5 years of positive health and wellbeing
Autumn 2016
HEALTH & HAPPINESS 4 You
Saturated fat and heart disease link ‘unproven’ Mindfulness for taming wandering mind 5 ways to de-stress your heart
How to get healthy bones
90 minutes of daily house work can reduce heart disease & stroke risk
HEALTH & HAPPINESS 4 YOU: SERVING THE COMMUNITY FOR LAST FIVE YEARS
Don’t trust Dr Google
CONTENTS Autumn 2016, Issue 21
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has expressed concern at the growing trend of “DIY diagnosis”. It could lead to patients receiving wrong treatment or buying drugs that could harm. “DIY diagnosis can be downright dangerous”, said Neal Patel, head of communications at the society. “You could be missing something a pharmacist or doctor would know was important. While there are good online sites, there is an awful lot of nonsense out there too”, Patel added. According to a report published in the Guardian newspaper, in a poll of 2,046 Britons, 43% admitted they had used unprescribed painkillers after they diagnosed their own condition. Many of them even borrowed pain relief medicines from their friends. Patel warned that these medications could be “addictive and cause serious side-effects.” The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) advises patients that they should never share their prescribed drugs with other family and friends.
5 - Diabetes screening drive for South Asians 7 - Saturated fat & heart disease link unproven 8 - 2 diet drinks a day may double diabetes risk 9 - Bedtime risk of media device encourage poor sleep among children 11 - Mindfulness helps undergraduates taming wandering minds 12 - How to get healthy bones 13 - 5 ways to de-stress your heart 13 - Walk speedily and live longer 14 – Healthy living for a better brain 16 – 90 minutes of house work can reduce heart disease and stroke risk 17 – Bedtime routine helps children to sleep better 18. Ayurveda Day in Parliament
Vijay Rana Editor, Health & Happiness 4 You
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info@ajivan.com Tel: 07850 374 595 Website: www.healthandhappiness4you.com HEALTH & HAPPINESS 4 YOU is a voluntary group dedicated to spreading the message of positive health and wellbeing. Disclaimer: The information available in this magazine is for general awareness only. It is NOT a substitute for the knowledge and judgment of qualified medical experts. We make no warranty as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of this information. Should you have any medical condition, you are strongly advised to consult a qualified health care professional. Views expressed by our contributors are their own and we take no responsibility for their views.
South Asian screening drive for Type 2 diabetes
The majority of South Asian people screened for type 2 diabetes as part of an awareness drive in Leicester were deemed to be at 'high risk' of developing the condition. The results showed 72.4 per cent of the 202 people checked for the condition at four community centres in the city were close to developing type 2 diabetes. People found to be in the high-risk category were offered the opportunity to attend a follow-up workshop designed to encourage more physical activity and promote education about type 2 diabetes. Professor Kamlesh Khunti, Director of Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) East Midlands, said: "People from South Asian origin are two to four times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than white Europeans. It is important to identify those with undiagnosed diabetes and those at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. We want to show that
it's not too late to introduce small lifestyle changes to their lives, which could make a big difference to their health." Participants completed a diabetes risk score using a questionnaire translated into Gujarati and Bengali based on the Leicester Risk Score created by Leicester Diabetes Centre. Results from the research, which examined the viability of conducting screening and education workshops in community faith centres, could now help inform the Healthier You: the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. The national type 2 prevention drive launched this year with a first wave of 27 areas covering 26 million people, half of the population, and made up to 20,000 places available. This will be rolled out to the whole country by 2020 with an expected 100,000 referrals available each year after. By Jack Woodfield, News Editor for Diabetes.co.uk. (Edited version)
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Saturated fats and heart disease link 'unproven'
