Better HealthYOUR WEEKLY DOSE OF HEALTH

A GULF NEWS SPONSORED SUPPLEMENT

Text: Dubai Health Authority | Infographic: Pranith Ratheesan | Pictures: Shutterstock

■■ HAPPINESS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MONEYAccording to a study published by the American Psychological Association, people who earn more money have a greater ten-dency to experience positive emotions related to their lives, while people who earn less take greater pleasure in their rela-tionships and ability to connect with others.

“Some recent research sug-gests that this may not actually be the case. In many ways, mon-ey does not necessarily buy you happiness.” said lead author Paul Piff from the University of Cali-fornia, Irvine.

■■ ROLE OF BLOOD PLATELETS IN IMMUNE DEFENSEIn a new study published in Cell, medical researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen (LMU) highlights that at sites of any infection actively migrating platelets have the po-tential to sweep bacteria into ag-gregates for disposal by phago-cytic cells.

Thrombocytes are best known for their role in blood coagula-tion and wound-healing. “They are also important in defending the organism against bacterial pathogens,” says lead author Dr Florian Gartner.

■■ STUDY EXPLORES GENETIC NETWORK BEHIND SLEEP DURATIONScientists from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US, have identified differences in a group of genes that might help explain why some people need a lot more sleep — and oth-ers less — than most. This study could lead to better approaches for treating insomnia and other sleep disorders. The study was conducted using fruit fly popula-tions bred to model natural vari-ations in human sleep patterns.

This week in

Global News

DHA FOCUSES ON SMART SERVICESMore than 2,000 users have downloaded the recently introduced formulary app that is designed to help physicians

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A DHA app is helping doctors to oversee all the medications available in Dubai Health Authority,

allowing them to search dif-ferent parameters quickly. Dr Ali Al Sayed, Director of the Pharmaceutical Services De-partment at the Dubai Health Authority said, “It is our aim to provide convenience to health-care professionals and patients and we believe that smart tech-nology is the way forward to achieve this. This is the second app we have introduced. We also have the Dawaaee app, which is a medical reminder app. We have also introduced smart pharmacies in Rashid and Dubai Hospital as well as a medication delivery system so

that medicines are delivered to the doorstep of patients. Sev-eral patients from the Dubai Diabetes Centre in particular use this service.”

HELP THEM REMEMBERDr Sayed said that the

Dawaaee app helps in patient compliance. “Forgetfulness due to busy lifestyles is one of the top reasons people miss their medication. Therefore, we wanted to help patients remem-ber to take their medications by leveraging the capabilities of a smartphone, smart watch and other devices. It is convenient for them and fits into their dai-ly routine.”

The Dawaaee app has a host of features on offer, is extremely easy to use and pro-vides patients with convenience and hassle-free medication

management options.Speaking about the future

plan of the department, Dr Sayed said, “We were the first

to introduce full-fledged smart pharmacies in the Middle East. In 2018, we will extend the smart pharmacy services and

implement smart pharmacies that use robots in Latifa Hos-pital, Nad Al Hammar primary healthcare centre and Rashid Hospital’s Trauma Centre. The robot can store up to 35,000 medicines and dispenses around 12 prescriptions in less than one minute.

“The robot dispenses the prescribed medication with a click of a button based on a bar-code, minimising any human error and reducing customer’s waiting time.”

He added that the robot dis-pensing process will be paper free as the robot will store the prescription as soon as the doc-tor documents it electronically.

He added that the depart-ment is looking at focusing on smart technologies as a means to provide doctors and patients with convenience. ■

KAMAKSHI GUPTA

DHA’s recently launched services including apps and smart pharmacies are providing new levels of convenience to doctors and patients alike

iStock

04How to encourage your kids to eat vegetables

07Are you suffering from an addiction called selfitis?

ISSUE 67: DECEMBER 25, 2017

HELPINGCHILDREN’S HEARTSNabadat treats more than 875 children with congenital heart problems

The Nabadat initiative was launched in

2007

40% 60%

CAMPAIGNS CONDUCTED ABROADNabadat, which means heartbeat, is an initiative launched by the Dubai Health

Authority (DHA) and Mohammed Bin Rashid Charity and Humanitarian

Establishment, to provide free medical assistance, surgery and post-surgical

care to children whose parents cannot afford to pay for treatment of

congenital heart diseases.

AGE GROUP OF KIDS THAT UNDERWENT SURGERY

1week

old

18years

CHILDREN WHO BENEFITTED FROM THE INITIATIVE

350Emiratis

525non-Emiratis

Diagnosed more than

5,000children inside and outside the country with congenital heart defects

The DHA sponsors the treatment for Emiratis and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Charity and Humanitarian Establishment sponsors treatment for expatriate patients.

NUMBER OF CAMPAIGNS

22in the country

8external campaigns

TAJIKISTAN

IRAQ

ETHIOPIA

UGANDA

TANZANIA

EGYPT

MOROCCO

MAURITANIA

SENEGAL

NIGERIA

SUDAN

2 Monday, December 25, 2017Health News

Robot assisted surgery, artificial intelligence (AI), precision medi-cine and genomics re-search are some of the

topics that will be discussed at the Dubai Health Forum in January 2018, said a top health official.

H.E. Humaid Al Qutami, Chairman of the board and Director-General of DHA, an-nounced that the forum, to be held between January 15-16 would feature over 33 interna-tional speakers from 22 coun-tries. Over 1,000 delegates would highlight smart technology and innovation in health care.

“The forum is in alignment with the goals of the Dubai Health Strategy 2021 and will showcase new technology and innovations in health care de-livery. We are very focused on using the latest in technology to better patient care. In med-icine, particularly, it is import-ant to keep up-to-date with the latest in technology because it

believe this is possible before 2025. IBM Watson Group-backed Pathway Genomics has recently started a research study for its new blood test kit, CancerIntercept Detect. The company will collect blood samples from high-risk indi-viduals who have never been diagnosed with the disease to determine if early detection is possible. So the possibilities with AI are endless.

