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Saturday, February 22, 2014

Chickenpox, sting in spring

Chickenpox is most common in children, but most people will get chickenpox at some point in their lives if they have not had the chickenpox vaccine
Prof Syed Afzalul Karim n
Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It can spread easily. You can get it from an infected person who sneezes, coughs, health or shares food or drink. flash You can also get it if you touch the fluid from a chickenpox blister. A person who has chickenpox can spread the virus even before he or she has any symptoms, up until all the blistershave crusted over. You are at risk for chickenpox if you have never had the illness and have not had the chickenpox vaccine. If someone you live with gets chickenpox, your risk is even higher because of the close contact. treatment for chickenpox. They may require immunoglobulin treatment (IG) or antiviral medicine. Your doctor can give you these soon after you are exposed to the virus to help you feel better faster.

qUick TIPS Water in the morning

How can you prevent chickenpox?

You can prevent chickenpox by getting the chickenpox vaccine. Doctors recommend two doses of this shot for healthy children 12 months of age and older who have not had chickenpox. Older children and adults who have not had chickenpox and have not yet had the vaccine also need two doses. If you have been around a person who has the virus and you have not had chickenpox or the vaccine, you still may be able to prevent the illness. Get a shot of chickenpox antibodies or the vaccine right away. In rare cases, people who have had the vaccine still get chickenpox. And a few people who have already had chickenpox get it again. If this happens, a milder form of the illness usually occurs, with fewer blisters and symptoms. This is called a breakthrough infection. Do not expose your child to chickenpox on purpose. Some parents expose their children to chickenpox because they think it is safer for children to have the illness when they are young. But this isnt a good idea, because even young children can have serious problems from chickenpox. l The writer is a professor at the Dermatology Department of Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College.

Symptoms
A chickenpox infection usually lasts about 5-10 days. The rash is the telltale indication of chickenpox. Other signs and symptoms, which may appear one to two days before the rash, include: l Fever l Loss of appetite l Headache l Tiredness and a general feeling of being unwell (malaise) Once the chickenpox rash appears, it goes through three phases: l Raised pink or red bumps (papules), which break out over several days l Fluid-filled blisters (vesicles), forming from the raised bumps over about one day before breaking and leaking

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Start your morning with a glass of water with fresh lemon juice squeezed into it. Paradoxically, lemon juice helps to promote healthy alkalinity in your body. Almost instantly, you will feel calmer and better able to handle stress. Lemon juice also helps you to absorb minerals,so be sure to drink itwhen you take any nutritional supplements.

Chicken pox can be prenented by vaccine. Doctors recommend two doses of this shot for healthy children 12 months of age and older who have not had chickenpox.
l Crusts and scabs, which cover the

Iodine for IQ

rash can spread to cover the entire body, and lesions may form in the throat, eyes and mucous membranes of the urethra, anus and vagina. New spots continue to appear for several days.

How is it treated?
broken blisters and take several more days to heal New bumps continue to appear for several days. As a result, you may have all three stages of the rash bumps, blisters and scabbed lesions at the same time on the second day of the rash. Once infected, you can spread the virus for up to 48 hours before the rash appears, and you remain contagious until all spots crust over. The disease is generally mild in healthy children. In severe cases, the Most healthy children and adults need only home treatment for chickenpox. Home treatment includes resting and taking medicine to reduce fever and itching. You also can soak in oatmeal baths to help with itching. People with long-term diseases or other health problems may need more

food therapy

Whole vegetables are better than vegetable juice

Vegetable juice can be an easy way to increase the amount of vegetables in your diet, but you shouldnt routinely use it to replace whole vegetables. Most adults should get at least 3-4 bigstock servings of vegetables a day, depending on their age, sex and level of physical activity. It is thought that vegetable juice is the extract of the vegetable, and contains the nutrients in concentrated form. But nutritionists say that though vegetable juice has plenty of vitamins and minerals, its lower in fiber and less filling than is a serving of most whole vegetables. Enough fiber in your diet may reduce your risk of constipation, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and weight gain. l

