Thalassemia – Tied For Life(Part 1)

Hello dear friends, first of all a very BIG THANKS and WARM WELCOME to you all. After a very long time i am writing to you all and i could not express you that how much happy and joyful i am right now. OK than, before posting, tell me friends how are you all? Hope that more than fine, more than well and very much joyful & excited more than me, which i always wish for you.

Well, today what i am writing to you, is about one of my friend's condition, who is suffering from this disease. And after seeing my friend's condition and knowing about this disease. I literally thought that we all know about this disease more or less but we do not try to find a cure or prevent or to acknowledge other’s about this disease which is becoming very much severe. I think that, I will do what I always do for people but there are some more friends of mine in my blog who are with a great heart about helping people and who could also help me about informing other’s about this disease as I am. Today my topic is thalassemia and it’s basic information. 

What is thalassemia?

Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder passed down through families (inherited). It is also known as Mediterranean anemia, or Cooley’s anemia. The word ‘Thalassemia’ came from Greek word ‘Thalassa’, which means ‘sea’. This disease originated in the Mediterranean area’s most.

In thalassemia, the disorder is caused by affecting the body's ability to produce hemoglobin and red blood cells. Our red blood cells carry haemoglobin. Haemoglobin, a protein is needed to carry oxygen to all parts of the body, and carbon dioxide to the lungs to be exhaled. People with thalassemia make less haemoglobin and fewer circulating red blood cells than normal, which results in mild or severe anemia and fatigue. Thalassemias are often inherited in the form of autosomal recessive blood disorders. 
                                   

Who’s at risk?          

The defective genes that cause thalassemia are relatively common, especially in people of South Asian, African and Mediterranean descent. Those who have these defective genes but do not experience symptoms are called carriers (this condition is also called thalassemia minor or “Mediterranean anemia”). If both parents carry a thalassemia gene, their patients are at a higher risk of having some form of thalassemia.

Causes and types of Thalassemia:

Everyone has four alpha genes and two beta genes that control Haemoglobin production. Alpha thalassemia occurs when one or more of these alpha genes are missing or damaged. Beta thalassemia occurs when one or both beta genes aren’t working properly.

There are three major types of thalassemia that are classified based on the severity of symptoms: minor, intermediate and major.

• Patients with thalassemia minor or trait (and those that are “silent carriers”) do not experience symptoms or require treatment.
• Patients with thalassemia intermediate need some follow-up care and may require blood transfusions under certain circumstances.
• Patients with thalassemia major need ongoing medical care, including blood transfusions to alleviate severe anemia and chelation therapy to remove excess iron from the blood.

Thalassemia minor and carriers

Silent carrier:

• one alpha gene is missing or damaged
• no symptoms
• no treatment needed

Thalassemia minor (or thalassemia trait): 

                                                 

 

• two alpha genes or one beta gene missing or damaged
• no symptoms or mild anemia under some circumstances
• no treatment needed
• can have child but 50% chance to be affected of that child

Thalassemia intermediate

Beta thalassemia intermediate:

• one or both beta genes are not working properly
• mild to severe anemia
• can be diagnosed early in childhood or later in life
• may need blood transfusions during pregnancy or when very sick

Thalassemia major

Alpha thalassemia major:

• four alpha genes are missing
• most serious and most rare form of thalassemia
• untreated, leads to miscarriage or death of the baby shortly after birth
• may be treated with blood transfusions in the womb if discovered early enough in pregnancy
• babies who survive require life-long blood transfusions or stem cell transplant and extensive medical care

                                                 

Beta thalassemia major (also called Cooley’s anemia, after the discoverer):

• both beta genes are not working properly
• severe anemia
• monthly blood transfusions needed
• chelation therapy is also needed to remove excess iron that builds up in the body due to frequent blood transfusions
• symptoms begin during the first year of life

Other types of thalassemia

• Haemoglobin E beta-thalassemia: This form of thalassemia is more common in patients of South-East Asian descent. It results from two separate genetic defects:
• a defective type of Haemoglobin known as Haemoglobin E
• a defective gene that causes beta thalassemia

• Haemoglobin H disease alpha-thalassemia: This form of thalassemia is most common in Southern China and South-East Asia. In Haemoglobin H disease:
• three alpha genes are missing
• moderate to severe anemia may occur
• frequent blood transfusions may be needed
• genetic counseling and screening may be needed in adulthood, as the risk of having patients with alpha thalassemia major is increased.

