Haze, Haze Go Away!

Haze haze go away!  I think this is the  wish of all of us in the country now.

The haze, the bad weather with the burning smell and dryness make many people unwell or fall sick. The people who are with weak lungs are risky too. Thus the asthma cases have increased!  :(

The haze has caused the twin towers "missing" and some beautiful views of the country also affected. The schools also declared closed for some states with the unhealthy index. The students are feeling happy because no school, but I am wondering if they know the intention of schools closing instead of holiday for them? !

Anyway,  I would like to advise all the people to drink much water and wearing mask if you required to stay outdoors. Otherwise staying in indoors. Please wear a mask if needed and turn on the air purifier if you have it. This helps to cleanse the air a bit. Moreover wash your hands and face whenever you come back from outside.

Lastly,  I wish it would have a pouring rain to clean the air and the haze would go away as soon as possible so that we would have a good weather again. 

I'm Back!!! :)

I'm back! I did not update my blog for more than a month. The reason is that I was hospitalisation for a month. If you have been following my blog, I mentioned it before as my pneumothorax has re-occurred and been admitted in the UMMC on 17/4/2013. Again I was there for a month.

 

Well, it did not mean that I have recovered since I have discharged. I am still having the chest tube in my lung and I am carrying the portable dry seal chest drain 24 hours since the day I discharged until todate.

 

I did go back for my chest follow up after 2 weeks of my discharged and my chest specialist told me that I still have the 'bubbles' in my lung, thus I needed to carry the portable dry seal chest drain still. So, my next follow up will be on month end and I wish that I would recover by that time and could remove the chest tube in my lungs.

 

During the time I did not update my blog, I was taking rest most of the time. I have to be very careful with my portable dry seal chest drain as I was worried that my chest tube would be dislodge and it would be risky for me. :(

 

Finally, I would like to wish all of you to have a lovely and enjoyable weekend. The most vital thing is do take card of your health! I think it is the most precious asset for us!!!

3 Weeks Past

What have you done in the past 3 weeks? Enjoying your trip? Relaxing working? Busy net surfing? For me, I have been hospitalised for 3 weeks already due to pneumothorax! L During those 3 weeks, I have been taken many times of x-ray, few times of CT scan, needles poking on hands. It is really suffering.

The doctors came to examine me this morning and told me that I still have to wait as there are still bubbles coming out from my lung. I have to wait all the bubbles out. No wonder the doctor told me it is a “Waiting Game” for me and them.

I wish there would be a miracle for me as I could recover at soonest so that I could go home.

Is it my Fate?!

Gosh, I have been gone through the same thing for these 3 continuous Chinese New Year! For the past 2 years, I was celebrating my Chinese New Year in the hospital and I was thinking that this year I would have a healthy and cheerful CNY celebration with my family and friends. I was wrong. I only have spent 2 days of CNY with my family and I got admitted on the third day of CNY, i.e. 12/2/2013. 

I was having the thought of having a happy CNY for me in this year due to I was feeling alright as when I had returned for my chest check up just a few days before the CNY and my chest specialist was telling me that I could have my CNY at home this year. Both of us were happy for that. However, when I met him in the ward after I admitted, he was shocked to see me as he said that I looked ok on the day of check-up which was just few days ago. I then answered him back “I also don’t know!”  

So, here I am in the hospital for about 19 days. I yet to know when I could be discharged as my case has become complicated. I saw the patients who were having the same diagnosed with me had discharged already, most of the patients who were same ward as I were either mostly discharged or transferred to another room. Thus, I have met many new patients around me.

The sickness that I am diagnosed is called pneumothorax, which means the collapse of lungs. This is a sudden attacked to the patient, the person who easily have it are those who are weak, lungs problem or thin and tall. Mostly this is more attacked to the men. However, I was the unlucky as my lungs are weak and I was having the attacked on the middle of night. I did not realise I am having pneumothorax until I went to the hospital for treatment and the doctors examined me and given me the treatment.  FYI, after attacked by pneumothorax, the person would feel pain and having shortness of breath. When taking a deep breath, it would feel very painful.

