Marma points in Ayurveda

Marmas are vital centres or subtle energy fields on the body. They are storehouses of life breath pranic energy. A thrust or unusual throbbing on these parts can cause serious problems and eventually death. Marmas are not structural organs like liver, heart or lungs, but are sensitive areas located at the junctions of the muscles, bones, and nerves. The knowledge of marma is available in Ayurveda as well as in Kerala's martial art form, Kalaripayattu. An injury to the marma because of external causes like falls and accidents can harm the body, but can be treated with medicines, therapies, and manipulation techniques and with counter thrust on other body parts.
Protect marma points
Modern science hasn't realised the concept of marma yet, hence the diagnosis of a marma injury is never done by clinical investigations. Most marma damages are difficult to diagnose, but a marma expert can identify injuries through signs and symptoms on the body. For example if the Urvi marma on the thigh is hurt, the patient may get continuous belching. A special kind of pressure on the thigh can stop this belching. No medicines are required. This shows the connection between different body parts and energy transmission. In a fatal head injury, symptoms of vomiting and giddiness can be successfully treated with special oil therapy on the head. Legs are paralysed in a marma injury at the base of the spine.
Marma therapy in disease
The Marma technique can heal many diseases. There are 107 marma points on the body and these are similar to meridians in acupuncture and acupressure. The pressure applied on marma points is good in healing hypertension, neurological problems, stomach aches, gastritis and so on. To cite an example, pressure on a particular point under the feet helps to control migraine. Marma therapy is a combination of medicines, fracture management and manipulation. Marma points must be protected and the body itself has a natural mechanism to protect them. Marma points are there in animals and birds too, but in them, they are even more sensitive than in humans. A lot of practical expertise and skill is necessary for using this knowledge effectively.
Source:TNN

Electrical pulse treatment gives pancreatic cancer patients new hope

Electrical pulse treatment gives pancreatic cancer patients new hope
Innovative interventional radiology procedure zaps around complicated pancreatic tumors, improving prognosis and pancreatic cancer treatment paradigm
Results of a study presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 37th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., signal a light at the end of the tunnel for individuals with inoperable locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). A new procedure called irreversible electroporation or IRE uses microsecond electrical pulses to force open and destroy tumor cells around a vast and delicate network of blood vessels of the pancreas. The technique has been successful in treating primary and metastatic liver cancer and IRE is now in the first stages of implementation as a treatment for pancreatic cancer.
"We think in another 12 to 15 months we will have a lot more evidence to support the use of IRE for inoperable pancreatic cancer patients," said Govindarajan Narayanan, M.D., chief of vascular and interventional radiology, associate professor of clinical radiology and program director for the vascular interventional radiology fellowship at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Fla. "If we continue to get good results, this procedure could provide a huge benefit for people who honestly don't have a lot of choices. It could potentially change the rules of how these cases are managed," he added.
Pancreatic tumors are notoriously difficult to treat because any method that uses heat or cold to remove the cancer comes with too much risk of collateral damage to important blood vessels in and around the organ. IRE involves guiding electrode needles into the tumor, which gives cancer cells a series of jolts of localized high-voltage electricity that break open the cell membranes, effectively killing the cancerous tissues around these blood vessels.
"People with locally advanced pancreatic cancer don't have a lot of treatment choices available. Irreversible electroporation gives these individuals a new treatment option and a potentially greater chance of survival," said Narayanan. "Without IRE, these people are essentially left with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. At this point the prognosis for this group is pretty dismal and they have an estimated survival of less than one year. With this procedure, there is the potential to have the tumor peeled off the blood vessels, and follow up treatment to repair the affected area of the pancreas," he noted.
According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 43,920 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and approximately 37,390 people will die of the disease this year. About one in 71 people are expected to develop pancreatic cancer in their lifetime.
For this study, researchers gathered records for eight patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer referred for percutaneous irreversible electroporation. All subjects had the procedure performed between December 2010 and September 2011. Pancreatic tumors were found to be between 2.5 and 6.8 centimeters in size and each participant had formerly received a median of two other methods of treatment. A median span of time of about 9 months took place between diagnosis and treatment with IRE. Participants underwent post-procedure CT imaging to gauge the effectiveness of treatment. Out of the original eight inoperable individuals, two went on to have surgery. Both had successful resections and remain cancer-free after months following treatment.
IRE is performed with a technology dubbed NanoKnife, which has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the surgical ablation of soft tissue.
"As we move forward there will be a lot of new technology and techniques like this that will help shape cancer care," said Narayanan.
Source:Eurekalert