Nutritional guidelines generally encourage low Concentrating on a single food source to protect your consumption of saturated fats, found in butter, health is never a good idea. The most important thing is to cream, cheese and fatty cuts of meat, as these were eat a healthy and balanced diet, which should include at thought to be linked to increased cholesterol in the blood least five portions of fruit and vegetables. and an increased risk of heart disease. Where did the story come from? In contrast, unsaturated fats, found in fish and plant The study was carried out by researchers from the sources, have been encouraged (to a certain extent) as University of Cambridge and Medical Research Council, these are thought to have a protective effect on the heart University of Oxford, Imperial College London, and blood vessels. University of Bristol, Erasmus University Medical Centre This latest study finds that the evidence for these and Harvard School of Public Health. The study was guidelines may not be published in the journal definitive. Annals of Internal Current UK guidelines remained Trans fats – the villain Medicine. unchanged: The researchers did find This study hasn’t • The average man should eat no more a significant association “proved” that saturated fat between the than 30g of saturated fat a day. isn't bad for the heart, consumption of trans rather that evidence of • The average woman should eat no fats and increased risk harm does not appear to more than 20g of saturated fat a day. of heart disease. be statistically significant. Trans fats can be There was also no formed when oil goes significant association through a process called hydrogenation, which makes the between total saturated fatty acids and coronary risk, both oil more solid. This type of fat, known as hydrogenated in studies using dietary intake and in those using fat, can be used for frying or as an ingredient in processed circulating biomarkers. In addition, there was no foods. significant association between total monounsaturated Trans fats can be found in some processed foods such as fatty acids and coronary risk. biscuits and cakes, to help give products a longer shelf Dietary trans fatty acid intake was associated with life. increased coronary disease risk, although circulating Researchers pooled the results of 72 studies including levels were not. 530,525 people. They looked at the association between Even if saturated fats don’t directly harm your heart, dietary fatty acid intake and coronary disease. They found eating too much can lead to obesity, which in turn can no significant evidence that saturated fats increase the risk damage it. of heart disease and no significant evidence that omega-6 The key to a healthy diet is “everything in moderation”. and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats protect the heart. The occasional buttered scone or cream cake is not going Yet the researchers say that despite their results, further to hurt you, but you need to be aware of your total calorie research is necessary, especially in people who are intake. initially healthy. Until the picture becomes clearer, it is 6 HEALTH & HAPPINESS 4 YOU recommended people stick to the current UK guidelines on fat consumption.
Two diet drinks a day could double the risk of diabetes Two fizzy drinks a day could double the risk of diabetes - even if they are diet versions - a Swedish study has found. Research by the Karolinska Institute on 2,800 adults found that those who consumed at least two 200ml servings of soft drinks daily were 2.4 times as likely to suffer from a form of type 2 diabetes. Many fizzy drinks are sold in 330ml cans, meaning that one and a half cans would be enough to double the risk. Those who drank a litre of such drinks saw a 10-fold rise in their chance of suffering from the condition. The increased risks were the same regardless of whether the drinks were sugary or artificially sweetened, the research published in the European Journal of Endocrinology found. Researchers said the sugary drinks may have induced insulin resistance, triggering the cases of diabetes. The artificial sweeteners in the diet drinks may stimulate and distort appetite, they said, increasing food intake, and encouraging a sweet tooth. Such sweeteners might also affect microbes in the gut leading to glucose intolerance. Josefin Edwall Löfvenborg, lead author, said soft drinks might influence glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, leading to the increased risk of latent autoimmune diabetes, a form of type 2 diabetes. “In this study we were surprised by the increased risk in developing autoimmune diabetes by drinking soft drinks,” he said. We next plan on investigating what could counter this
risk.” It was also possible that those consuming low calorie drinks may have switched to them after a long history of drinking sugary versions, which could explain the link with diabetes, he added. Last year, a study by Harvard University suggested that two cans of fizzy pop could increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The study found the drinks raised the risk of heart attacks by one third and the risk of strokes by one sixth. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the condition, accounting for around 90-95 percent of all cases. This arises when cells in the body are unable to effectively use the hormone insulin - known as insulin resistance - causing blood sugar levels to rise. Type 1 diabetes accounts for around 5-10 percent of diabetes cases. It is considered an autoimmune disease, where the immune system mistakingly attacks insulinproducing beta cells in the pancreas, leading to little or no insulin production.