I was having good condition after the treatment but then it becomes complicated. Thus I would need sometime more for my recover. I cannot do anything now but to wait for my lungs to recover. This is the reason I am in the hospital for more than 2 weeks.

I really don’t understand why did I have my CNY in the hospital in these years, is it a fate for me?! A coincident timing?! I really wish it is NOT as I am frightened to stay in the hospital and it would make people depress easily, especially when saw the patient dead, or in severe condition, e.g. Cancer patients, or the family cries. I really do not want to see all those happenings repeatedly.

I am always telling myself to stay strong and hang on; all those incidents would not affect me. But I also not sure that how long could I hold on for it as I feel depressing sometimes.

Lastly, GOD please helps me to have speed recovery as I miss my home, my own bed.   

My Chest follow-up

I went to the UMMC for my chest follow-up yesterday. According to the chest specialist, the result of the bronchoscopy that I done on 19/6/2012 shows that there are still some bacteria in my lungs. As compared to my earlier bronchoscopy on mid February (during my hospitalisation), there were no bacteria found in my lungs at that time.

The Chest specialist also checked my chest X-ray and it shows okay. Thus, the doctor wanted me to continue my antibiotic medicines and he also prescribed a new type of medicine for my treatment. He advised me that I am required to do the bronchoscopy again in few months later in order to check on my condition due to I could not provide the phlegm for the test. My next follow-up would be 4 weeks later. I wish that the bacteria would go soon, otherwise I would be suffering! L

Exercising Daily to Keep Brain Sharp

Two new studies presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Paris recently adds to the growing body of research that exercise can help safeguard your brain.

And you don't have to be a fanatic to benefit: just a brisk, 30-minute daily walk can delay mental ageing by five to seven years, researchers stated.

One study from Harvard Medical School in the US examined the connection between exercise and mental decline among some 2800 women aged 65 and older who all had cardiovascular disease, which is also associated with increased risk of cognitive problems.

After taking a battery of cognitive tests several times over the course of five years, the most active women substantially outperformed the least active women, according to the findings.

The second, from the US-based Health, Ageing and Body Composition longitudinal study, involved 197 adults aged on average 75 years.

The results from the five-year study showed that the most active seniors were less likely to develop cognition problems than their more sedentary counterparts.

Both studies were published online on 19 July in the journal Archives of International Medicine.

(Source adapted from The Sun newspaper on 29/7/2011)

My Next Endoscopy

I went to the UMMC for my chest follow-up yesterday. I also took the chest X-ray. After waited for 3.5 hours, it was my turn. The chest specialist checked my chest X-ray and weight, he told me that my lungs condition had improved and I also put on about a kilogram. :P

The chest specialist wanted me to go for another endoscopy in next Tuesday and to check if the bacteria in my lungs had gone after few months of medications. This is due to I could not provide phlegm for test. I am feeling a bit of nervous as I would have fewer after the endoscopy done every time. Moreover, I also could not drink and eat for 2 hours after the procedure done. L That would be a suffer for me.

Anyway, the chest specialist advised me to continue my antibiotic medications and after 2 months, I would have to go back for the follow-up and also to know the result of the endoscopy.

Alleviating Depression through SPORT!!!

SPORT can bring depressed people out of their self-imposed isolation because exercise helps to relieve anxiety and stress.

According to Fritz Hohagen, executive committee member of the German Association for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, sport makes it easier for them to shed their "withdrawal behaviour"and gain self-assurance.

Sport counters depressives' lack of motivation and gets them to become active, added Hohagen, who noted that the positive effects of the exercise in combating depression were well documented. He said it was important for depressives who engaged in sport to train regularly and see their sport as a constant in their life.

Particularly effective in raising one's mood are moderate endurance sport such as Nordic walking, jogging, cycling and swimming. Beyond that, team sport can have positive effect on the social behaviour of the mentally ill, who learn how to deal with their body and other people.

