Colour grey
Your Health
DR GITA MATHAI
As we grow older several changes take place in our body, some visible, others not so visible. The most obvious one is the hair — and moustache in the case of men — turning grey from jet black. Unfortunately, nowadays it is not just senior citizens who are greying but also those in their twenties or early thirties. Twenty years ago, 18 per cent of adults under the age of 30 had started to grey. According to a recent report, that figure is now close to 32 per cent. Hair care brands have come up with a new mnemonic for grey haired over stressed twenty something — GHOSTS. The first grey hair stresses out GHOSTS even more as the current job market prizes youth — or at least looking youthful — over experience.
The age at which one starts to grey is determined genetically. At that age the hair cells stop producing the colouring pigment melanin. This makes the shaft of the hair transparent. Light reflects off it, giving it its white appearance. Not all hairs stop producing melanin simultaneously. The mixed white and normal black makes the hair appear grey.
People who are exposed constantly to pollution and UV rays can get grey hair even before their genetically determined age to grey. The poisonous chemicals in tobacco kill the melanocytes, making smokers go grey before their non-smoking peers. Deficiency of vitamin B12 can also cause premature greying, as can a a peculiar type of anaemia called pernicious anaemia. Thyroid malfunction can also turn hair grey.
Grey hair has been cosmetically unacceptable for centuries. People used all kinds of natural dyes such as henna, indigo, walnut, curry leaves, gooseberries, tea, coffee, hibiscus flowers and arecanut either alone or in combination to colour grey hair. These natural products are used even today. Most, if used consistently, produce a dark brown colour. They are popular as they are inexpensive, can be applied at home, and are considered safe. But some people are allergic to even herbal products.
Hair can also be dyed with commercially available colouring agents. Temporary colours last a single wash. They can be funky colours like pink, blue or green but dark hair will not take these unless it is bleached first. Repeated use of these dyes without proper conditioning can, however, make hair brittle and lustreless.
Permanent hair colouring is the one usually used to disguise grey hair. It is a two-step process. First the hair is lightened using an agent like hydrogen peroxide or ammonia. Then the dye is applied and fixed. The colouring lasts until the hair grows out. This can be anything between 4 to 6 weeks.
Some people are allergic to hair dyes. Redness, itching, burning or skin rashes can occur either immediately or within 48 hours. To prevent this, before applying a dye for the first time, or switching brands, do a patch test. Take a small quantity of dye and apply it to the skin [usually on the inside of the elbow] for a day to see if there is any reaction. Sometimes a person can turn allergic to a product that they have been using safely for many years.
If hair is being coloured at home, it is important to follow the instructions on the package implicitly. Before using the dye, apply Vaseline to the hairline and ears. This will prevent the skin from staining. Always use gloves to apply the colour. Leave it on the hair for the time specified. Then wash it off with water. Apply a conditioner and leave it on for 7-9 minutes. Shampoo the next day.
Most shampoos (particularly the anti-dandruff ones) are harsh and unsuitable for regular use on coloured hair. Special colour safe shampoos and conditioners should be used to preserve the health of hair and minimise fading.
Hair that has been damaged by excessive and improper exposure to chemicals becomes dry, rough and fragile. The only solution is to stop using chemicals and cut off the damaged bit.
Hair colour should also not be used to darken facial hair because its texture is different and also because using traditional hair dyes so close to the nose can be distressing because of the odour of ammonia and other chemicals. The best thing to use is a range of colouring products labelled “just for men”.
How to delay greying:
Avoid stress
Don’t smoke
Avoid too much exposure to ultraviolet rays
Exercise regularly
Eat at least 4-5 helpings of fruit and vegetables a day.
Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
new mom
New mom? Eat right and exercise
Your Health
DR GITA MATHAI
The thought, preparation and expense that go into “the great Indian wedding” are unbelievable. Yet barely have the stars faded from the new bride’s eyes than subtle pressure from parents, in-laws, spouse and well-wishers sets in. Everyone wants to hear the “good news” —a baby on the way. People don’t stop to think if the bride is ready for motherhood. And once the mother-to-be has been coddled through the pregnancy and everyone has oohed and aahed over the little bundle of joy, the excitement and interest fades. The new mother finds that she is totally unprepared for the drastic changes in her life after the birth of a baby. No one told her that she might have a baby that refuses to sleep at night or that she would feel and look like an elephant after childbirth.
A weight gain of between 12 to 14kg during pregnancy is normal and healthy. Many women expect all the extra kilos to disappear immediately after delivery. Actually, around 5kg (the weight of the baby and the placenta) will disappear immediately. The rest should disappear gradually within nine months.
