Is healthcare industry very 'trigger' happy?

Consider the evidence from a series of widespread doctor strikes in Los Angeles, Israel, and Colombia. It turns out that the death rate dropped significantly in those places, anywhere from 18 percent to 50 percent, when the doctors stopped working! This effect might be partially explained by patients’ putting off elective surgery during the strike. That’s what Craig Feied first thought when he read the literature. But he had a chance to observe a similar phenomenon firsthand when a lot of Washington doctors left town at the same time for a medical convention. The result: an across-the-board drop in mortality. 

“When there are too many physician-patient interactions, the amplitude gets turned up on everything,” he says. “More people with nonfatal problems are taking more medications and having more procedures, many of which are not really helpful and a few of which are harmful, while the people with really fatal illnesses are rarely cured and ultimately die anyway.” 

So it may be that going to the hospital slightly increases your odds of surviving if you’ve got a serious problem but increases your odds of dying if you don’t. Such are the vagaries of life.

- Super-Freakonomics (Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner)

- Page 81

Medical Columns in newspapers

"Shut your eyes to the medical columns of the newspapers, and you will save yourself many forebodings and symptoms."
— Samuel Hopkins Adams
'The Sure-Cure School,' Collier’s Weekly (14 Jul 1906). Reprinted in The Great American Fraud (1907), 84.

This holds true even after more than a century. Most folks take every word in the newspaper as gospel-word without appreciating the source and person who has just taken something out of context without even understanding the condition and making it very sexy and sell-able.

Disclaimer: I write for a health column in Mint newspaper. The intention is always to present very well researched but simple advice to problems.

Making Champions, Sacrificing Childhood

A few days ago, I received a call from a gentleman who wanted to make his 9 year old son a badminton world champion. He needed my help to get his fitness levels up to the mark.

The problem was that this gentleman wasn't interested in his kid, but was looking only for a world champ. The kid pain thanks to playing the sport without being fit enough, but the father didn't seem too bothered about that.

Just make it more interesting, he then told me that he could do training with his son. Why did he need us or any one else?

I just wasn't sure why he had come to us in the first place.

It's sad to see that kids are used commodities, and not as living beings, leave alone sons and daughters. Can there be some legislation for this?

Most efficient and practical cardio-vascular exercise session

With marathon boom happening in India, people are confusing passion with activities like long distance running being best for your health. It was in 2007, during India's first Ultra marathon held in Bangalore, where the maximum distance was for 78 km, I did 100 km. The race organisers could not comprehend triple digits and it didn't show up on their results page. But during first weekend of October 2012, an ultra marathon was organised around Bhatti Mines where twelve people had signed up for 100 miles.

I am very clear in my head that I run because I am crazy about it. So might be the case with folks who attempted 100 miles. From 3-4 such people in 2007, today we have over a hundred who would happily enter for 100 km race. In 2006, there would a few hundred who would sign up forna marathon but today I would imagine more than a lakh run a marathon every year.

But for maintaining health and health benefits from cardio-vascular exercise, it's shorter duration higher intensity exercise that is more important. I usually suggest people to have 30-45 minutes brisk. Now, there is evidence for the same.

Intensity versus duration of physical activity: implications for the metabolic syndrome. A prospective cohort study -- Laursen et al. 2 (5) -- BMJ Open
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/5/e001711.full

Pain killers before exercise bad for you

Source WebMD

Popping a painkiller such as ibuprofen to ward off exercise pain or anticipated pain is a common practice among athletes of many ability levels.

Some think it will also improve performance as it reduces pain.

But the practice may be hazardous, according to new research that focused on the use of the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen before and after workouts.

"We conclude that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) consumption by athletes is not harmless and should be discouraged," writes Kim van Wijck, MD, a surgical resident at ORBIS Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands.

Click here to read more

Mob sets hospital on fire after patient's death - NDTV

Irate villagers ransacked the sadar hospital in the district and set it on fire following the death of a woman patient allegedly due to doctors' negligence, police said today.

To read the full story by NDTV, click here

Brisk Walking Beats Long Strolls ... - about.com

Brisk Walking Beats Long Strolls for Reducing Metabolic Syndrome Risk

Read full article by about.com, click here

Child diabetes 'is being missed' - BBC

Your child has a raging thirst and is rapidly losing weight. What could be behind it - it couldn't be diabetes - could it?

For full article in BBC, click here

Too much sitting 'bad for health' - BBC

Sitting for long periods increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and death, researchers suggest.

To read full article by BBC, click here

Intensity versus duration of physical activity - British Medical Journal

Implications for the metabolic syndrome. A prospective cohort study -- Laursen et al. 2 (5) -- BMJ Open

To read the full article, click here

Spinal steroid shots may have little effect on sciatica - Chicago Tribune

Despite the growing popularity of steroid injections to treat various kinds of back pain in recent years, a new review of past research finds the shots do little to alleviate sciatica, a common condition that causes leg and back pain.

To read the full article by Chicago Tribune, click here

Early death link to muscle power - BBC

How muscular you are as a teenager may predict how long you might live, at least if you are a man, findings suggest.

Experts stress the findings do not mean muscle building makes you live longer.