“Last year at the forum, we discussed the implementation of 3D printing and within one year we have already conduct-ed some surgeries using 3D printing at DHA hospitals and introduced the technology in

the field of dentistry across DHA’s dental clinics.

“Therefore, I am confident that the technology showcased will be put to use. We will dis-play both existing technolo-gy as well as technology that is being researched at the moment.”

Dr Taryam added that the Authority will focus on the use of robotics in heart, eye and other organ surgeries, and im-plement blockchain in health care delivery as well as in the use of smart technology and sensors in geriatric care.

She added that in geriatric and emergency care partic-ularly, telemedicine and dis-

Pictures: Getty and Shutterstock

KAMAKSHI GUPTA

■■ DUBAI LEADS THE REGION IN PHARMACEUTICALS

■■ SEVEN OUT OF 100,000 DUBAI RESIDENTS HAVE MS

DHA

News

H.E. Humaid Mohammad Al Qutami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General of Dubai Health Authority confirmed that Dubai had established itself as the main centre for the pharma-ceutical sector in the region. He said this while speaking during a ceremony organised by the Authority to honour the depart-ments and employees supporting the pharmaceutical services at the DHA. Al Qutami said that DHA is focused on further de-velopment and strengthening of this vital field of medicine.

The DHA pays significant importance to the development of import, distribution and storage systems of medicines, he said, and that it works with local and global partners. Al Qut-ami confirmed that DHA is keen on fostering pharmacological research and development in the emirate.

In every 100,000 cases in Dubai, seven people are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), said Dr Jihad Inshasi, Consul-tant Neurologist at Rashid Hos-pital. Urging for more aware-ness about the disease, Dr Inshasi stressed that if treated correctly, patients could prevent progression to live a normal life.

MS is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the myelin layer in the central ner-vous system inflames, affecting the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves, causing neurological and functional disorders.

This means that along with every attack, symptoms like blur-ry vision, weakness in limbs and inability to balance may occur. Dr Inshasi said 55 per 100,000 people in Dubai suffer from MS, adding that this is a devastating disease because it is more like-ly to affect people from the young age of 18 – 25, mostly female.

While the causes behind MS are unknown, Dr Inshasi said the speculated causes include autoimmune diseases, exces-sive immune reaction, previous viral infections and genetic and environment factors. The symptoms include blurry eyesight, problems in balancing, muscle pain, fatigue, emotional dis-tress and numbness, the last indicating that MS affects motor skills as well.

EMBRACING AI AND THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL HEALTH CARE

The most advanced treatments available are on the agenda at this year’s Dubai Health Forum

tance care is of vital impor-tance. “The Authority is the first government health organ-isation in the region to imple-ment telehealth.

“This year, RoboDocs have been placed at Hatta Hospi-tal’s emergency department and DHA’s 24-hour primary healthcare centres at Al Barsha and Nad Al Hammar and these are linked to Rashid Hospital’s Trauma Centre.

“In geriatric care, we have home-care programmes and over the next few years, we are increasingly focusing on pro-viding this group of patients with telehealth solutions.”

TELEHEALTH SOLUTIONSDr Taryam, added: “As tele-

health plays an even greater role in global health care de-livery, it will be increasingly important to develop strong evidence-based telehealth solutions and programmes that can improve the lives of patients, their caregivers and health care facilities. Remote patient monitoring will defi-

nitely transform care delivery.”Dr Taryam also discussed

lifestyle medicine, an emerg-ing field of health care, to tackle non-communicable dis-eases such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cancer and even mental health in a holistic way.

“Through lifestyle medi-cine, we can identify high-risk groups and use a variety of methods such as involved fam-ily counselling, lifestyle train-ing and education to handle the condition.

“This is a new approach and we will consider how we can apply this in our health system.”

She added that the forum would discuss the use of pre-cision medicine in cardiac disease and cancer, especially where new targeted therapies now focus on the patient rath-er than on the disease.

“Individualised care will take centre stage in the years to come. At the end of the day, all these technologies are aimed to help improve the lives of patients.” n

“This year, we will focus

on genomics, AI and

how AI can be used in

diagnostics and

radiology.”

Dr Manal Taryam, Head of DHA’s Primary Health Centres,

has a direct impact in improv-ing the lives of patients.”

Dr Manal Taryam, head of DHA’s Primary Health Centres, said, “This year, we will focus on genomics, AI and how AI can be used in diagnostics and radiology. Globally, artificial intelligence companies are discussing how the technology can be used, from population health management to digital avatars capable of answering specific patient queries. They

H.E. HUMAID AL QUTAMI, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD AND DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF DHA, ANNOUNCED THAT THE FORUM WOULD BE HELD ON JANUARY 15-16 AND FEATURE OVER 33 INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS FROM 22 COUNTRIES. OVER 1,000 DELEGATES WOULD HIGHLIGHT SMART TECHNOLOGY IN HEALTH

“As telehealth plays an even greater role in global health

care delivery, it will be increasingly important to

develop strong evidence based telehealth solutions

and programmes that can help improve the lives of

patients, their caregivers and health care facilities.”

■■ PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN UAE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS HAILED AS A SUCCESS

H.E. Humaid Mohammad Al Qutami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General of the DHA, highlighted the successful partnership between government and private sectors in the UAE. He said this while addressing the 4th Arab Conference on Administrative Reform and Development, held recently at the headquarters of the League of Arab States, in Cairo.

