Muscle, Bone and Joint (earlier named Arthritis)

Chennai-based Aarthi Sampath was diagnosed with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive wasting of the muscles which defies cure. No one in her family understood its implications. This is a touching story of her trials and tribulations and her triumphs as well. I was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, a hereditary condition marked by progressive weakening and wasting of the muscles, in 1992 when I was only 11. THE DIAGNOSIS When my brother had his arm fractured, friends visiting my…

Vonita Singh from Dubai is a trained Kathak dancer who, through her unique initiative Movement Mantra, addresses the basic concerns of Parkinson’s Disease like balance, flexibility and coordination with rhythm and music. Vonita also pulls in caregivers for her programmes, making it holistic, with end results being therapeutic. Taking on disorders like Parkinson’s Disease and Arthritis is a formidable task, especially when you are neither a therapist nor a medical person. What gave you the…

Dr S M Akerkar, Consulting Rheumatologist, offers some useful tips for people with arthritis to get work done at home the easier way and to minimize the load on the joints. This is the second of the 2-part series. In the first part we read useful day to day tips on arranging the kitchen to make it easier for people with arthritis to continue to function.  How to arrange your kitchen if you have arthritis? Use shelves with 'easy to remove' features. Drawers mounted on rollers put less…

Cooking can be a strenuous task for someone with arthritis and other muscle/joint disorders. But you don't have to give up cooking. Here are a few useful day to day tips to minimize the load on the joints and maximize what one can achieve in the kitchen, advises Dr S M Akerkar, Consulting Rheumatologist. This is the first of a 2-part series. The second part addresses the issue with visuals and examples. Your home and kitchen are supposed to be your most comfortable and familiar place in the…

When actors go through phases of rapid weight gain to rapid weight loss in preparation for film roles, many eyebrows are often raised among health professionals. Dr Shital Raval lists out reasons why it is medically dangerous and unhealthy of such yo-yoing. Imagine going from 68 kg to 93 kg in six months and then back again to original size. Well...That’s what actor Aamir Khan did recently oscillating from rapid weight gain to rapid weight loss. While Khan’s bulging - thinning programme…

Who should have a Hip or Knee Replacement Surgery and what are the alternatives available? Dr Shital Raval suggests factors to help you make a decision.  Let us evaluate the various options available and the factors to consider. Arthroplasty Total hip replacement surgery is also known as Total Hip Arthroplasty while a knee replacement surgery is called Knee Arthroplasty (can be partial or total). Both are common and effective procedures for hip and knee arthritis. These are elective…

“Prejudice is the child of ignorance.” ― William Hazlitt ― In a diverse and informed society like Singapore, it remains not completely uncommon to hear of instances of discrimination. While it is understandable to fear or even condemn something that is strange or new to us, we should be reminded that understanding breeds tolerance and empathy. A Gift of Life Mr S, is a dialysis patient at the San Wang Wu Ti-KDF Centre at Kreta Ayer, and he has been dialysising there for slightly over a year. He…

And other questions on menopause answered by Dr. Usha Saraiya,  Consultant Obstetrician – Gynaecologist at Breach Candy, Cumballa Hill Hospital & Saifee Hospital. She reiterates - Preventive actions helps to prevent Osteoporosis, diabetes & heart disease.  1.   What is the average age of menopause in India? It is between 45 years to 50 years. In India it is said to be earlier say from 42 years to 47 years. But women who are not educated do not tell their age…

Neha Shah, fitness instructor, who was once immobile with rheumatoid arthritis, debunks the belief that exercise increases the risk of injury from broken bones for people with osteoporosis. On the contrary, she counsels that a regular, properly designed exercise program may actually help strengthen bones and muscles and improves balance, coordination and flexibility important for patients diagnosed with osteoporosis. Bones are the support system of our body. Bones are continuously being broken…

Says Shirin Merchant, India’s pioneering canine behaviourist and trainer, while talking about assistance dogs, a relatively new concept in India, where dogs are specially trained to perform a range of tasks to assist individuals with disability. How and when did you become a canine behaviourist and trainer? My journey as a dog trainer and behaviourist started in 1995. What is an assistance dog and what is it trained to do? It is very difficult for an able-bodied person to imagine the…