Ayurveda becoming a popular choice to cure eye diseases

The world’s first ayurvedic ophthalmic hospital says that more and more people are turning to the ancient Indian system of medicine to resolve eye problems.

Doctors at the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre near Kochi assert that ayurveda can easily cure many eye diseases without surgery.y

‘Before we came in, there was no ayurvedic medicine in this field,’ says NPP Namboothiri, the hospital’s managing director and chief physician. ‘We have become the pioneers.’

Kerala draws every year tens of thousands of Indians and foreigners in search of ayurvedic treatment. But few beyond Kerala appear to know what ayurveda can do in the field of ophthalmology.

Eye diseases are rampant today, caused in part by long hours of work on computers, poor eating habits, long and frequent journeys, inadequate hours of sleep and so on.

Eye disorders can also result from watching TV for long hours, reading small print continuously, inappropriate head position while lying on the bed, heavy sneezing and even overindulgence in sex.

Television is to blame for most myopic disorders in children.

‘Many of these diseases can be completely cured through simple treatments we offer,’ Namboothiri told IANS at his office, which is part of the family’s ancestral home.

Hailing from a family of ayurvedic practitioners, Namboothiri set up Sreedhareeyam with five beds in 1999. It has expanded to 350 beds and also gets around 200 daily patients.

The hospital is located at a site where the Namboothiri family ran an informal clinic for a very long time.

Sreedhareeyam has 16 centres in Kerala and elsewhere in India, including major cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi and Chennai.

In Kerala, it also has a presence in Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Thodupuzha and Thiruvananthapuram.

Unlike earlier times when many turned to ayurveda only as the last resort, today many prefer ayurvedic ophthalmic treatment right away, doctors with Sreedhareeyam say.

‘Early detection of eye ailments helps in faster and better recovery,’ Namboothiri said. ‘If treated early, ayurveda strengthens the nervous system and prevents degeneration of the optic nerves.’

According to him, even complicated and rare diseases that affect the optic nerve and retina that lead to blindness can be treated with great success with ayurveda.

‘Thousands of people are today resorting to ayurveda for effective cure,’ he said.

Major eye diseases treated at Sreedhareeyam include diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataract and detachment of retina. The hospital also manufactures all medicines and formulations utilised in eye and other treatment.

Shalakya Tantra is the branch of ayurveda that deals with ailments above the neck. Ayurvedic texts deal with 76 eye, 28 ear and 31 nose diseases.

Sreedhareeyam boasts of a large collection of ancient ayurvedic manuscripts of medicinal preparations and treatment methods.

These inscriptions in old Tamil and Malayalam are on palm leaves and have been handed down by ancestors of the Namboothiri family.

‘We even treat and cure eye problems not normally curable by other medical sciences. Today, our hospital has brought new respect to the science of ayurvedic ophthalmology,’ Namboothiri says.

Source:  http://www.thehealthsite.com/news/ayurveda-becoming-a-popular-choice-to-cure-eye-diseases/

Scientists discover why olive oil lowers blood pressure

AFP | May 20, 2014, 02.18 PM IST

WASHINGTON: The secret to the Mediterranean diet may be in the salad. Eating unsaturated fats, like those in olive oil, along with leafy greens and other vegetables creates a certain kind of fatty acid that lowers blood pressure, scientists said on Monday.

These nitro fatty acids are formed when consuming spinach, celery and carrots that are filled with nitrates and nitrites, along with avocado, nuts and olive oils that contain healthy fats.

Nitro fatty acids appear to inhibit an enzyme known as soluble epoxide hydrolase, which regulates blood pressure, said the research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal.

The study was based on experiments in lab mice, and was funded by the British Heart Foundation.

"The findings of our study help to explain why previous research has shown that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular problems like stroke, heart failure and heart attacks," said Philip Eaton, professor of cardiovascular biochemistry at King's College London.

While most experts agree that the Mediterranean diet -- which consists of lots of vegetables, fish, grains, red wine and fatty nuts and oils -- brings health benefits, there has been little scientific consensus about how or why.

Some have touted red wine as a driving force behind the ability of Europeans to eat high fat cheeses and meats while maintaining better overall health than Americans.

But research published last week found that a key antioxidant in red wine, resveratrol, did not help people in Italy live longer or avoid cancer or heart disease.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Scientists-discover-why-olive-oil-lowers-blood-pressure/articleshow/35381365.cms

Population of older women becoming first-time moms on the rise in the US: CDC

With women rising in power in this new world, it so happens that they are having children at a much older age than usual. For a time, women used to have children in their twenties, now many women are having children in their mid-30s and 40s, based on a new study.

More women are choosing to seek a higher level of education, which means they have less time to start a family at an earlier age. These women usually marry at an older age, as they might have a career that takes up much of their time.

As the world continues to view women as equal, this trend will continue throughout the ages. It could end up meaning we could witness a drop in how many children are born each year, which might very well decrease the population of the world.

In the past, older women had problems getting pregnant, but with the improvement in technology and medical care, this issue is no longer as profound. It allows women to be more confident in the fact that they can push on with their education and career without worrying too much about not being able to bring a child into the world.

