Posts

Posted on

There are Many Reasons for Insomnia

A woman suffering from insomnia. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock)
A woman suffering from insomnia. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock)

Insomnia is defined as chronic inability to fall asleep or remain asleep for an adequate length of time. It is estimated 10 to 40 per cent of people suffer from some sort of insomnia. This is only an estimate as nobody has yet defined what constitutes normal sleep.

Most adults sleep seven to eight hours a night. Newborns and children may sleep up to 16 hours a day. Older people may sleep only six hours a night. There is no magic number. If you are tired the next day or are yawning all the time then you need more sleep.

The quality of sleep you get is also important. The quality and quantity of sleep depend on many factors like your health, your lifestyle and your environment.

In a survey done in the United States, it was found that many patients with insomnia have other medical problems. Thirty per cent of the patients have depression, 20 per cent have other mental disorders, and 19 per cent have other illnesses. But 31 per cent of the patients have primary insomnia – no medical condition contributing to insomnia. Sometimes insomnia may be the first symptom of depression.

“The prevalence of insomnia has also been reported to be higher in women, women in minority groups, people who are unemployed or separated, lower socioeconomic groups and in those with medical or psychiatric – particularly substance abuse – disorders,” says an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

It is very important you consult your doctor if you have trouble falling asleep or cannot remain asleep for an adequate length of time. The cause of your insomnia could be stress, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, spastic bladder, arthritis, hyperthyroidism, congestive heart failure, obstructive sleep apnea, or lung disease. You may be overindulging in caffeine or alcohol. Or there may some other cause.

Your physician can help you sort some of these problems by recommending regular daytime exercise, avoiding large meals at night, avoiding caffeine, tobacco and alcohol; reducing evening fluid intake; maintaining a consistent wake-up time; avoiding or limiting daytime napping and avoiding bright lights – including television, noise and temperature extremes. In some circumstances he may recommend medications.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!

Posted on

E. coli Infection from Contaminated Food can be Very Serious

Your hamburger may be a bio-hazard! (iStockphoto/Thinkstock)
Your hamburger may be a bio-hazard! (iStockphoto/Thinkstock)

Last week’s news: Health officials in Alberta say they are investigating five cases of E. coli infections in people, but they are not linking them to an extensive recall of ground beef from major Canadian grocery stores.

It seems the problem is sporadic rather than widespread. However, the person infected with E.coli can suffer from mild to severe and sometimes life threatening symptoms. It has been reported four of the infections are in Edmonton and one in Calgary. Apparently, one such case involves a four-year-old Calgary girl whose kidneys have failed and she has had two blood transfusions.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency first warned last week that ground beef from Edmonton-based XL Foods may contain E. coli. Investigations are going on but it is not always easy to pin down the source of infection since there are many potential sources of exposure.

E. coli is one of the many organisms which colonise intestinal tract of humans and animals. E. coli and related bacteria constitute about 0.1 per cent of gut flora. E. coli colonizes an infant’s gut within 40 hours of birth with food or water or with the individuals handling the child. They remain harmless in the gut until they become virulent and cause all kinds of troubles.

Virulent strains of E. coli can cause gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections, and neonatal meningitis. In rarer cases, they can cause hemolytic-uremic syndrome (toxic substances destroy red blood cells causing kidney injury), peritonitis, mastitis, septicemia (bacteria in the blood cause chills, high fever, rapid breathing and rapid heart rate), and pneumonia.

Food, water and dirty hands are contaminated with animal or human faecal matter containing E. coli and then we ingest it. Other sources of E. coli are undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized milk or cider, salami, alfalfa sprouts and lettuce. Person-to-person transmission is common.

Clinical presentation is from mild nonbloody diarrhea to serious bloody diarrhea with severe abdominal cramping, septicemia and kidney failure. The incubation period averages about four days, but ranges from one to 10 days. Adults typically shed the bacteria for about a week after infection, young children, for up to three weeks. Diagnosis is made by stool cultures.

Treatment is, for the most part, supportive with maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance and blood transfusion if necessary. Preventing this infection is difficult because E. coli is present almost everywhere. Attention should be paid to food safety, personal hygiene and the rapid identification of active cases. Always remember to wash your hands as often as possible. Servers and kitchen staff at restaurants and fast food joints, staff at nursing homes and hospitals and industries where food is extensively handled by different individuals have to pay extra attention to personal and environmental hygiene.

It is important to report to the local medical officer of health all suspected and confirmed cases of E. coli infection. These infected individuals should refrain from interacting with the vulnerable populations – elderly, children and the sick. If they handle food then they should refrain from these occupational activities until two stool samples have tested negative for E. coli.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!

