Archive for June, 2019

International Day Of Yoga

Friday, June 21st, 2019

Yoga is a spiritual, mental and physical practice that has been around since ages. It originated in India more than three thousand years ago. Its purpose is to help everyone achieve their highest potential and to experience enduring health and happiness. 21st June is celebrated worldwide as International Day of Yoga.

Health benefits of yoga:

1. Build strength – Some styles of yoga, such as Ashtanga and power yoga help improve your muscle tone. When done right, nearly all poses build core strength in the deep abdominal muscles.

2. Better posture – Yoga helps uplift your body awareness. That helps you notice more quickly if you’re slouching or slumping, so you can adjust your posture. Most standing and sitting poses develop core strength, with a stronger core, you’re more likely to sit and stand “tall.”

3. Increases flexibility – Yoga can not only help you in increasing your flexibility but also helps you to perform complex asanas.

4. Boosts metabolism – Yoga helps in retaining the vitality in your body along with keeping it fit. It motivates you towards healthy eating and improves the metabolic system of the body.

5. Helps in lowering blood sugar – Yoga not only helps in lowering blood sugar but also lowers bad cholesterol and boosts good cholesterol.

6. Increases blood flow – The relaxation exercises in yoga circulates blood to all parts of your body. Certain yoga poses help the venous blood from the lower part of the body to flow back to your heart, where it can be pumped back to the lungs to be oxygenated.

7. Increases immunity – Yoga exercises have a beneficial effect on the immune system and help in destroying various viruses.

8. Increases self-esteem – Practicing yoga makes you feel good about yourself and helps you take a positive approach in life.

9. Improves lung function – A lot of breathing exercises are said to improve lung function. Doing such exercises in the long run could cure respiratory problems and help increase the capacity of your lungs.

10. Helps you sleep better – Yoga helps in reducing stress and creates a routine which in turn makes a regular sleeping pattern. A relaxed body gets a deeper and more peaceful sleep.

11. Manage stress better – You may feel less stressed and more relaxed after doing some yoga. Some yoga styles use meditation techniques that help calm the mind.

Myths and Facts:
  • Myth 1: Yoga is just another type of exercise.
    Fact: Yoga is an art and science of holistic living. Yoga asanas offer you a chance to undergo a complete transformation – physically, emotionally, physiologically, mentally, and psychologically.
  • Myth 2: Classical yoga is not the best way to reduce fat and lose weight.
    Fact: Classical yoga is the best way to lose fat and reduce weight without side-effects when done correctly under the guidance of a trained yoga teacher.
  • Myth 3: Yoga is for women.
    Fact: In reality, the truth is anyone can do Yoga. Today more Yoga Gurus are male irrespective of their caste, creed, gender or age.
  • Myth 4: One must quit yoga in pregnancy.
    Fact: Yoga in pregnancy is a great way to stay active and is healthy for you and your baby. Yoga benefits your mind and body in pregnancy, however always practice it under the supervision of an experienced teacher.
  • Myth 5: Yoga means Hinduism.
    Fact: Yoga is a way of living, and it has nothing to do with religion. It is a holistic scientific approach to living life fully which transforms the whole individual.
  • Myth 6: Yoga is easy, and can be learned from a book or online.
    Fact: This is not correct, yoga needs in-depth knowledge and supervision. This impulsive way of learning without guidance may cause irreversible damages.
Types of Yoga

Read on to explore some of the most popular types of yoga:

1. Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga begins by working with the body on a structural level, helping to align the vertebrae, increase flexibility, and strengthen muscles and connective tissue. At the same time, internal organs are toned and rejuvenated; the epidermal, digestive, lymphatic, cardiovascular, and pulmonary systems are purified of toxins and waste matter; the nervous and endocrine systems are balanced and toned, and brain cells are nourished and stimulated. The end result is increased mental clarity, emotional stability, and a greater sense of overall well-being.

2. Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga means “eight limbs” and encompasses a yogic lifestyle. Most people identify Ashtanga as traditional Indian yoga. Ashtanga yoga asanas (postures) synchronize breath with movement as you move through a series of postures.

3. Iyengar Yoga

Also based on the Eight Limbs of Yoga, Iyengar yoga is named after B.K.S. Iyengar, a famous yogi. The emphasis on this practice is alignment in the asanas using breath control through pranayama and the use of props (bolsters, blankets, blocks, and straps.) This style of yoga is usually taught without music and at a slower pace designed to assist students to get deeper into the postures.

4. Bikram Yoga

Bikram yoga was designed by Bikram Choudhury in the 1970s. Yoga is conducted in a room that is 105 degrees Fahrenheit with 40% humidity. The room is bright and the students face mirrors to check proper posture and alignment. There is no music during class.