It is very easy to start overeating after childbirth. Visitors arrive laden with delicious tidbits and vociferously advise rest and a high calorie diet to ensure adequate breast milk. In truth, breast-feeding requires only around 750 extra calories. Since brand new moms tend to be sedentary, their caloric intake should be limited to approximately 2,500 calories. Even though many women complain that they continue to “feel like a bloated elephant” after delivery, this is not the correct time to go on a drastic diet. Healthy eating and judicious exercise will ensure a gradual and safe return to pre-pregnancy weight.
Light aerobic exercise or walking can be started around two weeks after delivery, even by a person who did not exercise at all during pregnancy. But it is important not to do too much too soon. A hormone called relaxin, responsible for making the joints loose during pregnancy so that delivery is easy, persists in the body for about six months after delivery. So vigorous exercise should be started only after six months to avoid damaging joints. Walking 15 minutes a day is a good start. Increase the time by 15 minutes every week until you reach an hour. Endorphins released during walking will help to elevate the mood and combat any post partum depression. It will also help to tone the muscles. Exercise does not reduce breast milk production.
Pain in the genital and the caesarian site often comes as a shock. It makes going to the bathroom or even sitting an ordeal. Many are afraid to take medication (with reason) for fear that it might cross over in the breast milk to the newborn baby. Heat or cold applied locally to the area will relieve the pain. You can use an infra red lamp, a hot water bottle, or apply ice. The ice needs to be in a plastic bag or bottle. To prevent infection, always wash the area with water after going to the bathroom.
The skin over the abdomen may show white lines called stretch marks. These may itch. Applying coconut oil for half an hour before a bath helps.
These usually fade over time. If there is a scar (caesarian or episiotomy), it should be left alone until it has healed completely.
The hormones responsible for maintaining the pregnancy drop suddenly after childbirth. This abrupt change can lead to depression, bouts of crying and feelings of inadequacy. These usually last for around two weeks and then subside by themselves. If they last for a month or longer, then postnatal depression may have developed and a physician should be consulted.
The abdominal wall becomes lax during pregnancy. The abdomen itself may appear pendulous. Sits ups with the knees bend and oblique abdominal exercises will help with this. Start with 10 sets twice a day. Aim to reach 50 repetitions morning and evening within four months. You need to continue doing this exercise at least thrice a week.
A few drops of urine may leak out while coughing, sneezing or laughing. It may be difficult to hold the urine for even a limited time if the bladder is full. This is because the pelvic floor muscles become weakened during childbirth, making the sphincters, which control urination, lax. This can occur even if the delivery was by caesarian section.
These humiliating accidents can be tackled by doing “Keegles’s exercises”. Sit on the floor in the namaz position or in the yoga “child’s pose”. Touch the nose to the ground, concentrate on the pelvic muscles and consciously tighten them. Also, try to “stop and start” consciously while passing urine.
New mothers have lost a great deal of blood. The baby needs to be fed frequently so that sleep patterns are disturbed and often inadequate. Tiredness and fatigue are common and normal after childbirth. Try to sleep whenever the baby sleeps. And those colourful iron and calcium supplements need to be continued as long as you are feeding the baby.
Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in
Your Health
DR GITA MATHAI
The thought, preparation and expense that go into “the great Indian wedding” are unbelievable. Yet barely have the stars faded from the new bride’s eyes than subtle pressure from parents, in-laws, spouse and well-wishers sets in. Everyone wants to hear the “good news” —a baby on the way. People don’t stop to think if the bride is ready for motherhood. And once the mother-to-be has been coddled through the pregnancy and everyone has oohed and aahed over the little bundle of joy, the excitement and interest fades. The new mother finds that she is totally unprepared for the drastic changes in her life after the birth of a baby. No one told her that she might have a baby that refuses to sleep at night or that she would feel and look like an elephant after childbirth.
A weight gain of between 12 to 14kg during pregnancy is normal and healthy. Many women expect all the extra kilos to disappear immediately after delivery. Actually, around 5kg (the weight of the baby and the placenta) will disappear immediately. The rest should disappear gradually within nine months.
It is very easy to start overeating after childbirth. Visitors arrive laden with delicious tidbits and vociferously advise rest and a high calorie diet to ensure adequate breast milk. In truth, breast-feeding requires only around 750 extra calories. Since brand new moms tend to be sedentary, their caloric intake should be limited to approximately 2,500 calories. Even though many women complain that they continue to “feel like a bloated elephant” after delivery, this is not the correct time to go on a drastic diet. Healthy eating and judicious exercise will ensure a gradual and safe return to pre-pregnancy weight.
