Before sports, children need to be screened for the heart

Before sports, children need to be screened for the heart

Sudden cardiac death amongst athletes is a rare but a devastating event. Most victims are usually young and, apparently, healthy but many have underlying undiagnosed heart disease.

As per American Heart Association Guidelines, children and adolescents undergoing athletic training need medical clearance. Majority of sudden deaths amongst athletes are due to malignant irregularities in the heart rhythm such as ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. The precipitating factors can be prolonged physical training or unaccustomed athletic activities.

In athletes under the age of 35, the most common cause of death is underlying congenital heart disease and for those above the age of 35, it is the presence of blockages of the coronary arteries.

As per Heart Care Foundation of India, in every school/college, the attached doctor should evaluate all students with a 12 step history and examination to rule out high risk cases that need further evaluation.

The Foundation, along the lines of European Society of Cardiology, also recommends an additional standard 12-lead ECG before a medical clearance is given for both competitive as well as recreational athletic activities.

For those master athletes who are above the age of 35, they will need an additional exercise testing before they can be given a clearance for athletic activity.

Diagnostic echocardiography is indicated with clinical, historical and physical findings suggest possibility of structural heart diseases. Athletes on pacemaker should not engage in sports as bodily collision may damage the pacemaker system.

The 12-element AHA recommendations for pre participation cardiovascular screening of competitive athletes are as follows:

1. Exertional chest pain/discomfort

2. Unexplained syncope/near-syncope

3. Excessive exertional and unexplained dyspnea/fatigue, associated with exercise

4. Prior recognition of a heart murmur

5. Elevated systemic blood pressure

6. Premature death (sudden and unexpected, or otherwise) before age 50 years due to heart disease, in one relative

7. Disability from heart disease in a close relative <50 years of age

8. Specific knowledge of certain cardiac conditions in family members: hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy, long-QT syndrome or other ion channelopathies, Marfan syndrome, or clinically important arrhythmias

9. Heart murmur

10. Femoral pulses examination to exclude aortic coarctation

11. Physical features of Marfan syndrome

12. Brachial artery blood pressure (sitting position, both arms)

Why is Ganesha worshipped in every pooja?

Why is Ganesha worshipped in every pooja?

Every Hindu ritual traditionally begins with a prayer to Lord Ganesh. The wedding ceremony too begins with a pooja of Lord Ganesha invoking him to bless the couple and to ensure that the ceremony goes off well.

Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, is the harmonious Aacharan or characteristic disposition of man. Remembered and ritually worshipped before starting a new venture, the entity of Ganesha has in store the facets of a complete man.

Ganesha’s head, that of an elephant, represents wisdom, intelligence and a healthy mind capable of making sound decisions. Think before you speak, implies Ganesha’s head.

The big ears of this elephant deity signify the lending of a patient ear to the echo produced by others’ deeds and speech. It is said that half the dispute is resolved by patiently lending an ear to the words of the other. It also denotes that one must patiently listen to all sides before reaching a decision.

Ganesha’s extremely small mouth characteristically represents the need for a limited dialogue and the vanity of talking too much. Over-expression through words causes unsought-for problems which could have been avoided.

Ganesha’s small eyes, highlights the need for a focused outlook in life.  Such an outlook not only re-defines and foresees the right goals, but also relieves one from the stress-manifested episodes in life.

The long trunk identifies with the power of discrimination. Ganesha’s long nose has the strength to uproot a tree and the competency of picking up a pin from the ground.  Such should be the approach of an individual who should be capable of perceiving the good and bad for himself, and then have the strength to overcome these against all odds.

The tusks and the small teeth of Ganesha tell us to maintain a balance between loss (broken tooth) and gains (whole tooth) in the life. Man ought to maintain his mental state so that ups and downs do not deter him from his honest endeavors.

The ample stomach of Ganapati Deva advocates the need for retaining information.  Acquiring knowledge, utilizing it and retaining it for years to come, is the crux of ‘big-belly commandment’.

The Char-Bhuja Dhari Ganesha, further represents strength by virtue of his four hands in which the Lord entraps his attachments, desires and greed.  Two of the arms of Ganesha, which hold a rope, symbolize control over the attachments. The laddoo or sweet in one shows command over desires and earthly delusions. The mouse sitting near the feet of Ganesha represents greed and gluttony upon which the Almighty rides, exhibiting control over evils.