5. Power Yoga

Power yoga is a more active approach to the traditional Hatha yoga poses and is usually accompanied by upbeat music. The Ashtanga yoga poses are performed more quickly and with added core exercises and upper body work.

This Yoga Day take a pledge to start doing yoga. Join a yoga class or if you are a yoga expert pursue it diligently at home. You will feel the difference in your health just in a few days.

Be Cautious Of These Monsoon Diseases!

Wednesday, June 19th, 2019

The much-awaited monsoon season is here. Providing respite from the summer heat this season is most awaited. However, monsoon also brings along numerous diseases every year due to harmful viruses. The humid climate, heavy rains and windy environment spreads many infectious diseases.

Listing below some common monsoon diseases:

1. Dengue:

Dengue is the most common disease caused during monsoon and is spread through mosquito bites of Aedes aegypti mosquito.  Some symptoms include:

  • High fever.
  • Rashes.
  • Headache.
  • Low palette count.
  • Hypersensitivity.

2. Chikungunya:

Chikungunya is caused by mosquitoes born in stagnated water. These mosquitoes are found in overhead tanks, coolers, plants, utensils and water pipes. This disease is caused by tiger Aedes Albopictus. Some symptoms include:

  • Acute joint pain.
  • High fever.
  • Fatigue.
  • Chills.

3. Malaria:

Malaria is spread by Anopheles mosquitoes. Case of this disease increase in monsoon season as there is a problem of water clogging in many areas which makes it a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Some symptoms include:

  • High fever.
  • Body ache.
  • Body chills.
  • Sweating.

4. Cholera:

Cholera is caused due to the consumption of contaminated food and water. Poor sanitation and hygiene also cause it. Cholera needs immediate treatment because it can cause death within hours. Some symptoms include:

  • Low blood pressure.
  • Muscle cramps.
  • Rapid heart rate.
  • Dry mucous membrane.

5. Typhoid:

Typhoid is a highly infectious monsoon-related disease. This disease is usually caused by contaminated food and water. Some symptoms include:

  • Prolonged high fever
  • Weakness.
  • Abdominal Pain.
  • Constipation.
  • Headaches.
  • Vomiting.

6. Viral fever:

This is a common disease throughout the year but is more prominent during monsoon season. Some symptoms include:

  • Fever.
  • Fatigue.
  • Dizziness.
  • Weakness.
  • Body chills.
  • Muscle, body and joint pain.

7. Diarrhoea:

Diarrhoea is one of the most common health complaints during monsoon season. It can range from a temporary condition to a potential life-threatening one. This can be caused due to the consumption of unhygienic food and water. Some symptoms include:

  • Loose watery stools.
  • Abdominal cramps.
  • Fever.
  • Bloating.
  • Nausea.
  • Blood in the stool.

8. Common cold and flu:

The sudden change in weather, causing fluctuations in temperature, is the main cause of cold and flu during the rainy season. During monsoons, the immune system weakens and becomes vulnerable to cough, cold and flu. Some symptoms include:

  • Fever.
  • Aching muscles.
  • Runny nose.
  • Sneezing.
  • Congestion.

9. Leptospirosis:

This is a bacterial infection which is transmitted from animals to humans. Cover any open bruises or cuts. This diseases usually spread through open wounds while walking through water-logged areas. Some symptoms include:

  • High fever.
  • Headache.
  • Muscle aches.
  • Abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
  • Rashes.

10. Stomach Infections:

Stomach infections happen when you consume unhygienic food and liquid products. Gastroenteritis is one common stomach infection that occurs in this season. Drinking enough boiled water and home cooked food is advised in this situation. Some symptoms include:

  • Low-grade fever.
  • Nausea, vomiting or both.
  • Abdominal cramps and pain.
  • Diarrhoea.
How to prevent Monsoon Diseases?

Here are a few tips to follow to stay away from diseases:

1. Try to keep your home and surroundings mosquito free.

2. Use a mosquito repellent and wear full sleeved clothes while stepping out.

3. Avoid visiting crowded places to reduce your risk of viral infections.

4. Drink only boiled water.

5. Consume fresh homemade food.

6. Make sure your home is well ventilated.

7. Washing hands before eating any food.

8. Avoid touching your nose and mouth with your hand without washing them.

Play safe this monsoon, Eat a healthy diet and keep yourself away from mosquito bites. However if you or a family member especially children suffer from any illness, do not take it lightly. Many symptoms can be misleading and need medical attention.

Consult doctors at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. Please find below website for more details:

https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/

World Blood Donor Day

Friday, June 14th, 2019

The world observes World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) on 14th June every year. There are medical camps held worldwide to encourage blood donation and spread the message of blood donation. Blood is an important resource, both for planned treatments and urgent interventions. It is irreplaceable. It can help patients suffering from life-threatening conditions live longer and with a higher quality of life, and supports complex medical and surgical procedures. Blood is also vital for treating the wounded during emergencies of all kinds (natural disasters, accidents, armed conflicts, etc.) and has an essential, life-saving role in maternal care.

