Information – Health +
1 in 5 UK MPs mentally ill: Survey
1 in 5 UK MPs mentally ill: Survey
16 Jul 2008, 1320 hrs IST,PTI
LONDON: One in five parliamentarians in Britain suffers from mental illness caused by the stress of their public lives, a confidential survey of MPs and peers has found.
Those questioned said they feared disclosing their struggles because of stigma and discrimination.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health questionnaire was completed by 94 parliamentarians, 100 lords and 151 parliamentary staff.
According to the survey, more than a quarter had a mental health issue, while 86 per cent of MPs said their job was stressful.
The group’s report is critical of the law forcing MPs to give up their seat for life if they are sectioned under the Mental Health Act for six months.
Liberal Democrat parliamentarian Mark Oaten said he was treated with anti-depressants after his private life was exposed in the press.
“The truth is many politicians, myself included, have found the job enormously stressful,” he told The Independent .
“I was regularly taking Prozac.” He said he had now “got back his life” and was looking for other career opportunities after the next election.
One of those serving MPs surveyed, speaking told the paper: “I would love as an established MP to talk openly of the serious depressive illness I endured long before I became or even thought of being a MP”.
Labour MP Howard Stoate said he had advised MPs to seek help. “A lot of people underestimate how much pressure their MPs are under but it is no more stressful than some other jobs,” he said.
‘Sexy voice implies a sexy body’
‘Sexy voice implies a sexy body’
18 Jul 2008, 0038 hrs IST,ANI
WASHINGTON: If you find the voice on the phone sexy, chances are that the person is physically attractive too, says a new American research.
The study, led by Susan Hughes, an evolutionary psychologist from Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, suggests that people with voices deemed sexy and attractive tend to have greater body symmetry upon close inspection.
“The sound of a person’s voice reveals a considerable amount of biological information,” LiveScience quoted Hughes, as saying. “It can reflect the mate value of a person,” she added.
The study cautions that an attractive voice does not necessarily indicate that this person has an attractive face.
A symmetric body is genetically sound, scientists say, and in evolutionary terms, in the wild, it can be an important factor when selecting a mate. However, sometimes changes during prenatal development can slightly skew this balance. For instance, the length ratio between index and ring fingers, known as the digit ratio, is fixed by the first trimester, a time that corresponds with vocal cord and larynx development.
If the hormone surge that affects vocal development also affects finger growth, there should be a connection between an individual’s voice and digit ratio.
Hughes could not demonstrate a connection between voice attractiveness and digit ratio in her previous work, possibly due to vocal changes that occur during puberty.
So in the new study, about 100 individuals listened to previously recorded voices and independently rated them on nine traits important during mate selection: approachability, dominance, healthiness, honesty, intelligence, likelihood to get dates, maturity, sexiness and warmth.
Study participants generally agreed on what made a voice attractive. But when Hughes used a spectrogram to analyze these voice ratings according to different acoustic properties such as pitch, intensity, jitter and shimmer, she could not find a common feature that made these voices seem attractive.
This indicates our perceptual system may be more advanced than expected, Hughes said. “We can agree on what’s an attractive voice yet I can’t capture it with a computer,” Hughes said.
Investigating if a combination of these properties can define an attractive voice may shed light on a connection, she said. The study is published in the June 2008 edition of the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior.
AVP launches new hospital
AVP launches new hospital
Tuesday July 15 2008 09:28 IST Express News Service
KOCHI: The new `AVP Ayurveda Chikitsalayam’ promoted by the Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (Coimbatore) was launched in Kochi on Monday.
The new treatment centre is located on the first floor of AVP’s Valanjambalam branch.
The centre was jointly inaugurated by V S Chackochan, in-charge, AVP Kochi centre and Beena Chackochan in presence of G Prathish, chief physician AVP Kochi.
The new centre offers genuine ayurveda treatment as practised by the AVP at Coimbatore in the traditional way. The Centre has also plans for special `Karkkidaka Treatment’ from Wednesday, with offer of `Karkkidaka kanjikkoottu’, said the centre authorities.
For details call 9446960877/9388604141. The AVP is also organising `Arogya-2008’, an international convention on ayurveda, to mark the culmination of the year-long birth centenary celebrations of Arya Vaidyan Rama Varier, physician and founder of the organisation.
