Medical News & Views from India

Porphyria: The Vampire Disease

And this explains, that those supernatural, blood drinking ‘vampires’ from the werewolf – vampire folklores of the 20th century, were perhaps humans suffering from a rare genetic disorder – Porphyria.

Porphyria comes from the word ‘Porphura’ meaning Purple pigment. So, how this disease is related to the purple pigment and more so, why is it known as the Vampire disease?

Porphyria is related to Porphyrins – a chemical produced by Healthy Human body, that is somewhat purple in color. And the absence of this, leads to the dreaded vampire disease.

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Heavy Metal Poisoning – 6 Most Toxic Elements to Human Health

Metals that have high atomic weight, with a density five times greater than that of water, are grouped together as heavy metals. Heavy metal poisoning or toxicity relates to all harmful effects that can be brought about by these metals, posing huge danger to human health and the environment as a whole.

Not all heavy metals are menacing. It is only the inappropriate presence of these metals in body that prove detrimental to our health. Heavy metal poisoning greatly relates to metals such as; cadmium, arsenic, mercury and lead. However, there are a number of other heavy metals and metalloids that prove equally hostile to our physical or mental well being. A few of them have been listed in later sections.

Heavy metals can find their way into our body via ingestion, inhalation and absorption through skin. Thereafter, they inhibit normal functioning of body’s metabolism, leading to variety of disorders and diseases. Continue reading “Heavy Metal Poisoning – 6 Most Toxic Elements to Human Health” →

Blood Cancer – Types, Symptoms and Treatment

Human blood comprises of four essential components – plasma, red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs) and platelets.

All RBCs, platelets and most of the WBCs are generated in the Bone Marrow; which is present as soft tissues, deep inside bones. Two essential types of white blood cells – T cells and B Cells, that are together known as lymphocytes are also produced and then mature in the lymph nodes as well. Plasma, on the other hand constitutes 55% of total blood volume and holds all blood cells in suspension.

Both the bone marrow and lymph nodes form primary and secondary organs of lymphatic system respectively. Lymphatic system is again an essential part of the circulatory system.

Any cancerous growth affecting blood, bone marrow or the lymphatic system is termed as blood cancer. Continue reading “Blood Cancer – Types, Symptoms and Treatment” →

Pineal Gland aka Third Eye: Where Mysticism Meets Science!

Over the years, humans evolved to reach this anatomy and physiology of which we are so proud today. During this journey of evolution and betterment, humans – the only rational animals on planet, witnessed series of changes in their lifestyle; starting from the stone age to today’s digital era.

As our lifestyle kept changing, so did our anatomy. The organs and body parts that have been used throughout, still exist; while those that had a declining functionality have lost their importance and thus termed as Vestigial Organs.

However, the answers to changing anatomy did not come up as easily as we can state them today. It took years of research and study to reach befitting answers that could satiate curious minds and nullify fallacies that were held strongly by people. As for instance, it was only around the mid 20th century, that our scientists could come up with some factual concepts related to our Pineal Gland; that was wrongly thought to be a vestigial organ. Continue reading “Pineal Gland aka Third Eye: Where Mysticism Meets Science!” →

Osteoporosis – Even Sneezing could Break Your Bones!

Yes you read it right. Many doctors overseas, are afraid, that if osteoporosis is not taken care of at an early stage, it may lead to severe conditions. Some doctors even claim that a simple act of sneezing or coughing could lead to broken bones.

And yes, this is not something specific to the West alone. If Osteoporosis is left undiagnosed and untreated for long, anybody living in any part of the globe, can become prone to such severe medical condition.

What is Osteoporosis?

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Caring For Your Joints – Understanding Arthritis

Every second family in India houses a patient who is already suffering from Arthritis; or perhaps prone to this condition. Arthritis – a disease that greatly challenges your mobility, has been around for years as one of the major causes of disability amongst people.

Over the years, arthritis has been thought to be a medical condition afflicting older generations alone. And perhaps it would not be wrong to say that this perception, although not fully correct, still exists among the Indian population.

However, it may come up as a shocking revelation for many to know, that arthritis could affect children below the age of 16 years or even lesser! Continue reading “Caring For Your Joints – Understanding Arthritis” →

All You Need To Know About Your Hernia Surgery

Muscles and tissues are responsible in holding every organ in its specific location within the body. Hernia is a condition when an organ, due to variety of reasons, gets displaced, and a part of it protrudes through openings in muscles and tissues that are holding it.

Hernias are mostly associated with intestines that may push out through weak points in the abdominal wall that carries it.

Besides abdomen, hernias can develop in different parts of the body, such as thighs, belly and groin areas. Depending upon the location where they occur, hernias have been classified in different categories discussed later.

Hernia surgeries are getting very popular in India. Both men and women are somewhat prone to this medical condition. However, men are at greater risk. Hernias very rarely prove fatal. In most cases, medication and surgeries bring about the required solution.

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Malnourished India – Know it to Fight it

Hunger and malnutrition are often used interchangeably. However, starvation is simply one side of the story. Malnutrition is a condition where the body is unable to derive accurate quantity of nutrients from the food intake. And this inaccuracy necessarily does not mean lower than required levels alone; it can also suggest higher than acceptable range.

Malnutrition has been classified under two segments, namely – Under nutrition and Over nutrition.

Under nutrition: A condition where the body does not receive sufficient amount of nutrients from food.
Over nutrition: A condition where the body receives excess nutrients from the food intake.

Out of the two, under nutrition is more talked about and prevalent in India and other developing countries. Affluent countries on the other hand, have a large population suffering from over nutrition too.

Indian Medical experts are definitely having a tough time solving this burning issue of hunger, leading to under nutrition. It is a grave misfortune that infants and children constitute a major portion of malnourished India. Continue reading “Malnourished India – Know it to Fight it” →

Brain Hemorrhage – Types, Causes and Prevention

Brain Hemorrhage – a fatal medical condition leading to uncontrolled bleeding within the brain or anywhere between brain and skull. The term Hemorrhage is derived from Haemorrhagy – an obsolete term meaning ‘blood burst.’

Hemorrhage or blood burst can be internal or external. With regards to brain, it is always internal and depending on the location inside the skull. Depending on this location, there are different types of brain hemorrhages discussed later.

Bleeding brain can have multiple reasons behind. However, very recent reports suggest that some drugs that are frequently being used to treat common cold and cough may sometimes lead to Brain Hemorrhage! And that’s not all, reports also suggest that children are more susceptible to such life threatening conditions.

So if your 3 years old is complaining of a severe headache or dizziness while on cold medicines, don’t wait for cough drugs to improve conditions. Who knows they may even work otherwise and cause Brain hemorrhage! EERIE…. Continue reading “Brain Hemorrhage – Types, Causes and Prevention” →

IVF Treatment in India – Procedure and Risks Involved

IVF – acronym used for In Vitro Fertilization. In vitro is a word of Latin origin, meaning ‘within glasses.’ Therefore, in vitro fertilization implies a fertilization procedure taking place within glasses or precisely inside test tubes. Test tube babies is a popular terminology used for babies born out of IVF procedures.

The process of in vitro fertilization came up as a phenomenal discovery that brought about one effective and much needed solution for infertility problems. There can be numerous problems relating to human reproductive system that inhibit normal fertilization.

Normal human fertilization is a process in which a sperm released by testis in males unites with ovum produced by ovaries in females to form a zygote. This union takes place in the pair of Fallopian tubes – an essential part of the female reproductive organ. The zygote eventually matures and develops into a fetus and a baby is born after 9 months of pregnancy. Continue reading “IVF Treatment in India – Procedure and Risks Involved” →