E-Healthsite Resource Blog

Exam stress is unavoidable. The stakes are high, there is never enough time for medical exams revision, and revising multiple subjects at once would make anyone’s head spin. However, there are practical things you can do to alleviate common causes of exam stress:

Plan Ahead…

Trying to combine revision with a 48-hour working week doesn’t leave much time for rest and relaxation; both key elements of successful revision. The secret is planning ahead; start by setting out what you need to know, and how long you have before the exam. Get a blank calendar and be ruthless – strike through the days you know that even with the best will in the world you won’t get any revision done. Include birthdays, nights outs (the mornings after the nights out), courses, and anything else that might get in the way of revision. Add a few extra rest days in as well, so you can swap them in as needed. For some people, the act of preparing a revision plan is daunting, for others it’s almost cathartic, and the first step in their revision strategy. Personal preferences aside, the earlier you plan your revision, the better, but make your schedule knowing (and accepting) that things don’t always go to plan, and it’s not the end of the world if you can’t stick to it exactly.

Eat Well…

Go for ‘brain food’, slow-release carbs (for serotonin), dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids (for flavonoids and phenethylamine) and eat regularly. On the exam day, take a bottle of water with you, and stay hydrated. Don’t try anything for the first time on an exam day, whether it’s energy drinks, beta blockers, or an untested ‘short-cut’ to the exam centre.

Sleep Well…

Especially the night before the exam, a good night’s sleep is the best exam preparation you can have. Don’t bother with last-minute late-night cramming, you won’t take anything in. Instead, spend the time working out how to get to the exam centre, making sure you have the right stationery and ID, and that you have cash for parking if needed.

In the exam, open your paper, write your candidate number clearly, read the instructions (properly), and breathe deeply. In three hours it will all be over.

The Blood glucose monitoring is important for determining glucose in the blood specially the Patients with diabetes should monitor their blood glucose levels or blood sugar level regularly. Abnormal (High or Low) glucose readings could have drastic effects on health of the patient. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary for people with diabetes control their blood glucose regularly to avoid even more health-related complications. To strengthen the use and sale of glucose monitors now a day many manufacturers offering completely free various types of glucose monitor to patients.
The American Red Cross and the American Diabetes Organization are the best places to be able to donate the monitor. Some may receive all or they can provide the name and location of the other organization that will require extra in your area. Clean and disinfection is very essential before you handed over it to different organization. Many community clinics and health care centers will be happy to receive donations of this kind. Similarly the mission who’s aim is to provide medical services may find this particularly useful because their funds are limited, you could always use a little help from the generous individuals. These blood glucose monitors can be deposited in various churches in your area. One of the most valuable tools used to monitor glucose is the glucometer. There are a variety of blood glucose monitors for diabetics offered, but the operational principle is practically the same for everyone. A sample of blood using a lancet (amounts depend on the device) and placed on a strip of blood glucose, are inserted into the meter, in a short time (5-10 sec.) the meter provides a record and a digital display of blood sugar level. A chart of blood glucose (log) is usually an essential part of your monitoring needs. The table is used to keep a daily record of your blood sugar level in the blood, this chart/ record may be useful for you and your doctor.
This method will help professionals to identify patterns on a daily basis and make any necessary changes to medicines for the treatment of diabetes and his Diet plan.
Diabetes is a incurable health problem, it cannot be cured completely but it can be control. The majority doctors do not always understand what the causes are - but happen to be the opportunity to make medicines and special equipment to help, manage and maintain it through this cause more problems. When you cannot control the disease it affects the vital organs and limbs that can stop working or may be taken away.
When a person is buying a new blood sugar monitor keep an eye on, or believe he do not need to use it, but he can always make an effort to donate it to another person. There are many people who need it - but they cannot afford it because their insurance doesn’t support.
Diabetic Patients using glucose meter to should know how to record the glucose reading as part of their every day management should to learn to keep the test results and how to help save them .
Blood glucose monitoring in your house is not very difficult, but it must be remembered that the blood glucose meters are less reliable over time and must be carefully examined before use. The new models of monitors blood glucose is easier to use and more perfect. The strips only require a small drop of blood and are corrected by the principles of plasma. The results are quicker to understand and compare, while using the lab results. Internal memory for storage and performance test times faster makes these meters very attractive.
Check the expiration date on the tape. Use the tape with the counter and do the prescribed code of the container belt is your number encoded in the equipment. Otherwise you can get false readings.

Scientists of East China Normal University, Shanghai have found that the normal Asian pumpkin may someday replace insulin intake for diabetic patients. The scientists has experimented this on rats suffering from diabetes. Some sick rats were fed on pumpkin extracts for 30 days and some sick rats were fed normally. After 30 days, the rats taking pumpkin supplements had 36 percent increase in plasma insulin compared to rats on normal supplement! This has been reported in the July edition of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

Scientists discovered that the Asian pumpkins contain a compound which can promote the regeneration of damaged insulin producing pancreatic beta cells resulting in the improvement of level of insulin in blood. Prof. Tao who led the research however insists that further research is needed to evaluate the usefulness of pumpkin compound on human cells. But he believes that it could promote the pancreatic B cells in human also. These pancreatic B cells generate a hormone called insulin that controls blood sugar. in type1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks those pancreatic cells that wreck the insulin making process which result in blood sugar being uncontrolled and hence regular intake of insulin shot becomes necessary.

