All posts by Sumana Rao

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Infection risk in cancer patients

Why infection risk is high in cancer patients

Cancer patients are more vulnerable for infections. Infection risk is high due to their changed, weakened immune system. Immune system which is defense mechanism of the body changes with cancer and cancer treatments. Disease itself and the treatments that a patient undergo weakens the defense system and body will easily get infected when exposed to infectious environment.

Infection is a common complication associated with cancer. Some infections could be fatal and cause more complications. Viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites are infectious agents that can attack already weakened body.

Reasons for weak immune system in cancer patients are:

  1. Cancer disease
  2. Loss of nutrients
  3. Cancer treatments like chemotherapy
  4. Medications and or other health conditions

It takes time to get back normal immune system. It depends on the type of cancer, age, treatments, medications, medical problems, food, and environment. Each patient responds to treatment differently and accordingly they recover. Cancer patients who are undergoing the treatment, who finished their treatment need to take precautions to prevent infections from microbial world.

Symptoms of infections in cancer patients:

  • Increase in body temperature. Sometimes the fever is early sign of infection.
  • Tenderness, redness or swelling in any area of the body
  • Pus or discharge in wound or any other part
  • Cough and or shortness of breath
  • Chill and sweating
  • Pain while passing urine
  • Abdominal pain
  • Vomiting or diarrhea or both
  • Sore throat and new sores in mouth
  • Stiff neck
  • Unusual discharge from vagina or irritation

How to prevent infections in cancer patients?

  1. Wash hand often using soap and warm water. Wash hands before eating.
  2. Wash hands after using the bathroom, blowing nose, coughing, or sneezing, after touching trash, animals
  3. Use moist wipes while handling door handles, wipe keypads and other areas which are used often by other people.
  4. Use alcohol -based hand sanitizer to clean hands if water is not available when you go out
  5. Remember that people who are suffering from flu, common fever, cold and other types of infection must stay away from cancer patients
  6. In this pandemic, wear mask around people, keep social distancing and as much as possible avoid public gatherings.
  7. Wear sweater, gloves, and masks when necessary.
  8. Brush teeth twice, focus on oral hygiene. Do not use alcohol- based mouthwash.
  9. Take shower/bathe every day. Wash private parts properly, wash feet, nails, armpits and sweat areas. Use soft moist or baby wipes to clean anal and groin area.
  10. Talk to doctor about vaccination to prevent pneumonia, Hepatitis B and flu.
  11. If your doctor has told that you have weakened immune system, then stay away from young children and avoid visitors to stay away from respiratory infections.
  12. If you notice redness, swelling, bleeding in any parts of the body immediately inform your doctor.
  13. Do not get pedicure or manicure from outside. Clean your finger and toenails at home itself using proper tool.
  14. Avoid using public pools, public tub, and water parks.
  15. Wear shoes or slippers at home and outdoors to keep germs off. Keep separate footwear to use at home.
  16. If you get any cuts and wounds, clean and protect the wound using clean bandage. If you notice puss or infection, inform your doctor.
  17. Do not clean after your pet. Do not touch litter boxes. Seek someone’s help or assign someone to do the task.
  18. Drink water to help digestive system. If you are constipated drinking warm water should help. Do not use suppositories, enemas. Ask your doctor for bowel softener medicine if the constipation problem continues.
  19. Do not share your clothes, combs, brush, soap, towel, or personal items with anyone.
  20. Before planning a trip, consult your doctor and seek advice.
  21. Eat healthy and recommended food that help to build your immune system. Wash fruits and vegetables or any such raw foods before eating to avoid germs entering your system.

It is good idea to keep a thermometer at home. Have your doctor’s and other important contact numbers handy. Know which medications you should be taking if you have fever or develop infection. Take prescribed medications on time.  If you have any infection systems call your doctor immediately.

References:

https://www.cancer.org/

https://www.cancer.net/

Read more about cancer infections here; https://www.cdc.gov/sepsis/pdfs/cancer-infection-and-sepsis-fact-sheet.pdf

Image credit: www.cdc.gov (cc by 0)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: February 4, 2021
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Hiccups remedies

19 Remedies to control Hiccups

Hiccups can be very irritating. We don’t know when and where hiccups starts. While attending class, in a meeting or while on phone talking to someone, we can experience hiccups.  Some people will experience hiccups for longer hours and will not stop easily.