Scientists unlock key to cancer cell death mystery

Team discovers mechanism for destroying particular cancer cells
An international team of scientists has announced a new advance in the ability to target and destroy certain cancer cells.
A group led by the University of Leicester has shown that particular cancer cells are especially sensitive to a protein called p21. This protein usually forces normal and cancer cells to stop dividing but it was recently shown that in some cases it can also kill cancer cells.
However, scientists have been unclear about how this happens.
Researcher Salvador Macip, from the University of Leicester Department of Biochemistry, said: "If we could harness this 'killing power' that p21 has, we could think of designing new therapies aimed at increasing its levels in tumours. This is what motivated us to look into it".
Now the team from the universities of Leicester and Cardiff in the UK, University of South Carolina, USA and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden has discovered that cells from sarcomas tend to die in response to p21 and that this is determined by the sensitivity of their mitochondria to oxidants.
They have published their findings in The Journal of Biological Chemistry. The research was funded by the MRC, the NIH, CONACYT and the Swedish Cancer Society
Dr Macip added: "Our research also showed that p21 can kill cells even in the absence of p53, a protein that is in the main responsible for cell death but is inactivated in most cancers.
"This shows that certain types of cancer, sarcomas for instance, but maybe also others, should respond well to drugs that increase the levels of p21, even if they don't have an active p53. The side effects of these therapies should be minimal, since our experiments show that normal cells would arrest but not die in response to p21.
"There are already drugs available that selectively increase p21. Our results provide a rationale for testing them in certain types of cancers, which could be identified using the experiments we describe."
Source:Eurekalert

ICMR issues Guidance on submission of documents for transfer of biological materials for R&D

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has issued Guidance on the submission of papers and documents for the purpose of transfer of human biological material for commercial purposes and /or research for development of commercial products.
Senior ICMR officials said that the evaluation of cases will be a continuous process and the ICMR will process the applications four times in a year.
Officials said that as per the guidelines issued by the union health ministry on November 19, 1997, a committee has been constituted by DG, ICMR to consider the cases related to transfer of human biological material for commercial purposes. The evaluation of cases where infectious biological material/samples are proposed to be transferred from foreign research centers to Indian diagnostic laboratories/research centers or vice versa for analysis; transfer of human biological waste material or any other cases for commercial purposes will be considered by this committee.
Officials also said that for transfer of samples, the Indian applicants should follow the ‘Guidance on regulations for the transport of Infectious substances (2009-2010)’ as published by World Health Organization (WHO). There are specific packing instructions as per United Nations class (6.2) specifications to be followed during transport of infectious substances. Unless otherwise declared the biological materials such as blood and/or blood components; dried blood spots and faecal occult blood; medical or clinical wastes are to be considered under the ‘infectious substance category’.
The documents which are required to be submitted by the applicants to ICMR include: application form for transfer of samples; Material Transfer Agreement (MTA); the Institutional/Independent Ethics Committee (IEC) clearance along with the composition of Ethics committee; and the patient information sheet and informed consent form (as approved by IEC) giving details on the utilization of samples of the patient for a particular research/R&D study and the kind of benefit (direct/indirect or no benefit - as applicable) for appropriate decision making by the patient.
Besides, the applicants should also submit the documents like the informed consent/undertaking of individual patient(s) agreeing to the utilization of his/her said biological samples for a particular study/purpose. The undertaking should also clearly state that the patient is willing /not willing (as agreeable to patient) to claim any commercial benefit on the product developed as a result of work carried out on his/her biological samples.
The applicants should also submit the import certificate as issued by the relevant foreign regulatory authority to the foreign laboratory receiving the Indian biological samples; the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Indian laboratory and international agency defining the commercial benefits to each party; and safety or operations manual being followed/adopted as safety procedures by the laboratory for the workers involved in activities involving possible exposure to pathogens through blood or other body fluids.
Other documents to be submitted to the IMCR include the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) certificate as issued by the Department of Science & Technology, or equivalent; the disposal plan and necessary clearances for disposal of biohazardous, potentially infectious leftover samples; an Undertaking that GoI guidelines on biomedical disposal will be followed; and the valid recognition letter as issued by office of DCGI for approval as Bioavailability/Bioequivalence study centre (for laboratories where biological samples are being received for BA/BE studies).
Source:Pharmabiz

