Dear women, this hormone therapy may boost memory and lower stress

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The therapy may positively impact working memory — which allows the brain to keep information immediately available for processing, such as when a shopper uses a mental grocery list to pick up items.
Undergoing a type of hormone replacement therapy – used to treat menopause symptoms – may help working memory and reduce stress levels in women, a study claims. “Our study suggests that oestrogen treatment after menopause protects the memory that is needed for short-term cognitive tasks from the effects of stress,” said Alexandra Ycaza Herrera from University of Southern California in the US.

The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, found that women taking oestrogen-only therapy had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and performed better on tests of “working memory” following exposure to stress compared to women taking a placebo. Working memory allows the brain to keep information immediately available for processing, such as when a shopper uses a mental grocery list to pick up items, researchers said. Studies have documented that stress can impair working memory, they said.
Researchers recruited 42 women with an average age of 66 years to measure the effect of oestrogen therapy on working memory under stress. Half of the postmenopausal women had been on estradiol, a type of oestrogen therapy, for about five years, while the others had received a placebo. To induce a stress response during one visit, researchers asked participants to submerge their hand in ice water for about three minutes. For the control condition conducted during the other visit, the participants submerged their hand in warm water.

Before and after each visit, researchers collected saliva to measure the women’s levels of cortisol, oestrogen, and progesterone. The team also ran a test of working memory called a “sentence span task,” in which the women were each given a series and then asked whether each sentence made sense. Participants were asked to recall the last word of each one. Researchers noted that all women performed equally well on the sentence span task after the warm water condition. However, after the ice bath, women taking the placebo experienced a spike in cortisol levels.

They also demonstrated a decrease in working memory function. By contrast, women receiving oestrogen therapy had a smaller increase in cortisol and showed no decrease in working memory function, researchers said. Hormone replacement therapy may not be right for every woman, but women need to be able to have the conversation with their doctors,” said Herrera.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/health/dear-women-this-hormone-therapy-may-boost-memory-and-lower-stress/story-u8sSJjdzunhmXXtGO4T9YO.html

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Nearly 40% People Ignore Spine Related Diseases

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Nearly 20% of the young population in the age group of 16-34 age group are treated for back and spine conditions, according to a report by QI Spine Clinic, which is specialized in spinal diagnosis. The most affected age-groups and common problems faced by people are in these four cities – New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune.

While Delhi’s young population treated for back pain problems is the highest at 25% followed by Bengaluru at 23%. However, the age-group that is most affected by back and spine problems is 35-54. With 46% of Bengaluru’s population in this age-group reporting of spinal issues makes it the highest amongst the four cities. Bengaluru is followed by Delhi at 43%, Mumbai at 41% and Pune at 38%.

‘Back or neck pain should not be neglected. Early treatment can solve the pain and the root cause of the problem within a short span of time providing complete recovery.’
In India, 45% of the people in these four cities neglect their pain for more than 7 weeks which leads to delayed treatment& increases the risk of surgery. Pune accounts for the highest number of negligence at 53% followed by New Delhi (49%), Bangalore (46%) and Mumbai (40%) respectively.

The treatment rate for women is 8% lower as compared to men but men delay their treatment more than women. The ratio between women and men is 46:54.

Through X-rays and MRIs (Magnetic resonance imaging) you can diagnose your spinal problems. However, often MRIs fail to detect how severe the condition is and in such cases, digital spine analysis is preferred. After it is detected, doctors will give medications or suggest a surgery depending on the condition.

Source: http://www.medindia.net/news/nearly-40-people-ignore-spine-related-diseases-173824-1.htm

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Cancer cells destroyed in just 3 days with new technique

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Cancer cells are relentless, possessing the vexatious ability to develop resistance to current therapies and making the disease hugely challenging to treat. However, an exciting new study may have identified cancer’s weak spot; the discovery has already led to the near-eradication of the disease in cell cultures.
The study — which was recently published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering — reveals how altering the structure of chromatin in cancer cells could make them easier to destroy.

In the cell nucleus, DNA is wrapped around proteins called histones. Together they form chromatin.

Chromatin’s job is to package the genetic code neatly into the cell’s nucleus. Chromatin can also regulate which genes are switched on and off. In cancer cells, however, chromatin helps them to evolve and adapt to cancer therapies, thereby allowing them to survive.

