PRESERVE CORD BLOOD
What is Cord Blood?
The blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord following the birth of a child is called cord blood. Till now, it was discarded but recent studies have established its medical importance. So, would-be parents are getting recommendations from medical professionals that they should think about cord blood collection, in India too.
Why Cord Blood Collection?
Cord blood, because of being rich in stem cells, can save the child's life from as many as 75 serious ailments, and is especially useful in case of transplants generally administered while treating diseases like haemophilia, thalassaemia, blood cancer and immunity related genetic disorders. Stem cells are transformed into other cell types within the body to make up for their loss or deficiency. Cord blood preservation provides a type of health insurance to the child. The preserved stem cells of a child may treat many diseases of the parent also, and hence become a ‘lifeline' for the entire immediate family.
What is the Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Process? Is it Safe?
Umbilical cord blood collection process is very simple, painless and safe. The whole process takes less than five minutes and doesn't need any specifically trained medical professional. Existing health care provider can do it easily.
Is it possible for C-Section Deliveries?
The process of umbilical cord blood collection is not related with kind of delivery so it can be done in both- normal (vaginal) delivery or cesarean. Fully sterile cord blood collection kits to be used in c-sections are also available.
Umbilical cord blood collection can be done in two ways:
- Syringe method: In this method, a syringe is used for extraction of blood from umbilical cord just after umbilical cord is cut just like we extract blood for blood test.
- Bag method: In this method, instead of using syringe to extract blood, umbilical cord is raised up to let the blood drain in a bag.
The syringe or bags are pre-labeled with a particular code representing your baby. The complete umbilical cord blood collection process takes around 5 minutes. Cord blood may be collected within first 15 minutes after the birth and the collected cells should be processed in the laboratory within 48 hours. Larger stem cell sample means better survival rate during transplant treatment process.
Is there any risk for child during collection?
Some people think that umbilical cord blood collection may affect child's growth or resistance power. But it is purely a myth. The process doesn't require any alteration in the delivery process and possesses no threat or problem to the mother and child. Parents with a medical history of cancer, hepatitis, malaria, diabetes and HIV/AIDS etc are not eligible.
Do we need to give prior intimation to the Doctors for collection?
The attending gynecologist should know well in advance your intention of umbilical cord blood storage so that requisite arrangements to store baby's umbilical cord blood can be made. Anyone interested for cord blood donation should inform the Cord blood bank authorities latest by 34th week of pregnancy. If you are interested in cord blood banking for a lifetime of medical security for your child, contact Cryobanks India and complete extremely simple sign-up formalities.
LOW BACK PAIN IS NO REASON TO STAY IN BED
For much of the 20th century, "rest" which generally meant a few days to a week in bed was the standard prescription for acute low-back pain. In recent decades, however, doctors started counseling patients to stay as active as they could.
An updated review now confirms what has become conventional wisdom: "Normal daily activity seems to be the best way for patients with low-back pain to get better," said Kristin Thuve Dahm, a researcher at the Norwegian Centre for the Health Services and lead author of the review.
Active patients experience less pain and avoid the side effects of immobility.
The review appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.
In the review, which directly compared rest in bed and staying active, the authors combined two previous Cochrane reviews, published in 2002 and 2004, that evaluated the two treatments separately. They also searched for additional recent randomized trials, but found none.
The fact that no new study has been published in nearly 10 years "shows that research done in the past already proved the point. Everyone is fairly convinced there's not much benefit to bed rest," said Joel Press, M.D., professor in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Feinberg Northwestern School of Medicine in Chicago.
The researchers looked at two kinds of low back pain: with and without sciatica.
Although the term "sciatica" is often applied to low-back pain in which pain radiates down one or both legs, reviewed studies defined it more strictly: low-back pain accompanied by signs of nerve compression or damage, like numbness, tingling or weakness in the leg.
The comparison between bed rest and normal activity for low-back pain without sciatica used data from three studies that included 481 patients. All three found improvements in pain intensity with both treatments, with no significant differences between them.
One of the studies, however, involved a highly specific group of patients 80 young combat trainees who were hospitalized for their back pain "and thus, it's applicability to the general population is questionable," the authors wrote.
When the reviews pooled data from the other two studies, patients who stayed active experienced reductions in pain that were more significant, although the difference was "of limited clinical importance," they wrote. The difference in pain persisted at follow-up 12 weeks later.
The same two studies found significantly greater improvements in the ability to function in the group that stayed active, four weeks and 12 weeks after treatment.
In comparing treatments for sciatica, the reviewers analyzed data from two studies of 348 patients. No difference existed in pain intensity, directly after treatment or 12 weeks later, between sciatica patients who received advice to stay active and those whose doctors prescribed bed rest. Similarly, there was no difference between groups in patients' ability to function.
"The available evidence neither supports nor refutes that advice to stay active is better than resting in bed for people with sciatica," Dahm said. "However, considering that bed rest is associated with potential harmful side effects, we think it is reasonable to advise people with sciatica to stay active."
