Health Adda

Life-stories of my patients have convinced me that the burden does not fall equally or even randomly on our shoulders. Some seem to have had far more than their fair share. A 65 year old gentleman, Dr S, came to see me in my clinic last week with obstinate symptoms of gas, dyspepsia, constipation and bloating that 10 gastroenterologists and 25 types of medicines had not been able to relieve. All his investigations had thrown up normal results. I realized that there was something that had evaded the attention of my predecessors, and despite my tightly crammed clinic schedule, decided to change track from writing yet another prescription  that was doomed to fail, to looking at him as a distressed fellow-human in need of help. Very soon, I came to realize that with his growing years, his attention had drifted from being a committed doctor raising a family of 3 cheerful children, to worrying about what would happen to them after his demise. His eldest was a daughter of 40who had

There are times, situations and relationships in which you find yourself helplessly dependent on someone dictating what you should do, than thinking and deciding yourself. The “Ophelia Syndrome” describes a person being too dependent on another, who simply tells you what to do, and you can’t quite break free off. Patients, especially in India, are often prone to it. Overwhelmed by the trauma ofillness, ordeal of hospital visits, plummeting family support and strained pockets, they often give in submissively to what the doctor dictates, best described in their words, “doc, do whatever you think is best”. To understand the syndrome, it is worthwhile delving into Hamlet, the Shakespearean tragedy in which Ophelia is the crazy girl in love with the hero, but being insecure and confused, lives by the dictates of her dominating father, Polonius, and goes on to base her feelings and opinions on his. Shakespeare masterly summarizes the relationship in 2 lines when Ophelia says,“I do

One of the three common causes of poor performance of students in schools and colleges has been ascribed to insufficient functioning of a small gland situated in the front of our neck, called Thyroid. While weighing only around 50 grams, the thyroid gland produces a hormone thyroxine which regulates how our body functions, or its “metabolism”. As the role of the hormone is to pace up the body and mind and keep us active and alert, its deficient production leads to just the opposite effects: dullness, lethargy, sluggishness, drowsiness, lack of concentration and obesity. Indeed it is this “dullness” and lethargy that makes poor learners and performers of students, when the role of the thyroid is often overlooked and the blame is placed on other factors such as the role of parents, distractions by television, or even the quality of teachers! There are several ways and phases in which hypothyroidism, or inadequate function of the gland, may present. It presents as cretinism in i

Constant or recurring fear of disease can be a major disease by itself. Some patients are so terrified of falling ill that they spend the major part of their lives in the disabling habit of visiting doctors and undergoing tests to ensure they are free of disease. This phenomenon is called Hypochondriasis , and is characterized by an excessive preoccupancy or worry about having a serious illness.  Hypochondriacs become unduly alarmed about any physical symptoms they detect, no matter how minor they may be. They are convinced that they have or are about to be diagnosed with a serious illness.Even sounds produced by organs in the body, such as those made by the intestines, seem like symptoms of a very serious illness.Often, hypochondria persists even after a physician has evaluated a person and reassured them that their concerns about symptoms do not have an underlying medical basis or, if there is a medical illness, their concerns are far in excess of what is appropriate for the le

A good breakfast can help students score better in the coming examinations. Evidence suggests that eating breakfast really does help students learn. After fasting all night, the brain needs a fresh supply of glucose — or blood sugar. That's the brain's basic fuel. "Without glucose," explains Terrill Bravender, professor of Pediatrics at Duke University, "our brain simply doesn't operate as well. People have difficulty understanding new information; they have a problem with visual and spatial understanding, and remembering." Haven’t we all had the experience of our brains struggling desperately to get that crucial name, term or date during the exam, which we had known till yesterday? Slips in calculation are more frequent when the brain runs without enough fuel. Dozens of studies from as far back as the 1950s have consistently shown that children who eat breakfast perform better academically than those who don't. In a recent study of 4,000 e

Students who do well in examinations and score high marks are no doubt bright and hardworking, but many who do not are often equally intelligent and turn out to be even more successful in life. Some of the famous achievers such as Bill Gates,  Einstein  and Thomas Edison have not been stellar performers in school, highlighting a deep disconnect between performance in examination and success. Intelligence Quotient or IQ for instance,measures a person’s logical or analytical ability and is conventionally regarded as the main arbiter his potential. Our deep cultural bias that puts a premium on such scores is reflected in the questions that parents and teachers ask of children, such as “Who is the best student in your class? Who is the topper of your school?” and so on, giving undue importance to only scholastic success. In this rigid system, children who have other skills and capabilities such as leadership, music, games and organizational ability are often made to feel second rate.

Preventive health checks, while picking up some diseases at an early stage and paving the way for timely corrective measures, do not unfortunately guarantee against sudden natural deaths as we learnt recently. Mr DC, who had undergone a comprehensive executive health check-up a month earlier, died in a dramatic manner. This 59 year old fitness freak had gone to the club pool at 6.30 in the morning for his routine swim, had done his usual 5 laps and was then spotted by some fellow swimmers to be standing in one corner with uncustomary quietness.When the guards hauled him out of the pool, he was dead. The sense of disbelief among family and friends was especially stunning as his recent health check had been normal and the doctor had given him a thumb’s up. He was not a smoker, did not suffer from diabetes or high blood pressure and was not overweight. His cholesterol levels were normal. His ECG, both at rest as well as during the 9 minutes that he ran sprightly on the treadmill (TM

Lazer, who had reached a ripe old age and had become blind, bedridden and pitiful from constant pain from many age related ailments, had begun to weigh heavily on the hearts of the Mithals. Unable to see him in constant agony anymore, they decided to put him to sleep as a final act of compassion. Vibhav, who is now taking up a job after completing law-school recalled how Lazer had entered their home and hearts as a tender one month old pup, when he was in class 2. Over 16 years, Lazer had played several roles from being the youngest child to Rashmi and Ambrishto a younger brother, playmate, friend and guard to Varun and Vibhav. Laze had brought that special mirth and cheerfulness to their home: playfully teasing the children out of bed by pulling off their sheets, naughtily hiding their socks when they were readying for school, guarding their home all day, welcoming them back with incessant wagging of his tail, and playing ball with them in the evenings. But as one year of a