The conference took place in the presence of the Secre-tary-General of the League, H.E. Ahmed Aboul Gheit and other senior officials and dignitaries. Al Qutami also highlighted that the UAE had strengthened its model of partnership, in accor-dance with the endorsement by the Council of Ministers on the guide to the procedures of partnership contracts.

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3Monday, December 25, 2017 Health News

Noor Dubai Foun-dation and Dar Al Ber Society recent-ly signed a MoU to raise funds to better

provide treatment for people with visual impairment in the UAE and abroad. His Excellency Humaid Al Qutami, Chairman of the Board and Director Gen-eral of Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Chairman of Noor Dubai Foundation, and Eng. Khalfan Khalifa Al Mazroui, Chairman, Dar Al Ber Society signed the MoU.

Al Qutami said the MoU aims to unify efforts and standards in compiling the funds from donation boxes — allocated spe-cifically to raise funds for Noor Dubai Foundation — that will be dispersed across shopping malls and various organisations.

Dr Manal Taryam, Board member and CEO of Noor Dubai Foundation, said the donations collected will go towards Noor Dubai’s treatment and pre-ventive programmes that have benefited more than 25 million people from all over Africa and Asia suffering from visual im-pairment. “We are reaching out to people across the emirate so that they are aware of our ser-vices and can donate to this humanitarian initiative,” she said. “It is of vital importance

in treating those with visual impairment. We are thankful to Dar Al Ber for supporting us in our endeavours to reduce the suffering of those with treatable visual impairment.”

Eng. Al Mazroui said Dar Al Ber is honoured to partner with one of the biggest national hu-manitarian foundations special-

ising in visual impairment treat-ment. Dar Al Ber is focusing on expanding its national humani-tarian partnerships, in line with the government’s strategy.

When Noor Dubai was launched in 2008, it aimed to treat and prevent visual impair-ment through educational and treatment programmes. After

becoming a foundation in 2010, it expanded its programme to treat more than 25 million peo-ple across 20 countries and 28 cities. Dr Taryam added that through its award-winning out-reach programme in the UAE, the mobile clinic succeeded in conducting vision screening for more than 7,000 people across

various segments of society. At the international level, Noor Dubai Foundation continued its efforts in eliminating trachoma in Amhara in Ethiopia. Through a partnership with the Carter Center over the past three years, Noor Dubai Foundation reached out to 18 million people threat-ened by trachoma. Over the

next four years, the project ex-pects to eliminate blinding tra-choma from Amhara. In 2016, Noor Dubai completed four successful mobile eye camps in Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Niger and Senegal. Through its outreach programmes in Africa and Asia, Noor Dubai has screened 243,675 people and provided 24,531 surgeries and 56,047 glasses to those living in remote areas with minimal access to primary healthcare facilities.

Noor Dubai’s success has qualified it to become a member of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, the global body of more than 125 or-ganisations with the mission of eliminating the main causes of preventable blindness and visu-al impairment. n

RAISING FUNDS TO FIGHT VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

A new agreement means that people with eyesight problems both in the UAE and abroad will receive improved care

NOOR NAZZAL

The MoU was signed between Noor Dubai and Dar Al Ber in order to continue treating eyesight issues across the world

Supplied

Health experts from Dubai Health Authority (DHA) highlighted during the

authority’s smart clinic the importance of colonoscopy screening. Dr Mustafa Sabri, Consultant Physician and Gas-troenterologist, Digestive Dis-eases Unit at Rashid Hospital, and Hanadi Al Gaish, Clinical Dietician at Latifa Hospital, shared advice and information on the disease during the clinic with the public through DHA’s smart channels.

Colonoscopy is a test that allows a doctor to look at the inner lining of a patient’s large intestine (rectum and colon). The doctor uses a thin, flexible tube called a colonoscope to look at the colon. A colonoscopy helps find ulcers, colon polyps, tumours and areas of inflamma-tion or bleeding.

CANCER SCREENINGDuring a colonoscopy, tissue

samples can be collected (biop-sy) and abnormal growths can be taken out.

Colonoscopy can also be used as a screening test to check for cancer or precancerous growths in the colon or rectum (polyps) or diagnose inflammatory bow-el disease, and diagnose causes of severe constipation that can be linked to hypothyroidism, di-abetes, etc.

In the UAE, majority of pa-tients with colon cancer are younger than those in the US

and Western countries. There-fore, as per Ministry of Health guidelines, it is recommend-ed that people above 40 years should go for a colon cancer screening programme as com-pared to Western countries where the age of screening is 50 years.

A colonoscopy can detect the polyps that are still benign. The earlier an abnormality is found, the better the patient outcome.

For example, if a polyp is detected during colonoscopy, it can be removed, thereby sig-nificantly reducing the risk of colon cancer. And if colon can-

cer is detected early on, it can be treated easily and survival chances are high.

When it comes to the need for paediatric colonoscopies, the main indication is blood in stools. Parents should not take recurrent blood in stool lightly; they should directly seek an appointment with a gastroenterologist for further investigation.

In children, colon cancer is extremely rare. The more com-mon cases of colon problems in children are constipation, irrita-ble bowel syndrome, inflamma-tory bowel disease, allergic coli-tis and juvenile polyps n

Getty

NOOR NAZZAL

THE IMPORTANCE OF COLONOSCOPY SCREENING

A DHA smart clinic highlighted the importance of check-ups for people over the age of 40

It is recommended that people in the UAE above

40 years should go for a colon cancer screening

programme as compared to Western countries

where the age of screening is 50 years

“We are reaching out

to people across the

emirate so that they

are aware of our

services and can

donate to this

humanitarian

initiative.”

