Common Cold: The Commonest Human Disease

CAUSES:

• Exciting cause is an unidentified virus but there are certain predisposing factors which render some people more prone to catch the infection that others like

• Damp, dark and over crowded houses which predispose to cross infection.
• Lowered body resistance for e.g. starvation or some other diseases
• Wet and cold weather
• Sedentary occupations and working conditions in which there may be dust of fumes in the atmosphere
• Other defects in the nose and throat for e.g. allergy, nasal polyp, deflected septum, sinusitis, tonsillitis etc
• Age and sex is no bar but very young patient seem to suffer most from the disease
• Imbalanced diet and smoking.

How to Have Young and Healthy Knees

Can you maintain a healthy life style without fit legs? No, it is not possible at all. Perhaps the most important part of our legs is the knee. Bending, walking, running, working out, everything depends upon the fitness of knees. If you take care of this vital joint of your body, you might lessen the risk factor of acquiring arthritis or its horrible symptoms. Having strong and firm quadriceps is the key to having strong and healthy knees. If you concentrate on strengthening your key muscles of legs, that will help you maintain the cartilage in shape and healthy.A research was conducted in order to see if strong leg muscles can help kill knee pain and strengthen the cartilage in knee area. In this study, patients of knee osteoarthritis were included and studied. It was observed that those patients who had strong quadriceps had a natural protection against cartilage loss in a specific area around knee, known as lateral compartment of the patellofemoral joint. This protection was not observed in any other area of the knee else than the one aforementioned. Also, patients with strong leg muscles were noticed to complain less knee pains. As for those who had week quad muscles, they neither got the natural protection nor were their pains lessened.

Along with prescribed exercises, there are certain food items that can help attain a healthy joints status. These foods include green tea (EGCG and ECG or catechins found in it help fight against osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis to some extent), Coleslaw (vitamin K helps reduces the risks of osteoarthritis), ginger (helps in osteoarthritis), berries, avocado, omega-3 rich fish, soy and flaxseeds. These food items will surely lessen the risk factor as well as mitigate the symptoms. Have healthy knees, have healthy life.

Cancer-causing Ras protein may help fight its own toxic effects

Washington, June 19 : Scientists at Tel Aviv University (TAU) in Israel have found that a cancer-causing protein can also help fight tumours it causes.
The researchers have shown that an oncogene called Ras-which can cause normal cells to be come cancerous when mutated or expressed in high concentrations-has the power to heal as well as harm.

Ph.D. student Oded Rechavi and his fellow researchers at the university's Department of Neurobiology have found that Ras has the ability to transfer from cancer cells into immune cells - such as T-cells - a transfer that may be the key to creating new drugs to fight cancerous tumours.

Revealing their findings in the journal Public Library of Science One and a recent review about such cell-to-cell transferring of proteins in FEBS Letters, the researchers say that the idea that proteins can transfer between cells challenges the original theory of the cell.

"All the energy flow, metabolism, and biochemistry of life is supposed to happen within the boundaries of an individual cell. Here we show that when cells in the immune system interact with other cells, proteins are exchanged without being secreted from the cell, and act in both the immune and original cells alike," Rechavi said.

"When Ras transfers from one cell to another, it strengthens the immune system. The immune cell that adopts the mutated Ras gets activated and reacts against the cancerous cell that donated the Ras. This does not happen for advanced tumors, but if we could control the movement of Ras, we would have a better understanding of how immune cells react against cancer," he added.

This, according to the researcher, might provide the scientific basis for an entirely new class of cancer drugs.

The TAU researchers are trying to discover the mechanisms whereby the Ras protein is transferred, and their initial findings seem to be promising.

Rechavi is investigating a current theory that the membranes of the cells temporarily fuse together. What is certain, however, is that once T-cells acquire mutated Ras, they are able to generate clones with the ability to respond against this specific threat.

"When immune cells scan their targets they bind to their targets. When immune cells acquire normal Ras, nothing happens. But when they acquire mutated Ras from a potential tumor, it starts a cascade. This results in the production of cytokines that help the immune system and act against the cancer," he said.

According to him, understanding the nature of this interaction between mutated Ras and immune T-cells can unlock mysteries about the nature of proteins and cells.

He has revealed that the next step will be to identify other proteins that, like Ras, are able to transfer outside of their cell of origin.

--- ANI

Low thyroid activity may actually be a sign of longevity

According to Dr Martin Surks and colleagues at the Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, low thyroid activity may hold the key to a long life.

Located in the neck, thyroid is a kind of master gland, secreting hormones that affect metabolism. Its activity is usually checked by an indirect measure - looking at levels of TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone.

High TSH levels suggest the thyroid is underactive, a condition known as hypothyroidism. Low levels suggest it is overactive, known as hyperthyroidism.

People with low thyroid function may lose hair, gain weight and feel sluggish, while those with overactive thyroids may lose weight, feel their hearts race and have trembling hands.

