“Adequate sleep is just as important to children’s health and well-being as diet and exercise. It improves memory and facilitates learning, both vital to improving academic performance,” says Dr. Daniel Lewin, Children’s National Medical Centre, Washington.

     National Sleep Foundation, a non-profit Organisation dedicated to improving public health and safety, by achieving greater understanding of sleep and sleep disorders, recommends these sleep tips to help parents and children.

·         Keep television, video games and other electronics out of the bedroom.

·         Create a sleep environment that is cool, quiet, dimly lit and comfortable.

·         Eliminate exposure to electronic media (TV, Video and Computer games) within an hour of bedtime.

·         Limit caffeine, especially after lunch time.

·         Keep a regular sleep schedule and avoid extremes on weekends.

·         Eat well and exercise.

·         Reading before going to bed is a good choice for kids as well as adults.

Richard Gelula, Director, National sleep Foundation suggests a few more sleep-smart pointers to parents.

1. Be an example. By practising good sleep habits, your kids are less likely to develop bad ones.
2. Talk to your children about the importance of healthy sleep.
3. Recognise that children, including teens, need more sleep than adults.
4. Children who have difficulty waking in the morning and children who snore may not be getting adequate sleep.
5. Children who do not sleep well are more likely to have behavioural problems.
6. Establish a one-hour ‘electronic-free’ time before bedtime.
7. Ask teachers whether your child is alert or sleepy during class and take steps to improve your child’s sleep.

Eating junk food during pregnancy       may be the cause of obesity in kids.

Banned additives in kids food,            found in kids medicine.

US leads the world – in medical mistakes.

     “Internal Bleeding: The truth behind America’s terrifying epidemic of medical mistakes” written by Dr. Robert Watcher and Dr. Kaveh Shojana has failed to eradicate the epidemic of medical errors.

     Nearly 100,000 people died every year in the US, according to the study that examined 37 million patient records. “The equivalent of 390 jumbo jets full of people are dying each year in the US due to likely preventable medical errors,” says Dr.Samantha Collier, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Health Grades Inc, which conducted the study.

     One of the ways to eradicate this epidemic is to encourage the physicians to disclose their medical errors. They must be made aware of heir responsibility towards the patient, the profession and the society. They must be provided with assistance and protection to overcome malpractice litigation, fear of losing reputation, fear of suspension of licence etc.

BMI (Body Mass Index) is badly flawed.

     Body Mass Index, commonly known as BMI, invented by Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian is an index that calculates body fat from height and weight. An index of less than 18.5 is considered underweight; 18.5 to 25 is considered normal; 25 to 30 is considered overweight and above 30 is considered as obese.  Medical profession considers BMI as a standard diagnostic tool to evaluate the risk of heart diseases.

     Researchers at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Minnesota who studied data covering more than 250,000 people found that people with a normal BMI had a higher risk of death from heart diseases than people with a low BMI. The researchers found another interesting fact that people with a normal BMI had more heart problems than people who had a overweight BMI.     

Modern medicine uses                                   traditional Leech Therapy

Leech Therapy dates back to the time of Hippocrates. Today Ayurveda, Unani and Chinese Medicine use leech therapy as a mode of treatment. The leech sucks away the infected blood from the infected areas of the patient’s body. The leech saliva contains certain enzymes which dilutes the blood clots and improves blood circulation in the infected areas. The leech saliva contains certain bioactive substances such as Hirudin and Elgins which inhibits blood coagulation and inflammation. It also contains certain anesthetics and histamines which reduces the pain and increases the blood flow to the affected parts of the body.   

     Modern medicine uses leeches in micro surgery. In reconstructive surgery of severed body parts such as fingers, toes, ears or nose, the surgeon doesn’t have any difficulty in attaching the arteries as arteries are thick-walled and easy to suture. But the veins are thin-walled and difficult to suture. Hence the venous circulation of blood is restricted and the blood becomes stagnant. If the stagnant blood is not removed, the reattached part turns blue and becomes lifeless ad useless. It is here the surgeon uses leeches to suck out the stagnant blood.

     Modern medicine uses leeches in skin grafts also, where a flap of skin is used from an adjacent area of the body to treat a defect or a burn injury. Dr. Ken Dunn, Surgeon at the South Manchester Burns and plastic surgery service says that leeches are extremely effective and better than simply putting a hole in the tissue because of a longer lasting anticoagulant contained in the leech saliva.  

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