Dr Manal Taryam CEO, Noor Dubai Foundation

4 5Monday, December 25, 2017 Monday, December 25, 2017Nutrition Planet Nutrition Planet

An aversion to vegetables seems to plague all children at some stage. But there are tricks to win little rebels over to the green side

WAYS TO GET YOUR CHILDREN REACHING FOR THEIR VEGETABLES

CULINARY CORNER

SUMPTUOUSSMOKED

RECIPES

Treat your guests to these tasty dishes this festive season

MODERN SPINACH ROULADE

Method 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 33x23-cm Swiss roll tin with

baking paper and grease with non-stick spray.2 Squeeze the spinach to remove any liquid and chop. Blitz the

spinach, flour, nutmeg and chives with a little bit of salt and pepper in a processor until nearly smooth and turn the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the egg yolks and mix well.

3 In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into the spinach mixture. Spoon the mixture on to the baking sheet, spreading it evenly. Bake for 20 minutes or until firm. Turn out on to a clean sheet of sprayed baking paper. Leave to cool.

4 Cut out circles with a cookie cutter.5 Arrange the spinach circles, cucumber ribbons, trout and spoonfuls

of cream cheese on a wooden board and garnish with mock caviar.

Pictures and recipes: Camera Press

DO OR DIET

All your nutrition queries answered by...

I drink a lot of soda and I can’t seem to stop. Can you give me some tips on how to change this? Soda is a source of sugar, caffeine, sometimes colouring, and little else. One twelve-ounce can of regular soda typically con-tains eight teaspoons of sugar and 130 calories — but zero nutritional content. That is, it provides absolutely nothing of value — just calories and carbohydrates. If consumed in excess, sugar and carbs may contribute to weight gain. Ad-ditional health risks associated with soda consumption in-clude type 2 diabetes, kidney stones, heart disease, gout, and cavities and tooth decay. Certain sodas also contain caffeine, which can cause headaches, restlessness, or anxiety.

You might start by cutting down on the amount you drink each day. After a few weeks try to gradually reduce your in-take until you aren’t drinking any soda. Through the first few weeks, you may experience headaches, lethargy, or feel tem-peramental, these are just typical reactions to cutting back. It’s possible to feel better, both physically and mentally, after an initial period of adjustment.

As you transition off soda, it may be helpful to keep al-ternative beverages around, such as soda water with a little unsweetened cranberry or grape juice; unsweetened, non-ca-loric flavoured seltzers; plain tap water with lemon juice with one to two teaspoons of sugar.

I do obsess a lot about my weight, and I go without eating for a while. My friends suspect I have an eating disorder and are suggesting I need help. How do I know for sure?Striving for an ideal shape that isn’t always attainable (or even realistically possible) can lead some people to develop unhealthy eating behaviours. Don’t worry, there are many people in the same situation as you and the good news is that you don’t have to figure it out on your own; there are profes-sionals available to help you.

Eating disorders are not always clear and can be quite com-plex. So it’s always good to consult a healthcare professional as they use a designated set of criteria to diagnose an eating disorder. It may be that an individual is engaging in a type of disordered eating or that they have body image distortions, or both. Sometimes people could be engaging in disordered eating behaviours or have body image distortions, but do not officially meet the diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder. In any case, it’s best for a health care professional to further investigate any suspected cases.

You may also want to speak with a parent, trusted friend, teacher, or mentor about your concerns.

Q

DIET ADVICE

HOLISTIC NUTRITION

■■ NOW THAT VAT IS BEING INTRODUCED HERE, IF I WANT SPEND LESS MONEY ON FOOD BUT CONTINUE TO FEED MY FAMILY HEALTHILY, WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST?

This question reminds me of the study done in Oxford Universi-ty in 2012. After reviewing about 30 international studies, they determined that food taxes, which are levied at a higher rate on food items considered unhealthy, can improve outcomes only if they put significant dent in the consumer pocket. (Oliver Mytton, British Medical Journal, May 14, 2012)

Taxes, spending capacity and choices of foods will have impact on your health, like any other variables in economics. Although indirectly it will be decisive in deciding your meal plans, planning ahead will be a good step as an overall strategy for your coming year. To answer from a practitioner perspective, eating less but quality meals gives you a comfortable life. Plan ahead with quali-ty home cooked meals with natural ingredients. Cook or buy just enough and never be lavish on filling the table for the purpose of display. Encourage local flora, garden produce and healthy produce markets to take advantage of the cost raise, if it is applicable.

■■ I’M PLANNING TO LOSE WEIGHT IN THE NEW YEAR. WHAT FOODS SHOULD I BE EATING?There are many ways to maximise metabolism. Avoid energy drinks and processed foods. Let your main meal be a vegetable dish and fish. From the new year onwards, make it a habit to add more vegetables to your plate, and less meat and less white flour.Pure water, boiled water, leafy vegetables, and home-made veg-etable juice, ginger, garlic, and soft spices are known catalyst of metabolism. Add a regular 45 minutes of exercise.

www.thehealersclinic.com, 04 385 5677

Dr Hafeel Ambalath Ayurvedic Practitioner and CEO, The Healers’ Clinic

Natural solutions to your dietary needs

9Keep Your Cool

Parents should avoid making a big deal when it comes to vegetables. ”Stay relaxed and don’t make it a big deal, or else it will be-come a game,” explained Inga Pfannebecker, author and food journalist. ”Kids find it more cool when they can get attention when they don’t eat their food.” Some parents promise their kids a dessert or offer other “prizes.” “The more you fall into this trap, the worse it will get,” says the dietician.

Taste It, Don’t Force It

It’s normal for children to have phases where their eating habits are a bit one sid-ed. Their taste needs to grow into different flavour directions. It’s important that chil-dren at least try everything on the table, even if it is just a tiny amount. “If it doesn’t taste good to them, they don’t need to eat any more of it. But they need to try it again the next time to help expand their palate,” says Pfannebecker. Children will sometimes need up to 15 taste tests before accepting something new. “Don’t give up too early and always offer them the vegetables again and again,” she suggests.