• Haemoglobin C thalassemia

o    common in Mediterranean and African populations

o     Haemoglobin C/β^o thalassemia causes a moderately severe hemolytic anemia with splenomegaly

o    Haemoglobin C/β⁺ thalassemia produces a milder disease.

•    Haemoglobin D thalassemia

o    common in north west parts of India and Pakistan (Punjab region).

    

So friends, it is time to say good bye for today. While saying goodbye, I hope you like my post’s one part and it’s second part will be more informative. Till then all of you stay healthy, be passionate and keep blogging.

 

Coffee Mate Creamer Provides Health Dangers

Hello dear friends! A very big hello to all of you.It has been so long since I am posting anything and sharing with you. I really missed posting and sharing with you, missed reading your replies and comments. But today before I post anything, let me first know how you all are doing? Hope all is well. Anyways, whatever the

news from you guys, I just want to wish you all a great and wonderful life, and we are very glad and grateful that you all like our blog spot so much, and would like to give you many, many thanks for appreciating our posts.

Well, me? I am just awesome, awesome exploring the beauty of life and a little busy with the college works.

I am writing today on the side/adverse effects of long term use of the coffee mate creamers, sitting next to my room window, watching the wonderful rain and of course not to forget about my mug of hot coffee, whisked with the coffee mate creamer, hopefully for the last time! And I am sure, while reading my today's post you guys are taking a sip of the same too.

So, this coffee mate creamer, it is a favorite of our all, right? Now, to some of us without this creamer, the taste of the, specially black coffee seems incomplete or bitter. However to some, such as to my younger sister, who is a lactose intolerant. People with lactose intolerance cannot digest the carbohydrate, lactose, in milk due to the lack of the enzyme lactase in their system. So, these people use the coffee mate creamer for a long period of time, even in their teas in addition to coffee instead of milk to add the creamy taste. Also the coffee lovers use it for a long period of their lives.

So, one day, it just clicked to my head that if there are any side/adverse effects of long term use of coffee mate creamer use when I was little concerned about my sister.And guess what fiends, I was not that surprised as I was suspecting the fact to be so that these non - dairy creamers are really bad for the health specially for the heart.But I was surprised to know that these creamers actually do not have any nutritional ingredients in them.

Originally coffee mate creamers were composed primarily of sugar and cream in the 1950s first. But as time passed, the manufacturers replaced the cream and natural sugars with vegetable oils, chemical sweeteners and additional additives, and now these coffee mates even contain corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, enzymes, fl avoids, stabilizers and others that once came from food sources but no longer seems to serve any nutritonal values. That is why the FDA does not list coffee mate as a dairy product, but approved it to be actually safe for general use.

Let us see how the non - nutritional components of today's coffee mate creamer provides the health dangers in the long term use to its regular users :

Processed Sugar :  Simple sugars themselves are observed to aggravate asthma, move mood swings, provoke personality changes, mental illness, nourish nervous disorders, increase risk of diabetes, promote heart disease, grow gallstones, promote hypertension and add arthritis. I n turn these creamers contain refined sugars, which lack minerals and vitamins. As a result they deplete the body's micro nutrients by using them to metabolize themselves into the system. This depletion leads to increased metabolism of  cholesterol and fatty acids  resulting in high blood serum triglycerides, cholesterol,etc. Higher fatty acid storage takes place around body organs and in sub - cutaneous tissues, which leads to promoted obesity.