Blood Donation Facts
  • It is good for your heart health – Donating blood regularly can help to reduce how thick and sticky your blood is, thus allowing blood to flow more easily through the blood vessels and reach the heart faster.
  • Helps burn calories – You can burn about 650 calories per donation of one pint of blood.
  • Type O Positive Blood is the most needed – Although all types of blood are needed and accepted, type O positive is the most needed. It’s the most common blood type and can be transferred to any other positive blood types.
Blood Donation myths

The myths surrounding blood donation discourage many voluntary donors from giving blood. Here are a few myths:

  • Myth #1: Donating blood is not good for my health, I’ll become weak.Fact: Donating blood does not affect your body in any way. Only 350-450 ml of blood is taken during a donation session. The body has approximately 5 litres of blood, and easily replenishes the blood that is donated.
  • Myth #2: I can contract HIV or other infections from donating blood.Fact: Sterility is maintained at every level of the blood donation process. A new, sterile needle is used for each donation and is properly discarded at the end of each session. infection.
  • Myth #3: I have already donated once this year, I can’t donate again.Fact:  You can donate four times a year, once every three months.
  • Myth #4: I can’t participate in sports or other physical activity after donating blood.Fact: No, donating blood does not interfere with your ability to perform physically. However, you will be advised to stay away from heavy lifting and strenuous workouts for the rest of the day after the donation. You can get back on track the next day.
  • Myth #5: Women can’t donate blood.Fact: While most women tend to have lower haemoglobin, anyone with haemoglobin levels of 12 and above can donate blood.
Things to know for Blood Donation

Often when donors turn up for emergency blood donations or even in voluntary blood donation drives, there are various eligibility criteria to look into. Follow these simple pre-donation steps to ensure that you will have a safe and successful blood donation:

1. Ascertain your eligibility: 

Although blood banks will ensure that only an eligible donor shall donate blood, a donor can still ascertain his/her eligibility before walking in to donate. In general, the donor:

  • Must be in the age group of 18 – 60 years
  • Must not have had a minor surgery in the last 6 months and a major surgery in the last 12 months.
  • Must not have had a case of ear piercing in the last 6 months.
  • Must not have had a case of dental extraction in the last 3 months.
  • Must not have suffered from jaundice, typhoid in the last 1 year and malaria in the last 3 months.
  • Must not have donated whole blood in the last 3 months.
  • Must be healthy, fit, and not suffering from a current illness.
  • Women should not be pregnant or breast feeding her child
  • Must be free from Diabetes, not suffering from chest pain, heart disease or  unexplained fever.
  • Also, donor’s blood pressure, haemoglobin and weight are checked before the donor is deemed fit for blood donation.

2. Sleep well on the previous night:

Getting a good night’s sleep the night before your donation is important because being tired can affect hormone levels.

3. Drink plenty of water:

Studies have shown that drinking a lot of water before a blood donation lessens the risk of fatigue and fainting. Water can increase the activity of the sympathetic nervous system that makes people more alert, increases blood pressure and give more energy.

4. Have something to eat in the last 3 hours:

Eat a healthy meal before your donation. Avoid fatty foods, before donating. Tests for infections done on all donated blood can be affected by fats that appear in your blood for several hours after eating fatty foods.

5. Avoid alcohol consumption in 12-24 hours prior to donation:

At a rule of thumb, the person must not have had alcoholic drinks of any kind in last 12 hours at least.

6. Avoid smoking in last 2 hours:

It is generally advisable to avoid smoking 2 hours before a donation.

7. Ensure your Hb and blood pressure is at required levels:

Before you get onto the cot for a blood donation make sure that your haemoglobin level is tested and is in the acceptable range of >=12.5 g/dL. Also make sure that the blood bank checks your blood pressure levels.

Currently, in India, over 12 million units of blood are required annually, but only nine million units are available. As in many countries, including India, the demand exceeds supply, blood banks face the challenge of making blood available while taking care of the safety and hygiene. An adequate supply can only be assured through regular donations by voluntary unpaid blood donors. Consult our Department of Transfusion Medicine for more details. Call our Blood Bank on 022-30937293, or visit the find below link for more details:

https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/clinicaldepartments/transfusionmedicine/blooddonation.html

World Brain Tumour Day

Saturday, June 8th, 2019
What is Brain Tumour?

A brain tumour is a mass, or lump in the brain which is caused when brain cells divide and grow in an uncontrolled way. These brain cells grow and divide differently from healthy cells, forming a high grade (cancerous) or a low grade (benign) tumour. There are over 130 different primary brain and spinal tumours which are grouped and named according to the type of cell they grow from, their location in the brain and how quickly they are likely to grow and spread.

