A pill to make big bellies disappear

A drug that has been used to treat asthma sufferers for 40 years may help fat people shed up to five kilograms a week, say Australian researchers.

The main ingredient in Ventolin could be the key behind the magical weight loss.A firm Down Under is planning to develop a slow-release capsule form of salbutamol, known as r-salbutamol. The company claims the drug can reduce body weight by 2 to 3 per cent a week and could be on the market in three years.

Stirling Products says it could prove to be a "massive blockbuster" because salbutamol had been proven safe.
Salbutamol administered to asthmatics acts on smooth muscle to reduce bronchial spasms, but managing director Peter Boonen said a capsule form of the drug could "turn off fat receptors". "It will move weight fairly rapidly, but it won’t be available over the counter. Doctors will prescribe it for 14 days, then review progress,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying. Salbutamol is a beta-2 agonist, which has the same effect on the adrenergic system as exercise, resulting in weight loss, an increase in muscle mass and a reduced appetite. It is rapidly excreted in urine but tolerance usually develops within days.

Late motherhood good for women

Researchers have found that women who have babies naturally in their 40s or 50s tend to live longer than other women so do their family members as the same genes prolong lifespan and female fertility.

"If women in your family give birth at older ages, you may well have a chance of living longer than you would otherwise. If you have a female relative who had children after age 45, then there may be some genetic benefit in your family that will enhance your longevity," lead author Ken R. Smith of Utah University said.

For descendants of the Utah and Quebec pioneers studied, "you may be able to look at the ages when your female ancestors gave birth -- rather than just their longevity – in estimating how long you may live," said Smith, whose study is published in 'Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences'.

Specifically, the study involved the records of 11,604 Utah men who were born between 1800 and 1869 and who had at least one sister who lived at least to age 50; and the records of 6,206 Quebec men who lived between 1670 and 1750, and had at least one sister who lived to 50 or older.

The study didn't address how much longevity is due to genetics, but Smith says scientists believe genes account for up to 25 per cent of differences in longevity.

Smith says the study focused on the longevity of brothers rather than sisters of late-fertile women because "men's own reproductive history doesn't get in the way of assessing the role of their female relatives' fertility". - HT

Breakfast for a slimmer you!

Is your expanding waistline giving you nightmares? Well, take heart. Researchers have found that a breakfast of muesli with milk, tinned peaches and yoghurt can help weight loss.

Experts at the University of Nottingham suggest that the low GI breakfast with apple juice helps the body break down fat better than a high Glycaemic Index start to the day of sugary cereal and white toast, reports The Daily Express .

Scientists discovered that the type of food you eat before exercise can directly impact on your health. A study led by Dr Emma Stevenson looked at young women after an overnight fast. In one study period they were given a breakfast of food known to cause large rises in blood glucose – those with a high GI, including cornflakes and milk, white bread and jam and a fizzy, sugary drink.

In another period, they breakfasted on food with a low GI, although both breakfasts had the same amount of calories, carbohydrate, fat and protein. The low GI breakfast was muesli, milk, tinned peaches, yoghurt and apple juice. Three hours after eating, the women walked for an hour on a treadmill. A lunch – the same in both study periods – was then provided. Throughout the day blood samples and samples of expired air were taken.

From analyses, researchers found blood glucose levels were higher after the high GI breakfast than the low one, and had returned to normal by the time the women began to exercise. However, plasma free fatty acids (FFA) – which show the amount of fat used up for energy – began to rise two hours after the low GI breakfast, the researchers found. Exercise then led to a rapid increase in FFAs in both groups – but concentrations were higher in the low GI group. After lunch the concentration of FFAs was the same in both groups, but overall fat oxidation was higher in the low GI group than the high GI group.

Dr Stevenson said: “We concluded that consuming a low GI breakfast increases fat oxidation both at rest and during subsequent exercise. A low GI breakfast also had an impact on appetite, with test subjects feeling fuller for longer after they’d eaten these types of foods.” - TOI

Easy Ways to Lose 8-10 Pounds

There are many reasons why people want to lose weight: to look better, to feel healthier or to gain more confidence. One of the best weight loss goals you can set is to lose eight-ten pounds. This is a very achievable goal for those individuals who set their mind to it. While many individuals want to lose weight quickly, many of the quick fixes available involve rules that are far too strict and people are unable to stick to them for a long time.

Change your habits
Changing your eating habits is one the best ways to lose ten pounds. While the process may take a much longer period of time, the results tend to be more permanent. Closely examining your eating habits will reveal a lot about you.  For example, you may be snacking late at night or snacking while you watch TV instead of eating because you are hungry.

