Keeping your memory active Post-Alzheimer’s

The word dementia means deprived of the mind. It is a catch all term that covers memory loss, confusion, and dwindling ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. As September 21 marks the World Alzheimer’s Day, it is important that we understand that being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s could mean a difficult life ahead, but it could be made easier by maintaining proper brain health.

Health services disrupted due to COVID-19

According to a recent WHO survey, 90% of countries are experiencing disruptions to essential health services due to the pandemic. The most frequently disrupted areas reported include routine immunization, non-communicable diseases diagnosis and treatment, family planning and contraception, treatment for mental health disorders, and cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Let’s take a close look at a Colles’ Fracture

Have you ever experienced a broken wrist following a fall on an outstretched arm giving rise to a swollen wrist which is so painful? This type of a fracture is called a Colles’ fracture, named after Abraham Colles, who wrote papers on it in 1814, interestingly even before X-rays were discovered.

It’s time to work together to prevent suicide

A person’s state of mind can change every second. Therefore you may feel happy in one instance and extremely low in the other and vice versa. When you feel low you feel like the whole world is going against you resulting in a state of low self-worth. This is one of the triggers to take one’s life. But as psychiatrists point out, suicide has a spectrum of intentionality.

Life after your first stroke

Stroke happens all of a sudden. It turns your world upside down. Following a stroke there are few challenges one might have to face with. Stroke could affect one’s physical, mental and social well-being. Stroke can be beatable. Rehabilitation is the key to achieving and celebrating all the small victories along your way to recovery.

Be aware of your bone density

Bone density, or bone mineral density, is the amount of mineral in the bone tissue. The lower the bone density, the greater the risk of breaking a bone. A bone density test is done to assess the bones, to know if the bones are normal, low in density, causing osteopenia, or osteoporotic (brittle bones, prone to fracture)

Curcumin has incredible benefits against depression

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. Studies suggest that curcumin has incredible benefits against depression.

Agencies warn of major disruptions in health services

The number of global under-five deaths dropped to its lowest point on record in 2019 – down to 5.2 million from 12.5 million in 1990, according to new mortality estimates released by UNICEF, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the World Bank Group.

Let’s add those immunity boosters

With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the interest relating immunity boosting food has spiked up. While adding immunity boosting food to the diet would certainly help you have a healthier immunity and helps prevention of many diseases,

Patients can be sent home within 24 hours

What happens when something pushed down keeps getting pushed back up? This uncomfortable mechanism is exactly what happens when you have ‘Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease’. The Health Capsule spoke to Consultant Gastrointestinal Surgeon Doctor Ranil Jayasena, in order to shed light on this irritating disease.

How to recover from lower back pain and sciatica

Happiness can be destroyed even by an existence of a minute physical pain. Joint pains and related muscular skeletal disorders are recorded comparatively in a high frequency in present society. Incidents of lower back pain brought as complaints by the individuals are increased without the impact of age. From mild to severe onsets of lower back pains can be observed with many underlying pathogenesis. Hence, negligence of a minute pain may lead to

Obesity increases risk of COVID-19 death by 48%

An analysis of thousands of patients treated at a Southern California health system identified extreme obesity as an independent risk factor for dying among Covid-19 patients — most strikingly, among younger and middle-aged adults 60 and younger, and particularly among men.

The best possible treatment for Gastroparesis

Gastroparesis is rapidly becoming a more common diagnosis. In view of ‘Gastroparesis Awareness Month’ the Daily Mirror Health Capsule sheds light on the syndrome, causes, symptoms and treatments available.

What does the colour of urine tell?

Urine is a body fluid which consists of a high content of water and multiple metabolic waste products; especially nitrogenous compounds such as urea, creatinine and other metabolic waste components. They are filtered from the blood using the kidneys. Urine is stored in the urinary bladder and is excreted from the body through the urethra. Moreover, there are several substances which may be excreted in urine due to an injury or infection of the gl

Getting under the skin of psoriasis

A beautiful skin is what everybody dreams of! Diseases related to skin definitely cause much distress in affected people. This is because the conditions easily gain the attention of others. Today on Health Capsule we are discussing issues associated with Psoriasis, a common skin problem equally affecting both men and women. This condition tends to appear and disappear unpredictably.

