we are not always vigilant enough about anaemia. We need to learn to recognise the warning signs. Fatigue, breathlessness, a rapid pulse, heart palpitations, a pale complexion … While these may not seem much in themselves, they can be warning signs. More than simply a sign of overdoing it, they can indicate anaemia. Particularly if they are accompanied by more specific symptoms such as a tendency to infections, cracks at the corners of the mouth, nails and hair that break easily…
Lack of iron can be due to several factors: insufficient iron in the diet and increased iron requirements associated with pregnancy, breastfeeding or growth. It is also important to remember that women can lose large amounts of iron from their body during heavy periods or other types of bleeding.
What To Do If Your Child Has A Stomach Bug … Persistent diarrhoea and vomiting, fever, listlessness? Your little one is probably suffering from some form of gastroenteritis. And it’s important to deal with it properly or it could lead to dehydration. And this can have very serious consequences. Ask your doctor or pharmacist what to do … and pay careful attention to their advice. First of all, get hold of some oral rehydration salts (ORS) from your pharmacy. This is a simple, effective way to combat dehydration in young children and is even reimbursed by many health insurance systems.
ORS comes in the form of sachets of powder (sodium and glucose) that you dilute in mineral water. This solution can then be administered through the baby’s feeding bottle or in a glass, in small sips. This should be done as soon as the diarrhoea begins. Most importantly, don’t replace ORS with plain or sweetened water, carrot soup or any other liquid.
Next, and contrary to received wisdom, you should quickly reintroduce food. Don’t wait for your little one to get better before doing this. And don’t hesitate to wake him up at night and offer him a drink. If his condition still doesn’t improve, if the vomiting persists, if he refuses to drink and is abnormally quiet, with shadows around his eyes or has unusually dry, warm skin, call your doctor or take him straight to hospital.
For Nice, White Teeth … Go And See Your Dentist!Do you find that your teeth have become discoloured? Tooth whitening may provide a simple, safe solution to brightening up your smile. Providing, of course, that you visit your dentist. He will be able to offer you various treatments.
If your teeth have become discoloured through drinking coffee and tea, or through smoking, he will give them a careful scale and polish and will recommend a whitening toothpaste that can be used alternately with your usual toothpaste. He will also advise you to cut down on the amount of tea and coffee you drink. And, of course, to take this opportunity to give up smoking once and for all!
If your teeth are more seriously discoloured, for example due to the ageing of the dental tissue, your dentist will carry out a thorough scaling and then take an impression of your dental arches. These dental impressions will be used to make soft, plastic trays with reservoirs that will stay in contact with the teeth that need whitening. The reservoirs are then filled with a special gel and placed over your teeth for 1 or 2 hours a day for a month.
In cases of deep discolouration, the dentist will apply more concentrated gels. This technique, which is known as home whitening, can in fact only be carried out at the dentist’s. But don’t forget in any case that such treatments are only suitable for use on healthy teeth and gums, and always under the supervision of a dental surgeon.
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