Insomnia Drugs Waking People From Comas

As insomnia is experienced by people who have problems to sleep, so drugs for insomnia are supposed to make the patients sleep.  But, paradoxically, Ativan and Ambien – both are sedative drugs used for treating insomnia – are actually waking up people from comma. Some coma patients are being awoken by Ativan and Ambien.

The first report of a zolpidem [aka Ambien] awakening came from South Africa, in 1999. A patient named Louis Viljoen, who, three years before, was declared vegetative after he was hit by a truck, had taken to clawing at his mattress during the night. Thinking he was suffering from insomnia, his family doctor suggested zolpidem to help him sleep. But 20 minutes after his mother ground the tablet up and fed it to him through a straw, Viljoen began to stir. His eyes, which normally wandered the room, vacant and unfocused, flickered with the light of consciousness. And then he began to talk (his first words were "Hello, Mummy"), and move (he could control his limbs and facial muscles). A few hours later he became unresponsive. But the next day, and for many days after that, zolpidem revived him, a few hours at a time.

Here was a case worthy of Hollywood: three years was well past the point at which doctors would expect any sort of spontaneous recovery. Viljoen awoke with the ability to speak in complete sentences. Not only did he recognize his mother, but he also recognized the voices of people who had spoken to him only when he was apparently vegetative. He remembered nothing of the mysterious realm he kept receding back into. When doctors asked him what it was like to slip away, he said he felt no changes at all. But he could recall conversations from the previous day's awakening, along with bits and pieces of his former life: his favorite rugby team, specific matches he attended, players that he rooted for and against. As time passed, his cognition improved. He could laugh at jokes, and his awakenings stretched from a few hours to entire days. Eventually, he no longer needed zolpidem.

Source: NYTimes

Technorati Tags: insomnia,coma,drugs,paradox,treating insomnia

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How to Prevent the Common Cold

How to Prevent the Common Cold | As we wave farewell to Summer and the colder weather of Fall blows in, the risk for coming down with a cold may increase. Aside from getting a flu shot at the beginning of cold season, here are some everyday things you can do to prevent common cold and keep the sore throat and sniffles from getting you.

• Wash produce. Make sure to wash before consuming. Bananas, mangoes, oranges, and kiwis have all been touched by many people: someone picked it, someone else packaged it, a fellow consumer touched it, the cashier picked it up, and the person bagging it also got their hands on it. If you eat fruit before giving it a good wash, well, it's no wonder you come down with a cold.
• Disinfect commonly touched items. Make sure you disinfect items you use a lot like your phone, keyboard, mouse, doorknobs, light switches, handles on the fridge, microwave, and cabinets.
• Keep up with your regular exercise routine. I know Fall often means busier schedules, but make exercise a priority to keep your immune system strong.
• Get enough sleep. Proper rest will give your body the energy to fight germs should they attack your system.
• Wash out your reusable water bottle once a day. I don't mean just dump out the water and refill it again — disinfect your bottle, inside and out. It's something that is touched and carried around by you every day, and since it comes in contact with many public surfaces (the lunch table at work, bottle holder on the treadmill at the gym, seat on the bus, etc.), who knows what kind of germs are lurking on it and getting into your mouth.
• Wash your hands often. This is especially true after shaking hands with someone, before you sit down to eat, or if you've touched something others touch often like grocery store carts, gym equipment, or magazines in waiting rooms. If you can't get to a sink, use antibacterial gel.

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How to Disinfect Your Reusable Bottle

How to Disinfect Your Reusable Bottle | The beauty of the reusable water bottle is that it's just that — reusable. You can repeatedly head to the water cooler or faucet to fill 'er up, but when your bottle continually stays wet, you know what that means? Yep, bacteria loves a moist, dark environment. Along with your dinner dishes at night, it's good to get in the habit of cleaning your bottle every night, or at least every three days. Here are some ways you can get rid of the germies and grime.