Reasons for hiccups: We all have flat plate of muscle beneath our lungs called diaphragm that helps us to breath. Hiccups occurs when brain sends signal to diaphragm to shift forcefully downward pulling more air into back of throat causing narrow are in throat. It results in hic sound, hence it is hiccup.

Factors that trigger hiccups are:

1.       Lack of water

2.       Too much eating

3.       Stress and excitement

4.       Alcohol intake

5.       Drinking soda and carbonated drinks

6.       Air swallowing while chewing some food

7.       Sudden change in temperature

8.       Cigarette smoking

9.       Chronic constipation, bloating and gas

Remedies for hiccups

1.       Swallow one teaspoon of sugar

2.       Gargle with water, sip ice water

3.       Stick your tongue out and hold for few breath. This opens the throat and reduces spasms in diaphragm.

4.       Biting on to sour lemon piece reduces hiccups.

5.       Drinking warm water is also a solution for hiccups.

6.       Interrupting swallowing and breathing is good remedy for controlling hiccups. Snack on some peanut butter when you have hiccups. Chewing and trying to take peanut butter from teeth using tongue disturbs the breathing pattern and reduces or helps to get rid of hiccups.

7.       If you have dill seeds in kitchen take a teaspoon of dill seeds and slowly chew the seeds.

8.       Try little hot sauce – the heat released from hot sauce distracts the brain and spasm stops.

9.       Cover your mouth while breathing normally. Do this for 4-5 minutes.

10.   Rub back and side of the neck – massaging carotid arteries helps to reduce hiccups

11.   Hold the breath: Take a deep breath and hold it for few seconds. Exhale gradually. Repeat this for few seconds.

12.   Using index fingers, plug your ears for 20 to 30 seconds. While doing so, press the soft areas behind your earlobe for relaxation.

13.   While plugging your ears, drink water using straw. This is one of the effective remedy for hiccups!

14.   Take a paper bag, hold edges near your nose and breathe into the bag. Inhale and exhale. Inhaling your own carbon dioxide relaxes diaphragm muscle. Do this for couple of minutes.  mouth.

15.   Pull your knees up to chest and lean forward

16.   Castor oil and honey: Mix 1 tsp of honey with 1 tsp of castor oil. Using your index finger just lick the mix at 2-3 minutes interval for half an hour or so.

17.   If you are constipated and have hiccups, then try to cleanse the system using enema.

18.   Press your palm using the thumb of other hand. Put gentle, firm pressure. You can also squeeze a ball using thumb and forefinger. The discomfort you feel while holding ball gets  rid of the hiccups.

19.   Try to get distracted from someone or something like loud sound will help to disturb system and hiccups stops.

If the hiccups not stopping with any methods and continuing for more than a day or two, contact your doctor for further health checkup.

Image credit: Image by Darko Djurin from Pixabay (CC by 0)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: February 3, 2021
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Kitchen is new castle

Is the kitchen being your newfound castle

Work, study, exercise, and cook at home! During the pandemic, the world has changed in various sense and ways. New rules, new ways, a new world, rebuilding a broken relationship, and new bonding are happening everywhere. So also, a newfound relationship with food happened and happening everywhere! The tiny Covid-19 virus has made people chose the life that they were never used to. Families who are living together due to pandemic are spending quality time during meals.

One of the best ways to stop reducing the pandemic is to stay home, work from home, exercise at home, and cook at home. In the past year during the pandemic one place where people spent more time is the home kitchen. While businesses told employees to work from home, people migrated from cities to small towns and villages. Even though people wanted to eat out, they could not do so for a long time. We can get ready to eat food from a store but that does not last long. We can get food delivered at home, but it could be expensive. Hence home-cooked food and experiment in trying new tastes have become a habit.

Is the kitchen being your newfound castle for many?

To overcome stress, boredom or to make life more interesting, the kitchen has become an “expression” through a newfound passion for cooking and trying newer recipes and, of course, quality meals.

