PatientsEngage General Community

As a family caregiver of a loved one who is ill, you are juggling multiple jobs. You are nurse, counsellor, dietitian, secretary, friend and emotional anchor – all rolled into one.  However sincere you are about your responsibilities, the stress can mount up quickly and cascade onto the lives of others in the household. How do you keep your patient well and happy and keep yourself and your family calm and happy, too?  The Caregiver’s Guidebook brings you ideas to help…

Nutritious foods that give you the most bang for your buck. By Dietitian and Diabetes educator Ujjwala Baxi When we hear ‘superfoods’, we think quinoa, blueberries, salmon, chia seeds etc thanks to clever marketing and hype. These are not only expensive, but can be hard to get hold of, especially in India. The good news is that there are ‘superfoods’ that are readily available and affordable, but are often ignored. They pack as much punch as the much-touted superfoods but are overlooked as…

Are your heels sky-high and your bags oversized? You need to read this now. Don’t let your inner fashionista sabotage your health, says Dr Shital Raval. Skinny Jeans: Skinny jeans can compress the nerves and muscle of the groin area, aggravate acidity/reflux, abdominal discomfort and Urinary Tract Infections (UTI). The Compartment syndrome, which is caused when the muscles become swollen and bruised, was recently seen in a case where a woman collapsed after squatting in…

Says Dr V Shanta, cancer specialist and the Chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai. Lung cancer, which is related to smoking, is today the top cancer in the country. Within the year, 15.5% of 13 to 15-year-olds are going to start smoking. Don’t let your child be one of them. Plus, how smoking harms non-smokers, too.  1. How grave is the health problem posed by tobacco use in India? How much of it relates to smoking cigarettes, beedis and how much is it due to consumption of gutka,…

Do your heels hurt when you take your first steps in the morning? You may have plantar fasciitis. Dr Shital Raval advises on symptoms and exercises to ease the pain. What is Plantar Fasciitis? The plantar fascia is a flat ligament that connects the heel bone to the toes and supports the arch of the foot. If you strain this ligament, it can get inflamed. Plantar Fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. हिंदी में पढ़ें: प्लांटार फ़ेशियाइटिस के कारण एड़ी में दर्द Whom does it affect?…

Struggling with air pollution, smog, haze? Nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju recommends how you can load up on antioxidants and water to boost immunity and protect yourself. Whether it is air pollution in North India or haze and rising PSI levels in Singapore, air pollution increases the level of free radicals in the body that attack and damage healthy cells.  Here is how you can load up on antioxidants and water to boost immunity and protect yourself. Think of what our immune…

Dr Choo Wei Chieh tells you why it’s important and what information it should carry. Patient empowerment means being engaged with your health and making your own health decisions. In order to do this properly (not to mention safely), one’s health information should be well organised. This means keeping an accurate record of your health such that you can access it whenever necessary, wherever you are, and to share it with whoever necessary (family, healthcare professionals, caregivers, etc.).…

Alok Kaushik, now 40, talks about his transition from the life of a sighted person to a blind person. “Start living in the solution domain rather than the problem domain,” he says, sharing the solutions that help him maintain his independence. Please tell us a bit about your condition. I have Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), which is a disease of the retina that causes the photo-receptor cells in the retina, i.e. rods and cones, to degenerate in a progressive manner, leading…

Which is the greater evil? How much fat is necessary in your diet? How to read food labels? Registered dietitian and diabetes educator Ujjwala Baxi has all the information.  The human diet is always evolving. And with each evolution comes strong and focused criticism of certain foods. Some decades ago, it was the fat in our diet that was demonised and 0% fat diets and recipes flourished on bookshelves and the dinner table. But very soon, it was realised that going nil…