sleep

            Irregular bedtimes could disrupt natural body rhythms

                                          Irregular bedtimes could disrupt natural body rhythms and cause sleep deprivation, so undermining the plasticity of the brain and the ability to acquire and retain information, researchers said. "Early child development has profound influences on health and wellbeing across the life course. Therefore, reduced or disrupted sleep, especially if it occurs at key times in development, could have important impacts on health throughout life," they said. Researchers looked at whether bedtimes in early childhood were related to brain power in more than 11,000 seven year olds, all of whom were part of the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). The research drew on regular surveys and home visits made when the children were 3, 5, and 7, to find out about family routines, including bedtimes. Researchers wanted to know whether the time a child went to bed, and the consistency of bed-times, had any impact on intellectual performance, measured by validated test scores for reading, maths, and spatial awareness. Irregular bedtimes were most common at the age of 3, when around one in five children went to bed at varying times. By the age of 7, more than half the children went to bed regularly between 7.30 and 8.30 pm. Children whose bedtimes were irregular or who went to bed after 9 pm came from more socially disadvantaged backgrounds, the findings show. When they were 7, girls who had irregular bedtimes had lower scores on all three aspects of intellect assessed, after taking account of other potentially influential factors, than children with regular bedtimes. But this was not the case in 7 year old boys. Irregular bedtimes by the age of 5 were not associated with poorer brain power in girls or boys at the age of 7. But irregular bedtimes at 3 years of age were associated with lower scores in reading, maths, and spatial awareness in both boys and girls, suggesting that around the age of 3 could be a sensitive period for cognitive development.

heart disease risk

Lack of sleep increases heart disease risk 

                                             Sleeping for less than seven hours a night may increase the risk of fatal heart disease, a new study has warned. A good night's sleep can increase the benefit of exercise, healthy diet, moderate alcohol consumption and non-smoking in their protection against cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to results of a large population follow-up study. Results showed that the combination of the four traditional healthy lifestyle habits was associated with a 57 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease (fatal and non-fatal) and a 67 per cent lower risk of fatal events.

But, when “sufficient sleep” - defined as seven or more hours a night - was added to the other four lifestyle factors, the overall protective benefit was even further increased - and resulted in a 65 per cent lower risk of composite CVD and a 83 per cent lower risk of fatal events.“If all participants adhered to all five healthy lifestyle factors, 36 per cent of composite CVD and 57 per cent of fatal CVD could theoretically be prevented or postponed,” researchers said. The study is the first to investigate whether the addition of sleep duration to the four traditional healthy lifestyle factors contributes to an association with CVD. In the Monitoring Project on Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases (MORGEN), a prospective cohort study in the Netherlands, 6672 men and 7967 women aged 20-65 years and free of CVD at baseline were followed up for a mean time of 12 years. As expected, results showed that adherence to each of the four traditional lifestyle factors alone reduced the risk of CVD, researchers said. Those at baseline who recorded sufficient physical activity, a healthy diet and moderate alcohol consumption reduced their risk of composite CVD from 12 per cent for a healthy diet to 43 per cent for not smoking and risk reduction in fatal CVD ranged from 26 per cent for being physically active to 43 per cent for not smoking. 

However, sufficient sleep duration alone also reduced the risk of composite CVD by about 22 per cent and of fatal CVD by about 43 per cent.Thus, non-smoking and sufficient sleep duration were both strongly and similarly inversely associated with fatal CVD. These benefits were even greater when all five lifestyle factors were observed, resulting in a in a 65 per cent lower risk of composite CVD and an 83 per cent lower risk of fatal CVD

Arthritis

Safer treatments for Arthritis 

                                           The increased risk of heart attack or stroke associated with many arthritis drugs may be avoidable, a new international study has claimed.

Drugs such as Vioxx, diclofenac, ibuprofen and Celebrex operate by blocking an enzyme known as COX-2, whose presence in blood vessels has up until now been held responsible for these side effects. The study, co-authored by researchers at Imperial College London, carried out on mice has revealed that COX-2 is largely absent from the major blood vessels and instead found in the brain, gut, and kidney as well as the thymus gland in the chest. Now that researchers know where in the body the drug is acting, they can begin to develop safer, more targeted drugs for patients with arthritis as well as cancer. Arthritis drugs have long been associated with potentially fatal cardiovascular side-effects in patients. Health concerns led to the anti-inflammatory Vioxx being withdrawn from the market in 2004, and recently medical regulators have advised some patients to stop using the painkiller diclofenac.

