LIFE

International Women's Day

2010-03-08T11:35:00.000+04:00

Choosing between a professional & a home maker, I would rather prefer to be a home maker as I always believe that home making itself is a career. I would have definitely taken much pride being a home maker as it involves a lot of caring, patience, planning, and hospitality apart from enjoying my hobbies. Most of us feel that a mother is "just a stay at home mom".
A ‘home mom’ as I would prefer to call a homemaker can devote a quality time to shape up her family. The home is being maintained well, the day is meticulously planned for the children and a nice menu prepared for the family. The real happiness lies in dropping your children in school, find out his/her friends & their peer group. How many professionals really find time to go & attend the parent students meeting? How many of them really do get time to find out why she is lacking behind in her studies.
A home maker spends most of her time in making her home a beautiful place, a sanctuary for the family. All this also takes a lot of time, work & effort. She develops her own talents & help in developing the talents of her family. Call it what you like, but a homemaker is one of the most important jobs in the world. She does it all - nurse, event planner, driver, maid, educator and just about everything else under the sun. It can be overwhelming, if not downright crazy. Life is just fast paced and there is too much to do in too little time. But those miraculous years of our kids’ childhood will never come again. And if we do not devote the time and effort to becoming the best parent you know you can be, one day we will all deeply regret the lost opportunity. The professional only have time to plan her career, to reach the goal in her career & in the bargain tend to lose concentration in caring the family.
The way you take the care to raise your children is the way you raise your future generations. How many of the professionals would have really had time to give those piggy back rides which the children always enjoy? How many career-oriented women really have time to discuss about the family? A career woman has to thrive hard in her office & at the end of the day she is so exhaustive and things drive her crazy. Hardly does she have time for a family meal every day? They are busy chasing life’s big pleasures that they miss out on the little ones. They also tend to lose there family values & their relationship gets lost in the shuffle They can be called as ‘house maker’ than being a home maker.
Every home maker is the C.E.O of the family and they act as the catalysts in the family. A Home maker can always do what she wants & can also earn from home.
The professional women always dream of some magical garden in the horizon instead of enjoying the roses within our home.
I would like to end saying " I would rather have roses on my table, than diamonds on my neck"

The Man who Taught The world for us

2007-05-16T18:04:00.000+04:00

Dedicated to my husband Masilamani..
17th May we celebrate his birthday!

http://benjamingeorgeanand.blogspot.com/

My first DATE with Accenture..

2007-04-05T18:57:00.000+04:00

My first DATE with Accenture..

Sometime in March. (I think on International Women’s day) Right! Yes. I went to Dindivanam for a health Camp. That’s the time when I got the acquaintance of the marketing people of Apollo Groups of Hospital. During the course of my conversation with Mahendiran, I told him that I live near Neelangarai. So he immediately offered me to take up this part time consultation at ACCENTURE, (BPO and IDC).

There were long protocols, resubmission of resume and finally the verdict that my timings were acceptable by the company. So now its fixed as 7PM-9PM on Mondays and Wednesdays. I left the hospital (Apollo Cancer Hospital) at about 6PM and drove towards the IT corridor. As I was driving, my mind was engrossed in various thoughts. Well… should I really need to take up this consultation? Won’t it be very tiring? Is it worth it? And then I thought… Let me give a try…..

And I lost the road and was driving towards Mahabalipuram. I stopped in front of Infosys and then back the same road to Accenture. I parked my vehicle in front of the BPO company.. Little hesitant.. ..Whether to go inside or not.. Young men and women wearing their collar ids walked past me. There were white colored cabs whining in and out with great speed.( these cabs are a great threat to the Chennai traffic). Tired faces!. Some smoking (ladies included) and sharing their cigarettes..

I ignited my car and headed towards the in gate. A security guard stopped my car, a thorough search, checked my hospital id and then allowed me into the parking lot. Here again another security checked my id card and took me to the reception. And for the third time I had to part with my id card. The security officer gave me some papers to sign. As I started to read it, he said its just the usual one (what usual??). But what was written in those documents was that I was given permission to access their systems.(for what???). By this time the nurse came to take me. I was asked to sit in front of a small camera ( is it a webcam??) and a picture..??? to fix up my Id for Accenture.(How I wished I had done my face. Looking so tired and haggard right from my work)

As I walked in through the corridor I was stunned. Cool, well lit long verandahs, with carpets, indoor plants… young ladies and men sitting infront of the computers… in total silence.. I pinched myself.. am I in a foreign country? (so we could also maintain such standards????).Amazing! Coffee machines, smoking area.. …Ladies smoking there??? I walked into the clinic. It is one of the best maintained occupational clinics with all the basic essentials. The walls were fixed with posters. They were all about healthy sitting, exercise for busy hands, one minute work out for the body, and a vision step for the tired eyes. There were some employees waiting for me.(there were no doctor’s visits for nearly a month)..They all seem to have the same problem like neck and back pain, dimness of vision and burning of the eyes.

I left the place at 9PM. I wasn’t very happy… their pain in the neck and back.. Occupational hazard!!! .. a deadly peril that’s going to affect our younger generation? Change of timings.. shift.. How well will their body clock get used to the change of timings in sleep and eating???... They just come there to earn….??? Do they think it as a career?

Where is our younger generation heading to???

Thank you All

2006-12-09T20:44:00.000+04:00

Dear Friends and well wishers.
Thank you very much...

Destiny... How cruel!

2006-12-03T20:33:00.000+04:00

Everything happened in a jiffy.....
Came to Chennai with so much of dreams of living together with my husband....
My job at Apollo ...
an individual house at Chennai...
meeting my daughter and granddaughter at the Beach on weekends...
Me and my husband had a real LIFE after so many years of wandering...
we started enjoying every minute...But God had different plans..
On 21st of november, my husband complained of severe chest pain at 3AM in the morning and I took him to Apollo Hospitals and he died there at 5.45 Am.....everything came to an end for me..
He was buried at St. Johns Church at Trichy..He was laid to rest with great honour...
Just three days earlier he had gone to Trichy on an official visit and had met all his old friends...
He had served the Police Department for over 36 years . A very Honest and Sincere officer. A good husband, a loving and affectionate father to his children..
We started our life at Madras and ended it at Chennai...
Painful and very difficult.....
.

Holiday for my Blog..

2006-09-27T06:27:00.000+04:00

So its going to be a holiday time for my blogs. Yes! I have got a good job at Apollo Specialty Hospitals. Its going to be another new hospital life and experiences..... The learning process continues....

I will be out of sight for a while... so my fellow blogger friends...cheerio for a while.. will be back soon and start writing from Chennai...

Adieu Coimbatore!

2006-09-19T21:04:00.000+04:00

It is almost a year since I came to Coimbatore.

My life has been like a nomadic life since my husband is in the Police Department. I have lived in many districts and cities in Tamilnadu. Now I am preparing myself to leave Coimbatore and go to Chennai. So my feelings… it is so mixed.
After I finished my college at Chennai I have never wanted to go to Chennai. A stay at Chennai for a day or two is ok with me, but to go and live there is really heart breaking! It is going to be the most difficult thing to leave this beautiful Coimabatore and I have been discovering this for the past few days. Coimbatore had been my dream place to live next to my native place.(Nagercoil). Initially when I had to move to Coimbatore from Trichy I was a bit worried but then I realized the folly of my insecurity. What a great place to live! The cool and comfortable weather… the mercury never goes above 35degrees, Siruvani water, Definitely a neat city compared to other cities of Tamilnadu with less traffic jam. I enjoyed a very good job at Sheela hospital. The timing was very perfect for me from 9 AM to 5 PM with no night shifts. Living at Race Course was another boon to me. Quite calm with round the clock security.
I am definitely going to miss so many people who came across my life at Coimbatore. The most powerful are perhaps the personal connections, sometimes even for just a few moments and sometimes in silence. The loving madam(Dr.Christy Ganapathy) who is so dearly called as ‘amma’ by every one, the MD, my colleagues, the nurses, the nursing students, the theatre staff, EDP staff, the senior citizens of Sheela Hospital’s old age home, my husband’s drivers, his police men on waiting, the old man who with a smile but silently fuels my car at the Indian Oil Petrol Pump at Avinashi Road, the banana cart man near Race Course, Scooby Doo our neighbour’s pet dog who elegantly accompanies me while I go for a walk( if some one dare talk to me while he is around, they would just lose half a kilogram of their flesh) …. the list goes on and on…they all made me feel so special.
Back to job hunting and house hunting at Chennai and I am hoping to get a good placement at Apollo Specialty Hospitals and a house somewhere near by my working place. Life is always renewing itself in each moment and I'm learning to let go of my goggles of self interest and enjoy the miracle as it unfolds...the journey continues within…
Good bye Coimbatore! Good bye to You! I hope to come back again.. Good bye Coimbatore..

A poem for Teachers..

2006-09-05T17:41:00.002+04:00

Teachers Paint their minds

And guide their thoughts

Share their achievements and advise their faults

Inspire a Love Of knowledge and truth

As you light the path

Which leads our youth

For our future brightens

With each lesson you teach

Each smile you lengthen

Each goal you help reach

For the dawn of each poet

Each philosopher and king

Begins with a Teacher

And the wisdom they bring.

By Kevin William Huff.

A teachers Day Joke..

2006-09-05T17:41:00.001+04:00

On a special Teacher's Day, a kindergarten teacher was receiving Teacher Day gifts. The Florist's son handed

her a gift. She shook it and held it over her head, and said, "I bet I know what it is....some flowers." "That's

right!" said the boy. "But how did you know?" "Just a wild guess," she said. The next pupil was the candy

storeowner's daughter. The teacher held her gift overhead, shook it, and said, "I bet I can guess what it is...a box

of candy." "That's right! But how did you know?" asked the girl. "Just a lucky guess," said the teacher. The next

gift was from the liquor storeowner's son. The teacher held it over her head but it was leaking. She touched a

drop of the leakage with her finger and tasted it. "Is it wine?" she asked. "No," the boy replied. The teacher

repeated the process, touching another drop of the leakage to her tongue. "Is it champagne?" she asked. "No,"

the boy replied. The teacher then said, "I give up, what is it?" The boy replied, "A Puppy"

Teachers Day..

2006-09-05T17:41:00.000+04:00

Today , we celebrate the TEACHERS DAY. I just want to dedicate this little note of thanks to my teacher who taught me Maths in my eleventh Standard. This is probably about 40 years back... I still rememeber her with great respect and reverence. her name.. Mrs. Darling. and she was the daughter of Thiru. Nesamony, the great freedom fighter , who lived at Nagercoil... Kanyakumari district... I wonder whether sh's alive or not... but wherever she is...
You were the best Teacher in this world. You were an excellent guide, a friend and you disciplined me when I went wrong. You were so inspiring.. You made me what I am today.. I will be always thankful to you for all the hard work and efforts you had put in to make me a good human. You moulded me and I am always grateful to you for your support. Thank you teacher for all the great things you did to me..

want to forget your English? Go ahead..

2006-08-28T17:35:00.000+04:00

An essay was written by a Bihari Candidate in India
I hope, You'll forget your English by the time you finish reading this. This is a true essay written by a Bihari candidate at the UPSC (IAS) Examinations.
The candidate has written an essay on the Indian cow:
Indian Cow
HE IS THE COW. "The cow is a successful animal. Also he is 4 footed, And because he is female, he give milks, [ but will do so when he is got child.] He is sacred to Hindus and useful to man. But he has got four legs together. Two are forward and two are afterwards. His whole body can be utilised for use. More so the milk. Milk comes from 4 taps attached to his basement. [ horses dont have any such attachment]
What can it do? Various ghee, butter, cream, curd, why and the condensed milk and so forth.Also he is useful to cobbler, watermans and mankind generally. His motion is slow only because he is of lazy species. Also his other motion.. gober] is much useful to trees, plants as well as for making flat cakes[like Pizza ] , in hand , and drying in the sun. Cow is the only animal that extricates his feeding after eating. Then afterwards she chew with his teeth whom are situated in the inside of the mouth. He is incessantly in the meadows in the grass. His only attacking and defending organ is the horns, specially so when he is got child.
This is done by knowing his head whereby he causes the weapons to be paralleled to the ground of the earth and instantly proceed with great velocity forwards.He has got tails also, situated in the backyard, but not like similar animals. It has hairs on the other end of the other side. This is done to frighten away the flies
We are informed that the candidate passed the exam.

and
is now an IAS, in Bihar
We have better IAS officers here??.

Forwarded to me by my son Benjamin who is working for Dell computers..

Child Labour

2006-08-20T20:25:00.000+04:00

The inhuman practice of employing children in many industries is prevailing in most areas in the southern part of India. Though the government takes ample steps to bring them under their control, yet problems exist in different places.For instance, most jewelers make use of the soft and delicate fingers of the children in making their silver ornaments especially the anklets where “fineness’ is needed. The jewelers cash on the patience of the children to cut through silver and design out anklets. They work in hundreds round the clock. Behind every anklet that shines lies a heart of sorrow and suffering.But recently the officials of the labor department met the manufacturers and they came forwarded to denounce the social scourge. The highlight now is that most of these children are sent to schools.

Why did Newton commit suicide???

2006-08-16T21:32:00.000+04:00

Here is the reason.

Once, Newton came to India and watched a fewTamil movies that had his head spinning.

He was convinced that all hislogic and laws in physics were just a huge pile of junk and

apologizedfor everything he had done.