The effect of poor muscular fitness in those tracked was similar to well established risk factors for early death, such as obesity and high blood pressure.

For full article, Click here 

The challenge of medical empowerment

"Rather than just reform healthcare, efforts should be made to help people maintain or regain their own health"

The title of this post was also the title of the piece done by someone else today in Mint newspaper. I was so excited to see someone else talk in my tone that I just needed to steal the title.

To read the full story, click here

Below is my response which never made it to the newspaper.

I just read your brilliant piece in Mint Newspaper titled 'The challenge of medical empowerment'. Thanks a million miles for an amazing piece, questioning the whole healthcare industry in a very sutle manner.

Health First, Medals Later

There is a lot more to playing sports than simply winning

Recently, a father came to me with his eight-year-old son. He wanted his child to become a future world champion in badminton. He wanted me to assess and then address his son’s physical fitness, which he felt was lacking. I was given 18 months to raise the child’s fitness level to international standards. I loved the challenge because I thought I had full parental support and we were on the same page.

To read more, check the story here ... http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/d5GIPv5mCn4Pmf8zESVD8J/Health-first-medals-later.html

BOUNCE BACK FROM CANCER

Physical exercise can help cancer patients and survivors but few doctors suggest it. 

Click here to read more in an article in Mint newspaper.

Blame the tight fitting jeans for your back pain

A recent study suggests that 'Gene flaw linked to low back pain'. 

Scientists have identified a gene flaw linked to disc problems that are a common cause of lower back pain. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19674045

As much as I like evidence based medicine, I hate it when it takes away common sense out of the equation. 

There are three major culprits for almost all chronic diseases: Genes, Environment & Lifestyle. 

You might not be able to change your parents, but as mentioned in previous post, it's up to you how you express your genes. If you have good genes and you do nothing with them, that's worse than having bad genes. But if you have so called 'bad genes' and you change your lifestyle and become more physically active, you will express your genes well. You will be better of than some one with good genes.

Will blog regularly

This is our new look website. Still under construction, but a lot more interactive and user friendly than before.

From now, we'll be blogging regularly on health and fitness issues which we have expertise in. It will by no means be limited to Aches & Pains and Sports Medicine alone. Back 2 Fitness is meant to be a move-mint.

Please help us by sharing your experiences and what would you like us to discuss about.

For topics already covered, please check other pages. You will find them very relevant for all.

Physical Activity: Cancer's biggest nemesis

On 4th March 2012, I had been invited to speak at Asian Breast Cancer Conference on 'Weight Gain, Diet & Physical Activity issues in Breast Cancer Survivors'. But I wasn't planning on going there and be another yes man. It was on purpose I focused only on Physical Activity, otherwise in trying to address to many issues, I would have diluted the most important one.

I took the oncology fraternity to task.

Is Cardio workout bad for you (for weight loss or otherwise)?

A friend of mine shared an article that spoke about 'How dangerous traditional cardio workout is for weight loss program.'

I have done a lot of articles on these topics, and always after thorough research. One of them is here... http://www.newslaundry.com/2012/03/quack-quack/ Scroll down till you see a BBC piece that I have spoken about.

For the piece in question, my response is below in red font.

This Type of Exercise can Damage your Heart

by Craig Ballantyne, CTT

Contributor:  Men's Health Magazine

Creator:  Turbulence Training

'Turbulence', are you serious! That is a very constructive term to have for name or training. My confidence level in whatever I am going to read next hasn't really sky rocketed though. Men's Health is not by any means a critically reviewed medical journal, which I am used, so I am going to be tough on them. 

Old story, new cover

Just read their (Vardan) website, they have created new words for therapy and treatments that already exist. They also base their physical therapy protocol upon fundamentally flawed 'functional training'. Just trying to blind all with razzle dazzle.

Functional Manual Therapy = osteopathy, physio or a combination massage methodologies.

Functional Mobilization™ (FM) and Soft Tissue Mobilization = see above

Automatic Core Engagement (ACE) = automatic and exists within patients with back pain regardless of training. Main issue is a delay in recruitment that functional training struggles to affect

Functional Tests = the body will always get better when practicing a skill so testing for a movement you're practicing is always going to show improvement - catch is you need to practice every movement possible (infinite)

- By Kieran Lowe, London

Osteopath & Sports Rehab

Starting to communicate better

Starting today, we will be using this blog, as it's a more dynamic communication tool.

Stay tuned in.

Testimonial: Severe Knee Pain to running 111km

Percy Fernandez:

I remember the evening I couldn't walk as I stepped outside the Metro. The pain was excruciating on my right knee as I simply couldn't walk. Thankfully, Rajat was with me as we were going into a meeting. And here I am, after a year. Stronger and wiser.

Thanks to them, I managed to run 111km on 11.11.11.

I love Rajat's approach to wellness. Holistic, I would say for want of a better word. Perhaps that's because he is a runner. His team is an illusion of magicians. They are professional to their marrow. They engage you. They can talk. And ofcourse, walk the talk. Most importantly, they are bunch of young, charming and vivacious boys and girls who add to that magical touch. Keep it up and keep up the good work.