Researchers have always believed that COX-2 was found in the blood vessels where it was central to preventing the formation of clots. This meant that any drug that inhibited the enzyme was thought to lead to an increased risk of clotting. The new study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, reveals that COX-2 is largely absent from the major blood vessels. Instead COX-2 appears to be present in the brain, kidney, thymus and gut, where it may well be affecting the cardiovascular health. "Now we know the true sites of COX-2, we can begin to develop new ideas that will lead to better drugs for arthritis and cancer with fewer side effects," said lead author, Professor Jane Mitchell of Imperial's Faculty of Medicine. The study suggests future development of COX-2 inhibitors that carry reduced risk of stroke or heart attack may be possible.

Hypertension

Hypertension

                                              High blood pressure, or Hypertension in medical parlance, is not a curable health condition though it can be kept at a distance by observing some changes in one's lifestyle.Stressful life is largely considered as the main cause of temporary BP spikes. The remedy obviously lies in reducing stress.  Deep breathing, Yoga, exercise, household chores, gardening, brisk walking, cycling and so on are helpful in reducing stress. Excessive consumption of  alcohol, smoking and chewing tobacco are definitely hazardous to those with hypertension. Maintaining optimum body weight is also important to ward off blood pressure casualties. It is advisable to keep a body mass index (BMI) of less than 23 and waist circumference of less than 90 cm in males and less than 80 cm in females.

It is better to avoid fatty and fried food items. Salty food such as sauce, pickles, chips, etc should be a no-no and they should be replaced with fruits and vegetables that are low in sodium and high in potassium. Processed and canned food items are high in salt and hence it better is to avoid them. High blood pressure is usually hereditary but that cannot be the only reason. Junk food, sedentary life style, excessive use of alcohol, stressful lifestyle, among others are conducive to accentuating this chronic health condition.If left uncared, abnormal blood pressure may affect the functioning of the heart and the arteries connecting it to the body, which may ultimately lead to strokes.

Root Canal Treatment

           What Is a Root Canal Treatment? How is it done ?

  Root canal Procedures--  Click the picture below to see the procedure [Video]

                                                                           

                                                Damage can happen at any time to your teeth. Simple day-to-day activities can lead to accidents, playing sports, and failure to maintain daily oral care can all lead to chipped, cracked, or decayed teeth that will need repair by your dentist if not spotted early on. Learning about the causes of damaged teeth, the signs and symptoms of spotting a root canal, and how to prevent needing a root canal can not only help you to maintain your oral hygiene, but also save you time and money in the long run.

What is a Root Canal?

There are two basic parts that make up each tooth- the crown and the root. The crown is the part that sits above the gum line and is visible when you smile or open your mouth. The root of your tooth lies below the gum line and contains your tooth's nerves. Each root is surrounded by soft tissue commonly known as the pulp, which provides the nourishment your tooth needs to remain healthy. In the event that the root or pulp become infected or decayed, a root canal can be performed to help to prevent the tooth from occurring further damage. During a the procedure, the root and pulp of the tooth are removed, the inside of the tooth is cleaned out, and then it is sealed for protection.

What Damages the Tooth in the First Place?

Several things can damage our teeth on a day-to-day basis. Repeated dental procedures on your teeth, a cracked or chip tooth, oral trauma, and the most common- tooth decay can all affect the health of our teeth. When a tooth becomes damaged or decayed, infection begins to form and can cause tenderness and pain. If infection is not spotted early on nor taken care of, then a root canal may be necessary along the way to help preserve the remaining tooth.
What Are the Signs That a Root Canal is needed?
Though at times, symptoms may not be present, signs of needing a root canal include:

• Discoloration/ darkening of a tooth
• Swelling or tenderness in the gums surrounding the tooth
• Formation of pimples on the surrounding gums
• Sensitivity or pain to hot or cold temperatures
• Severe toothache when chewing or any form of pressure is applied

If you are currently experiencing any of the above, contact your dentist immediately for a dental exam.

How Do I Prevent Needing a Root Canal?

