In October, the Supreme Court heard a case that was painfully ironic, considering the Kavanaugh hearings the nation had just been subjected to: a challenge to the United States’ extremely restrictive sex offender registry laws. While opinions on the case Gundy v. United States, which challenges the Attorney General’s ability to retroactively impose registry requirements, have yet […]
Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many confirmed cases have been reported in each of England’s local authorities
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Continue reading...Now this is just our kind of funny misunderstanding. Mom overhears her daughter on the phone, pieces together what she heard, leaps to a big assumption, and bam, assumes daughter is pregnant. Naturally, the resulting picture was absurd and totally avoidable. Good stuff.
The PM says government is "working hard" to tackle it - and sets 200,000 test aim by end of month.
Acupuncture may not boost chances of IVF success
Undergoing acupuncture treatment during in vitro fertilisation (IVF) might not increase a woman's chances of conceiving, finds a study. The study, however, showed that acupuncture is no better than placebo for improving IVF success.
Acupuncture, a traditional Chinese medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body, has become a widely used treatment prior to and during IVF.
It showed no significant benefit from IVF when compared with a short course of acupuncture using dummy needles placed away from "true" acupuncture points.
"Our findings do not support acupuncture as an efficacious treatment compared to sham," lead investigator Caroline Smith, Professor at the Western Sydney University in Australia.
For the study, published in the journal JAMA, the team included over 800 Australian and New Zealand women to examine the effects of acupuncture administered prior to and following an embryo transfer (ET).
The participants were given either acupuncture or a sham acupuncture control (a non-insertive needle placed away from the true acupuncture points).
The results showed the rate of live birth was 18.3 per cent among participants who received acupuncture versus 17.8 per cent who received the sham acupuncture control, a non-significant difference.
While a short course of acupuncture may statistically be no better than sham at improving live birth and pregnancy outcomes, a psycho-social benefit from acupuncture was reported by women undergoing IVF, the researchers said.
"Some studies suggest reproductive outcomes maybe improved when acupuncture is compared with no treatment," Smith said.
"Feeling relaxed and reporting relief from stress and women feeling good about themselves is to be welcomed for women as they undergo an IVF cycle," explained co-author Michael Chapman, Professor at the University of New South Wales, Sydney.
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Regulating salt consumption is key to prevent hypertension, which is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke and heart failure, say experts. According to World Health Organization (WHO), adults should reduce consumption of sodium to less than 2 grams a day, or the equivalent of about one teaspoon of table salt to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Hypertension is a condition in which the blood vessels have persistently raised pressure. Hypertension is also referred to as high or raised blood pressure. Hypertension can also affect fertility in both males and females, says Rajalaxmi Walavalkar of Cocoon Fertility. Hypertension not only affects fertility but also is also known to cause trouble sleeping. Trouble sleeping leads to signs of premature ageing, like fine lines, uneven pigmentation and reduced elasticity.
"Hypertension can lead to cardiovascular diseases. The rise in blood pressure caused by eating too much salt may damage the arteries leading to the heart," Vijay D'Silva, Director at the Asian Heart Institute, said in statement.
According to a recent study, published in the journal Hypertension, about half of adults living in Asia are suffering from the high blood pressure.
While lifestyle factors, including diet and stress, are behind the high hypertension rates in Asia, one common problem is high salt intake, the study showed.
Asians not only tend to have diets high in sodium, but they are genetically more sensitive to sodium, the researchers said.
"Raised blood pressure due to high salt consumption is the biggest single contributing risk factor for non-communicable diseases and damage to your kidney," explained Bhupendra Gandhi of the NGO Amar Gandhi Foundation.
Previously, it was believed that eating high amounts of fruit and vegetables might help counteract the effect of high salt on blood pressure.
However, another study led by researchers from the Imperial College London and Northwestern University, showed that people eating higher amounts of salt had higher blood pressure -- no matter how healthy a person's overall diet.
"Anyone with hypertension is at an increased risk of infertility. A high salt diet leading to high blood pressure can result in delayed puberty and even impact reproductive health," Walavalkar noted.
Besides affecting the heart and fertility, hypertension can affect the skin too, the health experts said.
"High blood pressure can harden your arteries, which decreases the flow of blood and oxygen. An impairment of the flow of oxygen, to an organ such as your face, can cause your skin to dry and wrinkles faster which can make one look less youthful," said Amit Karkhanis - Medical Cosmetologist and founder of Dr Tvacha clinic.
Reducing salt consumption in everyday life, cutting down on fried foods and processed foods, can not only curb the problem of hypertension but also save multiple organs from damage and pave way for a healthy life.
Also read: Mumbai Health: These 7 Lifestyle Changes May Help Lower Heart Disease Risk
(Edited by mid-day online desk, with inputs from IANS)
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