“If you think of genetics as hardware,” explains study co-author Vadim Backman, of the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, “then chromatin is the software.”

“Complex diseases such as cancer,” he adds, “do not depend on the behavior of individual genes, but on the complex interplay among tens of thousands of genes.”

So, Backman and his colleagues set their sights on chromatin as the key to combating cancer drug resistance, and an imaging technique they developed last year helped them to learn more about this intricate set of macromolecules.

Predicting cancer cell death with chromatin

The new technique is called Partial Wave Spectroscopic (PWS) microscopy, and it enables real-time monitoring of chromatin in living cells.

Additionally, the researchers explain that PWS allows them to assess chromatin at a length scale of 20–200 nanometers, which they say is the precise point at which cancer formation influences chromatin.

They used PWS to monitor chromatin in cultured cancer cells. They found that chromatin has a specific “packing density” associated with gene expression that helps cancer cells to evade treatments.
The analysis revealed that a more heterogeneous and disordered chromatin packing density was related to greater cancer cell survival in response to chemotherapy. A more conservative and ordered packing density, however, was linked to greater cancer cell death in response to chemotherapy.

“Just by looking at the cell’s chromatin structure, we could predict whether or not it would survive,” says Backman. “Cells with normal chromatin structures die because they can’t respond; they can’t explore their genome in search of resistance. They can’t develop resistance.”

Targeting chromatin to kill cancer

Based on their discovery, the researchers hypothesized that altering the structure of chromatin to make it more orderly could be one way of boosting cancer cells’ vulnerability to treatment.

On further investigation, the team found that they could modify chromatin’s structure by altering electrolytes in the nucleus of cancer cells.

The team tested this strategy using two drugs that are already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Celecoxib and Digoxin.

Celecoxib is currently used for pain relief, while Digoxin is used to treat atrial fibrillation and heart failure. Both drugs, however, are also able to change the packing density of chromatin.

The researchers combined these drugs — which they refer to as chromatin protection therapeutics (CPTs) — with chemotherapy and tested them on cancer cells in the laboratory. According to Backman, they witnessed “something remarkable.”
Within 2 or 3 days, nearly every single cancer cell died because they could not respond. The CPT compounds don’t kill the cells; they restructure the chromatin. If you block the cells’ ability to evolve and to adapt, that’s their Achilles’ heel.”
Vadim Backman
While the researchers are excited by their findings, they caution that animal and human studies are needed before any firm conclusions can be made.

“There is a big difference between cell cultures and humans,” says Backman. “You never know how the environment inside the human body will affect cancer’s behavior or if there will be unforeseen side effects.”

That said, the researchers note that they have replicated their findings in seven different cancer types so far, which Backman says is “very promising.”

Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320003.php

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Immunotherapy found safe for type 1 diabetes in landmark trial

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Type 1 diabetes is believed to be an autoimmune disorder, so does this mean that immunotherapy could be used to treat it? A landmark trial has investigated the safety of such a therapeutic approach.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that up to 1.05 million people in the United States – or 5 percent of the country’s diabetic population – have type 1 diabetes.

The condition is thought to be an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system – its T cells, specifically – does not recognize the pancreas’ insulin-producing beta cells and mistakenly attacks them. At present, there are no treatments for preventing T cells from killing off the body’s beta cells.

Despite the belief that type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition, few studies have tested the possible benefits of immunotherapies in treating the condition, perhaps due to concerns that they might make it worse.

For type 1 diabetes, immunotherapies consist of molecules that imitate a proinsulin peptide. In this context, researchers based in the United Kingdom set out to examine the benefits of immunotherapy in a landmark trial that included a placebo control group.

The study’s first author is Dr. Mohammad Alhadj Ali, of the Cardiff University School of Medicine in the U.K., and the corresponding author is Mark Peakman, Ph.D., a professor of clinical immunology at King’s College London, also in the U.K.

The results were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Proinsulin peptide immunotherapy is ‘safe’

Dr. Ali and team examined the effect of the peptide in 27 people who had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes within the previous 100 days.
For 6 months, the participants received either shots of the immunotherapy or the placebo at 2- or 4-week intervals. Their C-peptide levels – which are markers of insulin – were tested at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, and they were compared with baseline levels.

The trial found no evidence of toxicity or negative side effects, and beta cells were not impaired or reduced as a consequence of the therapy. The authors write, “Treatment was well tolerated with no systemic or local hypersensitivity,” which led the researchers to conclude that “proinsulin peptide immunotherapy is safe.”