Did you know?

Walking against the wind, in the water, or while wearing a backpack burns about 50 more calories per hour than walking with no resistance. People who wear pedometers also tend to burn more calories and lose more weight.

Vital tips on how to improve sleep

Sleep is a basic human need and is essential for sound health, quality of life and performing well during the day. Several indicators can be used to describe sleep disturbance or sleep disorders.

Do heel spurs always cause heel pain?

A heel spur is a bony growth that usually begins on the front of your heel bone and points toward the arch of your foot. They don’t always cause pain. They often show up unexpectedly on X-rays taken for some other problem.

Knowing Peripheral Vascular Diseases

The heart and the blood vessels are basically the pump and pipes of the complex machine, that is the human body. This intricate plumbing system pumps out blood around the clock, throughout our lifetime to keep all the organs well perfused.

Understanding dialysis solutions

Life with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a struggle to say the least. CKD is the progressive and irreversible deterioration of the function of the kidneys over a period of time and patients rarely feel sick until their kidney disease is advanced.

COVID-positive mothers advised to continue breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is a recognised, time-tested and evidence-based intervention to reduce child morbidity and mortality. It significantly improves nutritional status, health and cognitive developments of infants and young children while protecting children and mothers from non-communicable diseases.

Yoga and menstrual health

Women globally suffer silently, battling menstrual complications every day. Medical interventions helps some, but it’s vital to explore other avenues of well-being to improve the quality of life. Yoga has been an age old solution for physical and mental issues and it is being rediscovered and redefined globally.

Dive in and plan your aquatic workouts!

Water sports have always been on top of the list when it comes to activities done to obtain health benefits; not only because of the adrenaline rush it creates in thrilling waves, but also due to the admirable tan and tone, your body achieves and the peace your mind gains outdoors, under the sun with fresh air!

What is the space between eyebrows called?

The space between your eyebrows and above your nose is called the glabella. The term is derived from the Latin word ‘glabellus’ meaning smooth. A dehydrated patient’s glabella tends to remain tented when pinched rather than returning to its normal state.

Iron Deficiency Anemia during pregnancy

Pregnancy is a period during which your body undergoes a great many changes and demands special attention.

URBANISATION AND HEALTH

The rapid pace at which ‘urbanisation’ takes place in the modern age cannot be ignored. It is an important social process, underpinning the very dynamics of human society; especially in the context of the 21st Century. As at present more than 50% of the world’s population resides in urban areas and it has been estimated that by the year 2050, 70% of the world’s population will be living in towns and cities. Therefore, as time progresses, the inev

COVID-19 directly linked to heart complications, two studies reveal

Two separate studies, published in the journal JAMA Cardiology provide more insight into how Covid-19 may have a prolonged impact on heart health in those who have recovered from illness and may have caused cardiac infection in those who died.

Life after a liver transplant

A team of doctors at the Colombo North Teaching Hospital was able to carry out the first successful paediatric liver transplant last week. However, according to Gastroenterological Surgeon Dr. Suchintha Tillakaratne from Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama Liver Transplant surgery is a very complex surgery.

Study links relationship between cancer and COVID-19

New research has found that cancer patients diagnosed more than 24 months ago are more likely to have a severe Covid-19 infection. So are cancer patients of Asian ethnicity or who were receiving palliative treatment for cancer. The study was conducted by researchers at King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust.

Sleep hygiene Key steps for a sound sleep

Sleep is a vital component of the daily routine which has a direct impact on our overall wellbeing and longevity. A better night’s sleep allows one to restore the equilibrium of his or her body by helping to reset and fine tune the normal functioning of the systems. Not only does it help to boost one’s physical and psychological strength adequate sleep aids in maintaining immune functions and wound healing, correcting metabolic and hormonal glitc