Cauda Equina syndrome: Causes, symptoms, cure for back pain, weak leg muscles

Have you been experiencing severe back pain, difficulty in walking, or weakness in your lower leg muscles? These could be symptoms of the Cauda Equina syndrome. Never heard of the term before? “Cauda Equina syndrome is a rare disorder that affects the bundle of nerve roots (called cauda equina) at the lower (lumbar) end of the spinal cord. In this condition, the nerve roots in the lumbar spine become compressed, due to which sensation and movement are cut off. Nerve roots controlling bladder and bowel functions are particularly vulnerable,” explains Dr Ramananda…

Read More

Vitamin pills are bad for heart and have no health benefits, says study

The most commonly consumed vitamin and mineral supplements provide no consistent health benefit or harm, a study has found. Researchers from the St Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto in Canada conducted a systematic review of existing data and single randomised control trials published in English from January 2012 to October 2017. They found that multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium and vitamin C – the most common supplements – showed no advantage or added risk in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke or premature death. Generally, vitamin and…

Read More

Yoga tour for foreign professionals under shadow of Nipah in Kerala

Fourteen deaths due to the Nipah virus (NiV) in Kerala seem to have dampened a nine-day Yoga Ambassadors Tour in the state for 140 professional practitioners from across the globe. Only 60 of the 140 participants have confirmed participation for the tour beginning June 13, that was designed by the union ministry of Ayush and Kerala government as part of the countdown to the International Yoga Day on June 21. American and German nationals have written to the organisers raising concerns about visiting the state which is grappling with a deadly…

Read More

New technique to combat cancer developed by scientists

A group of scientists has worked to develop a new technique in order to fine-tune cancer treatment. According to a study conducted by the University of East Anglia, cancer therapies that cut off blood supply to a tumour could be more effective in combination with existing chemotherapeutic drugs. The study revealed that tumour growth is better-reduced in mice when the expression of a particular protein called Beta3-integrin is targeted in combination with drugs that are already used in cancer patients. It is hoped that the findings could help fine-tune treatment…

Read More

Tencent scraps investment in media company Chaping after the latter faces criticism for ‘hidden plagiarism’

Tencent Holdings, which owns China’s top social media app WeChat, has scrapped an investment of up to CNY 30 million ($4.7 million) in a content start-up that has been criticised online and by state media for its handling of copyright issues. News of Tencent’s investment in Chaping, a WeChat-based online media company whose name means “bad review”, had spurred questions about Tencent’s commitment to protecting intellectual property that is at the core of its own content business spanning publishing, entertainment and gaming. Representational image. Reuters. “We have reached consensus with the Chaping…

Read More

4 things that can help you decode returns from your investments

Photo: MorePixels The return we make on our investments is a vital data point in determining how our financial plan is progressing and making buying, selling and rebalancing choices. All these decisions may go wrong if that basic returns number is not evaluated and understood correctly. Here is what you need to know so that you interpret and use the information provided by the return numbers to further your investment plan. Look beyond the number What you see published as the return number may not be what your investment earned.…

Read More