Presentation Matters

Finger food, cooked, fried or pureed: vegeta-bles can be prepared in many different ways. It’s possible that a cooked carrot doesn’t taste good to a child, whereas a raw carrot does. ”Raw fruits and vegetables should be given to children in small, cut up pieces, as they’ll eat considerably more of it then,” Alexy suggests. ”Kids also like dipping sauc-es.” Hummus, sour cream or finely grated parmesan taste great with raw cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots. But be careful as chil-dren can easily choke on hard, raw foods.

Sell Veg With Fantasy

”Use the same tricks as advertisements,” Pfannebecker recommends. Parents can serve “princess peas” and “magical carrots.” Playfully presenting vegetables makes it ex-citing: Use a cookie cutter to cut up cucum-bers. “Just simply change the presentation,” the author says.

Sneak Them In

Hiding vegetables in meals is not a cure-all. “But it is a good way to increase the amount of vegetables,” says Pfannebecker. A clas-sic example is tomato sauce. Sauces are a great way to hide pureed vegetables. Many children also do well with soup. Another trick Pfannebecker recommends are small pancakes or potato cakes with peas, better named frog pancakes.

Set An Example

All these tips help, but the best is when parents act as role models. ”Don’t con-stantly emphasise how healthy vegetables are. That is too abstract for kids,” Pfannen-becker says. It’s better to make it clear that vegetables simply belong to a meal. ”If eating vegetables is a given for your family, it will also be natural for the child.”— Press Association / The Interview People

Best to Avoid Stress

Above all eating should be fun. “The child must look forward to sitting down to meals,” says Ute Alexy of the Institute for Nutrition and Food Science in Germany’s Bonn Univer-sity. Stress does not belong at the kitchen table. Very important are regular meal times in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. “This will link the food to positive feelings,” Alexy says. Pressuring, bribing and reprimanding chil-dren for not wanting to eat their vegetables is counter-productive.

Let Them Participate

”Kids should have a small say in what they eat,” says Alexy. Participating sparks their in-terest. It can be by planting tomatoes on the patio or in a garden, or even when shopping. ”Ask your child what their favourite colour is and let them find a vegetable that colour.” If a child is allowed to help with cooking, they have a better idea of what they’ll see on their plate — helping their joy in food grow.

Combine Flavours

A good method for getting children to try new vegetables is to mix already approved vegetables with new ones. “New vegetables should be combined with familiar and fa-vourite foods,” Alexy suggests. Parents can even add a bit of ketchup if needed. Pfanne-becker says ”there should always be at least something that the child enjoys eating.”

SPINACH CIRCLES● 200g cooked spinach● ¼ cup cake flour● ½ tsp nutmeg● 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives● 3 extra-large eggs, separated

TO SERVE● 1 cucumber, cut into

ribbons with a vegetable peeler

● 1 packet of smoked trout● 200g cream cheese● mock caviar, for garnish

Ingredients ● 200g smoked salmon● 2 spring onions, chopped● 100g mascarpone cheese● Lime or lemon juice, to taste● 8 pieces of ciabatta bread● Lime or lemon wedges, to serve● Chives, to garnish

Method 1 Cut the salmon into 1cm-wide strips. Mix together with

the chopped onions, mascarpone and lime or lemon juice.2 Toast the bread on a griddle pan or under the grill

on both sides.3 Top with some of the salmon mixture. Serve with lime

or lemon wedges and garnish with chives.

BRUSCHETTA WITH SMOKED SALMON AND MASCARPONE■ Serves 4Preparation time: 15 minutesCooking time: 3 minutes

■ Serves 4-6Preparation time: 15 minutesCooking time: 20 minutes

An aversion to vegetables seems to plague all children as soon as they are old enough to put up a fuss at the kitchen table. Peas, spinach and broccoli will go left untouched if parents don’t step in and ensure their child gets vitamin-rich foods. Some

parents might be tempted to just let their children eat what they want, but these early years are the foundation of lifelong habits. And vegetables are important for a healthy lifestyle. So rather than forcing or coercing children to eat their greens, here are nine tips that can help convince kids they really want to eat that cauliflower.

1

3 7

4 5

6

8

9

2

Kids should have a

small say in what

they eat . Ask your

child what their

favourite colour is

and let them find a

vegetable that colour.

FARHEEN DHINDA Clinical Dietitian, Dubai Health Authority

Pictures: iStock

OLIVIA KONIECZNY

6 Monday, December 25, 2017Maximum Fitness

Feeling stressed or overwhelmed by the daily grind? Melissa Ghattas takes you through

some postures to clear your mind this New Year

Beginning our day with mindfulness, gratitude, inten-tion and yoga can support us in creating a calmer and more peaceful mind,” says Dubai-based yoga teacher Melissa Ghattas.

She says your day can begin with strength and pos-itivity, simply by creating a 10-minute practice in the comfort of your own home. “Begin by simply saying thank you!” she says. “Gratitude is our highest form of prayer, when we prac-tise being grateful for the things we already have, we speak the language of abundance. Start your day by reflecting on just three things you are grateful for i.e. I’m grateful for my health.”

Ghattas’ vision towards yoga is one that increases self-awareness, self-love and respect, bridging the relation-ship between the mind, body and spirit. “Set a positive in-tention for your day, one that can give your efforts a sense of direction,” she says. “By becoming clearer about your visions you will have more focus, giving your thoughts, actions and words more purpose.”

CALM YOUR MIND WITH

1. Begin in an all fours position with your knees close together; sit your hips back in between your feet, keeping your thigh bones parallel to one another, press evenly into the tops of both your feet.