Light aerobic exercise or walking can be started around two weeks after delivery, even by a person who did not exercise at all during pregnancy. But it is important not to do too much too soon. A hormone called relaxin, responsible for making the joints loose during pregnancy so that delivery is easy, persists in the body for about six months after delivery. So vigorous exercise should be started only after six months to avoid damaging joints. Walking 15 minutes a day is a good start. Increase the time by 15 minutes every week until you reach an hour. Endorphins released during walking will help to elevate the mood and combat any post partum depression. It will also help to tone the muscles. Exercise does not reduce breast milk production.
Pain in the genital and the caesarian site often comes as a shock. It makes going to the bathroom or even sitting an ordeal. Many are afraid to take medication (with reason) for fear that it might cross over in the breast milk to the newborn baby. Heat or cold applied locally to the area will relieve the pain. You can use an infra red lamp, a hot water bottle, or apply ice. The ice needs to be in a plastic bag or bottle. To prevent infection, always wash the area with water after going to the bathroom.
The skin over the abdomen may show white lines called stretch marks. These may itch. Applying coconut oil for half an hour before a bath helps.
These usually fade over time. If there is a scar (caesarian or episiotomy), it should be left alone until it has healed completely.
The hormones responsible for maintaining the pregnancy drop suddenly after childbirth. This abrupt change can lead to depression, bouts of crying and feelings of inadequacy. These usually last for around two weeks and then subside by themselves. If they last for a month or longer, then postnatal depression may have developed and a physician should be consulted.
The abdominal wall becomes lax during pregnancy. The abdomen itself may appear pendulous. Sits ups with the knees bend and oblique abdominal exercises will help with this. Start with 10 sets twice a day. Aim to reach 50 repetitions morning and evening within four months. You need to continue doing this exercise at least thrice a week.
A few drops of urine may leak out while coughing, sneezing or laughing. It may be difficult to hold the urine for even a limited time if the bladder is full. This is because the pelvic floor muscles become weakened during childbirth, making the sphincters, which control urination, lax. This can occur even if the delivery was by caesarian section.
These humiliating accidents can be tackled by doing “Keegles’s exercises”. Sit on the floor in the namaz position or in the yoga “child’s pose”. Touch the nose to the ground, concentrate on the pelvic muscles and consciously tighten them. Also, try to “stop and start” consciously while passing urine.
New mothers have lost a great deal of blood. The baby needs to be fed frequently so that sleep patterns are disturbed and often inadequate. Tiredness and fatigue are common and normal after childbirth. Try to sleep whenever the baby sleeps. And those colourful iron and calcium supplements need to be continued as long as you are feeding the baby.
Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
help I'm being treated
The caterwauling could be heard in the corridor long before the young adult male was carried in on a plank of wood. His head was lolling from side to side, a red trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. His checked shirt was discolored and stained.
Evaluation was difficult.
I had to push past an old woman beating her chest and a young one (wife?) throwing herself at his feet and hanging on for dear life.
Haemetemisis perhaps? Whatever. Anyway, emergency treatment had to be given. Perhaps if I started an IV line, pushed in a stomach tube and washed out the stomach with ice water, the bleeding would stop long enough for me to send him to the nearest hospital. The sooner the better. The accompanying crowd can get very nasty if there is a death. I did not really want by premises destroyed or the publicity.
He was conscious, oriented and passive when I inserted the needle.
The stomach tube was another story altogether. He gagged, fought and sat up. Determined to succeed (Robert Bruce – try and try again) I held him down and tried harder.
Suddenly, he pulled out the IV line. (This made blood drip on the floor as well). He pushed me to one side, fell to the floor and clutched my feet.
“Save me!” He shouted.
“ I am trying to, but unless you cooperate what can I do?”
“I want to be saved from you,” he shouted, “you are killing me!”
“Nonsense! I am trying to save your life.”
“Ayoo! I am not vomiting blood. I just swallowed a brick dissolved in water to frighten my family. Let me go. If I stay here any longer, you WILL kill me.”
Gathering his clothes he ran out of the room followed closely by disbelieving relatives.
“ A miracle!” shouted one of them, “I told you this doctor has lucky hands. She just has to touch you and you will recover.”
Well, a little community goodwill doesn’t hurt , And, in the final analysis, “All’s well that end’s well!”
Evaluation was difficult.
I had to push past an old woman beating her chest and a young one (wife?) throwing herself at his feet and hanging on for dear life.