Type of Brain Tumour

What is the difference between a primary brain tumour and a metastatic (secondary) brain tumour?

Primary brain tumours originate in the brain itself. Primary brain tumours do not spread from the brain to other parts of the body except in rare cases. Pathologists classify primary brain tumours into two groups:

  • Glial tumours (gliomas)
  • Nonglial tumours

Gliomas are composed of glial cells, which include astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells, Schwann cells, microglia and satellite cells. Nonglial tumours develop on or in structures within the brain, such as nerves, blood vessels and glands.

Metastatic or secondary brain tumours begin as cancer in another part of the body. Some of the cancer cells may be carried to the brain by the blood or may spread from adjacent tissue. The site where the cancerous cells originated is referred to as the primary cancer. Metastatic brain tumours are often referred to as brain metastases or lesions. Metastatic brain tumours are the most common brain tumours.

Some Brain tumour facts:
  • The brain is the body organ composed of nerve cells and supportive tissues like glial cells and meninges – there are three major parts – they control your activity like breathing (brain stem), activity like moving muscles to walk (cerebellum) and your senses like sight and our memory, emotions, thinking and personality (cerebrum).
  • Brain tumours can occur at any age.
  • Doctors group brain tumours are classified by grade (grade I, grade II, grade III, or grade IV -the most severe). The higher the grade number, the more abnormal the cells appear, and the more aggressively the tumour usually behaves.
  • The most common types of primary brain tumours among adults are astrocytoma, meningiom, and oligodendroglioma.
  • The most common type of primary brain tumours in children are medulloblastoma, grade I or II astrocytoma, (or glioma) ependymoma, and brain stem glioma.
Brain tumour Symptoms

Symptoms of brain tumours vary according to the type of tumour and the location. Because different areas of the brain control different functions of the body, where the tumour lies affects the way symptoms are manifested. Some tumours have no symptoms until they are quite large and then cause a serious, rapid decline in health. Other tumours may have symptoms that develop slowly.

Headaches is a common symptom, other symptoms include:

  • Seizures.
  • Changes in speech or hearing.
  • Changes in vision.
  • Balance problems.
  • Problems with walking.
  • Numbness or tingling in the arms or legs.
  • Problems with memory.
  • Weakness in one part of the body.
How are Brain Tumours diagnosed?

To diagnose a brain tumour consult a neurologist. He may suggest a few tests like CT scan or MRI for further diagnosis.

How are Brain Tumours treated?

Surgery to remove the tumour is typically the first option once a brain tumour has been diagnosed. However, some tumours can’t be surgically removed because of their location in the brain. In those cases, chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be options for killing and shrinking the tumour.

Treatment also includes rehabilitation following treatment. Rehabilitation could involve working with several different therapists, such as:

  • Physical therapist to regain strength and balance.
  • Speech therapist to address problems with speaking, expressing thoughts, or swallowing.
  • Occupational therapist to help manage daily activities such as using the bathroom, bathing, and dressing.
Risk factors

We don’t know exactly what causes brain tumours, but some of the risk factors that have been identified include:

Age

Brain tumours occur most commonly in children and older adults, though they can occur at any age.

Sex

In general, brain tumours are more common in men than in women (around 70 percent more common).

Radiation Exposure

Exposure to radiation. either diagnostic (such as a CT scan or x-ray of the head), therapeutic (such as with radiation therapy to the head to treat leukaemia, or when radiation was used to treat scalp psoriasis), as well as radiation related to atomic bomb blasts are associated with a higher risk of developing a brain tumour.

A personal history of cancer

Both childhood cancers, and cancers such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukaemia, and glioma in adults, are associated with an increased risk of developing brain tumours. It’s not known if this is related to the cancer itself or treatments for the cancer.

HIV/AIDS

People who have HIV/AIDS have roughly double the risk of developing a brain tumour.

Seizures

Having a seizure disorder has been associated with the development of brain tumours. The medications used to treat seizures that may raise the risk.

Prenatal Factors

Prenatal birth weight, specifically a high foetal growth rate has been associated with a significantly increased risk of brain tumour. Even children who are born large for gestational age or small for gestational age are at more risk of having a brain tumour.

Medications

The use of certain anti-inflammatory medications has been associated with a reduced risk of brain tumours.

Pesticide Exposure

There is some evidence that exposure to insecticides used in the home increase the risk of brain tumours in children and young adults.

Occupational exposures

Many people are exposed to carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) at the workplace. Some occupations that have been linked with an elevated risk of brain tumours include fire fighters, farmers, chemists, and those who work with petrochemicals, power generators, synthetic rubber manufacturing, or agricultural chemical manufacturing.

Consult our Centre for Neurosciences for further assistance for brain tumour. Please find below link for further details:

https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_neurosciences/braintumor.html