Column: Heal Thyself

Health is not mere absence of disease. It would be better if we have an understanding of health risks, how do we monitor them, and take actions to prevent them from manifesting as a disease condition. You may ask, "Is it possible?", and I say, the answer is yes. To begin with, take a look at what you have inherited from your parents and family. Typically, if one or both of your parents have heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancers, asthma etc, there is a possibility that you may also get it some time or other. Map out your family history,…

In the previous two articles, we have discussed how to assess if you are at risk of heart disease, and how to confirm or rule it out. This will result in one of the three scenarios: You have gone through your physician's examination and investigations, and he declares that you do not suffer from heart disease. Before you start celebrating, please understand that it may mean "for the time being". If you are at risk, you still need to modify your lifestyle, lower your risk factors, and have a periodic reassessment programme.Your physical examination and investigations suggest that you have…

September 29th is observed as world Heart day. Cardiovascular diseases causes at least 17 million people deaths annually.Heart attack typically occurs when blood supply to heart is blocked. If the blockage is temporary, it results in chest pain or ‘Angina.’ If it is prolonged and irreversible, it leads to death of heart muscles, and is called heart attack. It can and does lead to death in a significant number of cases, if immediate treatment is not provided. It is estimated that 50 percent of all deaths due to heart attack occurs in first hour. Pic courtesy: Wikimedia commons It is…

The last few decades have witnessed an exponential rise in the number of cell phone users. Remember the old days when getting a single landline number used to be an achievement? Today, a large number of people are carrying more than one mobile in their pockets. There has been occasional outcry about the harmful effect of radiation that may be associated with use of cellphones. Are mobile phones harmful? Pic: Wikimedia commons It is in this context, it would be helpful to understand the radiation effect from a mobile and its implication on health issues. Firstly, the radiation that is…

In 2008, according to WHO, 4,58,000 deaths were caused by breast cancer worldwide. Cancer Registry, Bangalore estimates a 2.7% annual increase in breast cancer, for the period 1982-2005 (ICMR Report). In India every year, one lakh new cases are diagnosed, 50% of them in advanced stage. Some important trends over the years are:Shift in cancer incidence to younger age, that are more aggressive.Detection at a late stage: In USA, 89% of women with breast cancer have a 5 year survival rate (a benchmark for control of cancer). In India, the corresponding figure is approximately 69%. The difference is due to…

“Having a headache?” Take Anacin. “Having loose motions?” Take Norflox or Flagyll. I am sure all of us have witnessed this conversation sometime or other. People self prescribe antibiotics, and even steroids. TV and media advertising support this trend. Remember that old TV ad? “Headache?” “yes” “Nose blocked ?” “Oh yes” “Cough?” “Yes man yes” “Kutch Lete Kyun nahin? (Why don’t you take something?)” And a jingle follows recommending a common medicine. How many of us know that self medication can be dangerous, or perhaps how many of us really care? Do we know that Aspirin (in Anacin) can lead…

Historically, human civilisations growth is punctuated with attention to weight and to diet. Diet fads like low fat diet, low carbohydrate diet, Duke diet, Couch Potato diet, HCG Diet, GM diet, banana breakfast diet, no breakfast diet, fruit diet, salad diet, tomato diet, etc. have evolved over time. In this maze, we have lost sight of what is known as balanced diet.Peer pressure, celebrity endorsement and size-zero concept contributes to diet fads. Some also have the desire to lose a lot of weight, that too very fast!   A balanced diet is a balanced proportion of different components are -…

Eczema in children, is a condition typically characterised by skin lesions associated with itching, sometimes watery discharges,  often complicated by infections, and noted for relapses. The condition has shown a spurt in number of cases recently. In 1972, a  Bihar study revealed prevalence of eczema to be 0.38% of all skin diseases.  38 % of them were reported to be Infantile AD (atopic Dermatitis), a medical term for eczema. Two decades later another study showed the incidence of AD to be 28.46% of total paediatric skin diseases. The reasons for this spurt are not very clear. Some of the causes…

In 19th Century, King George V asked “If preventable why not prevented”, when informed that Tuberculosis is a preventable disease. In 21st century, the question still remains unanswered. The impact in terms of death and disability it causes worldwide is significant. Sample this:Globally,     8.8 million infected with Tuberculosis and 1.2 million deaths in     2010,Over     95% of deaths occur in low and middle income countriesEvery     3rd     person in world carries the infection with him/her. The risk of     developing active TB is 10 % but increases if immunity is compromised due to Diabetes, HIV, or smoking…

Water is the elixir of life. But according to World Health Organisation, nearly 1.8 million people die every year due to water-borne diseases. What are these diseases that we need to be careful about? The diseases range from gastritis, diarrhoea, jaundice, polio, amoebiasis, tapeworm infest ation, hydatid disease of liver, intestine, and lungs, worms to cholera, typhoid, and so on. Pic: Wikimediacommons Vomiting, and loose motions, if persistent, lead to electrolyte imbalance and can even be fatal. Cholera is another waterborne disease which can lead to epidemics and large number of deaths. The causes of these diseases are unsafe water,…