Guy_with_a_steth

25/10/2021

20/05/2021

Yesterday Rajasthan declared Black Fungus as an epidemic and today Telengana also has joined them. Many more states might do the same in the coming days. Some states have reported shortage of the drugs required to treat this condition also. So today let us see how bad this disease is, how we can identify it early and how to prevent ourselves from getting infected.

Source: ICMR, AIIMS guidelines

If you aren't following yet, do follow now to get regular health updates 😁😁

08/05/2021

At a time when our country is strangulated by the lack of oxygen supplies, let us look at what measures we can do at home to reduce this burden. Though many ways to improve oxygen levels like deep breathing exercises, ample access to fresh air, yogic pranayama, eating iron-rich foods, staying hydrated and light exercises are suggested, one of them stands out a bit - "Proning". I am sure you would have heard about this already and how it helped an 82 year old woman to bring up her oxygen levels from 79 to 84 in just 4 days. So let's try to understand how it works and how exactly should it be done.

P.S. Proning should be considered as a replacement for oxygen only when the latter is not available.

Source: MoHFW, CARP protocol,

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05/05/2021

With the virus spreading faster than ever, how can we control transmission better. One way researchers advice is "Double Masking". What exactly is double masking? Let us look into why double masking is better and how to do it right.

Source: CDC

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03/05/2021

This time let us look at one of the most talked about drug - Remdesivir. There has been a sudden increase in demand of this drug due to people trying to stock up the drug or buying it for every covid positive case. This has led to shortage of the drug leading to soaring prices. Vials of Remdesivir is being sold in black for as high as Rs 20,000. But is it actually worth it? Let us see what the WHO and ICMR has said about this drug.

My advice: Don't try to stock the drug or run around to get it unless the treating doctor advices you to get it.

Source: ICMR, WHO, MoHFW

If you aren't following yet, do follow now to get regular health updates 😁😁

02/05/2021

In the next few posts, I'll try to explain some of the words we have been regularly hearing in news channels and social media platforms.

First up, the exponential increase in covid cases have made researchers suspect new mutant variants of the virus. A double mutant strain or more commonly known around the world now as the Indian strain is believed to be one of the cause for such a sudden rise in the number of covid cases in the country. So let's try to understand a bit more about this new variants.

Source: CDC, ICMR, CCMB, MoHFW

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30/04/2021

*Edit: Though recommended as safe and effective for all pregnant women by official bodies like the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Societies in India (FOGSI), Covid-19 vaccine is still not officially permitted for pregnant women in India and those doing exclusive breast feeding (I.e., not giving any food other than breast milk to the child).*

**Edit 2: In the 9th slide, the guidelines followed in our hospital (Kasturba Hospital, Manipal) is you can take the vaccine 28 days after your isolation i.e., 10-17 days of isolation based on your severity +28 days (6-7 weeks total) irrespective of the date of the previous dose. Check with your local authorities and doctor before you go for your second dose so**

Hey everyone!! I know it has been a long time since I have posted. Was caught up with my exams. But now finally this page is run by a "Doctor"!! Hope you all are well and healthy 😁😁

A year ago I started this page when Covid was initially spreading. Now the second wave of covid is here and it's much worse than last year. India is trying to stop the chain by enhancing vaccination and from May 1st, the vaccination of all above 18 years will start. So let us debunk some of the myths related to vaccination and answer a few questions I got in the past 3-4 days.

If you have any doubts, feel free to ask in the comments or DM me.

Source: CDC, MOHFW, Bharat Biotech, AstraZeneca.

If you aren't following yet, do follow now to get regular health updates 😁😁

09/10/2020

Drowning

Source: Indian Red Cross, American Red Cross, WHO Global report on drowning, NCRB india.

Drowning is a very common occurrence and many a times the victim does not survive. When we drown, initially our wind pipes close in an attempt to prevent water from entering our lungs. But if the person is not removed from water soon, this compensatory protective mechanism would lead to the person dying without breath (dry drowning - as water never entered the lungs). Wet drowning occurs when water enters the lung and causes difficulty in respiration. Cold water and shallow areas are also dangers to be kept in mind. Children should never be left without supervision near any source of water (including a bucket !!)

If you aren't following yet, do follow now to get regular health updates 😁😁

18/09/2020

Pandemic Evaluation

Source: WHO, MOHFW, ourworldindata.org (Data as of September 16th)

In this post, I am trying to break down the meaning of some of the covid statistics which are flashed across the news channels from time to time. We will discuss the interpretations, advantages and disadvantages of these test and find out which is these factors help to better compare the efficiency of Covid handling. Further we will look into the Indian scenario to find out how we are managing the crisis.

There are many more such scores which are used to evaluate the response to a pandemic.