"The age at first birth is really a very important topic," Dr. Joanne Stone, director of maternal fetal medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, told CBS News. "When a woman has her first child that can influence how many children she is going to have in the future. If you're 44 and this is your first baby, you may not have more children in the future."

Based on the report, mothers giving birth at the age of 35-39 has risen by 6-folds from the year 1973 to 2006. The number dropped in 2010 but rose again in 2012. Furthermore, more women in their 40s are giving birth than ever before, a trend that keeps increasing on a regular basis.

Still, one should bear in mind that giving birth over the age of 35 is a serious problem and should visit a doctor to learn of the healthiest strategy going forward.

Source: ttp://www.techtimes.com/articles/6869/20140512/population-of-older-women-becoming-first-time-moms-on-the-rise-in-the-us-cdc.htm

Are scientists getting closer to predicting major earthquakes?

By DANIELLE ELLIOT  CBS NEWS

Looking at seismic activity that preceded last month's 8.2-magnitude earthquake in northern Chile, a pair of geologists says it might be possible to predict large quakes.

"Statistical models of interacting earthquakes suggest that big earthquakes are most likely to happen when regional earthquake activity is high," write Emily Brodsky and Thorne Lay in a research article published May 16 in Science. However, even though small earthquakes often precede large ones, they are not always followed by a bigger quake. The trick for scientists is figuring out when they're a sign of something worse to come.

"As far as different precursors being studied around the world, there's about a dozen of them," said David Nabhan, author of the 2013 book "Earthquake Prediction: Answers in Plain Sight." The methods under investigation include pyroelectric effect, which measures electrical signals generated by crystals deep in the Earth's core when they are put under immense pressure; looking at differences in conductivity along fault lines; changes in water level; monitoring geo-hydrochemical gases as they are vented; and studying high-energy proton bursts.

Brodsky and Lay's approach looks at recent seismic activity coupled with history of large-scale quakes in the area. Looking at the activity preceded the April 1 quake in northern Chile and a 2011 quake that hit Tohoku, Japan, they found that "combining the seismic signals with the tectonic context may provide a guide as to whether such sequences are foreshocks" preceding an imminent, major earthquake.

When a series of quakes happens in an area where the plate boundary is frictionally locked, as happened in Tohoku and northern Chile, they are likely a precursor to a larger quake. In northern Chile, nearly 2 weeks of moderate to large offshore quakes preceded the main quake. There had not been a massive quake in either northern Chile or Tohoku, Japan, in more than a century.

They compared these two cases to a series of quakes that hit Coquimbo, Chile, in 1997, an area of central Chile that had experienced a massive quake in 1943. That sequence did not end in a massive quake.

Brodsky and Lay indicate that this is evidence to support the theory that more pressure, due to locked plate boundaries, leads smaller sequences of quakes to foreshadow a massive quake. Areas that have recently experienced large quakes are less at risk. "With a relatively short time since the last large event, less strain should have built up," they wrote.

They do not claim to have the perfect formula, though, concluding that "whether earthquakes are predictable or not is still an open question, but perhaps there is now some cause for optimism."

The only way to determine if they are predictable, says Lay, is is to add more seismic-activity measuring devices offshore, where early-warning clues are most likely to be found. It's a massive investment, he says, adding that the article is a call for better instrumentation.

Source:  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-scientists-getting-closer-to-predicting-major-earthquakes/

Google Buys Corporate Mobile-Device Manager Divide

SAN FRANCISCO May 19, 2014 (AP)
 Associated Press

Google has bought Divide, a startup that helps companies manage the mobile devices that employees are increasingly relying upon to get their work done.

Financial terms of the acquisition announced Monday were not disclosed. The deal is part of Google's effort to widen corporate usage of smartphones and tablets running on its mobile operating system, Android.

Google is counting on Divide's technology to make companies feel more comfortable about allowing their employees to use Android devices for business email and other on-the-job tasks involving sensitive information.

More than 1 billion devices worldwide already are powered by Android, making it the world's leading mobile operating system. Divide also offers an app for Apple Inc.'s iPhones. Although Divide is joining Android, the company reassured existing iPhone customers that their device-management tools will continue to work.

Divide, originally known as Enterproid, was founded four years ago by former Morgan Stanley executives who believed that the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets would drive more corporate demand for device-management tools.

The New York company has raised more than $25 million, including a $12 million round led by Google's venture-capital arm. Other early investors included the venture capital divisions of smartphone chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. and Comcast Corp., the largest U.S. cable and high-speed Internet service.

Besides its New York headquarters, Divide also has offices in London and Hong Kong.

Source:  http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/google-buys-corporate-mobile-device-manager-divide-23780179

5 causes for double vision or diplopia

Double vision also called diplopia is a serious concern and should be attended to promptly. Problems with any part of the vision system can lead to double vision. If you encounter the problem, please do visit an eye doctor or an ophthalmologist immediately.