In the movie of Rajanikanth, Newton wasconfused to such an extent that he went paranoid.

Here are a few scenes

1) Rajanikanth has a Brain Tumor which, according to the doctorscan't be cured and his death is

imminent.n one of the fights, our great Rajanikanth is shot in the head.To everybody's surprise,

the bullet passesthrough his ears taking away the tumor along with it and he iscured! Long Live

Rajanikanth!

2) In another movie, Rajanikanth is confronted with 3 gangsters. Rajanikanth has a gun but

unfortunatelyonly one bullet and a knife. Guess, what he does? He throws theknife atthe middle

gangster? & shoots the bullet towards the knife. The knife cuts thebullet into 2 pieces, which

kills both the gangsters on eachside of themiddle gangster & the knife kills the middle one.

3) Rajanikanth is chased by a gangster. Rajanikanth has arevolver but no bullets in it. Guess,

what he does. Nah? not even in your remotest imaginations. He waits forthe gangster to shoot.

As soon as the gangster shoots,Rajanikanth opens the bullet compartment of his revolver and

catches the bullet. Then, he closes the bullet compartment and fires his gun. Bang...the gangster

dies...This was too much for our Newton to take! He was completelyshaken and decided to go

back. But he happened to see another movie for one last time, and thought that atleast one

movie would follow histheory of physics.

4) The whole movie goes fine and Newton is happy that all in the world hasn't changed. Oops,

not so fast! The 'climax' finally arrives. Rajanikanth gets to know that the villain is on the other

side of a very high wall. So high that Rajanikanth can't jump even if he tries like one of those

superman techniques that our heroes normally use. Rajanikanth has to desperately kill the

villain because it's the climax.( Newton dada is smiling since it is virtually impossible?)

Rajanikanth suddenly pulls two guns from his pockets. He throws one gun in the air and when

the gun has reached above the height of the wall, he uses the second gun and shoots at the

trigger of the first gun in air. Thefirst gun fires off and the villain is dead. Newton commits

suicide...

This was forwarded to me by my son....Hi..hi...

Out of sight-out of mind....

2006-08-10T17:21:00.000+04:00

Looks as though I have been out of sight for sometime! Out of sight- out of mind. Right!
Last month on a Friday my husband called me around 11PM from Courtalam. He told me that he slipped and fell down while bathing in the waterfalls. I was not very much worried about it then. He called me and asked me if the ribs could pierce the lungs. I told him that if that was the case, he would not be talking to me. But I was worried. The next day morning I called him again and he told me that he was finding it difficult to breathe. So I had to urge him to go over to Tinnelveli to consult a doctor. I knew it was not simple. One of his friends called me later in the evening to tell me that he had fractured four ribs and also the scapula. I talked to the doctor and rushed to Tinnelveli from Coimbatore. When I went to the hospital, I was shocked to see him with bandages around his chest and with the intra catheter in his forearm. He was seen by Ortho and chest physicians and cardio thoracic surgeons. God bless us. The broken ribs did not pierce his lungs. But he had severe pain. Even the slightest movement of the body was painful. He was put on sedatives, fermentations, and inhalation therapy. We were there for three days. During this time his friends helped us a lot. Food came from so many friends house. The police people were there to help us. His Dy.S.Ps, Inspectors and some of my relations were there to render help to us. There were continuous enquiries from his colleagues, superior officers, and many more people. Since he felt little better I wanted to take him back to Coimbatore. The train journey was very tough. We landed here in Coimbatore on a Wednesday morning.
I am so grateful to all the good souls, friends, and relatives and to the doctors of Peace health Centre of Palayamkottai. The nurses took good care of him. Only when we go through an ordeal do we realize the impact and the pain and agony behind it.

Foeticide....

2006-07-28T18:22:00.000+04:00

Foeticide- a heart breaking survey….In a year about one million female fetuses are ‘killed’. More people think that as long as the fetus is inside the womb, it does not have any life. A survey shows that nearly 100millions of such fetuses have been killed in the past twenty years in the whole of the world.Whether educated or uneducated, rich or poor, people all over the world resort to such a dreadful practice. Most families do not want a female child as an addition to the family. With the advent of the most sophisticated gadgets like the ultra sonogram, more and more female fetuses are killed. Since 20 years the practice of killing the fetus has increased and as a result there is a reduction in the female population. A survey conducted by an Indo-Canadian group shows that in India the act of killing the female fetuses are more common than in any other country. Mostly people find out the sex of the fetus and they indulge in such killings. They don’t mind ‘murdering’ the fetus even after it has reached the period of viability. One in 25 fetuses is killed in a year. Though the government of India has imposed the law banning such sex determinations, yet it goes on in so many places especially in the villages. It is so much understood that the doctors are all the most indulging in such a practice.If we don’t stop the practice of determining the sex while in the womb, we are going to run out of female children in the future.

Tsunami and Diabetes

2006-07-28T18:15:00.000+04:00

Tsunami and Diabetes.
What has Tsunami to do with Diabetes?
The report given by Dr.A.Ramachandran, Managing director of M.V. hospital for Diabetes is amazing!It is a well known fact that stress and diabetes go hand in hand. It is one of the precipitating factors for diabetes. But it also plays a bigger role when patients go through a tough time in life when they lose their beloved ones and their property due to natural calamity. In such cases the intensity of stress is higher and hence the contribution to cause diabetes and hypertension is more.The tsunami that struck India and other countries on 26th December 2004 brought large scale destruction of property and loss of human lives. More people suffered from severe psychological stress. Dr. Ramachandran, conducted a study on people who suffered heavily by the killer waves has been able to show a higher incidence of glucose intolerance- a precursor to diabetes and full blown- diabetes. The team led by him studied the fishermen living in North Chennai. Two populations of fishermen living in the same area –one group affected by the tsunami and the other were not. They belonged to the same age group and income level. The group that lived near the sea feared the most than the other population that lived away from the sea. The study done in April – June last year studied nearly 1400 persons from both groups.He said that some individual’s scores did not correlate with diabetes or IGT but as a population the increased stress score in fishermen who suffered from tsunami did correlate with the increase in incidence undiagnosed diabetes and IGT. The possible non-correlation of stress and diabetes on an individual basis according to him is because each person would react to stress in a different way. And women were found to be more stressed than men. This is not the first time that a positive correlation between stress and diabetes has been found. A study done in people following the earth quake in Kobe, Japan found that the glycemic control was aggravated in diabetic patients after the earth quake than the control group in Osaka which was unaffected by the earth quake. It is also well known that people suffer from cardio vascular disease following stress. Catecholamine a natural hormone is responsible for increasing the heart beat and the blood pressure. In under severe stress the hormone goes up and it causes an increased in blood pressure. So stress is always a contributing and a risk factor in diabetes and hypertension.

The Pandora Box

2006-07-18T17:23:00.000+04:00

This write up definitely is going to raise your brows… But such things are becoming very common. I am not trying to justify it. I, myself is against such recklessness. Many people are put into suffering just because of the carelessness of professionals.
This happened just a few days back. I am not going to tell you the name of the hospital or the place or any details pertaining as to where this happened. Just read it on..
Anita (name changed), 29 years old, a lady from the richest hill tribe in the Western Ghats was going from one doctor’s office to another. She suffered from fever that was accompanied with rigor. All the tests tuned out to be negative. No one was able to come to a definite conclusion for the longstanding fever. She was becoming toxic day by day. As a routine, she underwent an ultra sonogram. There were two different opinions. One sonologist said that she had a mass of about 12cmsx12cms, from the uterus. Another one opined that it was not a cystic (water filled) mass, but a solid mass. Another said that it could be a fatty mass surrounded by the loops of intestine. But all of them agreed that there was definitely a mass, whether cystic or solid. So it was planned to go ahead with opening of the abdomen. The theatre was filled with doctors from different specialties who had given their opinions.
The abdomen was opened. There was a huge swelling more than 20cms which was not attached to any structure. It was adherent with the loops of intestine, uterus, and also the urinary bladder. It was very difficult to dissect the bladder from the mass. On the bargain the bladder got injured and it was sutured. The whole mass (swelling) was taken out. Keeping in mind the age of the patient, a portion of the ovaries was left behind, but she had to sacrifice her uterus. The abdomen was toileted, the surgical pads counted, the instruments counted and then closed.
The mass was cut opened. There was a SURGICAL PAD that was covered with PUS. Anita had undergone Caesarean section about 5 years back in another hospital. She had a very stormy post operative period then. She had a lot of problem then, subsequently had come out of it. And the doctor whoever operated on her forgot to remove the surgical pad. And the result…
Yes. I was greatly grieved. As I said I am not justifying it. This is a serious mistake.. No a crime indeed. A doctor’s duty is not just to operate and leave the theater, but to see to that nothing is left behind. This is the first incident that I came across in my life though I have heard such incidents.. unbelievable isn’t it?

Addiction

2006-07-14T18:23:00.000+04:00

Addiction
Owning a cell phone by the teenagers has become a part of their life. It seems to be considered as an important possession by the teenagers. More and more parents promise their children to get these gadgets as a bribe to their children if they do well in their exams or in any competitive examinations.
Students who have always enjoyed outdoors have got addicted to this instrument. Both their thumbs work out so fast in messaging text messages are forwarding or downloading some logos. It is not very unusual for us to see them with the mobile phone while eating or doing any other work. Most students sit at the back of the classes sending messages to their own class mates as most of the mobile service providers do not charge for the SMS. The performance rates of most of these children have come down drastically. Nowadays their priority is to reply to their friends messages. This in turn leads to depression in the teenagers.
At times it is very difficult to tackle such youngsters. Parents need to do a lot of counseling. Before getting these gadgets to their children, they should also educate them letting them know that the cell phone is only for emergency and it is not a toy to be misused.

Bleeding in early Pregnanacy

2006-07-12T18:29:00.000+04:00

BLEEDING IN EARLY PREGNANCY

The term 'early pregnancy' refers to the duration of pregnancy in the 1st trimester according to some researchers. Others however describe 'early pregnancy' to mean the duration of pregnancy from the implantation of the fertilized ovum to the 20th week of pregnancy. For the sake of convenience, here, early pregnancy means pregnancy up to and including the 20th week of pregnancy. Late pregnancy describes the period from the end of the 20th week to term, that is to the end of the 40th week (the total duration of pregnancy being 40 weeks).

Bleeding in Early Pregnancy can be due to : Abortion

Threatened abortion

Incomplete abortion

Inevitable abortion

Missed Abortion

Habitual Abortion

Septic Abortion

Ectopic Pregnancy

Implantation Bleeding

Molar Pregnancy

Cervical Erosion

Cervical Polyp

ABORTION
Abortion is defined as the expulsion or extraction from its mother of a foetus or embryo weighing less than 500 grams (20-22 completed weeks of gestation) whether that abortion was spontaneous or induced. About 20% of all pregnancies end in abortion. Since many pregnancies end at or around the time of implantation, i.e. before the first missed period, they go unnoticed. About 80% of all recognized abortions occur during the 2nd or 3rd months of pregnancy. The others occur during the remaining months up to 22 weeks.

Causes of Abortion:

Abortions may be spontaneous or induced.

Spontaneous abortion: can be due to: Fault in the embryo: Embryos with chromosomal defects are seen in about two-thirds of all early abortions.

There may also be a defect in the placenta causing death of the foetus.

Fault in the maternal environment: maternal diseases causing high fever.

Infections by toxoplasma (common) or by Listeria monocytogenes.

Hormonal deficiencies as in progesterone deficiency in corpus luteum defect, or in hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.

Cervical Incompetence

Rh iso-immunization ABO incompatibility

Uterine fibroid causing improper implantation of the placenta

Physical trauma, e.g. a blow on the abdomen or that caused by a fall.

Surgical trauma due to any operation.

Congenital malformations of the uterus like hypoplastic uterus, unicornuate, bicornuate uterus, septate uterus etc

Morning Sickness

2006-07-11T18:39:00.001+04:00

Morning sickness refers to the nausea and vomiting that some women have when they become pregnant. It is caused by the sudden increase in hormones during pregnancy. Although morning sickness is more common in the morning, it can last all day for some women. Morning sickness is very common early in a pregnancy. It tends to go away later in pregnancy, and it's almost always gone by the second trimester (the fourth month). But there isn't a set time for it to stop because each woman is different, and each pregnancy is different.Morning sickness can become more of a problem if you can't keep any foods or fluids down and begin to lose a lot of weight. Many doctors think morning sickness is a good sign because it means the it means the placenta and fetal membranes is developing well.The tips below may help reduce morning sickness.Eat small meals throughout the day so that you're never too full or too hungry.Avoid rich, fatty foods.Avoid foods with smells that bother you.Curd rice, idlis and any steamed items.The best medication is to keep changing places. The new environment might help you for a time and again patients have to find another place and it goes on and on.

Teenage Ignorance.... Is this that we expect from our teenagers?

2006-07-06T19:13:00.000+04:00

Pressure and pain are realities of life.

