Top Five Health News of the Week: 10th – 15th Nov 2008
A famous quote by the World Health Organization goes “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” That’s exactly what we would like to leave you with this week’s Top Five Health News Of the Week. Yes we are here again with some of the news that rocked the health section this week. With a touch of good health and dash of extra care, here we go!
The week started off with a novel study by researchers from the University of New Hampshire which stated that elderly women can increase their muscle strength as much as young women can. Research on the subject gave out interesting results. On comparing the strength of old and young women before and after putting the subjects on resistance training revealed that old women had the potential to increase their muscle strength. Not only this, they could also match up to the power of inactive young women. Researchers recommend old women to undergo training so that they may increase their power and can thus prevent falls. We suggest all you ladies in the older age group give this a serious thought.
Next up was rather disturbing news if we may call it so. We think music lovers in particular will be rather disheartened. Literally! Researchers presented a study at the American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana which revealed that headphones could prove dangerous for people with pacemakers. Tests of a variety of headphones brought to light the fact that people with pacemakers or implanted defibrillators should be really careful about the storage location of headphones. Headphones contain magnets which if placed right over the pacemaker could apparently interfere with the signals the device sends to the heart. While all experts are not really convinced about the life-threatening risks of headphones, we’d say you rather be cautious than get trapped.
The news third in line to create a stir in the medical field was a very interesting research. Experts at the Southampton University Hospital conducted an experiment which showed that our own heart beat can power a pace maker. As part of the experiment, researchers tried to power the micro-generator, a self energizing implantable medical microsystem (SIMM) by heartbeats that generated almost 17% of the energy required to activate a pacemaker. To be precise, at a heart rate of 80 beats per minute (bpm), the particular device produces an average energy of 4.3 micro joules per cardiac cycle. The things technology can do! Well we can’t wait to see this device practically implemented.
The next eye-opener was a unique discovery by Philips. Yes one of the world biggest equipment makers claims to have invented a distinct pill called iPill that is capable of releasing just the right amount of medicine the body needs. While Philips reveals that the drug should particularly be useful for diseases of the digestive disorders, colon cancer and bowel treatment, we are yet to see some results of the drug. Based on a technique called Colon Capsule Endoscopy, once swallowed the pill captures images of the patient’s insides to an external receiver. With the receiver tied around the patient’s waist, the capsule can capture more than 55,000 pictures on its journey to the digestive system during a period of 8 hours. Now that’s some really innovative medicine. The pill is currently being tested and should supposedly sell $1,000 per pill one it is released.
Well who doesn’t hate wrinkles? But think twice before going in for wrinkle fillers. At least that’s what the Food and Drug Association in the US has to say. Well if the agency is to be believed then wrinkle fillers like Restylane and Juvederm can have harmful side effects. These include swelling, serious allergic reactions, infections and more serious ones like disfigurement of the face, lip and eye palsy, retina vascular and much more. According to the FDA, nearly 930 cases of negative medical reactions after face or wrinkle filling treatment were reported in the last six years. With the injurious effects of these derma fillers out in the open, the FDA has shown the high sign against this practice. Well we’d just like you to remember one thing that while outer beauty may fade inner beauty is eternal. So in case you still plan to undergo the hazardous treatment, you may have to prepare yourself for some grave side effects.
We hope to have satiated your palate for news you may have missed out on this week. We are signing off for now but we promise to come back next week with more on the medical front. As always here’s wishing you a hale and hearty weekend too.