Cornea problems. Problems with the cornea often cause double vision in one eye only. Covering the affected eye makes the double vision go away. The abnormal surface of the eye distorts incoming light, causing double vision. Damage can happen in several ways:

• Infections of the cornea, such as herpes zoster, or shingles, can distort the cornea.
• Corneal scars can alter the cornea, creating unequal visual images.
• Dryness of the cornea can create double vision.

Lens problems. Cataracts are the most common problem with the lens that causes double vision. If cataracts are present in both eyes, images from both eyes will be distorted. Cataracts are often correctable with minor surgery.

Muscle problems. If a muscle in one eye is weak, that eye can’t move smoothly with the healthy eye. Gazing in directions controlled by the weak muscle causes double vision. Muscle problems can result from several causes:

• Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune illness that blocks the stimulation of muscles by nerves inside the head. The earliest signs are often double vision and drooping eyelids, or ptosis.
• Graves’ disease is a thyroid condition that affects the muscles of the eyes. Graves’ disease commonly causes vertical diplopia. With vertical diplopia, one image is on top of the other.

Nerve problems. Several different conditions can damage the nerves that control eye muscles and lead to double vision:

• Multiple sclerosis can affect nerves anywhere in the brain or spinal cord. If the nerves controlling the eyes are damaged, double vision can result.
• Guillain-Barre syndrome is a nerve condition that causes progressive weakness. Sometimes, the first symptoms occur in the eyes and cause double vision.
• Diabetes can lead to nerve damage affecting the muscles which move the eyes, causing double vision.

Brain problems. The nerves controlling the eyes connect directly to the brain where visual processing takes place. Many different causes for double vision originate in the brain. They include:

• Strokes
• Aneurysms
• Increased pressure inside the brain from trauma, bleeding, or infection
• Brain tumors
• Migraine headaches

Source:  http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/5-causes-for-double-vision-or-diplopia/

Beware – your smart phone could ruin your eyes!

Love your smart phone? Well, you probably should think about using it sparingly.  A recent study by Dr David Allambym revealed that smartphones were capable of causing myopia or short-sighteness in people. This report comes in after there was a surge of young Britishers being affected by the eye disorder. He states that he has noted a 35% increase in the number of cases of advanced myopia in people from the time smart phones were launched in 1997. He predicts that in the next ten years, the world will see a 50% increase in the number of cases.

Half of the Britons own smartphones spend an average of two hours per day using them. Combined with the amount of hours spent in front of a computer screen, laptop, tablet and television, it means that particularly young people and children are at risk of permanently damaging their vision. New research has also found that the average smartphone user holds the handset 30 cm from their face, with some people holding it just 18 cm away, compared to newspapers and books, which are held 40cm away from the eyes.

According to Allamby, excessive screen watching at a close proximity keeps the genes that control myopia activated well beyond the age that short-sightedness would historically have stabilized – which is around the age of 21. This phenomenon is known as ‘epigenetics‘. Myopia used to stop in the early 20s but now we see it progressing throughout the 20s, 30s, and even into our 40s. Allamby says today’s generation of children are most at risk of myopia, with children as young as seven being given their first smartphone.

(Read: Are mobile phones and tablets ruining your child’s development?)

So what is myopia?

Myopia is a condition where a person is unable to see objects that are at a distance from them. Also known as short-sightedness, as person suffers from myopia when the eyeball elongate to such an extent that the light entering the eye no more refracts through the lens properly, therefore reaching the retina improperly, leading to blurred vision. This condition occurs in 3.19% people under the age of fifteen, while 20% of people above the age of 15 years suffer from it in India. The study conducted by the International Centre for Advancement of Rural Eye Care *(in collaboration with other institutes), states that these numbers were mainly seen in people living in the urban setting. While these statistics might be true, there are other reasons for a person to suffer from the condition, which includes hereditary and physiological factors.

According to Dr Rohit Shetty, a renowned refractive surgeon and the Vice Chairman of Narayana Nethralaya, ‘The eye was not made to look at  graphic or moving images , like we see on a computer or phone screen, as often as we do these days. Looking constantly at these screens for over eight hours in a day can lead to various eye disorders, the most common one being dry eyes.’

While we all can’t throw away our smartphones, there are a few things one can do to protect the eyes. Here are a few tips:

1. Hold your phone at least 30 centimetres away from your eyes when you are using it.
2. Do not use the phone in poorly lit or dark rooms. The burst of light from the screen can cause immense strain on the eyes.
3. Do not look at your phone as soon as you wake up or in the middle of the night. This is because when you sleep, the eyes are resting and the pupil is relaxed. A sudden burst of light into the eye causes the muscles in the eyes to retract suddenly. Exposing the muscles of the eyes frequently to such strain could lead to refractive errors.
4. Give your eyes rest from computer screens as well phone screens by giving them some much needed rest. Close your eyes and placing your palms on them. Hold this position for about two to three minutes every two hours for healthy eyes.
5. If your job involves excessive exposure to such screens, remember to use re-wetting drops for the eyes throughout the day, about three times in one day should suffice.

So, there you have it. Your smart phone may be the best thing that happened to you, but it might not be the best thing for your eyes.

Source:  http://www.thehealthsite.com/news/smartphones-could-ruin-your-eyes/