Reduce the quantity of food
Most people just eat too much. This is because the body only recognizes that it is full twenty minutes after the stomach is full. This means that you have to pay more attention to the signals your body sends when you eat.

Chew foods
You can significantly reduce the quantity of food you eat by chewing more. This increases the time you take to eat and gives your body enough time to signal whether you should eat more or stop.  It will also help to reduce the amount of unhealthy food you consume.

Change your routine
A lifestyle change is another way to lose weight. You have to change your daily routine to include more activities and exercise. You can make little changes that will bring about great changes in the end.

The following suggestions may help:  take the stairs instead of the elevator, ride a bike to work instead of driving, or consider walking if you live close to work.  Not only will this help you lose weight but you will also save money on gas. Many individuals have found that diet changes and exercise come with quick weight loss that is both unsustainable and unrealistic. It is for this reason that small changes to diet and lifestyle over time are a much better option for sustainable weight loss.

How harmful is alcohol during pregnancy

Alcohol is sure to harm the developing baby, though no body knows for sure the extent of damage. It is always advisable for pregnant women to play it safe by keeping away from alcohol during those crucial nine months.Steering clear of alcohol is indeed the wisest option to make, if you are really concerned about your baby’s health.

It is not practical to decide on a safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. This level will vary from one woman to another. The rate in which the body of each pregnant woman metabolizes alcohol is different. The impact of alcohol drinking is found to be more in women who are exposed to cigarette smoke and ‘caffeinated’ drinks. Pregnant women who take in an improperly balanced or poorly nutritional diet are also found to be more prone to the harmful hazards of alcohol.

As a pregnant woman drink alcohol, it reaches the developing baby within no time through the blood stream, across the placenta. Women who are exposed to intensified alcohol consumption, such as more than two units of alcohol per day, are more likely to give birth to kids suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Children with this syndrome are likely to be retarded, both mentally and physically. They are also more vulnerable to behavioral disorders and coronary ailments.

Babies born to women who take in more than two units of alcohol a day during the pregnant months are also likely to face troubles in learning speech and imbibing language. While some kids with the syndrome finds it difficult to focus their attention for long, some others are hyperactive.

If you simply cannot avoid the beverage, however hard you try, it is advisable to consult your gynecologist and try replacing alcohol with an occasional glass of wine or beer. You can also try experimenting other stress-relief measures such as a warm bath, soft music, a massage, exercise etc.

Diet soda reduces risk of kidney stones

Drinking diet soda is likely to reduce the risk of forming kidney stone, according to a new study.

The research by the University of California, San Francisco, (UCSF) suggests that the citrate and malate content in sodas may be sufficient to inhibit the development of calcium stones.

Researchers measured the citrate and malate content of 15 popular diet sodas. They found that Diet Sunkist Orange contained the greatest amount of total alkali and Diet 7-Up had the greatest amount of citrate as alkali, an American Urological Association (AUA) release said.

"This study by no means suggests that patients with recurrent kidney stones should trade in their water bottles for soda cans," AUA spokesman Anthony Y. Smith said.

"However, this study suggests instead that patients with stone disease who do not drink soda may benefit from moderate consumption," he added.

The study was presented at the 104th Annual Scientific Meeting of the AUA.

What is swine flu and how serious is it?

Fears of a global flu pandemic grew as new suspected cases of a dangerous new strain of swine flu appeared around the world. It has killed up to 81 people in Mexico and spread to the United States and Canada.

You Tube: Symptoms Of Swine Flu

Here are some questions and answers about the outbreak:

How many people have died? how many are infected?
All the fatalities have been in Mexico, where the government is reporting at least 20 and up to 81 deaths from the flu virus. Most of the dead are between 25 and 45 -- the age group past pandemics have tended to strike.
Mexican officials said, however, that most of the 1,300 suspected cases were found not to have swine flu.
In the United States, the flu has infected 20 people in California, Kansas, Texas, New York and Ohio. Canada has confirmed six cases. Possible infections have also been detected in Spain, France and New Zealand.

What kind of flu is it and how is it spreading?
The virus is an influenza A virus, carrying the designation H1N1 and is spreading from person to person. It contains DNA from avian, swine and human viruses, including elements from European and Asian swine viruses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is passed on by sneezing, coughing or when people pick up the virus from their hands. It likely originated in pigs, but the Mexican government and the World Health Organization have ruled out any risk of infection from eating pork.