The convention will be held at Coimbatore from August 21 to 24.The three major subjects in healthcare – geriatric, metabolic disorders and nutrition will be discussed at the convention.
Price of medicines in UAE to go up from October
Price of medicines in UAE to go up from October
By Dina El Shammaa, Staff Reporter Published: July 14, 2008, 15:21
Abu Dhabi: The sick will have to pay more for their drugs from October as new prices have been hammered out between the Ministry of Health, distributors and pharmacists.
There will be a total increase of 27.25 per cent on 1,129 drugs priced in euros. However, people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, will only pay a 5.8 per cent increase.
The increase comes into effect on October 15, the Ministry of Health announced on Monday. Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, Minister of Health, said the Ministry will revaluate the prices in cooperation with the Central Bank after two years.
“We know the cost of living has gone up. The Ministry has been in talks on the prices with international pharmacies and distributors for the past nine months, until we reached this decision,” he said.
Among the 1,129 drugs that will be sold at new prices, 530 items are for chronic diseases. The other 599 drugs are for non-chronic conditions such as flu which only require short-term use of medication.
The initial hike for chronic disease drugs was 32 per cent, but the Ministry intervened and managed to cut it to a 5.85 per cent increase only, said the Minister.
This was done after reducing the cost of insurance on freight at ports. This helped reduce distributors’ costs by five per cent and pharmacy costs by six per cent.
The increase will affect drugs imported from Europe. When asked about drugs bought in other currencies the minister said: “To date no other prices related to other currencies will be affected except for the euro.” Dr Ameen Al Amiri, CEO for Medical Practice and Licence, Ministry of Health, said drugs sold across the UAE were the cheapest in the region.
When asked why the rise in drugs for non-life threatening conditions was as high as 21.4 per cent, he said there were various types of such drugs sold across the UAE in other currencies, such as the dollar.
There is a rising number of national distributors selling drugs in the UAE and the Ministry’s role is to try to encourage their productivity and promote nationalisation.
Cancer centre to open in UAE
Cancer centre to open in UAE
Alison McMeans and Tala al Ramahi
Last Updated: July 12. 2008 11:48PM UAE / July 12. 2008 7:48PM GMT
ABU DHABI // A research centre dedicated to fighting one of the biggest killers in the region is to be opened in the UAE, says the Ministry of Health.
The plan was outlined to health professionals at a GCC meeting last month by Dr Mona al Kawari from the ministry, but was revealed publicly only yesterday.
The health officials had come together from across the region to discuss the effects of cancer in their countries and the directives being undertaken to combat the disease.
The centre will collect information across the country in an attempt to find ways to combat the disease, and will focus on prevention as well as treatment.
“We are in the process of setting up a unified cancer centre,” said Dr Mona al Kawari from the MoH. “We will announce the final decision in October.”
The centre would be under the supervision of the health authorities of the different emirates, she added.
Between 1998 and 2002, 41,475 GCC nationals were diagnosed with cancer, according to GCC statistics. Cancer rates are on the rise in the UAE and in many cases late diagnosis and treatment lead to medical complications and death.
Breast cancer is one of the biggest killers of women in the UAE and is often diagnosed during later stages of the disease.
Dr Adel Anis Hajj, the head of oncology at Cedars Jebel Ali International Hospital said: “The idea is fantastic,” he said.
“It is not only important for the UAE, but it is important for every country. Cancer is a burden and our knowledge of treatment is developing.”
Combining information and expertise would have positive effects on the study of the disease, he said.
“The UAE, as well as any other country, especially in this part of the world, is in need of serious research projects, activities and better acknowledgement of what is going on in our country.”
He said researchers needed to find out what were the most common cancers, what the risk factors related to those cancers were and how awareness campaigns could be adapted to make more people aware of them.
The most common cancers, he said, were breast cancer and prostate cancer, and colorectal and skin cancers.
The cancer centre is likely to fall under the new National Health Council, announced last week to unify public and private health policies. Part of its mandate is to establish centres of excellence that focus on research and education.
* The National
Be on the preventive
Be on the preventive
Wednesday July 9 2008 12:02 IST Navya PK EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
CANCER, one of the deadliest diseases ever, has claimed more lives than one might imagine. According to WHO, cancer is the second largest leading cause of death worldwide.
