All posts by Sumana Rao

Don't worry about the people in your past; There's a reason they didn't make it to your future.
Bone Marrow Donors

Blood Stem Cells, Cord Blood, and Bone Marrow

Healthy adults between the ages of 18 – 60 can donate blood stem cells. In order for a blood stem cell transplant to be successful, the patient and the blood stem cell donor must have a closely matched tissue type or human leukocyte antigen (HLA). Since tissue types are inherited, patients are more likely to find a matched donor within their own family or racial/ethnic group. There are three sources of blood stem cells that healthy volunteers can donate:

  1. Bone marrow: This soft tissue is found in the interior cavities of bones. It is a major site of blood cell production and is removed to obtain stem cells.
  2. Cord blood stem cells: The umbilical cord that connected a newborn to the mother during pregnancy contains blood that has been shown to contain high levels of blood stem cells. Cord blood can be collected and stored in large freezers for a long period of time and, therefore, offers another source of stem cells available for transplanting into patients.
  3. Peripheral blood stem cells: The same types of stem cells found in marrow can be pushed out into a donor’s bloodstream after the donor receives daily injections of a medication called filgrastim. This medication increases the number of stem cells circulating in the blood and provides a source of donor stem cells that can be collected in a way that is similar to blood donation.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: January 5, 2022
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Blood And Platelets Donation

Blood and Platelets Donors

Blood and platelets are formed by the body, go through a life cycle, and are continuously replaced throughout life. This means that you can donate blood and platelets more than once. It is safe to donate blood every 56 days and platelets every four weeks.

  • Blood is stored in a blood bank according to type (A, B, AB, or O) and Rh factor (positive or negative). Blood can be used whole, or separated into packed red cells, plasma, and platelets, all of which have different life saving uses. It takes only about 10 minutes to collect a unit (one pint) of blood, although with the testing and screening, the process of donating blood takes about an hour.
  • Platelets are tiny cell fragments that circulate throughout the blood and aid in blood clotting. Platelets can be donated without donating blood. When a specific patient needs platelets, but does not need blood, a matching donor is found and platelets are separated from the rest of the blood which is returned to the donor. The donor’s body will replace the missing platelets within a few hours.

Did you know? To donate blood or platelets, you must be in good general health, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be at least 16 years old. If a person is 76 or older, they will need doctor’s written approval for blood or platelet donation.


Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Heart Donation

Heart Donation

The heart is the hardest working muscle in our bodies, responsible for pumping blood throughout the body. Just like any other muscle, it can be subject to fatigue, especially if it has been weakened by a number of cardiovascular diseases. When damaged enough, a patient’s only option may be a heart transplant. This usually follows conditions such as coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy or weakening of the heart muscle. Donation is key to saving the life of a patient who is waiting for a heart transplant as the severity of the weakened heart is critical.

Who can donate heart?  Finding a donor heart can be difficult. The heart must be donated by someone who is brain-dead but is still on life support.  The heart is part of the autonomic nervous system and thus has the ability to beat independently of the brain as long as it has oxygen.  The donor heart must be matched as closely as possible to your tissue type to reduce the chance that your body will reject it.

Read picture story here: http://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/families-meet-for-first-time-after-little-girl-receives-heart-donation-from-baby-boy


Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Entire Body Donation

Entire Body Donation

Many people are donating their body to medical institutions in recent years. People who wants science to discover more and contribute to the world of medicine are donating the entire body after their death to Institutes. This helps medical students and researchers to study and understand the conditions of body and may shed new knowledge with enlightening discovery.

Who Can Donate the body?

The answer is simple. Most everyone will meet criteria for donation, including those with cancer, heart disease, arthritis and diabetes. By donating to research, donor’s body lives on by allowing doctors and medical students the ability to research a  new life-saving medical and surgical procedures and techniques.

Visit http://www.sciencecare.com/ to understand how body donation helps: Here are just a few of the areas in which Science Care donors have made a contribution to medical research and education:

Heart disease, Diabetes, HIV, spinal injuries, joint replacements, colon and liver treatments, breast cancer, reproductive advancements, advanced drug delivery, paramedic training, cancer research, Osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s research, cochlear implant developments!


Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Winter Health

Suggestions to Stay Fit In Pandemic Winter

This year our lives are heavily affected by Covid-19. During winter low humidity enables flu virus to survive indoors for longtime. We all need to protect ourselves from two viruses by continuing to follow safe hygiene practices and keeping safe distances all the time.

Now the nature is passing through the winter. In several part of the world already winter storms, cold weather and flu season along with pandemic disease is affecting people lives. During winter apart from flu, we also could face other conditions like hair fall, breathing problems, itching skin, fever, cold, dandruff, allergy, asthma… all these conditions prevails during winter.  We need to take care of our body and stay healthy by taking some important measurements so that we can stay fit.

