…اشكر علي جميع نعم الله

Close encounters with iPods caused interference with cardiac pacemakers in 50 per cent of patients, according to electromagnetic tests. When the iPods were held 5cm from patients’ chests for 5-10 seconds, some pacemakers could misread heart function, and , in one case, the life perserving device temporarily stopped functioning.

The study of 83 people fitted with pacemakers was conducted by a secondary school student, Jay Thaker, with the help of University of Michigan researchers. “Although the typical pacemaker patient may not be an iPod user, they are often in close contact with grandchildren who are users,” says Thaker.

Credits: RD

The dangers of low birth weight and later heart risk may have been over-estimated, according to a review by The George Institute for International Health in Sydney.

The study review found only a small association between birth weight and the future risk of heart disease. “We found a 1kg difference - going from 2.5kg to 3.5kg in birth weight - was associated with just a 10-15 per cent reduction in the risk of heart disease in later life,” says Dr Rachel Huxley, the study’s lead author. “Some reports have suggested a kilogram difference carriers a 25-40 per cent greater risk.”

Huxley says efforts to increase early foetal growth can change birth weight only by as much as 100g, which translates to just a 1-2 per cent lower risk of heart disease. Risk factors operating in later adult life, such as smoking and obesity, are more important, she says.

Got a health problem you don’t want to talk about? Here’s help!

Jiahui brushes her teeth every morning and evening. She cleans her mouth thoroughly with a mouth rinse, and chews mint gum regularly. But all these fail to get rid of her bad breath, or halitosis. The 45-year-old trading company executive from Hong Kong feels terrible when her boyfriend drops a subtle hint and asks her to chew gum, and finds it most embarrassing when her friends or even complete strangers notice her bad breath. “I must do something about it,” she told herself.

Almost everyone has, at some point, experienced an embarrassing health problem or another - leaking urine, smelly feet or bad breath that won’t go away. Although not life threatening, such problems can affect quality of life. What many don’t realise is that they can be cured or managed. Yet people often feel too self-conscious to speak to a doctor - and suffer in silence - even though doctors have heard it all before and are able to deal with these problems.

BAD BREATH

As well as causing stress, bad breath can be exacerbated by stress. It can also be caused by throat and sinus infections or periodontal disease. Breath can also become foul from smoking, drinking alcohol an eating foods such as garlic.
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