Ganesha’s physical traits are an assembly of the characteristics most desired in an individual of substance.

Do Not Ignore Breakfast

Do Not Ignore Breakfast

Taking a good breakfast made up of carbohydrates and lean protein, can help lessen cravings and hunger during the rest of the day, which can lead to significant weight loss

A research by Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz, a clinical professor at Virginia Common wealth University and an endocrinologist at the Hospital de ClinicasCaracasinVenezuelahas shown that sedentary, obese women lost almost five times as much weight on the “big breakfast” diet as did women following a traditional, restrictive low-carbohydrate diet.

While treating obese people we need to treat carb cravings and hunger. On waking up in the morning, the body is primed to look for food. The metabolism is revived up, and levels of cortisol and adrenaline are at their highest. The brain needs energy right away, and if one doesn’t eat or eats too little, the brain needs to find another fuel source. To do this, it activates an emergency system that pulls energy from muscle, destroying muscle tissue in the process. Then when you eat later, the body and brain are still in high-alert mode, so the body saves energy from the food as fat.

The levels of the brain chemical serotonin are highest in the morning and the craving levels are at the lowest and you may not feel like eating. As the day wears on, serotonin levels dip, and you get cravings for chocolate or cookies, and such similar foods. If you eat these foods, your serotonin levels rise, and your body begins to associate good feelings with them, creating an addictive cycle. The high protein, carbohydrate mix in breakfast gives the body the initial energy boost it needs in the morning. Throughout the rest of the day, the meals are made up of protein and complex carbohydrates, like vegetables. Because protein is digested slowly, you won’t feel hungry. If you have to eat chocolate, eat it in the morning as having a small piece of chocolate or candy when serotonin levels are high, won’t taste as good, and the brain won’t feel the same serotonin boost, which will eventually help cut down on cravings.

Eating breakfast with high glycemic foods may be harmful. After eating cereals or a doughnut, the blood sugar and insulin levels spike. Once that blood sugar is used up, you’ll still have excess insulin circulating, which makes you hungry and makes you crave carbohydrates.

Why do we apply holy ash?

Why do we apply holy ash?

Bhasma is the holy ash produced from the Homa, the sacrificial fire, wherein special wood along with ghee and other herbs are offered as a part of pooja. By the time a Bhasma is formed, no trace of original matter remains in the ash. Ash obtained from any burnt object is not bhasma.

The ritual involves worshipping the deity by pouring ash as abhishek and then distributing it as Bhasma, which is then applied on the forehead (usually), upper arms, chest, or rubbed all over the body. Some consume a pinch of Bhasma when they receive it.

The word Bhasma is derived from bha or “bhartsanam” (“to destroy”) and “sma” or “smaranam” (“to remember”). It denotes “that by which our sins are destroyed and the Lord is remembered”.  Bhasma is also called vibhuti, which means glory. Bhasma is associated with Lord Shiva who applies it all over His body.

Spiritually, the Homa is the offering of oblations into the fire with sacred chants and signifies offering or surrender of the ego and egocentric desires into the fire of knowledge. The resultant ash signifies the purity of the mind. The fire of knowledge burns the oblation and wood signifying ignorance and inertia respectively.

The application of ash implies that one should burn false identification with the body.

Bhasma has medicinal values in Ayurveda. It is supposed to be the strongest of all Ayurveda preparations. Ayurveda defines a Bhasma, when the matter is converted into non matter by the process of homa. The non matter is the spirit or the energy of the matter being processed with strong healing powers. It has the same significance as any ‘potentised’ medicine in homeopathy.

It absorbs excess moisture from the body and prevents colds and headaches.

When applied with a red spot at the centre, the mark symbolizes Shiva-Shakti (the unity of energy and matter that creates the entire seen and unseen universe).

The Upanishads say that the famous Mrityunjaya Mantra should be chanted whilst applying ash on the forehead.