Some lessons can be learned only after a miserable mistake. I see it all. What causes a girl to trash her life for a transient affair? A teenage girl's energy gets focused elsewhere. Moral collapse is rarely a blowout; it's more like a slow leak--the result of a thousand small indulgences.Anushya,(name changed) an eighteen year old unmarried girl, comes from a very affluent family, doing her second year undergraduate in a Ladies' College that is pronounced for its discipline. She was 'lying in' the hospital, her eyes swollen with pain fixed to the ceiling and her whole body and mind in agony. Her mother looked greatly relieved from what she was the previous day. Anushya had come to the hospital along with her mother for a consultation for her ‘missed periods’. The Obstetrician, who knew them over a decade, could not obviously jump to a conclusion. So she asked for an Ultra Sonogram and it was reported as a live fetus of about 16 weeks (4months) size. The family was totally devastated. The parents literally begged the doctor to get rid of the illegal addition to the family. And so Anushya had to go through all the procedures of getting the fetus out. And she knew the PAIN that struck her body and mind!Now who is to be blamed? Is it the girl? Being very beautiful slim and tall, now lying as a bundle of pain and unwanted! Why did she spoil the freedom that her parents gave her? The Trust! Was she not taught by the parents and the college about the repercussions of pre-marital sex? Did she plan the affair or did she just transit into it. Did she realise that her wrongdoing will mutate the family? She didn't care who gets hurt as long as she got what she wanted.The boy! Who was just two years older than her for misusing this beautiful bundle!The parents for giving her all the freedom to go around with her friends unmindful of opening the gate when she came home late nights! Presenting her the costliest mobile gadget and not checking on with whom she was talking for hours together. Giving a ‘pocketful of money’ to spend as she liked.

Plan your life....

2006-07-03T17:52:00.000+04:00

Marriage.
This one word is described differently by different people. To some it is a commitment, to some bondage and for some it is an end to their freedom, but to many others it is a great companionship and an eternal friendship.
A couple of generations back, marriages lasted for a life time. To day in most cases they don’t even last for the next day. So what has made the change within these past few years? Can this catastrophe, where two individuals wow to be with each other till “death do us part”, but cannot see each other as soon as the honey moon period is over, be blamed on one factor? No not at all. There are so many contributing factors.
Today money is valued more than relationships. Money carries us around the ‘merry go around’. Many marriages are breaking down due to money matters, illegal relationships, insecurity, lack of adjustment, and not setting up any goal in life.
Some couples form a join account and they spend from that though they are financially independent. Some women feel very secure that even if they lose their job, they would be taken care of by their husband. There is no ‘yours’ and ‘mine’. It is all ‘ours’.
In some cases the wives leave the matter entirely to their husbands. All the accounts are in the husband’s name and they are shocked to find out that they are penniless one day as their husbands carry affairs with other ladies and the money is gone. They get severely bitten off as they are left penniless. At times they have no other choice but to stay with the husband. There are also women who indulge in overspending and put the husband into severe debt.
There are individuals who feel marriage is a sharing on equal basis. This means that they even share the restaurant bills apart from their mobile, electricity and other bills. ‘You pay yours and I will pay mine’ is also an attitude seen with many couples.
There are very few people who maintain a budget and spend accordingly.
All these are sheer mind boggling complexity. There are so many disagreements in the day to day life among couples and arguments as to who is the greater of the two.
No two individuals are alike. Just some precautionary methods in spending the money, sharing of thoughts and setting up a goal in life will definitely put an end to all these conflicts.
Plan your life and lead a stress free life…

hello

2006-07-02T21:40:00.000+04:00

How was the week end?

Unwanted 'BLUES' in life

2006-06-30T06:44:00.000+04:00

Today I came across my friend’s daughter Mona who got into depressive psychosis following her delivery. I had always seen her as a very vibrant girl full of energy and warmth and it was a great surprise to see her fully withdrawn. Most of the doctors call this as ‘post-partum blues’, but I could not leave it like that. I was worried whether she would take me in to her confidence. From what her mother told me, I could grasp something really went wrong when she was at her mother’s place following her confinement. It has a become a routine thing for our girls to stay in their parents place two months before delivery and then again five months after delivery. Is this type of rest really necessary for a normal delivery? Most of the time I dissuade patients getting stuck to their parents house for nearly six months.
Girls fail to understand that a child has to be brought up by both the father and the mother from the day one of the birth of the child. The girl definitely needs a support from their parents, but bringing up the child together brings lot of emotional attachment to the child. It is fun too. Every step of the child is being watched and enjoyed and the child too feels more secured. Mona was at her parents place for nearly six months. Though they lived in the same town, Mona’s husband Gupta could visit her only on the week ends and he was not allowed to stay with her. Slowly Gupta who is a software engineer in a MNC got deviated from Mona. Nala had joined the firm very recently and she attracted this young engineer. Since Gupta was lonely he spent most of the time in the company. Soon Gupta started sharing his feelings with Nala. Initially they went out for a cup of coffee. Later on it was dinner in a restaurant.
Nala came to her husband’s place after six months. She could not tolerate Gupta coming home late. Initially Nala thought that he was busy with his work, but later on she could find a change in him. The she found out about her husband’s affair with Nala and she started to hate him. And here she was lying as an unwanted woman.
Is this relationship between Gupta and Nala a passing affair? An affair that’s going to be temporary ….
Or is it an emotional attachment? An emotional attachment is the most dangerous and contradicting one. Since both of them get attached to what we call as a bonding relationship, it is very difficult for them to get out of it. This occurs mostly in cases where the husband-wife relationship is not understood properly or when one of the spouses fails to show intimacy towards the other person. Domination over the other person also becomes yet another cause for the deviation.
More next…

The main causes of Liver damage are..///

2006-06-28T17:25:00.000+04:00

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.
2. Not urinating in the morning.
3. Too much eating.
4. Skipping breakfast.
5. Consuming too much medication.
6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.
7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.

8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver.
Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to "schedule."

Brain Damaging Habits

2006-06-26T20:49:00.000+04:00

This was forwarded to me by my son. Enjoy!

1. No Breakfast
People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level.
This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.

2. Overeating
It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.

3. Smoking
It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.

4. High Sugar consumption
Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

5. Air Pollution
The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.

6. Sleep Deprivation
Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.

7. Head covered while sleeping
Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.

8. Working your brain during illness
Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts
Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.

10. Talking Rarely
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain

Terminally Ill

2006-06-26T20:05:00.000+04:00

How much do we really care for the terminally ill patients?
Being a doctor for the past three decades, I have a great passion and vision for the terminally ill patients. My father himself died of cancer of the stomach. He was lucky as he was well taken care of by his eight children.
The terminally ill patients should be looked after compassionately. They have all the right to live. There could be possible limitations in the treatment in patients who have a very negligible chance of surviving. Withdrawing the supportive therapy should not be done. They should die in dignity. Though we may not be able to give a quality life to them, atleast we can make them feel they are very dear and special to us and can give them quality support.
Medical invention has offered so many benefits to people. Diseases once considered untreatable are treated now and the life span increased. When patients cannot be cured they should be on comfort care. Now we are more focused on prevention and control of diseases. But still more important is that we should care these very ill people who have a very less amount of survival. We should be able to care for them at home by getting support from the health care people. We should treat them with due respect. Patients should not be abandoned in the hospitals or in destitute homes. In good conscience, can we allow such things to happen to our elderly people?

foolish or selfish???????????????/

2006-06-14T16:15:00.000+04:00

What do you call this? Foolishness or selfishness?
Malathy is 36 years old. She has been married for the past thirteen years. She was almost on the verge of separation as she could not bear a child for the family. But by God’s grace she conceived. As is common with all the mid thirty pregnancy, both diabetes and hypertension set into her system. She was admitted to the hospital by about 7 months of pregnancy and she was in total rest. The fetus was monitored four times a day.
We were just waiting for her to cross 34 weeks so that we could do a C.S to deliver the baby. As is the routine she underwent a sonogram on Friday morning. We noticed that the liquor (the fluid surrounding the baby) was reduced and so she needed to be delivered. This was told to her relatives. As we were getting ready to shift the patient to the theatre, her father-in- law came running and very breathless. He asked us to stop taking her to the operation theatre. We were all perturbed. He told us that he had just consulted an astrologer and this astrologer told him that since it is going to be a male child and the next two days are inauspicious he wanted us to postpone the surgery to Monday. No amount of talking with him helped. He was very adamant. Malathy literally fell on his feet. The husband could not take a decision. After all it was his child! We could do nothing about the situation.
Later the same evening she complained of loss of movements of the fetus. Again an ultrasonogram was repeated and the result a dead fetus! Ultimately we had to do a section to deliver a GIRL baby..
What do you call this? Ignorance? Foolish?

An unforgettable story in my life....

2006-06-12T18:18:00.000+04:00

Mrs. Rani Jayanth is an accountant in a small concern. Mr. Jayanth is a freelance electrician. Since they belong to different sub sects, the relations did not approve of and frowned on their love marriage and ostracized them. They did not have financial problem, but lacked social support. Her first baby had multiple anomalies and died. Her second child is 8 years old. When she came to know that she was carrying twins in her third pregnancy, she was shocked and worried and wondered how she would be able to care for the twins. She came to us for the first time as an ‘unbooked case’ in October 2000. Ultra sonogram revealed, ‘A.F.I nil, 38 weeks of gestational age with twins and no anomalies’. She was delivered of twin male babies by lower Segment Caesarean Section and was sterilized.
Mrs. Gayathri Srinivasan aged 40, is very affluent. Her husband is working in Jordan. They are infertile. She had six sittings of I.U.I, but did not conceive. She opted for I.V.F.E.T even after the doctor warned her about the poor chance of conception and many accidents on the way. Her first attempt failed. She conceived in the second attempt and came to India when she was 5 months pregnant. Few days later she had an episode of bleeding and U.S.G revealed a dead fetus. The family was devastated and would not be consoled. Termination was done in our hospital. Mrs. Rani and Mrs Gayathri were in patients in the hospital in the same floor at the same time. Gayathri lamented over the dead born fetus and was longing for a child. The other one (Rani) was worried about the difficulty of upbringing twins without help. So when Mrs. Gayathri expressed a desire to adopt one of the twins, Mrs. Rani readily agreed. They live in the same street and know about each other’s antecedent.
After the traditional purification ritual on the 15th day, Mrs and MrSrinivasan legally adopted the child. Now the child lives in Jordan. The adoptive parents contact the Biological parents now and then and tell them about the development of the child. They never fail to convey their happiness and gratitude.
The ways of God are inscrutable. WHAT A COINCIDENCE! Mrs. Rani came to us as an unbooked case. Mrs.Gayathri descended on us like a bolt from the blue. The event is incredible. When people hear about it, they are incredulous. Luckily the event is documented.

a Benign tumour in the uterus

2006-06-09T18:12:00.000+04:00

Saraswathy aged about 45 visited the hospital as she did not menstruate for two months. She was afraid that it could be due to pregnancy. Apart from this complaint she was perfectly normal. When she was examined she was found to have a huge tumour , the size of an unshelled coconut. It was so surprising that she did not have any problems. She was operated on and the tumour was removed. One unit of blood was transfused. The tumour was diagnosed as ‘fibroid of the uterus’.
Some information about fibroids….

Uterine fibroid tumors are non cancerous growths in the uterus. Frequently found in women between the ages 30-45, fibroids are the most common type of abnormal pelvic growth in women. They account for about one quarter of all hysterectomies performed in our country.
Fibroids develop from cells in the wall of the uterus. Tumors that grow within the uterine wall rarely produce symptoms if they are small.
Fibroids can also grow beneath the uterine lining. As they expand, they can stretch the endometrium, causing heavy menstrual bleeding and severe pain as the uterus tries to expel the mass. Even small fibroids in this location may cause these symptoms.
Some fibroids grow beneath the outside covering of the uterus, or appear to be attached by a stem like structure to the uterus. All these tumors can grow much larger than the uterus itself.
Large uterine fibroids can cause pain, constipation, frequency of urination and increased menstrual pain and irregularity.
These tumors also can obstruct the fallopian tubes or block implantation of the fertilized egg. If conception does take place, the tumors can cause a miscarriage or premature labor.
The cause of uterine fibroids is unknown, but evidence suggests that their growth is tied to estrogen.
When a woman is pregnant or takes certain birth control pills, both of which increase estrogen levels, the normally slow growth rate of the fibroid often accelerates.

Bundle of joy... the mode of delivery

2006-06-08T17:21:00.000+04:00

It is always a big joy when there is an addition in the family,- be it in our home or in any of our friend’s or relatives. The new bundle of joy always brings happiness to the family.
People opting for Caesarean sections are very high for the past five years. Gone are the days when the patients ask us to give them a normal delivery. The moment the patient whines in pain the mother is just in front of the doctor pestering her to do Caesarean section for her daughter. Less do they realize that their daughter’s whole obstetric life is getting damaged. If the patient really trusts the doctor, I am sure more patients would go for normal delivery. Some facts about caesarean sections…
A caesarean section (c-section) is a surgical procedure where a baby is delivered through an incision made in the mother's abdominal wall, and then through the wall of the uterus. A caesarean section is usually performed when it is safer for the mother or the baby than a vaginal delivery. Other times, a woman may choose to have a caesarean section rather than deliver her baby vaginally.
The problems that lead to C.S:
A caesarean section is needed if a vaginal birth isn't possible. Some of the reasons for this may include:
The baby's head is too large for the mother's pelvic opening.
The baby is presenting bottom or feet first (breech) or is lying sideways (transverse).
The cervix is blocked by the placenta (placenta preavia).
The placenta is no longer providing the baby with enough oxygen (placental insufficiency).
Multiple babies.
Dangerous maternal conditions such as high blood pressure and uncontrollable diabetes.
The umbilical cord is prolapsed, (fallen down) through the cervix and into the vagina.
http://www.answers.com/topic/caesarean-section

Some beauty tips for ..

