Strengthening your bones is not something that can happen overnight, it takes years for your body to build strong bones and even then, it is natural for them to lose their dexterity. All you can do is keep your body healthy to make sure it is prepared for any unexpected situations. For years, many older adults have been told to take vitamin D and calcium supplements to keep their bones strong and prevent falls. However, a new report from U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is changing that advice. This report suggests that for most older people, these supplements don't actually prevent falls or broken bones. This might be surprising news, we must understand why falls happen more often as we age, what vitamin D and calcium do in the body, and most importantly, what you can do to stay safe and prevent fractures.

What the Report Says

According to the report, vitamin D supplements don't seem to help prevent falls or broken bones for most people over 60. They also found that these supplements, especially with calcium, might increase the risk of kidney stones. This report doesn't mean people with weak bones (osteoporosis), low vitamin D, or who take vitamin D for other health reasons shouldn't take it. It just means that for most healthy older people, these supplements don't prevent falls and fractures.

Why Older People Fall and Break Bones More Easily

There are many reasons why older people are more prone to breaking their bones. Our bones are strongest when we're in our 20s and 30s, and they get weaker as we age so naturally, they can break easily. It can also be harder to move around as we get older, sometimes because of problems like arthritis this can affect how we walk and make us less steady.

There are also different issues like neuropathy, which is a nerve problem that can also make it harder to feel your feet and keep your balance. Eyesight is also a culprit as it can cause you to feel dizzy and fall. Some medicines can also make people feel unsteady, and older people often take more medicines than younger people. Low vitamin D itself can also increase the risk of falls, so keeping vitamin D levels up is still important.

Better Ways To Protect Your Bone Health

USPSTF recommends a few better ways to protect your bone health and prevent broken bones and falls.

Walk Regularly

Regular walks strengthen your muscles and bones, which helps you stay steady on your feet. It is as simple as practice makes perfect so the more you walk, the better it is. Walking also improves your balance, making you less likely to fall.

Do Strength Training

Strength training, like lifting weights or using resistance bands, makes your bones stronger and helps prevent fractures if you do fall. It is like a safety cushion, but you must be careful while doing so because it can lead to injuries if done too much.

Practice Balance

Activities like tai chi, Pilates, and yoga can improve your balance and coordination, making you more stable and less prone to falls. These can also help you improve your muscle flexibility and strength that in turn helps your body be stronger.

Check Your Medicines

If you have osteoporosis, talk to your doctor about medications that can help strengthen your bones and lower your risk of fractures. Many medications can also have unsavory side effects like weakened joints, losing muscle strength, etc.

Eat Enough Protein

A proper diet goes a long way when it comes to your entire body health. So to keep up with your body’s nutrition and muscle health, eat more protein along with a balanced meal that includes loads of fiber, healthy fats and carbs.

Get Your Eyes Checked

Having poor eyesight can be difficult, not only does it make life difficult without glasses, but it also increases the possibilities of getting into minor accidents like bumping into people and missing objects placed in front of us.

Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep is also important because when you are not sleeping, you get disoriented and can ignore even obvious things like the last stair in the staircase. Make sure you get enough sleep to keep you fresh and focused.

Make Your Home Safe

There are many things that can cause you to have accidents, even in your home. To avoid such falls, make sure there are no lose ends like crooked floor panels, rugs that are sticking out or protruding furniture that can hurt your knees

Following the water contamination emergency in Indore, similar concerns have now surfaced in Madhya Pradesh’s capital. Groundwater samples collected from four locations in Bhopal have tested positive for E. coli bacteria. In response, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation has barred residents from using groundwater for any purpose.

Officials clarified that the contamination is restricted to underground water sources and has not spread to the treated piped water supplied across the city. According to ANI, civic teams have tested 1,810 water samples so far and inspections are still underway in all zones.

E. coli was the same bacteria responsible for Indore’s recent water crisis, which claimed 20 lives, including that of a five-month-old infant. As per a report by Dainik Bhaskar, fear has gripped several neighbourhoods in Bhopal, with residents hesitant even to touch the water. Locals say the water is unfit not only for drinking but also for washing hands, utensils, or bathing. In some areas, tap water reportedly turns reddish within minutes and emits a strong, foul smell. Adding to the concern, iron levels in the water are said to be nearly 100 times above permissible limits.