Though advancement of medical science has brought about new technologies in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, mortality rates have been on the rise and awareness at a low.
“Awareness about cancer should be created among public as well as physicians. Doctors often wrongly diagnose the symptoms and the disease reaches a stage where it can no longer be cured,” says oncologist Dr.Jagannath Dixit. It’s estimated that 80 per cent of cancer patients in India are diagnosed in the later stages of the disease. The causative factors of cancers can be obvious or indirect. For instance, it’s a little known fact that viral infections and immune system dysfunction can lead to cancer.
Different types of viruses, including Hepatitis, are responsible for 15 per cent of cancers worldwide. AIDS can lead to a type of cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma, probably due to weakened immune system. Twenty per cent of all AIDS patients suffer from Kaposi’s sarcoma.
Though not very common, heredity can also be a cause for cancer. For instance, colon, ovary and breast cancer are found to run in families. Environmental factors such as radiation, pollution and changes in lifestyle are other causes. However, the susceptibility of the person is the most important factor and hence exposure to a carcinogen does not necessarily cause cancer.
The susceptibility of individuals can be studied only if adequate data is available, which is a major stumbling block. “Currently, registration of cancer patients is done only in government hospitals which makes it hard to get accurate data. The gene pool in India is quite big, and studies should be made to determine which section of the population is susceptible to different types of cancer. This is possible only if all cases are registered,” says Dr.Vivek Trikha who heads OncQuest, a cancer research organisation. India has not progressed much in the treatment aspect either. Government hospitals do not supply cancer drugs and do not have adequate manpower. In India, there are only 180 cancer treatment centres, which cannot take care of the 2.5 million patients in the country at present.
Those in the lower socio-economic strata suffer more as cheaper drugs are less efficient and have greater negative effects. In such a grim scenario, prevention — to the extent possible — is the only wise option.
In addition to the use of tobacco and alcohol, poor dietary habits can also lead to cancer. With the improvement in lifestyle, the consumption of oily and junk food is on the rise. Breast cancer, in particular, is caused by lack of fibre in food. So fat content should be substituted with fibrous food. Also, children should be vaccinated to prevent Hepatitis and thereby reduce the risk for cancer. One can also decrease the use of mobile phones to prevent excessive radiation. The risk of contracting cancer increases with age. Some of the preventive measures are avoiding tobacco and alcohol, and improving your dietary habits by consuming more fibre and less fat.
Weight, elevated insulin increases breast cancer risk
Weight, elevated insulin increases breast cancer risk
Wednesday July 9 2008 18:16 IST EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE/IANS
SYDNEY: Obese women or those who have high glucose or insulin levels are more likely to be diagnosed with an advanced breast cancer, according to a new study.
Researchers came to this conclusion after tracking more than 60,000 Swedish women over a 20-year period, from 1985 to 2005.
All of them were cancer-free when recruited and had been tested for glucose, insulin and other hormones associated with obesity and diabetes risk.
Insulin resistance is most commonly caused by being overweight and inactive and is often a precursor to Type 2 diabetes.
Anne Cust of Melbourne University, who led the research, said that past studies had shown a strong link between being overweight and increased breast cancer risk in post-menopausal women.
But this study is the first to demonstrate the influence of insulin-resistance on the stage of cancer diagnosis.
“Women with insulin-resistance or who were overweight were less likely to be diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancers but at greater risk of being diagnosed with stage 2 to 4 tumours – larger, more advanced cancers,” she said.
“We know that being overweight and having insulin resistance is a risk factor for getting cancer but – in the case of breast cancer — our study indicates that the cancer will be more advanced.”
Cust said the research findings were particularly significant at a time when there were major public health concerns about obesity and Type 2 diabetes rates.
Findings of the study have been published in the latest issue of the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.
ICRI to teach healthcare management
ICRI to teach healthcare management
Wednesday July 9 2008 19:22 IST IANS
NEW DELHI: Aimed at providing qualified manpower to the booming medical tourism sector, the Institute of Clinical Research India (ICRI) Tuesday said it would start teaching healthcare management.
The ICRI has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Academy of Hospital Administration (AHA) for jointly conducting hospital operation management and healthcare industry related courses.
