Haemophilia :a condition where the blood does not clot properly, which can lead to excessive and often internal bleeding and bruising

 

World Haemophilia Day in 2012 is dedicated to raising awareness about the serious blood condition, in the hope of closing the treatment gap for sufferers worldwide.

Haemophilia is a condition where the blood does not clot properly, which can lead to excessive and often internal bleeding and bruising. This can happen all over the body, causing serious problems, particularly when it occurs in the brain or around joints.

[Related story: Newborns to be tested for more inherited illnesses]

Haemophilia is an inherited condition that is passed down on the female side, but affects males. You probably remember history classes that Queen Victoria was a carrier, with one of her sons and two daughters affected by the condition.

There are two types of Haemophilia – A and B. The difference between them is simply the clotting agents in the blood that sufferers lack. Haemophilia A relates to clotting agent VIII, while B is linked to clotting agent IX. The amount of clotting agents sufferers have influences how seriously they will be affected by the condition. Some mild cases are not discovered for many years and may only come to light after an accident or surgery. Others may be very apparent from childhood when small knocks and cuts won’t stop bleeding.

Symptoms to watch out for include big bruises, prolonged bleeding, tightness in joints without pain, loss of movement and joints feeling hot or swollen.

When there is bleeding in the brain, symptoms include vomiting, convulsions, sleepiness, double vision and trouble walking.

When it comes to treatment, there’s no permanent cure for the condition, so sufferers are often given regular injections to help reduce the chance of severe bleeding.

There are various awareness events taking place today, and groups are hoping to raise awareness in countries where understanding, diagnosis and treatment of haemophilia are lacking. To find out more, visit Haemophilia.org.uk

Seven ways sex is good for your health

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Don’t worry about the calories in those Valentine's Day chocolates – a proper celebration in the bedroom can help keep you in shape.
In fact, sex can benefit your health in many ways. Here are seven reasons to give and get a little love – not just this special day, but any time.

Good for the heart

Sex is good for your heart. Like any physical exertion, sex is a form of cardio-exercise, which gets your heart pumping faster and helps it stay in shape. What's more, studies have shown that men who have sex two or more times per week cut their risk of a fatal heart attack by half.

Helps you lose weight

Like any form of exercise, sex helps you lose weight. Having sex for 30 minutes can burn off 85 calories. To put that in perspective: 15 minutes on the treadmill could burn up to 200 calories; 42 of these half-hour sessions, then, could shave a pound off your weight.

Boosts your immune system

While it's possible to contract a wide range of diseases, both from sex and from simple contact with others, safe sex between healthy partners can make you better equipped to fight illness.
Those who have sex once or twice a week have been shown to have higher levels of immunoglobulin A or IgA, an antibody which helps protect you from respiratory diseases like the cold and flu.
Don’t go overboard, though – in studies, those who had sex three or more times a week had the lowest levels of antibodies.

Reduces the risk of prostate cancer

For younger men, sex reduces the risk of prostate cancer. Researchers have found that men in their 20s who had five or more ejaculations per week were one third less likely to develop the cancer in later life. Although they found no such correlation for older men, you could try to prove them wrong.

Relieves stress

There's a medical explanation for the mood boost sex gives you. The brain releases endorphins during and after sex, and these neurotransmitters create a feeling of euphoria while masking the negative effects of stress.
Researchers have also found that sex lowers your blood pressure, which is good for your health and allows you to better keep your cool in stressful situations.

It relieves pain

Endorphins and lower blood pressure also mean that sex relieves pain. Endorphins are released during sex because of the heightened levels of the hormone oxytocin in your body. This has been known to alleviate arthritic and menstrual pain, among other things. Lower blood pressure can also help relieve migraines.

It helps you sleep

In addition to relieving stress and pain, the oxytocin generated during sex helps you sleep better. Sex relaxes you, promoting deeper, more restful sleep. What more do you need?

source:yahoo lifestyle

Stress lowers chances of having baby

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Taking it easy may be the offhand advice doctors give to women who cannot conceive, but new scientific evidence confirms that stress does indeed play a role in conception.
Researchers at Oxford University and the US National Institutes of Health measured stress in women trying to get pregnant and found that those who were most stressed were least likely to conceive.
Stress joins other well known pregnancy risk factors such as excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and obesity.
The study measured two stress hormones in healthy women between the ages of 18 and 40 who were trying to conceive. It found that women with high levels of adrenalin had a 12 per cent lower chance of conceiving when fertile as compared to those who were less stressed.
"Irrespective of the day or frequency of sexual intercourse during the fertile window, women with higher concentrations of alpha-amylase were less likely to conceive than women with lower concentrations," the study said, referring to the enzyme that is an indicator of adrenalin levels.
However, women who were found to have a higher level of cortisol, which is a measure of chronic stress, were no less likely to conceive than women with lower levels of the stress hormone.
Dr Cecilia Pyper, of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford, said: "The findings support the idea that couples should aim to stay as relaxed as they can about trying for a baby.
"In some people's cases, it might be relevant to look at relaxation techniques, counselling and even approaches like yoga and meditation."
The findings are published in the journal Fertility and Sterility.


source:yahoo lifestyle

Baby born with six legs fighting to survive

A newborn baby boy is fighting for his life in Pakistan, after being born with a rare condition that has left him with extra limbs.

The baby, who is thought to be one of parasitic twins, appears to have the extra limbs of his conjoined twin, who failed to develop properly.

[Related story: Newborns to receive more tests]
Doctors are assessing the little boy, who has been moved to Karachi for treatment. They are considering asking for foreign help in the complicated operation to remove the extra limbs.
The baby’s dad Imran Shaikh has made a plea for help to fund his son’s treatment. The baby’s mum, who is also her husband’s cousin, is recovering from the caesarean birth in the family’s home town Sukkur, around 280 miles from Karachi.

“Operating on such a baby is not an easy task as proper assessments need to be done first,” explained Dr Jamal Razza, from the National Institude of Child Health in Karachi. “We need to figure out whether the baby has his twin’s limbs or his own. We also need to consider how much the internal organs have developed as the latter could complicate matters and decrease the baby’s chances of surviving.”

The rare condition is thought to affect fewer than one in a million babies.

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source:yahoo lifestyle