Participation in sport is also a component of therapy for anxiety disorders, addictions, eating disorders and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Hohagen said that regular exercise also benefited healthy people, who can thereby allay depressive moods and better alleviate stress.

So, start doing some Sports from today onwards in order to alleviate depression!!!

Going Vegetarian to Fight Heart Disease

A new US study suggests that vegetarians may be at significantly lower risk of developing a condition associated with heart disease, diabetes and stroke than people who eat meat.

Researchers found that vegetarians experience a 36% lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome, a precursor to heart disease, diabetes and stroke than non-vegetarians.

To measure metabolic syndrome, researchers tested for 5 risk factors : high blood pressure, high HDL cholesterol, high glucose levels, elevated triglycerides and unhealthy waist circumference.

"I wasn't sure if there would be a significant difference between vegetarians and non-vegetarians, and I was surprised by just how much the numbers of contrast," said lead researcher Nico S. Rizzo, PhD of Loma Linda University in the US.

Another study supporting trending towards a plant-based diet, from the German Cancer Research Centre in 2008, found that vegetarians reduced their risks of an early death by 50% for men and 30% for women.

A study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry earlier this year also found that meat eaters had significantly higher cardiovascular risk factors than vegetarians, although it also revealed that a vegan diet, which eliminates all animal products, may increase people's risk of blood clots and the hardening of arteries.

Vegetarians exclude meant, poultry, and fish from their diet but tend to eat eggs and dairy products.

Vegans, on the other hand, abstain from eggs and dairy products, as well as meant, poultry and fish.

Researchers in the vegan study noted that strict vegan diets tend to lack key nutrients like iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower the risk of heart-related diseases.

Vegetarians and vegans can ensure the health benefits of their diets by filling their plates with good sources of mega-3 fatty acids, such as walnuts, flaxseeds, and for vegetarians, omega-3 enriched eggs.

(Source adapted from The Sun newspaper dated 22/4/2011)

Tea May Help Prevent Osteoporosis

A Taiwanese survey has found that drinking tea helps prevent osteoporosis in elderly women.

The National Cheng Kung University Hospital surveyed 368 women above the age of 65 to try to find out if their lifestyle had an impact on their bone density. 60 out of 368 women, whose average age was 74, had the habit of drinking tea while 308 women seldom drank tea, Dr. Chang Yin-Fan, one of the five doctors who conducted the survey, said.

Among those who drank tea, 28 women (46.7%) had osteoporosis compared to 195 (63.3%) of the non-tea drinkers, he said. The study corroborates findings by Chinese and Western scientists that drinking green tea is good for health and helps prevent many illnesses.

According to the study, certain ingredients in green tea play a role in reducing the incidence of osteoporosis. "Fluoride slows the loss of bone mass while flavonoid improves the bone mass. Two other substances of green tea, polyphenol and tannin, also help improve bone mass," Chang said.

Chang refuted some doctors' warning that drinking tea could cause osteoporosis as caffeine promotes the excretion of calcium through urine. "We think polyphenol and tannin in green tea offset the effect of caffeine," he said.

Osteoporosis, or porous bone, is the most common type of bone disease. It is caused by the loss of bone density, making it easier for elderly people to have hip, wrist or vertebral fractures. Doctors at the National Cheng Kung University Hospital conducted the survey among women in Tianliao village in Kaohsiung Country, sounthern Taiwan.

(Source adapted from The Sun newspaper in April 2011)

So, after reading the article above, would you like to have a cup of tea?! As for me, I will have my tea everyday! :)

Tai Chi for the Heart

People with chronic heart failure may be able to boost their quality of life by doing the ancient Chinese exercise regimen of Tai Chi, a US study suggested.

2 groups of sessions of one hour each week were enough to show significant improvements in mood and confidence, said the Boston-based study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal of the American Medical Association.

The study compared 50 US heart patients who enrolled in Tai Chi classes to 50 who took classroom study in heart education. Physical responses were similar in both groups, but those who did Tai Chi showed "significant" improvements according to their answers in a questionnaire to assess their emotional state.