Additionally, “Placebo subjects showed a significant decline in stimulated C-peptide (measuring insulin reserve) at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months versus baseline, whereas no significant change was seen in the 4-weekly peptide group at these time points,” say the researchers.

Importantly, over a period of 12 months, the daily insulin intake in the placebo group increased by 50 percent, whereas the treatment group kept stable levels of insulin use.

Although the effects of immunotherapies need to be tested in larger cohorts, the trial offers an encouraging safety profile for the treatment. Speaking to Medical News Today about the clinical implications of such results, Prof. Peakman broke down the findings.

The good safety profile means 3 things:

(i) that we can progress to the next stage, which is to perform an efficacy trial and we hope to start this in 2018;

(ii) that this therapy may be acceptable in children, which is the main group developing type 1 diabetes;

(iii) that we may be able to give the peptide repeatedly over long periods, which may be required to gain full effects.
– Mark Peakman, Ph.D.

Regarding the limitations of the research, Prof. Peakman told us that the small sample size meant that the researchers could not examine how efficacious the treatment was. Consequently, in the future, the researchers plan to conduct a larger study in order to investigate the immunotherapies’ effect on disease progression.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318899.php

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Knee implants to cost up to 69% less as government caps prices

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Acting swiftly on PM Narendra Modi’s Independence Day promise to take steps to rein in healthcare costs, the government on Wednesday said it is placing knee implants under price control.

The government has slashed the prices of knee implants by between 59% and 69% using a special provision in the drug pricing law that enables it to intervene in “extraordinary circumstances” in public interest.

The move is expected to benefit over three crore arthritis patients in India needing knee replacement surgery.
Official sources said hip implants and intraocular lenses are the next items likely to attract the attention of the regulatory scanner.

The standard, widely used cobalt chromium in knee replacement surgery will now cost Rs 54,720 as against an earlier MRP of Rs 1,58,324. Similarly, the price of special metals like titanium and oxidised zirconium have been slashed by almost 70%, to Rs 76,600 from Rs 2.49 lakh. In case of revision knee replacement, which is usually done if the primary replacement fails, prices of implants have been cut by 59%.
The government said there was “unjustified, unreasonable and irrational” profiteering and trade margins on these devices, leading to exorbitant prices that push up patients’ out-of-pocket expenses. In fact, the high costs make treatment unaffordable for many who need arthroplasty procedures.

The regulator national pharmaceutical pricing authority finds that it is urgently necessary to act in public interest and has fixed and notified ceiling prices of orthopaedic knee implants for knee replacement systems, the order issued by the department of pharmaceuticals said.
“The government will not be a mute spectator to illegal and unethical profiteering,” chemicals and fertilisers minister Ananth Kumar said. He added the government would take stringent action against hospitals, importers and retailers if they charged in excess of the MRP fixed by the government.
According to government estimates, the price regulation of knee implants alone will lead to a saving of about Rs 1,500 crore annually for patients.
The new prices come into effect immediately and will also apply to all available stocks for sale in trade channels.
“The success of the order will depend on what steps are taken by the government to ensure that the overall procedure costs come down as a result of this price fixation,” Malini Aisola of the All-India Drug Action Network said.
“We hope this is just the tip of the iceberg and the government will go on to regulate prices of all other critical medical devices where similar market conditions prevail,” said Gurinder Grewal, former president of the Punjab Medical Council.

A price cap on implants is expected to benefit millions of patients with orthopaedic problems. Industry data, which experts say does not fully capture the picture, shows over three crore arthritic patients in India in need of knee replacement surgery. Since this is not a life-threatening disease, the number of patients opting for surgery is comparatively low.
Even then, estimates show that over 1,20,000 knee replacement procedures, and about 70,000 hip procedures, take place every year in India. And the costs are not low. Preliminary analysis by the NPPA shows the MRP of the total knee system ranges between Rs 59,091 and Rs 4,13,059. Add to this hospital costs, surgeon charges, time in the operation theatre, and several other miscellaneous charges. The latest price regulation by government is seen, in this context, as a step towards rationalising healthcare costs.


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/knee-implants-to-cost-up-to-69-less-as-government-caps-prices/articleshow/60094167.cms

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A New study findings reduces the risk of post surgical cancer recurrence

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Anti-inflammatory, anti-stress drugs taken before surgery may reduce metastatic recurrence
The body’s stress inflammatory response is an active agent of cancer metastasis, researchers say.

