Latest Ebola News: Third American doctor infected with Ebola cured and released

Third American doctor Rick Sacra, who was infected with Ebola, has been discharged from the Nebraska Medical Centre, where he was receiving treatment for the disease for more than three weeks. ‘It was very gratifying for the entire team that treated Dr. Sacra to see him walk out the doors healthy again,’ Phil Smith, medical director of the biocontainment unit at the Nebraska Medical Centre, said during a press conference in Omaha Thursday.

Sacra, 51, was discharged after successive blood tests showed he was free of the virus. The physician’s release came on the same day as the announcement of the death of Spanish missionary Manuel Garcia Viejo, who became infected with Ebola in Sierra Leone and was taken to Madrid for medical treatment. The World Health Organization Thursday raised to 2,917 its tally of the number of deaths from the virus in West Africa, where 6,263 cases have been registered.

‘I am so grateful. Just so incredibly grateful to have gotten through this illness!,’ Sacra said Thursday. ‘Thanks to God and to the team here at the Nebraska Medical Centre!’ This week, the medical centre announced that Sacra was being treated with the experimental medication TKM-Ebola. Sacra also received a blood transfusion from Kent Brantly, the first US doctor with Ebola treated in the US and who also recovered from the illness.

Brantly and nurse Nancy Writebol were treated at the Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. Another American, whose identity has not been made public, was transferred three weeks ago to Emory Hospital to receive treatment after being infected with the Ebola virus.

Here are some common myths regarding Ebola.

Myth #1: Ebola is not real

Fact: Ebola is real and is caused due to a virus.

 The virus is thought to have been spread from animals to man and is capable of being contagious even before any symptoms are seen. Having killed over 700 people, the Ebola virus is known to be fatal 90% of the times. This apathy was highlighted in a news report by NEWSY, where Dr Sanjay Gupta said in an interview with CNN that people in Africa have a severe lack of knowledge regarding the virus and how it spreads. They touch the bodies of people who have died due to the infection, and  get infected. This then spreads to people around them. Apart from that in a startling revelation, one person interviewed in Africa said that he did not believe that Ebola was real, while eating a piece of bush meat. As the disease continues killing, it is this belief that only makes the situation worse. 

Myth #2: Ebola can only spread through blood

Fact: Ebola can spread through all body fluids including blood, sweat, semen, saliva and any other discharge.

This is mainly because of the way the virus attacks the body. Apart from affecting a person’s immune system, Ebola multiplies extremely fast and soon spreads throughout a person’s body. It then systematically infects all systems of the human body – barring the nervous system. This leads to bleeding and breakdown of all the defense mechanisms of the body. The infection becomes so severe that at a given time there can be up to 1000 viral cells in one drop of body fluid (especially blood). Read more about Ebola Facts: Top 7 myths busted

With inputs from IANS

Photo source: Getty images

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How yoga can prevent and combat heart disease

Most of us don’t ever think we will ever face cardiac issues in our lives. And those of us who do fear the disease don’t know how to prevent it. What exactly are cardiac issues and why do they shake us up when we least expect such an event to occur? What can we do to prevent these ailments from playing havoc with our lives? If we do see the symptoms then what can we do to control the condition and reverse the damage? These are a few questions that can leave many individuals perplexed. Read on to find all the answers you need.  

What factors put you at risk of suffering from heart disease?

When we talk about heart diseases we must first understand that there are modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. Simply put, factors like the natural aging process and genetic make-up of an individual non-modifiable because, in these cases, the risk of the disease can only be reduced to a certain degree. One can greatly control these factors by living a good lifestyle. On the other hand, modifiable factors would be high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, obesity, lack of exercise, stress and such other agents. All these factors are completely under our control, and we can eliminate them from our lives thus preventing the disease.

How can yoga help?

To help our heart function better we don’t need to wait for a signal that our heart is unwell. Know that prevention is the best way to stay healthy and this is where yoga can help. Here’s how the practice can help:

• Yoga helps an individual build notable qualities like a sense of duty, knowledge, detachment and self-confidence.


• The philosophy, technique and teachings of yoga can help people separate wheat from the chaff to get rid of the undesirable.


• People are taught to cultivate and nurture desirable and beneficial habits that help them live a good healthy life. So positive changes occur in an individual’s life in the form of a nutritious diet fixed routines, optimistic approach and good thoughts.


• Yoga also teaches people to understand their body and mind to combat diseases, helping them combat and prevent cardiac issues by following a yogic lifestyle and by practicing asanas regularly.


• Yoga also helps individuals psychologically; it helps reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, lifts up one’s spirit and promotes a sense of well-being.


• Stress is known to increase coronary spasm. Yoga techniques can help prevent and control spasms in blood vessels, bring down blood pressure and normalize heart rate.


• Yoga teaches us to become aware of ourselves, of our feelings, of our thought processes and our routine patterns. Awareness of ourselves and our environmental factors which influence our health combined with a philosophical approach, can help significantly reduce modifiable risk factors like stress etc. an aware person will understand his body better and is cautious about his lifestyle and hence tends to keep under control external circumstances that can cause trouble.  


• For those who already have been facing heart trouble, I would say that they should minimize stress, bring about conductive lifestyle changes and practice yoga techniques like meditation and asanas regularly to maintain their heart condition at the best possible level and to prevent further damage.

What yoga asanas can I do to prevent, control and reverse heart disease?

The most important thing people should remember is that these asanas must be performed regularly to see results. Most people will not see results if they are done once in a while.

Yogendra Nishpandabhava:

• Lean against a wall, touching your head to the wall and sit in a relaxed manner with your legs stretched in front of you.


• Keep a distance of 2-3 feet between your legs.


• Place your hands gently on your upper thighs with palms facing upwards.


• Listen to the sound of any vehicle passing by at a distance.


