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