If you have any knee conditions, place a block underneath your sitting bones. You can also use a bolster in between your calves and thighs. Create an elegant tall spine, chest open, tailbone anchoring south and crown rising up.

2. Interlace your fingers behind your back, reach for the floor behind you to stretch and open through the front of your chest. Take three to five full breaths here.

3. Take a full breath in and on your exhale

take your interlaced fingers to the right side of your waist, dropping your right ear to your right shoulder. Stay here for five full breath cycles.

4. Return your hands behind your back and swap the interlaced fingers so you’re opposite thumb is on top now and repeat step 3 to the left side

5. Once you have completed the right and left side return to centre with your palms resting on your thighs. On an exhale drop chin to your chest, inhale, roll right ear to right shoulder, exhale back to centre, and inhale, roll left ear to left shoulder. Continue from side to side, pausing in any areas of resistance, breathing consciously.

Here are eight postures you can do in the morning to calm your mind throughout the day.

Benefits: Relieves tension and stress in the lower back. Increases flexibility of the neck, shoulders and spine.

CAT/COW

1. Begin in an all fours position, knees under your hips, hands under your shoulders, front ribs knitting towards the back of your rib cage and your toes on top of your mat.

2. Inhale here in a neutral spine, exhale round your spine and look towards your navel.

3. Inhale, lift your chest, lift your tailbone to the sky, and arch your spine.

4. Continue one breath in and one breath out, at least five to seven complete rounds of rounding and arching the spine.

5. Let the breath guide your body.

1. Begin in an all fours position, knees under your hips, hands under your shoulders, front ribs knitting towards the back of your rib cage and your toes curled under.

2. Turn your fingers towards your knees, so thumbs are parallel to the long edges of your mat.

3. Take one breath in and on exhale draw hips towards your toes until you feel a stretch in your forearms, maintaining your lower front ribs to back rib connection.

4. Stay for five to ten breaths.5. After you have completed

breathing here, release your hands and sit back on your toes that are tucked under.

6. Breathe here for five to ten breaths, you can also add any shoulder opener here i.e. Gomukhasana arms (in between the right and left side, you can tap your toes out).

7. Once you have completed here, walk your hands forward, release your toes by tapping the tops of the feet onto your mat.

1. From an all fours position; hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, rest the tops of your feet on the mat.

2. Take one full breath in and on your exhale begin to walk your hands forward at arm’s length, until you can rest your third eye centre on the mat or use a block for extra support. Keep your hips over your knees.

3. Begin to melt your heart space to the earth,

keeping your fingers spread and activating hasta bandha (hand lock) by pressing into all your finger pads and creating a lifting action from the centre of your palm. Create space around your shoulders by rolling the upper arm bones away from your midline and keep your arms charged with energy. Maintain the drawing in of your floating ribs, towards the back line to protect and support your lower back

4. Breathe for five to ten full cycles of breath.5. When you’re ready to release, exhale into

your palms and inhale lift your head and exhale begin to walk your hands back towards all fours position again.

1. From an all fours position, walk your hands a few centimetres forward of your shoulders (so you are not directly underneath the shoulders).

2. Inhale and lift your right arm up to the sky, opening up through the chest and exhale thread the arm underneath and across to the left, resting your right cheek on your mat, your left palm is under the left elbow (beside your face).

3. You can stay here with your left palm where it is or walk the left arm forward to the front.

4. Stay here for five to ten breath cycles.

5. To leave the posture, return your left palm beside your face, press down into left palm and release the right arm, take a couple of breaths at centre before you repeat these steps to the left side.

REVERSE HAND POSITION IN ALL FOURSBenefits: Stretches the forearms and the wrists, also stretching the backs of the feet, which aid in opening the whole back line of the body.

1. From your downward dog, take one full breath in and on your exhale begin to walk your hands towards your feet.

2. If you have any lower back issues or restrictions in your hamstrings, put a soft bend into your knees.

3. Press evenly into all four corners of your feet, keeping an awareness of lifting the inner arches of the feet, as you ground into your heels engage and activate your thighs. Draw

your inner thighs in towards one another.

4. Option to let your arms be free or hold opposite elbows.

5. Breathe here for five to ten breath cycles.

6. To exit the posture, bend your knees and slowly begin to roll up one vertebra at a time.

ANAHATASANA(anahata – heart /asana posture)

Benefits: Relieves tension in the shoulders, stretches the upper back and spine.

PARSVA BALASANA thread the needle (spinal twist in all fours)

Benefits: Stretches the shoulders and gentle twist of the spine.

VIRASANA(hero posture with head and neck release)

Benefits: Stretches the quadriceps, knees, ankles and feet. It is also an alternative to Padmasana or Sukhasana for seated meditation.

1. Begin in all fours, curling your toes under and extending your arms out in front of you, with your hands shoulder distance apart.

2. Roll the spine forward into a plank position, shoulders over the wrists, fingers spread, and feet hip distance apart.

3. Keep your heart, hips and heels all in one line of integrity, take one breath in and on your exhale lift your hips up and back, by pressing firmly into your hands.

4. Visualise your body in the shape of an inverted V.

5. With the fingers spread, hug the forearms towards one another as if you had a block in between them and roll the

inner biceps up and away from each other, keeping broadness across the shoulders and back of the heart.

6. If you have any restrictions in the hamstrings or lower back sensitivity, bend the knees slightly and just work on creating length through the spine.

7. With your thighs pressing back, heels reaching for the earth, be aware to hug the lower ribs towards the spine to avoid lower back arching.

8. Soft gaze towards the space between your feet or towards your navel.

9. Breathe here for five to ten breaths.

1. Lay down on your back with legs mat distance apart. Keep arms by your side, palms facing the sky.

2. Take complete rest and observe your natural breath here. Stay here for five to ten minutes.

ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA Downward facing dog

Benefits: A mild inversion as the head is below the heart, increasing blood flow to the brain, which serves to calm the mind and relieve stress. It elongates and relieves the spine, and opens and strengthens the whole body, especially the legs and arms.