2006-06-06T18:50:00.000+04:00

There not much of activities in the hospital. Probably, since the school has started and the ladies are more excited.. They must be very busy trying their culinary skills to pamper their children to get back them to school. In the mornings when I go to school, I see all the autos loaded with school children. Just thought of writing some 'Beauty tips'. They definitely will be useful.

Dark Circles under the eyes.... This means you are stressed with less amount of sleep. Mix cucumber juice with little bit of lemon juice and apply it daily. Don't scold me if it gets into your eyes for it will burn and you will start screaming.

To improve the texture of your hair... take bath only on alternate days and wash your hair with egg white. Better so if you apply the white half hour before your bath. (Try this remedy when there is bird flu.. Eggs are cheaper then)

For dandruff... Once a week heat pure (I mean pure) coconut oil and apply it on the scalp with cotton wool. Please don't massage. If you do so then you will become bald.if your grey hair shows... apply henna..

For good eye brows.. apply honey and lemon... beware if the color changes.... I am not responsible..

Post menopausal bleeding in women past 45.

2006-06-05T19:30:00.000+04:00

One of the major concerns for women is post menopausal bleeding. Many women were delighted when their periods stopped and they did not have to deal with cycles each month. Many women feel that post-menopausal bleeding is bad because it is a sign of uterine cancer. In truth, for most women, menstruation after menopause, if they are taking hormone replacement therapy, is perfectly normal. Furthermore, it is a good sign and it simplifies menopause management for the clinician. Estrogen circulating in the blood is beneficial because of the effects on the skeleton, skin, and genital organs.

From a positive perspective, bleeding during menstruation means that a woman is getting enough estrogen into the body to achieve a tissue effect. In other words, monthly menstruation tells us that the medication is actually working.

One of the revolutions in modern gynecology is transvaginal ultrasound. This enables the gynecologist to actually see what is happening within the uterus. This is a simple and totally painless diagnostic procedure where sound (similar to sonar) is used to examine the contents of the uterus. A thin uterine lining (less than 5 mm) is never associated with uterine cancer. When there is a thickening of the cavity (more than 5 mm) an endometrial biopsy is done. With the advent of new diagnostic technologies it is very easy to diagnose diseases that occur in the faulty uterus.

If you're past menopause and haven't had a period for several months -- then start having minor bleeding once a month or so -- you should probably see a doctor.

When a woman is in perimenopause -- usually during her 40s -- it's normal to skip one period and have one the next month. Post menopausal bleeding is always not cancerous, but it is a cause of concern. We really have to watch it…we are lucky with uterine cancer in that there is always bleeding and there fore we can catch it early. Never hesitate to consult a gynecologist if you have a suspicious bleeding.

Ovarian Cysts

2006-06-02T19:02:00.000+04:00

Today we had to operate on a young girl aged about 13 years. She came with the complaints of sparse distribution of hair in her face, indigestion for about two weeks. The initial examination showed that she had a distended abdomen. Since she had irregular periods, a provisional diagnosis of an ovarian cyst was made and then it was confirmed by Ultrasonogram.

when we opened up, it was such a huge cyst of about the size of a foot ball and nearly five litres of clear fluid drained out. If only this patient had not come to the hospital, the cyst would have twisted and the girl would have landed up in serious problem.

Ovarian cysts are enlargements of the ovary that appear to be filled with fluid. They can be a simple fluid filled bleb or contain complex internal structures. The term cyst is used to differentiate them from solid enlargements. Simple cysts have no internal structures and are less worrisome than those with complex structures or solid components. A sonogram or ultrasound test can determine if a cyst is simple or complex.

Ovarian cysts are frequently encountered. Every menstruating woman develops an ovarian cyst each cycle. Sometimes the ovary does not ovulate and the follicle cyst persists. It will continue to enlarge and can become as big as a baseball. Eventually it will break and the woman may not even be aware that this has happened. The period may be delayed because there is no progesterone phase of the cycle to respond to. The corpus luteum can also become cystic. If these cysts are detected during an examination the woman will be told that she has a cyst. Usually this will cause considerable consternation. Now everybody is upset. Could the cyst be a cancer? Will an operation have to be done? How are these questions to be answered?

Usually if it is a clear cyst, there is no need to be panic. But any pathology of ovaries and uterus have to be viewed seriously in a menopausal woman.

--
Delphine Victoria

Paravai Muniamma - you seem to be the best cook

2006-06-01T18:37:00.000+04:00

Last week I attended a microwave oven cookery class conducted by Panasonic and Ideal Stores at Coimbatore. The crowd was that of mostly of North Indians. I have alwys liked cooking in the microwave as it preserves both the flavour and the nutritive value of the food. The evening was so monotonous with the comperer trying to entertain the crowd. Above all Mrs.Nita Mehta had to refer to the cooking book to try her own recipe. She was not very sure about what to be added. I have always felt that our "paravai Muniamma' is the best cook(apart from my mother). Her recipes are so good and they are rich in Vitamains. She can cook just like that. What is the use of writing hundreds of recipes and getting an international award when Nita Mehta could not cook even one food without referring to her book?

A Doctor's Day out

2006-05-28T16:30:00.000+04:00

On Monday My friend Kalpana visited me along with her husband Augustine. She teaches in the training sessions conducted by 'Haggai Institute' at Maui and Singapore. We visited her niece at Karunya College and University. and then we had a walkin the jungle of the Siruvani hills and to Kovai Courtalam. Such a memorable day...She is from Gujarat and they both enjoyed eating in our banana leaf. The drive to Kovai Courtalam was very pleasant. It was definitely hot in the noon but very cool in the evening.

It was definitely a day out for me... A real hide out on a monday.

It is very unfortunate that I am not able to upload some pictures.

??????Stay happy All day?????

2006-05-23T18:42:00.000+04:00

???????????
????????
?????????

What doesn't cost you any money?

????????
What do you have an almost endless supply of?
????????

What can you give away and still keep?

????????

What can change a bad day into a good one?

????????

What makes the giver feel as good as the receiver?

????????

A Smile !!!!!!

Sometimes it pays to be old

2006-05-23T18:31:00.000+04:00

An Elderly couple were celebrating their sixtieth anniversary.

The couple had married as childhood sweethearts and had moved back to their old

neighborhood after they retired. Holding hands they walked back to their old school. It was not

locked, so they entered, and found the old desk they'd shared, where Andy had carved "I love

you, Sally." On their way back home, a bag of money fell out of an armored car, practically

landing at their feet Sally quickly picked it up, but not sure what to do with it, they took it home.

There, she counted the money--fifty-thousand dollars. Andy said, "We've got to give it back."

Sally said, "Finders keepers." She put the money back in the bag and hid it in their attic. The

next day, two FBI men were canvassing the neighborhood looking for the money, and knocked

on the door. "Pardon me, but did either of you find a bag that fell out of an armored

car yesterday?" Sally said, "No." Andy said, "She's lying. She hid it up in the attic." Sally said,

"Don't believe him, he's getting senile." The agents turn to Andy and began to question him.

One says: "Tell us the story from the beginning. Andy said, "Well, when Sally and I were

walking home from school yesterday . . " The first FBI guy turns to his partner and says,

"We're outta here."

A sign in agift shop.

2006-05-23T18:25:00.000+04:00

Did you enjoy? then e-mail this to your friends.

House Call--Doctor Calls a plumber

2006-05-23T18:10:00.000+04:00

One day the Doctor noticed that his sink was stopped up, so he called the

plumber. Twenty minutes later the plumber arrived, knocking on the door.

Said the doctor, my sink is stopped up, could you fix it please?

So the plumber went to his van, got out his electric snake, took off the goose

neck under the sink, ran the electric through the clogged pipe, put the goose

neck back on-turned the water back on and the drain worked like a new drain. All of this took

about 10 minutes.

Said the doctor to the plumber, "How much do I owe you?"

Said the plumber " That will be $180.00

Said the doctor, "I'm a doctor and I can't make that kind of money."

Said the plumber "I couldn't make that kind of money when I was a doctor either"

Kitty and chick... cho chweet

2006-05-22T09:06:00.000+04:00

Cho chweet!

Reward for the missing cat

2006-05-22T09:01:00.000+04:00

Cute pet....

2006-05-22T08:59:00.000+04:00

Did you like this picture? Then e- mail this to your friend.

Help him up.

2006-05-22T08:54:00.000+04:00

Did you enjoy this picture? If so e- mail it to your friends.

so cute ..

The technology... amazing!

2006-05-22T08:43:00.000+04:00

It is amazing …the technology…
On Sunday I attended a workshop on Colposcopy at G.K.N.M Hospital. We had about three eminent doctors who talked about Colposcopy. But the workshop was very interesting. We, the participants were in the auditorium, but the Gynecologists were in the theatre and they demonstrated us the procedure. With the help of the patient’s concern, we had a live demonstration. Nothing like seeing and doing. The technology…. I really loved it. We were about 500 participants. The gynecologists in the theatre were explaining and we were also able to interact with them.
Colposcopy is a diagnostic tool to determine the cause of abnormalities found in Pap smears. A colposcopy is a visual examination of the cervix--a relatively simple and painless procedure, usually performed as an outpatient procedure. The actual procedure lasts approximately ten to fifteen minutes.
A colposcopy seems much like a Pap smear, however, there a few important differences. The patient is positioned on the examination table as in a Pap smear, however 5% acetic acid (such as, common table vinegar) is placed on the cervix which causes the cervical cells to fill with water so light will not pass through them.
A colposcope is also used to view the cervix. A colposcope is a large, electric microscope that is positioned approximately 30 cm from the vagina. A bright light on the end of the colposcope makes it possible for the doctor to visualize the cervix.
Abnormal cervical changes are seen as white areas, the whiter the area, the worse the dysplasia (abnormal changes). Abnormal blood vessel changes are also apparent through the colposcope. Abnormal vascular changes can occur in dysplasia. Typically, worse the vascular changes are the worse the dysplasia. Then a tissue sample is taken and sent to the lab for further evaluation.
http://www.mjbovo.com/Women/Colpo.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Colposcopy and Please try these links to know more about colposcope. Every woman after the age of 40 should have a pap smear done and also get a colposcopy done.

Thank you Rotary...

2006-05-21T19:48:00.000+04:00

Every child below the age of five has to be administered polio drops on April 9 and May 21 to eradicate polio completely from the country. The polio vaccine is extremely safe and no side effects have been reported from anywhere during the past 11 years. Even children who are ill should be immunised on these two days. Every child has to be covered in the immunisation programme if the polio disease has to be eradicated. Mothers and guardians should take up the cause of polio eradication and voluntarily come to the polio centres on these two days. At present, polio is prevalent in just four countries in the world namely India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. The disease has been eradicated in all the other countries through intensive immunisation programmes. If every child is covered under the immunisation programme, the polio virus can be easily eradicated. However, in India, despite the best efforts of the government and participating agencies, five to ten per cent of children escape from being immunised every year. Consequently, even after 11 years of starting the pulse polio programme, polio has not been totally eradicated in the country, The Rotary Club has been in the forefront of polio eradication programme in the world. So far, Rotary has spent Rs 3000 crore for this project and is all set to spend Rs 2000 crore more in the coming few years. Rotary has taken the lead in funding the campaign, providing vaccines, providing cold chains and lab facilities throughout the country and the world.Like all viral vaccines, oral polio vaccine is also unstable. It’s potency, which means it’s capacity to give adequate prophylactic protection against polio disease, decreases progressively over the course of time. The higher the temperature to which the vaccine is exposed, the more rapid is it’s loss of effectiveness. The vaccine contains phenol red as pH indicator. The usual colour is pink. If the vaccine deteriorates, there is a distinct colour change. As far as possible, only vaccine should be stored in a particular refrigerator. However, if other things have to be stored side by side, the vaccine containers should be kept in a closed airtight styrofoam box and stored in the middle or the upper shelves. A thermometer must be kept next to the vaccine box.The temperature should be monitored to be between +20 c to + 80 C. A record must be maintained of the actual temperature daily and power interruptions, if any. A person must be made responsible for ensuring that the required cold chain is actually maintained. The vaccine containers, taken out for use, should be kept in an insulated box so that the temperature is maintained below +80 C while waiting for use.While executing a pulse polio programme on a mass scale, some of the above mentioned vital cold chain precautions may not be strictly practiced. The reasons may be several such as ignorance, negligence, irresponsible or careless attitude, overload of work, tired and exhausted staff, routinisation of the process of programme implementation and lack of adequate supervisory control. If the sense of responsibility and accountability has not be inculcated, the desired goal of effective immunisation of every child will remain only a dream.WHO has suggested three doses of OPV followed by one dose of inactivated injectable vaccine in India. However, inactivated injectable polio vaccine programme is far more difficult in a large populous country like ours. Therefore, experts feel that the risk benefit ratio still does not prompt us to use injectable vaccine instead of oral vaccine in India.In order to avoid possible exposure of the OPV containers to harmful levels of temperature even for more than a few minutes, Indian Institute and Technology, Hyderabad, has developed temperature sensitive sticker lables for use on the containers of thermo labile products such as vaccines. As soon as the vaccine is exposed to a temperature higher than admissible, the label changes it’s colour irreversibly, indicating that it has deteriorated. The labels can be tailor made for fixing any desired time interval. Such labels will only add a cost of about 3 paise per vaccine container and manufacturers should start using such lables to safeguard effectiveness of their products. A country is considered to be free from a viral disease if no infected individual is found for three consecutive years.Thanks to the effort of Rotary club abd the health persons, we have been successfully able to eradicate polio...