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Bedtime use of media devices doubles risk of poor sleep in children Children using devices such as smartphones and tablets at bedtime have over double the risk of a disrupted night’s sleep compared to children without access to such devices, according to a new study led by researchers from King’s College London. Previous research suggests that 72 per cent of children and 89 per cent of adolescents have at least one device in their bedrooms and most are used near bedtime. The speed at which these devices have developed and their growing them. popularity among families - has outpaced research in It is thought that screen-based media devices this area, meaning that the impact on sleep is not well adversely affect sleep through a variety of ways, understood. including delaying or interrupting sleep time; This new research, published today in JAMA psychologically stimulating the brain; and affecting Pediatrics, is a review of 20 existing studies from four sleep cycles, physiology and alertness. continents, involving more than 125,000 children aged Dr Ben Carter from King’s College London, said: 6-19 (with an average age of 15). ‘Our study provides further The researchers from proof of the detrimental King’s found that Sleep disturbance in childhood effect of media devices on bedtime use of media is known to have adverse both sleep duration and devices was associated with an increased effects on health, including poor quality. ‘Sleep is an often likelihood of inadequate diet, obesity, sedative undervalued but important sleep quantity, poor part of children’s sleep quality, and behaviour, reduced immune development, with a regular excessive daytime lack of sleep causing a sleepiness. Bedtime use function, stunted growth, and variety of health problems. was classified as mental health. ‘With the ever growing engagement with a popularity of portable device within 90 minutes media devices and their use in schools as a replacement of going to sleep. for textbooks, the problem of poor sleep amongst They also found that the presence of a media device children is likely to get worse. Our findings suggest that in the bedroom, even without use, was associated with an integrated approach involving parents, teachers, and an increased likelihood of poor sleep. healthcare professionals is necessary to reduce access One potential reason for this is that the ‘always on’ to these devices and encourage good sleeping habits.’ nature of social media and instant messaging means children are continuously engaged with devices in their 9 HEALTH & HAPPINESS 4 YOU environment, even when they are not actively using
Mindfulness helps undergraduates taming wandering minds
Few situations present as much distraction and time pressure as the college experience. In this environment, attention can be elusive and difficult to sustain even when it is attained. This lack of concentration interferes with learning and is associated with stress, which tends to increase during the academic term. Now, a form of mental training called mindfulness training, specifically designed for undergraduate students, shows promise as a tool to train attention and improve learning during the academic semester, according to a new study by a team of University of Miami researchers.The findings are published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. “This work was the first to integrate mindfulness training into the academic semester by embedding training in students’ course schedules, hosting training in the academic building to best accommodate their schedules, and providing a supervised space for mindfulness exercises,� says Amishi Jha, associate professor in the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, and principal investigator of the study. Mindfulness is a mental state in which a person pays attention to the present experience without ruminating about the past or worrying about the future. Mindfulness training (MT) emphasizes attention-building exercises and learning to observe the activity of the mind.
For the study, 58 UM undergraduate students participated in an experiment testing the effectiveness of a seven-week mental training program designed to tame the mind wandering and increase focus. The students were assigned to either the MT group or a control group, who received no training. All participants completed two testing sessions, one at the start of the semester and again at the end of the training interval, as final exams neared. Attention was measured by examining overall accuracy and other performance measures in a computer task of sustained attention. The students also self-reported the incidence of mind wandering during the task. The results indicate that the groups did not differ at the start of the semester. However, by the end of the training interval, the control group showed diminished attention and reported increased mind wandering, while those who participated in the program showed significant improvements in attention and no increase in reported mind wandering. Future studies will seek to work with larger cohorts. The researchers also want to look specifically at how MT may not only impact laboratory measures of mind wandering but also real-world mind wandering, which could influence academic learning, decision making, and psychological stress. UM is now implementing a campuswide mindfulness initiative.
HEALTHY
BONES
What you can do But it doesn't have to be this way, says leading bone and joint expert Professor Anthony Woolf, a rheumatologist at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. "Osteoporosis and falls are not an inevitable part of ageing and much can be done to prevent them," he says. Preventing osteoporosis starts in childhood, if not earlier, when our bones are growing, and continues throughout life. "Building healthy bones actually starts in the womb where the baby's skeleton is developing," says Professor Woolf. "A real life course approach is needed to help people have bones fit for purpose as they age."
The recipe for lifelong strong bones includes: • • • •
"Osteoporosis and falls are not an inevitable part of ageing and much can be done to prevent them." Prof. Anthoney Wolf Taking care of your bones is a lifelong investment that will pay dividends by helping you to stay fit and independent later in life. Bone health isn't just about bones. "It's about your quality of life as you get older," says Ruthe Isden of charity Age UK. "Bone health is about staying fit and well as we get older so we can continue to do the things we enjoy," she says. As we live longer, more and more of us will become vulnerable to weak bones (osteoporosis) and breaking bones from falls. About one in three people over 65 fall each year in the UK. A fall later in life can be life-changing, leading to distress, pain, injury, loss of confidence, loss of independence and even death.
a healthy balanced diet that includes calcium vitamin D, from sunlight, food and supplements regular exercise avoiding smoking, too much alcohol and other risk factors Get diet advice and exercise tips to help people of all ages build and maintain strong bones.
