Archive for June, 2008

Dieting because of Overweight

Friday, June 20th, 2008

Obesity is the commonest problem worldwide and overweight individuals go to any extent to shed those extra kilos, at any cost. But, lack of knowledge is the root cause of fat. Unlike the old myth, over-eating is not the only cause of obesity. Factors like heredity, hormonal imbalance, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle and water retention plays an equally important role in making you overweight. After you detect the right cause of excessive fat in your body you should work out the right plan to achieve the desired weight. In all cases of obesity, one must eat enough to keep calorie intake equivalent to the energy required by the body which will keep your system functioning the whole day.

This still does not mean depriving yourself of the food of your choice! It only goes to prove that any extra calories mean more fat. Keeping a constant check on your weight is easier than letting it become a chronic problem as fat becomes more stubborn to dissolve.

Dieting is the worst enemy of fat. It you discontinue to diet and get back to regular eating habits, you tend to put on more weight, as your metabolism slows down while you were eating less. Fasting once a week is a healthier suggestion as your body mechanism needs rest too.

Ten to fifteen minutes of exercise is a must, especially for people living sedentary lives. Vigorous and heavy exercise is not really required, do just enough to keep your blood circulation in check.

Obesity or overweight is a frequently recurring problem in adults. It is mainly caused by limited activity. Over-nutrition can be singled out as the most important etiological factor where food behavior plays a crucial role.

Premature Child Birth

Friday, June 20th, 2008

Premature babies appear thin, fragile, with deep red skin and wrinkled appearance. They lack muscle tone making them appear limp and flexible. However, they enjoy firm gentle touch. Most premies can see shapes and objects. Their eye sight is like all babies and may improve with time. Extremely premie babies may have problems called “Retinopathy of Prematurely” where back of the eye is damaged. Early and regular eye checkups are advocated for early detection and treatment.
Babies with respiratory distress may develop fast breathing within minutes or hours of birth. Babies with mild respiratory distress may only require extra oxygen through head box whereas babies with severe respiratory distress may get tired of breathing and are placed on ventilators. It is common for the brain of the premie to “forget to tell” the lungs to breathe. This may result in the absence of breathing for 15 seconds or more that is called “Apnoea” or “Anoxia” that may be associated with fall in the heart rate (brady cardia). Breathing can be stimulated by gentle touch or resuscitation. A premie with recurrent apnoeas may necessitate placing the baby on ventilator to assist breathing. Another thing is that the blood vessels of the premie are more fragile and may rapture leading to future handicap to the baby. This can be diagnosed by ultrasound or CT-scan of the brain.
Premature babies are more prone to fall in hemoglobin and require repeated blood transfusions. All parents should take their babies for “Hepatitis-B” immunization schedule as prescribed. Besides, when “Sepsis” (infection in blood) is found owing to low resistance, it is cured by antibiotics to which the child is not resistant. If such babies are not energetic enough to suck or take spoon feed, they are fed intravenously by fluids containing nutrients that are directly put into the blood stream.