October 20 -World Osteoporosis Day-Foods Which Prevent Osteoporosis

October 20 is World Osteoporosis Day.

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is bones becoming weak (fragile) and brittle because of loss of calcium and other tissue in the bone

Osteoporosis can happen because of hormone deficiency, Vitamin D deficiency and calcium deficiency or loss. Post menopausal women are the most at risk. Even though it affects the elderly, preventive steps should be put in place from young age.
You need to work towards having strong bones.

Below is a 2 minute video on foods which contain calcium and vitamin D.

Along with food remember to get adequate sun light exposure. Sun light is very important for vitamin  D synthesis.

4 Tips To Take Care Of Your Contact Lens & More..

In an ever changing world, eye glasses have given way to contact lenses. While many people would like to adopt contact lenses they shy away from it because of the difficulty in taking care of contact lenses.
Contact lenses in near future will also be able to tell your blood sugar levels and other core information.

Image Courtesy & Information From JAMA article.

Main points to consider:

1. Wash your hands before touching the contact lens.

2. Rubbing and rinsing contact lens with disinfectant solution.

3. Contact lens should never be stored in water.

4.Remove your contact lenses before sleeping unless directed otherwise by your doctor. 

You can read more about taking care of your lenses at this JAMA article.

World Mental Health 2015

Most of the times we sneer at people who have mental health challenges. We easily judge them and categorise them. It does not help that we normally have less respect towards them and without knowing penalise them. That is we are prejudiced against mentally ill patients. While it is easy to sympathise and empathise with physically sick patients, we do not show the same patience and understanding towards mentally sick patients.

Image Courtesy:Flickr Tony Alter

October 10th is World Mental Health Day. This year's theme is dignity and mental health.

The following is an excerpt from World Health Organisation site.

"What is dignity?

Dignity refers to an individual’s inherent value and worth and is strongly linked to respect, recognition, self-worth and the possibility to make choices. Being able to live a life with dignity stems from the respect of basic human rights including:

• freedom from violence and abuse;
• freedom from discrimination;
• autonomy and self-determination;
• inclusion in community life; and
• participation in policy-making

The dignity of many people with mental health conditions is not respected

• Frequently they are locked up in institutions where they are isolated from society and subject to inhumane and degrading treatment.
• Many are subjected to physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect in hospitals and prisons, but also in their communities.
• They are very often deprived of the right to make decisions for themselves. Many are systematically denied the right to make decisions about their mental health care and treatment, where they want to live, and their personal and financial affairs.
• They are denied access to general and mental health care. As a consequence they are more likely to die prematurely, compared with the general population.
• They are often deprived of access to education and employment opportunities. Stigma and misconceptions about mental health conditions means that people also face discrimination in employment and are denied opportunities to work and make a living. Children with mental health conditions are also frequently excluded from educational opportunities. This leads to marginalisation and exclusion from employment opportunities in later life.
• They are prevented from participating fully in society. They are denied the possibility to take part in public affairs, to vote or stand for public office. They are not given the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes on issues affecting them, such as mental health policy and legislative or service reform. In addition, access to recreational and cultural activities is often denied to people with mental health conditions.

How can we promote the rights and dignity of people with mental health conditions?

In the health-care system we need to provide better support and care for people with mental health conditions by:

• providing community-based services, encompassing a recovery approach that inspires hope and supports people to achieve their goals and aspirations;
• respecting people’s autonomy, including their right to make their own decisions about their treatment and care; and
• ensuring access to good quality care which promotes human rights, is responsive to people’s needs, and respects their values, choices and preferences.

In the community we need to:

• support people with mental health conditions to participate in community life, and acknowledge the value of their contribution;
• respect their autonomy to make decisions for themselves, including about their living arrangements and personal and financial matters;
• ensure their access to employment, education, housing, social support and other opportunities; and
• include people in decision-making processes on issues affecting them, including policy, legislation and health service reform relating to mental health."

Hope we as a society give better support to people with mental diseases.

3 Things To Know Before You Take Any Medicine

It has become very common to take "pills" also known as  drugs or medicine. They could have been prescribed by your doctor or you could have got it from your friendly neighborhood pharmacy store, but the question is, do you know what you are taking and whether it suits you.

Before we say the the 3 things which you should know, let us narrate a story.