Preventing falls People with osteoporosis have weak bones, but it's falls that break bones. While it is impossible to prevent all falls, there are lifestyle and practical measures that can reduce their occurrence. The most effective measures to prevent falls among people considered at risk involve: • strength and balance exercises • checking the home for trip and other hazards • checking eyesight • reviewing medication, which may affect balance For more fall prevention tips download Get up and Go: A Guide to Staying Steady from www.nhs.uk/livewell/healthy-bones
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5 ways to de-stress and help your heart Constant stress — whether from a traffic-choked daily commute, unhappy marriage, or heavy workload — can have real physical effects on the body. It has been linked to a wide range of health issues, including mood, sleep, and appetite problems — and yes, even heart disease. Doctors don't know exactly how chronic stress affects the heart. Most likely, stress triggers inflammation, a known instigator of heart disease, but that hasn't been proven. "I think the conventional opinion is that stress is bad for your heart, but the data are much murkier," says Dr. Deepak Bhatt, director of the Integrated Interventional Cardiovascular Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Yet stress may influence heart disease in more subtle ways. For example, when stressed, people often eat unhealthy food and don't have the energy or time to exercise. Stress can also lead us into other heart-damaging behaviours, such as smoking and drinking too much alcohol. Breaking the connection requires both learning to deal with stress and managing unhealthy habits. These five simple tips can help you do just that. 1. Stay positive. Laughter has been found to lower levels of stress hormones, reduce inflammation in the arteries, and increase "good" HDL cholesterol. 2. Meditate. This practice of inward-focused thought and deep breathing has been shown to reduce heart disease risk factors such as high
blood pressure. Meditation's close relatives, yoga and prayer, can also relax the mind and body. 3. Exercise. Every time you are physically active, whether you take a walk or play tennis, your body releases mood-boosting chemicals called endorphins. Exercising not only melts away stress, it also protects against heart disease by lowering your blood pressure, strengthening your heart muscle, and helping you maintain a healthy weight. 4. Unplug. It's impossible to escape stress when it follows you everywhere. Cut the cord. Avoid emails and TV news. Take time each day — even if it's for just 10 or 15 minutes — to escape from the world. 5. Find ways to take the edge off your stress. Simple things, like a warm bath, listening to music, or spending time on a favourite hobby, can give you a much-needed break from the stressors in your life. Stress doesn't have to ruin your life or your health. To learn more about how stress affects your heart, buy Stress Management, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.
Walk speedily and live longer A study published in the Journal of American Medical Association in Jan 2011 said those who walked 1 meter per second (about 2.25 mph) or faster consistently lived longer than others of their age and sex who walked more slowly. "We're able to show that a person's capacity to move strongly reflects vitality and health," said study researcher Dr. Stephanie Studenski, a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. The findings were based on analysis of nine previous studies that examined the walking speed, sex, age, body mass index, medical history and survival rate of almost 34,500 people. The way we walk and how quickly we can walk depends on our energy, movement control and coordination, which, in turn, requires the proper functioning of multiple body systems, including the cardiovascular, nervous and musculoskeletal systems, said Dr Studenski. Because of this, researchers have associated walking speed with health in the past. 13 HEALTH & HAPPINESS 4 YOU
Healthy living helps better brain function A new research suggests living a healthier lifestyle could also increase executive function, which is the ability to exert self-control, set and meet goals, resist temptation and solve problems. It should be obvious that those with greater self-control live a healthier lifestyle. After all, it takes self-control to exercise before work, or forego fried food for green salads. In effect, the study suggests a feedback loop exists where greater executive function enables people to lead a healthier lifestyle, which in turn, improves their executive function. "It seems that physical activity and EF are synergistic -they improve one another," according to the study, titled "A Bidirectional Relationship between Executive Function and Health Behaviors." The study, published by researchers at the University of Aberdeen, the University of Stirling and the University College Dublin, used data collected from 4,555 adults through the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. Researchers analyzed the relationship between physical activity and executive function, adjusting for other variables such as age, gender, education, wealth and illness and found evidence that the relationship between the two is bidirectional. It is the first study of its kind to look at whether the effects are bidirectional and has expanded the understanding of such relationships. Specifically, individuals with poor executive function showed subsequent decreases in their rates of participation in physical activity and older adults who engaged in sports and other physical activities tended to retain high levels of executive function over time. Researchers noted that while the study focused on physical activity and its relationship to executive function,