Haemetemisis perhaps? Whatever. Anyway, emergency treatment had to be given. Perhaps if I started an IV line, pushed in a stomach tube and washed out the stomach with ice water, the bleeding would stop long enough for me to send him to the nearest hospital. The sooner the better. The accompanying crowd can get very nasty if there is a death. I did not really want by premises destroyed or the publicity.
He was conscious, oriented and passive when I inserted the needle.
The stomach tube was another story altogether. He gagged, fought and sat up. Determined to succeed (Robert Bruce – try and try again) I held him down and tried harder.
Suddenly, he pulled out the IV line. (This made blood drip on the floor as well). He pushed me to one side, fell to the floor and clutched my feet.
“Save me!” He shouted.
“ I am trying to, but unless you cooperate what can I do?”
“I want to be saved from you,” he shouted, “you are killing me!”
“Nonsense! I am trying to save your life.”
“Ayoo! I am not vomiting blood. I just swallowed a brick dissolved in water to frighten my family. Let me go. If I stay here any longer, you WILL kill me.”
Gathering his clothes he ran out of the room followed closely by disbelieving relatives.
“ A miracle!” shouted one of them, “I told you this doctor has lucky hands. She just has to touch you and you will recover.”
Well, a little community goodwill doesn’t hurt , And, in the final analysis, “All’s well that end’s well!”
Monday, June 6, 2011
too fat too young
Too fat by far
Your Health
DR GITA MATHAI
It is difficult to convince parents that their child is overweight even if you prove it by measuring the weight in kg and dividing it by the height in metre squared. (The normal value is around 23). Parents are disbelieving even when faced with values higher than 30. Perhaps this is because we tend to equate prosperity with a “well-fed look” and look admiringly at plump parents accompanied by children with pot bellies. Generations of coping with famine, want, the unavailability and unaffordability of food have taken their toll. As the money rolls in, parents abandon their traditional healthy life style and adopt a western approach to food and leisure.
Our tradition of breast-feeding infants provided them with the correct amount of calories for the first six months of life. A “let down” reflex controls the production of milk; as the baby sucks, more milk is produced. This ensures that the baby gets enough for its requirement, and doubles its birth weight by the end of the fifth month and triples it by the end of the first year. A baby that starts life at 2 kg will be normal if it weighs 6 kg on its first birthday. Its appearance will be a stark contrast to the baby that was 4 kg at birth and 12 kg on its first birthday. Both are normal, but cannot be compared as they represent two ends of a normal spectrum.
Unhappy with small but normal babies, parents often supplement breast milk with powdered formula or cow’s milk, a practice that should be avoided as far as possible. There really is no superior or adequate substitute for the “real thing,” that ensures healthy, adequate and normal growth.
Traditional weaning is with home-cooked cereals such rice, ragi and wheat with added milk and sugar. Today parents opt for ready-made sodium-rich, precooked, packaged weaning foods, or “milk biscuits” with disastrous results. These changed child-rearing practices have resulted in an epidemic of childhood obesity: 30 per cent of urban children are obese. Tragically, 70 per cent will go on to become obese adolescents and adults.
With cartoons, television serials, computer games, homework and tuition, children spend more than three hours a day almost motionless. Added to this is snacking on fat-laden packaged food and drinking calorie-high sugar-dense aerated bottled drinks. There is practically no physical activity at all.
Busy parents prefer these sedentary activities as they require minimum parental participation. For activity and sports, parents have to take the children to a place where they can play. There is a shortage of parks and open spaces. Children cannot be left unsupervised as there are the problems of safety, and social crimes like abuse and abduction (This used to be true only for girls but now both sexes are equally in danger).
The problem is compounded by the fact that life in India is very competitive. Only a few sportspeople succeed, but academic excellence ensures “good jobs”. Parents are under the misconception that children who “play” will be too tired to study.
Gradually caloric intake overtakes expenditure and obesity sets in. It also causes many psychological problems. Children develop a negative self image and either withdraw into themselves or become bullies. By the early twenties many are already exhibiting signs of syndrome X or insulin resistance, their blood sugar and lipid profile become abnormal. They develop diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Girls may develop the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) with irregular periods and eventually, fertility problems. Indians are genetically prone to these abnormalities.
Studies have shown that children over the age of two need an hour of physical activity a day. This can be a single one-hour session or split into two 30-minute one. Even six 10-minute sessions are effective. It can be running, cycling, playing structured games, skipping or swimming.
