Sudden Cardiac Deaths: Looking the other way till it actually strikes?
An interesting event occurred recently when an otherwise healthy doctor suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed on the floor with a thud at his home. Attempts by anxious relatives to wake him up by calling or sprinkling water on his face did not work the way it normally does in fainting
Third Wave of COVID and the Omicron variant
Once yet again, when we had begun to think that the COVID pandemic had faded out, the number of new cases has suddenly spiked up in many parts of the world, largely due to the Omicron variant with its 30 plus mutations. The prevailing sense of “coolness” in most people
The Second wave of COVID and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The pandemic, especially the recent second wave, has shaken us all up so badly that even when it recedes and goes, life may not be the same gain. Some have gone through the fever, cough and fear of death. Many saw the trauma happening to others, and shared the feeling
Understanding our Minds and Moods: Cognitive Processing
Many of us keep falling short of being truly happy and relaxed in life, often due to the invisible baggage of negative thoughts at the back of our minds that anchor our moods and feelings. Some of the common conditions such as excessive anger, anxiety, depression, guilt, hopelessness and sleep
Nocebo Effect
Funny as it might seem, patients who are warned too much of possible side-effects before being given a medication, seem to experience them more often. Describing this phenomenon as the NOCEBO effect, German researcher Winfried Hauser has recently shown that patients anticipating side-effects such as giddiness, headache, constipation or lack
COVID is affecting Kids too this time
In sharp contrast to the first phase of COVID in mid-2020 during which few children were affected, the second phase is proving to be different. Children had constituted less that 10% of cases then. And when affected at all, had been mostly asymptomatic. During the present 2nd phase, the situation
Two-Way Patient Doctor Relationship
Doctors are sometimes accused by disgruntled patients as being unsympathetic, brisk, rude, unprofessional, unscrupulous, money-minded and many more. The range of behavior and attitudes of the patient sitting across the table can be equally varied in spectrum, complexity and taxing! Indian cities offer the well-to-do patient a wide range of
Oral Rehydration Therapy and Dr Dilip Mahalanobis
It would be difficult to find an adult today who has not heard of Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), or does not know that Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) is what we should rush to provide to save the life of someone who has started passing watery stools. It was not so
Denial, Disease and Doctors
One of the common ways in which the human mind reacts to an unpleasant reality, such as the diagnosis of an incurable disease, is by denying it. Denial is usually not a conscious deliberate response, but a spontaneous, instinctive one, that ranks as a major hurdle in patient-care. Last week,
What makes Pele feature Health Adda?
The Brazilian soccer legend, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, more popularly known across the world by his nick name Pele, died at the age of 82 of complications arising from colon cancer. Pele achieved more fame and stature as a sportsman than anyone could possibly have. He started playing football as