Health

English singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne, widely regarded as the godfather of heavy metal, passed away on Tuesday, July 22, at the age of 76. In a statement, his family said, “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love.” While the cause of death has not been disclosed, the frontman of the pioneering heavy metal band ‘Black Sabbath’ had been battling health issues in recent years. In 2020, the musician had revealed that he was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. What is Parkinson’s disease? Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects movement and balance, but can also lead to pain, disturbed sleep, mental health challenges, and ot...

A person`s compulsive nature could be the reason why such individuals indulge in self-destructive behaviour, making harmful choices despite knowing the obvious negative outcomes, according to a new study. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications Psychology, also found that making compulsive decisions did not appear to be random mistakes or people having "bad days". "They`re stable traits — almost like personality types. This is not to say they`re fixed, just that they may require (an) intervention to break," said lead researcher Philip Jean-Richard Dit Bressel, a behavioural neuroscientist and experimental psychologist at The University of New South Wales. Researchers said self-sabotaging choices do not arise out of a lack of motivation or capacity — rather from a subtl...

The benefits of yoga can be seen all year round and for people of all ages and that has led to not only Indians but also people from different parts of the world to adopt asanas in their daily life. While every kind of child and adult benefits from it, health experts say pregnant women can also benefit a lot from a type called Prenatal Yoga.  Over time, there have been many different kinds of yoga that have been classified for specific purposes, and yoga during pregnancy is one such routine that can help a great deal. So, what is prenatal yoga? Danny Laliwala, consultant, obstetrics & gynaecology at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre in Mumbai says prenatal yoga focuses on physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and mental exercises to help pregnant women stay...

Living with medical conditions is often difficult and may often go unnoticed in many cases as people believe it is not so serious, as is the case of a 31-year-old woman, married with children. She had been battling severe headaches for over three years pain so intense and constant that she relied on daily painkillers just to function.  While she was repeatedly diagnosed with migraine in the past, there was no real relief. As she felt her life was shrinking around her, she opted to meet Mumbai-based health expert Dr Sheetal Goyal, who is a consultant neurologist at Wockhardt Hospitals in Mumbai Central. After all the necessary tests, Dr Goyal found that it was a regrowth of a hormone-secreting pituitary tumour. Initially referred as a routine case of migraine, Dr Goyal noticed key red fla...

A four-day workweek might help with an employee`s well-being, according to a study that trialled the intervention in organisations across the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Researchers from Boston College in the US and University College Dublin in Ireland found that workers reported an improved well-being with lower levels of burnout, a better job satisfaction and physical and mental health -- this was not seen among employees of 12 organisations where a reduced workweek was not trialled. For the study, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, nearly 2,900 employees across 141 organisations in the six high-income countries worked four days a week for six months without a pay reduction. To maintain productivity, workplaces were re-organised with efficiency an...

In a rare and surprising case, a 51-year-old woman, who is a homemaker and mother of two children, has been successfully treated by doctors in Pune, after they found that she had a large tumour (fibroid) growing in her uterus almost the size of a football, and she was completely unaware of it, considering it as an asymptomatic fibroid.  The fibroid, weighing around 3 kilograms, was safely removed by the doctors at Motherhood Hospital in Kharadi giving her a new lease of life. It all started just two months ago when the woman noticed a small bulge in her stomach. Since she didn’t have any pain or discomfort, she ignored it. But during a regular check-up, a general physician felt a lump and advised her to get a sonography done. That’s when the big shock came, the scan showed a massive 20 cm...

US President Donald Trump was recently diagnosed with ‘chronic venous insufficiency’ following a medical check-up after noticing “mild swelling” in his lower legs. During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the US President was diagnosed with a vein condition which is "common in individuals over the age of 70”. Reading a letter from Trump’s doctor, she further revealed that there was no evidence of more serious conditions such as deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease, and stressed that the President remains in “excellent health”. Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a condition in which the veins in the legs have trouble sending blood back to the heart because of damaged valves. “Over time, this causes blood to pool in the legs. It’s more commo...

Dogs may have `personalities` which guide their television viewing habits -- an anxious dog might respond more to cars or a doorbell sound, while an excitable one is more likely to follow on-screen objects, a study has found. Researchers from Auburn University, US, also found that pet dogs may perceive two-dimensional objects on the TV screen in a manner similar to those in the three-dimensional environment. The results, published in the journal Scientific Reports, help understand a pet dog`s internal, perceptual experience and may inform interventions taken towards their welfare. "In practice, engagement with television could provide dogs with an enriching, meaningful experience," the authors wrote. About 650 dog owners responded to surveys after observing their dog`s TV viewing habit...

Scientists have identified a key gene essential for vitamin D absorption, which may also boost treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases.  The gene, called SDR42E1, is crucial for taking up vitamin D from the gut and further metabolising it -- a discovery with many possible applications in precision medicine, including cancer therapy. "Here we show that blocking or inhibiting SDR42E1 may selectively stop the growth of cancer cells,” said Dr Georges Nemer, Professor at the University of College of Health and Life Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar. Previous research showed that a specific mutation in the SDR42E1 gene on chromosome 16 is associated with vitamin D deficiency. The mutation caused the protein to be cut short, rendering it inactive. In the study, publishe...

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are rising at alarming rates worldwide in adults younger than 50 years, according to two studies.  The first study, published in JAMA, showed that the surging cancer cases go beyond colorectal, and include gastric, oesophageal, and pancreatic. "Colorectal cancer is the most common early-onset GI cancer worldwide, accounting for more than half of the cases, but it is not the only GI cancer that is rising in younger adults. Unfortunately, pancreatic, gastric, and oesophageal cancers are also increasing in young people," said Dr. Kimmie Ng, from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the US. "The rising incidence of early-onset GI cancers is alarming and underscores the need for enhanced prevention strategies and early detection methods," Ng added. The second study,...