However, scientists believe that Asian common pumpkins may  reduce the need for daily intake of insulin injections for millions of diabetes worldwide.

For centuries, people thought it to be a demonic act. But today it has come out of the closet and has become a worrying fact for many societies around the world. Hollywood star Cameron Diaz opens doors with her elbows for fear of contamination: Michael Jackson goes through surgeries to look better – Is it madness? Till fifteen years ago, many thought so. But recent studies ad new frontiers in gene research, scanning technologies and treatments have shown that it is a disease known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). “OCD stands as a condition where the brain tries to do something it’s wired to do – warning you of danger – but goes overboard in the process.” According to World Health Organization (WHO) – OCD has become one of the top 10 debilitating diseases in the world.

Actually, it is kind of a “mental hiccup”. OCD throws up persistent, distressing thoughts, images and ritual behaviors that a person is driven to perform. “Everyone has intrusive thoughts, but people can ignore those and move on with their lives. For those with OCD, the thoughts become their lives.’ Says Dr. Ramesh Sagar, associate professor of psychiatry at the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. It is an obsession because the sufferers recognize these as a mental projection and try to ignore those without much success. It’s a compulsion, because the repetitive, seemingly purposeful acts follow rigid rules.

An OCD patient’s life is torn with fear, guilt, doubt, distasteful images, depressions and a sense of defeat and the suffering and anguish is far worse than one normal human being can imagine. Obsessions and compulsions parade as infinitely personalized variations on a number of morbid themes – from aggression, harm avoidance, contamination, unpleasant or excessive sexual ideation, religious concerns, compulsion to collect, need for symmetry or order, to fear of illness. Contamination and fears of harming oneself or others are the most common obsessions, while cleaning and checking are the most common compulsions.

Research shows that, moderate amount of anxiety helps people to complete their assignments more efficiently. So all anxieties are not cases of OCD. Indeed it’s a bit of difficult to diagnose OCD. However, the key to diagnosing authentic cases of OD is how great imact odd behaviors have on people’s lives. The question is – why do some people get over-active internal alarms than most others? The answer lies in a small structure in the brain called the amygdale, where danger is processed. “If this risk centre is overactive, it would keep on alerting you to peril even after you have attended to the problem” points out Sagar. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) show that apart from amygdale, there are other anatomical hot spots involved in the disorder: the orbitofrontal cortex, striatum, anterior cingulum and thalamus. Together, this wiring regulates your response to the stimuli around you, including how anxious you are I the face of threatening or frustration.

No other mental disorder hides as stealthly, delays diagnosis, or causes as much embarrassment. But better treatments are breaking its hold. Treatment for OCD is a long process divided into several stages from selective serotonin reuptake inhibitions (SSRI) to cognitive behavioral therapy. Researchers are working on the possibility of using surgery and a technique called deep brain stimulation.(apply low doses of current) to calm the OCD tossed brain.

Some Facts About OCD:

Common Compulsions:

• Washing and cleaning 41%
• Checking 38%
• Repeating 16%
• Ordering 16%
• Counting 5%
• Hoarding 3%

Common Obsessions:

• Contamination 45%
• Pathologic doubt 35%
• Aggression 32%
• Sex 20%
• Religious 17%
• Symmetry/exactness 14%
• Hoarding 3%

Primary Causes for OCD:

• GENES: can run in the family
• STRESS: in about one in 3 cases
• LIFE CHANGES: sudden role change, puberty, child birth, new job etc.
• BRAIN CHANGES: imbalance of a chemical called serotonin
• PERSONALITY: Obsessive, perfectionist, high on morality and responsibility.

Cure Conundrum:

• Routinely mislabeled as other disorders –depression to schizophrenia
• Underdiagnosed and undertreated due to stigma and lack of awareness
• OCD striking a young person mean an entire childhood lost.
• The disease often leads to breakdown of family life and causes job-related problems

Rethinking Remedies:

• New research has revealed genetic links, one in four children with OCD has a first-degree relative with a similar condition
• Modern scans can show up the landscape of OCD
• New treatments with anti-depressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are in force
• Cognitive behavioral therapy is proving effective.

FactFile:

• Just 20 years ago OCD was considered a rare disorder, affecting only 0.5% people.
• Now it is believed to affect 2-3% of the total population and 1% children
• Who says- OCD is one of the top 10 causes of disability
• Over 12 million Indians suffer from it in one form or another
• 58% patients seeking treatment come from urban background
• Average timelag between onset and a proper diagnosis is 17 years.
• 40% patients recover completely
• 30% show good improvement

This writing is inspired by a report on India Today magazine, issued on March3, 2008.