Healthcolumn

  Dengue fever is a disease caused by one of a number of viruses. These viruses are spread by the bite of mosquitoes and are transmitted to the human body. The disease is very common in tropical and subtropical areas of the world (including some islands in the Caribbean, Mexico, most countries of South and Central America, the Pacific, Asia and parts of tropical Africa). In these locations, the dengue fever arbovirus is endemic, meaning that the dengue fever virus naturally and consistently lives in that location and the virus are not carried by mosquitoes. Signs and symptoms to look out for: A drop in platelet count is a characteristic symptom of dengue fever. The most common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains and skin rash. Sometimes, these symptoms may be confused with flu. If you experience the following over a few days, consult a doctor - Sudden, high fever Severe headaches Pain behind the eyes Severe joint and muscle pain Fatigue and exhaustion Nausea a...

  She was there when you took your very first baby step. She was the one who encouraged you as you climbed the ladder of success. As you continue to walk ahead and achieve greater heights in life, you might find yourself noticing that your mother no longer has that youthful bounce in her step. In fact, she is not as fast on her feet anymore, and many-a-times, as she approaches a step on a staircase, she reaches out for your support-like the way you used to reach out for her strong hands when you where younger. Watch for these signs carefully, and you will release that there is more to it than just age. The cause of the aches and pains in your mother’s joints, especially knees, can be narrowed down to osteoarthritis, which is more common than you think. In fact, in India, there is a very high prevalence of osteoarthritis in women. The following facts speak for themselves: Women above the age of 40 are most affected by osteoarthritis. Women form 60 per cent of the patien...

  You’ve seen the ads promoting supplements that claim to aid everything from common cold relief to weight loss. Another problem many supplements claim to fix? Stress. And since two-thirds of Doctors believe stress has a significant impact on their physical and mental health, it’s no wonder these products are flying off the shelves. 1. Melatonin What is it? A hormone produced by the brain’s pineal gland, melatonin helps control sleep cycles. Because sleep and mood are closely connected, supplementing with melatonin can alleviate stress. It’s considered safe, but can cause side effects like headaches, short-term feelings of depression, dizziness, and irritability. Does it work? Research indicates that melatonin can be a helpful in promoting healthy sleep patterns. One small study found that the supplement significantly improved sleep, behavioral disorders, depression, and anxiety in elderly patients. In another study, melatonin produced significant improvements in s...

  Isha was going to Amritsar with her father in a bus from a village in Kangra with a ray of hope in her eyes for the correction of her cleft lip scar and with this hope was connected her dreams of pursuing her career in city. Although Isha had five previous surgeries, it was not enough for her, as she was dreaming her career after her senior secondary exams from a Kangra village to Kangra city and she was not having enough confidence to face the college life with her lip scar which was the greatest hindrance between her and her confidence. She had her lip and palate fixed in her early childhood which was done in a local hospital and it was a botched up surgery. Her last two surgeries were done in a smile train accredited Amandeep Hospital at Amritsar which was Alveolar Bone Grafting and Rhinoplasty. She was very happy with the results of her Rhinoplasty but her lip was not satisfactorily done in her childhood and that was the matter of concern for her as she was stu...

Exercise 1: Knee to Chest Starting Position:  Lie on your back on a table or firm surface.  Action:  Clasp your hands below your knee and pull it towards your chest. Keep the opposite leg flat on the surface of the table. Maintain the position for 30 seconds. Switch legs and repeat. Exercise 2: Pelvic Tilt Starting Position:  Lie on your back on a table or firm surface. Your feet are flat on the surface and the knees are bent. Action: Push the small of your back into the floor by pulling the lower abdominal muscles up and in. Hold your back flat while breathing easily in and out. Hold for five seconds. Do not hold breath. Exercise 3: Pelvic Lift Starting Position : Lie on your back on a table or flat surface. Your feet are flat on the surface and your knees are bent. Keep your legs together. Action: Tilt your pelvis and push your low back to the floor as in the previous exercise, then slowly lift your buttocks off the floor as far as possible without straining. Maint...

Giving birth to your little one is an ecstatic jubilant blessing that men cannot experience. But, what else women have to experience is the unbearable pain which is equal to the suffering of 20 broken bones However, with emerging technology and evolution in medical science, couples have started embracing the painless normal vaginal delivery methods and dropping the conventional techniques. For painless delivery, epidural injection is given. Yet being so common, massive misinformation related to them is thriving that needs to be debunked. We are penning down specific facts that will dismantle the most common myths around painless delivery and enlighten you with the truth. Myth 1: If I chose painless delivery, the chances of ending up needing the C-section are higher. Fact: Painless delivery might increase the chance of requiring instrumentation like forceps and vacuum to pull the baby out, but that too in few cases. However, the claim that it increases the chances of c-section is totall...

Diagnosing your child with  heart disease ends you in miserable agony. Parents start speculating for the underlying reasons for the plethora of questions they have like: Why does their child have to suffer? What could have gone wrong? What will be the impact on my child? Is the disease life-threatening?  And numerous such questions will strike them, and they won’t leave a single stone unturned to regain their child’s health. seem to be uncommon, but you will be astonished to hear that in India alone, more than 2,40,000 kids are born with heart disease posing a tremendous challenge to families both mentally and economically. Unveiling the causes, common effects of heart disease in early stages, and substantial treatments and precautions; the post is all you need to read for a conclusive understanding of if your child has the disease. What is heart disease? Heart disease refers to the defects present in the heart that may be related to its structure or intern...