Potholes in the fast lane

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: Tech-No-logy? There are studies and there are more studies, leaving us, more than often, attempting to make sense of it all. Take the cell phone for instance. A recent research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that heavy mobile phone use may be linked to an increased risk of cancer of the salivary gland. According to the research you are 50% more likely to develop a salivary gland tumour, if you use the phone against one side of the head for several hours a day. So, what do you do while there’s no debate about the fact that the cell phone has become an indispensable part of life? “Electromagnetic radiation has been associated with carcinogenic symptoms, but the extent of association remains unproven… It’s too early to say anything,” says Dr Ashutosh Shukla, consultant, internal medicine, Artemis Health Institute. A relatively recent invention, Shukla gives cell phones the benefit of doubt. Not Amitabh Malik, ENT specialist at Paras hospital. “Advancement in technology comes at a price. I have come across several cases where cell phones have caused sterility in males and ipods have been linked to nerve deafness.” And with summer round the corner, you need to be careful about air conditioners. “Most people know that a direct blast of the AC is bad. But few know that excessive use of AC can cause the inner membrane of the nose to dry up, causing dry cough,” says Dr Amitabh Malik, ENT specialist at Paras hospital. Taking the middle path of “moderate cooling” is what Malik advises.

What you breathe…

Marketing executive Nikhil Gupta spends three hours commuting, every day. His journey is anything but pleasant. And what he hates most about it is “the traffic jams.” Health seems to be low on his list of priorities at the moment. Not once has it struck him that the air pollution he is being subjected to routinely, is making him vulnerable to upper respiratory infections like bronchitis and sinusitis. “Wash your nose regularly with saline — quite like Jal Neti is done in yoga. About 5 ml in a syringe should be helpful for one cleansing,” says Malik.

Food-wise

Fat-free, sugar-free, probiotic, added vitamins…. Food and beverage companies clearly seem to have found the mantra to boost sales. Fitness frenzy has taken over like never before. While packaged food gives you the liberty to pick and choose, what do you do about fruits, veggies and cereals? Unless you’ve gone the organic way too, you may be in for trouble. Dietician Rupali Datta from Fortis Healthcare feels “farm products, though the biggest suspects, are a necessary evil. You can’t do without them.” In developed societies like in the US, strict food guidelines have to be met. We are yet to reach that stage. The onus therefore lies on the consumer to make an intelligent choice. “Be a little careful while buying farm produce. Make sure that the surface is clean and there are no insect holes. Scrub them well while washing — the abrasion effect is important at this stage. Finally rinse them in diluted vinegar or lemon water” says Datta. Would peeling help? “It will. Except that it shall take away a substantial part of the nutrients as well.”

And, the most vulnerable to food contamination are children — it can stunt their growth.

At the fag end

All right, we know what we have tobacco to blame for: One third of all cancers in India; 90% of lung cancer deaths, 90% of oral cancers, 50% of all cancers in men and 25% of all cancers in women! Don’t ignore the figures if you are a non-smoker, because passive smoking is as hazardous for health. “While a cigarette can cut down a smoker’s life by an average of 14 minutes, non-smokers exposed to smoking are 25% more vulnerable to heart disease and lung cancer,” says Dr Randeep Guleria from the Department of Medicine in All India Institute of Medical Sciences. If that doesn’t trouble you enough, Guleria has more bad news to share: “For every eight deaths from active smoking, there is one from second-hand smoke.”

And as the research from Harvard School of Public Health proved, pregnant women exposed to large amounts of second-hand smoke are more likely to miscarry in the initial months of their pregnancy. Not just that — they also take longer to get pregnant.

While the smokers have the option to quit with the help of cessation drugs like Champix, counselling etc, what can a non-smoker do?