A 57 year old lady, who was very active in social circle and lead a balanced life developed palpitations. Two or three episodes of palpitation were diagnosed as Supra Ventricular Tachycardia by a Cardiologist. She was asked to take Diltiazem 90 mg SR tablet. The timing of all this coincided with a marriage in the family. This lady who used to live with more than 5 members at home was now staying alone at home. During the same period she started developing giddiness, anxiety, vertigo and other associated symptoms. The general conclusion was it must be "Empty Nest Syndrome". Progressively her symptoms deteriorated. She became overtly anxious and dependent. A neurologist consultation was followed with MRI. The MRI came as normal and she was supplemented with brain tonics.  The placebo effect of the drugs made her feel better but only temporarily. Her vertigo would not subside and she was afraid of traveling. She was hating herself for the loss of independence. She was also sick and tired of explaining her complaints.
At this juncture we happened to observe her. We also took time to decipher her problems. Confounding family history, possibility of chronic fatigue syndrome, BPPV  made it difficult to help her. When we took a step back and looked at it, we realized it coincided with introduction of tablet Diltiazem. We reduced her dosage to 1/4th of what she was taking and lo behold! her symptoms reduced. She slowly started feeling better. The BPPV exercises also helped. 5-7% of patients who take Diltiazem develop neurological and psychological symptoms. Her Cardiologist initially refused to believe that her symptoms were due to Diltiazem, but now that she is totally off Diltiazem, her giddiness has completely vanished and her anxiety is also no longer there. It is a different matter that she has been advised to take Aspirin 75 mg for which she has developed gastritis! The Cardiologist wants her to continue Aspirin.

Now coming back to what 3 things you should know before you take medicines?

1. Know about your allergy:  Do you have any allergy towards medicines?  If so, state it to your doctor. Allergies can develop at any point of time. You might have been taking a particular medicine since childhood but you may develop the allergy when you become 45 year old. Also if you develop a rash on thigh or any body part after taking a drug, it is called as fixed drug reaction. You need to inform about it to your doctor.

2. Know about side effects: Ask your doctor about common as well as rare side effects of the medicine you are going to take. This is especially true for chronic medications. Your doctor may know the common side effects but would be unaware about rare ones.


3. Know about how long you are supposed to take your medicine: Many people continue to take drugs beyond the prescribed duration or stop taking because they feel better. Both harm you. Few medicines cannot be stopped abruptly. They need to be reduced gradually.

Know your medicines and take them wisely.

Wishing you health always.

Malaria, Roundworm & Nobel Prize

Nobel Prize For Physiology & Medicine were announced yesterday. This year winners are William C. Campbell, a microbiologist at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey; Satoshi Ōmura, a microbiologist at Kitasato University in Japan; and Youyou Tu, a pharmacologist at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing.

                                                           Image Courtesy : CNN

Why did they get the Nobel Prize?

The treatment for malaria was limited to chloroquine and quinie till very recently. Unfortunately wide spread usage had made falciparum resistant to these drugs. Youyou Tu from China is instrumental in screening more than 2000 Chinese herbal medicines before Artemisinin was found to be effective against malaria. So in the fight against Malaria, Youyou Tu has made great contribution saving many lives. Developing countries like India and African countries need to thank her!

Roundworm infection that is parasitic infections are very common in developing countries. William C Campbell and Satoshi Omura have been instrumental in developing avermictin which lead to the synthesis of Ivermectin which used in variety of parasitic infection like lymphatic filariasis, River blindness etc. 

We salute these pioneers in medicine.

Want to read more about them? 

1. Nature

2. Guardian

3. CNN 

Need Help To Take Care Of Elderly?

Taking care of your elderly parents can be made easy. You need to have the right people supporting you. Our team of experts make it easy for you to take care of your elderly parent and ensure they stay healthy, functional and happy.

Elderly people have diverse requirements. Also the challenges faced by them are multitude. With decreasing muscle mass, loss of balance and other health conditions, it can become difficult for them to manage their daily needs.

It is tough for the near and dear ones to provide constant care as expected by the elderly person on account of various reasons. Under such circumstances having an attender to take care of elderly makes a big difference.

