Therapist Unlimited Blog

A recent study has shown that people over the age of 60 are the most vulnerable to heat waves, with 82% to 92% more deaths than average occurring in this age group.
Based on the research, risks for heat-related illness or injury such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion and heat cramps are also
heightened in people with obesity, heart disease, diabetes and respiratory conditions as these decrease the body’s ability to adapt to temperature changes.
The researchers said physicians and their patients must be aware of the risk factors for older people and people with chronic disease in excessive heat conditions and counsel and manage accordingly.
According to the researchers, laboratory-based physiologic studies show that the ability to detect heat is reduced, and the physiological response to heat with adequate blood distribution and sweating to cool the body is slower, in otherwise healthy older individuals compared to younger people.
The research team explained their ability to respond to thirst is also delayed and they take longer to recover from dehydration.
Moreover, the study has also shown that people of lower socio-economic groups, lower levels of education and those who are socially isolated have a greater risk of mortality.

The elderly need to be careful since they are at higher risk from suffering from heat stress.

The researchers said air conditioning is associated with a risk reduction of 80% and working fans with a 30% reduction.
The researchers added housing may be a factor as lower income people often live in crowded or poor-quality housing, with inadequate ventilation and cooling systems.
They revealed homeless people are at risk because of lack of shelter from extreme heat and often also by underlying physical or psychiatric issues.
Dr. Glen Kenny from the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa and his co-authors said the new research should focus not only on filling these gaps in the science-based information but also on developing clinical guidelines for health professionals to facilitate the giving of advice to patients.

Those persons who wish to avoid getting inflicted with any form of cardiovascular disease better practice healthy lifestyle now.
This developed after a recent study has confirmed earlier observations that a healthy lifestyle lowers risk of cardiovascular diseases.
According to the research those persons who follow a healthy lifestyle were protected against cardiovascular disease: one found it linked to lower risk of heart failure in men and the other found it linked to lower risk of high blood pressure in women.
The researchers said to those people who wish to avoid any form of cardiovascular disease should follow these six healthy lifestyle tips: maintaining a normal body weight, never smoking, taking regular exercise, drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, eating plenty of cereals, and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Keep a healthy lifestyle if you wish to avoid any form of cardiovascular disease.

The researchers also found that the healthier lifestyle choices the men followed, the lower their lifetime risk of heart failure.
According to the researchers a heart-healthy diet was described as eating lots of fruits, nuts, legumes and other vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy products, low sodium intake, and not consuming much red or processed meat or sugary drinks.
Moreover the researchers revealed to avoid any form or cardiovascular disease especially heart failure and high blood pressure, patients need to avoid and do these three things: Smoking, Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day and use calorie control and exercise to keep your BMI in the normal range.
BMI stands for Body Mass Index: it is the ratio of your weight in kilos to the square of your height in meters.
A normal BMI is between 20 and 25. Thus a person who weighs 80 kilos (176 pounds) and stands 183 cm tall (6 feet) has a BMI of 23.9 which is in the normal range.

To protect your lungs against any form of diseases better start eating soy products now.
A recent medical research has shown that those people who eat lots of soy products have better lung function and are less likely to develop the smoking-associated lung disease COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
The study noted that eating a wide variety of soy products could be associated with a reduction in the risk of COPD and other respiratory symptoms.
To get the data, Dr. Fumi Hirayama and Professor Andy Lee from Curtin University of Technology, Australia, worked with a team of respiratory physicians to poll 300 patients with COPD from six Japanese hospitals and 340 age-matched control subjects from the same areas as the patients talk about their soy intake.
Hirayama revealed soy consumption was found to be positively correlated with lung function and inversely associated with the risk of COPD.

To those people who want to get protection against lung diseases better start eating soy products now.

He explained flavonoids from soy foods act as an anti-inflammatory agent in the lung, and can protect against tobacco carcinogens for smokers.
Despite the relevant information they gathered on their research, he believe further research is needed to understand the underlying biological mechanism.
Based on medical facts, soy is a constituent of many Japanese foods, including tofu (soybean curd), natto (fermented soybeans), miso soup (fermented soybean paste), bean sprouts and soymilk.
It is said that soy foods also reduces cholesterol and can alleviate menopause symptoms.
The common symptoms of COPD are the progressive decline in lung function, and encompass chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Long-term cigarette smoking causes almost 90% of COPD.
Moreover, the researchers said their study only shows an association between soy intake and a reduced risk of developing the condition; the best preventive measure is still to abstain from tobacco entirely.

Here is a piece of warning to all parents around the world.
According to a latest research, those children facing eating disorders are also at risk of being inflicted with life-threatening diseases in the years to come.
Based on the report gathered by the Medical Journal of Australia, it was also uncovered that that from 101 cases of eating disorders in children aged five to 13 years, 78% of them were hospitalised with an average length of stay of almost 25 days.
Leading child psychologist Dr Sloane Madden, from Westmead Children’s Hospital, who co-authored the study, explained the result has significantly shown that younger children with eating disorders are at higher risk of facing fatal diseases in the future.
Madden revealed their study yielded results that only 37% of inpatients in the study met the current diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa, yet 61% had potentially life threatening complications of malnutrition and only 51 % met the weight criteria.
Furthermore, Madden said the research also showed possible missed diagnoses and a need for better education of health professionals.
Madden said should  serve as eye opener to parents to seek immediate cure for their children inflicted with eating disorders before their condition could get worse.
On the other hand, medical professionals should make sure they are properly equipped and educated on treating patients facing eating disorders to cure these people and not put their lives at risk.

Children with eating disorders need to be treated early before their medical condition could get worse.