In general, Press said, "we're almost always better moving than not moving. Structures in your back get their nutrition from movement; they have no real vascular system and are supplied with blood by motion, soaking it up like little sponges."
Negative changes associated with immobility "manifest right away," he said. Studies done in the 1950s showed that people lose 2 percent to 5 percent of their strength per day of complete bed rest.
The reviewers also compared bed rest and activity with other treatments. Pooled data of three studies including 931 low-back pain patients found little or no difference in pain or ability to function between patients on bed rest and those prescribed exercises.
Similarly, results of a single trial with 186 patients suggested that "exercises add no clinically relevant benefit for patients with acute low-back pain when compared to advice to stay active," the authors wrote.
They came to the same conclusion about physiotherapy compared to either bed rest or activity for sciatica, from a single study involving 167 patients.
Press emphasized the need for future research to categorize back pain more precisely. "Not all back pain is the same; there are lots of different causes," and the chances of finding a single treatment to benefit all patients are not good, he said. The goal should be defining subgroups "so we can predict from symptoms, physical examination and imaging studies which patients will respond to which types of treatment."
REIKI
At every stage of human evolution we are given certain tools to help us deal with our problems at that particular time.
Life today is more complicated than it used to be. We go through complex and stressful situations. What we are now looking for is something that will help us cope with life and live it as it should be lived; in peace, joy, harmony and abundance.
There is an increasing awareness today that health deals with much more than the physical body. The mind and spirit are equally involved. It is actually "a healthy body in a healthy mind" rather than the other way around. This awareness has led to a search for healing systems that lay emphasis on holistic health. Reiki is one such energy healing system that brings about very positive and extensive changes in our health, general well being and way of life, if practiced regularly.
What is Reiki?
'Reiki' is a Japanese word. REI means 'universal' and KI is 'energy'.
The Reiki system of healing believes that, the energy which is the life force or 'prana' is present in all of creation.
This life force energy is what we all need in the right quantity to ensure optimum health - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
It is this energy that brings forth life and sustains it. Any depletion of this causes ill health.
Basics of Reiki
- It is very simple.
- You only have to be empowered by a Reiki master.
- It is a complementary form of healing which can be used in conjunction with any other form of treatment.
- Reiki does not belong to any religion.
Highlights of Reiki
- Reiki changes and heals every area of life that needs healing. The healing takes place as a result of the energy raising the vibrations of a being/object closer to that of the original or ideal design.
- It assists in manifesting goals and desires.
- It works at healing relationships, between people or objects; wherever there is disparity and imbalance, the energy will reinstate order and stability.
- The energy can be used to heal and balance anything in the past or the present.
- Reiki can be sent to any situation that will occur in the future, to ensure the best results possible (to be balanced and harmonious).
- Reiki brings healing to situations that you may not yet be aware of. When an area in your life is healed, the altered energy will bring change to all other areas of your life.
- This is not just a state of mind, but brings real benefits.
- Once attuned to Reiki the energy is constantly available to the healer. With Reiki we can heal ourselves, our family and anybody or anything in need of healing. In the process of healing we are never drained of our own energy. This is ensured by the attunement given by the Reiki master.
- Reiki practitioners often channel this energy for world peace. Healing can also be sent to distressing situations. There is no limit to the ways in which this wonderful healing energy can be used for the good of all.
BLOOD TEST HELPS PREDICT MENOPAUSE
Researchers have developed a blood test they say can predict how long of a reproductive life a woman has before menopause.
The blood test measures levels of a hormone called anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH), which is produced by the cells in women's ovaries and is a marker for ovarian function. The test could tell women as young as 20 when they would enter menopause. Sixty-three women reached menopause during the course of the study, and the test was able in most cases to predict the age within about four months of the woman's actual age; the maximum margin of error was between three and four years.
The findings could have implications on how women approach family planning. Researchers said it is one of the first population-based studies to provide a statistical model for predicting age at menopause.
"We developed a statistical model for estimating the age at menopause from a single measurement of AMH concentration in serum from blood samples," Ramezani Tehrani says. "Using this model, we estimated mean average ages at menopause for women at different time points in their reproductive life span from varying levels of serum AMH concentration. We were able to show that there was a good level of agreement between ages at menopause estimated by our model and the actual age at menopause for a subgroup of 63 women who reached menopause during the study."
Predicting Menopause With a Blood Test
The study results are based on blood samples from 266 women aged 20 to 49 who were part of the larger Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study, which began in 1998 and continues today. Blood samples were repeatedly collected from the study participants every three years, and the researchers also collected data about the women's socioeconomic backgrounds and reproductive histories. The average age of beginning menopause was about 52.
Ramezani Tehrani and her team found that:
- AMH levels of 4.1 ng/mL or less predicted early menopause (before age 45) in 20-year-olds
- AMH levels of 3.3 ng/mL predicted early menopause in 25-year-olds
- AMH levels of 2.4 ng/mL predicted early menopause in 30-year-olds
Women who had AMH levels of at least 4.5 ng/mL at age 20, 3.8 ngl/mL at age 25, and 2.9 ng/mL at age 30 could expect menopause to begin after they turned 50.