How serious is it?
The Geneva-based WHO has declared the flu a “public health emergency of international concern.” It poses the biggest risk of a large-scale pandemic since avian flu re-emerged in 2003, killing 257 out of 421 infected in 15 countries.
The Mexican government is stressing that it can be treated and it has one million doses of antiviral drugs.

How is this flu different from ordinary flu?
The swine flu is characterized by common flu symptoms -- sudden fever, muscle aches, sore throat and dry cough -- but may cause more severe vomiting and diarrhea.

Common seasonal flu kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people in an average year, often targeting the elderly. Most people die from pneumonia and flu can kill previously healthy people for reasons no one quite understands. It can also worsen bacterial infections.

New flu strains can spread fast because no one has natural immunity and a vaccine can take months to develop.

This new strain of swine flu is genetically different from the H1N1 virus that the seasonal flu vaccine protects against.

How bad could it get?
A 1968 a “Hong Kong” flu pandemic killed about one million people globally. In a 1918 “Spanish” flu pandemic between 40 million and 100 million people died. However, the WHO says the world is now better prepared to withstand a flu pandemic.

What measures is the mexican government taking?
Mexico has closed all schools in the capital and two central states until May 6 and stopped hundreds of public events in Mexico City, including concerts.

Mexico City has shut 70 percent of its bars and nightclubs, closed churches and cinemas, and the army is handing out surgical face masks on the street.

The government is recommending people avoid crowded places and refrain from greetings like shaking hands, kissing or hugging. People have been told to wash their hands frequently and avoid sharing food or kitchenware.

It has also issued an emergency decree that gives it the power to isolate sick people, enter homes or workplaces and regulate air, sea and land transportation to try to stop further infection.

The government has even extended the deadline on filing tax returns by a month to the end of May.

What is the rest of the world doing to help?
The U.S. government is monitoring developments and the CDC and the WHO are working on a vaccine.

The WHO has activated a command and control center for acute public health events nicknamed the “war room.” It says it is ready to use rapid containment measures if needed, including antivirals.

The WHO has a stockpile of 5 million treatment courses of the antiviral Tamiflu, by Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG and Gilead Sciences Inc, and of Relenza, made by GlaxoSmithKline, which have both proven effective against the virus.

Countries and regions also have antiviral supplies and the United States has released 25 percent of its 50-million course stockpile of the two drugs.

Should tourists with trips planned to mexico be worried?
The CDC and the WHO say there is no need to alter travel plans and Mexico has said it saw no need to close its borders.

- HT

Women who suffer from morning sickness are 'more likely to have babies with a high IQ'

Expectant mothers suffering from morning sickness should take heart.

For feeling nauseous in early pregnancy could be a sign that their baby is developing a high IQ, according to a study. Researchers found that women who reported feeling ill in the first few weeks after conceiving went on to have brighter, more vocal children. About four in five expectant mothers experience morning sickness. While the condition is not clearly understood, some scientists believe it is triggered by the flood of hormones released to protect the placenta and foetus.

Past studies have shown that nausea is a sign of a healthy pregnancy and is linked to a lower risk of heart problems in the baby and a lower level of miscarriage. Researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto now believe it could also be linked to the developing baby's brain. They conducted the first study to look at the long-term effects of nausea on the brains of babies and contacted 121 women who called a hotline for newly pregnant mothers between 1998 and 2003.

Thirty of the women had no symptoms of morning sickness, while the rest reported symptoms such as tiredness, vomiting and nausea. The team carried out IQ and behaviour tests on the mothers' children when they were three and seven years old. The children whose mothers suffered from morning sickness were more likely to have high IQ scores than those whose mothers had no symptoms, the researchers report in the Journal of Pediatrics.
They also did better in tests for verbal fluency and simple maths, even when other factors - such as the mother's IQ, smoking and alcohol history and social background - were taken into account.

One flaw in the study was that in many cases the mothers were asked to recall how sick they had been feeling several years previously. It also needs to be repeated in a much larger group of women.

Dr Gideon Koren, who led the study, admitted that the conclusions sounded 'a little bit unusual' but said the hormone swings that led to morning sickness could be a good thing.
'It's the hormones secreted by the placenta that cause you to feel yucky, but on the other hand, they probably confer better conditions for the baby,' he said.

'Women suffer for it, but at least it's for a good cause.' However, the researchers believe it sheds light on one of the least understood parts of pregnancy.

