The Season Is Back!

It is unfortunate that we have to suffer from preventable diseases. Prana doctors have been seeing lot of patients suffering from Chikungunya, Malaria, Dengue! all due to mosquitoes bites.
The Swaach Bharat Abhiyan has a long way to go....

Dengue is a virus infection that is transmitted through the bite of an Aedes mosquito. Common in the tropic and subtropics.

The symptoms include high fevers, severe headache with pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint aches, a rash and mild bleeding of the nose or gums. There is no specific treatment, because it is a viral illness antibiotics do not work. At the present there is no vaccine either, but with early recognition and good medical management such as pain relievers, rest and fluid replacement, most people can recover. Interestingly contrary to most illnesses younger children actually have a milder course of the disease than compared with older kids and adults. However, there is a more severe often fatal form called Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF). If unrecognized it can result in bleeding internally from low platelet counts, which are the clotting particles, found in the blood. This then causes abdominal pain and shortness of breath from bleeding into the lungs and abdominal cavity, leading to shock. These individuals need to be hospitalized in an ICU setting.

ChikungunyaThis viral disease is spread through the bite of the Albopictus mosquito, know as the Asian tiger mosquito. Commonly seen in countries of Asia, Africa and the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

The most common symptom is severe joint pain with fever. The disease is not often fatal but the pain is extremely severe can be disabling. Those at risk for a more severe form of the disease are the very old and very young as well as people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, kidney disease and heart disease. Again there is no specific medication or vaccine, just pain relievers and fluids to prevent dehydration.

Prevention is keyDuring mosquito season there are prevention tips you can follow to protect yourself:

• Eliminate any standing water around your house outside where mosquitos can breed in pots, planters or anything that can hold a puddle of water.
• If possible use air-conditioning or use window screens or mosquito netting at night when you sleep.
• Mosquitos are weak fliers, so if are outside dining or grilling use a fan to keep them away.
• When the weather permits wear long sleeves and pants if you are spending a lot of time outdoors.
• In endemic regions community-wide insecticides or larvicide spraying can be done.
• Personal insect repellents containing DEET can be used to treat your clothes and skin but read the label and instruction very carefully. A natural insect repellent such as oil of lemon eucalyptus can be helpful too.

Lastly, early recognition is important. Therefore if you have spent a significant time outdoors and noticed you gotten bitten and you develop a fever or just start to feel ill, talk with your doctor right away.

Know Your Drug-Diclofenac-Voveran

Google and Over The Counter (OTC) medicine availability have spurred self-diagnosis and self-treatment. May be we get away with it most of the times but there is a huge element of risk when you don't get well or when you have untoward side effects.
While we will cover the perils of self-diagnosis and self-treatment over different posts, today we take a look at a very common medication called Diclofenac.

Image courtesy:Wikipedia

Brand Names of Diclofenac

• Voveran
• Inac
• Jonac
• Dynapar
• Diclo-Act Sr

There are more than 1000 brands in the Indian market!!

It comes as a 50 mg, 75 mg and 100 mg tablets. Diclofenac is also available  as suppository, gel, ointment, spray.

Dosage:

Normally prescribed as 50 mg twice a day. The 75 mg and 100 mg come as sustained release tablet.

Indications:

• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Osteoarthritis

But diclofenac is also used for pain of different natures, fever, to reduce swelling.

In India many combination of diclofenac are available. Usually you will find combination like Paracetamol + Diclofenac, Tramadol+Diclofenac. Diclofenac+Serratopeptidase, Diclofenac+Cholrzoxazone. These combinations are used to control pain, swelling, muscle spasm.

What is the risk?

While Diclofenac is an excellent drug, it needs to be taken with caution.

Doctors usually prescribe it for short duration and with knowledge of kidney and liver function status of the person.

Diclofenac can also cause:

• Gastritis, gastric ulceration and bleeding.
• Kidney damage and kidney failure if taken over long period or if taken by people who have poor kidney function.
• Not to be given to people who have liver disease.
• People with heart disease, high blood pressure are supposed to avoid it or take under medical supervision. 
• It is not recommended in women who are trying to get pregnant as it can reduce fertility.

The risks mentioned should suffice to highlight why this commonly available OTC drug, which has excellent pain relieving property has to be taken with extreme caution. 

Consult your doctor before you take any medicine on your own. If you do not have your own family doctor get in touch with Prana Healthcare to have your personal doctor and avail telemedicine which should cost you less than 5 rupees a day!

Stay healthy, choose wisely. 

International Yoga Day

Yesterday, June 21, was celebrated across the world as "International Yoga Day". We have had a few posts on the benefits of Yoga. Time, we did more research on Yoga and present information which can benefit everyone.