UTTANASANA Intense stretch/forward fold

Benefits: Stretches the whole back line of the body and relieves tension in the spine, neck and back. It strengthens the legs, while bringing a sense of calmness and ease into the mind, also improving digestion.

Melissa is an experienced E-RYT 500 yoga teacher known for her dynamic vinyasa flow classes and her integration of the philosophy of yoga into everyday life.

She discovered yoga in 2004 during a transitional period of her life and began teaching in Dubai and India in 2010. Instagram – melissaghattasyogaFacebook - Melissa Ghattas YogaWebsite - www.melissaghattas.yoga

PROFILE

SAVASANACorpse posture

YOGA

Pictures: Stefan Lindeque

7Monday, December 25, 2017 Life Alternatives

Photos: Getty

From boosting creativity to improving mood, is there anything a feel-good tune can’t do?

Most people spend a large part of their day listen-ing to music. The radio’s an

essential part of the school

run, a workout would be bor-ing without a great playlist, and you can’t dance a Satur-day night away in silence.

Scientists have been re-searching the benefits of listening to music too, with some surprising results — in fact, researchers from

Radboud University in the Netherlands and Sydney’s University of Technology re-cently found listening to hap-py music can make us more creative.

The study saw 155 partic-ipants being asked to assess their current mood, before

being split into five groups. One group did not listen to music, and the remaining four groups listened to music of varying arousal levels. The participants then completed a range of tasks intended to test their levels of creative thinking, and those listening

to happy music were found to have increased creativity.

But music can do a lot more than just make you more creative. Here are five other amazing things you didn’t know music could do for your mind, mood and well-being.

Back in 2014, a hoax article claimed the discovery of what the American Psychi-

atric Association referred to as sel-fitis. It was supposedly a mental disorder where people were ad-dicted to taking and posting sel-fies. Hoax or not, new research by Nottingham Trent University in the UK and Thiagarajar School of Management in India has shown that selfitis is indeed a real condition.

While selfies may be mostly harmless, The Guardian re-ports that 36 people died this year as a result of selfie-related accidents, ranging from drown-ing in rivers to being hit by

trains. For context though, in 2016, Google reported that 24 billion selfies were uploaded online in 2015. Essentially then, your chances of taking a fatal selfie are slim. Nevertheless, when researchers surveyed 400 people from India using a be-haviour scale, they concluded that the condition was an actu-al problem.

Participants were asked to respond to a number of state-ments such as, “I feel more pop-ular when I post selfies,” with a score of one indicating that they strongly disagreed. Five was the top of the scale and meant that participants strong-ly agreed with the statements.

Following their findings,

researcher Dr Janarthanan Balakrishnan made compari-sons between selfitis and other forms of addictive behaviour. He referred to characteristics such as a lack of self-confidence and a desire to feel accepted, which he identified in both sel-fitis and addicts.

While there is currently no formal treatment for the com-pulsion, experts now hope to conduct further studies to gain a deeper understanding of the addictive behaviour. In the meantime, if you do suspect you’re a little too enthusiastic when it comes to reaching for the selfie stick, perhaps it’s time to reassess your relationship with your smartphone. n

PETER FEELY

DO YOU HAVE SELFITIS?Believe it or not, it’s an actual thing so here is how you can discover if you’ve succumbed

AMAZING THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW MUSIC COULD DO FOR YOUR MIND AND WELL-BEING

HELP MANAGE PAINResearch by Brunel University and Queen Mary University found that listening to music before, during or after surgery leaves patients needing less pain medication than those who haven’t.

Dr Paul Glasziou, of Bond Uni-versity in Queensland, says “a

drug with similar effects might generate sub-

stantial marketing”. Child and adoles-

cent counsellor Deb-orah Pearce says, “Music is effective in pain relief as it has

the ability to relax mind and body.”

REBECCA SNIDER MARTIN

HELP YOU EXERCISEMost people would find going for a run without music boring, but they might not know they would also find it physically harder. Mu-sic has been proven to have the ability to synchronise the rhythm and movement of those exercis-ing, distract them from fatigue, and aid with muscle memory.

The impact of music is so sig-nificant that in 2007 USA Track & Field, the national governing body for distance racing in the US, banned the use of portable mu-sic players by athletes to “ensure safety and to prevent runners from having a competitive edge.”

While this might seem ex-treme, Costas Kara-georghis, a leading expert on the psychology of ex-ercise based at London’s Brunel University, ar-gues music is “a type of legal per-formance-enhanc-ing drug”.

MAKE YOU SMARTERThe positive impact listening to music can have on somebody’s ability to study are long known, and the term Mozart effect has made its way into popular usage.

The term comes from a 1993 study that purported participants who listened to Mozart, as op-posed to silence or verbal relax-ation instructions, scored higher marks in spatial reasoning tasks in an IQ test. There was no long-term impact on IQ points, how-ever — but if that’s what you’re after, learning to play music your-self, rather than just listening to it, might help.

Lutz Jancke, a psychologist at the University of Zürich, has said that: “Learning to play a musical instrument has definite bene-fits and can increase IQ by seven points, in both children and adults.”

JOG YOUR MEMORYThere’s a reason why music is sometimes used as a form of therapy, particularly in care homes and for people with memory problems. For in-stance, the Alzheimer’s So-ciety offer a service called Singing for the Brain, which it says gives challenges to the brain and helps concen-tration in people with memory problems.

Ming Hung Hsu, chief music therapist for the charity MHA, which provides music therapy in its 54 care homes with des-ignated dementia care, says this therapy “does help de-mentia sufferers retrieve certain types of memory, such as long-term and autobiographical memory perhaps about their wed-ding day or significant days in the lives. It provides stim-ulation so they can still get hold of some memories”.

