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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Know Your Brain

 LEFT AND RIGHT BRAIN By Dr, Emanuel Pieris

If you’re like me,due to genetic reason you surely belong to the about 90% of people who are right-handed. Although it remains a mystery why our genetic evolution led us to become so many more righties than lefties.The brain’s two lateral halves also known as left hemisphere and right hemisphere have neurons/receptors. The left hemisphere of the brain is in-charge of the cognitive functions such as speech and language.The right hemisphere of the brain is more on creativity and face recognition. Although the functions of the brain may be divided based on its hemisphere to execute any particular function you still need your entire brain.

You may have heard people describe themselves as strictly "right-brained" or "left-brained," with the left-brainers bragging about their math skills and the right-brainers touting their creativity. In general, the left hemisphere is dominant in language. Helps to process what you hear and handle most of the duties of speaking. It's also in charge of carrying out logic and exact mathematical computations. When you need to retrieve a fact, your left brain pulls.it from your memory. The right hemisphere is mainly in charge of spatial abilities, face recognition and processing music. It performs some math, but only rough estimations and comparisons. The brain's right side also helps us to comprehend visual imagery and make sense of what we see. It plays a role in language, particularly in interpreting context and a person's tone.

The left brain function could be controlling the right side of the body as well as a number skills, they include mathematics and scientific skills, written language, spoken language, objectivity analytical, logic and reasoning. The right brain functions might include controlling the left side of the body 3-D shapes, music and art awareness, intuition, creativity, imagination subjectivity synthesizing and face recognition. Those who use their left brain more efficiently tend to be logical, interested in maths and use language well. They are also pragmatic interested in clear results and successful in academic and scientific subjects. While those who use their right brain more efficiently tend to be creative interested in social studies. They are also subjective, intuitive and successful in visual and artistic subjects such as art and music.

There is truth to the idea that some brain functions reside more on one side of the brain than the other. We know this in part from what is lost when a stroke affects a particular part of the brain But for more individual personality traits, such as creativity or a tendency toward the rational rather than the intuitive, there has been little or no evidence supporting a residence in one area of the brain. MR brain scans demonstrate that activity is similar on both sides of the brain regardless of one’s personality..Perhaps it just makes intuitive sense that people’s brains would be dominant on one side or the other just as their hands, feet, or eyes are.

As for whether a person is right-brained or left-brained or even right-handed or left-handed the uses and preferences of the brain's two sections are far more complex than just a simple left vs. right equation. I believe that it is essential to train both sides of your brain almost equally. You’re not truly left-brained or right-brained, but you can play to your strengths and continue broadening your mental horizons. A normal, healthy brain is capable of lifelong learning and boundless creativity. It is high time to train your brain regularly.