Healthy Me - At Home and Away: July 2009

Thursday, July 30, 2009

My screaming son

Question by Samantha

My son turned three in May. He is a fast learner, picking up words quickly and forming sentences. However, he has a problem. He always screams for attention when he is frustrated. He will carry on until his face turns red and the veins in his throat become visible. As he has been doing this since the age of two, his voice is now husky from the screaming. I have tried to stop him but to no avail. Is there anything else I can do?

Sometimes, a child shouts to get attention.

Reply from Dr Phuah Huan Kee, Neuro Paediatrician, Singapore Baby and Child - A Healthway Medical Specialist Practice

Sometimes, a child shouts to get attention or to vocalise his frustrations. But for this to occur so frequently that his voice becomes hoarse is unusual.

You may need to find out why he is doing that.

One reason could be that he's learnt he could get his way by "raising his voice". Family members, for example, may give in to his demands when he screams.

Sometimes, this sort of behaviour can be found in children who are impulsive and hyperactive. I would suggest that you consult your family doctor or paediatrician. They can decide whether a referral to an occupational therapist or a psychologist is needed.

The information provided above is for your general knowledge only. You should seek medical advice or treatment for your condition. Email questions to health@newstoday.com.sg.

From TODAY, Health – Tuesday, 28-Jul-2009

Expectant women more at risk?

LONDON - Pregnant women who get Influenza A (H1N1) are at least four times as likely to be hospitalised as other people with the virus, a new study says.

While experts do not know if pregnant women are more susceptible to getting H1N1, they say that once pregnant women are infected, they have a higher risk of complications.

Researchers at the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analysed the first 34 US cases, including six deaths, of H1N1 in pregnant women from April to mid-June.

They concluded that expectant women suspected of having H1N1 should be given Tamiflu as soon as possible, even before tests confirm the diagnosis.

The experts also recommended that they should be among the first in line when a vaccine is ready.

The study was published online yesterday in the medical journal Lancet.

Lead researcher Denise Jamieson from the US CDC, said the agency does not recommend any special precautions for pregnant women to avoid catching the flu virus.

But if they do catch the virus, doctors need to act fast, preferably within 48 hours of developing symptoms.

Of the six fatal cases in the Lancet study, nearly all had viral pneumonia before experiencing acute respiratory problems, and were put on ventilators before they died.

Aside from one woman who had asthma and another who was obese, the pregnant women were essentially healthy, said Ms Jamieson. AP

From TODAY, World – Thursday, 30-Jul-2009

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Get enough sleep

Image via Wikipedia

Lack of rest ups ghrelin, a 'hunger hormone' that stimulates one's appetite

Eveline Gan

THE benefits of a good night's sleep go beyond improving your concentration and overall well-being. Researchers have found that it is also good for your waistline.

Those who consistently fail to get enough sleep may experience weight gain, according to findings presented at Sleep 2009 in Seattle last month. The annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies is attended by doctors, researchers and healthcare professionals.

A study on 92 healthy adults conducted by University of Pennsylvania found that those who had less than the average amount of sleep gained an average of 1.3kg during the 11-day experiment.

Another study on 1,000 volunteers conducted by Stanford University in California found that those who slept less than eight hours a night had higher levels of body fat. Those who reportedly slept the least weighed the most.

The findings are hardly surprisingly, since inadequate sleep affects the hormones that help control our appetite and metabolism, said local sleep specialist Dr Lim Li Ling.

According to Dr Lim, who is the director of Sleep Disorders Unit at Singapore General Hospital, sleep deprivation is "a stressful state which alters our body's hormonal environment".

Getting a good night's rest may also be good for your waistline.

Lack of sleep decreases the level of leptin, a hormone that makes one feel full after eating. It also increases the level ghrelin, a "hunger hormone" that stimulates one's appetite. This results in overeating and weight gain, said Dr Lim.

"People who don't get enough sleep may also feel tired and exercise less," she added.