Most cancer-related deaths are the result of post-surgical metastatic recurrence. In metastasis, cells of primary tumors travel to other parts of the body, where they often proliferate into inoperable, ultimately fatal growths.

A new Tel Aviv University study finds that a specific drug regimen administered prior to and after surgery significantly reduces the risk of post-surgical cancer recurrence. These medications, a combination of a beta blocker (which relieves stress and high blood pressure) and an anti-inflammatory, may also improve the long-term survival rates of patients. The treatment is safe, inexpensive — two medications similar in price to aspirin — and easily administered to patients without contraindications.

The research was led by Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu of TAU’s School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience in collaboration with Prof. Steven Cole of UCLA; Prof. Oded Zmora of Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer; Prof. Eran Sharon of Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson; and Prof. Tanir Ellweiss of Kaplan Medical Center. It was published in Clinical Cancer Research.

Deviating from dogma

“We’ve taken an unconventional approach, deviating from the current medical dogma that refrains from intervening during the short period surrounding a cancer surgery — no chemo, radio or immune therapy for at least three weeks before or after surgery,” Prof. Ben-Eliyahu said. “Even within the medical establishment, we encountered some levels of disbelief and antagonism. But after conducting ample studies in animal models of cancer, and reviewing the medical literature, we came to the firm conclusion that maybe this is the most important period in the prevention of cancer recurrence.”

For the study, 38 breast cancer patients at Sheba Medical Center, Kaplan Medical Center and Rabin Medical Center were given a pharmacological treatment — Deralin (used to reduce blood pressure and anxiety) and Etopan (used to reduce inflammation) — five days before their surgeries, the day of their surgeries and five days after their surgeries. Blood and tumor tissue samples were then analyzed using whole genome gene expression profiling to identify all the RNAs expressed in malignant cells and leukocytes.

“We found that the drugs were very efficient in reducing biomarkers of metastatic processes,” Prof. Ben-Eliyahu said. “For example, we found that the drug treatment reverses EMT — the process that tumor cells go through to slip out of the primary tumor and enter another organ. It is a crucially important step in the metastatic process. We also looked at indices related to the immune system and were able to improve immune competence and reduce inflammation with the drugs.”

The research team has conducted a similar study, which has not yet been published, on colorectal cancer patients and has found similar results.

The researchers are currently considering a larger-scale clinical trial to establish the clinical long-term beneficial effects of this treatment. “Positive outcomes should validate this treatment and lead to its becoming available for most cancer patients,” Prof. Ben-Eliyahu concluded.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170807104054.htm

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Routine Mammography May Cut Breast Cancer Deaths by 40 Percent, 3 Dietary Habits to Reduce the Risk

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Breast cancer is one of the leading and most common forms of cancers affecting women all across the world. Early diagnosis and preventive measures can go a long way in spotting and treating breast cancer before it assumes a life threatening character. One of the easiest ways to prevent or keep a check on breast cancer development would be to go for regular breast examination and a routine mammography after the age of 40. If “women choose to start annual screening mammography starting at age 40, over the long term, this would be significant because fewer women would die from breast cancer”, said Elizabeth Kagan Arleo from the New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.
As per a recent report published in the journal Cancer, when annual screening were started at the age 40, it resulted in greatest reduction in breast cancer-specific deaths with a nearly 40 per cent reduction in deaths. The study therefore suggests routine mammography initiation for women as early in their life to rule out or timely diagnose the possibility of any cancerous development.

While simple screenings – most involving imaging tests – are one of the best ways to monitor health against the risk of cancer, maintaining a healthy diet and an active lifestyle can also go a long way in staving off the risks. Not just in prevention but during the course of the illness as well, a balanced diet may facilitate speedier recovery and better response to the ongoing treatment. “Our results suggest that a dietary intervention can increase the effectiveness of a targeted cancer therapy,” Vincent Cryns, professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in the US was quoted by IANS.

What you eat on a regular basis plays a vital role in determining your health and potential risk of developing any lifestyle ailment. We take a look at three simple dietary habits that can help you cut down risk of developing breast cancer.

Load up on fibre

Experts at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health found out that girls who consumed more fresh fruits and veggies during their adolescence were at lesser risk of developing breast cancer. With an additional 10 grams of fibre added to their daily diet, the risk of breast cancer in the girls reduced by 13%.