“We wish to bring in a paradigm shift in the healthcare and wellness segment using the science of management and training to ensure continuity, maximize capacity and improve quality of care,” said S.R. Dugal, chairman of the board of directors, ICRI.
“India has a huge potential in terms of capability and quality and this is what we need to harness today in the healthcare and wellness segment,” he added.
According to a McKinsey and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) study, medical tourism in India can become a $1 billion business by 2012.
The government has predicted that India’s $17-billion-a-year healthcare industry could grow 13 percent in each of the next six years, boosted by medical tourism.
ICRI is one of India’s leading clinical research institutes and currently operates out of Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Breast cancer in the UAE strikes girls as young as 17
Breast cancer in the UAE strikes girls as young as 17
Alison McMeans and Mitya Underwood for THE NATIONAL
ABU DHABI // Women are being diagnosed with breast cancer in their teens and 20s, in one case as young as 17, highlighting a need for greater awareness of the disease at an early age, say health professionals.
A leading expert has revealed that there are more cases of breast cancer among younger women in the UAE than in other parts of the world. Along with the 17-year-old, a woman of 19 was diagnosed with a disease more commonly associated with women in their 50s.
Late diagnosis often leaves women with little chance of a cure and doctors are calling for campaigns to alert schoolgirls and young women to the danger.
Women, afraid of the stigma still attached to breast cancer in Gulf states, often ignore warning signs and are reluctant to examine themselves. Younger women remain largely ignorant of the need to be aware of the disease from an early age. Dr Rawda al Mutawa, who was involved in the recent Break The Silence campaign, part of the Global Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness, said: “Throughout the campaign and during the checks we performed on the younger women, many younger people were diagnosed with cancer who had no idea at all, including a 17-year-old.”
Dr Mutawa, the president of the Emirate’s Business Women Council and chief executive of the council’s Abu Dhabi branch, said lack of information was a problem.
“The problem with young people is that they consider this to be an illness that afflicts older women only,” she said, “so they do not heed the advice and warnings.
“During the campaign, we went to secondary schools. Each day, we had 10 or 15 girls going to the hospitals to get mammograms, so they learnt about the importance of these self-examinations.”
Between 2003 and 2006, almost as many women were diagnosed with breast cancer as with all the other types of cancer combined, according to the National Cancer Registry. The disease accounts for 22.8 per cent of the total number of diagnosed cases of cancer in the UAE, making it the country’s most common cancer.
The young age at which women are developing breast cancer is of increasing concern to doctors.
“The breast cancer in the UAE is very special,” said one expert, who has been involved in screening women for more than 10 years. “We have a lot of younger cases and most of them are caught only at a late stage.”
The average age at which breast cancer was diagnosed among Emiratis was between 40 and 45, she said, which was 10 years younger than in Europe. “Of course we get even younger cases, in their 20s and 30s, and we have had patients as young as 17 and 19.”
The national screening centre for women and children was officially opened in the capital a week ago. Its major tasks include educating people about the importance of self-examination at an early age, and overcoming taboos.
Encouraging women to self-examine, especially younger women, was not an easy task, said Dr Mutawa, but it was a vital one: “In the campaign, we focused specifically on girls who had a family history of breast cancer.
“Many people do not realise the hereditary element of the illness and we needed to make them realise the situation.”
It is estimated that only 30 per cent of women with breast cancer in the country are diagnosed in the early stages of the disease, when the chances of a cure are higher.
Dr Miriam al Otaiba, a senior doctor at the Makkah Specialised Medical Centre in Abu Dhabi, said the subject of breast cancer and self-examination was not always raised by doctors, as patients did not always welcome advice on the disease.
“Traditionally speaking, it would be odd for me to just ask the patient to examine her breasts without any complaint or request,” she said. “The patient would not think it was normal.
“However, we do advise and strongly encourage all patients to take certain precautions.”
munderwood@thenational.ae amcmeans@thenational.ae With additional reporting by Hessa al Romaithi and Fatima al Shamsi
Wellness in the lap of nature
Wellness in the lap of nature
By Bharat Thakur, Correspondent Published: July 04, 2008, 23:41 for GULF NEWS
Yoga is a science over 5,000 years old. The sages used to practise yoga outdoors in the lap of nature even though going green was not a concern at the time.