For those who have less sleep because they stay up late, eating habits such as bingeing on calorie-laden foods to stay awake may be the reason behind the weight gain, said Ms Lim Su Lin, chief dietitian and senior manager at National University Hospital's dietetics department.

"To stay awake, they may resort to drinking high-sugar, caffeinated beverages or munching on tidbits," said Ms Lim. They may pile on the pounds as a result.

To control your appetite through the day, Ms Lim recommended sticking to three main meals a day at fixed times, and including fibre to your meals.

Fibre, which can be found in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, makes you feel full and thus deters snacking. Starting the day with a wholesome breakfast can also help you avoid binge eating later in the day.

For another group of people, the problem may be more serious than weight gain.

A substantial number of Singaporeans suffer from sleep disorders. Dr Lim estimated that 10 to 30 per cent of the local population have insomnia and up to 15 per cent have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

OSA is a condition where a person's upper airways are blocked during sleep. "When breathing is interrupted during sleep, the quality of sleep is affected," she said. Poor sleep is known to be as detrimental as lack of sleep.

So what constitutes a good night's sleep?

"It is simply one from which we wake up naturally (without an alarm clock), feeling refreshed, alert and able to function at peak mental performance," said Dr Lim. A person who sleeps well would not need to nap in the middle of the day.

The amount of sleep a person requires varies with age. According to Dr Lim, newborns may need as much as 16 to 20 hours, spread throughout the day, while young children should get 9 to 10 hours and teenagers, 8 to 9.5 hours.

Adults require 6 to 10 hours of sleep.

"Although some people take pride in getting by with very little sleep, most people who get fewer than five to six hours daily are probably not getting enough," said Dr Lim.

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How to achieve a good night's rest

A guide to a good night's sleep - by Dr Lim Li Ling, director of Sleep Disorders Unit at Singapore General Hospital.

Try to go to bed and wake up at around the same time. Our sleep-wake patterns are regulated by an internal "clock" that dictates when we feel sleepy. When our daily activities synchronise with our internal clocks, we will naturally sleep better.
If you can't fall asleep within 15 to 20 minutes, leave the bedroom and do something relaxing, such as reading or listening to soft music. You should only return to bed when you feel sleepy again, however long it takes.
If you have insomnia, you should not read, watch TV or work in bed. Associating the bed with other types of activities, especially if they are stimulating, will make it harder to fall asleep.
Avoid caffeine - a stimulant that can stay in your body for over 10 hours - and stimulating activities close to bedtime. Stimulating activities include vigorous exercise, intense work and exciting TV programmes.
Long afternoon naps make it difficult for us to fall asleep at night and should be avoided.
A daily ritual to help us relax at the end of the day is a good lead-up to sleep. This can take the form of a taking a warm bath, dimming the lights, reading quietly or listening to soft music.

From TODAY, Business – Monday, 27-Jul-2009

H1N1: Two more people in ICU

Well, this is yesterday's news, but it is still noteworthy that H1N1 cases leading to death is mostly on pneumonia issue… so those on the high-risk group, take note, and beware.

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TWO more people warded in intensive care have been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus.

One, a 45-year-old woman with a history of myasthenia gravis (a neuromuscular disease), went to the National University Hospital emergency department on Monday after experiencing breathing difficulty and four days of fever.

She was admitted directly to the ICU with a diagnosis of severe pneumonia and respiratory failure. Laboratory tests confirmed she has H1N1.

She was on ventilator support and critically ill, the Health Ministry said last night.

The second patient, a 25-year-old woman with a history of asthma, sought treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital's emergency department on Tuesday. She had three days of shortness of breath, cough and sore throat. She was subsequently transferred to the ICU for closer monitoring, and tests confirmed she had H1N1.

In all, 102 H1N1 cases are currently hospitalised, 12 of them in intensive care.

From TODAY, Home – Wednesday, 29-Jul-2009

Is this a waiting game?

