Health Desk During May’s Asthma Awareness Month, here are the top 10 things you should know about this often-misunderstood disease that affects more than 24 million people in the U.S.: All asthma is serious – 10 people die from it…
Category: Health
Chronic fatigue can force you to hide your emotions
Health Desk Individuals suffering from chronic fatigue tend to be more anxious, distressed and are also more likely to suppress these emotions than people who do not have this condition, says a study. In addition, when under stress, chronic fatigue…
China, India face huge mental health burden: study
China and India are home to more than a third of people with mental illness, but only a tiny fraction of them receive medical help, according to studies released Wednesday. There are more people in the world’s two most populous…
Stress in pregnancy: It ups protective mechanisms in babies
Health Desk Maternal stress and depression during pregnancy may activate certain protective mechanisms in babies, which could help them develop more resilience to cope with future challenges and adversities, researchers have found. Researchers from University of Basel in Switzerland in…
Anti Aging: The side of your face that will always look older
Health Desk Whether you realize it or not, every time you get in your car, you’re fielding ultraviolet A (UV-A) radiation through the windows and windshield. The sun’s UV-A rays are responsible for premature aging and wrinkles, as well…
Drug overdoses take more life than traffic accidents
Satrurday, President Obama and Grammy Award-winning artist Macklemore teamed up to discuss a disease that affects far too many Americans: addiction. Macklemore opened up about his own experience with addiction: “I’m here with President Obama because I take this personally.…
Mexico debates legalizing opium poppy for medicine
Health Desk Fed up with drug-related violence, a growing number of Mexican politicians see one potential cure: legalizing the cultivation of opium poppies for the production of medicine. The debate has emerged in recent weeks after President Enrique Pena Nieto…
What you should know about the Zika virus
Dr. Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General You’ve probably heard news reports about Zika, a virus that’s been spreading across South and Central America as well as the Caribbean. Zika is primarily transmitted by mosquitoes. In past outbreaks, the vast majority…
‘Single dose oral cholera vaccine protective in endemic setting’
Dhaka – A new study by icddr,b scientists has shown for the first time that a single dose of the oral cholera vaccine Shanchol is effective in older children and adults in an area where cholera is endemic. These findings…
How junk food wrecks your body
Health Desk Eating unhealthy food harms the body in ways beyond weight gain. It’s no surprise that junk food is low in healthy nutrients and high in ingredients like sugar and salt. But new animal research suggests that a…
Children getting type 2 diabetes ‘alarmingly’ in Bangladesh
The rate has tripled in the last five years, according to the Changing Diabetes in Children Programme of the BIRDEM hospital. “This is alarming. We are getting type 2 diabetes in children as young as eight years old,” Dr Bedowra…
Global warming may up chronic kidney disease
Health Desk Climate change is likely to accelerate rates of chronic kidney disease worldwide as rising temperatures and heat stress harm kidneys. New findings show that heat stress nephropathy — chronic kidney diseases are on the rise, especially in many…
Zika Is Likely to Become a Permanent Peril in U.S.
Mosquitos caught for testing in McAllen, Texas, await shipment to a lab. McAllen city workers are catching them in “mosquito traps” and sending them to labs to test for Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases. Mosquitos caught for testing in McAllen,…
Your doc was wrong in prescribing cholesterol-lowering drugs
Health Desk An often-used method of calculating a person’s risk of heart attack or stroke in the next five years could be overestimating the actual risk, say researchers in the US. This, in turn, leads to doctors unnecessarily prescribing cholesterol-lowering…
Ginger shown to lower blood sugar
Health Desk Ginger, the spice that puts a kick in your favorite foods, has been a go-to medicine for eons, being used to treat ailments such as colds, motion sickness, and arthritis pain. Now, it looks like the spice can…
WHO: Member States to finalise FENSA during May Assembly
Geneva (K M Gopakumar) – World Health Organization Member States decided to continue negotiations on the Framework for Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA) during the 69th World Health Assembly (WHA). The 69th WHA with its annual gathering of health ministers…
IFAD-supported project tackles malnutrition, stunting in Laos
Vientiane – The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic signed an agreement yesterday to finance and implement a project that will reduce extreme poverty and malnutrition for 34,000 poor rural…
Anti-vaccine parents were found guilty in the death of their Toddler
By Tamara Khandaker An Alberta couple has been found guilty of failing to provide their son with the necessaries of life, four years after he died of bacterial meningitis. The parents, whose preference for natural remedies over traditional medicine is…
HOPE Maternal Health and Fistula Conference held
HOPE Kicked off the First-Ever HOPE Maternal Health and Fistula Conference. The Conference took place March 19-20, 2016 at the Long Beach Hotel and Resort in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in collaboration with Fistula Foundation, USA. The conference was also supported…
30 best and worst foods for healthy hair
Health Desk Your hair is hungry—for the right foods! Instead of relying on shampoos and other products, reach for these items that are perfect for your weight loss plan, too. Win-win. There are some major factors that influence your hair—genetics,…
Heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, ADHD: Fructose is very, very bad
Health Desk Fructose, a form of sugar, can damage hundreds of brain genes in a way that could lead to a range of diseases — from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, and from Alzheimer’s to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — warns…
Exercise before you eat! It can reduce your appetite by third
Health Desk Exercise may not stimulate appetite as previously thought. In fact, a British study, published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, has shown the exact opposite, at least in the hours immediately following a workout.…
New threat against affordable medicines in trade negotiations
New Delhi/Geneva: Access to affordable medicines could be severely restricted for millions of people around the world under the current proposals in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement, the international humanitarian medical organisation M้decins Sans Fronti่res (MSF) warned…
An infant’s 5-month life points to hunger’s spread in Yemen
By Ahmed Al-Haj Hazyaz, Yemen (AP) — The baby was born in war, even as planes blasted his village in Yemen. Five months later, Udai Faisal died from war: His skeletal body broke down under the ravages of malnutrition, his…
What happened after Portugal decriminalized all drugs
By Samuel Oakford As diplomats gather at the United Nations in New York this week to consider the future of global drug policy, one Portuguese official, João Goulão, will likely command attention that far outstrips his country’s influence in practically…
Give your heart some good company, it doesn’t like being lonely
Health Desk The many joys of being alone are not very healthy, according to a recent research, which claims that loneliness and isolation can put your heart at risk. The study links loneliness and social isolation to around a 30%…
Heat Stroke: Symptoms and treatment
Heat stroke is the most serious form of heat injury and is considered a medical emergency. If you suspect that someone has heat stroke — also known as sunstroke — call 911 immediately and give first aid until paramedics arrive.Heat…
Number 1 policy to lose weight….
Health Desk You’ve tried everything, but this year is going to be different. This is the year that you’re finally getting down to business and losing the weight you’ve gained, whether it was from too many slices of pizza and…
Insulin deficiency and resistance linked to fatty acid found in kidney
Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have identified the key inflammatory mechanisms linked to type 1 diabetes and obesity-related kidney dysfunction, an advance that may lead to new biomarkers and therapeutics. “We found that insulin deficiency and insulin resistance, two hallmarks…
Heatwave: Be prepared
Health Desk Most of us welcome hot weather, but when it’s too hot for too long there are health risks. As heatwave hits this summer, make sure the hot weather doesn’t harm you or anyone you know. The very young,…