1) Don’t forget to exercise for an hour everyday – any form of exercise is good to keep immune system healthy and active.

2) Before starting exercise, warm up your body. If not you may hurt your muscles and joints.

3) Take hot water bath twice – morning and evening. Let the shower be quick – do not expose your body to too much hot water as it will dry your skin.

4) To boost immunity consider drinking khashyam morning and evening. It helps you keep your body away from cold and cough.

5) Have hot food. Do not eat cold food or drink cold juices.

6) Drink plenty of warm water. Drink warm water in empty stomach.

7) After meal, sit in lotus pose for few minutes for easy digestion of food.

8) Practice any type of breathing exercises (pranayama) twice a day.

9) Go to bed early and get enough sleep.

10) Keep a humidifier  in your bedroom during night time. It helps to remove dryness in your nasal passage.

11) If Sun is out and you feel less cold – open at least couple of windows and front door for few minutes to bring fresh air inside the house.

12) Wear socks to protect your legs from cracks. Apply Vaseline and other suitable crème to reduce the crack in your feet.

13) Apply oil on your body: Once a week, before taking shower apply slightly warmed sesame oil or almond oil or olive oil on your body.  This keeps your skin oily and protects from dryness.

14) Don’t forget to apply oil on your hair. Dry weather damages hair totally and you may end up in losing lot of hair. Applying good hair oil helps in reducing hair fall during winter.

15) Use skin friendly bath soaps, hand soaps and moisturizers to keep yourself protected from dryness.

16) Instead of having cold salad, drink hot soup -vegetable soup (mixed) or other varieties of soup – lentil, pea, beet root, tomato, carrot, pumpkin soups will help to face the winter weather.

17) Add few Tulsi leaves to boiled water and drink throughout the day.

18) Eat those vegetables and fruits that are available during winter season.

19) When stepping out wear warm clothes. Cover head with cap or hoodie.

20) Don’t forget to wear your mask as we are still facing Covid-19 issues. After returning home, wash hands thoroughly.

21) Practice gargling and steam inhaling for better breathing.

Image credit: Image by Pexels from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)


Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: January 4, 2022
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Diabetes warning signs in women

Warning signs of Diabetes in women

In countries where women have access to yearly check up on health, physicians generally test for blood sugar level to determine whether one has diabetes or not or if the sugar level is at border line.

Before visiting doctor, women can also watch for warning signs that might help to be cautious about health and take further tests on diabetes.

Women need to be aware that, men and women body systems are different.

Women who develop diabetes suffer differently and their life span reduces significantly when compared to men. Impact of diabetes on women is harsher.

Many might not be even aware of developing diabetes symptoms.

If you are above 35, then watch for below mentioned warning signs of diabetes in women. These signs could lead to diabetes.

  1. Urinary tract infections (UTI): Increased sugar level can decrease body’s immune system function and fight against infection. White blood cells function is to keep a check on infection. Increased blood sugar level results in poor circulation of blood and interferes with WBC function. This is one the reason women who has diabetes face frequent urinary tract infections.
  2. Gestational diabetes: Women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy might end up with Type 2 diabetes in their later stage of life.
  3. Heavy weight and obesity: Excess weight can lead to type 2 diabetes. If you are overweight and BMI is high, sweating and tired all the time you might be heading to type 2 diabetes.
  4. Weight loss: If you are eating regularly and your diet is good and still you find out you are losing weight then, it can be due to early diabetes.
  5. Yeast infections: High level of sugar can lead to more yeast and fungal infection. Vaginal and oral yeast infection increases with increase in sugar level. These microbes thrive on sugar and they utilize the sugar to keep growing/ multiplying. Feminine itching is commonly due to high sugar level.
  6. Skin infections: Skin infection with unexplained rashes and redness due to rashes could be a sign too.
  7. Polycystic ovary syndrome: Irregular periods, weight gain, depression and acne are symptoms of PCOS. This results in infertility and insulin resistance that elevates blood sugar level.
  8. With above signs, other common symptoms like: Increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, blurred vision, slow healing wounds, irritability, reduced feeling in feet and hands – are other signs that are warning symptoms of diabetes.

According to  US Dept. of Health and Human services, women will be at risk for type 2 diabetes if you are: Older than 45, overweight, family history of diabetes, gestational diabetes, high BP, high cholesterol, no or less exercise, history of heart disease and stroke.

If you feel that you have any or all these symptoms, contact your doctor and check for blood sugar level.

References:


Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: January 3, 2022
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Why kids should not drink soda

Why kids should not drink soda?

Soda is one of the common drink most household has. Whether it is a party day or regular day, it has become a practice to drink soda to “quench the thirst”! Why kids love to drink soda?