Image via Wikipedia

But I thought that the normal body temperature, if taken from the mouth or the armpit, is 37.7C and below. Fever starts from 37.8C up, is that right? Or did that change when H1N1 came?

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Letter from David Soh Poh Huat

IT SADDENS me when I read about H1N1 cases in the intensive care units - it seems that nothing much can be done to prevent deaths from occurring.

We have all been told to expect a peak in the number of H1N1 cases and the only thing to do seems to be to wait for the vaccine, which is expected to be available in few months. Are we playing a "waiting game" with the virus?

A member of my family recently had a temperature reading of 37.4°C and went to a clinic near our home. It was a certified Pandemic Preparedness Clinic but although the counter has a glass panel, the staff were not wearing masks and did not take the patient's temperature when she registered. The doctor she saw said she had the flu.

Over the next three or so days, my family member's temperature was between 37.1°C-37.2°C. Subsequently she revisited the clinic, where another doctor said she did not have the flu, as only a reading of 37.5°C would be considered a fever.

So are we taking H1N1 seriously or lightly? We should not just focus on people with underlying medical conditions. There is publicity about the virus on television but I feel more can be done. Maybe posters should be put up in public places and schools cautioning people what to look out for, such as what to do if one's temperature exceeds a certain range, et cetera, and when to return to the doctor if the fever persists.

H1N1 is here to stay, so besides embracing it gracefully, more needs to be done to counter it.

From TODAY, Voices – Wednesday, 29-Jul-2009

Inconvenient truths about food

Image via Wikipedia

May Seah

YOU would be ill-advised to watch this movie toting your usual hotdog, soda and chips, because it won't be long before you come to view them with some degree of revulsion.

Food, Inc. is pretty much Fast Food Nation come to big-screen life.

Featuring Eric Schlosser, the book's author, the movie begins in a supermarket and broadens to expose the shocking and often ugly truths behind the food that we eat, how it's produced and farmed, and who really benefits in the system. Cue ominous music.

Did you know, for instance, that even though your supermarket carries a huge variety of processed foods, most of them are made from corn?

And that the rise of genetically-modified foods is accompanied by new strains of E. coli that can cause death in children?

Or that the lifespan of a chicken in an American farm is now only six weeks - during which time it is fattened so fast it can't stand up or walk?

That's right: This documentary is probably scarier than your average horror flick, so it gets props for that - but it loses some points for indulging just a little too much in conspiracy-theory thrills.

A feel-good film it's not but you'll emerge from it feeling more informed and more empowered to make decisions about what goes into your body.

From TODAY, Plus – Wednesday, 29-Jul-2009

Toxic chemical in medicine

Image via Wikipedia

Another one of those 'accidents', and the damage is done, irreversible, irreparable…

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DHAKA - The Bangladeshi authorities yesterday said that they had found traces of a toxic chemical in paracetamol syrup believed to have killed two dozen children in the past six weeks.

Health Minister AFM Ruhul Haq said investigators had found diethyl glycol in the locally-produced syrup.

"We conducted two tests on the paracetamol syrup and each time we found diethyl glycol. It's a toxic chemical used in the textile and leather dyeing industries. It damages your kidneys if you consume it," the minister said.

Mr Haq said that, instead of mixing the paracetamol with propylene glycol, which is used as a solvent in paracetamol syrup, the drug-maker added the toxic chemical because it is 10 times cheaper.

The 24 children who died were aged between one and five and came from Comilla, where the drug company concerned has been shut down.

Police are hunting for the company's owners and pharmacists. AFP

From TODAY, World – Wednesday, 29-Jul-2009

The average American is now 11kg overweight

Image by Vlastula via Flickr

Obesity is linked to financial status, but it is said that those who are poor are those who tend to be obese. Interesting? Read on…

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WASHINGTON - Childhood obesity is now the United States' worst health crisis, experts said, urging parents to ban television in kids' rooms and lawmakers to slap a tax on sugar-laden sodas.