Exercise helps children maintain an ideal body weight, feel less stressed and angry, improve concentration in school and sleep well at night. Objective studies using MRI scans demonstrated that exercise in children increases brain activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. This is the area associated with cognitive skills, complex thinking, decision making and correct social behaviour. Also the IQ (intelligence quotient) of these children improves by almost four points.
Children all over the world are becoming obese for the same reasons. Parents have a crucial role to play in making children healthy. They should exercise and lead by example. TV viewing should be limited. Oily, ready-to-eat snacks should be avoided.
Other governments (the UK, the US, Japan, China) have woken up to the fact that obese children grow into unhealthy unproductive adults, with medical problems that are a burden on the national exchequer. They have begun to tackle the problem on a war footing. We have not, and this means that India may eventually be a country where the life expectancy starts to fall.
Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in
Your Health
DR GITA MATHAI
It is difficult to convince parents that their child is overweight even if you prove it by measuring the weight in kg and dividing it by the height in metre squared. (The normal value is around 23). Parents are disbelieving even when faced with values higher than 30. Perhaps this is because we tend to equate prosperity with a “well-fed look” and look admiringly at plump parents accompanied by children with pot bellies. Generations of coping with famine, want, the unavailability and unaffordability of food have taken their toll. As the money rolls in, parents abandon their traditional healthy life style and adopt a western approach to food and leisure.
Our tradition of breast-feeding infants provided them with the correct amount of calories for the first six months of life. A “let down” reflex controls the production of milk; as the baby sucks, more milk is produced. This ensures that the baby gets enough for its requirement, and doubles its birth weight by the end of the fifth month and triples it by the end of the first year. A baby that starts life at 2 kg will be normal if it weighs 6 kg on its first birthday. Its appearance will be a stark contrast to the baby that was 4 kg at birth and 12 kg on its first birthday. Both are normal, but cannot be compared as they represent two ends of a normal spectrum.
Unhappy with small but normal babies, parents often supplement breast milk with powdered formula or cow’s milk, a practice that should be avoided as far as possible. There really is no superior or adequate substitute for the “real thing,” that ensures healthy, adequate and normal growth.
Traditional weaning is with home-cooked cereals such rice, ragi and wheat with added milk and sugar. Today parents opt for ready-made sodium-rich, precooked, packaged weaning foods, or “milk biscuits” with disastrous results. These changed child-rearing practices have resulted in an epidemic of childhood obesity: 30 per cent of urban children are obese. Tragically, 70 per cent will go on to become obese adolescents and adults.
With cartoons, television serials, computer games, homework and tuition, children spend more than three hours a day almost motionless. Added to this is snacking on fat-laden packaged food and drinking calorie-high sugar-dense aerated bottled drinks. There is practically no physical activity at all.
Busy parents prefer these sedentary activities as they require minimum parental participation. For activity and sports, parents have to take the children to a place where they can play. There is a shortage of parks and open spaces. Children cannot be left unsupervised as there are the problems of safety, and social crimes like abuse and abduction (This used to be true only for girls but now both sexes are equally in danger).
The problem is compounded by the fact that life in India is very competitive. Only a few sportspeople succeed, but academic excellence ensures “good jobs”. Parents are under the misconception that children who “play” will be too tired to study.
Gradually caloric intake overtakes expenditure and obesity sets in. It also causes many psychological problems. Children develop a negative self image and either withdraw into themselves or become bullies. By the early twenties many are already exhibiting signs of syndrome X or insulin resistance, their blood sugar and lipid profile become abnormal. They develop diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Girls may develop the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) with irregular periods and eventually, fertility problems. Indians are genetically prone to these abnormalities.
Studies have shown that children over the age of two need an hour of physical activity a day. This can be a single one-hour session or split into two 30-minute one. Even six 10-minute sessions are effective. It can be running, cycling, playing structured games, skipping or swimming.
Exercise helps children maintain an ideal body weight, feel less stressed and angry, improve concentration in school and sleep well at night. Objective studies using MRI scans demonstrated that exercise in children increases brain activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. This is the area associated with cognitive skills, complex thinking, decision making and correct social behaviour. Also the IQ (intelligence quotient) of these children improves by almost four points.
Children all over the world are becoming obese for the same reasons. Parents have a crucial role to play in making children healthy. They should exercise and lead by example. TV viewing should be limited. Oily, ready-to-eat snacks should be avoided.
Other governments (the UK, the US, Japan, China) have woken up to the fact that obese children grow into unhealthy unproductive adults, with medical problems that are a burden on the national exchequer. They have begun to tackle the problem on a war footing. We have not, and this means that India may eventually be a country where the life expectancy starts to fall.
Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in
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