Throw it in the dishwasher: Some bottles are dishwasher-safe, so check the bottom of your bottle or the brand's website to make sure. Kleen Kanteen Classic and Wide Mouth stainless steel bottles are dishwasher safe, as well as some products from Nalgene, although it's recommended to clean SIGG water bottles by hand.
Wash it with warm soapy water: Pour out any leftover liquid, add a few drops of dish-washing soap and some warm water, screw on the top and shake for a minute or so. It's smart to invest in a bottle brush so you can scrub deep inside your bottle, especially if it has a narrow mouth. Thoroughly clean the cap and straw as well and allow to dry overnight.
Use a weak bleach solution: If you're really worried about germs, nothing stands a chance against a little bleach. It's perfectly safe to drink from a bottle that's been cleaned with a weak bleach solution. Just empty the contents of your bottle and fill it with room temperature water. Add one tablespoon of Clorox bleach per gallon of water (other brands may not be safe for food containers), screw on the top, and allow to sit for two minutes. Then drain and allow it to dry out completely. Give it another rinse and you're good to go.
Use water bottle cleansing tablets: Many companies make this type of product, including SIGG ($8 for 20) and Camelbak ($12 for eight), or you can also get away with using effervescent denture cleaning tablets such as Efferdent. Just fill your bottle with water, drop the tablet in, and allow to dissolve and sit for 15 to 30 minutes (depending on the product's directions). Then rinse and enjoy your clean bottle.

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Low Weight Babies Are At Risk at Sudden Death

Parents who have babies with below normal weight is important to get more information about the risk of sudden infant death in a bed or cot death. According to a recent study, babies born weighing less than 2.5 kg, five times greater risk of experiencing sudden death compared with infants of normal weight.

Institute that examines the causes of infant deaths in the UK (FSID) noted, there are approximately 316 babies die suddenly in England in 2009. The amount is gradually decreased by more than 70 percent, since the parents began to follow the advice that risk reduction. But in recent years, there were 300 babies die suddenly each year.

“Keep in mind that parents who smoke may increase risk of sudden death. But babies who born with low weight is also a very vulnerable group, especially in the first month of life. So it is very important that parents are given information about how to reduce their risk of infant death," says Francine Bates, chief executive of The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID).

He added, "low birth weight babies are not always caused by the habits of parents who smoke during pregnancy, due to many factors. All mothers whose babies were born under the weight of 2.5 pounds should follow the recommendations, especially if their babies sleep in separate places, or a room with them, during the first six months. "

Based on recent data in England and Wales in 2009, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found, there were 279 cases of sudden infant death that can not be explained, with a death rate 0.4 per 1,000 live births.

In the report are known, several risk factors associated with sudden death in infants in whom, sex (men are more at risk), low birth weight babies, single parents (single parent), and teen pregnancy.

picture credit: Carmen Wiki

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Overcome Malnutrition with Pioglitazone

Pioglitazone which has been used to overcome insulin resistance in diabetic patients may prove to be an alternative supportive treatment to overcome the weight loss due to cancer, particularly in patients with lymphatic cancer non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma malignum). This condition can be considered as a serious malnutrition. Malnutrition is the condition that occurs when your body does not get enough nutrients. Pioglitazone may improve nutritional status, and insulin resistance.

What is Pioglitazone?

Pioglitazone is an Antidiabetic used for Diabetes mellitus (type 2). It is also called as Actos® Competact® (a combination of pioglitazone and metformin). Available as
Tablets. Pioglitazone works by helping your body make better use of the insulin it produces.

Nutritional disorders frequently occur in cancer patients, before or during treatment, as well as in advanced cancer. This is so the cause of increased morbidity and mortality.

An increase in body mass index above 2 kilograms per square meter in the group of patients who received pioglitazone after the 4 cycles of therapy as much as 33.3 percent of patients. As for which no cure is only 12.5 percent.

The use of pioglitazone at a dose of 30 μ gram per day to 12 weeks is safe, no side effects found in the form of hypoglycemia, impaired renal function, significant liver function in patients.

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10 Reasons Why We Must Control the Salt

Salt is one of the most popular spice flavorings. No wonder that almost every cuisine of salt contained in it. Salt itself is a mineral composed of sodium chloride (40 percent and 60 percent sodium chloride). Salt is important for the body, but that does not mean the salt should be consumed in excess.

Why does the body need salt?