• Sit in this posture for ten minutes and focus on any distant sound.

Anitya Bhavana:

The most important thing before retiring to bed is a calm and philosophical survey of life in general – acceptance of impermanence and lasting attitudes of awareness. The awareness and ability to look at life as a bystander are the best ways of enjoying life. If one gets too excited, involved or attached one is not maintaining the necessary objectivity required to make life a matter of joy. Anitya bhavana helps a practitioner develop a ‘bystander’ attitude towards life. One must learn to develop a certain level of detachment, be objective, know and understand that everything is impermanent and will pass. This attitude will help us face the challenges of life. But then at the same time detachment doesn’t that one can withdraw completely. Anitya bhava doesn’t imply inaction.  Meditation can help people develop anitya bhavana. Take some time off your daily schedule for moments of quite and silence.

Sthitaprarthanasana or the standing prayer pose:

Steps to do this asana:

• Stand erect with your feet together, both toes and heels touching


• Join your hands together at chest level


• Draw your abdomen slightly inwards, keep your back straight, elbows and shoulders relaxed


• Close your eyes and observe your breath


• Maintain the pose for 3-5 minutes

Dradhasana or the firm pose:

Steps to do this asana:

• Lie down on your back and turn to your left side


• Fold your left arm and cushion your head on it


• Align your body in one straight line and keep your legs one on top of the other


• Rest your right arm on your body


• Close your eyes and relax in this pose for 5 minutes

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• Yoga for better heart health

For more articles on yoga, visit our yoga section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And for health-related queries, visit our Questions and Answers section.

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Yoga for your heart – 20 poses to keep it healthy

Heart disease is quickly becoming one of the most common conditions world-wide. But what makes this problem very complex is the fact that any ailment of the heart is often thought of as serious and can be life-threatening. But apart from medication and surgery, there is one way that you can keep this essential organ healthy — with yoga. A form of practice, that requires a person to focus on their breath and improves the functioning of his/her body, yoga is known for its innumerable health benefits. Here’s a list of 20 yoga poses that can help keep your heart healthy.

The following set of yoga asanas begin with mild ones, gradually increasing to more demanding ones that require greater stamina and strength. All of these asanas aim to relax and rejuvenate a person’s mind and body and helps keep heart disease at bay.  

1. Tadasana (mountain pose)

The mountain pose helps strengthen the heart and also makes the body more flexible.

2. Vrikshasana (tree pose)

The tree pose calms and brings equilibrium to the mind. This yoga pose helps calm the mind and leads to a steady and healthy heart function.

3. UtthitaHastapadasana (extended hands and feet pose)

This yoga posture requires focus and strength as it requires a lot of balance. This focus on one’s breathing and posture helps calm the mind, lowers the heart rate, promotes blood circulation and improves the all-round functioning of the heart. 

4. Trikonasana (triangle pose)

Known for its ability to beat stress, this is a heart opening asana is designed to promote cardiovascular exercise. The chest expands while controlled breathing helps increase stamina.

5. Veerabhadrasana (warrior pose)

The Warrior pose improves balance and increases stamina. It also releases stress while calming the mind and helps keep the heart rate in check. Another great benefit of this asana is that it tones the muscles of the thighs and abdomen, which helps burn fat, in turn keeping the heart healthy. 

6. Utkatasana (chair pose)

Another asana that helps strengthen the muscles of the tummy and thighs, the chair pose helps increase  one’s heart rate, improves posture, breathing and helps strengthen the body.  

7. Marjariasana (cat pose)

A yoga asana to help the body relax, the cat pose is meant to bring down a person’s heart rate and relax the body. 

8. AdhoMukhoSvanasana (downward facing dog pose)

This yoga asana is a resting position as it calms the system and energises the body.

9. Bhujangasana (cobra pose)

The cobra pose increases the stretch to the chest and helps being breathing down to normal. 

10. Dhanurasana (bow pose)

Stimulating and a deep stretch for the whole body, the bow pose opens and strengthens the heart.

11. SetuBandhasana (bridge pose)

The bridge pose is a great asana to help keep your heart healthy. Not only is it less demanding than bow pose, the bridge pose facilitates deep breathing, opens and improves blood flow to the chest region and helps control blood pressure. 

12. SalambaSarvangasana (half shoulder stand)

The half shoulder stand activates the parasympathetic nervous system and opens up the chest. 

13. ArdhaMatsyendrasana (sitting half spinal twist)

The Sitting half spinal twist works on the whole spine and opens the chest. It also helps you breathe better and is known to invigorate the entire nervous system.

14. Paschimottanasana (two-legged forward bend)

This seated forward bending pose helps bring the head lower than the heart, facilitating the reduction of the heart rate and respiration while allowing the system to rest.

15. Dandasana (stick pose)

Countering the previous postures, this yoga posture facilitates good posture, strengthens the back and at the same time stretches the shoulders and chest.

16. Dolphin pose

The Dolphin pose is a little more demanding than Downward facing dog pose as it helps by increasing stamina and strengthening the upper body in preparation for more heart opening postures.

17. Dolphin plank

The Dolphin plank pose gets the heart pumping again.

18. Sphinx pose

The Sphinx pose opens up the chest muscles and stretches the muscles of the shoulders; helping in improving one’s breathing and heart rate. 

19. Shavasana (corpse pose)

This yoga postures allows the body and breath to make the subtle adjustments necessary for the overall health of the system.

20. Anjali mudra

The Anjali mudra opens the heart, calms the brain and reduces stress and anxiety. It also prepares the body better for pranayama and meditation.

So if you want to help your heart stay healthy, try these 20 poses to see great benefits. 

Photo source: Getty images

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For more articles on yoga, visit our yoga section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And for health-related queries, visit our Questions and Answers section.

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