Conditions where an attender can make life easy are:

1. People who are bed ridden

2. People with Parkinson's disease

3. People with Dementia and Alzheimer's.

4. People with Stroke/Paralysis

5. Cancer patients

6. Patients with tracheostomy

7. Patients with colostomy

Require An Attender or Elderly Care Provider? Get In Touch With Us

To know the benefits and how to get an attender to suit your requirement get in touch with us. You can call us on  9845900291, 080 65775557

Age No Bar- Three Stories To Inspire You

The path to fitness and health can have speed breakers of laziness. To overcome laziness and move ahead we share three amazing stories.

1. How Bylahalli Raghunath Janardhan ran his first marathon at the age of 64 years. Today, he is 81 years old who treks, cycles and runs marathons across the world. It took time, passion and perseverance to overcome the challenges he had to get on to the path of fitness and health. Want to read more about him, ...click here

2. Mrs Shepherd started exercising and body buidling at the age of 56 years. Now, she is 77 years old and is one of the oldest body builders in the world. She is also a personal trainer. She has got rid of her depression, acid reflux, and many other health problems. You can watch her video here

3. Harriete Thompson last year at the age of 91 years completed a marathon. She says that she feels her age only when she runs! She started running at the age of 76 years. Harriete battles skin cancer.  Harriete also does Yoga and exercises on elliptical machine. 

Aren't all the above stories inspiring?

It proves that if you make up your mind you can do anything. 

We wish you healthy life which brings happiness, success and wealth.

5 Common Challenges Faced By Elderly And What You Can Do!

Today is International Elder Day! Make life of someone better, if they are elderly much better, :)

We list 5 common problems faced by elderly and what we can do to help them. Your experience, suggestions or feedback are most welcome.

1. Elders feel lonely. Elders may not express this for various reasons but they also get depressed and feel lonely.
Spend quality time with them. When we say quality we mean, time spent with them without mobile (cell phone), laptop or any other gadget. Just sitting beside them and listening to them can reduce their pain and anxiety. Listen to their stories and concern. If you cannot visit them, give them a call. Studies have proven that even telephonic calls reduce the need for pain medication!

2. Elders may have hearing problem. Be patient with them and speak softly. Switch off all distracting noises when you speak to them.

3. Elders have lesser taste receptors and sense of smell. Because of this they may lose the ability to identify flavors in food and can complain about food. Be considerate when they say that the food is not tasty or has less salt. They are stating the truth. It also can be that the their dental status does not allow them to eat hard substances. Ensure that they get food which they eat easily. They also do not feel thirsty and can become dehydrated. Help them to stay hydrated.

4. Elders enjoy outdoor activities but would be shy to request you to take them out. Lose of independence, fear of driving, fear of traffic, fear of falling can make them to stay in their room/house. Facilitate their outdoor activities. Take them to park, movies, temples or relatives place.  And if you are busy, you can arrange for the same taking help of others.

5. Last but not the least, elderly couple also have romantic and sexual feelings. Give them privacy and space to enjoy their romantic and sexual life.


Sooner or later we all will be members of the "Elder Club"! Take care.

Try This Quiz On Breast Cancer To Win Exciting Prizes!

October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Image Courtesy: Moon Stars & Paper

So, we have a simple quiz for you to take.

Click on the link to answer questions and get a chance to win prizes!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1P3MMZtosvVzFjlqYDvctt9-EAvyFxkI_9mqarWW9W1E/viewform?usp=send_form

If the link did not work click here

Conditions:

1. Quiz is open for general public. Out of the right answers, three winners will be chosen. Information needs to be complete in the form to be eligible for prizes.

2. Employees and family members of Prana Healthcare are not eligible for prizes.

3. Prana Healthcare has the right to terminate this quiz for any reason whatsoever.

4. The last day for quiz is October 30.

5. Only Indian Citizens are eligible for prizes.

3 Simple Steps To Prevent Dengue

It is sad, shocking and depressing that a preventable disease like Dengue is causing lot of damage.

Here we let you know 5 simple steps to prevent Dengue.

1. Do not have stagnant water at home or in surrounding areas. That is empty your buckets, pails and in your surrounding areas ensure there no empty coconut shells, tyres. Dengue causing mosquitoes breed and grow in stagnant water. So, once in a week empty containers in which you store water and at all times cover stored water.

2. Apply a mosquito repellent. Safe ones are Citronella and Oil of Eucalyptus.

3. Take the initiative and effort to keep the drains surrounding your locality functional! That is it should not allow the drain water to become stagnant.


Prevention Is Better Than Cure. Stay Healthy