Because kids like to drink sweetened beverages than water and soda contains sugar and a taste that attracts children.

We know that drinking soda does not provide any nutrients for the body and as per American Academy of Pediatrics reports, added sugar in soda adds more calories.

An occasional sip of soda might not harm the child but it can make them feel want more soda.

Drinking soda more often can be detrimental for child’s health.

Reasons why it is not good for children to drink soda…

  1. There is no nutritional value or there is zero nutritional value in majority of soda
  2. Regular consumption of soda increases obesity and risk of developing diabetes later in life. Artificial sweeteners, citric acid, artificial flavors all these ingredients can only harm children health.
  3. Certain ingredients like MSG and citric acid known to cause disruptive behaviors in children and it can lead to ADHD, abnormal brain function and lack of focus.
  4. Soda might say empty calories on label but it contains caffeine. Caffeine content in soda has negative effect on children development.
  5. In addition, dentists are not fan of soda because of not just sugar content, also because of acid that erodes tooth enamel and increases dental cavities.
  6. Soda can also act as diuretics and dehydrate body. This can lead to stomach problem and improper digestive function.
  7. Soda also suppresses kid’s appetite and studies show that people who drink soda are deficient of calcium and other important nutrients in their body including vitamin A.
  8. Soda weakens kids’ bones -In teenagers, calcium deficiency results in weaker bones. Carbonated beverage consumption that is increasing in teenagers is a source of concern as kids who drink more soda are prone to broken bones!
  9. Researches demonstrated that large quantities of soda results in enhanced kidney stone formation! It also can result in elevation of uric acid, hypertension, risk of early menarche in girls is also a possibility. According to a study, girls who got more sweet drinks before age 9 gained more weight by age 13 and had prediabetes risk factors such as high BP, low HDL, big waistline.
  10. Increase in acidity, heartburn are two other conditions that kids can develop because of regular consumption of soda.

Encourage children to drink milk and cut back on sugary drinks and soda. Is occasional drinking soda is good? It might be okay, but you never know when the soda addiction starts in kids. Soda is addictive. Promotion, advertising and appearance of soda everywhere makes kids to fall for soda.

Once children drink soda, they will want to come back for more. What are the alternatives to soda? Fresh 100% fruit juices are better for children. Milk and water are good replacements.

Decaffeinated iced tea is a better choice too as teenagers love it. If you are buying fruit juice, look for less sugar containing juice or prepare juice at home.

Remember: Do not stock soda at home. It is not a daily treat to drink.

References:

Image credit: Hands photo created by drobotdean – www.freepik.com (Free for commercial use)


Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: December 31, 2021
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New year resolution 2019

Stick to your new year resolution

How to stick to your new year resolution ? Two weeks into New year, do you feel your resolution for the year is fading away and you cannot keep up with health resolution? Don’t worry. You are not alone, there are hundreds of people go through this. To keep yourself fit, motivated and healthy you need to put bit extra effort that will help you to keep going in this year.
• Write down all your resolutions again. Think it through, post your goals on post-it and stick then where you look at them regularly. As you keep looking at them your resolution sticks to your mind.
Aim for the goals that are sensible to achieve. Focus on those goals. Do not be unrealistic and try to reduce too many pounds at a time. Give yourself enough time to accomplish resolution and achieve your success.
• If you are planning to get into shape, measure yourself regularly. Breakdown your resolution to short term with short measurable weekly goals. Try losing one or two pounds a week. As you see short term progress every week, you will feel good about yourself and it boosts your confidence.
• If you are trying to develop a hobby, do not give up. If you are unable to attend to your hobby once or twice it is okay. Pat yourself on back and push yourself to get into the hobby that make yourself worth of doing something good for yourself. Include a friend who has similar taste and want to do something good. Two’s company is always better to achieve the best.
• Whatever it might be, do not give up on yourself. Make room for your routine. Have a schedule in front of you – morning or evening, no matter what give yourself time to do your workouts, practice hobbies, reading, singing, spending time with family, cooking, meditation, yoga etc – whatever you wanted to achieve make room for it.
• Sign up for health newsletter that comes in your inbox with suggestions. Many experts will encourage you to achieve your goal and will bring positive changes. Read success stories, positive stories of those who achieved something extraordinary in the given situations. Success of ordinary people often the best inspiration.
• Have your friends and family on board who motivates you. When you are with people who encourages you, then you will achieve what you wanted to. When you make commitment to improve your lifestyle along with someone else company, you will not ignore your resolution. Whether it is exercise, eating healthy, burning calorie, trying something new, getting to complete your bucket list – all these can be fun to achieve when you are doing it with your friends and family. It helps you to achieve your goal.
Do not give up on yourself. If you want to be happy, focus on yourself, focus on your healthy habits, focus on your healthy lifestyle!


Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: December 29, 2021
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