INDIANAPOLIS – At Riley Hospital, caution lights will hover over the snoozing patients at the Children’s neonatal intensive care unit. This device will flash when the sound levels go beyond the normal level. As the decibels go up, the colors on the new monitoring system will automatically change from green to yellow to red, indicating the chatting parents or visitors to keep quiet so that the babies get adequate rest for their growth.

A sound level indicator of the Sonicu system hangs from the ceiling of the neonatal intensive care unit at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 19, 2008. The unit measures noise and displays a visual representation of measured sound levels. As decibels rise, the colors change from green to yellow to red, hushing chatty parents or doctors so the babies get the rest they need to develop.
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Associated Press

“A noise which is little bit louder than the normal level can cause the hearts of sick or premature babies to beat slowly or quickly”, said Dr. William Engle at Riley hospital. Disturbing the babies’ sleep or vital signs can slow down their growth and healing because their bodies do most of the work while they sleep.

continue reading Sound Monitors Protect Premature Babies

Recently launched “Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)” would be an advantageous treatment for people who are suffering from certain typical illness and health conditions.

‘Bumrungrad International’, a Bangkok, Thailand based hospital and regional referral center has introduced this new technique in order to derive maximum therapeutic benefits helping the sufferers.

HBOT is a typical high pressure treatment which is completely non-invasive and painless. The course of HBOT treatment was originally developed for scuba and deep-sea divers who often have to face a dangerous health problem called “Decompression Sickness” or the “Bends”.

Subsequently HBOT was found to be equally effective with several other health related problems. HBOT plays an important role in reducing effects of toxic substances; it helps in alleviating the gas-bubble obstructions and promotes faster healing of the wounds. HBOT is also immensely helpful in enhancing the oxygen levels among the injured tissues. Improving infection control is one more function that HBOT facilitates in.

continue reading New Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Introduced To Treat Multiple Illness

Midlife belly fat and the risk of dementia are longitudinally related with each other, reveals a recent research study conducted at the “Kaiser Permanente Division of Research”, in Oakland, California.

According to this study, the muscles tend to loose with the increase in age and therefore the bone mass is also reduced. It is one of the main reasons of gaining belly among the elderly people. Therefore measuring abdomen size in an old age would not be a good indicator. Instead the abdominal obesity in midlife could prove to be far better indicator of the long term ‘metabolic deregulation’ which often leads to dementia risks.

Central obesity measured by waist circumference has been considered to be linked with dementia along with the body mass index among the elders. Almost all previous studies established that a large abdomen in midlife also enhances the risks of diabetes, stroke, and coronary heart diseases. For the first time a longitudinal relationship between midlife belly fat and risk of dementia has been identified and established.

continue reading Midlife Belly Fat and Dementia Risks, a longitudinal Relationship

Washington- If women stop smoking when they are pregnant they are likely to have happy, more easygoing babies, British researchers said on Wednesday.

It was noted that babies of women who didn’t stop smoking while pregnant were significantly cranky. The researchers have the opinion that mothers, who can put in the effort to get away from the smoking habit, show more care for their offspring in other ways.

The researchers also found out that Babies born to non-smoking mothers are also more temperamental when compared to those born to mothers who quit. The researchers suggested that moms who discontinue the habit are doing something special.

It is known that tobacco affects the growth of fetus and also affects children when they inhale secondhand smoke of their mother.

continue reading Mothers Who Quit Smoking during Pregnancy Tend To Have Easygoing Babies

The chocolate low-fat milk drink is a great energizer. The best part is that it recharges instantaneously. When you feel you are fatigued, or if your calf muscles secreting excess lactic acid, if you are physically burnt out, or you are in the last lap of the relay race, just go and take a high-energy healthy drink and it would be best if it is something like a low-fat chocolate milk. Needless to say it is an ideal post-exercise choice drink.

Low-fat chocolate milk can be a great blessing in times of extreme tiredness and fatigue. It is invaluable both on and off the court. Many of the research studies conducted around the world reveal with enough evidences that that the unique mix of the key ingredients in chocolate milk can really help in refueling and re-hydrating the body that is much needed after an exercise. It is one of the most energizing alternatives with many healthy advantages for people specially those who are athletes. Athletes that choose chocolate milk get immense benefit out of drinking the same.

Some of the research studies also establish that even coaches nowadays tend to encourage the teen-athletes to drink chocolate milk as it is said to help in replenishing their muscles after a workout or a practice. It is believed that the constituents of the low-fat chocolate milk that are carbohydrates and protein help muscles to recover back to normalcy. What more, the low-fat chocolate milk health drink is great to taste as well. It is also a repository of all important minerals and nutrients.

continue reading Low Fat Chocolate Milk-A Cost Effective Alternative to High Tech Sports Drinks

Prolonged exposure to the ‘Ultra-Violet (UV) Radiations’ could be a major cause for developing skin cancer despite the health advantages of vitamin D. Health experts at the ‘American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)’ accept that vitamin D is essential for optimal health of a person but the risks coupled with the UV-source is far more severe and it requires a cautious approach.