Say no to all-things processed

Processed sugar tops the list. A diet rich in refined items and low in fibre has been associated with upping the risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer, found experts from the University of California. High dependence on junk food, refined and processed food items may trigger obesity, one of the leading causes of lifestyle diseases including cancer.

Monitor your Vitamin D

Vitamin D receptors may help prevent tumour growth and keep them from expanding. “Vitamin D receptors are not lost until a tumour is very advanced. This is the reason for better survival in patients whose vitamin D blood levels are high,” Cedric F Garland from the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California was quoted by PTI.


Source: http://www.ndtv.com/food/routine-mammography-may-cut-breast-cancer-deaths-by-40-percent-3-dietary-habits-to-reduce-the-risk-1740514

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6 ways to control your blood sugar levels

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On World Diabetes Day observed on November 14 each year — to raise awareness and provide affordable care to all — here are some important and key factors that you need to take care of so as to stop it from being fatal.

 Family history of diabetes: You inherit a predisposition to the condition and then something in your environment triggers it, especially if there is a history of obesity. Type 2 diabetes has a stronger connection to family history and lineage than type 1, however, with proper diagnosis on time it can be kept under control.

Lifestyle modification: Sedentary habits, eating more junk and fatty food, aerated drinks, and erratic meal habits – all contribute towards the risk of having diabetes. Every extra hour of sitting increases risk of having diabetes by a fifth, warns the doctor. So, by an intensive lifestyle modification, adopting of healthy diets and increased physical activity, type 2 diabetes can be prevented.

Obesity: Gaining weight may make you susceptible to diabetes. As doctor suggests, try to maintain ideal body weight, that is to keep the BMI less than 22.9 Kg/m2 and waist circumference to less than 90 cm in male and 80 cm in females. Get rid of excess weight through a regimented diet and exercise plan. There are no shortcuts to lose weight. Weight loss and a good diet can even reverse pre-diabetes.

Food habits and balanced diet: Eating at right time, an appropriate amount of a balance carbohydrates, fats and proteins with fruits is essential. Not going on an empty stomach for long hours and not missing the meals are important. Studies have shown that missing breakfast increases the risk of developing diabetes. Replace heavy meals after prolong gap with small healthy snacks to munch on. Try to replace your normal rice with brown rice and refined flour with whole grains.

Exercise regularly: From a brisk walk to yoga, exercise daily for at least for 30 to 45 minutes. Sedentary habits are contributing in a big way to increasing incidences of diabetes. Also, taking a break from exercise could up the risks. So make sure to take small breaks in between your work. Here are some exercises you can do at your office desk.

Adequate sleep: Not just food and exercise but proper rest is also very important. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep every day is a must as our body rejuvenates itself during sleep by eliminating the toxins which accumulate during the time we are awake. Late nights and late mornings also up the risk of having diabetes and hypertension.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/world-diabetes-day-2017-how-to-control-blood-sugar-levels-glucose-4934578/

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The Coronavirus: What you Need to Know about the Global Pandemic!!

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Penguin Random House India announces the publication of one of the first books on the infamous Coronavirus. Pegged as a must read, The Coronavirus: What You Need to Know about the Global Pandemic has been written by practising physician and intemal medicine specialist Dr. Swapneil Parikh, medical researcher and clinical psychologist Maherra Desai, and Director Medical Research, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre and Neuropsychiatrist Dr. Rajesh M. Parikh. This book will be published under the Ebury Press imprint of Penguin Random House. Ebury Press is one of the country’s most successful imprints dedicated to discovering, publishing and building the best voices in popular fiction and non-fiction. It is now available for pre-order on e-commerce websites. (Click below link to preorder)

Co-author Dr Swapnil Parikh says, “Either humanity changes its approach to pandemics or pandemics will devastatingly change humanity”. It is the first book that addresses the history, evolution, facts and myths around the Covid-19 pandemic. With the world trying to cope with the impact of this new Coronavirus, here is a book that will demystify the outbreak and debunk myths that are causing quite a frenzy everywhere. It will tackle conspiracy theories and talk about the economic, political and social fallout of the pandemic. The elusive symptoms of the virus are making it harder to identify and assess the potential threat. Amidst this, correct and expertly led information will be the key to mitigate the problem, and perhaps even clear the air. Commenting on the need of immediate action, co-author Maherra Desai says, “The situation we are in was inevitable. We have had multiple unheeded warniings. Are we willing to learn this time around ? We are invincible only to the extent of preparedness.”

