Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Smoking and Stroke
Friday, August 04, 2006
Don’t feel bad if your baby is a late talk
You have a baby?????
Talking to your tummy won’t help your baby master speech faster. In fact all the attention in the world will not hasten the time when ga-ga gives way to da-da. Researchers in Australia, who tracked around 1,750 children from infancy to age seven, found a mother’s education, income or even her mental health had no influence on how quickly her toddler talked.
Premature birth and low birth weight were likely factors in delaying speech.
“It seems that what’s going on at home really has nothing to do with late language development,” said Kate Taylor, research tem leader at Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research. “That means parent can finally stop beating themselves up about their toddler’s lack of words.”
The researchers found that of 1,766 children analyzed at the age of two, 81 per cent could successfully combine two or three words to make short sentences.
Thirteen per cent were late talkers, with a vocabulary of less than 50 words.
Boys were three times more likely to have delayed speech, while children with siblings were twice as likely to be late in acquiring the gift of the gab. Children with a family history of late talking were also likely to be late talkers.
Professor Taylor said Talking to and reading to children appeared to have no connection to early or late talking.
This finding ran contrary to the popular assumption that toddlers who were late in talking had problem at home or some disadvantage over other children.
“I hope these findings will reassure many parents that delayed language is not a reflection on their parenting or the children’s intelligence,” Taylor said.
Talking to your tummy won’t help your baby master speech faster. In fact all the attention in the world will not hasten the time when ga-ga gives way to da-da. Researchers in Australia, who tracked around 1,750 children from infancy to age seven, found a mother’s education, income or even her mental health had no influence on how quickly her toddler talked.
Premature birth and low birth weight were likely factors in delaying speech.
“It seems that what’s going on at home really has nothing to do with late language development,” said Kate Taylor, research tem leader at Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research. “That means parent can finally stop beating themselves up about their toddler’s lack of words.”
The researchers found that of 1,766 children analyzed at the age of two, 81 per cent could successfully combine two or three words to make short sentences.
Thirteen per cent were late talkers, with a vocabulary of less than 50 words.
Boys were three times more likely to have delayed speech, while children with siblings were twice as likely to be late in acquiring the gift of the gab. Children with a family history of late talking were also likely to be late talkers.
Professor Taylor said Talking to and reading to children appeared to have no connection to early or late talking.
This finding ran contrary to the popular assumption that toddlers who were late in talking had problem at home or some disadvantage over other children.
“I hope these findings will reassure many parents that delayed language is not a reflection on their parenting or the children’s intelligence,” Taylor said.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Rise in asbestos-related illnesses expected
Growing numbers of cancer cases are being put down to asbestos poisoning. According to Professor Dieter Koehler of the German Association for Pneumology , 110,000 people in Germany will fall ill to asbestos-induce diseases in the coming 15 years.
The reason is that many of those diseases have an incubation period of between 10 and 40 years. Asbestos has been banned in Germany since 1993 but “among work-related illnesses, more deaths are caused by asbestos than by fatal accidents in the work place.” Says Koehler.
Asbestos was widely used in the construction industry up until the 1070s. Diseases related to asbestos poisoning such as silicosis, lung cancer and tumors in the pleural region usually cause the early death of the patient. Even for people who stopped working with the material in the distant past, Koehler advises they have regular check up with a lung specialist who can examine them using X-ray or CAT scan.
A general rule is that the longer a person has come into contact with asbestos, the higher the risk of developing cancer. To complicate matters, cancer caused by asbestos are often diagnosed at a late stage and when the cancer cells have already reached other organs of the body, that is why early detection is so important.
The reason is that many of those diseases have an incubation period of between 10 and 40 years. Asbestos has been banned in Germany since 1993 but “among work-related illnesses, more deaths are caused by asbestos than by fatal accidents in the work place.” Says Koehler.
Asbestos was widely used in the construction industry up until the 1070s. Diseases related to asbestos poisoning such as silicosis, lung cancer and tumors in the pleural region usually cause the early death of the patient. Even for people who stopped working with the material in the distant past, Koehler advises they have regular check up with a lung specialist who can examine them using X-ray or CAT scan.
A general rule is that the longer a person has come into contact with asbestos, the higher the risk of developing cancer. To complicate matters, cancer caused by asbestos are often diagnosed at a late stage and when the cancer cells have already reached other organs of the body, that is why early detection is so important.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Air travel tips
Traveling by plane can be a taxing experience, but there are ways to make your journey more comfortable.
- Take a pill
A link between air travel and a higher risk of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) is widely suspected, but the causes are uncertain. Aviation Health (AH), an independent body dealing with aviation issues, suggest precautionary measures. Unless contraindicated, a low dose aspirin (100-1500mg) taken the day before a flight, on the day and for two or three days after can reduce the risk of pulmonary embolism by up to 60 per cent. Studies at
2. Stay hydrated
Relative humidity in the cabin can be anything from 2 per cent-23 per cent, well below the 30 per cent-65 per cent comfort zone; and the fewer passengers on board, the drier the atmosphere. “Dry air hampers the respiratory system’s defences, so increasing susceptibility to infection,” says Professor Ron Eccles of the Common Cold Centre. He recommends sipping water before and during the flight, to keep sinuses moist and boost their effectiveness at flushing out viruses. And avoid carbonated drinks, says Farrol Kahn, director of AH: “At altitude, gases in the digestive system can expand by a third, causing abdominal pain.” One non fizzy alcoholic drink before takeoff is fine (to soothe pre flight nerves), but avoid it on board: alcohol dehydrates and further reduces oxygen supplies to the brain.
3. Don’t be calm
Nervous about takeoff? Hypnotherapist Ursula James (ursulajames.com) says that, on the eve of a flight, you should try visualize yourself relaxed, walking on plane, sitting through the flight, then landing, cool and collected. If pre flight anxiety surfaces, it helps to imagine a tome when you felt eager, but not fearful, anticipation. ”Recalling an exciting rather than a calm event works with the physiology of stress,” she says. “Anxiety and excitement are identical in physical terms – short breath, butterflies and so on – so changing the psychological overlay from one to the other is easier than trying to force an opposite state such as calm.”
4. Shake a leg
Longer check-in times mean you’re likely to be waiting in terminals for many hours, most of them seated. Farrol Kahn advises taking a brisk walk at every opportunity, to bolster circulation. Pre-flight exercise will relax you, and also reduce the likelihood of in-flight aches and stiffness. On board, do the anti-DVT exercises that many airlines provide these days. Walk up and down the aisles when you can, too – “Aim for around 15 minutes movement every hour,” Kahn says.
5. Eat light
After a meal, the body diverts oxygenated blood to the gut to help fuel digestion. With up to 25 per cent reduced oxygen on board, eating heavily can strain the body and the digestive system, which will “summon” oxygen from anywhere it can-the brain included-leaving vulnerable to fainting should you then leave your seat. Instead, snack-lightly. Salads and fruit are good, because they are water-rich, so contribute to hydration, and contain mostly carbohydrates, which are comfortably digested. Avoid gas-producing food such as legumes or brassicas. “It’s also important to be hungry when you arrive at your destination, so you can fall in with local meal times.” Says Kahn. “This helps your body clock adjust to the new times zone.
6. Keep your hands clean
A 2002 study at the
7. Adjust your sleep patterns
A study by the Rush University Medical Centre in the