Intermittent fasting can be a double edged sword!! On one hand, it could help us to lose our excess body weight but on another hand it can also result in heart diseases in us. Shocking? The intermittent fasting has gained huge popularity in recent times. Here, persons eat their meals in a restricted time span of a few hours  (8 hours per day)and not eat any food for the remaining time of the day. Recently, research study has brought out that intermittent fasting could be dangerous as it can lead to heart diseases etc in us. The research has been published in Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome. In the research study, as many as 19000 individuals were taken into consideration. Point is that the research was based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey or NHANES. It was revealed by the research study that participants who restricted eating to an 8 hour time frame every day had 135% more chances of getting affected by heart related illness like heart attacks, strokes etc when compared to participants who eat food in the 12 hours to 14 hours range time.. Various reasons why intermittent fasting can result in above mentioned heart issues are Loss of lean muscle mass: By extreme fasting, loss of lean muscle mass would be there and this would not be good for the heart. Circadian rhythms: It must be noted that a diet that has too little time in the day might mislead the body clock and affect heart functions. Low quality of foods: Truth is that a person might over eat on energy dense and low nutrient foods during the period of consuming such meals. This could lead to risk to the heart. Body strain: It is learnt that prolonged fasting over a period of time would lead to strain on the body`s stress levels leading to adverse effects on the heart. Things to keep in mind during intermittent fasting: Please keep away from very short eating windows of less than 8 hours. It is necessary to eat heart healthy and weight healthy foods while eating in the windows. Watching out for symptoms like dizziness, palpitations, tiredness etc. Consulting a medical expert is very important t before beginning fasting routines. For heart health to be good, gradual calorie cutting plus good nutrition is important. Please take care it`s your health.

Do you have pets at home, especially cats? If yes, here is an important piece of information for you!! It is true that cats are superb companions to many. There are many people who like to play with cats and their paws etc. Not many would be aware of the fact that we could get one disease through the cat scratches. Shocking isn’t it!! A zoonotic infection called Cat Scratch Disease or CSD caused by bacterium Bartonella Henselae could be transmitted through cat scratches, bites or through saliva from the infected cats. So, please be careful and take care. Those with CSD would show several symptoms like swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, fever etc. This was mentioned by a Neurologist working in Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals. In certain severe cases, the person could develop brain encephalopathy with symptoms like confusion, seizures, headaches etc. How can CSD affect brain health? Mostly, CSD affected persons would show mild symptoms only. Brain encephalopathy occurs when bacteria affect the brain. The person affected would have altered mental state and other severe symptoms. To manage the symptoms well, early diagnosis of CSD and prompt treatment would be essential. Prevention methods: Especially those with weak immunity must follow preventive measures. Kittens would carry Bartonella Henselae and rough play with kittens must be avoided. Maintaining good hygiene is very essential after playing with cats. In this regard, we must wash our hands well after handling cats and clean any scratches or bites etc. Never pick up stray kittens from roads etc. Finally, fleas on cats must be controlled as they can spread the disease. Medical attention: It is necessary that we must seek a doctor immediately if we get symptoms like persistent fever, swollen lymph nodes and neurological issues etc. Blood tests are done on the affected persons and antibiotics would be provided. Those with CSD can manage the symptoms at homes also by taking OTC medicines for pain relief. Warm compress can be applied to swollen lymph nodes. Note: There are less chances of getting CSD from indoor cats as the cats would get B. Henselae infection through fleas only.

How many of us are aware of what kiwi fruit is? A small oval shaped fruit with brown skin and loaded with many ingredients like fibres, antioxidants, vitamin C etc is kiwi fruit In Tamil it is known as Kiwi Pazham and it is a powerhouse of nutrients. It is native to China but developed in New Zealand. It is true that we can get numerous health benefits from eating this kiwi fruit. The health benefits are Boosts immunity: Not many would know that one kiwi fruit has got more vitamin C than orange. Kiwi fruit is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C.  By consuming this kiwi fruit, our immunity would get boosted and we would be able to avoid infections, diseases etc. Especially during changing weather, intake of this fruit would be superb. Helps digestion: The enzyme that is present in kiwi fruit is actinidin and this would break down proteins more efficiently. This would help in easier and smoother digestion. The fibre present in kiwi fruit would help in maintaining gut health. Point is that those persons who have indigestion must eat atleast one kiwi fruit daily. Good for heart health: For our lives to be normal, it is essential that we must have good heart health. In this regard, the intake of kiwi fruit would be superb for us. Being potassium rich, kiwi fruit would help in balancing sodium in the body and BP would get controlled. It has been brought to light that eating kiwi fruit would help us to prevent heart diseases. Good for skin: Collagen production would get supported by the presence of vitamin C in kiwi fruit. Our skin would be firm and glowing. The appearance of fine lines and wrinkles etc would get slowed down due to the presence of antioxidants in the kiwi fruit. Improves sleep quality: Many these days have insomnia or poor sleep. It is worthy to note that eating kiwi fruit would improve sleep quality. It must be noted that persons who suffer from restless nights must eat this fruit. Good for weight management:  Intake of kiwi fruit would help us to manage weight. Point is that we would feel full by eating kiw fruit and by this we would avoid eating unnecessarily. This would help p us to lose weight in a healthier manner.

Suppose there was a method that would hold a fractured bone together within a few minutes and that without the need of screws, plates etc, how would it be? Sound`s Unbelievable right!! For all these years, those persons who had broken bones would have felt severe pain and they would have stayed long in the hospitals for treatment etc. Moreover, healing would also have taken longer for them. Soon, these issues would not be there as the researchers have now found out a speedy fantastic solution in the form of bone glue. What is bone glue or bone-02? It is learnt that a research team in China led by Dr. Lin Xianfeng at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospitals have developed a Bone-02 an adhesive which was inspired by Oysters natural ability to attach to the wet surfaces. It is known that Oyster`s stick well even in the rough water filled conditions and based on this the China based researchers have developed a glue that can hold or bond broken bones. The specialty of this bone glue is that it is bio-absorbable, that is it is easily absorbed in the body as the healing progresses. As a result, there would be no need for a second surgery to remove the metal implants etc. About 150 patients with broken bones were tested with this glue and it was highly effective even under stress. It is worthy to note that this bone glue or Bone 02 worked in real surgeries rather than just lab tests. Potential advantages of this bone gel are It has been found out that this bone glue sets in just 2 to 3 minutes and due to this the operation times could become short. This bone glue would help the doctors to avoid metal plates, screws etc to fix the broken bones.  Hence, issues like complications of rejection, corrosion of the implant and infection would not be there. Finally, no subsequent surgery would be needed to remove the bone glue as it is bio-absorbable. By this, the patient body as well as money would be saved. Things which are not clear as of now: Point is that early results have been superb and encouraging but there are some questions that haven`t been answered. Long term durability is very important and there is a doubt regarding the effectiveness of this bone glue over several years. Just1 50 patients have been tested with this glue but to confirm its safety much broader studies would be required. It is also not clear now regarding the cost, manufacturing of glue and surgeons training etc. Point is that putting new glue for bone fixation means modifying procedures, ensuring supply and   training surgeons for correct use etc.