Respiratory and Pulmonary

Mona Balani, 43 from Delhi has had multiple rounds of TB and HIV. Motivated by her own experience of limited support and lack of knowledge, she now advises other patients and works actively with a support group of TB patients  Please tell us a bit about your condition I am a former Tuberculosis patient. After getting HIV in 1999, I had TB twice, once in 2000 which was TB in my lungs and second time in 2006 I had TB in my abdomen (extra-pulmonary). Abdominal TB can affect the lining of the…

And QUIT SMOKING. Akhileshwar Sahay, a seasoned industry veteran, has been living with bipolar disorder for the last 2 decades. In this interview, he talks about his troubled journey with multiple chronic illnesses including COPD, Depression, Diabetes and his commitment to removing stigma related to mental illness.  How did your bipolar disorder start? What were the early symptoms? Bipolar disorder is not like influenza that it is diagnosed at once. Its roots are biological and I was…

Specialty palliative care, in contrast to standard oncology care, can provide an extra layer of support for patients with lung cancer and their families. Dr Rajam Iyer, a pulmonologist and strong proponent of palliative care, enumerates its benefits for lung cancer patients. What is palliative care for lung cancer? In India, lung cancer constitutes 6.9 per cent of all new cancer cases and 9.3 per cent of all cancer related deaths in both sexes. At the time of…

Dr Rajam Iyer, pulmonologist and palliative care physician, gives us an overview of Nicotine Replacement Therapy, a treatment to help people quit smoking, and strongly recommends its promotion among smokers and the need to test it for smokeless tobacco (bidi) users. What is Nicotine Replacement Therapy? Nicotine replacement therapy is a treatment that smokers can benefit from. As smokers are addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes, that causes physical dependence, NRT helps in controlling the…

Anar Chaudhari, 40, who quit smoking after nearly 20 years, says it requires immense willpower and resolve to kick the smoking habit and shares her journey of quitting smoking and the benefits she has observed. Smoking on an Impulse I started smoking when I was 22. It was out of sheer curiosity. There was no peer pressure. I didn’t have anyone compelling me to try. Nor was there any stress in my life. Actually, I used to really love the smell of tobacco and cigarette smoke. It held great…

Dr. Himanshu Garg, Pulmunologist from Gurgaon talks at length about the impact of indoor and outdoor pollution on respiratory health - Asthma, Bronchitis, COPD.  Can you explain (physiologically) how the pollution directly affects health?  Pollution affects the wellbeing of lungs. The particulate matter linked with air pollution ranges from PM10 to PM2.5. These particulate matters act as a trigger and tighten the breathing tubes recognizing that they are an enemy and they need to…

Author and wellness coach Vijay Nallawala, who has bipolar disorder, has lived with the manic depression symptoms from the tender age of 14. Here he recounts his arduous journey spanning three decades. You have recently authored a book ‘A Bipolar’s Journey - From Torment to Fulfillment’. What inspired you to write the book? Well, firstly, the book is not very recent. It was published globally in 2015 but is still available on Amazon.in. I was already writing candidly about my experiences as a…

With nearly 5 lakh Indians dying of tuberculosis every year, India is labeled the Tuberculosis capital of the world. Dr Shet Masih, molecular biologist with Core Diagnostics, says that the best way to prevent contracting this life-threatening disease is to avoid unhygienic, congested areas and lead an active lifestyle.    Efforts are being made to make India Tuberculosis (TB)-free in the near future, and yet there’s been an increase in the number of TB patients recently. Why is that…

TB is a contagious and potentially life-threatening disease. If you observe your employee has prolonged coughing with no relief for more than two weeks, please get him/her checked out by a doctor immediately. Dr Shital Patel informs how to recognize and evaluate hazards of Tuberculosis.   What is TB? How can it spread? Tuberculosis or TB is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. It is airborne which means it can spread by tiny droplets in the air when an…

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…