Telomeres, lifestyle, and aging

Telomeres, lifestyle, and aging

Telomere length and its biology is a concept still pretty much unknown for the vast majority of people, even though it has a major impact on our overall health and life quality over the years. I believe that health information should be free to everyone Telomeres are an essential part of human cells that affect how our cells age. Telomeres sit on the end of our chromosomes that contain genetic information, protecting them from deterioration and our bodies from early-onset diseaseTelomeres are crucial parts of the chromosome that act to protect them and ensure DNA replication is performed effectively. Every time DNA gets copied in humans, the telomeres at the ends get worn down. Research shows that longer telomeres are associated with a longer lifespan and that shorter telomeres are associated with the diseases of aging: heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. Telomeres is a word as a doctor I am familiar with. But I am not sure if my FB friends will fully understand the meaning and importance of telomeres. Because people are living longer, many countries must adapt their health policies. Aging can be difficult to accept. Our body might not be able to do the things it did when we were young. Bones break easier. Aches and pains can be a daily occurrence. Our vision becomes impaired. Our hair turns grey or white. Sometimes it falls out. Our noses and ears stretch. We get shorter. We all want to live longer. with health span as the number of years, we’re healthy, disease-free, and have a zest for life Some may wish for a magic pill that could slow down aging but there’s no way to stop the aging process, instead, there might be a way to slow it down.

There has been growing evidence that lifestyle factors may affect the health and lifespan of an individual by affecting telomere length. The shortening of telomeres is what creates the signs of aging. For example, grey hair, wrinkles, and a weak immune system. The longer our telomeres, the less the effects of aging. Recent studies indicate that telomere length, which can be affected by various lifestyle factors, can affect the pace of aging and onset of age-associated diseases. Telomere length decreases with age and may predict lifespan. Accelerated telomere shortening may increase the pace of aging. Smoking may expedite telomere shortening and process of aging. Obesity is associated with excessive telomere shortening. Stress increases the pace of telomere shortening and aging. Environment, nature of the profession, and stress can also affect the rate of telomere shortening and health. What we eat and how much we eat can significantly affect our telomeres, health, and longevity. A dietary restriction like intermittent fasting reduces the pace of aging. Dietary intake of antioxidants reduces the rate of telomere shortening If you’re negative, your body gets a surge of the stress hormone cortisol. This hurts your telomeres. Healthy communities, being in a good marriage long-term and having lifelong friendships, maintain telomeres. I sincerely hope that you have understood the importance of Telomeres.

Courtesy: Dr. Emanuel pieris

THE FOUR MAIN TYPES OF COVID-19 VACCINE AND HOW THEY WORK

 THE FOUR MAIN TYPES OF COVID-19 VACCINE AND HOW THEY WORk

By: Dr. Emanuel Pieris

As I mentioned before getting vaccinated is one of many steps you can take to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. When Coronavirus, enters our body, our immune system recognises it as harmful and will trigger a response to fight off infection by creating antibodies. Unfortunately, the immune system does not always win this initial battle against coronavirus and many become very ill or in extreme cases die. A vaccine would provide protection by training our immune system to fight the virus.

Currently, there are four main types of COVID-19 vaccines. Below is a description of how each type of vaccine prompts our bodies to recognize and protect us from the virus that causes COVID-19. None of these vaccines can give you COVID-19. They are produced so that some of them try to smuggle the antigen into the body, others use the body’s own cells to make the viral antigen. It is rather difficult for me to explain this in a simpler way. Hope that you understand at least the main principles of how these vaccines work.

1.Inactivated whole virus vaccines use viruses whose genetic material has been destroyed so they cannot replicate, but can still trigger an immune response. Inactivated whole virus Covid -19 vaccine include Sinopharm,(BBIBP-CorV) and Sinovac (CoronaVAC) both from China as well as Bharat Biotech (Covaxin) from India. Requires 2 doses. The whole virus vaccine uses a weakened or deactivated form of the pathogen that causes COVID-19 to trigger protective immunity to it.