Posted on

Sugar… Sugar… You Are Not My Honey Anymore

Ice cream and fried bananas. (Dr. Bharwani)
Ice cream and fried bananas. (Dr. Bharwani)

Many experts believe sugar is a poison. So does the Mayor of New York city, Michael R. Bloomberg. The mayor has been trying to improve the health habits of New Yorkers for some time, with actions like bans on smoking in bars and city parks and the posting of calorie counts on menus in chain restaurants.

Bloomberg’s recent project was to reduce the obesity rates of his citizens by restricting the amount of sugary drinks they can buy. So, last week, the New York City Board of Health approved a ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, street carts and movie theaters, the first restriction of its kind in the U.S. Now sugary drinks cannot be sold in containers larger than 16 ounces – some exceptions apply.

Dietary sugar is not good for your health. There are nine reasons why you should quit on sweetie sugar. It may cause hyperactivity, raise blood sugar level, suppress immune system, lead to obesity and diabetes, cause cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, dental decay and macular degeneration.

Like many things in science, you can dig out statistics which have contradictory conclusions. This leads to confusion. The World Health Organization and others have said there are contrasting impacts of sugar in refined and unrefined forms. So there are at time no comparable studies to draw conclusions from.

Some experts believe hyperactivity is due to sugar consumption. Others have refuted the idea. Until we get a final word on it, you can stop feeding sugar to kids and adults – especially if they get sugar-high. Your blood sugar level goes up as soon as you eat sugary stuff. Consuming too much sugar suppresses the immune system. The white blood cells that attack bacteria are less effective. Immune system is also suppressed if a person is obese.

Consuming large amount of dietary sugar does not cause diabetes but it does cause obesity which is a risk factor in diabetics. A meta-analysis of several studies found sugar-sweetened beverages may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes not only through obesity but also by increasing dietary glycemic load, leading to insulin resistance, β-cell dysfunction, and inflammation. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of medical disorders that, when occurring together, increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It is estimated the syndrome is present in 25 per cent of the the U.S. population.

There is indirect evidence to suggest consuming a diet with a high glycemic load is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease. The glycemic index ranks foods on how they affect our blood glucose levels.

It is suggested that Alzheimer’s disease is linked with the western diet. Animal studies suggest controlling the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages may be an effective way to curtail the risk of developing the disease. There are links between free sugar consumption and macular degeneration in older age. There is convincing evidence from human studies to show an association between the amount and frequency of free sugars intake and dental decay.

Bloomberg’s next project should be to do what Japan did in 2008. A law in Japan requires overweight individuals or individuals who show signs of weight – related illnesses to go to dieting classes. If they fail to attend the classes then the company and/or the local government would be fined.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!

Posted on

Eat Fruits and Vegetables to Produce Healthier Sperm

A sperm fertilizing an egg. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock)
A sperm fertilizing an egg. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock)

A study published in Fertility and Sterility reported men who consume a high amount of certain nutrients may produce healthier sperm than men who do not. The study also found this effect to be more pronounced in older men.

Dr. Andrew Wyrobeck and his colleagues from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California determined dietary micronutrient intake among 80 individuals aged 22 to 80 years. Examples of micronutrients are vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc. These nutrients are required by the body in small quantities for a whole range of physiological functions. The human body does not produce these micronutrients. Sperms from these individuals were also analysed.

The study found men with a higher intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, folate, and zinc produced sperm that had significantly less DNA damage than men who consumed lower amounts. Analysis showed that older men with an intake below that of the population’s median levels for vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc (but not β-carotene or folate) had significantly more sperm DNA damage compared with all other groups, including older men with above median intakes.

What does this mean? It means older men who are planning to father a child in the near future should start eating a healthy diet if they are not doing so already. Older fathers, with DNA-damaged sperm, may be contributing to the increasing rates of autism, schizophrenia and other diseases among children and adolescents.

Researchers say consuming micronutrients such as vitamin C, E, folate and zinc helps turn back the clock for older men. The analysis revealed that men older than 44 who consumed the most vitamins and micronutrients had 20 per cent less sperm DNA damage compared to men their own age who consumed the fewest nutrients.

In younger men, a higher intake of micronutrients didn’t improve the quality of the DNA in their sperm. The benefit was observed solely among the older men. But, of course, they are the ones most vulnerable to sperm DNA damage – and therefore have the most to gain from an improved diet.

Future studies are needed to determine whether increased antioxidant intake in older fathers will improve fertility, reduce risks for genetically defective pregnancies, and result in healthier children, concludes the team.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!