Running: Losing my religion

Forbes India Blog:

I am a runner by religion, and a very staunch one at that. I became a runner when I was 9 years old. I firmly believed that running gives you an even playing ground, which strips all of their social status and financial standing. 

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The fizzy healthcare industry

Forbes India blog:

I bring up the issue of fizzy drinks as currently there is a big move on in the UK where the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, comprising of 220,000 doctors, is demanding the government to levy extra taxes on fizzy drinks.

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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.

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

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

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.