Amiodarone linked to Cancer Risk in Men

Amiodarone linked to Cancer Risk in Men

The risk of cancer is increased in men taking amiodarone particularly in those with extensive exposure to the drug as per a retrospective study. Among men taking amiodarone, the risk for any cancer rose by almost 20% compared with the general population, according to Chia-Jen Liu, MD, of National Yang-Ming University Hospital in Yilan, Taiwan, and colleagues. And for men whose cumulative defined daily doses in a year exceeded 180, the risk was 46% higher the researchers reported online in Cancer.

Why most temples are located in far away places?

Why most temples are located in far away places?

Most temples represent God or the spirit the deity located in the temple or mandir situated in an area at the outskirts of the city. A spiritual atmosphere is devoid of pollution and anything which promotes rajsik or tamsik behavior. The silence of the spiritual atmosphere reduces the internal noise and helps us onward in our inner journey. The inner journey of being in touch with one’s consciousness requires detachment from worldly pleasures and the withdrawal of the five senses of the body.

To be in touch with one’s consciousness one needs to bypass the disturbed state of consciousness controlled by emotion, memories and desires, through mind, intellect and ego.

This bypass usually requires a prolonged period of persistence and undertaking the inward journey devoid of external stimuli. The parikrama, which means “the path surrounding something”, incorporating many long walks helps to detoxify the mind and thus shifts the consciousness from a disturbed state to an undisturbed, calm state.

A long walk not only has physical benefits but one also gets the benefits of nature as one’s inner stimuli are exposed to the outer stimuli during the parikrama. The person is often required to walk bare foot on natural ground, inhale pure air and concentrate and listen to the sounds of the nature, birds and trees. This proximity  of nature helps in the inward spiritual journey and shifts one from the sympathetic to parasympathetic mode described by lowering of blood pressure and pulse rate and rise in skin resistance.

The final happiness invariably comes from within us at the time of final darshan when a person invariably closes his eyes and experiences God within his heart.

Most temples today are being constructed in residential colonies and provide a holy atmosphere to people right at their doorstep. However, this does not have the same spiritual significance and benefits as a temple located at the outskirts of a city.

There is no way a person can go to a temple in the vicinity of his house and detoxify his mind as this can hardly be achieved in minutes unless you are a siddha yogi, and if you are one, you need not go to a temple as the temple is within you.

In Vedic texts, it has been clearly mentioned that to acquire powers and inner happiness, rishi, munis were also required to do tapasya for months and years together. This tells us that spiritual well-being is acquired over an extended period of time as the process of detoxification is a long drawn process. Cars and other vehicles should not be allowed near temples  as the basic motive is to have a pollution-free atmosphere and to give time and space for the mind to detoxify.

Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya and Filaria are diseases spread by mosquitoes and are totally preventable. Here are a few tips:

Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya and Filaria are diseases spread by mosquitoes and are totally preventable. Here are a few tips:

• Both malaria and dengue mosquitoes bite during day time.
• It is the female mosquito which bites.
• Dengue mosquito takes three meals in a day while malaria mosquito takes one meal in three days.
• Malaria may infect only one person in the family but dengue will invariably infect multiple members in the family in the same day.
• Malaria fever often presents with chills and rigors. If the fever presents together with joint and muscle pains, one should suspect Chikungunya.
• Both dengue and malaria mosquitoes grow in fresh water collected in the house.
• The filaria mosquito grows in dirty water.
• There should be no collections of water inside the house for more than a week.
• Mosquito cycle takes 7-12 days to complete. So, if any utensil or container that stores water is cleaned properly once in a week, there are no chances of mosquito breeding.
• Mosquitoes can lay eggs in money plant pots or in water tanks on the terrace if they are not properly covered.
• If the water pots for birds kept on terraces are not cleaned every week, then mosquitoes can lay eggs in them.
• Some mosquitoes can lay eggs in broken tires, broken glasses or any container where water can stay for a week.
• Using mosquito nets/repellents in the night may not prevent malaria and dengue because these mosquitoes bite during the day time.
• Both malaria and dengue mosquitoes do not make a sound. Therefore, mosquitoes that do not produce a sound do not cause diseases.
• Wearing full sleeves shirt and trousers can prevent mosquito bites.
• Mosquito repellent can be helpful during the day.
• If you suspect that you have a fever, which can be malaria or dengue, immediately report to the doctor.
• There are no vaccines for malaria and dengue.