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  • Image: Stock photo of colon over white t-shirt and dark jeans set against a pink background
    Why You Should Know About Lynch Syndrome
    Colorectal cancer is the 4th most common cause of deaths related to cancer worldwide. Lynch syndrome or HNPCC is one of most common genetic causes of Colon cancer. Here are a few questions to better understand Lynch syndrome and how we can screen for it. 1. What is the Lynch syndrome? Which genes are involved? Lynch Syndrome is also known as hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer or HNPCC. It has a genetic disposition, hence the term hereditary and is known to be associated or  the…
  • Image of a person sitting in a doorway and unused cigarettes on the table in the foreground depicting smoking or nicotine withdrawal
    How To Cope with Smoking Withdrawal Symptoms
    Dr Lancelot Pinto, consultant respirologist and smoking cessation therapy specialist at Hinduja Hospital, spells out 10 nicotine withdrawal symptoms and offers solutions to deal with them effectively. The first step in dealing with symptoms related to smoking withdrawal is recognising these symptoms and acknowledging them, and it is very important that both the patient, and their loved ones recognise these symptoms. Recognizing these symptoms allows one to step back, accept these symptoms as…
  • Tips for Balancing While Walking and Standing
    Persons with Multiple Sclerosis are often more likely to lose balance. MSSI Chennai explains the reasons why.  And six exercises that can help a person with MS improve balance.  Persons with Multiple Sclerosis who have numbness in legs/ feet may feel less than sure footed when walking or climbing stairs. This may cause them to lean forward to watch their feet as they move, and that puts further strain on back and neck. In a good posture, the head is centered above spine and chin is…
  • Image of a woman in blue trousers and a blue shirt in distress with head in her knees
    How to Spot if Someone has Schizophrenia
    Dr R. Mangala, consultant psychiatrist, SCARF India describes early symptoms to recognize schizophrenia and emphasizes the importance of timely detection, intervention and treatment to minimize disability and improve chances of recovery. Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler describes schizophrenia as – “A slowly progressive deterioration of the entire personality, which involves mainly the affective life, and expresses itself in disorders of feeling, thought and conduct, and a tendency to withdraw…
  • A caregiver in a white dress does an activity with an elderly person with dementia in red and grey
    Memory Stickers for Moderate Middle Stage Dementia
    People with moderate stage dementia can continue to perform their regular daily activities with a little bit of support. Social worker Mangala Joglekar, who runs several programs for the dementia community and has set-up the Memory Clinic in Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, shares 5 examples of coping strategies for better living. And Advice for Caregivers. Moderate stage dementia could be said to start when cognitive inabilities can no longer be hidden. It is considered as the longest…
  • Image: How to measuring blood pressure the right way
    Beware of Hidden Salt in Foods
    Dr Chetan Shah, Chief Cardiology Consultant at Global Hospital, Mumbai answers some of the commonly asked questions pertaining to Hypertension in our #AskTheDoctor series.  1.   Only half of people with high Blood Pressure (BP) know they have high BP. When should people start measuring BP? In an asymptomatic person (a person with no symptoms) with no known risk factor, the ideal age to start measuring BP is 18 yrs. 2.   Should people be measuring their BP at home? If…
  • Image: Mother and child for Mother's Day
    How Can You Take Charge Of Your Mum’s Health This Mother’s Day?
    Mothers are often so busy looking after everyone else in their lives that they neglect their own health. This Mother's Day give a gift of health to your mother. Contributed by Portea Medical Mothers are the best caregivers, hands down. From in-laws, kids and husband to her own family, looking after and catering to all their needs doesn’t leave her much time to sit back and reflect on her own self, at the end of the day. So much so, that even modern day workplaces have working women who have…
  • Stock Image of a woman in black with the reproductive parts superimposed in red
    Risk Factors For Ovarian Cancer And New Treatment Options
    Dr Pallavi Vasal, a Consultant Obstetrics and Gynecology at W Pratiksha Hospital, Gurgaon answers comprehensively to a wide range of questions on Ovarian Cancer - signs, screenings and risks, specifically with endometriosis, cysts and breast cancer.  #AskTheDoctor Series. 1.   Ovarian Cancer does not exhibit easy to spot signs and symptoms. So what should women watch out for? Most women have very few symptoms but you may experience one or more of the following: Lower abdominal…
  • Image: Backs of woman in a white dress with a man in a black suit and black hat in a cemetery mourning passing of a loved one
    Life After Caregiving: The Beginning In the End
    Loss of a loved one especially after an extended period of caregiving can result in complicated expressions of grief.  Dr. V. Sridhar, consultant psychiatrist, Dementia Care and Nirupama Natarajan, Psychologist from SCARF (DEMCARES), Chennai talk about a caregiver's grief and the healthy ways to grieve. At some point in our lives, we are expected to undergo the loss of a loved one, while at other times we extend support to our friends and relatives who have experienced a…