PatientsEngage General Community

Eiffel Tower, Roman Coliseum, Disneyland, Glacier 3000…Prashant Verma and his wife, Veena, both visually impaired, got an adrenalin thrill visiting these popular tourist destinations in Western Europe. Read their exciting travel diary. When we decided to go on our long awaited Europe tour, a colleague in Veena’s office whispered to another in the ear, “What will this blind girl gain by going on this expensive tour when she is blind?” It is true, most people wonder why we, a visually impaired…

Yoga can be really effective for stressed out deskbound employees. Asha Sarella, movement therapist and counsellor, talks to Sundara Raj, exponent of Hatha yoga, to recommend simple asanas to relieve stress, head, neck and back strain and remain fit, energetic and focussed at work. Sitting in an air-conditioned cabin, sipping your favourite latte or green tea, labouring over spreadsheets / pivot / codes on the screen could be your monotonous work every day. There is so much pressure on closing…

Parul, 48 from Mumbai talks about tackling hypothyroidism in her own way, accompanied by food cravings and a debilitating bone health. Please tell us a bit about your condition  I have hypothyroidism. I need to take Eltroxin every day When were you diagnosed? I was diagnosed in 1995, 3 months after the birth of my first child. I was around 25 years old at the time. What were the early symptoms? I noticed a small swelling around my neck area one day and decided to get it checked. Initially…

Healthy eating habits, high fibre, can quite easily take care of one of the most common and inconvenient trouble like Constipation, says nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju. And a high fibre, nutritious recipe. Constipation is the most common digestive complaint, that makes one feel bloated, irritated and makes life quite miserable. Generally, constipation is defined as infrequent or fewer than three bowel movements per week. Less than one bowel movement per week is considered severe constipation.…

When a series of catastrophic medical incidents left Payal Kapoor blind, deaf and a veritable vegetable (as she felt then)  at 21, she was devastated. Yet, she pulled herself together, mastered reading and writing in Braille and felt alive once again. Read her compelling story. Dramatic it sounds, I know, but today as I held the first edition of Insight, a magazine in Braille edited and compiled by me, released on the birth anniversary of Helen Keller, a strange feeling of pride and…

BillionAbles is India’s first all-inclusive online platform to discover accessible places, products and services for persons with disabilities, health disorders, special needs and elderly. Meet Sameer Garg, the brain behind this concept that is committed to empowering people with disabilities. Tell us about your work on the online portal - your challenges, success and aspirations. We started working on our platform almost two years back. The initial months were spent on ideation, research and…

Teen mental health has been deteriorating over the last five years.  Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University sheds light on studies teen suicide, depression. Around 2012, something started going wrong in the lives of teens. In just the five years between 2010 and 2015, the number of U.S. teens who felt useless and joyless – classic symptoms of depression – surged 33 percent in large national surveys. Teen suicide attempts increased 23 percent. Even more…

It’s 2018. The beginning of a New Year. Time for resolutions and reflections; time to pen down dreams and desires, to think afresh and ring in change for the better. We’ve rounded up some New Year resolutions from our contributors that will make them stronger, healthier and happier. Pen down and share your own resolutions here. Vidya, living with Rheumatoid Arthritis Regular Exercise: This is going to be top most on the agenda. Meditation: it helps me keep my emotions in check and stay calm…

In the journey of chronic conditions, there are often many lows and it is important to find the mantra that helps us through those difficult times. Here we share the lived experience of our contributors that motivate us.  Gargi Ahluwalia - On her journey with Parkinson's I felt a complete change in myself. I am now alert and happy. I told myself 'Gargi, Get up! You have to do your work yourself'. I do all my banking work myself and am also able to drive. I believe that perseverance,…

Many of us struggle with sugar cravings. It could be at a party, or when we are depressed, per-menopausal or just bored. Here are some tips in a useful infographic.  Also, see the discussion here  Read about PMS related cravings