Married in white… you have chosen right….

2006-05-19T17:27:00.000+04:00

Sounds right or wrong…..?????
Few events in life are more prone to omens and superstitions than the marriage ceremony, and nobody has greater need to be aware of them, if she cares at all then the bride herself.
In formal weddings, an age old rule is still observed that the bride should wear nothing coloured (except for something blue that is usually hidden). Brides wear white because this has been the tradition for centuries. White is said to signify the bride’s purity, her innocence and candour. At one time though rarely now, it indicated her acceptance of simple values. In ancient Greece, white was a symbol of joy. Greeks always wore white on feast days and carried garlands of white flowers. Before wedding ceremonies they painted their bodies white. Many superstitions apply to coloured gowns, which nevertheless are traditional in some countries. ‘Married in red you’d better be dead…. Married in yellow, you are ashamed of the fellow… married in green, you are ashamed to be seen…. Married in pink, your spirits will sink.
Only white (‘married in white, you have chosen right’) and (‘blue your lover is true ‘) escape this kind of criticism.

another day at old age home....

2006-05-16T16:31:00.000+04:00

Sad, but true... I am a sentimental fool or idiot or whatever it be.....
So again I visited the senior citizens home last week. This visit had been haunting me all these days. This time Mr. Ramu aged about 91 years was sick. As usual I visited all the inmates. There were two couples who had joined recently. We wanted to shift Mr.Ramu to the hospital. But there was a problem. The son felt that the father would rather die at the old age home than in the hospital. I met the son and daughter-in-law. He was only abusing his father. He went on telling me that his father was a smoker and was hard of hearing and so he preferred that his father stayed in an old age home. Mr. Ramu is semi conscious. All that he needed was some liquids on and off. They had appointed one nurse to take care of him. She is a real darling . Calling him all the time as 'appa', she was trying to make him drink liquids as much as possible. She kept the place very neat. I wonder ... The son could have kept the father at home and this girl can take care of the old man. ...
In another couple's room there were so many pictures of their grand children. phoooh.. There were so many posters telling their grandparents how much they miss them and things like that. For another citizen who had retired as a principal of a famous college in Chennai, she missed all her students who used to visit her while she was at Chennai. She told me that in this computer age no one wants to write letters, but preferred to send e-mails only. She said she was looking for a laptop at a cheap price.
I definitely left with a very burdened heart. I told you I am a sentimental idiot..

(Read my previous article posted on 28-2-1006. Do we need senir citizens home?)

Recanalization surgery following tubal ligation

2006-05-11T16:49:00.000+04:00

Today we had to perform a surgery on a young lady of about thirty years old. She had delivered two male children earlier, but since her husband divorced her she married a man who is a widower with no children. Her husband had taken away the two kids branding her as a mental woman. Now after nine years of living together with this man she planned to have a child. They live in the north of Tamilnadu.

Female sterilization is an everyday procedure and is currently the most popular form of birth control in India. All these sterilizations are nowadays performed in young women of low parity thinking that family is complete. However due to unforeseen circumstances, however such a woman may seek reversal due to unforeseen events such as death of the only male child or undergoing a second wedlock. 1-3% of these women subsequently demand reversal of sterilization.

Routine investigations like for a major surgery was done. a preoperative diagnostic laparoscopy to assess the site of block, exclude multiple blocks and to rule out tuberculosis were performed. Semen analysis of the husband was also done. Patient was called for surgery to be performed between 7th and 10th day of the menstrual cycle.The informed consent was taken from all patients after a detailed counseling of both husband and wife.

Tuboplasty

The occluded segment of the tube was resected till there was complete excision of pathological tissue. Precise alignment of tissue planes using atraumatic technique was carried out by prolene (monofilament polypropylene) 8-0, mounted on a spatulate tipped round-bodied atraumatic needle or a round body micro needle. For end to end tubal anastomosis, four sutures at 12', 6', 3' and 9-O clock were taken in the muscularis layer and serosa. Mucosa was avoided. Sutures were taken in such a way that knots faced the serosa. The patency was assured intra-operatively by methylene blue injection. Abdomen was closed in layers after a thorough peritoneal lavage.

The sutures will be removed on the seventh day. She will have to report back after three months to assess the patency of the tubes.

Just keeping my fingers crossed that she will conceive again. The probable complication may be a tubal pregnancy.

chocolate cysts... their connection with diet.

2006-05-10T17:26:00.000+04:00

today a surgery was performed in a 28 year old lady who is married for the past ten years, but has not yet conceived . she had visited a lot of hospitals, but no doctor had given her the details about her delay in conception. She reported to our Out patient department last week and after getting all the preliminary investigations, she was diagnosed to have ovarian cysts. So she was operated on. her right ovaries were filled with blood what we term it as chocolate cyst. But the painful thing was that both her ovaries and tubes were diseased. Since she is very young we had to leave a portion of the ovary. If ever she conceives, it is only by God's great miracle. I read a recent journal and the reasearchers say that diet and ovarian cysts have a connection. they said that women who consumed the most beef and cheese developed the most ovarian cysts. In contrast, consumption of green vegetables provided a strong protective effect. This study makes it clear that what you eat will influence whether or not you develop ovarian cysts.

Endometrioma or "chocolate cyst". These are cysts that form when endometrial tissue (the type that lines the inside of the uterus) invades an ovary. It is responsive to monthly hormonal changes, which causes the cyst to fill with blood. It’s called a “chocolate cyst” because the blood is a dark, reddish-brown color. Multiple endometriomas are found in the condition called "endometriosis". Although often asymptomatic, chocolate cysts can be painful, especially during your period or during intercourse. How Ovarian Cysts are DiagnosedPelvic Exam. An ovarian cyst may be discovered by your doctor during a pelvic exam, while she is palpating your ovaries. If a cyst is suspected, an ultrasound is usually the next step.
Pelvic Ultrasound.: Ultrasound is a painless procedure where sound waves are transmitted through your pelvic area and an image of your ovaries and uterus is shown on a video screen. The image is analyzed to determine the nature of the cyst.
Laparoscopy. Laparoscopy is a surgical procedure performed when your doctor wants to see the cyst. A thin, lighted telescope, called a laparoscope, is inserted through a small incision into your abdomen. Laparoscopy may be used for treatment as well as diagnosis.

Irrational people...

2006-05-05T17:03:00.000+04:00

Meena walked into my cubicle today. She looked very beautiful, but her eyes were swollen. Her face had all the signs of unhappiness. She carried a big file in her hands. Her story….
She had finished her Master’s in English literature when she got married to Srinivas a 26 year old ?doctor. He was the only son of a famous doctor couple at Madurai. So when this alliance came her parents did not look back. They were so happy that their daughter was getting married to a doctor’s doctor son of a reputed family.
The first two months were very happy for her as she went around honey mooning with her husband. There was no sign of Srinivas going to work or joining his parents in their nursing home. He was just idling at home. She did not have the courage to ask him too. But her in laws started pestering her from the third month onwards. They told her that since she did not conceive in these two months then she would never conceive at all. Meena was shocked. She smelt something wrong in that family. They started pestering her. From then on she had to visit all the gynecologists in the city as they wanted somehow to confirm that she was barren. She had to visit a particular gynecologist often and this gynecologist came with the truth that Meena’s husband was not at all a doctor, but was a convict who was in the jeuvenile prison till he was eighteen. He had the habit of inflicting injuries to his girl friends. He used to bring his girl friends to his house. Since his parents were always busy making money, he used to spend long hours with the girls. On one such day he spent an evening with a girl who was the daughter of a police officer. They had some issues and he stabbed her with a knife. The police officer went to the court and so he was punished with one year in the jeuvenile prison. Some astrologer had told the family that if srinivas’s wife did not conceive within three months of their marriage, then she would never bear a child for them. They started ill treating her. She was totally disappointed. One fine morning she walked out of the house and came to her parent’s house.
She told me that she was even willing to accept and was willing to live with him though he was an ex convict and who had not even completed his higher secondary school. What she was not able to tolerate was that she was stamped as being barren within three months of her married life.
It is sad that even highly educated people are so superstitious that they go to any extent to spoil their own child’s life…

Healthy Habits

2006-05-05T05:54:00.000+04:00

1. Don't Smoke
Smoking is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths. If you smoke cigarettes, cigars or pipes, or use "smokeless" tobacco, stop now. (Avoid second-hand smoke as if your life depended on it. It may.)

2. Wear a Hat
Exposure to the sun can lead to skin cancer. Use #15 sunscreen, wear a hat and cover up. Avoid tanning booths, too!

3. Watch What You Drink
Alcohol is not recommended, but if you do drink, the USDA suggests you do so in moderation. If you must drink, make water your only choice..
4)Cut the Fat
Your daily consumption of fats should be 30% or less of your total calorie intake. High fat diets contribute to several forms of cancer, including breast and colon cancer.

5. Eat Your Vegetables
Fruits, too. 5 servings a day will help provide Vitamins A, C, E and other substances that contain known anti-cancer agents. Especially good for you are deep green and yellow/orange vegetables.

6. Rough It
Roughage and fiber help prevent cancer of the colon; eat 6 servings daily (20-30 grams) of fiber filled beans, whole grains and vegetables.

7. Stay In Shape
Overweight people are at greater risk for cancer and heart disease. Get in the habit of exercising regularly and ea ting a balanced diet

8. Learn to Relax
Stress weakens the immune system, which reduces your ability to fight cancer and other disease.Work out, walk, garden, meditate, etc. Find a method that works for you
9. Keep a Healthy Home
Eliminate toxic chemicals and cleaners around your home. Switch to environmentally safe cleaning and yard products.
10. Take Control of Your Health
Next to prevention, your best defense against cancer is early detection. Make it a habit to get screening tests for cancer, such as a mammogram, PAP test and prostate exam.

Free Medical Camps

2006-05-02T18:48:00.000+04:00

Medical Camps
I have always been very cynical about these medical camps. I must confess that I have attended over a hundred such medical camps that have been organized by some clubs or by the so called philanthropists. It is due to their compulsion that I had to involve myself in such camps. Obviously the common people never get any benefit except that some bigwigs in the town or village get to pose with me and that gets published in the newspaper.
In a bid to provide healthcare support to the ladies, Sheela Hospital has arranged a camp exclusively for the ladies. This camp has definitely turned down my opinion about medical camps as I had very bitter experiences earlier in other places. The camp is arranged in the hospital itself in a big hall with separate cubicle for the doctors to examine the patients in privacy. Each cubicle has a doctor and a nurse and so the patients get the needed privacy to tell them all their problems.
The Sheela Hospital’s endeavor has been to ensure that almost all best possible and very well organized facilities are available to the very poor patients. The hospital has reduced the charges for the surgeries. Patients get the investigations done at just 30% of the original charge. So many patients who had postponed their surgery due to their financial crises turned up and they were so happy to get the care at rock bottom prices. Patients who wanted to get interval sterilization opted for laparoscopic method. It is not possible to do surgeries totally free as the medicines and the cost of the instruments are pretty high. This was explained to the patients who requested to get the surgery done at free of cost.
Besides consultation, the patients are screened for cancer of the cervix and concessions issued to them for treatment for the whole month. We all know that cancer is gradually turning into some sort of epidemic and such a screening medical camp will serve as a wake up call to the medical community, government and society at large. People should understand that timely treatment for any ailment can save several precious lives. People who suffer with diseases only know the colossal, financial and unbearable physical trauma in the quest for better treatment. The camp is spread over a period of one week from 1st May to 7th May as it will allow the doctors to give quality time with the poor patients.
DelphineVictoria
May 2, 2006

Blood for sale...

2006-04-30T18:11:00.000+04:00

Blood for sale.
Most of the hospitals have become commercialized. They know the art of making money. They even make a fortune out of the blood they collect in blood donation camps. Young people volunteer to donate their blood and most of them do it routinely once a year. This is a real good gesture. But what happens afterwards? Have you ever tried to find out to whom your blood was transfused?
Sometimes there is a surplus of units of blood that is collected during these campaigns. So the hospital just chooses a few of their patients and transfuses these blood units to them whether they need it or not. The patients then have to pay for this blood.
There is definitely a need to store blood as it saves many lives. If you really want to donate blood, give it to the right person at the appropriate time. Most patients when they are advised to have a surgery want to buy blood. This is not correct. Any of your relative should be willing to donate blood. Then there won’t be any misuse. It is better to register with the blood banks, the group and typing and your phone number and the address. Tell them that you are willing to come to the blood bank at any time of the day or night. When there is a need the blood banks might try to get in touch with you.
I do agree people cannot be searching for you during an acute emergency, but at least this will have a check on those blood banks that store blood unnecessarily.

help needed...

2006-04-29T17:45:00.000+04:00

I have a great passion for computers and I am still in the kindergarten stage in learning it. These html pages are beyond my comprehension. I try to customise my blog, but ended up in a mess. how do I learn these html pages and codes and copying and pasting them! My blog friends.. please give a helping hand to me. I try to squeeze my time to update this blog inspite of my heavy schedule.. please..

Bananas

2006-04-29T17:34:00.000+04:00

Bananas!
This is interesting.

After Reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again. Bananas. Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression : According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS : Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure : This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke Brain

Power : 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation : High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers : One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn : Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness : Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites : Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves : Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady

Ulcers : The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature. Seasonal = Affective Disorder (SAD) :

Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan. Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress : Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be balanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack. Strokes : According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine, "eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape! So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

if you like this article on banana please pass it on to your friends.

Pamper your taste buds.....

2006-04-29T17:31:00.000+04:00

Pamper your taste buds with organic foods.
In this fast moving world when the junk foods occupy the crème of our life, these organic foods are a boon to our living. Most heart disease, kidney ailments, Liver diseases, gastric disturbances are attributed to the food that we consume is due to the fact that the food is treated with insecticides and pesticides.
It has been found out that organic foods improve the anti oxidant levels in our body. We get varieties of organic food now. Organic farming shuns the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. It is high time we start getting these organic foods. Why waste your money visiting doctors when you can prevent it by taking good organic foods.

THIS SUMMER- UPDATE YOUR HEALTH..

2006-04-28T18:11:00.000+04:00

This summer update your health…
The mercury is rising up. It was 42 degrees C yesterday at Chennai. (Thank God, I am at Coimbatore). Children are having their own fun visiting their grand parents. Some children are in the summer camps. Some might be even lucky to have a great vacation out side the country. One more month left and a lot can be done during this time. This summer…..
Parents are so much concerned about their children that they forget their health. But here is a time when you can visit a hospital and have a master check up done. Because of the children’s school and exams, all the postponed health check ups could be completed. Visit the dentist and get a scaling done. You may be complaining of a bad headache, you probably need to get your eyes checked. The tonsils… that needed to be removed. Ladies who are in the middle age group get a pap smear done to exclude any cancerous changes in the Cervix of the uterus. This might be the right time to donate your blood too. There are so many medical camps organized where most of the tests are done at a concession rate. Make use of it. You may not get a better time than this.

AIR DECCAN BUS...

2006-04-27T18:50:00.000+04:00

Air Deccan Bus………..
This was not the first time I flew by Air –Deccan.
I had booked my ticket from Coimbatore to Bangalore by Air Deccan via the internet about three weeks earlier itself. I narrowly missed my flight on the 22nd. Due to this election and with the arrival of multi linguistic politicians in the city, I could not dash to the air port in time. So I was just refunded with Rs200/- and odd that I had paid the air lines as airport tax. I was terribly disappointed. And it is such a pain to go by bus. Nearly eleven hours of journey. My legs got swollen. Well, it was nice to be at Bangalore with the children. I returned back to Coimbatore by Air –Deccan on the 25th. This flight was slightly a bigger one. Just about 110 seats or so with just two air-hostesses and one pilot. This is a low cost air-line and so they have very minimal staff working. The air craft was definitely clean. Earlier once when I flew from Chennai to Coimbatore I flew by a flight which was typically like a bus. Just about 60 seats and the noise of the plane resembled that of a bus. So noisy and very dirty too. And I had to buy a stale, rotten sandwich for Rs40/- Since these aircrafts fly very low, often there are bumps what they call as air-pockets. They are very scary. But don’t worry. Here is something to be happy about. When I returned back from Singapore by Indian airlines last November, I had the worst experience. Food was served and then came these air pockets. The food was thrown up and I saw the crew take positions. No one was allowed to use the toilet and they deprived us of the food too. I was only happy to get out of the plane at Chennai. So this time when I experienced these air pockets I was really very cool. After all it lasted for about ten minutes and then the plane landed safely at Coimbatore. I should confess air Deccan is definitely a better plane to travel than our Indian Airlines. The ticket was after all Rs500/-

Alcohol.....its nothing but a venom

2006-04-11T18:12:00.001+04:00

Alcohol… The venom of human life.
Most often we read in the newspapers that if alcohol is taken in small quantities it does no harm to the human bodies. In fact some doctors say that one or two drinks a day could benefit the heart, lowering the risk of coronary heart disease. But there are many researchers who do not and are reluctant to accept these findings. More than the good it does, we obviously have to think of the serious damage it does to our vital organs. It is clearly linked to disease such as cirrhosis of the liver and also increase in blood pressure. It is a very important factor in thousands of deaths of road and industrial accidents. It has also a great link with domestic violence, marriage breakdown and child abuse.
Alcohol depresses the central nervous system and there by lowers its activity. The reason why alcohol fuels so many social functions is that it gives a more relaxed attitude and greater confidence. It is a false belief that alcohol improves their efficiency because they believe that they are more confident and there by more competent. But these are just illusory. Just one drink is enough to affect our mental and physical skills particularly those such as driving which needs good coordination and a sharp mind. Alcohol crosses the blood brain barrier system and so it acts quickly. Alcohol is one of those molecules that gain entry into the brain. Probably if it had been a larger molecule it would not enter the brain and relax us and we would not be going behind it.

Alcohol.....its nothing but a venom

2006-04-11T18:12:00.000+04:00

Thank you Roatary... Pulse polio Programme

2006-04-09T06:05:00.000+04:00

Every child below the age of five has to be administered polio drops on April 9 and May 21 to eradicate polio completely from the country. The polio vaccine is extremely safe and no side effects have been reported from anywhere during the past 11 years. Even children who are ill should be immunised on these two days. Every child has to be covered in the immunisation programme if the polio disease has to be eradicated. Mothers and guardians should take up the cause of polio eradication and voluntarily come to the polio centres on these two days. At present, polio is prevalent in just four countries in the world namely India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. The disease has been eradicated in all the other countries through intensive immunisation programmes. If every child is covered under the immunisation programme, the polio virus can be easily eradicated. However, in India, despite the best efforts of the government and participating agencies, five to ten per cent of children escape from being immunised every year. Consequently, even after 11 years of starting the pulse polio programme, polio has not been totally eradicated in the country, The Rotary Club has been in the forefront of polio eradication programme in the world. So far, Rotary has spent Rs 3000 crore for this project and is all set to spend Rs 2000 crore more in the coming few years. Rotary has taken the lead in funding the campaign, providing vaccines, providing cold chains and lab facilities throughout the country and the world.
Like all viral vaccines, oral polio vaccine is also unstable. It’s potency, which means it’s capacity to give adequate prophylactic protection against polio disease, decreases progressively over the course of time. The higher the temperature to which the vaccine is exposed, the more rapid is it’s loss of effectiveness. The vaccine contains phenol red as pH indicator. The usual colour is pink. If the vaccine deteriorates, there is a distinct colour change. As far as possible, only vaccine should be stored in a particular refrigerator. However, if other things have to be stored side by side, the vaccine containers should be kept in a closed airtight styrofoam box and stored in the middle or the upper shelves. A thermometer must be kept next to the vaccine box.
The temperature should be monitored to be between +20 c to + 80 C. A record must be maintained of the actual temperature daily and power interruptions, if any. A person must be made responsible for ensuring that the required cold chain is actually maintained. The vaccine containers, taken out for use, should be kept in an insulated box so that the temperature is maintained below +80 C while waiting for use.
While executing a pulse polio programme on a mass scale, some of the above mentioned vital cold chain precautions may not be strictly practiced. The reasons may be several such as ignorance, negligence, irresponsible or careless attitude, overload of work, tired and exhausted staff, routinisation of the process of programme implementation and lack of adequate supervisory control. If the sense of responsibility and accountability has not be inculcated, the desired goal of effective immunisation of every child will remain only a dream.
WHO has suggested three doses of OPV followed by one dose of inactivated injectable vaccine in India. However, inactivated injectable polio vaccine programme is far more difficult in a large populous country like ours. Therefore, experts feel that the risk benefit ratio still does not prompt us to use injectable vaccine instead of oral vaccine in India.
In order to avoid possible exposure of the OPV containers to harmful levels of temperature even for more than a few minutes, Indian Institute and Technology, Hyderabad, has developed temperature sensitive sticker lables for use on the containers of thermo labile products such as vaccines. As soon as the vaccine is exposed to a temperature higher than admissible, the label changes it’s colour irreversibly, indicating that it has deteriorated. The labels can be tailor made for fixing any desired time interval. Such labels will only add a cost of about 3 paise per vaccine container and manufacturers should start using such lables to safeguard effectiveness of their products. A country is considered to be free from a viral disease if no infected individual is found for three consecutive years.
Thanks to the effort of Rotary club abd the health persons, we have been successfully able to eradicate polio...

Pink or Blue? What does it matter? They are gifts of God

2006-04-09T05:53:00.000+04:00

Yesterday I met a family who had come to the hospital for delivery. Since yester day was Friday they didn’t want the baby to be born. They were scared that if a male child is to be born on a Friday then it will bring bad luck to the family. But the ways of God is ……!!!!!. A baby boy was born to them and they were so sad.

Blue for boy babies and pink for girl.

Researchers say that in Britain in the fifth and sixth century’s boy babies were more prized than girls. The belief spread evil sprits would visit the cradle and harm or carry of a boy child. Blue a power colour because it came from the sky, would scare away this unwanted spirits. At that time, girl babies didn’t warrant a protective colour. Later in Germany, a widespread legend held that girl babies sprang from pink rose, and it became customary to dress baby girls in pink. That custom merged with the British one of dressing boys in blue and the fashion of blue for boys and pink for girls spread to other parts of western world.
Psychiatrists and designers have long recognized that colour can convey a specific meaning. A common example in western countries is the use of red as a warning. Traffic signals as red are an urgent command to stop; in the days of the cold war a red alert indicated a possible nuclear attack.
In our culture, red for danger comes possibly from the colour of blood or of fire. To the Chinese, red conveys happiness. Similarly other colors often mean different things in different places. For example black is our colour of mourning. In China, it is white.

Whether it is pink or blue, children are always bundles of joy. But occasionally they can be bundles of pain. Let us welcome them with cheer and happiness…

EXCELLENCE BEYOND EXPECTATION !

2006-04-07T17:47:00.000+04:00

World Health Day.
Each year April 7th is celebrated as the world health Day. This year the theme for the world health day is “working together for Health”. This day is specially devoted to the health workers and the crisis faced by them. One of the main reasons for the slackening of good health no doubt is poverty. Most of the third world countries have great problem as poverty is widespread. Good health carries responsibilities. However there is a global shortage for health workers and agencies that help to provide good health to the people. Though there are many hospitals and clinics available all through out, yet there is a shortage of health personals available to solve the problems. All these work forces should go hand in hand to overcome the present shortage of the health agencies.
The hospitals should be cost effective and they should offer quality treatment with latest medical equipments. Their own people should get the best treatment. More hospitals are focusing their attention towards the foreign patients. Though this is a welcome change for the medical people yet they should not forget that their own kins should get the best medical facility at an affordable price.
Stress related problems like cardiac problems, obesity are on a rise. On this day we must have a over all look of the health care segment and take all the steps to improve the facilities to provide better health for the patients.

Song of the Earth.....

2006-04-07T17:42:00.000+04:00

Song of the Earth….

“Home to creatures big and small

To the wind and waterfall

To the trees and all things green…

To the worms that work unseen

To elephants that roam the wild…

To cows and draft animals mild

To men and women and children too

Our Earth’s a gift in blue and green

So let us enjoy this planet rare

Let us remember to care and share.”

I was so happy to read the book by Geeta Dharmarajan.

Her book Earth song is one of the books that should be read by all. Vivid work about the living

creatures!

Be nice to your hair in summer

2006-04-05T16:55:00.000+04:00

Be nice to your hair in summer….
The mercury is rising up and we have started feeling the pinch of heat. Most of us have problems with our hair in summer. They become dull and dry. Have you ever wondered why?
Most of us spend most of our time outdoors. The children especially spend more time out either playing or going for swimming. Over exposure to the sun will dry out not only the hair but the scalp beneath it. Swimming in the sea or in chlorinated pools, followed by sunbathing all aggravates the condition. If you want to safeguard your hair and skin avoid too much sunbathing. Keep your covered as much as possible in the sun. Wear a bathing cap when swimming. Afterwards and as soon as possible, wash your hair thoroughly in fresh water. Several steps will improve the look of the look of your hair if it is already damaged by too much sun and salt water. Trim off the ends if they are split. Tone up your appearance with some curd massaged into the scalp and skin. And do not forget to take fresh vegetables and fruits. Drink plenty of water too.

AIDS----..... The Killer Disease.

2006-04-02T18:14:00.000+04:00

AIDS----

Today morning I met Menaka, a 25 year old beautiful village lady. She had come to the hospital along with her mother. Her mother was to undergo an abdominal hysterectomy. She had a tumour the size of a coconut that has to be removed. She needed blood- two units –one to be given pre-operatively and the other after the surgery. They looked very worried as they do not have close relations to donate blood. Menaka looked quite healthy and so I told her that she could give one unit of blood. Immediately her eyes were filled with tears. Her story…….
Menaka was 21 year old when she got married to Chandran a lorry driver by profession. As like any other newly married, she went to live in a beautiful village that was situated at the foot hill of the Western Ghats. She enjoyed going to the fields. She saw the sugar canes growing, the orange trees, and the rose garden that always bloomed with pink roses. Her husband started going to work. He used to go on long distances in his eighteen tyre truck. He came home once in ten days. She used to wait for him counting the days. Almost a year passed by. One day as he was about to leave for work, he suddenly took ill. He had intractable diarrhea, fever and swelling of glands. He was treated by the local village doctors. Since there was no sign of improvement, he was admitted to a hospital in the town. He was pronounced to be suffering from AIDS. Menaka felt as though the whole roof was caving in on her. She herself had to undergo certain tests and the result… she too had contacted the killer disease. She felt totally devastated. Her parents in laws were very ashamed that they totally disowned him. Somehow she convinced them and she took him back to the village. Day by day his health deteriorated and his parents brought some quacks to treat him. Within a month he died. She too wanted to commit suicide. But the doctors who treated her counseled her so well, that now she is alive. She asked me this question. “Where did things go wrong? I was such a loving wife to him. Why did he do this to me that now I stand like a withered flower…”. Now that is not all. She has gained lots of courage. She has formed a self help group and along with other members they go visiting many drivers and their wives. She counsels them and she is happy that she has created awareness among the drivers. God bless her.
AIDS an acronym for Acquired immune deficiency Syndrome was first recognized in 1981. The HIV virus attacks the white blood cell that is essential in controlling our defense mechanism against disease. In some the virus lies dormant; others suffer slight fevers, weight loss, a vague feeling of being ‘off colour’, a positive result is always rechecked and a negative test dies not necessarily rule out HIV.
One reason why AIDS is such world wide health danger is that medical scientists are yet to find a cure or vaccine. So much awareness is created through media that now the number of cases is coming down in South India.