If you aren't following yet, do follow now to get regular health updates 😁😁

14/09/2020

Tetanus is a serious illness contracted through exposure to the spores of the bacterium, Clostridium tetani, which live in soil, saliva, dust, and manure. Though the incidence of the disease has been going down thanks to the national immunisation program and due to the improved maternal health care (to prevent neonatal tetanus) in our country, the affected individuals have a high mortality rate of about 40%. So it is important to know when you should get a shot of the tetanus toxoid.

This post is just so that you can know when you actually need to visit the hospital and get yourself checked. The doctor will advise you to get the vaccine based on the nature of your wound.

If you aren't following yet, do follow now to get regular health updates 😁😁

28/08/2020

Endometrial cancer

It is the cancer of the uterus commonly seen in women above 50 years. Though it is common in western countries, in India endometrial cancer accounts for only 1.27% of the total cancer cases (Globacon 2018).

Hormone treatment, high fat diets, smoking and drinking, obesity, diabetes and high BP are risk factors.

If you aren't following yet, do follow now to get regular health updates 😁😁

26/08/2020

Ovarian cancer

They affect mostly post-menopausal women. It affects women with few or no children, with a history of me**es problems or other cancers. Symptoms are constipation, flatulence, water retention, a need to urinate, pain, swelling or nausea. But there aren't any efficient screening tests available to detect the same.

If you aren't following yet, do follow now to get regular health updates 😁😁

25/08/2020

Trivia Tuesday

Medical practice has advanced significantly since Hippocrates’ day. However, today Hippocrates continues to represent the humane, ethical aspects of the medical profession, mainly through the Hippocratic oath. The Hippocratic writings, which are earnest in their desire to help and lacking in technical jargon, have inspired physicians for millennia.

P.S. Right now many countries follow modified versions of the Hippocratic oath and not the exact replica. In India, some colleges also follow the "Charaka Oath"

If you aren't following yet, do follow now to get regular health updates 😁😁

21/08/2020

Prostate cancer

Source: CDC, American Cancer Society, Indian Cancer society

Prostate Cancer is considered as a Silent Killer. Prostate gland is only found in males and it makes some of the fluid that is part of semen. Prostate is among the top ten leading sites of cancers in India with 25,696 new cases reported according to 2018 Globacon report. But the incidence rates of this cancer is constantly and rapidly increasing in India. The cancer projection data shows that the number of cases will become doubled by 2020.

The biggest factor in prostate cancer prevention is early detection. Men over 50 years should include PSA (Prostrate Sensitive Antigen) test in their annual medical routine as early stages usually does not have any symptoms. Later on, urinary difficulties might occur in these patients.

Men should try to stay at healthy weight to reduce their risk of cancer. Physical activity is also important in protecting against prostate cancer. Diet with more vegetables and less calcium (dairy products) are believed to be beneficial. Alcohol consumption is also a risk factor.

If you aren't following yet, do follow now to get regular health updates 😁😁

18/08/2020

Trivia Tuesday:

Science is not constant. Actually let me rephrase it "Our understanding of science is not constant" !!

Albert Einsten, Aristotle, Robert Koch were all great minds of their time who are still looked upon. But that doesn't mean that all their theories were right. Time and again some of them have been proven wrong. They formed their ideas based on the science and technology available at the time. Though science limited their knowledge, their minds were open for imagination.

So one should always be ready to question such existing ideas also. People around you might tell you that "this is how it always has been" or "everybody knows it". Even then if you are bold to ask questions like "Can it be proved?" or "Could it be something else?" or "What is the reason behind that?", that is when science advances. The result might be something that could change or help the society extremely and end up in awards like Nobel Prizes!!

If you aren't following yet, do follow now to get regular health updates 😁😁

17/08/2020

Bowel cancer:

It is the cancer of the colon and/or re**um which begins with the development of pre-cancerous polyps from the lining of the colon and re**um. The incidence of colorectal cancer in India is lower than that in the western countries, and it is the seventh leading cancer in India (Globocan, 2018 ) and the second most common cancer diagnosed in the World.

The best thing you can do to prevent colorectal cancer is to get screened. Screening consist of that one word no one likes to hear- colonoscopy. Colorectal cancer affects men and women equally. It develops slowly, and discovering polyps early on can prevent them from turning into cancer altogether. A colonoscopy screening also helps discover the cancer in it’s early stages when its cure rate is better.

If you aren't following yet, do follow now to get regular health updates 😁😁

15/08/2020

Oral Cancer

Source: WHO 2018, Indian Cancer Society, CDC

India accounts for one third of oral cancer cases in the world. According to the Globocan 2018 report, oral cancer accounts for 30% of all cancers in India and was responsible for 72,616 deaths in the year.

To***co use and excessive alcohol consumption have been estimated to account for about 90% of cancers in the oral cavity. The oral cancer risk increases when to***co is used in combination with alcohol or areca nut (pan, gutka etc), a practice common in India.

If you aren't following yet, do follow now to get regular health updates 😁😁
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