it's likely a positive feedback loop also exists between executive function and eating nutritious foods. Similarly, it is likely that negative feedback loops also exist, in that unhealthy behaviors such as smoking or drinking too much alcohol will be both a result of and a predictor of declining executive function. This has implications, according to the study, for aging. The older one gets, the more likely executive function is to decline, the study notes. Older people, then, may become more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors like remaining sedentary and less likely to maintain healthy but effortful behaviors like taking prescribed medication regularly. Conversely, the longer one can maintain high executive function, the longer and more easily that person can stave off behavior that will be detrimental to their health. Dr. Julia Allan suggests that "people who make a change to their health behavior, like participating in physical activity, eating less processed food, or consuming more fruits and vegetables, can see an improvement in their brain function over time and increase their chances of remaining healthy as they age." That may be why, researchers opined, those with higher executive function tend to avoid chronic illnesses and live longer after a chronic diagnosis than those who have weaker executive function. With the world's population of elderly folks to hit 1.5 billion by 2050, as the study notes, the research could have major implications for the future of health care.
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90 minutes of housework can cut your heart disease and stroke risk A recent research, published in the BMJ, analysed existing studies, and found that – while lower levels of physical activity still had benefits – higher levels of total physical activity were significantly associated with lower risk for five diseases: breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, coronary heart disease (CHD) and ischaemic stroke (the most common type of stroke). The research suggested we need to do more physical activity than the recommended amount. Adults should aim to be active daily, every little helps to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Current daily guidelines say that in a week, your activity should add up to at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity (or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity spread across the week) in blocks of at least 10 minutes. The study found that compared to people who are inactive, people in the highly active category (with 8,000 MET minutes/week or more) had a 14 per cent lower risk of breast cancer, 21 per cent lower risk of colon cancer, 28 per cent lower risk of diabetes, 25 per cent lower risk of CHD, and 26 per cent lower risk of ischaemic stroke, the researchers concluded. People in the highly active category had a 25 per cent lower risk of CHD, and 26 per cent lower risk of ischaemic stroke. MET (metabolic equivalent) is a measure of how much
energy you’ll burn doing a certain physical activity, and is used to express the intensity of an activity. Walking slowly for 30 minutes does not burn the same number of calories as a 30-minute high intensity spin class, so although they are both classed as 30 minutes of physical activity there are differences in the intensity and the amount of energy used. METs (level of energy burnt) can be multiplied with the amount of time spent doing the activity to make MET minutes. The analysis looked at 174 articles: 35 for breast cancer, 19 for colon cancer, 55 for diabetes, 43 for coronary (ischaemic) heart disease, and 26 for ischaemic stroke (with some articles included for more than one condition). The researchers concluded that people who achieve total physical activity levels several times higher than the current recommended minimum level have a significant reduction in the risk of the five diseases studied. June Dvison, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “In the UK, it’s recommended that adults are active every day and do at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. But this study suggests even higher levels of physical activity would significantly lower the risk of developing a number of diseases, including heart and circulatory disease and breast cancer. We already know that there are additional health benefits with doing more than 150 minutes but in the UK nearly two in five adults don’t achieve the minimum recommendation.”
How much added sugar? Not more than 30g a day Most of us are already defying this limit. Let’s look our added sugar consumption. 27 % added sugar comes from table sugar, jams, chocolate and sweets, 25% of added sugar comes from soft drinks, fruit juice, and other nonalcoholic drinks, 20% of added sugar comes from biscuits, buns and cakes, 11% of our daily intake of added sugar comes from alcoholic drinks, 6% of our daily intake of added sugar comes from dairy products. and 5% of our daily intake of added sugar comes from savoury foods such as ketchup, salad cream, ready meals, marinades, chutneys, and crisps.
