Respiratory and Pulmonary

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…

Dr Radha Goyal, Deputy Director of Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA), New Delhi, shares the research on how the carcinogenic elements in the air we breathe are lethal in more senses than one. The current pollution levels in our country, particularly in Delhi/NCR – how threatening is it for lung cancer cases? The latest urban air quality database released by the World Health Organization (WHO) reconfirms that most Indian cities are becoming death traps because of very high air…

Meet National Paralympics Swimming Champion and President of the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India, Madhavi Latha, who has been advocating sports as an empowering tool for people with disabilities. Madhavi, tell us about your baby – ‘Yes We too Can’. Till a few years ago, I was clueless about the benefits of sports for People with Disability (PwD). I have been affected by polio and years of not doing much physical activity has compressed my spine, affected one lung. I was to undergo…

Karthik Chandrashekhar, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was only two, talks about his personal life, his family, his quest for employment and his professional life. And his INSPIRATION. Please tell us a bit about your condition I am a person affected with cerebral palsy. I am a quadruplegic, and all my 4 limbs are affected. I was born premature at 8 months. I was diagnosed when I was 2 years old. What were the early symptoms? I didn't cry like all other babies do. I did everything…

On World Lung Cancer Day, consultant respirologist at Mumbai's Hinduja Hospital Dr Lancelot Pinto highlights 10 common symptoms of lung cancer. Lung cancer accounts for about 13 per cent of all new cancers in India, with smoking being by far the leading cause of the disease. Individuals who currently smoke, or have smoked in the past, those who have a family history of lung cancers, and those who have been exposed at work to asbestos are at a particularly high risk for lung cancer, compared to…

A bedridden patient becomes vulnerable to various health complications like painful bed sores, circulation and respiratory problems, depression and contractures, due to lack of activity for long periods. Usha Ravi suggests steps to ensure proper nursing and caring for your loved one confined to the bed. There are a host of challenges which arise if one is confined to bed because of sickness, disability or frail age. The burden is felt not only by the individual but also by the carers.  It…

Quitting smoking can be extremely challenging, but it can be achieved if you stay mentally strong. We bring you two smoking cessation success stories of Gavin and Anu who woke up one day and decided not to smoke any more. Find out why and how they quit. Gavin: I was a smoker for almost 13 years. I started smoking when I was at university in the US. Like most smokers, it started nonchalantly with the 'have-a-drag' while you were having a drink at the bar. At first it was only when I went out,…

Dr Prakash C. Gupta, Director of Healis-Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health, has researched public health in India extensively over decades and shares with us his valuable opinions on tobacco use and cessation. Scroll down to sign the pledge The Age when it all begins Even when it may be difficult to ascertain the age in which people start smoking, the mean age of initiating tobacco use in any form in India is determined at 17.8 years: 18 for males, 17.1 for females. For smoking, it is 17.9 (…