Milee Ashwarya, Publisher, Ebury Publishing & Vintage Publishing, Penguin Random House India, says, “We are currently in the grip of global pandemic caused by Covid-19 and there is lot of scattered information floating around leading to fear and panic. What we need most right now is credible information from professionals that can help us understand what Coronavirus is, and how we can prepare and protect ourselves against it. In this timely and useful book, Dr Swapnil Parikh, Maherra Desai, and Dr Rajesh Parikh explain the do’s, don’ts, bust the myths, explain the history and evolution of the virus and share insights into what lies ahead for us. This is a must read for everybody.”

Commenting on the upcoming book, co-author of the book Dr, Rajesh M. Parikh says, ‘It has been an incredible experience to work on this book, Getting to know the phenomenal courage and dedication of healthcare workers across the world has made us look with renewed respect at our nursing and paramedical staff. Milee Ashwarya has catalysed this book from conception to completion. Despite being close proximity to my colleague Maherra Desai and son Swapneil or perhaps because of it, I had not truly appreciated their knowledge and capacity for tireless research and writing until we worked as a team. I like to believe that appreciating health care workers, my co-authors, publisher and the terribly awesome virus, all in less than 3 weeks, is a transformative experience.”

The Idea

“‘Coronavirus, What you need to know about the Global Pandemic’ is a book brought out by Penguin Random House which covers various aspects of the disease,” says Mumbai’s Dr Rajesh M Parikh, director, medical research, hon. neuropsychiatrist at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre and Adj. Prof. at the Carver School of Medicine, Iowa. His author profile in a book of photographs he once published on Kashmir describes him as a poet, painter, photographer, pilot and India’s first and leading neuropsychiatrist who has taught at institutions like Harvard and Yale.

An alumnus of Johns Hopkins School and KEM, Mumbai, Parikh, who is equally at home at a Pink Floyd concert or discussing the tenets of stoicism or studying Sanskrit, found his learning curve vastly extended while on a visit to photograph the elusive tiger in the Sunderbans recently. “We began hearing stories of the Corona outbreak while drifting in the Ganges Delta late January,” he says, adding, “I realised that we had an impending disaster in the making, like one of those hurricanes that periodically batter the Sunderbans.”

On returning to Mumbai, the first thing he did as a dedicated medical professional was to throw himself into the task of drafting a protocol for Jaslok, so that it would be prepared to effectively deal with the virus, without affecting its other patients and health care workers.

Soon, there arose another task to attend to. Milee Ashwariya, his publisher at Penguin who had long been nudging him to fulfill his promise of a three-book deal, called on a crisp February morning, requesting him to do a book on the virus. It was a no-brainer for Parikh. Having been through two weeks of intense research on it, he agreed; with one caveat: to do justice to the task and meet its crushing 15-day deadline, he would have to enlist the assistance of trusted co- authors. Knowing she was on to something of a publishing coup (no other book on the subject had been announced), Ashwariya gave her nod and Parikh enlisted the help of Dr Swapneil Parikh, his son who is an internal medicine specialist with a keen interest in infectious diseases and Maherra Desai, who has been his long-trusted research colleague.

And what is the good doctor’s prognosis about the coming few weeks? “My co-authors and I have tremendous faith in humanity’s ability to respond to a crisis and emerge wiser and stronger,” he says.

About the authors

Dr. Swapneil Parikh is a practicing physician in Mumbai and the cofounder of a healthcare start up. His practice focuses on reversing lifestyle diseases like diabetes and obesity. He is passionate about infectious diseases, medical literature and the future of technology in medicine.

Maherra Desai is a clinical psychologist and medical researcher. She has excelled in academics and psychometries and is the site manager of clinical research at the Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai. She is passionate about fitness, travel and voluntary social work.

Dr. Rajesh M. Parikh is the Director of Medical Research and Honorary Neuropsychiatrist at the Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai. He trained and taught at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in the US. and at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, He has published research in leading intemational journals and is passionate about poctry, painting. photography, philosophy, linguistics, and aviation. He has cumulatively won over 200 awards in academics and in his diverse activities.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/malavika-s-mumbaistan-harnessing-the-hurricane/story-6rNuHsVvIM5vqGkSQus3qJ.html

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INDIA: A Second Opinion!!