The quick and easy are terms used in many recipes. While working from home, a realization has come to many that cooking cannot happen easily. The word easy is moved first – ahead of quick. It means experiments on easy and quick recipes are happening in most kitchens. An easy recipe that can be completed quickly within 10 to 20 minutes, that involves less panicking, less concentration is becoming popular. Consumers are searching on YouTube videos, recipe blogs, and social media for recipes that save time and the same time have restaurant quality and taste.

Instead of cooking multiple items and making a mess in the kitchen “one pan, one pot” policy has been set in most houses. And this is extending to one bowl and one plate phenomenon in most working days!

Cooking meals at home is also teaching people the value of food and not to waste food. Apart from learning cooking, how to store the food, the way of cooking an ingredient, the efforts it takes to prepare a dish, and the final task of cleaning the kitchen – all these other teachings are happening in the newfound castle kitchen in most consumers house. 

When there is time, like weekends, world cuisine is also appearing on the family dining table! Those who wish to travel and try varieties of foods are trying their hands with various ingredients to cook those foods that they wanted to try all along. Consumers who are missing restaurant foods are willing to taste the food cooked in restaurant style but at home from a family member. This is not only bringing out cooking skills of a person also family gather to cook and taste the food. This is newfound joy and entertainment in many people life. Discussion about ingredients, calories, health aspects of the food they are trying is giving more insights into food that they should be consuming to avoid unhealthy choices and for a better healthy life.

Image credit: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1626697 (cc by 0)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: February 2, 2021
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Banana stem salad

Healthy Banana Stem Salad Recipe

Feel like detoxifying your body? Want to improve your digestion? Then include banana stem in your diet. It helps to flush out toxins as well as helps to reduce weight! Banana stem gives several health benefits including in treatment of UTI, removal kidney stones, reduces blood pressure, cholesterol, gastric problem.

Banana stem like its fruits is rich in potassium and vitamin B. Cooked or eaten raw (like today’s recipe) the fiber content of banana stem is good for health. There are many other varieties of dishes one can prepare using banana stem – banana stem salad, fritters, sambar, varieties of curries, juice to name a few!

Learn how to make banana stem salad using simple ingredients. Cutting banana stem to small pieces is key for this salad recipe.

Ingredients:

  1. Small cut banana stem -1.5 cups
  2. Soaked moong dal – 2 Tbsp
  3. Chenna dal- 2 tsp
  4. Grated carrot -1/4 cup (optional)
  5. Chopped cilantro- ¼ cup
  6. Grated coconut – 2 Tbsp
  7. Curry leaves – Few
  8. Grated ginger – ¼ tsp
  9. Mustard  seeds -1/4 tsp
  10. Cumin -1 tsp
  11. Urad dal – 1 tsp
  12. Asafetida – a pinch
  13. Salt – as per taste
  14. Lime juice
  15. Oil for seasoning

Preparation:


  1. Apply little oil on both palms and remove out layer of banana stem. This to avoid blackening of palms. Transfer the inner portion of the stem to water.
  2.  Cut inner tender portion of banana stem into very small pieces and transfer into fresh water. Add little lime juice and cover the lid. This will soften the banana stem. Leave it for 10 to 15 mins.
  3. Grate carrot, slit green chillies, chop cilantro
  4. In a pan, get ready with seasoning using cumin, mustard, urad dal, curry leaves, green chilies, grated ginger and asafetida.
  5. Drain water from cut banana stem. Make sure there is no water left. Add soaked moong dal, grated carrot, chopped cilantro and salt. Mix well.
  6. Add seasoning to the banana stem salad and mix well. Before serving add lemon juice and serve.

Image credit: Salad image: https://krvcaterers.com/sides/ ( Balepet, Bangalore: visit for side dishes and food)

Banana stem: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Posola.jpg, Footage at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: January 28, 2021
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Mold and mycotoxins

Impact of Mold and Mycotoxins on Health

Often, we observe growth of molds on the food that we eat. Molds can grow on fruits, bread, cereals, old food, spices, nuts under warm and humid conditions. Molds are nothing but fungi and these molds produce and secrete toxic chemicals, if consumed can result in adverse health conditions and could be a serious threat.

