PatientsEngage General Community

Creating a support group for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) caregivers might help to ease the emotional strain they experience and provide hope, information, friendship, sharing, self-advocacy, problem- solving skills and opportunities for personal growth. The first part of the article details intense rehabilitation programme after brain injury. Are there any broad guidelines or tips for family and friends supporting someone with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the near, medium and…

Author-writer Usha Jesudasan, 70, says being old and alone can be scary, but there is always hope. Here she tells us how she makes a conscious effort, that includes making new friends, babysitting at the pool, and donating books, to be keep herself active and engaged to fend off loneliness and gloom. My mother was just over 70 when my father died. I remember being very worried for her as she would now live alone in a large house. I wondered how she would cope being alone. Mum…

हर पांच में से एक आत्महत्या किसी बुजुर्ग की होती है। समीक्षा सिवन लिखती हैं कि यह बहुत ही बड़ा चिंता का विषय है और इस के प्रति स्वास्थ्य सेवा प्रदाताओं, नीति निर्माताओं, समुदायों और समाज के हिस्से के रूप में हम सभी का ध्यान आकर्षित करना आवश्यक है। आत्महत्या और उस की रोकथाम के बारे में जागरूकता बढ़ाने और इस से जुड़े कलंक को मिटाने के प्रयास में  हम 10 सितंबर को विश्व आत्महत्या रोकथाम दिवस के रूप में मनाते हैं। इसके आयोजन का आधार इंटरनेशनल एसोसिएशन ऑफ सुसाइड प्रिवेंशन (आईएएसपी) और विश्व…

Treatment of Hyperthyroidism Hyperthyroidism is usually treated with: Medicines commonly include Beta-blockers or Antithyroid pills. Radioiodine Therapy is an effective method  that uses radioactive iodine -131 to destroy the cells in the gland. Can be taken in the form of capsules or liquid. Thyroid surgery to remove part of the thyroid gland is less commonly done. Is done only when medications are ineffective or not optional such as people with large goiters or pregnant women. Note:…

Hyperthyroidism is classified into two types: Primary Hyperthyroidism is essentially Graves' disease which accounts for 60-80% of all cases of hyperthyroidism. It is an autoimmune disorder.  Secondary Hyperthyroidism can be due to a nodule, goitre or any rare cause. Read more about Graves' Disease here  

Organ, tissue and cell transplants are sometimes the solution for certain conditions. This explains the basics of transplantation, types of transplants, lifespan of common transplanted organs and basic steps to preventing organ rejection. What is Transplantation? Transplantation is the procedure whereby an organ, tissue or cells is removed from one area of the body and implanted to another part of the body of the same or another person’s body. The tissue or organ is sometimes called “graft” or…

Renu Bhuwalka from Mumbai has lived with hypothyroidism for the over 3 decades. She shares her lived experience from early symptoms to diagnosis and how she managed it well to ensure an active lifestyle.  Please tell us a bit about your condition? I have had hypothyroidism for the last 36 years. I was diagnosed in 1986, when I was 28 years old. What were the early symptoms? What made you go to a doctor? I had over a few months become very lethargic and I thought it was just…

अनल शाह के जवान बेटे को अचानक बुखार हुआ और कुछ ही दिन में उसकी मृत्यु मल्टीऑर्गन फेलियर के कारण हो गयी – इस शोक और अत्यधिक पीड़ा को सहना और उस से उभरना अनल शाह के लिए बहुत ही कठिन रहा है। लेकिन अब, बेटे को खोने के लगभग पांच साल बाद लगता है उन्हें कुछ शान्ति मिल पाई है। किसी भी माँ-बाप के लिए अपने बच्चे की मृत्यु सबसे अधिक सबसे शोकपूर्ण घटना है!  मैंने अपनी माँ, कुछ कसिन, दादा-दादी, दोस्तों की मृत्यु देखी है, लेकिन मेरा बच्चा – जिसे मैंने 9 महीने तक गर्भ में पाला था – उस बच्चे को खोने के…

Patients need doctors. Sometimes they complain about doctors, and often they are grateful to doctors. What they truly want are supportive doctors. We decided to ask our community of patients with chronic conditions what they mean by supportive doctors. Here are their responses including one who sent in a diagram. We also put their responses into a word cloud generator.  Check the infographic at the end. Who is a supportive doctor? Rajeev Gupta A supportive doctor is both competent and…

Poonam Kamdar, a counseling psychologist, had stage 2 cervical cancer. Because of her traumatic journey, she now fiercely advocates for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine which can help protect against cervical cancer and encourages women to speak openly about their experience. Diagnosis Which year and at what age were you diagnosed with cervical cancer? I was diagnosed with cervical cancer in the year 2015, at age 45. What were the early warning signs and symptoms that made you sense…