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“Over the years, I’ve covered a lot of territory for The Washington Post, but it’s a book project that brings me to India, a book on how other countries deliver health care,” says veteran reporter T.R. Reid, as he begins his FRONTLINE/World report on Ayurveda, a form of medicine that has been practiced in India for three thousand years.

The 60-something Reid also has a personal stake in the matter — a bum shoulder that has been bothering him for 25 years since he injured it in an accident in the Navy.

Reid, who is also known for his humorous commentaries on National Public Radio, travels to the Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, or AVP, in Coimbatore in southern India to see if he can alleviate his aches and pains and avoid the high-tech shoulder surgery that his physician back home in Denver has recommended.

“On first impression, this place looks more like a spa than a hospital,” says Reid as he strolls around the AVP garden, “but I’ve heard the doctors here know their stuff, especially on chronic illness — you know, migraines, back pain, arthritis — the kind of ailments that we in the West can’t seem to fix.”

“This is the failure of Western medicine,” Dr. Ram Manohar, AVP research chief, tells Reid, “because it knows to cure, but it does not know how to heal.”

Reid’s treatment begins with a ceremony at AVP’s temple, where he seeks the blessing of Dhanwantari, the Hindu god of healing. Is this perhaps all part of a placebo effect? Reid wonders. But Dr. Manohar tells him that’s all right: “The placebo effect, I think, is very essential for our medicines to work. Ayurveda believes that healing has to be initiated from the psyche, the mind of the patient. And we use all techniques as much as we can, including religious.”

Next step: Reid meets the chief healer, Medical Director K.G. Raveendran, who consults with him and takes his pulse — at great length — as if he were hearing all the inner disturbances of the body. At last, Dr. Raveendran pronounces his diagnosis: “Pitta, Kapha.”

This pronouncement is based on the ancient Ayurvedic principle that all living things are controlled by three vital forces, or “doshas” — Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Good health comes from keeping the doshas in balance. As Reid puts it, “When they get out of equilibrium, we get sick. In my case, I have too much Pitta and Kapha, leaving my Vata out of whack.”

What follows is a two-and-a-half-week regimen of oily massages, bitter brews, mudpacks and caustic eye drops. Confiding to his “digital diary” video camera, Reid alternates between skepticism and acceptance as he submits to the treatments — all except the leeches, that is. Those he merely observes at work on another patient.

But can Ayurvedic medicine really cure? Researcher Ram Manohar is prepared to find out. In collaboration with the UCLA Medical School, he’s begun a long-term study to see which works better for rheumatoid arthritis, Ayurveda or the Western drug methotrexate.

“A person like me, I mean, we would like to ultimately understand what really is there in Ayurveda,” says Dr. Manohar. “I mean, we just cannot continue to be mystical about these things. We would really like to demystify the whole process, bring in some transparency, and we feel that if it is found to be not useful, then it will also be a good service.”

At times cranky and sarcastic, Reid nevertheless admits that early mornings at the clinic are magical, and by the end of his stay, he discovers that he has less pain and more movement in his shoulder. The Ayurvedic practitioners tell him to continue the treatments when he returns home to Colorado, and Reid thanks them for their efforts.

Before leaving India, he makes one last stop: Rishikesh, far to the north, the home of the sages, or rishis, and the birthplace of Ayurveda. Pilgrims in the millions come here to perform Hindu rituals in the sacred Ganges, floating candles on the water at night.

Skeptical to begin with, Reid is now convinced that Ayurveda is “on to something,” though it may be hard to prove by Western standards. Perhaps Ram Manohar’s UCLA study will soon provide some answers.

Back home, in a brief epilogue, Reid admits that whatever gains he made in India have faded away. His shoulder is as stiff as ever. “But that’s not the fault of Ayurvedic medicine; let’s be fair here,” says Reid. “It’s because I haven’t done a darned thing about my arm since I left India.” Still, he has decided to skip the surgery that would have implanted a titanium rod in his arm.

“I’m certain that if I did the kind of massage or any kind of exercise like they gave me, even if I took those awful herbal medicines regularly, that my arm would be making significant progress, because we sure did when I was in India,” declares Reid, “and for that I’m grateful to Ayurveda.”

Source: https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/india701/video/video_index.html

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