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Does The Monsoon Makes People More Prone To Illness Than Usual?
Monsoon – the time of heavy rain in several parts of India. And needless to say, after the scorching summer, it is a respite. Apart from bringing joys and cool breeze, it also brings us another factor- the cold and flu. Monsoon is after all, highly associated with running nose and sick leaves from work and schools. Many are even seen in the hospitals in Kolkata when their self-medication does not work.
Is there a coherent connection between these two, or it is simply a silly reason to avoid getting drenched in rain. Let’s understand in details
There is an old myth that suggests getting wet in the rain lowers the body temperature significantly and attracts all the symptoms of several illnesses. However, one must remember that flu is caused due to the intervention of virus not due to prolonged contact of water on the body. If it had been true, a long shower or bath would result in flu as well.
So, let’s understand what happens. The rainwater itself does not possess any threat to our health, it is water after all, which we use to clean and freshen ourselves. However, the rainwater is circulated from open water bodies which are exposed to natural and chemical pollution and biological pathogens. Also, during the entire process of the water cycle, it attracts dirt and other airborne pathogens as well. Overall, the rain water is nothing resembling the distilled water, as many people believe it.
Once we are exposed to the rain, the pathogens get an easy pass to spread its count and cause symptoms. However, whether or not we directly get drenched in it, the rainwater certainly wets our clothes, building and other possession that we contact directly. This way, the virus and other pathogens enter our system and start hampering the immune system. The most common monsoon illness are the common cold, viral fever, flu, etc.
Moreover, being in wet clothes for a longer period of time can also lower the temperature significantly and weakens the white blood cells, thus it makes the work of immune system a bit more challenging. So, changing into the dry set of clothes after getting wet is highly recommended along with not eating junk food from the street vendors, which are directly exposed to all the ill effect of monsoon.
Despite all these effects, this season can actually be enjoyed with few precautions and trips to hospitals. So stay healthy and happy monsoon to you!
A Brief Introduction of Gynecomastia
We all have heard at some point in time that, it is important to love oneself, at every condition to be happy. However, it is rather difficult to do, than to say when an individual is suffering from a condition, they are very embarrassed from within. Gynecomastia is certainly one of such condition that qualifies for the same and can turn any man’s life into a nightmare. Often a surgical solution is the only way to make things better.
Gynecomastia or male breast enlargement is a condition characterized by enlargement of breasts in men. This swelling occurs due to the proliferation of fatty tissue underlying the breast. The breasts are the symbol of feminism and maternity and play a vital role in the well-being of a newborn baby in terms of providing nutrition and immunization from several diseases. Having well-developed breast in case of any men is not only useless but more like an embarrassment.
Even though most of the times the cell growth is non-malignant, which means it like not likely to grow into cancerous growth, but it may possess some difficulties and discomfort such as pain, swelling, and adjustment required to sleep to getting dressed. Also, the deformation of the normal chest contour of a man can hamper the self-confidence and social image, leading to depression and low esteem.
It has been found that the count of men suffering from this condition reach as high as 65 percent, however, not all of them require surgical intervention. Reason being several male individuals encounter this condition solely during the adolescent age due to hormonal change. With time, it readjusts on its own, eliminating any correction treatment. Some other men acquire this condition while battling with obesity. As obesity itself is a condition of accumulating fat, the breasts are no exception. However, work and metabolic treatment often address the situation.
This leaves with that individual who is seriously suffering from this condition and is in desperate need of proper medical help. Though oral medication and hormonal therapy can help with the entire treatment, often the breast reduction surgery is required to settle the problem completely. It is either done through liposuction or tissue extraction, depending on the condition.
With proper medication, if required a surgery at the best hospitals in Kolkata and help for family, friends and support groups, this condition can be overcome completely.
Thalassemia – Definition, Symptoms & Diagnosis. Can it be Cured Permanently?
Thalassemia is a genetically inherited medical condition which involves making an abnormal type of hemoglobin cells. It is one of the common illness treated in hospitals in Kolkata. The hemoglobin is the protein component in the blood that carries the oxygen. With time this condition further develops into anemia. It is another complicated condition, in which the individual does, not have an adequate amount of blood, namely the red blood cells in their body.
Thalassemia being inherited makes either of the parent, the carrier of the same. There are several types of the same, however, the two types- alpha and beta thalassemia. In the prior type, at last, one alpha goblin gene possesses a mutation. While in the later one, the beta goblin genes are responsible.
Symptoms of Thalassemia
Though the symptoms may vary greatly from type to type and as per the overall condition of the individual, some of the common ones for the same are as follows-
- Pale skin color including the occurrence of jaundice
- Fatigue
- Dark urine, indicating the breakdown cells
- Bone deformities particularly in the face
- Poor appetite
- Delayed growth and puberty
- Enlarged heart, liver
Diagnosing the disease is a very important tool to proceed towards a healthy treatment. It usually involves collection blood sample and screening them for the presence of anemia. The screening will also involve looking the blood cells under a microscope to see if the shape of red blood cells. The presence of abnormally shaped red blood cells is usually an affirmative sign of thalassemia. In order to investigate the type, the hemoglobin electrophoresis is carried out, which involves separating the different component molecules of blood and studying the exact abnormality type.