"The results from our study could enable us to make a more realistic assessment of women's reproductive status many years before they reach menopause," says Ramezani Tehrani. "For example, if a 20-year-old woman has a concentration of serum AMH of 2.8 ng/mL, we estimate that she will become menopausal between 35-38 years old."
Ramezani Tehrani says more studies are needed to validate these findings, but the blood test could be an important diagnostic tool to evaluate one's reproductive life and could provide a more accurate response than chronological age.
SLEEP AND ITS STUDY
Every animal sleeps, but why the brain needs sleep has remained a mystery. Neuroscientists now believe sleep is not only crucial to brain development, but is also necessary to help consolidate the effects of waking experience - by converting memory into more permanent and/or enhanced forms.
Sleeping problems are almost always involved in mental disorders, including stress, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, as well as head injury. The symptoms are strongly influenced by the amount of sleep a person gets. Difficulties may arise from the drugs used to control symptoms of a disorder, or from changes in the brain regions and neurotransmitters that control sleep.
We will try to understand the subject under the following topics:
- Stress, Behavior and Sleep
- The Effects of Snoring
- How Sleep Benefits Brains
Stress, Behavior and Sleep
Many of us know what it is like to go without sleep and how it can affect our mood and stress level. Here you will find important information about why you may be losing sleep and intriguing studies about sleep deprivation. You may be surprised.
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation
Adequate sleep is crucial to proper brain function - no less so than air, water, and food - but stress can modify sleep-wakefulness cycles.
Any amount of sleep deprivation will diminish mental performance, cautions Mark Mahowald, a professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. "One complete night of sleep deprivation is as impairing in simulated driving tests as a legally intoxicating blood-alcohol level."
At the American Diabetes Association's annual meeting, Eve Van Cauter, Ph.D., reported that people who regularly do not get enough sleep can become less sensitive to insulin. This increases their risk for diabetes and high blood pressure - both serious threats to the brain.
Previous work by Dr. Van Cauter, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, found that "metabolic and endocrine changes resulting from a significant sleep debt mimic many of the hallmarks of aging. We suspect that chronic sleep loss may not only hasten the onset but could also increase the severity of age-related ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and memory loss."
Stress Hormones and Insomnia-Study
That stress can affect proper sleep seems obvious, but researchers at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine have found another reason why middle-aged men may be losing sleep. It's not just because of what they worry about. Rather, it's due to "increased vulnerability of sleep to stress hormones," according to Dr. Alexandros N. Vgontzas.
As men age, it appears they become more sensitive to the stimulating effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). When both young and middle-aged men were administered CRH, the older men remained awake longer and slept less deeply. (People who don't get enough of this "slow-wave" sleep may be more prone to depression.)
"The increased prevalence of insomnia in middle-age may, in fact, be the result of deteriorating sleep mechanisms associated with increased sensitivity to arousal-producing stress hormones, such as CRH and cortisol," Vgontzas and colleagues suggest.
In another study, the researchers compared patients with insomnia to those without sleep disturbances. They found that "insomniacs with the highest degree of sleep disturbance secreted the highest amount of cortisol, particularly in the evening and nighttime hours," suggesting that chronic insomnia is a disorder of sustained hyperarousal of the body's stress response system.
Stress and Sleep Patterns-Study
Why do some people lose sleep during periods of stress, while others seem to "sleep like a baby"? Research suggests that the difference may be explained by the ways people cope.
At Tel Aviv University, Dr. Avi Sadeh conducted a study of students. He found that those "who tended to focus on their emotions and anxiety during the high-stress period were more likely to shorten their sleep, while those who tended to ignore emotions and focus on tasks extended their sleep and shut themselves off from stress."
The researchers think that "stress may take the blame. During a routine week of studies, and again during a highly stressful month, sleep patterns of 36 students (aged 22 to 32) were documented. Sleep quality improved or remained the same for students who directed their focus away from their emotions, but diminished for those who fretted and brooded as a way to cope with stress.
Almost titling his paper, "If you can't cope with it, sleep on it," Sadeh said "sometimes sleep can help you regulate your nervousness and offer you an escape from stress, particularly when there's nothing you can do about it."
Children's Sleep Patterns Related to Behavior-Study
A Northwestern University study of 500 preschoolers found that those who slept less than 10 hours in a 24-hour period (including daytime naps) were 25% more likely to misbehave. They were consistently at greatest risk for "acting out" behavioral problems, such as aggression and oppositional or noncompliant behavior.
Research shows that sleep disturbances in children are not only associated with medical problems (allergies, ear infections, hearing problems), but also with psychiatric and social issues. Children who were aggressive, anxious, or depressed had more trouble falling and staying asleep. Although sleep problems usually decline as children get older, these early patterns are the best indicator of future sleep troubles.
We will continue this topic next time and I will tell you about Sleep Apnea, Snoring and its relationship with ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