MAKE YOU HAPPIERListening to music you like causes your brain to release dopamine, which sends signals to the parts of your brain associated with re-ward and pleasure, and suppress-es cortisol, the stress hormone.

“This will work with any of your favourite songs — even sad ones will produce the desired effect,” ex-plains Dr Dan Robertson, a medical officer at Push Doctor. This means listening to music is linked to low-ered stress and heightened levels of happiness.

— dpa / The Interview People

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Photo: iStock

8 Monday, December 25, 2017Life Alternatives

Dr Manal Taryam, CEO of Primary Healthcare Sector at the DHA

LAST WORD

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice

President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Dubai Health Authority will hold the 2nd edition of the Dubai Health Forum on January 15-16, 2018 at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE. The first edition of the forum in 2017 attracted over 2,200 attendees from 16 countries with over 40 speakers, four workshops, eight panel sessions and 11 health talks over the course of two days.

Given the fact that modern technology and developments take place at a rapid place in today’s globalised world, it is important for us to discuss and exchange ideas with the best in the world on technological advancements that can improve health systems, health management and improve the lives of patients.

The forum will bring together decision makers, health practitioners, international guest speakers, industry experts, multinational corporates and innovators launching next-generation, game-changing technologies. We encourage people from the health sector to attend the conference and display healthcare technologies they think are the future of healthcare.

TEA LINKED WITH REDUCED RISK OF GLAUCOMA

New research has shown that if you consume a daily cuppa, you are 74 per cent less likely to contract the eye disease

A new study, which was published in the British Journal of Ophthalmol-

ogy, has concluded that drink-ing just one cup of caffeinated tea each day reduces the risk of contracting glaucoma by a whopping 74 per cent. Glau-coma is a sight condition that causes damage to the optic nerve because of high pressure within the eye.

Glaucoma is a disease that de-

velops slowly, meaning that suf-ferers rarely recognise any dete-rioration in their vision until it has reached an advanced stage.

If caught early enough, glau-coma can be treated so that the deterioration of sight is slowed or prevented. If, however, it’s not diagnosed, glaucoma can lead to blindness. While spe-cialists don’t fully understand what causes the disease, stud-ies have shown that it tends

to run in families. Research-ers looked at data from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which is an annual survey carried out to assess the health and diet of US residents. From the 1,600 people surveyed, around 5 per cent were diagnosed with glaucoma.

The researchers then subse-quently looked at information

about how frequently the par-ticipants had consumed soft drinks, coffee and tea. They discovered that coffee was more popular than caffeinat-ed tea, and that tea drinkers were significantly less likely to suffer from glaucoma. Interest-ingly, the researchers were un-able to see any impact on the likelihood of developing glau-coma for people who drank de-caffeinated tea.

FAST FOOD FOUND TO DAMAGE MENTAL

HEALTHResearch has shown that eating fast food three times a week can have a detrimental

effect on your mental well-being

Many of us have experi-enced fast food crav-ings. Here in Dubai,

fast food is readily available in malls and restaurants throughout the city. There are apps where fast food can be delivered to your door, with-out you even having to step out of your chair. It’s one of the contributing factors to why approximately 75 per cent of the UAE population are overweight or obese. Be-ing overweight can lead to a number of health issues and complications such as type 2 diabetes and cardio vascular disease. Yet, what is the psy-chological effect of consuming too much fast food?

A new study that was pub-lished this month in the jour-nal Nutritional Neuroscience found that participants be-tween the ages of 18 and 29 who consumed fast food three times a week had higher levels of mental distress than those who didn’t.

The research, which was

carried out by Binghampton in New York, also found a relationship between mood and the consumption of meat. They discovered that those who ate meat less than three times a week, or less, also suf-fered from higher levels of mental distress. As reported in The Guardian, Lina Begdache, assistant professor of health and wellness studies at Bing-hamton, who led the team of researchers, didn’t initially predict the effect meat con-sumption has on psychology. “We were surprised by this,” says Begdache. “But mood and meat are linked at a cellular level; tryptophan in meat is a precursor of serotonin, the brain’s “feel-good chemical.”

While Begdache believes a relationship exists between what we eat and our mental well-being, she acknowledged her team’s findings are still at a “hypothetical” stage, and that more research is required before conclusive scientific ev-idence can be found. n

Findings published in the jour-nal Circulation says that chil-dren who have traumatic ex-

periences such as bullying, abuse or witness violence have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease when they reach early adulthood. The researchers looked at a number of previous publications on the subject, before reaching their conclusions.

Cardiovascular disease has been proven to lead to a number of health complications including hypertension and type 2 diabe-tes. The researchers’ definition of trauma also included the loss of a loved one, parental divorce and experiencing poverty or living in a neighbourhood with high crime rates. “The real tragedy is that chil-dren are exposed to these traumatic experiences in the first place,” said Shakira F. Suglia, ScD, associate professor of epidemiology at Emo-ry’s Rollins School of Public Health, who led the study.

The team was unable to es-tablish the exact reasoning be-hind the relationship between mental and physical health although they specu-lated that high levels of stress might have a detrimental effect on biological reactions within the body. Nev-ertheless, Suglia believes that prevention of trauma for children is the most important lesson from their research. “Ideally, we want to prevent these things from happening in the first place as well as prevent-ing the health consequences that arise from hav-ing these experienc-es,” she says. n

CHILDHOOD TRAUMA ASSOCIATED WITH CARDIOVASCULAR

DISEASEThe American Heart Association has discovered a link between traumatic experiences in youth and

an increased risk of cardiovascular disease

NEWSIN BRIEF

Pictures: iStock