April fools day!!!!!

2006-04-01T05:48:00.000+04:00

April 1st – A day for fools.
The origins of April Fools’ Day are uncertain, but without doubt they are linked to a time when the year was deemed to begin in late March or early April. In many cultures, the New Year is a time for pranks and merriment.
Some historians find traces of our April fool tradition in Greek and Roman My theology. Demeter searching for her daughter Persephone, who had been carried off by Pluto, heard the girl’s scream echoeing through a valley. She followed the scream on what may be interpreted as a fool’s quest, but never found more than their echo. Anthropologists compare our custom to that of India’s Huli festival held on March 31st, in which it is traditional to trick people by sending them on useless quests.
Even though such customs go back to ancient times, our April Fools’ Day is probably of more recent origin. In 1564 the French decided that January 1 and not March 25th should start the year. Until that time it had been customary to give New Year gifts in late March, which often coincided with Easter’s Holy week. When the calendar changed, Church and government officials decided that April 1 should replace the old festival. A tradition grew of playing pranks on this day. One explanation for this is that calendar changes annoyed the French citizens, who decided to take it out on officials by sending them on false errands. Another is that April one became a day for visiting friends and possibly for taking small gifts, all with the intention of creating confusion about what was really New Year’s Day.
Whatever its origins the tradition of playing pranks on April 1st has spread to many countries and beyond the realm of children. Today many news papers and radio and TV stations join in the fun by staging elaborate and often highly amusing hoaxes.
Incidentally today happens to be my Birthday too............

showering of rice on the newly wed couples.....

2006-03-30T17:44:00.001+04:00

Showering of rice on the newly wed couples.

This custom started with many of other customs from the Romans. The Romans used to toss nuts or sweets or wheat over a bride to ensure fertility. In some parts of Germany, the custom is to give nuts to the bride.
In Greek and Rome the brides wore head bands made of corn or wheat, another emblem of sterility. Some brides used to walk through an aisle that was scattered of wheat and barley. Probably from these customs came that of throwing of wheat and rice not only during weddings but also for other ceremonies. In 1486, King Henry VII was showered with wheat to bid him welcome. Later as a symbol of productiveness it became a custom to shower wheat during wedding ceremonies. Some people believe that rice thrown at the wedding would keep away the spirits or demons that would ruin away the marriage.
Towards the end of nineteenth century, rice throwing became very common not only in the Europe but also in the Oriental Countries. In Italy the custom was to shower cakes and biscuits. They were made in the shapes of hearts and flowers and various good luck symbols.
Lately all these have been replaced by paper streamers, rose petals, cakes and rice. Now it has become cheaper still. It is not unusual to see a bride and bridegroom showered with circular punchings of computer paper and thermocol.
I personally believe that the spirits that were believed to wreck the marriages do not come in the form of evil demons or spirits from the alien world, but come right from within the family itself. So let us start showering rice to the newly weds in the belief that no worldly man can separate the married couple.

Karthick Narain..India's No:1 Driver

2006-03-24T19:15:00.000+04:00

Today i went to fuel my car and I was very happy.... They told me that Karthick, India's no:! driver fuels at the same outlet. Very exciting isn't it? Must be for my nephew Arul,who is very crazy about Karthick Narain. The outlet is Bharath petroleum in Avinashi Road. In Coimbatore

welcoming the weekend!

2006-03-24T18:53:00.000+04:00

It is nice to be at home for the weekend. today I did a medical examination for ten young graduates who have been selected for employment at ITC. one thing I found in common was that these young graduates could not find time for exercise. Surprising! their physique definitely was not satisfying! A place like Coimbatore where we have a place exclusively for walking!!!!!. ' Exercise' should find a place in the college curriculum.

Give Life, Donate Blood!!!!

2006-03-23T18:04:00.000+04:00

Give Life! Donate Blood!...

I was just passing by the blood bank today and I noticed a lot of college students, both boys and girls standing on the corridor. There faces were lit up and they had their own discussions about donating their blood. It was a very pleasant morning and the students were dressed very elegantly. Nearly about twenty of them were present and later I found out that all of them had volunteered to donate their blood. Two of them had a very rare group AB negative. They felt so happy that their blood could save many lives. It is very interesting to note that the present day students are very open and they are always ready to help in whatever way they could. In my days I had to get the permission of the elders to do such things. Kudos young generation!
We all expect blood to be there for us, but barely a fraction of those who can give do. Yet sooner or later, virtually all of us will face a time of great vulnerability in which we will need blood. And that time is all too often unexpected. The honor, spirit and resources of the people comes forth with neighbors helping neighbors in need - during earthquakes, floods, fires, storms - and also for the deeply personal and often quiet disasters that require a gift of blood. Most people realize the need and importance of blood on ly when they meet with an emergency situation.
Some facts about Blood Donation
Any person above 18 years of age and over 45 Kgs. in wieght can donate blood once in three months.
A normal adult has five to six litres of blood in his/her body of which only 300ml is used during blood donation.
This blood is replaced by your body within 24 to 48 hours!
No special diet, rest or medicine is required after blood donation.
The donor should not have taken any medicine in the last 48 hours.
The donor should not have contacted jaundice in the previous three years.
Every donor is given a medical checkup prior to donation to see if he/she is medically fit and doesn't suffer from anaemia, high blood pressure etc.
The donor cannot contract AIDS or any other disease by donating blood.
So why wait? Go ahead and donate blood.

German Measles in pregnancy

2006-03-22T19:01:00.000+04:00

German Measles in Pregnancy
For Brindha, this was her first pregnancy. She was bundled up in pain. She was undergoing a process of termination for her miscarriage. Her eyes that were filled with joy when she was pronounced pregnant were filled with tears. Her agony both physically and mentally was evident from the way she was looking at the roof. She suffered from rubella when she was just 10 weeks pregnant.
German measles or rubella is a mild disease when compared with measles. Many children get it and don’t even know. The diseases are similar as both cause rashes and fever. Measles is a dangerous disease compared to german measles except when it affects the pregnant patients. The earlier she gets the rubella, the greater the danger to her child.
If rubella affects the child, the infant may suffer from severe birth defects. Deafness, heart disease, brain damage, eye defects and brain damages are the most common problems. Only one fifth of the children live and their lifespan are very short. Rubella is a viral disease, and is not easily detected because of most of the viral disease have the same symptoms. Laboratory tests are done to identify the disease. If we suspect rubella in a person, best is to isolate them.
Nowadays we have vaccination for rubella. Rubella doesn’t strike a person twice. A woman who plans to become pregnant, it is better to take the vaccination atleast six months if she had not contacted the disease. The rubella vaccine should not be given to pregnant women or to a woman who may become pregnant within 1 month of receiving the vaccine. If you are thinking about becoming pregnant, make sure that you are immune to rubella through a blood test or proof of immunization. If not, you should receive the vaccine at least 1 month before you become pregnant.
PreventionRubella can be prevented by a rubella vaccine. Widespread immunization against rubella is critical to controlling the spread of the disease, thereby preventing birth defects caused by congenital rubella syndrome. The vaccine is usually given to children at 12 to 15 months of age as part of the scheduled measles mumps -rubella (MMR) immunization. A second dose of MMR is generally given at 4 to 6 years of age, but should be given no later than 11 to 12 years of age. As is the case with all immunization schedules, there are important exceptions and special circumstances.
ContagiousnessThe rubella virus passes from person to person through tiny drops of fluid from the nose and throat. People who have rubella are most contagious from 1 week before to 1 week after the rash appears. Someone who is infected but has no symptoms can still spread the virus. Infants who have congenital rubella syndrome can shed the virus in urine and fluid from the nose and throat for a year or more and may pass the virus to people who have not been immunized.

2006-03-21T17:41:00.000+04:00

It has been my observation that more men seem to suffer from renal calculus or stones than ladies. A very young man developed severe pain from right loin to right groin. An ultra sonogram done for this patient revealed a stone of about 25mm x 30mm. this was his first episode. Most stones are detected when we do a routine abdominal scan.

Why do stones form in the kidney and bladder?

Most stones that grow in our kidneys, ureter and bladder are so small that they move harmlessly from our bodies. Othere, 25 mm or more can bring intense pain. Even tiny stones sometimes cause agonizing discomfort because they may be very sharp.
Some people because of their life style and diet are troubled particularly by stones. Those who become regularly dehydrated by doing hard physical work, or who live in a tropical climate are likely victims. Everywhere the chances of men getting stones are estimated to be three times those of women. Large stones which develop in the bladder may weigh as 1.5 kg and often they take years to develop; others from within a few weeks.
In most cases the doctors cannot identify a specific cause but they can point to common factors. Stone occurs more frequently during summer months, probably more fluid is lost as sweat and the urine becomes more concentrated. People who take large quantities of water have a lesser chance of developing these stones.
Kidney stones are made up of calcium oxalate and or phosphate. Calcium is a part of healthy diet is and is abundant in dairy products and citrus fruits. Oxalate occurs naturally in urine, but rhubarb, spinach, leafy vegetables, chocolate and coffee all of which are high in oxalic acid may increase in level in the body.
Fortunately, modern techniques ranging from laser to shock waves can dissolve or remove the stones without the need for open surgery. The most common mode of removing the stones is by ureteroscopy and basketting out the stones.

Stay Cool as a CUCUMBER.....

2006-03-20T16:52:00.000+04:00

STAY Cool As A CucUMBer

The month of March is almost marching out and we can feel the summer heat. The next three to four months, we are going to experience the heat. But we can always set it right with the right diet.
High temperature causes dehydration which is the major problem. We really don’t realize till we become thirsty. We experience severe headache, nausea and at times vomiting too. We feel very tired and exhausted and hate to work. Regular jobs become very tedious. Most of the time we do not realize that we are getting into dehydration. A minimum of atleast four glasses of water should be consumed in an hour. The colas and the carbonated waters do a lot of damage than really helping us. Tea and coffee should be avoided. They may temporarily quench the thirst that we experience. They act as diuretics and all the more we go into dehydration.
We can choose from a variety of fruits and drinks. Lime water with a pinch of salt and sugar does a lot to our system. Fresh fruits are rich in minerals, proteins and fibers. We can choose from a variety of fruits. Water rich fruits like the melons and sweet gourds are rich in water. Try to have a fruit salad by mixing different types of fruits. We are tempted to add lots of sugar when making a juice. So the best thing is to eat the fruit rather than squeezing it out. A midday meal can constitute a rich vegetable salad and a fruit salad. A light cold soup with tomatoes and baby corns is a good deal. Try to be away from heavy non-vegetarian meals. The only thing we have to be careful about is that when we make the vegetable and the fruit salads, our hands have to be very clean. The vegetables and the fruits should be washed in running water.
Well, stay cool as a cucumber!
Delphine Victoria
March 20, 2006

2006-03-14T17:28:00.000+04:00

It was 5PM and I was getting ready to go Home. This patient Kuppuswamy,aged 57 years, a chronic diabetic with a chronic diabetic ulcer in the foot (two toes already amputated) got admitted in my floor. I went to his room to do a preliminary check up. he was talking to me well, but as I was about to leave the room, he suddenly fell unconscious and stopped breathing. Well, I did revive him and sent him to the I.C.U.

what is a crdiac arrest?

Know the warning signs of cardiac arrest. During cardiac arrest a victim loses consciousness, stops normal breathing and loses pulse and blood pressure.

Give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to help keep the cardiac arrest victim alive until emergency help arrives. CPR keeps blood and oxygen flowing to the heart and brain until defibrillation can be administered.
What is cardiac arrest?
Cardiac arrest is the sudden, abrupt loss of heart function. The victim may or may not have diagnosed heart disease. It's also called sudden cardiac arrest or unexpected cardiac arrest. Sudden death (also called sudden cardiac death) occurs within minutes after symptoms appear.
What causes cardiac arrest?
The most common underlying reason for patients to die suddenly from cardiac arrest is coronary heart disease. Most cardiac arrests that lead to sudden death occur when the electrical impulses in the diseased heart become rapid (ventricular tachycardia) or chaotic (ventricular fibrillation) or both. This irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) causes the heart to suddenly stop beating. Some cardiac arrests are due to extreme slowing of the heart. This is called bradycardia.
Other factors besides heart disease and heart attack can cause cardiac arrest. They include respiratory arrest, electrocution, drowning, choking and trauma. Cardiac arrest can also occur without any known cause.
Can cardiac arrest be reversed?
Brain death and permanent death start to occur in just 4 to 6 minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest can be reversed if it's treated within a few minutes with an electric shock to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat. This process is called defibrillation. A victim's chances of survival are reduced by 7 to 10 percent with every minute that passes without defibrillation. Few attempts at resuscitation succeed after 10 minutes.