Daily coffee and chocolate helps to cure liver diseases

Dr Sajol Ashfaq n
Coffee is a very popular, and so is chocolate. Recently a study has found that both coffee and chocolate are good for liver especially when the liver is infected by HIV (Human DID YOU Immunodeficiency Virus) and KNOW? HCV (Hepatitis C Virus). The study found that patients coinfected with HIV and HCV who reported eating chocolate daily and drinking three or more cups of coffee a day had lower levels of ALT and AST. AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and ALT (alanine aminotransferase) are the two common liver enzymes that are the markers representing the inflammation in the liver and we can know their level by blood tests. People with HIV and/or hepatitis C have routinelychecked ALT and AST levels. An article published in the January 2014 issue of Journal of Hepatology describes how drinking more coffee and eating more chocolate may be associated with lower levels of liver enzymes in people living with HIV and hepatitis C (HCV). The key to these observations are the presence of polyphenols, or a type of anti-oxidant that have anti-inflammatory properties. Similar polyphenols are found in both coffee and chocolate, and it appears that higher levels of these anti-oxidants are what are lowering ALT and AST levels.

According to the World Health Organization, todays leading cause of dementia and brain failure is iodine deficiency. Low iodine levels trigger fatigue, depression and brain damage.Even in the early stages iodine deficiency can lower IQ by 15 points. Due to widespread ingestion of iodine blockers such as chlorinated fluoridated drinking water and soybean products, 43% of the population is at serious risk.

Feeling tired and sluggish?

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Beets beat heart disease

Beets are highly nutritious and cardiovascular health-friendly root vegetables. Certain unique pigment antioxidants in the root as well as in its top greens have found to offer protection against coronary artery disease and stroke. Lower cholesterol levels within the body, and have anti-aging effects. Beets are a rich source of phytochemical compound, glycine betaine which has the property of lowering homocysteine levels within the blood. Homocysteine promotes platelet clot as well as atherosclerotic-plaque formation into blood vessels, resulting in the development of coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular diseases. Raw beets are an excellent source of folates, which are necessary for DNA synthesis within the cells of a fetus. Thus folates can prevent neural tube defects in the baby. l
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The study showed that drinking three or more cups of coffee daily, and eating chocolate each day, were each associated with more normal levels of ALT. When combined, they represented a 4050% lower lever of abnormal liver enzymes. Also drinking more coffee each day was associated with more normal AST levels. But researchers said these results need to be confirmed by further experimental and observational research. l

Eating chocolate and drinking 3 or more cups of coffee everyday can lower levels of two common enzymes that are the markers of liver diseases

Your polarity may be reversed! Causes include wearing a watch on your left wrist, exposure to electro-magnetic fields such as a clock radio beside your bed or working at a computer, dehydration, and iron or potassium deficiency. How do you correct your polarity? Drink a glass of water. Fold your arms in front of your chest. Press the pulse points of your wrists together so each hand is holding onto a forearm. Hold this position for 1-5 minutes until you feel a noticeable shift in your body.(It may feel like you are shorter or heavier or more bottom-heavy). You will notice a rise in your energy level after about 10 minutes.

| Compiled by: Shirsho Saaeadat

Fruit peels can be fruitful

Never throw out the peel of oranges. When cooking rice they give a beautiful fragrance. Fruit peel is the outer skin or the covering of fruits. In citrus fruits such as in oranges, it is better termed as zest. The fruit peel is discarded in the majority of common fruits, even when it is safe for consumption. Indeed, the peel is being recognised as one of the essential components of our diet as it contains many vital nutrients and non-nutrient compounds, which play an important role in well being. The peel of some common fruits like blueberries, grapes, guava, and kumquat contain higher concentrations of antioxidants than in their flesh (pulp). Pigments just underneath the skin have at least 100 effects on cancer cells which look to be beneficial, like the antioxidant effect. Recent scientific trial studies suggest that certain compounds in the fruit peel have a bronchodilator effect, and can help relieve cough and bronchospasms in asthma patients. Bronchospasm is an abnormal contraction of the smooth muscle of the bronchi, resulting in an acute narrowing and obstruction of the respiratory airway. l

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| Dr Mohammad Sayem

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