2.Nucleic acid vaccines use genetic material to provide cells with instructions to make the antigen. In the case of COVID-19, this is usually the viral spike protein. Once this genetic material gets into human cells, it uses our cells' protein factories to make the antigen that will trigger an immune response.mRNA vaccine gives our cells instructions for how to make a harmless spike protein that is unique to the virus. Our bodies recognize that the protein should not be there and build T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19. mRNA vaccines include Pfizer-BioNTech, and Moderna produced in the USA requires 2 doses. Once injected into the body, the mRNA instructs the cells to produce antigens specifically the virus’ spike protein. which are then detected by immune cells, triggering a response by the body’s immune system.

3. Protein Subunit vaccines include harmless pieces (proteins) of the virus that cause COVID-19 instead of the entire germ. Once vaccinated, our immune system recognizes that the proteins don’t belong in the body and begins making T-lymphocytes and antibodies. If we are ever infected in the future, memory cells will recognize and fight the virus. Such Protin subunit vaccine is Nuovavax(NVX-CoV2373) The USA Maryland-based company Novavax has developed this protein-based coronavirus vaccine called NVX-CoV2373 requires also 2 doses, Protein subunit vaccine contains purified “pieces” of a pathogen rather than the whole pathogen to trigger an immune response.

4.Non-replicating Viral vector vaccines also work by giving cells genetic instructions to produce antigens. They use a harmless virus, different from the one the vaccine is targeting, to deliver these instructions into the cell. It contains a weakened version of a live virus, a different virus than the one that causes COVID-19 that has genetic material from the virus that causes COVID-19 inserted in it (this is called a viral vector). Once the viral vector is inside our cells, the genetic material gives cells instructions to make a protein that is unique to the virus that causes COVID-19. Using these instructions, our cells make copies of the protein. This prompts our bodies to build T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight that virus if we are infected. Oxford-AstraZeneca UK, Sputnik V or GAM-Covid-Vac (Gamaleya Research Institute) Russia and Johnson &Johnson (JNJ-78436735, Ad26.COV2.5) the USA. The number of doses required is 2 doses, This type of vaccine introduces a safe, modified version of the virus – known as “the vector” – to deliver genetic code for the antigen.

In a COVID-19 vaccine, the “vector” is the spike proteins found on the surface of the coronavirus.

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated lives and livelihoods around the world. Vaccines are one of our most powerful tools against this infectious disease. The WHO recommends that priority be given to health workers at high risk of exposure and people aged 65 or older, followed by people with underlying comorbidities such as respiratory disease or diabetes. Thereafter the younger generation is in turn to receive the vaccine.

MOVE MORE SIT LESS - SITTING TOO MUCH IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH.

 

Emmanuel Peiris

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MOVE MORE SIT LESS - SITTING TOO MUCH IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH.

It is a new year and I really want my friends to be healthy and live longer. I find pleasure in giving them some evidence-based medical advice on FB. It has been very rewarding to read my friend's appreciation. Here comes my first medical advice for the year 2021.

Sitting is a common body posture. When people work, socialize, study, or travel, they often do so in a seated position. Unfortunately, people sit more than ever before, such as work, socialize, study, travel, watching television or in front of the computer. Sitting or lying down uses far less energy than standing or moving. People who sit for long periods of time are more likely to be overweight or obese. Scientists say that you’re more likely to die earlier if you sit for long stretches at a time. Over half of the average person’s day is spent sitting, doing activities such as driving, working at a desk, or watching television. Excessive sitting for long periods is thought to slow the metabolism, which affects the body's ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat. This behäviour may also cause weaker muscles and bones. Sitting also raises your risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol and overweight. which all play a role in your life span. The actual sitting seems to change the way your body reacts to insulin. Moving throughout the day can help even more than exercise to lower your risk of all these health problems.

Don’t throw away all that hard work at the gym by hitting the couch for the rest of the day. Keep moving! The effects of too much sitting are hard to counter with exercise. You can’t reverse the effects of sitting 7 hours at a time watching TV, surfing or chatting or reading for hours on end. If you exercise every day, that’s good, but it won’t make a huge dent in the extra weight you gain as a result of too much sitting. The seated position puts huge stress on your back muscles, neck, and spine. Just remember that no matter how comfortable you get, your back still won’t like a long sitting session.