Vegetable Oil ( Partially Hydrogenated Coconut Or Palm Kernel, Hydrogenated Soybean - Trans - Fatty Acids )  : It causes its bad effects by resulting in high blood cholesterol, thus, causing hardening of arteries which ultimately leads to heart attack. After ingesting these trans - fatty acids, they are incorporated into cells and the cells are hydrogenated. Surprisingly, the body cannot distinguish between cis -  and trans - fatty acids. Hydrogenation of cells leads to increased rates of heart attack, sexual dysfunction, weakened immune system, cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes and obesity.

Corn Syrup Solids : Corn syrup causes diabetes and corn syrup solids are a corn syrup concentrated to contain less than 10% water and the glucose ( dextrose ) content must be at-least 88% of the concentrated syrup's weight. These highly processed substances are very much harmful to human health.

Sodium Casein ate : ( a milk derivative ), though is good for health, is contained in only less than 2%.

Di potassium Phosphate : (Used to moderate coffee acidity ). It's side effects include :

1. Pneumonia
2. Acute renal failure
3. Nausea and vomiting                                          
4. Diarrhea
5. Asthenia ( weakness )
6.Decreased hemoglobin

Mono And Diglycerides :  ( Used to prevent oil separation ). Used for whitening effect and artificial creamy flavor. I t is also found in some pesticides. These are used to prolong product shelf - life, to maximize profits.

Sodium Aluminosilicate Or Aluminium Calcium Silicate :  Side effects include :

1. Constipation
2. Liver disease
3. Renal failure

So, friends. What do you think now? I think, it is not too late to know that one of our favorite routine intakes actually could cause very ill effects to our health in the long term. So, those of my friends who are visiting this post today or some other time, must now think of an alternative to these non - nutritional, health hazardous coffee mate creamers to cream your coffee and teas, and I must aware my sister of these ill effects and also find her some alternatives. However, the following are some of the safer alternatives that you can use in place of your present coffee mate :

1. Those who are not lactose intolerants can use milk and fresh cream, which will be nutritious to your health at the same time while giving your tea and coffee a creamy taste. 

2. Cinnamon and vanilla also give good flavors to your black?white coffee.

3.Almond extracts can also give you a creamy and rich flavor to your coffee.

4. Liquid coconut creams would be very delicious to lactose intolerance people. 

I would prefer the liquid coconut cream for my sister and I am going to suggest this to my sister.

Do not be any more late to replace your non - nutritional coffee mate creamer with any of the above suggested alternatives or with any of your own choice.

So friends, it is time for me to say goodbye today. While going I hope today's post was very much informative to you all and would like to thank me for posting this info today.

Well, you are always welcome to enjoy our posts.

Goodbye to all till my next post, and till then all of you stay healthy, be passionate and keep blogging, and of course, enjoy your coffee!

Eid Mubarak!

Hello dear friends.Hello once again.Feeling so light, so much happy to write today as.......yes, I know, I know, you have already made a guess, yes, as tomorrow is Eid!

Want to thank The Almighty Allah so much for making us, for giving us the strength to smoothly and safely complete our Ramadan. It was a total blessing from Allah.Today we are at the end of Ramadan, toady is the last fast we have to perform, though in some parts of the world, this glorious occasion, Eid is being performed, we will inshallah perform it tomorrow, on 09/08/13.

I hope, you all had a great and bless full Ramdan and your Eid preparation is being joyous then ever. 

I am ending today with a beautiful poem dedicated to all you dear friends. And till our next posts, stay healthy, be passionate and keep blogging.


Eid Night             

Star light, new moon bright, 
High up in the sky tonight, 

Shining bright, shining clear, 
Telling us that Eid is here.

'Eid mubarak, 'Eid mubarak.
Happy Eid' we say, 
Tomorrow we will have a feast, 
It's such a happy day.

At home we will have a party, 
With bright new clothes to wear, 
And gams to play with all our friends,
And lovely food to share.

We always must remember
To thank God as we pray, 
Family and clothes and food
God gives us everyday.


Eid Mubarak! Have a blasting Eid!