Sodium chloride ions needed by the body, in small quantities, to regulate water content in it. Sodium is not only needed to help maintain body fluid balance, but also to assist in the transmission of nerve impulses to the brain. In addition, sodium, also plays a role in contraction and relaxation of our muscles. Because liquid sodium can attract like magnets, excessive salt intake would cause retention (detention) in the body of excess water.

The Dangers of excessive salt

having too many minerals can harm our body’s functions. The use of excessive salt can increase the amount of sodium in the body and this can give a serious effect on health. Although salt is used to treat problems such as disease or dysautonomia, the autonomic nervous system damage, but if excessive can cause several health problems such as follows:

1. High blood pressure (hypertension): High salt intake is known to increase blood pressure, which is known to cause several serious diseases like heart disease, paralysis, and receipt. This fact has been proved by the INTERSALT study involving more than 10,000 people in 52 study centers, although the effect (disease) differ from one person to another.

Other evidence of the relationship between high blood pressure with high salt intake was found in medical records since 1994. People from all parts of the face of the earth with all ages can be affected by changes in their salt intake.

2. Cardiovascular Disease: Researchers are working in a large study conducted in 2007 found that patients with high-normal blood pressure significantly benefit by reducing their salt intake, and therefore their risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease decreased by 25 percent to 10 to 15 coming year. Their likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease was also down by 20 percent.

3. Stroke: Those who consume less salt is less prone to suffering a stroke. In fact, studies say, one gram of reducing salt intake can reduce the risk of experiencing a stroke until the sixth. If reduced by two grams, the risk decreases to one-third, and if the reduced three grams, the possibility of stroke is reduced by half.

4. Some people do not have hypertension although they consume high amounts of salt. However, medical records show, those people have left ventricular hypertrophy or enlargement of muscle tissue that makes the walls of the main heart pumping chamber which can heighten the risk of cardiovascular disease.

5. Fluid retention: The amount of sodium in the body determines the level of fluid in your body if you consume too much salt, the kidneys will be difficult to eliminate excess salt and your body will retain fluid, which sometimes causes swelling around the heart. Doctors recommend reducing salt intake as a treatment for swelling.

6. Digestive system:

High salt intake can affect the digestive system in three ways:

• ulcers (sores) of the stomach and duodenum: According to the American Society for Microbiology Conference, salt interacts with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) and cause ulcers (sores) on the stomach and duodenum. These bacteria (H pylori) were commonly found in many people, of which who have no symptoms. H pyori bacteria is known to cause 80 to 90 percent of all cases of gastric and duodenal ulcers. Therefore, limiting salt intake is a good thing to prevent the formation of ulcers are caused by consuming too much salt.

• Cancer: Cancer of the stomach and gastric cancer associated with high sodium in the body. The evidence for this is found in Japan, where salt consumption is relatively high among the people.

• Reduced Pepsin: Pepsin is a digestive enzyme, and excess salt intake decreases the amount of pepsin in the body. This can affect the digestive system, improve the level of acidity and cause diarrhea. For example, when you add salt to the curd, this leads to fermentation and to form acid in the stomach, and ultimately can affect digestion.

7. Hair Problem: Eating too much salt can cause problems such as hair graying and loss.

8. Increased secretion of bile water: When we eat foods that contain high salt, secretion of bile water will increase, which can increase the density of blood, thus decreasing vitality. It can also cause the lips become dry and bleeding. Doctors advised to reduce salt intake to those who have problems with the skin.

9. Osteoporosis: Excess salt prevents the absorption of calcium in the body, so that DAPT leads to osteoporosis. In a study conducted on postmenopausal women found that women consuming high amounts of salt more to lose more bone mineral than those who do not - consume too much salt.

10. Death: mengasup salt with a high dose in a short time can be fatal. If a person consumes one gram of salt per kilogram of body weight, this can cause the person lost his life.

A person's salt intake needs vary. Recommended amount of slat that is allowed to consume is about 1,500 mg to 2,300 mg per day, depending on the age or health conditions that are owned (such as diabetes, high blood pressure or chronic kidney disease).

The World Health Organization (WHO), recommends the intake of sodium each person is as much as a teaspoon, or about 2.323 mg of sodium or 5 grams of salt each day.

credit picture: Visual Photos

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