Here is what you need to know about E. coli, how it spreads, its symptoms, and ways to stay safe.

What Is E. Coli Bacteria?

Escherichia coli, commonly known as E. coli, refers to a group of bacteria that naturally live in the intestines of humans and animals. Most of these strains are harmless and even play a role in digestion. However, certain types can trigger illness when they enter parts of the body where they do not belong or release harmful toxins.

These disease-causing strains attach themselves to body cells and produce toxins, leading to infection and inflammation.

What Happens During An E. coli Infection?

An E. coli infection occurs when harmful strains of the bacteria enter the body. It most often affects the digestive system, causing symptoms such as watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and gastroenteritis. In some cases, the bacteria can also infect the urinary tract.

Certain strains produce Shiga toxin, which can lead to severe complications, including kidney damage, especially in children and older adults.

Why E. coli Infections Occur?

E. coli has many strains. While some support gut health, others can cause serious illness. Experts classify the harmful types based on how they attach to cells and the toxins they release. Several strains are known to cause diarrhoeal diseases, including:

• Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)
• Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC)
• Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC)
• Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC)
• Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC)
• Diffusely adherent E. coli (DAEC)

Other important strains include uropathogenic E. coli, which is a common cause of urinary tract infections, and E. coli K1, which can lead to meningitis in newborns, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Common Signs Of E. coli Infection

An infection affecting the gut often begins with digestive symptoms. These may include:

• Diarrhoea that is watery and sometimes blood-stained
• Abdominal pain and cramping
• Reduced appetite
• Mild fever

The Cleveland Clinic notes that watery diarrhoea is usually the earliest symptom when the gastrointestinal tract is involved. Symptoms can vary depending on which part of the body is infected.

How To Protect Yourself From E. Coli?

Preventing E. coli infection largely depends on basic hygiene and safe food practices. Since the bacteria spreads through contaminated food, water, and faecal matter, simple precautions can lower the risk significantly.

Maintain hand hygiene

Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before eating or cooking, after using the toilet, changing diapers, or handling animals. Proper handwashing removes bacteria and limits its spread.

Practice safe food handling

Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw meat and ready-to-eat foods. Clean kitchen surfaces and tools with hot, soapy water after each use. Keep raw meat away from fruits and vegetables to avoid cross-contamination.

Cook food completely

Ground meat should be cooked to at least 160°F or 71°C, while poultry needs to reach 165°F or 74°C. Using a food thermometer ensures food is properly cooked and free from harmful bacteria.

Clean fruits and vegetables

Wash all produce under running water just before consumption, even if you plan to peel it. This helps remove bacteria picked up from soil or contaminated irrigation water.

Choose safe drinks

Consume only pasteurised milk and juices, and rely on boiled or treated municipal water. Avoid unpasteurised products and untreated water, as pasteurisation effectively eliminates dangerous E. coli strains.

We often hear of dementia as an adult, or older people's disease, but, a father from Glasgow shares how his four-year-old daughter was diagnosed with the condition. Childhood Dementia news of Darren Scott's daughter was delivered to him like a "complete thunderbolt", he tells Sky News. She was diagnosed with the condition before she turned four. Five doctors were waiting, when Sophia Scott, who had just turned four, were summoned to a Glasgow hospital room. Then came the worst news. Scott was told that his daughter could not live beyond the age of 16. "We were told... there was nothing they could do. It was a moment that broke us, shattered our lives. We have never recovered," he says.

What Is Childhood Dementia?

As per Dementia Australia, childhood dementia is a rare brain condition that affects one in every 2,900 babies globally. Childhood dementia is a group of serious brain conditions that interfere with a child’s memory, behavior, emotions and ability to communicate. It isn’t caused by lifestyle or ageing. Instead, it stems from more than 100 rare genetic disorders that children are born with. These include conditions such as Niemann-Pick type C, Batten disease and Sanfilippo syndrome.

No two children experience childhood dementia in the same way. The illness progresses differently for each child, but one thing remains constant: there is currently no cure. Like adult dementia, childhood dementia is progressive, meaning symptoms worsen over time. Heartbreakingly, around half of all affected children do not survive beyond the age of 10.

