Health

I had one of the most disturbing experiences of my life yesterday. Got a phone call around 4 pm from Bangalore Traffic Police with one man - speaking fast and furious in Kannada - telling me that a lady I know has been in a road accident and has to be shifted to the St John's Hospital. Now, this is an acquaintance through work and although we've been in touch for years now and worked together "virtually" I dont know much about her except her phone numbers and e-contacts. I presume they called me from her last received call as…

Recognizing that accidents are one of the biggest killers of children in India is paramount to preventing thousands of hospital admissions, hundreds of deaths and disabilities every week, in children. Understanding that many of these are avoidable is important to provide a safe environment to nurture our children before they are scarred for ever. With the objective of ensuring a safe and healthy environment for our children and to enable them to lead more active lives, Dr Supraja Chandrasekar, an oncosurgeon in Bangalore and Ilaunched the Safe Children Mission. Our plan of action includes increasing awareness among caregivers, providing safety…

It is well known that cancer is one of the worst diseases in the world that takes away precious lives. It belongs to a class of diseases characterized by out-of-control cell growth. There are over 100 different types of cancer, and each is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected. Cancer mortality is mainly due to metastatic tumours, that grow from cells that have travelled from their original site to another part of the body. RELATEDMy mother’s second home Continuous improvements are taking place in the discovery of new drugs with the objective of curing or slowing…

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the world. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), for the majority of women presenting with breast cancer, it is not possible to identify specific risk factors. Recently, Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie was in news after she underwent a double mastectomy following her learning that she was at risk for both breast and ovarian cancer. It was a genetic test that revealed she carried the mutated BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. So what is this test all about? About five per cent of breast cancers are caused because of mutations in…

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, and…

January 22th to 29th is observed as Cervical Cancer prevention week. According to a survey conducted by the oncologists of HCG Hospitals, Bangalore alone records 21.1% out of 100,000 fresh cases of cervical cancer every year. It is comparatively higher than other metropolitan cities. Delhi (17.9%), Kolkata (14.2%), in Mumbai (14.1%) and Chennai (18.5) contribute to fresh cervical cancer cases in comparatively lesser numbers than Bangalore. The survey also reveals that women living in rural areas are more prone to this disease.In India, around 80-85% of women are affected by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) before the age of 35 years.…

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,…

The good news is that at least half the number of diabetes patients can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes by simple lifestyle modifications. The bad news is: at least 50% of diabetics are not aware that they have diabetes. They are not aware of signs and symptoms which can help them recognise if they have diabetes, and manage it accordingly before it causes damage to vital organs. Pic: wikimedia commons What then should alert you if you are at risk of diabetes, or have diabetes. Some of the common symptoms that should alert you are: Increased appetite Increased…

Read: Most recent report on dengue - Dengue reduced to a “common” viral disease in Bengaluru Recently, Abhimanyu Singh (name changed), a resident of Basaveshwara Nagar was suspected of dengue fever and admitted in M S Ramaiah Hospital, one of the major hospitals in Bangalore. In one day, his blood platelet count dropped steeply, from 2.4 lakh to 56,000, symptomatic of dengue. People in the waiting room at K C General Hospital in Malleshwaram. pic: Vaishnavi Vittal Doctors kept a close watch on the patient and geared up for a platelet transfusion if the platelet count dipped any further. The…

Over 125 robotic surgeries have been performed in Manipal Hospital in the last one year with an average of 15 surgeries per month. Dr Somashekhar SP, HOD of Surgical Oncology and Robotic Surgery dept, Manipal hospital, says, "The robotic surgery is very popular now because there is rarely any chance of a scar after the surgery. Also there is minimal blood loss. This kind of surgery is very useful in cases of intestinal and thyroid cancer."He also adds that the patients are not restricted to India. "We have patients from various countries like Malaysia, UAE, Dubai, Thailand and many more.…