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‘Quit alcohol for your good mental health’ Moderate drinking was defined as 14 drinks or less per week for men and 7 drinks or less per week for women BHARAT UPADHYAY, NEW DELHI
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f you thought moderate drinking would not do you much harm, think again. Researchers have found that quitting alcohol completely may improve mental well-being, especially for women. Moderate drinking was defined as 14 drinks or less per week for men and 7 drinks or less per week for women. The study found that men and women who were lifetime abstainers had the highest level of mental wellbeing at the start of the study. For women who were moderate drinkers and quit drinking, quitting was linked to a favorable change in mental well-being, showed results published in the journal CMAJ. While the study was conducted on Chinese and American populations, experts have said that the results could apply to Indian populations too. According to Naveen Kumar, Consultant Gastroenterology, Narayana Superspecialty Hospital in Gurugram, quitting alcohol even for a month could help in repairing the gut and metabolic system and alleviate its symptoms. It will help in boosting long-term health and can provide a healthier quality of life. “Abstinence from alcohol is mandatory for a healthier brain and
This BP drug may up risk of bowel condition
The trial demonstrated that exercise significantly reduced pain for those people taking part in the program.
Treadmill exercise may reduce period pain: Study
To increase the brain volume and to deal with all sorts of situations, abstinence is required. (Photo: IANS)
liver, a stronger immune system and heart, especially in women as alcohol effects are more harmfully serious on women, considering their metabolism and estrogen levels,” Kumar told IANS. In fact, anyone can benefit from sobriety because the potential benefits of alcohol do not outweigh its known harm and risks. “Alcohol works in a way that may depress our central nervous system
and may fluctuate our mood as it lowers the levels of serotonin in our brain. Regular consumption changes the chemistry of the brain and results in the depletion of our mental health,” Mrinmay Kumar Das, Senior Consultant at Jaypee Hospital in Noida told IANS. “To increase the brain volume and to deal with all sorts of situations, abstinence is required,” he added.
LONDON: Women, take note -- A treadmill exercise regime can reduce period pain and improve long-term quality of life, says a study. According to the study published in the journal Contemporary Clinical Trials, the researchers conducted a trial over a seven-month period to see how treadmill exercise benefited women suffering from primary dysmenorrhea, commonly known as menstruation pain. “Women who have painful periods often take steps to actively avoid exercise -- after all when you are in pain it is often the last thing that you want to partake in,” said Leica ClaydonMueller, Professor at Anglia Ruskin University. For the study, women aged between 18-43 were asked to take part in a supervised aerobic training regime three times a week for four weeks, beginning the day after the end of their menstrual period, followed by unsupervised home exercise for six
Feeling safe most important for hospitalized kids IANS, SYDNEY
LONDON: Researchers, including one of an Indian-origin, have identified a blood pressure-lowering drug — non-dihydropyridine, a calcium channel blocker —that may increase the risk of a bowel condition called diverticulosis. This condition causes small bulges or pouches to appear in the lining of the intestine. Particularly affecting the elderly (as many as 65 per cent of people aged above 85 may be affected), diverticulosis can in some cases lead to a medical emergency if the pouches become infected or burst. According to the findings, the genetic variants were linked to lower heart disease and stroke risk. —IANS
months. Their results were compared with a control group, who carried out their usual regimes. The study found that the women who took part in the supervised exercise reported 6 per cent less pain after four weeks and 22 per cent less pain while continuing the exercise for an additional six months. Significant benefits of exercise were reported after the seven-month reporting period for other study measures, including a higher quality of life and improved daily functioning. However, the participants did not report any increase in sleep quality following the trial. According to the researchers, the study examined the effect of treadmill exercise on measures such as pain intensity, sleep quality and overall quality of life. This trial demonstrated that exercise significantly reduced pain for those people taking part in the program and they also reported reduced pain levels after four and seven months. —IANS
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feeling of safety and good night’s sleep are the things that matter the most to sick kids in hospital. Published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, the study fills a gap in our understanding of how children are feeling in hospital settings. For the study, researchers developed the ‘Needs of Children Questionnaire’ (NCQ), the first of its kind to measure children’s selfreported psychosocial, physical and emotional needs in paediatric wards. “Development of the NCQ is part of an international movement to place children as central to care delivery, which honours the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,” said Mandie Foster, Professor at the Edith Cowan Uni-
Hospitalized Kid.(Photo: wwwtexaschildrens)
versity in Australia. The research team assessed 193 school-aged children in paediatric settings in Australia and New Zealand. Children’s most important needs were identified as: To know they
are safe and will be looked after, to get enough sleep at night, hospital staff listening to them, to have places their parents can go to for food and drinks. Over 1.7 million Australian children were admitted to hospitals in
2016-17, researchers said, which emphasizes on the importance of this study. “As adults, we often make assumptions about children’s needs and wants, but hospitals can be a scary and unfamiliar environment for many children and we shouldn’t assume we know how they are feeling,” Foster said. “Being listened to and understood can give children an added sense of confidence about the situation they find themselves in” she added. And from a medical point of view, child self-reports are essential to inform healthcare delivery, policy, research and theory development, said the researchers. Children's needs are often interconnected to those of their parents, so if parents feel informed, valued and cared for, then their children are more likely to feel relaxed.