What causes childhood dementia?

Childhood dementia is genetic. Globally, about one in every 2,900 babies is born with a condition that can lead to childhood dementia. In Australia alone, an estimated 1,394 children were living with dementia in 2021.

The conditions that cause childhood dementia fall into several categories, including inborn errors of metabolism, lysosomal disorders, mitochondrial disorders, mucopolysaccharidoses, leukodystrophy, neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA), and peroxisomal diseases.

Signs and symptoms to look out for

Symptoms can begin in early childhood or appear much later, sometimes not showing up until the teenage years. The progression may be rapid or unfold slowly over several years, deeply affecting both the child and their family.

Much like adults with dementia, children may struggle with memory loss, confusion, changes in personality, anxiety or fear, and severe sleep disturbances. They may also find it difficult to concentrate, learn, communicate or understand things, and some experience behavioral challenges such as hyperactivity.

In addition, childhood dementia can affect the body beyond the brain. Children may develop problems with their bones or joints, experience issues with the heart, lungs or digestive system, lose their ability to move, see or hear, or have seizures.

As the condition advances, children gradually lose skills they once had — talking, walking, reading, writing and playing. Eventually, the body itself begins to shut down. Without major medical breakthroughs and more research, most children with childhood dementia will continue to face a shortened life, often not surviving beyond their teenage years.

India is staring at a sharp rise in lung cancer cases over the next few years, with experts warning that the disease is no longer confined to smokers alone. A recent study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research projects a significant increase in lung cancer incidence by 2030, with certain regions, particularly the North-East, expected to bear a disproportionate burden. Alarmingly, women are showing one of the fastest rises in new cases.

At a time when the country is on the brink of what researchers describe as a “tsunami” of lung cancer cases, doctors stress that public awareness, early detection, and breaking long-held myths are more important than ever.

Lung Cancer Is No Longer Just a Smoker’s Disease

Lung cancer has long been associated almost exclusively with smoking, but experts say that narrative is outdated. Speaking to The Times of India (TOI), Dr Arun Kumar Goel, Chairman – Surgical Oncology at Andromeda Cancer Hospital, Sonipat, explained that while smoking remains the biggest risk factor, non-smokers are increasingly being diagnosed with the disease.

“Air pollution, indoor cooking smoke, passive smoking, radon gas exposure, occupational hazards like asbestos, and even family history can contribute to lung cancer,” Dr Goel explined. He added that adenocarcinoma, a subtype of lung cancer, is particularly common among non-smokers and appears to be linked more to environmental and genetic factors than tobacco use.

Early Symptoms Are Easy to Miss

One of the biggest challenges with lung cancer is that its early symptoms are often vague and easily mistaken for common respiratory problems. Dr Goel told TOI that persistent cough, changes in cough pattern, coughing up blood or mucus, unexplained chest pain, breathlessness, fatigue, and sudden weight loss are warning signs that should not be ignored.

“In India, lung cancer symptoms often overlap with illnesses like tuberculosis, which leads to delays in diagnosis,” he said. As a result, many patients only seek medical help when the disease has already progressed to an advanced stage.

What a Diagnosis Changes Overnight

A lung cancer diagnosis can be life-altering, both physically and emotionally. According to Dr Goel, patients are suddenly faced with difficult treatment decisions, ranging from surgery and chemotherapy to radiation or targeted therapy. Physical symptoms such as breathlessness and exhaustion can significantly affect daily life.

Emotionally, patients may experience shock, anxiety, fear about the future, concerns for their families, and a loss of independence. “Support from medical teams, counselling services, and loved ones plays a crucial role during this period,” he said.

The Biggest Myth That Delays Care

The most damaging myth, experts say, is the belief that lung cancer only affects smokers. Dr Goel warned that this misconception often results in non-smokers dismissing symptoms or doctors delaying screening. “Anyone can develop lung cancer, regardless of smoking history,” he said.

Early Detection Can Save Lives

If there is one message the public should remember, Dr Goel said, it is that early detection can dramatically improve outcomes. Persistent cough lasting several weeks, unexplained breathing difficulties, or ongoing chest discomfort should prompt immediate medical attention.

“Recognizing symptoms early and seeking help can change the course of treatment and significantly improve quality of life,” he said.