Two-thirds of United States adults and around 20 per cent of American children are now overweight or obese, and the rising rate of obesity in the US has had a debilitating effect on citizens' health and US healthcare spending.

The average American is now 11kg overweight. In addition to costing the country billions every year, the obesity epidemic means a generation of Americans could have shorter lives than their parents.

Childhood obesity is "putting the younger generation at risk of being the first in the history of our country to have a shorter lifespan than their parents", former President Bill Clinton told the Weight of the Nation conference.

Eleven years ago, the medical costs associated with obesity were around US$78 billion ($112.1 billion) a year. In 2006, it was US$147 billion annually. By 2030, obesity could account for US$1 in US$6 spent on healthcare.

Healthcare expenditure for people with normal weight is around 41 per cent lower than those of obese individuals.

The people most likely to be obese are America's poor, "the non-rich who can just barely pay their bills", said Mr Clinton.

Many live in unsafe urban areas where children can't play outside. They have limited access to fresh, healthy food and even less time to prepare it because they work so hard to make ends meet.

So they instead buy "high-bulk, low nutrition food" and keep their children indoors, unwittingly perpetuating America's cycle of obesity. AFP

From TODAY, World – Thursday, 30-Jul-2009

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

H1N1 recent news, and other health articles

2009 H1N1 July 25th update

ON some research to combat diabetes, New Zealanders are making a move, which is somehow the first of its kind.

NZ researchers to implant pig cells in diabetics.

How has the H1N1 virus affected commerce and industry? And now, the arts and entertainment scene?

The curtain goes up, with or without H1N1.

Just like Australia and Japan, Great Britain has now passed its 100,00 cases mark.

Britain reports 100,000 new H1N1 flu cases in a week.

A casualty of H1N1, a 13-year-old boy died, and it was hard for the parents to ‘let go’…

Wake held for 13-year-old boy who died from H1N1 complications.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Stressed enough for hissy fits

Reducing stomach problems and wind may be a case of mind over matter

Eveline Gan

eveline@mediacorp.coms.sg

It's mid-week and your work is piling up. As your deadlines approach and you begin to panic, you may feel an increased urge to belch or break wind.

When a person is stressed, it is not unusual for him or her to have physical ailments as well, said Dr Tay Woo Kheng, a senior consultant psychiatrist at Changi General Hospital.

"The brain is connected to other parts of the body through a set of nerves. So what happens to the brain will also affect the body," he explained.

Dr Tay added about 60 to 70 per cent of his patients who are stressed and anxious say they also have physical discomforts such as heart palpitations, giddiness, difficulty in breathing, and muscle aches and pains.

Likewise, extreme stress can wreck havoc on a person's gastrointestinal tract, triggering a host of symptoms such as excessive flatus, bloatedness, intense stomach cramps, constipation or diarrhoea, said Dr Kong San Choon, a consultant at Singapore General Hospital's department of gastroenterology and hepatology.

An expert on functional bowel disorders, Dr Kong said that the conditions, chronic abdominal troubles that have no serious underlying medical cause, afflict as much as 10 per cent of the local population. Three quarters of sufferers are women.

The exact cause is unknown but stress is one of the major triggers. One explanation is that stress affects a person's eating habits and lifestyle.

"A highly-stressed individual may not make the best dietary choices. Some diets can result in a person having more gas," Dr Kong explained.

Gas-producing foods include carbonated drinks, alcohol, beans, cabbage, onions, broccoli and those that contain insoluble fibre such as bran.

Stressed individuals are also likely to rush through their meal. "They end up swallowing not only food, but air too, A person who eats very quickly also tends to overeat because he doesn't allow the brain to register that he has eaten. All these lead to bloating and excessive gas build up," explained Dr Kong.

While non-life threatening, the problem is embarrassing and uncomfortable. For some sufferers - such as 45-year old Leticia - it can even be "debilitating".