To reach the conclusion, researchers studied hundreds of people who had lived to be 100, and found evidence that people with low thyroid activity were more likely to be in that group, reports The China Daily.

"We studied a large group of Ashkenazi Jews with exceptional longevity," Surks told a news conference at a meeting of the Endocrine Society, specialists in human hormones.

Surks and colleagues found 15 to 20 percent of people over the age of 60 had TSH levels that suggest an underactive thyroid gland

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Prevention Magazine has listed its top six tips from medical and nutritional experts:


Jane Brody, health columnist for The New York Times:

"Start drinking eight glasses of water daily. None of your body parts, from your brain to your toes, work well without adequate hydration."

Walter Willett, MD, chairman of the nutrition department at Harvard School of Public Health: "Switch to whole grain carbohydrates such as whole wheat bread and brown rice. High intakes of refined carbohydrates and sugar are the main sources of calories in the US diet, and thus a major contributor to being overweight."

Andrew Weil, MD, author of Eight Weeks to Optimum Health (Knopf, 1997): "Eliminate all foods containing partially hydrogenated oils. There's growing evidence that these unnatural fats are not good for us, and avoiding them and the processed foods that they come in would be a huge step to improving nutritional health." Kristine Clark, PhD, RD, nutrition consultant to the US women's soccer team: "Eat more fruits and vegetables. Besides all the nutrients that produce contains, it also plays a role in weight loss. Fruits and vegetables fill you up for a small amount of calories." Kathleen Johnson, RD, director of the nutrition program at Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson: "Watch your portion sizes. Most of us eat far more food than we really need, and there are many reasons to eat less, including slowing the aging process." Moshe Shike, MD, director of the Cancer Prevention and Wellness Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City: "Control your calorie intake, get no more than 20% of your calories from fat, and be sure to get five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily..."

10 Essential Health Tips (The Basics to Practice Every Day)

"He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything." -Arabian Proverb

1. Move More
Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kickboxing. But that's great when you're up to it. Meanwhile, move more. Thought for the day: Cha, Cha, Cha…. Then do it!

2. Cut Fat
Avoid the obvious such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats (i.e. pork, bacon, ham, salami, ribs and sausage). Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts. Most are available in lower fat versions such as substitute butter, fat free cheeses and mayonnaise. Thought for the day: Lean, mean, fat-burning machine…. Then be one!

3. Quit Smoking
The jury is definitely in on this verdict. Ever since 1960 when the Surgeon General announced that smoking was harmful to your health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products that kill. Just recently, we've seen a surge in smoking in adolescents and teens. Could it be the Hollywood influence? It seems the stars in every movie of late smoke cigarettes. Beware. Warn your children of the false romance or 'tough guy' stance of Hollywood smokers. Thought for the day: Give up just one cigarette…. the next one.

4. Reduce Stress
Easier said than done, stress busters come in many forms. Some techniques recommended by experts are to think positive thoughts. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. (i.e.,Soak in a hot tub; walk on the beach or in a park; read a good book; visit a friend; play with your dog; listen to soothing music; watch a funny movie. Get a massage, a facial or a haircut. Meditate. Count to ten before losing your temper or getting aggravated. Avoid difficult people when possible. Thought for the day: When seeing red, think pink clouds….then float on them.

5. Protect Yourself from Pollution
If you can't live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low. Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good. Plant lots of shrubbery in your yard. It's a good pollution and dirt from the street deterrent. Thought for the day: 'Smoke gets in your eyes'…and your mouth, and your nose and your lungs as do pollutants….hum the tune daily.

6. Wear Your Seat Belt
Statistics show that seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes. Thought for the day: Buckle down and buckle up.

7. Floss Your Teeth
Recent studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Nobody knows exactly why. Perhaps it's because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than people who don't? Thought for the day: Floss and be your body's boss.

8. Avoid Excessive Drinking
While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day (two for men) can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney disease and cancer. Thought for the day: A jug of wine should last a long time.

9. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook
There's a definitive connection between living well and healthfully and having a cheerful outlook on life. Thought for the day: You can't be unhappy when you're smiling or singing.

10. Choose Your Parents Well
The link between genetics and health is a powerful one. But just because one or both of your parents died young in ill health doesn't mean you cannot counteract the genetic pool handed you. Thought for the day: Follow these basic tips for healthy living and you can better control your own destiny.

Importance of Fitness for Health

Quality of life is the most important thing one can want from life. Good health combined with happiness helps us achieve a high quality of life. Fitness is what makes us achieve these things as quality of life is only attained by a healthy life and fitness makes a life healthy.Fitness has been defined as:
‘Good physical condition, the condition of being suitable’
Fitness is just as important as good health. Moreover, it can be said that fitness correlates directly with our health. If we are not taking care of our bodies, we get sick. Only fitness can help us maintain good health. You can become fit by following some exercises and taking a healthy diet.
Physical fitness is a set of attributes a person has in regards to a person's ability to perform physical activities that require aerobic fitness, endurance, strength, or flexibility and is determined by a combination of regular activity and genetically inherited ability.