Since a large portion of root canals are performed due to repeated dental care and tooth decay, maintaining proper oral hygiene is necessary for healthy teeth. Brushing your teeth twice daily, flossing before you brush, and visiting your dentist on a regular basis for routine check ups will help to prevent infection or tooth decay from occurring. If you play sports, wearing a mouth guard can help prevent chips, cracks, and oral trauma from occurring.
Root canals are a treatment of choice. Preserving your natural teeth is always the better solution and the least cost. Prevention is easy when proper oral care is maintained daily by brushing and flossing. If you start to notice any signs of damage, pain, or swelling, always contact your dentist for a dental exam and additional dental advice.

Root Canal Procedure - Step By Step Guide

                                             When the dentist informs you that you need to have a root canal procedure, it is possible that you may not be aware of what this procedure entails. It is quite common and is usually preformed in order to save a tooth that is in jeopardy and may have to be extracted. If the tooth is in the front of the mouth, this can mar the smile and perhaps mean that the patient has to have a false tooth implanted or placed on a plate.

The process of carrying a root canal procedure is performed in the dentist's office, but you will need to make more than one visit. In severe cases, the dentist may refer you to a specialist for the procedure. A specialist of this kind is called an endodontist and usually deals with procedures that are particularly difficult. Whichever dentist performs the work, you will receive a local anesthetic to make sure that you do not experience any pain while the work is being done on your tooth.
You may dread hearing that you need a root canal procedure because you fear that it is very painful. However, the procedure is not painful at all and will give you relief from the pain you had been experiencing before you visited the dentist. It will be uncomfortable, of course, with having to keep your mouth open and having saliva suctioned out of your mouth.

In the majority of cases, root canal is essential to save a tooth in which an infection has caused irreparable damage to the nerve. The pulp of the tooth may also be seriously affected. Once the dentist carries out an oral examination, he/she will take X-rays of the teeth to determine how deeply the tooth has been damaged. He will also check to see how far the infection has developed and if it has actually gone into the bone. The X-Ray will also reveal the shape of the root that the dentist will be working on.

Once the nerve of the tooth has become damaged the tooth will eventually become more and more decayed because the nerve is unable to supply it with the essential elements it needs to stay healthy. During the procedure, the dentist has to remove the damaged nerve and the pulp of the tooth. The damaged pulp is the breeding ground for bacteria from the remnants of food in your mouth and anything you may breathe in from the air. This growth of bacteria can lead to even more problems with your gums and teeth.

Once the dentist is satisfied that the area is numb and that you do not have any feeling in the tooth, he will isolate it by placing a rubber band around it. Then the dentist will use a drill to make a hole in your tooth and then proceed to use small files to clean out the pulp of the tooth and any debris that may have collected. At regular intervals, the dentist will flush out your mouth with water to wash away the debris.

A thorough cleaning of the tooth is then followed by making sure it is sealed. This part of the procedure is not done at this time, if the problem is the result of infection. The dentist has to make sure that all the infection is completely cleared up. To do this, he/she may inject antibiotics into the affected area and there is a good chance that the patient will have to take antibiotics for a period of time before returning to have the next part of the root canal.

If there is no sign of infection, the sealing may be done in the same visit. This involves filling in the area of the tooth that has been cleaned out. When there is an infection present, the dentist will use a temporary filling that can easily be removed on the next visit.

The last step in the root canal procedure is to repair the exterior of the tooth. The hole drilled in the process and then filled has to be covered up and made to look like your own tooth. Subsequent visits will involve having tooth restoration carried out in the form of a crown to protect the tooth from further damage.

 

Goal Setting - The Basics of Effectively Setting Your Goals

 Goal Setting - The Basics of Effectively Setting Your Goals

This is what most people say about goals. "I don't need goals; I'm doing fine."

But the truth is, living your life without goals and objectives is like going from north London to south London on the underground but without use of the underground map with which train to catch in which direction. Hopping on and off station-to-station and hoping for the best. If you are doing well today without written goals and plans, you could probably be doing many times better in the future if you had clear targets to aim at and the ability to measure your progress as you go along.