Ambassador of Ayurveda in Argentina :Dr Sergio Lais-Suarez, an oncologist and surgeon

Dr Sergio Lais-Suarez, an oncologist and surgeon, has introduced Ayurveda as a medical course in Argentinian universities
For a vegetarian and teetotaller from Latin America who practices yoga and meditation every day, Sergio Lais- Suarez of Argentina is more Indian than me, says R. Viswanathan, Ambassador of India to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay who is self confessedly passionate about Latin America.
The good doctor not only has profound knowledge of Indian philosophy and traditions, he has been practicing, teaching and promoting Ayurveda for the last thirty two years.
Sergio's passion for Ayurveda ignited in 1980 when he visited India for a seminar. At that time, Ayurveda was completely unknown in Latin America and he had to struggle to convince the Argentines.
It helped that he was an oncologist and a surgeon. After 16 years of unrelenting persuasion, he was instrumental in the setting up of a Department of Ayurveda Medicine. With its success, the University of Buenos Aires opened an Ayurvedic course followed by University of Maimonides. In no time, the Catholic University and Cordoba University had followed suit.
Dr Sergio also melded ayurveda with the concept of medical tourism by opening the first ayurvedic health resort and spa on the banks of a stream and surrounded by hills and greenery, The spa offered full fledged treatment for health recovery and anti-stress, attracting, top business and political leaders, thus raising the profile of Ayurveda in Argentina.
Actually the wheels were set in motion seven years after his return from India, but in a different Latin American country. Dr Sergio was selected by the Brazilian Health Ministry to train 350 doctors in Ayurvedic medicine. He was part of a team coordinated by Vaidya Gopinath Raju from Hyderabad.
The team also taught Ayurvedic medical meditation and anti-stress techniques to the military police in several cities of Brazil. Dr Sergio recalls the incredible scene of the police, with their uniform and guns, seated in large groups with eyes closed practising meditation twice a day. These two programmes, which became successful, have made Ayurveda popular in Brazil. The success of Dr Sergio's Ayurvedic work in Argentina and Brazil opened the doors to other Latin American countries.
He has been giving lectures across the region and his series on FOX Latin America TV Channel has raised the profile of Ayurveda in the region as a whole. He is also on the lecture circuit in universities and non-governmental organizations in USA and Japan too.
His mission now is to get Ayurveda accepted officially and legally as an alternative system of medicine in Argentina and in Latin America. This is where he needs the support of India with scientific documentation, public promotion activities such as seminars and registration of Ayurvedic medicines with the local regulatory authorities.
In recognition of his passion for India, Dr Sergio has been made the Honorary Consul of India for Cordoba and other interior provinces of Argentina since 2007.
He has taken up this job seriously and has been organizing a number of events and giving speeches promoting India-Argentina relations especially in culture and business.
When Dr Sergio speaks about India, in his native Argentine accent with jokes and anecdotes, India's image gets more boost than that of any Indian speech.
“Dr Sergio is an Indian in spirit, honorary consul in protocol but more than these, he is an Ambassador of Ayurveda,” notes Ambassador Viswanathan.
Source:The Hindu