Going green has now become a necessity and yoga is one of the few practices that can be done outdoors.
This goes a long way in minimising energy consumption too.
Yoga needs no equipment and the attire is simple.
Hence, the consumption of electricity for machines, lights and air-conditioning can be eliminated completely. It can also be practised any time of the day.
Breathe in the freshness
There is no better place than the outdoors to practise yoga.
By not utilising machines, air-conditioners and lights, as are found in a studio-gym environment, yoga helps you go green.
The fresh air benefits the yogi tremendously, especially because there are many breathing exercises, or pranayamas, that can be practised.
Pranayama teaches one to breathe correctly and helps to get the respiratory system in order while also purifying the body by releasing toxins.
The ethical principles of yoga — the ten yams and miasmas — include ahimsa (non-violence), aparigraha (generosity) and saucha (purity).
These are key aspects that are meant to be practised on the yogic path.
Non-violence is minimising the harm caused to other living things.
However, it also means building the positive qualities of honouring and revering Mother Earth.
By practising yoga, we learn to serve, heal and protect the environment, and treat it as an extension of ourselves.
But only once we learn to honour our bodies, can we learn to honour Mother Earth.
However, there is another element at work outdoors too — negative ions. These negatively charged particles in the air are found in great numbers in forests and places near oceans, rivers and streams.
Negative ions make you feel alert and invigorated and reduce anxiety and depression.
According to researchers, this is because they increase our capacity to absorb and utilise oxygen, so it can reach our cells and tissues faster.
Here are asanas that can be practised outdoors.
Trikonasana (Triangle pose)
Stand erect with the feet about a metre apart.
Turn the right foot to the right side.
Stretch the arms sideways and raise them to shoulder level so they are in a straight line.
Bend to the right. Don’t bring the body forward.
Place the right hand on the right foot.
Lower the left arm over the ear, until it is parallel to the floor, with the palm facing down.
Look at the left hand.
Return to starting position.
Repeat on left side.
Veerabadrasana (Hero’s pose)
Start on the knees with the arms at the sides.
Take one step forward with the left leg.
Bend forward and place the palms flat on the floor so they are on both sides of the left foot.
Stretch the right leg back fully. Only the toes should rest on the floor.
Raise the arms over the head and keep the elbows straight.
Return to starting position.
Repeat the position on other leg.
Vatayanasana (Arched moon pose)
Stand with the left leg behind the right, its heel off the ground, and the left arm hanging on the side.
Raise the right arm straight up.
Inhale and slowly raise the left foot behind and hold the toes with the left arm, making a triangle between your back arm and leg.
Exhale and bend your torso forward and lower the right arm in front of you till it is parallel to the ground.
Balance the body on the right leg, still holding the left foot with the left hand. Hold the posture.
Repeat with other leg.
Natarajasana (The Statue)
Stand with your feet far apart and your hands on your waist.
Bend your knees, keep your back straight and stretch your arms straight above your head.
Join the palms and hold the posture.
Stand with your feet far apart and your hands on your waist.
Eka Pada Pranamasana (One-legged prayer pose)
Stand upright with the feet together and the arms at the sides.
Focus your gaze on a fixed point in front of the body at eye level.
Bend the right leg, grasp the ankle and place the sole of the foot on the inside of the left thigh.
The heel should be close to the perineum. The right knee should point to the side.
Hold the ankle until the body is balanced, then place the hands in the prayer position and raise the arms and keep the elbows next to the ear.
Repeat on other side.
Stand upright with the feet together and the arms at the sides.
Sahaj Pranayama
Sit in a meditative posture. Ensure that your back is straight.
Inhale, allowing your stomach to expand outwards.
Hold breath and exhale slowly.
Try and maintain the ratio of 1:2:2.
As you inhale, chant “So” and as you exhale, chant “Hum”.
— Bharat Thakur is the founder of Bharat Thakur’s Artistic Yoga. For questions on yoga, write to dubai.artisticyoga@gmail.com. For more information, log on
to http://www.bharatthakur.com. An avid golfer, Bharat Thakur is also the creator of the Yoga-for-Golf Workshop. For queries, please write to info@yogaforsports.net
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