For three years, the healthcare assistant suffered from chronic stomach pains, excessive gas and constipation because of a functional bowel disorder.

"A lot of the time, the stomach pains were so intense that I could not concentrate at work," she said.

"The frustrating part is that doctors couldn't really pin-point the cause even after I'd gone for medical examination and tests," said Leticia, who noted that the problem got worse when she was worried about her ill mother.

Her condition improved after she learned how to manage stress. It's now under control.

Ironically, the more sufferers are stressed by their physical symptoms, the worse their condition becomes.

"When they have abdominal pain or changes in their bowel habits, they worry excessively about the symptoms. Thus, they become more stressed and experience even more stress-related physical symptoms, leading to a vicious cycle," said Dr Tay.

That said, if the problems are affecting your daily routine, it is good to see a doctor to rule out the possibility of a serious medical condition, said Dr Kong.

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STOMACH HEALTH

Dr Kong San Choon, a consultant at Singapore General Hospital's department of gastroenterology and hepatology, recommended keeping a food and lifestyle diary for two weeks to see what triggers the bowel disorders.

Although anti-spasmodic medication can relieve abdominal discomfort, Dr Kong said some natural ingredients may also help.

He recommended that adding more soluble fibre such as oats to one's diet will help to maintain healthy bowel movements. In addition, peppermint tea and oil, known for their muscle relaxant properties, can ease abdominal cramps.

To help maintain a healthy digestive system, Dr Kong recommended the consumption of probiotics, or foods that contain beneficial bacteria similar to those found in the body.

"But you'll have to take them with food on a daily basis for at least two to four weeks to see an effect," he said.

Dr Tay Woo Kheng, senior consultant psychiatrist at Changi General Hospital, added that learning to manage stress through relaxation exercises and lifestyle changes can help to reduce the severity of symptoms.

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Did you know?

Dr Kong sheds some light on flatulence.

It is normal for an average adult to break wind up to 20 times a day.
While all flatulence smell, some smell worse than others. This is especially if you consume a lot of eggs — which contain sulphur — or naturally strong-smelling foods such as belachan or durian.
There's no harm in holding in flatulence, but Dr Kong warned that the longer you hold it in, the louder it will sound when it is released. He said: "Each time you hold in the gas, intra-abdominal pressure increases. At some point, you may just involuntarily break wind."

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From TODAY, Health – Tuesday, 21-Jul-2009

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

U.S. trials for H1N1 vaccine announced

Image via Wikipedia

Is it a placebo effect, or is it really a working vaccine going through stress testing?

Read that story of H1N1 vaccine testing for US here.

H1N1 update from GMANews.tv

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Here's the update from GMANews.tv network on H1N1, in the Philippines, and abroad.

Cases of H1N1 infection in the Philippines is mounting up, including deaths caused by the same virus.

Cases in New Zealand, both of infection and death, also on the rise.

And the battle continues…

Couch-potato lifestyle affects children's sleep

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

While watching our kids play, and with the boys more energetic, playful and 'rough' than the girls, a friend commented, that kids, although very chubby at their adolescent age, will already indicate in their early years, whether they will have weight problems or not in their older days.

He indicated that the more playful, or what we could better term as 'moving', a child is, the more their tendency to 'burn up their calories'. This will result to natural consumption of the excess fats and result to a trimmer and slimmer physique, even in their old days. It is a way of life, and it starts young.

Of course, there are other effects as well.

Does this study conclude it altogether? Read it here.

Yesterday’s news update on H1N1

Image via Wikipedia

Some news from yesterday on H1N1:

Deaths from H1N1, in many cases, can be avoided. Some patients don't pay attention, and don't seek medical assistance, until it is too late. In most casualty cases, the patients have underlying medical conditions. H1N1 behaves like AIDS – makes you weak at your vulnerabilities and infirmities.