Two Cups Of Tea a Day Boost Women's Chances of Having a Baby

A new study has revealed that drinking two cups of tea a day could boost women's chances of becoming pregnant.
It found women were 27 per cent more likely to become pregnant if they regularly drank tea compared with those who did not, the Daily Mail reported.
On the other hand, the same research also revealed that consuming two cola-style fizzy drinks daily apparently reduces a woman's prospects of conceiving - and it makes no difference if the cola is a diet or sugary version.
Women who drank these soft drinks at least twice a day cut their chances of becoming pregnant by 20 per cent.
There was no effect on the chances of pregnancy for women who chose to drink coffee.
The study took into consideration a group of 3,600 women who were actively trying to have a baby.
The study's author, Professor Elizabeth Hatch, of Boston University in the United States, wanted to find out if caffeine intake had any impact on women trying for a baby.
Although there have been other studies on the subject, their results have not been conclusive.
Prof Hatch observed each of the volunteers for a year. Danish women were chosen for the research as every Danish citizen is given a civil registration number at birth, allowing health officials to recruit and then screen individuals through the Internet.
The women, with an average age of 28, formed the largest group ever studied to evaluate a link between caffeine consumption and pregnancy.
"We found that women who drank tea two or three times a day did have a 27 per cent increased chance of becoming pregnant. We don't know how they took the tea or if they added milk or lemon, but they had this increased chance of getting pregnant over women who did not drink tea at all," Prof Hatch said.
Green tea, such as that being picked in this field in Japan, was not found to increase a woman's chances of getting pregnant
"It may be linked to caffeine but clearly there may be other factors linked with the women's lifestyle or there may be beneficial properties in tea itself."
"I think drinking two or three cups of tea a day for anyone wishing to get pregnant will be fine. I would love to say tea is a miracle cure to get pregnant but that is not realistic. There may be other factors. The tea drinkers tended to be older women and there may be something else in their diet or lifestyle that helped.
"Tea contains a lot of antioxidants which are very good for male and female fertility," she added.
Source-ANI

Sense of Smell Enhanced by Anxiety

A new study has suggested that anxious people have a heightened sense of smell when it comes to sniffing out a threat.
In animals, the sense of smell is an essential tool to detect, locate and identify predators in the surrounding environment. In fact, the olfactory-mediated defense system is so prominent in animals, that the mere presence of predator odours can evoke potent fear and anxiety responses.
Smells also evoke powerful emotional responses in humans.
Elizabeth Krusemark and Wen Li from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US hypothesized that in humans, detection of a particular bad smell may signal danger of a noxious airborne substance, or a decaying object that carries disease.
They exposed 14 young adult participants to three types of odors - neutral pure odour, neutral odour mixture, and negative odour mixture.
The researchers then asked them to detect the presence or absence of an odour in an MRI scanner.
During scanning, they also measured the skin's ability to conduct electricity - a measure of arousal level, and monitored the subjects' breathing patterns.
Once the odour detection task was over, and the subjects were still in the scanner, they were asked to rate their current level of anxiety. The authors then analysed the brain images obtained.
They found that as anxiety levels rose, so did the subjects' ability to discriminate negative odours accurately - suggesting a "remarkable" olfactory acuity to threat in anxious subjects.
The skin conductance results showed that anxiety also heightened emotional arousal to smell-induced threats.
The authors uncovered amplified communication between the sensory and emotional areas of the brain in response to negative odours, particularly in anxiety. This increased connectivity could be responsible for the heightened arousal to threats.
"This enhanced sensory-emotional coupling could serve as a critical mechanism to arouse adequate physiological alertness to potential insults," the researchers concluded.
The study has been published online in the journal Chemosensory Perception.

Source-ANI