Auto Immune conditions

Aditi Goel, 30, a budding food entrepreneur, recounts how the tough upbringing of her parents helped her come to terms with her vitiligo and how she is ready to pull the punches when faced personally or professionally with discrimination because of her depigmented skin. My first vitiligo patch appeared when I was two-years-old. It was under the eyes. My parents freaked out when they saw the discoloured skin on my face. Not because they were unaware of the disease, but because of the harsh…

MHR, as she prefers to be referred to as, has been battling Behcet’s Syndrome, a rare auto-immune disease for the last 17 years. Having been through various stages of pain, depression and hopelessness, body image issues she has tried ayurveda and yoga, to get some relief. She is keen to spread awareness on auto-immune disorders and wishes that doctors not treat her as guinea pig. First diagnosis I was diagnosed with Behcet’s Syndrome in 2001, after an illness of over 6 months. I was 23 then. I…

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia have many overlapping symptoms with chronic pain and fatigue being the most common threads.  Dr. Shital Raval explains the differences between the two conditions and the different diagnostic criteria Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or CFS is a medical condition with an unknown cause, presenting initially with constant or recurring fatigue for 6 months or more. Myalgic encephalitis or ME is the now the internationally accepted term for CFS. Fibromyalgia or…

After years of treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome like a psychological disorder and telling people that they could exercise their way out of it, a new thinking has now emerged after a re-analysis of the PACE trial data. Read on to find out more: The Lancet study on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: In September 2016, authors of a Lancet paper study on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) which was released in 2011, revealed their raw data. Independent scientists such as David Tuller and several patients…

Nearly 42 million people in India suffer from thyroid diseases. Thyroid dysfunction can play havoc with your life and normal functioning, if left uncontrolled. Dr. Manoj Chadha, Consultant Endocrinologist at Hinduja Healthcare Surgical, helps us understand the various complications of thyroid disorder and the importance of early detection and management. What are the 5 common thyroid problems and disorders? Hypothyroidism [Decreased function of thyroid gland] Hyperthyroidism [Overfunction of…

Shivani Maheshwari brings you a list of 10 movies and documentaries on health released in 2017. It is a random selection, with no preference or bias. They were picked up because they featured prominently on social media. The dominance of American staple probably makes a telling statement that more work needs to be done in the health sector in India, in terms of films, features, docudramas, narratives, and motion pictures. Hopefully, 2018 will be better. Watch them if you can. Many are available…

Vidya, a long-standing patient of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) narrates her experience with specialized medications, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, yoga, Ayurveda, oil massage, warm baths among other things to alleviate severe, chronic pain, stiffness and flare ups. Read for useful tips and better pain management. First things first. Pain and Rheumatoid Arthritis go hand in hand. Sometimes, when I reflect on my journey with RA, one thread that immediately comes to mind is how I coped with…

Dr. Sapan C. Pandya, MD DM Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology answers this and many other questions in this exhaustive talk with Kirtida Oza, Co-founder of Sjögren’s India. This online Webinar on “Rheumatic Diseases: Challenges and Hope” is aimed at enhancing awareness about lesser understood diseases.   #Rheumatic Diseases Awareness Month Dr. Sapan C. Pandya starts with a quick recap of lesser known Rheumatic Diseases including Scleroderma, Lupus, Inflammatory Myositis and…

Does Yoga help people manage chronic conditions and the various symptoms? On International Yoga Day, we speak to a cross section of people who believe strongly that yoga has contributed greatly in their journey of recovery1.  Mr Purushotaman - Parkinsons Mr. Purushotaman is 77-years-old and has had Parkinson's for 4 years. An unassuming gentleman, Mr. Purushotaman is extremely regular for all meetings and yoga sessions conducted by Parivarthan for Parkinson’s. Parivarthan is a…

Vonita Singh, who conducts therapeutic dance classes Movement Mantra in Dubai, is herself a patient of Rheumatoid Arthritis from a very early age. She shares how she fought to overcome the physical challenges Tell us a little about when RA started? What were the symptoms? It all started with the big toe of my right foot - I was all of 18 years old! Subtle pain and tenderness were the main symptoms initially, but that did not create enough anxiety for me to talk about it with anyone, including…