Health experts and dermatologists are of the view that appropriate amount of vitamin D can easily be obtained from natural sources like vitamin D enriched foodstuffs, fortified foods, vitamin-rich beverages, and varieties of multi-vitamin supplements. Any deliberate attempt to get exposed to the ultra-violet radiations would be harmful instead.

The exposure to the ultra-violet radiations could be natural as well as artificial. Sun is the natural source of ultra-violet radiations and various types of man made devices including tanning devices are among the artificial sources of ultra-violet radiations. Both these sources provide good amount of vitamin D to the human body but they are the safer ones, according to the ‘American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)’.

continue reading Be Sun Smart to Avoid Risk of Skin Cancer

We all know that a healthy and balanced diet is essential for a healthy living. As the adage goes “Health is Wealth”, we tend to put in less effort to understand the underlying message. A well-balanced and nutritious diet is the most important requirement for all ages, especially with the kids and growing children.

Don’t we skip meals? More importantly, several research studies revealed that kids tend to skip the meals especially the breakfast. Some kids skip breakfast simply because they sleep late and tend to have no time in the morning to eat before they rush off to school and some think it’s a way. Again, some of the kids will step out of their homes, early morning with only a glass of milk. This practice is very harmful and kids tend to suffer from mid-morning hunger and those results in decreased attention in whatever they do. The attentiveness in academics too takes a downward dip. It also affects their energy levels. The chemistry is simple, brain cells need glucose to be active and a skip in breakfast meaning no energy to the cells and they remain dull and inactive.

continue reading Ready, Set a Healthy Breakfast for Your Kids

You must have come across several studies showing positive and negative effects of chocolates on your health. Almost none of these studies are brand specific and suggestive of what chocolate bars available at your nearby grocery store could be good for your health .Dr Keith Scott-Mumby who is an internationally known expert in the field of Alternative medicine attempted for studying the properties and advantages of a typical chocolate diet.

Chocolates are made from the beans of the cacao tree, known as Theobroma Cacao, according to Dr. Keith Scott- Mymby. The flavanoids of this plant are generally recognized for its antioxidant properties and activities. It is easy to understand that a small bar of chocolate could possibly contain flavanoids equal to the flavanoids contained in almost six apples. It is also equal to four and a half cups of tea or even two glasses of red wine, says Dr Scott-Mumby.

Dr Keith Scott-Mumby has also developed a “Doctor’s Chocolate” with an objective to derive maximum advantages of healthy ingredients of chocolate and avoiding the unhealthy , harmful components that are commonly present in the chocolate bars being marketed by several companies. As an added advantage, this new “Doctor’s Chocolate” also helps in reducing excess weight. If you like chocolates then you may also like eating just one to three pieces of this chocolate everyday and your appetite will be suppressed sufficiently and you will be saved from taking junk food, according to Dr Scott-Mumby.

continue reading New Antioxidant Rich Doctor’s Chocolate for Weight Control

MCG Health, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation and a health care provider, has presented a study recently warning the golf lovers to be cautious as pollen has attacked the south again.

Looking at the situation, they have already predicted that pine pollen will blanket the area in yellow, including the greens, about a week before the prestigious Masters Tournament. The people prone to allergy have already started experiencing the symptoms. Fortunately pine is a weak allergen however soon late-blooming trees and new grass would release more powerful pollen, which could be dangerous to the golf spectators.

Dr. William Dolen, an Allergist and Immunologist for MCGHealth, and a past President of the ‘American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology ‘specially warns the visitors form up North to be more careful as they are more prone to allergy due to its still being cold there. Since they have yet not confronted any seasonal changes as the people have already in South, they might not think to bring any anti allergens.

continue reading Pollen Attacks South, Doctor Warns the Golf Lovers

As the sun is high in the sky and spring season sets on a milder weather, it is time to come out of winter hibernation for many people specially the young ones.

It is time when the sports grounds including basketball, baseball, tennis, and soccer start looking crowded. Children can bee seen dribbling down the driveways and shooting three pointers in the parks everywhere.

As the spring is springing, active sports season is springing as well and it becomes a busy period for foot and ankle surgeons. For them it is “Ankle Sprain Season”.

“Ankle Sprain” is one of the most common sports injuries. This injury ranks at the top among NCAA basketball players. It affects both men and women players equally. Getting injured with an ankle sprain is not only painful but also stops a person from performing many routine functions.

continue reading Protect Yourself from Ankle Sprain This Spring Season