Yoga, consisting of eight limbs (universal ethical principles, individual self-restraint, physical poses, breath work, quieting the senses, concentration, meditation, and emancipation), is believed to bring balance and health to the body, mind, and spirit.

Yoga improves symptoms associated with a number of chronic health conditions including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and cancer. Yoga decreases inflammation and improves immune system function,and yoga favorably affects mental health, reducing depression and anxiety. Evidence suggests yoga exerts its therapeutic benefits by increasing vagal stimulation and turning off the Hypothalamic-Pituitary- Adrenal (HPA) axis and the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) response to stress.

While it is always best to join Yoga classes, you can start with basic asanas provided you have no medical condition which prevents you or limits you. 

You can do some beginners stuff by looking at this video.

Wishing you all a happy healthy life!

What Is The Most Addictive Food You Are Eating?

We have woken up to the fact that we need to eat healthy, thanks to Maggi! As a part of educating our readers, we thought why not keep it simple and common?

So what is the most addictive food substance that we eat?

No, it is not Maggi!

It is added "Sugar"! Yes, sugar scores on addictiveness quotient more than cocaine and the worst part is that most of us are not even aware that we are addicted to sugar.

Why "Sugar" addiction is bad?

Addiction to sugar can lead to overeating and obesity. Processed food are made palatable by addition of sugar, this in turn make us crave for processed, packaged food. We may end up consuming far more calories than what is required.

What does added sugar intake do to us?

1. It increases the risk for heart diseases.

2. It increases risk of cancer.

3. It increases the risk of cognitive impairment.

4. Fatty Liver

So what foods should you avoid to reduce added sugar intake?

1. Soda drinks like Coke, Pepsi,

2. Energy drinks

3. Cookies, biscuits, pastries

4.Fruit drinks,

5. Ready to eat cereals

For those interested in reading further:

Harvard Health

JAMA Addictive Power Of Sugar

Truth About Sugars

Know Your Vitamins- Vitamin B12

We are what we eat!

Image Courtesy:Deviantart

Most of you are aware of the different vitamins and some of you may be taking some kind of vitamin supplements. Hope your doctor is aware of what you are taking. Why should your doctor know?

Well, there are two kinds of vitamins. Water soluble and fat soluble. Fat soluble vitamins when taken in excess can cause toxicity. Anything in excess is always a risk!!

We will be covering different vitamins in this blog. Today, let us ask you few questions.

Do you have any of the following symptoms ?

a. Tiredness, fatigue

b. lack of energy

c. headaches

d. loss of appetite and weight loss

e. breathlessness

f. feeling faint 

All the above can happen because of Vitamin B 12 deficiency.

Vitamin B 12 deficiency can also cause

a. red, bald tongue. 

b. mouth ulcers

c. irritability

d. depression

e. pins and needles sensation in hand and feet

f. a decline in memory

Vitamin B 12 is a water soluble vitamin and is present in following food substances

Image Courtesy:Adam?

So, strict vegetarians and vegans are at greater risk of Vitamin B12 deficiency.

Few people can have difficulty in absorbing vitamin b 12 from stomach. They may require supplementation in form of injections. 

While we don't recommend routine Vitamin B12 to be checked, it can be advised based on your signs and symptoms. 

To know more get in touch with us or your general physician. 

"Prana Healthcare sends MBBS doctors home, and also facilitates laboratory and blood tests  at home. We are the new age, specialist primary healthcare providers"

Do You Know The Number One Cause of Disease & Death?

Is it eating refined white sugar?
Is it sitting for more than 6 hours daily?
Is it obesity?

While all the above are harmful in their own ways, the number one spot belongs to "Tobacco".

Yesterday was "World No Tobacco Day". We trust that many of you came to know about it and have taken steps to prevent yourself and your near and dear ones from the ill effects of tobacco. It should be a continuous battle against tobacco.

Why do we continue to tolerate "tobacco" products and be addicted to it in-spite of knowing the harmful effects?

Hmmm. Our brain is not capable of anticipating long term consequences. Since most of the ill effects of the tobacco take more than 10 years to appear, we underestimate the complete consequences of being addicted to tobacco. Along with that is the pitfall of observational bias.

Many of you might have seen an eighty year old smoking and living a relaxed life. This at times gives ammunition to young addicts to argue that look tobacco does not kill! They are falling prey to observational bias. Many friends of this 80 year old who used to smoke with him would have dies of heart disease, cancer or lung disease and since they are not alive to say the story we misinterpret.

You want to see the effects of tobacco? Visit any cancer hospital or heart hospital or lung hospital.

Well, time for you guys to know what all organs are affected by tobacco.

• Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
• Smoking also increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis.
• Smoking is a known cause of erectile dysfunction in males.
• For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness.

Protect yourself, your children, your near and dear ones from tobacco.