Running a little every day could go a long way!

 

Everyone knows that cardio is an effective method of keeping your body fit and active. Running and aerobics exercises are extremely beneficial to both the body and mind. New research suggests that running, for any amount of time, instantly reduces the risk of death by 27%. In this blog, SMBT will explore the details of this study.

Studies conducted in the past have concluded that running can help alleviate stress and slow down aging. Going for a run has proven to combat feelings of negative emotions and improve memory. It has also been proven that senior citizens that go for regular runs have the same amount of energy as a 20-year-old does while walking. 

Today, researchers are trying to find a link between running and decreasing mortality rates. Numerous published papers, conference papers, and doctoral thesis have been studied to find a correlation between running and a longer lifespan. A recent review of 14 studies was conducted. This entailed a total of 232,149 participants ranging from 5.5 to 35 years of age.

Their findings concluded an overall 27% decreased the risk of death among those who ran. Moreover, they also found a 30% lower risk of death due to cardiovascular diseases and a 23% lowered risk of cancer-related deaths.

The World Health Organisation recommends 150 minutes of intense exercise or at least 70 minutes of moderate exercise to stay healthy. But the review showed that a person who ran for less than 50 minutes or at low speeds for under 9.5km also saw the reduced risk of death. This breakthrough has introduced us to the secret of a long, healthy life. Make sure you spend a little time every day running, to ensure living and enjoying a full life!


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Students Combating Chronic Pain

Do you face frequent or prolonged headaches? Have you noticed a constant pain in your back arising in the colder months? Do your joints begin to hurt more than expected when you perform physical activities? You may be suffering from chronic pain. As a student, you are subjected to long hours of study and classes that could prove to be uncomfortable for your body. It is essential to take precaution before your body develops a chronic condition

Chronic pain is in common terms, pain that is persistent. It is commonly caused due to musculoskeletal injuries, autoimmune diseases, nervous system dysfunction and chronic diseases. There are three main areas of our body that are subjected to chronic pain, which are, our head, back and joints.

Chronic Headaches 

A chronic headache lasts for at least 15 days of the month and goes on for a minimum of three months. Common chronic headaches are tension headaches, eye strain headaches, migraines and cluster headaches. 

Tension headaches arise from fatigue, stress and irregular sleep patterns. Limit your all-nighters and make sure to follow a schedule so that you aren’t overworked. 

Eye strain headaches are exactly what they sound; they are caused when our ocular muscles are strained. Make sure you limit your time using electronic devices and check your lighting when you’re reading. 

Migraines are severe headaches that stem from nervous system triggers or hormonal irregularities. Individuals may suffer from headaches in particular parts of their head. These are cluster headaches and they’re caused due to the enlargement of our blood vessels. Regulate your use of prescription drugs and reduce or better yet, eliminate the consumption of cigarettes and alcohol. 

Chronic Back Pain 

This is more commonly experienced in the lower back and is caused due to injuries, arthritis, osteoporosis or natural wear and tear. It is the result of slipped or bulging discs, spinal stenosis, compression fractures, soft tissue damage due to strain or trauma, spinal fractures, scoliosis or lordosis. Spinal stenosis involves the narrowing of the spinal canal and compression of nerves. Soft tissue damage occurs when there is trauma to back muscles, ligaments or tendons. 

Chronic back pain can prove to be a serious issue and hamper the patients day to day performance. If you are an active athlete or used to be in the past, and may be suffering from back pain, it is wise to get yourself checked. There is also a possibility of the heavy bag weight students have had to carry during their school years that could have developed into one of this generation’s biggest complaints. 

Chronic Joint Pain 

This kind of pain is mostly caused by injuries, infection or ageing. The most common reason for chronic joint pain is arthritis. Specifically osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis and tendinitis. Osteoarthritis affects large joints and is more common among the elderly. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes our joints to swell up. Bursitis occurs when the fluid-filled sacs that cushion our joints get inflamed. Tendinitis is the inflammation of our joint’s tendons. Chronic pain is also a result of repetitive motion injury which is most often seen in people who are subjected to regular strenuous physical activity, such as athletes. 