The Tai Chi group also reported "better exercise self-efficacy (confidence to perform certain exercise-related activities) increased daily activity, and related feelings of well-being compared with the education group," said the study.

While experts admit they do not fully understand the science behind the findings, the study offers a positive option for complementing standard medical care of people with chronic heart failure, a debilitating and progressive disease that limits a person's ability to breathe and move.

"Tai Chi appears to be a safe alternative to low-to-moderate intensity conventional exercise training,"said lead author of Gloria Yeh of Beth  Israel Deaconess Medical Centre.

"Tai Chi has a good rate of adherence and may provide value in improving daily exercise, life quality, self-efficacy and mood in frail, deconditioned patients with systolic heart failure."

Yeh is also assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Research and Education in Complimentary and Integrative Medical Therapies at Harvard Medical School.

Previous studied have suggested Tai Chi, which involves slow, circular movements and balance-shifting exercises, may be helpful to people who suffer from high blood pressure, fibromyalgia and stress.

Thus, let's get started for the Tai Chi!!!

(Source adapted from The Sun newpaper dated 3/5/2011) 

Vitamin B no help to severe Vascular sufferers

Vitamin B, while harmless, does not help prevent a repeat occurance of strokes or heart attacks, according to a recent study published in the British medical journal 'The Lancet'.

The findings, based on first-ever clinical trials, suggest that vitamin B supplements should no longer be recommended for patients who have suffered severe vascular events, the researchers said. Previous research has shown a link between an increase of amino acid in the blood - a condition known as homocysteine - and a higher risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. At the same time, other studies have shown that a daily dose of Vitamin B can reduce abnormal amino acid levels.

What remained unknown was whether the supplements would also help cut the risk of repeat heart attacks or strokes, fatal or non-fatal. To find out, an international consortium of doctors and scientists in 20 countires conducted a clinical trial with more than 8000 patients who had recently had a serious heart or vascular problem.

Half the participants were given a daily dose of B Vitamins - a mix of folic acid, B6 and B12 - while the other half swallowed lookalike placebos. During a follow-up period that average 3.4 years, there was no statistically significant difference in the outcome : 15% of of the Vitamin B group experienced a major vascular event, compared to 17% for the control group. At the same time, the vitamins did not cause any unwanted side effects.

(Source adapted from The Sun dated 18/10/2010)

Yoga to Steady the Heartbeat

There are many people are doing yoga nowadays. As we know that there are yoga classes available for women, man, kids and even dogs. I have read an article about yoga lately. It is stated that yoga helps to steady our heartbeat. Thus I would like to share this article with you.

According to a study released in the US, people who suffer from irregular heartbeat may see their episodes cut in half if they do yoga regularly. Doing yoga 3 times a week also reduced depress ion and anxiety while boosting people’s opinion of their own social and mental wellbeing, said the study, presented at a New Orleans cardiology conference.


“It appears yoga has a significant impact on helping to regulate patients’ heartbeat and improving their overall life quality,” said lead study author Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, associate professor of medicine at University of Kansas Hospital.


The study followed 49 patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat rhythm c9ndition that arises when the heart’s natural electrical signals fire off in a disorganised way, causing the heart to quiver.

For the first 3 months of the trial, patients were allowed to engage in their usual exercise routine. For the second 3 months, patients attended 3 yoga sessions per with with a certified instructor, and were encouraged to practice at home with an educational DVD.


All the patients in the study were new to yoga. Researchers measured the subjects’ episodes of irregular heartbeats using portable monitors and log books where the patients recorded their own symptoms.


The yoga intervention “significantly reduced” irregular heartbeat episodes by about half on average, compares to the control portion of the study when patients did their own exercises, said the study.


Depression and anxiety scores on self-reported surveys were also lower, and physical function, general health, vitality, social functioning and mental health were higher.


From the article, it shows that yoga helps us on heath. So, do you plan to start doing yoga?!

 
(Article adapted from the Sun paper dated 8/2/2011)