The occurrence of thalassemia is more prevalent among the people of Greek, Italian, South Asian, Middle Eastern and African descent.
Treatment
The treatment procedure entirely depends on the severity and type of the thalassemia. Some of the mostly executed treatment procedures include
- Bone marrow transplant
- Blood transfusion
- Medicines and supplements to suppress the effects
- In case, the disease gets to an advanced stage and becomes complicated the doctor might even suggest surgical removal of gallbladder and spleen
The doctor recommends iron supplements and chelation for some period of time, after a blood transfusion. With proper and timely medication one can live a significantly healthy life. However, this means leading an extremely cautious life.
A Brief Introduction of Depression
We all spend our lives between phases of happiness and sadness and obviously in between several shades of the mentioned emotions. A state of extreme happiness is euphoria and usually does not ring any alarm but the state of extreme grief or sadness, however, is called depression and it can cause some serious damage if not addressed on time.
Sadly, many myths surround depression, its treatment, and cure. And thus, many do not seek medical treatment for it in the best hospitals in Kolkata. Moreover, several individuals do not consult the treatment for the recommended time period and thus, often does not make full recovery and relapse due to the same in future.
Several people assume depression as a made up illness, ruling it out altogether from the list of medical problems itself. For them, it is a mood fluctuation that does not affect the overall physical or mental health or ability. However, it has been found that an individual suffering from clinical depression, might lose functionality in several aspects.
Another group believes that depression resolves on its own. Well, since anything is possible, it may be true for those with exceptional willpower, but for the rest, sadly it is not. Professional help, individual or group therapy are often required to cure the individual out of clinical depression. However, a handful of the reformed patients recommends making lifestyle changes, medication, yoga, and spiritual guidance can make a significant change and also empower them to deal with it in future.
There’s yet another group of people who do count depression as an illness and believes that it does not resolve on its own. Though it might appear like a sensible class of people, sadly, they believe no drug in the medical world can cure an illness of mind and mood. However, thankfully, in this era, medical science has ways to treat most of the problem. And depression is no exception. After ruling out the possibility of the thyroid through physical examination, an actual depression can be effectively addressed through medication.
In fact, about 80% patients respond positively to treatment. The remaining patients are musty those who discontinue treatment in between and relapse again. Thus, in a nutshell, depression is a very real medical illness and more people suffers from it than they admit it openly. But with medical help, it can be treated completely. Thankfully many hospitals in Kolkata offer best treatment for the same.
Abnormal Heartbeat: What Is It And What Consequences Does It Have?
Skipping a heartbeat or racing of the heart is a very routine event in literature and usually, leads towards a happy ending. But in reality an abnormal heartbeat, if too fast to too slow, is not normal and particularly, its repeated occurrence of the same happens without a medical review, things might be just opposite of a happy ending. That is why any irregularities of the heart beat should be considered as a cardiac emergency and medical opinion and care must be sought.
Having a cardiac arrhythmia or more commonly known as irregular heartbeats and cardiac dysrhythmia is a cluster of medical conditions in which the individual experience irregular heartbeat. The normal heartbeat is calculated in terms of a number of beats in a minute. The normal range between 70 to 85 and it varies between genders. A heartbeat of 70 to 72 beats for men and 78 to 82 for women is considered as ideal. However, it does not alarm any major cardiac abnormality as long as the heartbeat ranges from 60 to 100.
A cardiac arrhythmia is of two types, either due to being too slow or too fast. Tachycardia is the condition when the heart beats too rapidly, more than 100 beats in a minute. Bradycardia is the condition when the heart beats too slowly, less than 60 beats in a minute.
Having any pre-existing heart disease, misbalance of electrolytes such as potassium or sodium in the bloodstream, an injury from a previous heart attack, change in cardiac muscle, are all the medical risk factor for having an irregular heartbeat. Being stressed, emotional or adrenalin rush might also cause an irregularity in the heartbeat but these factors are not likely to onset a cardiac arrhythmia.
Though several cardiac arrhythmias are not serious, and limits to symptoms of the same such as shortness of breath, passing out, lightheadedness, palpitation and chest pain for a small period of time. Some of them, however, can lead to complications like heart failure and stroke and can prove fatal, particularly the ones that occur repeatedly.
Thus, in case the patient is an aged individual or experiencing the same for more than a couple of time, he or she is advised to consider this as a cardiac emergency and is recommended to seek medical treatment on time. In order to keep track of the same, the use of heart monitor or pulse indicator is advised as well.