Chronic Nerve Pain 

This is also known as neuropathic pain which occurs when our nerves are stripped off of myelin sheath, i.e. their protective exterior coating. This happens when nerves are damaged, compressed, or exposed to drugs. Chronic nerve pain is the result of conditions such as sciatica, diabetic neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome and trigeminal neuralgia. Sciatica is a sharp shooting pain in the leg caused by a nerve compression. Diabetic neuropathy is the umbrella term for nerve disorders usually occurring in our hands or feet that are caused by diabetes. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a tingling, numbing or sensation of weakness in the wrist due to a strain on its nerves. Trigeminal neuralgia is severe facial pain caused by damage to the trigeminal nerve of the face. Did you know? Simple repetitive motions of texting on your phone and typing on a computer may contribute to a case of carpal tunnel. 

Diagnosing Chronic Pain 

The keyword being ‘chronic’ which means ‘constantly recurring’, a diagnosis of chronic pain is usually made only after three to six months of experiencing it. Patients have to go through numerous tests such as imaging, blood work and nerve tests to eliminate the probability of certain diseases and disorders and eventually draw up the right diagnosis. The most common methodologies of detecting chronic pain symptoms are X-rays, MRI scans and CT scans. 

Multiple Cases of Chronic Pain 

A recent review of 14 different studies found that there is a link between chronic back pain and headaches. It said that patients suffering from chronic joint or head pain have twice the chances to experience the other disorder. This review was published in the Journal of Headache and Pain where the 14 studies had a variety of sample ages; the smallest of which were 88 participants and the largest sample size was a study conducted with 404,206 participants. 

It is said that chronic pain is a sort of disability that the patient has to live with. The review of these studies determined that patients suffering from one type of chronic pain are highly sensitive to the other one. This urges doctors to look into combined treatments that help counter both aiments at once. At the moment, there are a few holistic remedies. It is best for science to invent a sort of multi-purpose medication that combats both disorders at once. It would also ease the patients financial burdens with one solution for multiple problems. 

For now, the right medical and physiological management can help provide a quality life for patients. Once there is substantial research conducted and science is able to clearly understand the complex biological relationships that interlinks two disorders, patients can look forward to a better quality of life that they are already provided. 

For more informative blogs and to keep up with the latest breakthrough in medicine, stay tuned to www.smbt.edu.in

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Does the patient have Lewy body dementia or Alzhiemer’s?

Dementia is an umbrella term for diseases that deteriorate cognitive functions making it difficult for patients to perform simple daily tasks. Lewy bodies are small deposits of protein in brain cells, called alpha-synuclein. In the early 1900’s, neurologist Dr. Freiderich H. Lewy accidentally discovered Lewy body dementia while conducting research on Parkinson’s disease.

Lewy body dementia is a condition where the patient’s mental and physical abilities rapidly decline. Its effects are a kind of combination of the effects of Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s. One of the first symptoms of Lewy body dementia is visual hallucinations. Patient may see animals, shapes or even people that aren’t there. Hallucinations can also extend to sound, smell or touch. The patients’ autonomous nervous system begins to glitch. Our pulse, blood pressure and sweat glands are regulated by a part of the nervous system which is severely affected by Lewy body dementia causing frequent falls, dizziness and bowel issues. Patients also face difficulties sleeping or paying attention. They may also suffer from depression and apathy. Patients experience cognitive symptoms of Alzhiemer’s such as confusion, visual-spatial issues and memory loss. They also go through Parkinsonian signs such as slowed movement, rigid muscles and difficulties walking.

The demographic at risk are statistically men, over the age of 60 and the condition is hereditary. If complications persist, patients can suffer severe dementia and depression as well as aggressive behaviour and worsened Parkinson’s symptoms. On average, the patient may pass away approximately eight years after symptoms start.