Schools still get closed, to mitigate the spread of the virus.

And if Taiwan succeeds in their endeavour, hopefully it will be good for the whole world. As one minister said in last night's news, 'you have friends to tell you what works and what doesn't'. The whole world is together in the fight against H1N1.

May we win!

MOH sets up $10m fund for H1N1 research

Image via Wikipedia

With more support from the government, we are ensured that the battle against the H1N1 virus is moving forward, to where we are headed – a hope for a vaccine and a better medicine – since Tamiflu-resistance is already being exhibited in a number of H1N1 cases.

Read that news story here.

Doctors to be more flexible when issuing medical leave to patients

Some good news on how medical leaves will be handled and granted. Being flexible means handling each patient on a case-to-case basis. More work for the doctor, but also would mean less prejudice, whatever.

Read that news story here. Hopefully it is for the good, both employee and employer.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Asian tourism to NZ dives amid H1N1 flu fears

Image via Wikipedia

And more on the impact of H1N1 pandemic, this is now on the economy side.

New Zealand got hit, tourism is down.

Read that story here.

South Africa launches AIDS vaccine trial

Image via Wikipedia

Could there really be a cure for AIDS?

If this vaccine works, and they are now testing it in South Africa, what is next? Or what level is the HIV virus going to, if the time comes where it becomes resistant to this vaccine (if the vaccine works at all)?

Read that news article here.

Saudi man marries Filipino woman for her kidney

So much for human organ trafficking, these wealthy people are finding a workaround, while impoverished folks will not mind losing their organs… a sad plight indeed.

And Filipinos for that, here is one case of organ trafficking in the guise of marriage, which, in time, the operation was stopped.

Read it here.

UNDP to help Philippines combat AIDS threat

Since AIDS can't be stopped, we can at least 'mitigate' its spread…

While this news story tells about Philippines getting help from UN Development Programme, my stand is abstinence. And this kind of intimacy is consummated only in marriage, between the married couple, and to whom you are married.

Agree?

Monday, July 20, 2009

Recent and latest news on H1N1

Image via Wikipedia

A summary of the events following the H1N1 virus movement…

Singapore has its first reported case of death due to H1N1. That news is here.

What could be worse, that an infected person could be saved, but the treatment may of no effect anymore? The patients, just 2 of them, sought treatment late. See that news story here.

After moving to mitigation phase, 2 or 3 weeks later, health minister says that more than half of flu cases here in Singapore are H1N1 positive? Isn't that alarming? Or a stark reality that we should be even more vigilant now with this unprecedented (local) pandemic? That story is here.

These news articles are sourced from Yahoo!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Two more patients in intensive care after contracting H1N1

Image via Wikipedia

The worst that can happen is that the H1N1 infection is not immediately arrested, and the disease results to more complications, especially for those in the high-risk group, mostly those with underlying medical conditions.

Latest of such incidents, there are 2 cases in Singapore. Read it here.

Healthy Me - At Home and Away

Amazon Holiday Deals

Thursday, July 30, 2009

My screaming son

Expectant women more at risk?

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Get enough sleep

H1N1: Two more people in ICU

Is this a waiting game?

Inconvenient truths about food

Toxic chemical in medicine

The average American is now 11kg overweight

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

H1N1 recent news, and other health articles

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Stressed enough for hissy fits

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

U.S. trials for H1N1 vaccine announced

H1N1 update from GMANews.tv

Couch-potato lifestyle affects children's sleep

Yesterday’s news update on H1N1

MOH sets up $10m fund for H1N1 research

Doctors to be more flexible when issuing medical leave to patients

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Asian tourism to NZ dives amid H1N1 flu fears

South Africa launches AIDS vaccine trial

Saudi man marries Filipino woman for her kidney

UNDP to help Philippines combat AIDS threat

Monday, July 20, 2009

Recent and latest news on H1N1

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Two more patients in intensive care after contracting H1N1

WebMD Health News

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