If you have tried and failed before and look to give it one more try, you have to know your mistakes and learn from it and set realistic and time-bounded goals to make sure you are still in the right track.
Effective GOAL SETTING is essential and a critical step to achieve success. If you want to achieve the end result you have envisioned in your mind whether it be success at a business, the lifestyle you always dreamed of or finally having the financial security for your loved ones. Whatever end result you have, goal setting is necessary to achieving it.

Fortunately, goal setting is a skill, like time management, teaching, selling, managing, or anything else that you need to become a highly productive and effective person. And all skills are learnable. You can learn the skill by practice and repetition until it becomes as easy and as automatic as breathing. And from the very first day that you begin setting goals, the progress you will make and the successes you will enjoy will dazzle you.

Here are the steps to help you effectively set up your goals:

1. Find your Passion - The first thing you should focus on is finding a business, a career, a venture or anything at all that you know will keep you motivated especially in the long run. Remember that you're in this for long-term. Your passion will serve as the fuel in motivating you to move closer to reaching your goals

2. Visualize - Before you even start, you need to see the end result in your mind and always keep it there. You have to see yourself living out your dream, your business, and your passion. You have to see everything clearly in your mind, every detail and every achievement. For what your mind can perceive, you can achieve.

3. Be Realistic With Your Goals - Although we can set specific goals for us to achieve, it is also necessary to base our goals on realistic targets and end-results. Make sure that when you set them, with the resources you have at hand, the time and effort you can achieve them. Know your strengths and weaknesses and adjust your goals according also to your skills and capabilities to make sure that they are definitely achievable.

4. Identify Long-Term from Short-Term Goals - Goals also have variances.
 A short-term goal is something you want to do in the near future. The near future can mean today, this week, this month, or even this year. A short-term goal is something you want or you need to accomplish soon while a long-term goal is something you want to do further in the future. Long-term goals require time and planning and can take months to years to achieve such as expansion, increase or branch out a business, increase sales to 50%, etc.

5. Prioritize your goals - Prioritizing means that you decide what is most important to you as of the moment. It is concluded that all of your goals are important, but it's impossible to work on all of them at once. So you have to be decisive and flexible. Being flexible is important. Change your focus on goals as your life changes.

6. Set Goals and Act on them - Don't waste too much time on setting your goals and spending less time achieving them, you have to budget enough time for setting or changing goals and more on action. Make sure that you are giving your best effort to reach those goals, put in the extra effort, love what you do and it will eventually turn out well.

Always keep in mind that when you have clear, long-term goals, with specific plans to achieve it, even if you may have to change course many times, but you will eventually arrive at your destination of health, wealth and great success.

Profession

4 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Profession

Humans have the God-given will to choose what they want to be in life. However, a few fail to choose what they need to be in life; as a result, other factors present in the environment including friends and family end up making the decision. The factors to consider when choosing your profession include:
· Passion
To choose a profession or career, passion must be taken into consideration. It is important to choose a profession that you love to do; this will prove easy to do. In case you are satisfied with a particular profession, you are assured of staying motivated. Furthermore, you are likely to stay enthusiastic throughout the profession. In case you are not satisfied with the profession, it will prove difficult to remain productive. Some other people are driven by the love of for money; as a result they end up sacrificing their passion for money. Many get to a point where they work for the money and it is not long before they lose interest in their profession, always looking for ways where they can get other jobs.
· Talent
The ability to undertake a particular profession is important. Before deciding to apply for a particular profession it is important to ask yourself whether you are ready for the job. Find out whether you can cope with the profession and whether you have the ability and are willing to do the job. Answers to these concerns will give you an idea about your capacity. When you have a talent in a particular field, you are likely to enjoy the career. You will also find it easier to do the job.
· Prospects
When choosing a profession, it is important to consider chances of promotion and salary increments. It is rather pointless to consider remaining in a profession that fails to give you an opportunity for improvement. To determine the type of prospects offered by a particular career, it is important to undertake ample research from those already in the profession that you are interested in.
· Income
Although the amount of salary receivable should not be the main consideration when choosing a profession, it is equally important to consider the income to ensure you are being rewarded fairly for your skills.
For people who are considering a career in engineering, they may consider becoming precision engineers - who are concerned with designing fixtures, machines and other different structures that feature an exceptionally low tolerance, stable over time and are repeatable. The approach is applied in many fields including machine tools, NEMS, MEMS and optoelectronics design.