Looking at how complicated the symptoms of this disease are, one can easily understand how it can be misdiagnosed. Surveys show that 80% of lewy body dementia patients are misdiagnosed! Out of this percentage, 50% were misdiagnosed with Alzhiemer’s. 15% of patients had to consult over five doctors before getting the right diagnosis. Only 27% were diagnosed correctly within three months after their symptoms began to show. 23% received the right diagnosed within a year. 50% patients got the correct diagnosis after over a year and 20% had to wait for a whole three years before being accurately diagnosed.

This is a fatal situation to be in for a disease that directly and quite severely affects its victim’s brain. Late diagnosis is extremely harmful. Recent studies have shown that Alzhiemer’s and Lewy body disease can be differentiated through the patients walking patterns. Research shows that although both diseases affect the brain, they affect different parts of the brain. Alzheimer's attacks the hippocampus which is responsible for brain formation while Lewy body disease attacks the part of the brain that controls movement and certain fragments of memory. When a study was conducted, it showed that patients with Alzheimer’s rarely showed variation in their walking pattern while Lewy body dementia patients all had unique walking patterns with variation in the time it took to take a step or the amount of steps they could take at a time. The researchers, through this study, could differentiate between the disease with an accuracy of 60%. This is the very first study that has come through with these findings that could prevent misdiagnosis before it’s too late.

Science continues to advance in their findings to combat and cure life-threatening diseases so humans can live a long and healthy life. SMBT continues to educate their audience about the latest research in the medical field. Stay tuned for more interesting and informative blogs on www.smbt.edu.in

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HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF IN THIS WEATHER

Monsoon is a very expressive and beautiful form of nature welcoming seasonal change. Although it is a favourite season for a lot of us, it is always recommended that we take care of health to be able to enjoy this season to the fullest.

Following are the steps that can help you have a healthy experience of this monsoon:

1. Food and Water

Take care of the food that you choose to eat this season. It is ideally recommended that you avoid food from street vendors or new places you aren’t confident about regarding the hygiene they follow while cooking. The environment also makes it easier for germs and viruses to spread in this season, thus making home food more advisable. Take adequate amount of vitamins and nutrients in the form of fruits, vegetables and protein rich food to strengthen your immunity.
Avoid drinking water from random sources and try to stick to sterilized water for this season to ensure quality and hygienic water for your body as the risk of taking contaminated water is high.

2. Enjoying the rains

A lot us intentionally get wet in the rain to relish the experience of it but rain water isn’t good for your body. Always take a shower after getting wet in rain water to wash away the impure toxic substances rain water may contain. This action itself can keep you away from infections and diseases caused by the impure state of rainwater.

3. Personal Hygiene

It is very important to maintain your personal hygiene in this climate where spreading of viruses and bacteria is fast. Don’t touch your face with dirty hands as there are chances of viruses and germs entering your body through your nose, ears etc. Wet and dirty garments become a ground for germ growth therefore change clothes often and avoid staying long in wet clothes.

4. Maintaining environment

The risk of water borne diseases is high due to the rains thus ensuring quality of the water you drink should be made top priority. Diseases and viruses can also spread due to contaminated water so ensure there is no stagnant water which can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes near you. Use mosquito repellants and check for clog free plumbing system at your house to avoid malaria and other microbial diseases. Always wear dry shoes and clothes to avoid skin infections due to the dampness.

5. Essentials

Always carry a raincoat or an umbrella to make sure you don’t get wet due to sudden rains. Using of sanitizers is also recommended to keep you away from bacteria and viruses. Avoid mosquitoes by adopting mosquito repellants and nets to keep your environment free from them. Keep your clothes and surrounding dry.

SMBT knows that doctors will solve your problems but we also understand that prevention is the best for your health, which is our top priority. Follow the precautions as listed above to take care of yourself this season. Your health is the real treasure you need to protect. Life is only memorable when you’re healthy enough to live it peacefully.

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