Bedtime routine helps children to sleep better A multinational study suggests that having a regular bedtime routine is associated with better sleep in young children up to 6 years of age, and the positive impact on sleep increases with the consistency of the nightly routine. Participants included 10,085 mothers from 14 countries reported that less than 50 percent of their infants, toddlers and preschoolers had a regular bedtime routine every night. The study found that children with a consistent bedtime routine had better sleep outcomes, including earlier bedtimes, shorter amount of time in bed before falling asleep, reduced night waking, and increased sleep duration. Children with a bedtime routine every night slept for an average of more than an hour longer per night than children who never had a bedtime routine. Institution of a regular bedtime routine also was associated with decreased sleep problems and daytime behaviour problems, as perceived by mothers. "Creating a bedtime routine for a child is a simple step that every family can do," said principal investigator and lead author Jodi Mindell, PhD, professor of psychology at Saint Joseph's University and associate director of the Sleep Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "It can pay off to not only make bedtime easier, but also that a child is likely to sleep better throughout the entire night." Study results are published in the May issue of the journal Sleep. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, positive bedtime routines involve the institution of a set sequence of pleasurable and calming
activities preceding a child's bedtime. The goal is to establish a behavioural chain leading up to sleep onset. Activities may include giving your child a soothing bath, brushing teeth and reading a bedtime story. "It's important that parents create a consistent sleep schedule, relaxing bedtime routine and soothing sleep environment to help their child achieve healthy sleep," said American Academy of Sleep Medicine President Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler. "For each additional night that a family is able to institute a bedtime routine, and the younger that the routine is started, the better their child is likely to sleep," said Mindell. "It's like other healthy practices: Doing something just one day a week is good, doing it for three days a week is better, and doing it every day is best." Mothers participated in the study by completing a validated, online questionnaire that included specific questions about their child's daytime and night time sleep patterns, bedtime routines and behaviour. The questionnaire was translated into each language and back-translated to check for accuracy. "The other surprising finding is that we found that this effect was universal," said Mindell. "It doesn't matter if you are a parent of a young child in the United States, India, or China, having a bedtime routine makes a difference." Ravneet Sawhney is the Director/Proprietor of Little Cherubs Day Nursery
Head phones: One in five teens has hearing loss A recent study has shown that one in five teens has hearing loss due to the excessive use of headphones. That’s 30% higher than it was in the 90s. So unless you want to spend the rest of your life saying “huh?”, use the 60/60 rule when using headphones. Only turn the volume to 60% and use them only for a total of 60 minutes a day. You will want the sound to be no louder than 60 decibels, which is the volume of a dishwasher or a clothes dryer. If it’s volume of a vacuum cleaner, you have breached the limit. If you have to use more than an hour, make sure you take off headphones and keep the volume low. That way you keep your ears through your golden years. By Dr. Michael Smith, WebMD
Ayurveda Day celebrated in Parliament Members of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) organised the first Ayurveda Day on the 27th October. Originating in India, Ayurveda is one of the oldest healthcare systems. It focuses on comprehensive dietary and lifestyle strategies that are specific to an individual's unique psychological and physical constitution in all stages of one's life. Recently, Simon Stevens, the head of NHS England, has designed a well-being initiative for NHS staff that also incorporated Yoga, the sister science to Ayurveda. Following this action the APPG is concentrating efforts towards the full-inclusion of Yoga and Ayurveda into the NHS for everyone. The APPG also has tabled an Early Day Motion 507 on Ayurveda by its Co-Chairman Bob Blackman MP. The motion says, “Ayurveda's integration into the NHS would ensure freedom of choice in healthcare for the populace...”
Speaking on the occasion Lord Stone, the chairman of APPG said, “The ultimate aim of these ancient healthcare disciplines Ayurveda, Jyotish, Sangeet, Siddha, Vastu and Yoga - is to promote disease-free health and that preventative measures are better than having to discover a cure. They are philosophies of life, divine knowledge, universal and scientific processes to transform the mind and body.” Amarjeet-singh Bhamra said, “Increased side effects, lack of curative treatment for several chronic diseases, high cost of new drugs, bacterial resistance and emerging diseases are some reasons for renewed public interest in Indian Traditional Sciences... More than 70 percent of people in developing countries cannot afford the most basic allopathic medical procedures, drugs, and vaccines.
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