The threat could be both for humans as wells as for livestock. Consuming mold infected food can result in weakening of immune system and weak immune system means, our body will succumbed to different health conditions including cancer.

To monitor the mycotoxins, World Health Organization WHO jointly with FAO  – Food and Agriculture organization of United Nations convened JECFA organization. Based on JECFA’s assessment, international standards and codes of practice to limit exposure to mycotoxins from several foods that are established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

In most countries there are strict rules and legislative limits are set for all most all the mycotoxins that are present in many food and feed stuffs to protect both humans and animals.

References:

Types of common mycotoxins : Read more

Types of mycotoxins

What are the concerns and effect of Mycotoxins? : Read more

Effect of mycotoxins

Aflatoxins Mycotoxin: Read more

Aflatoxins Mycotoxin

Ochratoxin A Mycotoxin : Read more

Ochratoxin A

Patulin Mycotoxin: Read more

Patulin mycotoxin

Mycotoxins produced by Fusarium: Read more

Fusarium mycotoxin

Ergot alkaloids Mycotoxins : Read more

Ergot alkaloids
Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: January 25, 2021
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Types of mycotoxins

Types of common mycotoxins

Molds can produce mycotoxins that are chemically stable toxins either before harvest or after harvest of crop, during storage, in or on the food itself often under warm, damp and humid conditions. Most mycotoxins survive food processing and are chemically stable. Hot, humid climate and temperate zones are favorable environment for mold growth.

Exposure to mycotoxins generally happens by direct consumption of infected food or indirectly from animals that are fed with mold infected food.

There are many types of mycotoxins are present in fungi world. The most commonly present and observed mycotoxins that are harmful upon consumption for both humans and livestocks are: Aflatoxins, Ochratoxin A, Patulin, Fumonisins, Zearalenone, Nivalenol Ordeoxynivalenol, Tremorgenic toxins, and Ergot alkaloids.

Image credit: a Moldy Ear of Corn Vegetable by Steven Depolo/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Aflatoxins Mycotoxin

Aflatoxins Mycotoxin

Aflatoxins (AF) are most poisonous toxins. These are produced by specific fungi called Aspergillus. Two species of Asptergillus A. flavus and A. prasiticus that grow in soil , hay, grains, decaying matters are responsible for aflatoxin production. Types of aflatoxins are: B1, B2, G1, M1 and G2. Aflatoxin B1 is considered the most toxic aflatoxin as it metabolizes in liver and produces secondary toxins!

Aspergillus produce aflatoxin in soybean, sunflower, cotton seeds, peanut – all oil seeds.

In crops – paddy, sorgum, corn and wheat

Tree nuts – almond, walnut, pistachio and even in coconut!

These toxins can be present in milk and dairy products. When the dairy animals are fed with Aspergillus infected feed, toxin called Aflatoxin M1 can transfer to milk and other dairy products.  Impact of aflatoxin: Consumption of aflatoxin could be life threatening; it could damage liver. These toxins can damage DNA and can cause cancer. Impaired blood coagulation, immunosuppression are other serious threats.  Evidences suggest that aflatoxin can cause liver cancer in humans. Mild symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning include – nausea, headache, rashes.

Image credit:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shoyukoji.jpg

ウェルワィ, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Ochratoxin A

Ochratoxin A Mycotoxin

Ochratoxin A (OTA)  is produced by species of Penicillum and Aspergillus –  Aspergillus ochraceus, A. carbonarius, A. niger and Penicillium verrucosum.

These are most common food contaminating molds and produce Ochratoxin.  These mycotoxins can be present in cereals, cereal products, dry fruits, coffee beans, tomatoes, mangoes, strawberry, melons etc. Ochratoxin is also can be noticeable in wine, grapes, spices and liquorice.

These molds contamination generally happens as a result of poor storage of food commodities and suboptimal agricultural practices especially during the drying of foods.

The common symptoms of ochratoxin poisoning include: Kidney damage, immune suppression and in pregnant women can interfere in fetal development. Different studies have linked OTA exposure with the human diseases Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) and chronic interstitial nephropathy (CIN), as well as kidney diseases.

Image credit: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1048596 (cc by 0)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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