A diabetic has to be very careful as they always go into silent heart attack.

2006-03-14T17:21:00.000+04:00

For Him! "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us." "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward. Mark 9:38-41 NIV

2006-03-02T17:41:00.000+04:00

Tsunami and Diabetes.

What has Tsunami to do with Diabetes? The report given by Dr.A.Ramachandran, Managing director of M.V. hospital for Diabetes is amazing!
It is a well known fact that stress and diabetes go hand in hand. It is one of the precipitating factors for diabetes. But it also plays a bigger role when patients go through a tough time in life when they lose their beloved ones and their property due to natural calamity. In such cases the intensity of stress is higher and hence the contribution to cause diabetes and hypertension is more.
The tsunami that struck India and other countries on 26th December 2004 brought large scale destruction of property and loss of human lives. More people suffered from severe psychological stress. Dr. Ramachandran, conducted a study on people who suffered heavily by the killer waves has been able to show a higher incidence of glucose intolerance- a precursor to diabetes and full blown- diabetes. The team led by him studied the fishermen living in North Chennai. Two populations of fishermen living in the same area –one group affected by the tsunami and the other were not. They belonged to the same age group and income level. The group that lived near the sea feared the most than the other population that lived away from the sea. The study done in April – June last year studied nearly 1400 persons from both groups.
He said that some individual’s scores did not correlate with diabetes or IGT but as a population the increased stress score in fishermen who suffered from tsunami did correlate with the increase in incidence undiagnosed diabetes and IGT. The possible non-correlation of stress and diabetes on an individual basis according to him is because each person would react to stress in a different way. And women were found to be more stressed than men. This is not the first time that a positive correlation between stress and diabetes has been found. A study done in people following the earth quake in Kobe, Japan found that the glycemic control was aggravated in diabetic patients after the earth quake than the control group in Osaka which was unaffected by the earth quake. It is also well known that people suffer from cardio vascular disease following stress. Catecholamine a natural hormone is responsible for increasing the heart beat and the blood pressure. In under severe stress the hormone goes up and it causes an increased in blood pressure. So stress is always a contributing and a risk factor in diabetes and hypertension.

Do we need senior citizens home?

2006-02-28T17:28:00.000+04:00

To day I had the chance of visiting a senior citizen’s home run by Sheela hospital. I am completing two months of my service here in Sheela Hospital. I am slowly getting used to my new job. Initially I had every feeling to abandon this job. You know it takes some time to get adjusted. The new city, the new people and everything around you is so strange... and people also look at you very strangely if when you do some thing... Well, I seem to have crossed all these barriers now and I am little comfortable.. I have to start liking what I do.
So my visit to the senior citizens' house came as an invitation rather than a request. A lady was sick and so a doctor was needed. I happily acknoweledged the invitation to see her. The home is about 8 Kilometers from the hospital, but within the boundaries of Coimbatore city. I was assisted by a nurse Deepa, a sweet looking one, very soft and gentle. Kamala was the patient, too shy to get admitted as she was huge and she thought that she could not fit into a stretcher of an ambulance. Well it was tough convincing her as she had very sharp pain due to the cellulitis and an abscess in the leg . The pus had to be removed. She had to be investigated. The other inmates helped her to get into the ambulance.
I went around the home. I had very mixed feeling.... strange... bizarre.. is it the right word? in some rooms, husband and wife were living together. Most of them from very rich family. Highly educated,knowledgable.. retired as class one officers in the government service... some doctors, some engineers, Phds.. why should people prefer to go to homes? Can't they live with their children? unadaptable?.. children too much educated as to settle down in Phoren countries...how do we answer this..
Most of us come from joint families. The old take care of the young ones and the young take care of the old. This has been our culture. Why is there a deviation now? Old age homes are coming up now. The younger generation do not want to take care of the old people. They feel as though they are a burden. The present day generation is running after money,and fame. They are leading a fast life.There is so much of compettition,. They want to come to the top position in a short time. It is good, but they still have to look after the parents who gave everything for them to come up in their life.
I could see the hungry eyes lookin up for somebody to vist them. No doubt they are comfortable. They did tell me that they have the best facilties including medical facility, yet....There were posters in many rooms sent by their grandchildren that how much they love and care for them/. One senior citizen in particular was too happy as her three male children are in U.S.A as highly qualified doctors. She was so proud as her son will be coming to Delhi to deliver a speech at Delhi A.I.I.M.S in another month or so.. What a joy! but she also felt that if only God had given her a female child probably she could have stayed with her. The two sons of her got married to American girls and they don't have time to look after her. To her, this home is a heaven as she could not get adjusted with her American daughters-in-law. Both her sons talk to her every week end and she told me she was waiting for the weekend. Today is Just Monday!.
I spent about three hours talking to them examining them. It definitely did bring cheers to them and to me too. Suddenly I felt very insecured! May be one day I may also have to go in search of a Senior citizens home. O! Not that my children will abandon me, but it is going to be a way of life soon. Thank God for more and more of such homes are coming up in India. What a solace!!!!!.

2006-02-18T18:38:00.000+04:00

At Telc hotel, Singapore.

Smile

2006-01-30T18:56:00.000+04:00

Smile that takes us to milesof happiness

Smile that takes you miles away....

2006-01-30T18:49:00.000+04:00

Smile.....

kovai-flower show

2006-01-28T18:31:00.000+04:00

Kovai Flower Show

2006-01-28T18:28:00.000+04:00

Kovai Flower show.

2006-01-28T18:15:00.000+04:00

LIFE

2006-01-24T17:54:00.000+04:00

My LIFE.......MY EVERYTHING.....

Asthma....

2006-01-23T17:12:00.000+04:00

Know your Lungs.
Today I took classes for the 1st year Nursing students. The topic was on ‘Asthma’. Asthma is considered as a stigma in India. More people deny that they have asthma. My friend’s daughter, a teenager was very scared to tell her teacher that she suffers from asthma. She never used to show her medicines or the inhaler to her class mates. When she has problem all what she does is that she goes to the rest room and have her puff which is as bad as anything. People prefer to take their own medication rather than consulting the right doctor. We should understand that it is not a disease or a social stigma. There is nothing to be ashamed of. All that we need to do is to have our regular medicines and to avoid the allergens that come into contact with the body.
In asthma, the person’s lung is sensitive to certain substances. It could be dust, pollen, yeast, eggs, fish, water, some fruits and vegetables. These allergens make the bronchi sensitive and as a result there is secretion of a thin fluid initially and later on to a thick mucus. The airway gets narrowed. The patient has air hunger and wheezing. Cough is also present. There is a considerable reduction in the air flow and the lungs are not ventilated properly.
To manage asthma we need to understand a few factors. First we have to identify the allergen that stimulates the bronchus. Then we have to relieve the narrowing of the tube (bronchus). It will be more sensible for the patient to keep away from those that cause allergy.(like that of a fur of a cat or a cigarette smoke). The drug that is mostly used is the salbutamol. There are so many drug companies that manufacture this drug. In a condition called as the ‘status asthmaticus’ the patient is put on steroids. One should never allow himself to reach this point. However the attacks are paroxysmal in nature. The advent of the use of inhalers has greatly increased the comfort of the patients. The concentration of the drug in such inhalers is too small to cause any ill effects. Learning the proper technique of these inhalers is vital to ensure that one gets the needed amount of drug into the system. Salbutamol alone or the combination of salbutamol with steroids is available now. They relieve the spasm of the bronchi, widen them, and there by help in breathing.
It is not difficult to mange asthma at all. We just have to understand the problem lying behind it, and use the inhalers at the appropriate time. Don’t complicate your asthma by not taking your regular reliever puffs. Manage your asthma at the right time so that you don’t land up in difficulty.

Down's syndrome

2006-01-22T20:22:00.000+04:00

Down's syndrome is an agonising syndrome. During the early days of my career I had seen so many children with the above syndrome, but now there are lesser and lesser cases. the advent of ultrasonogram makes us to detect this condition and most people opt for termination. Don't these children have a right to live?

Children with Down Syndrome (DS) account for one of every 800 births. The risk of chromosome disorders like DS, trisomy 13 and trisomy 18 increases with maternal age. The incidence of DS at birth is lower at age 20 (1/1600) than at age 35 ( 1/370), but many more younger women have children than older women. So most (75-80%) DS children are born to younger women. If a couple has a child with DS, there is usually an increased risk for a second affected child.

Genetic Forms of DS
All individuals with DS have extra chromosome 21 material. There are 3 genetic mechanisms for trisomy 21. The first and most common, is called non-disjunction, where there is an entire extra chromosome 21 in all cells. A chromosome study (karyotype) of trisomy 21 is shown in Fig. 1.

The second is mosaic DS, where trisomy 21 cells are mixed with a second cell line, usually "normal" (46,XX or 46,XY). Individuals with this form of DS are frequently a bit milder in their presentation, depending on the proportion of normal cells.
The third is a translocation DS, about 3-5% of the total, where part or all of chromosome 21 is translocated to another chromosome, usually 14. Translocation DS does not vary with age. Children with translocation DS are indistinguishable from individuals with the usual form of DS.

Trisomy 21
An extra whole chromosome 21 in all cells examined is found in about 92 per cent of all DS individuals. This is shown in Figure 1. DS is common enough that it may appear that there is an excess cluster or hot spot when several DS children are born in the same area, but this is just chance and statistical variation.
As far as we know, there is no relationship between DS and diet, drugs, economic status, or life style. Some evidence suggests that it is a little more common in families with Alzheimer's disease in one or more older family members.
Non-disjunction results from unequal chromosome division, usually in the mother's egg production. This is the form of DS that increases in incidence with increased maternal age. But DS is so common, it is not rare in young parents.
If a couple has a child with DS, the risk is higher for the next pregnancy (1/100). Obviously, this means that the risk is 99% that the next child will NOT have DS. If the risk is already 1/220 at birth, the risk at age 37, the risk is usually estimated as twice the risk for age. Risks for amniocentesis results are higher because half to three-quarters of DS fetuses die before birth of natural causes.
The risk of DS does not appear increased in siblings of trisomy 21 individuals.
Prenatal testing is always recommended for couples who are worried about a second affected child. But prenatal testing procedures may not be for everyone, since they are expensive and many parents may not want to know or act on the information.
The testing is more than 99 per cent reliable in most genetic centers, only rarely is there a sampling of maternal cells, failure of cells to grow or bacterial or yeast contamination.

Mosaic Trisomy 21
A mosaic DS child has two populations of cells, the trisomy 21 cells, and a second cell line, usually normal. This form is 2-4 % of the DS population. The physical features may be milder in these individuals, particularly if there is a large proportion of normal cells.
It was once thought that the unequal chromosome division of mosaic DS takes place early after fertilization, and is a defect in mitotic cell division. However, CVS studies have shown that a fetus with 47 (XX or XY) + 21 chromosomes can lose an extra 21 chromosome in some cells, providing an alternate mechanism for the mosaic result. Thus, Mosaic DS may also be related to maternal age. This also means that an increased recurrence risk is theoretically possible, and prenatal studies for subsequent pregnancies would be recommended.
Translocation Trisomy 21
In 3 - 4% of DS the extra chromosome 21 is permanently attached to another chromosome causing a translocation. "Translocation" refers to one type of rearrangement of chromosomal material; in DS almost all translocations are Robertsonian translocations, named for Dr. Roberts, an Australian chromosome expert who originally described this type of translocation.
A Robertsonian translocation is formed when one chromosome 21 attaches to another chromosome, forming a single new, chromosome. The recipient chromosome is usually chromosome 14 and the combination of 2 chromosomes is called a fourteen, twenty one translocation, written t(14;21) or t(14q21q). The q refers to the long arm of a chromosome. Here, the long arm of 21 is attached to the long arm of 14.
Karyotypes with a Robertsonian translocation can be balanced or unbalanced. Individuals who have one 21, one 14, and a t(14;21) are balanced: there is no extra or missing chromosomal material. Here there are 45 instead of the usual 46 chromosomes. The one translocation chromosome now carries the original 2 chromosomes. A translocation DS karyotype is shown in Figure 2.

Down syndrome results when there are two chromosomes 21, one 14, and one t(14q21q) because this combination has 3 chromosomes 21, a trisomy 21 by a different genetic mechanism. Sometimes, a Robertsonian translocation is formed between a 21 and a chromosome other than a 14. There are Robertsonian translocations between 13 and 21; 15 and 21; and 21 and 22. The recurrence risks for DS for balanced carriers with these other translocations is taken to be the same as that for the t(14;21).
In about one-fourth of translocation DS individuals, the translocation is inherited. When it runs in families, the carriers are usually unaware they have a translocation because there are no problems for the balanced translocation carrier. Only with the birth of a DS child or DS fetus by miscarriage, does the couple find out one parent is a translocation carrier.

Coimbatore city

2006-01-22T15:48:00.000+04:00

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Life saving experiences

2006-01-22T15:38:00.000+04:00

Having been in this medical life for more than three decades, thought I should share my experiences