Get up and move around for a minute or two every half hour to keep your spine in line. Stand up and stretch every half hour or so. Touch your toes. Take a stroll around the office. Stand at your desk for part of the day. If you sit for too long and blood can pool in your legs and put added pressure in your veins and cause varicose veins. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a clot that forms in your leg, often because you sit still for too long. . If you are not active you may be more likely to get osteoporosis

Don't let long hours in a chair cut your life short. Here are some tips to reduce sitting time: Avoid long periods sat in front of a TV or computer and make bedrooms a TV, computer/laptop and phone-free zone stand up and move during TV advert breaks. Stand or walk around while on the phone. Use the stairs as much as possible.set "no screen time" rules to encourage other activities and agree on a family limit to screen time per day. encourage .take up active hobbies such as gardening or play with grandchildren take the stairs and walk up escalators: encourage all at home to participate in house chores such as setting the table or taking the bins out or help with cooking. Take a walk break every time you take a coffee or tea break and also walk to your colleague's desk instead of emailing or calling

Have a wonderful weekend and hope that New Year 2021 will be a better one.

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TREATMENT AND LIFESTYLE CHANGES FOR GASTRITIS

 TREATMENT AND LIFESTYLE CHANGES FOR GASTRITIS

Dr. Emanuel Pieris

Today I wish to continue the medical advice by presenting the different treatment options and also life changes to manage gastritis problem. Gastritis is a very common problem which many of us have experienced when the lining of our stomach becomes inflamed. Gastritis is usually mild and resolves without any treatment. However, gastritis can cause pain in the upper part of your tummy and may lead to a stomach ulcer. Some simple changes to your lifestyle and using over-the-counter antacid medicines are often all that is required. However, if not treated properly, gastritis can last a long time or may lead to not only a stomach ulcer or anaemia but can also increase the risk of cancer. I know that in my motherland Sri Lanka many turn to Ayurvedic treatment for gastritis which includes customized herbal medicines, diet and lifestyle recommendations and home remedies. Since I have no knowledge in Ayurvedic treatment I shall not comment on it.

Even though prevention is better than curing the treatment of gastritis depends on the specific cause. Acute gastritis caused by pain killers or alcohol may be relieved by stopping the use of those substances. If you think the cause of your gastritis is repeated use of NSAID painkillers, try switching to a different painkiller that's not in the NSAID class, such as paracetamol. Many people become infected with H. pylori bacteria and do not realise it. But an H. pylori infection can sometimes cause recurring bouts of indigestion, as the bacteria can cause inflammation of the stomach lining. This sort of gastritis is more common in older age groups. An H. pylori stomach infection is usually lifelong unless it's treated with eradication therapy. If an H. pylori infection is the cause of your gastritis, you'll need to take a course of antibiotics to kill H.pylori. You have to take a combination of antibiotics, such as clarithromycin and amoxicillin or metronidazole to kill the bacterium alongside with a proton pump inhibitor. . Be sure to take the full antibiotic prescription, usually for seven to 14 days.

It is also good for you to know about the other existing medication that blocks acid production and promote healing. Proton pump inhibitors which reduce acid by blocking the action of the parts of cells that produce acid. These drugs include omeprazole, lansoprazole rabeprazole esomeprazole (Nexium), dexlansoprazole and pantoprazole. There is also medication to reduce acid production called acid blockers or histamine (H-2) blockers which reduce the amount of acid released into your digestive tract, to relieve gastritis pain and encourage healing. Acid blockers include famotidine (Pepcid), cimetidine (Tagamet HB) and nizatidine (Axid AR). Another treatment option is the use of antacids that neutralizes stomach acid. Your doctor may include an antacid in your drug treatment. Antacids neutralize existing stomach acid and can provide rapid relief

There are several changes you can make to your lifestyle that may help ease the symptoms of gastritis. If you think the cause of your gastritis is repeated use of painkillers, try switching to a different painkiller, such as paracetamol But as you are healing and taking medication to reduce stomach acid you may want to avoid food that can increase stomach acid production. Eat more stomach-friendly foods. drink more water The first thing you should look at is your diet because certain foods can irritate your stomach lining more than others. It can be fruit juices particularly citrus. acidic foods including tomatoes and other fruits such as lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges, grapes and pineapples. Spicy foods, fried or fatty foods, coffee alcohol and carbonated drinks, Also consider eating smaller, more frequent meals avoiding foods that can irritate the stomach Do not wear tight belts or clothes that are tight-fitting around your waist since these items can squeeze the stomach. Do not smoke as smoking stimulates the production of stomach acid.

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