Health

My 12-year-old daughter, off late, has stopped listening to me and also wants to copy whatever her friends do. She was a good student last year, but now her scores in some subjects are falling. I am unable to understand, what has happened to her?This is a common scenario in any household which has an adolescent. Adolescence is a period of tumultuous change from childhood to adulthood, starting at 10 years of age till 18 years. Numerous changes are occurring at this time --- physical,  sexual, emotional  and psychological. Your daughter is in her early adolescence, where the rapid growth…

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…

To handle stress at his workplace, an IT professional recently attended a counselling session. He says, “The initial information was extremely useful and welcome. The service provided by the consultant was very beneficial.” He was referring to the session at NIMHANS (National Institute for Mental Health and Neuro Sciences) Wellbeing Centre, a community centre for mental health promotion located at BTM Layout 1st Stage. NIMHANS urban wellness centre in BTM Layout. Pic: Abhishek Angad Stress can sneak in without a hint. Unchecked, this results in lack of sleep, depression and other stress related issues. To catch such mental health problems…

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 -…

On the last episode of Satyamev Jayate, the topic raised was healthcare in India. I felt that in this episode many facets related to healthcare in India were aptly handled. One of the issues raised was of the exorbitant cost of medicines and the need to make generic medicines available within the reach of all. I admire Dr. Samit Sharma who has helped in setting up many of these generic medicine shops with the help of Rajasthan government in Rajasthan. I do hope that this initiative can be taken to other states as well. Many of us are aware of…

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…

Conjunctivitis , is one of the most contagious eye infection. It spreads as an epidemic through schools, families and institutions. Suddenly you would see a large population wearing sunglasses. Sunglasses are no protection against conjunctivitis as is often believed. They only relieve symptoms of pain on exposure to light. Ironically, if proper precautions are not observed they by themselves help in spreading the disease. A meticulous attention to hygiene, hand washing, and treatment can mitigate the symptoms and control the spread of infection. Most cases of conjunctivitis are due to infection either viral or bacterial and allergy or exposure to…