Morning sickness is a misnomer because it can happen at any time of the day. Some women feel ill without prompting - others when they are hungry or after eating.
It is thought to be a reaction to two hormones - thyroxine and human chorionic gonadotropin - which are secreted during pregnancy to ensure a healthy placenta.
According to the Department of Health, around half of all pregnant women experience both nausea and vomiting, and a further 28 per cent will experience nausea without vomiting.

There is some evidence that ginger and acupuncture can ease symptoms.
In 2006, a study found that morning sickness was often triggered by too much alcohol, meat, sugar and oil and might have evolved as a way of preventing expectant mothers eating unhealthy food.

According to one old wives' tale, it is a sign that the baby is a girl - and that it is the body's response to the female sex hormone oestrogen.

Can coffee prevent a headache?

Stopping daily caffeine consumption produces changes in cerebral blood flow velocity that are most likely related to caffeine withdrawal symptoms including headache, drowsiness and decreased alertness, according to a recent study.

People say caffeine withdrawal is characterised by headaches, fatigue, feeling less alert and experiencing difficulties in concentrating.

Stacey Sigmon, research professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont and colleagues at Johns Hopkins, sought to investigate the biological mechanisms of caffeine withdrawal.

They looked at brain electrical activity and blood flow during caffeine withdrawal to examine what was taking place physiologically during acute caffeine abstinence, including the likely mechanism underlying the common "caffeine withdrawal headache".

The group examined caffeine's effects in a double-blind study, which involved the administration of caffeine and placebo capsules.

Each participant's response to the caffeine or placebo was measured using brain electrical activity via electroencephalogram (EEG); blood flow velocity in the brain via ultrasound; and participants' self-reports of subjective effects via questionnaires.

The team demonstrated that stopping daily caffeine consumption produces changes in cerebral blood flow velocity and quantitative EEG that are likely related to the classic caffeine withdrawal symptoms.

More specifically, acute caffeine abstinence increased brain blood flow, an effect that may account for commonly reported withdrawal headaches.

Consistent with this, volunteers reported increases in measures of "tired", "fatigue", "sluggish" and "weary". Overall, these findings provide the most rigorous demonstration to date of physiological effects of caffeine withdrawal, said a Vermont College release.

The researchers also discovered a provocative and somewhat unexpected finding - that there were no net benefits associated with chronic caffeine administration.
The paper was published online in Psychopharmacology.

Foot Refreshing Massage

It's designed to have the complete relaxation of the legs and feet. It covers the legs below the knee. It's a combination of Reflexology points, Reiki and Massage in a shorter version.

It feels really great after jet lag and especially after a long tracking/walking, when your legs & feet are sore and tired. It helps to reduce the tiredness, cramps or strains of the leg muscles and makes you sleep well.

Clinical Foot Reflexology

Many discoveries has been made in various fields by man in Twentieth century and one such discovery of the century is the relationship of the feet with the body. According to this discovery, the whole body is mirrored in the feet, each organ or gland of the body has a reflex point in the feet. Internal disorder of any part of the body expresses itself in the form of pain or discomfort feeling at the reflex point in the feet when pressure is applied. Working on the reflex points in the feet is of great therapeutic value. This therapy is called Foot Reflexology.

Reflexology is a Holistic treatment. In the day to day life of cut throat competition, stresses are many. We have to face all sorts of pollutions, of air, water, food and sound etc. We also have to face viruses and bacterial infections. It seems difficult at various stages of life to maintain the balance between mind and body, which is defined as health. The whole body including mind is to be taken care of Reflexology does exactly that. The goal is to restore homeostasis.

"Reflexology is a method for stimulating the reflexes in the feet to cause reactions in corresponding parts of the body. The reaction could best be described as relaxation or a return to equilibrium or homeostasis." With specific hand and finger techniques , reflexology causes responses (relaxation) in corresponding parts of the body. Relaxation is the first step to normalization, the body's return to a state of equilibrium or homeostasis, where circulation can flow unimpeded and supply nutrients and oxygen to the body cells. With the restoration of homeostasis, the body's organs , which are actually aggregations of cells, may then return to a normal state or function as well. One's state of health depends upon this ability to rebound to homeostasis after a trauma or challenge i.e. injury, disease, stress etc. So we can say that it is the very purpose of reflexology to trigger this return. Since stress and disease are ongoing facts of life for most of us, reflexology, in addition to its therapeutic uses, can serve as a preventive program. It enables each individual, on a daily basis, to help his or her body restore and maintain its natural state of homeostasis.

If the body is subject to regular doses of stress over an extended period of time (as most are ), the effects are cumulative and it becomes more an more difficult to return to homeostasis.