Dr. Vikram .R. Lotwala

Today, WHO has signaled warning to all nations worldwide for the Swine flu outbreak. It has potential to become an pandemic. The origins of this new strain remain unknown. One theory is that Asian and European strains traveled to Mexico in migratory birds or in people, then combined with North American strains in Mexican pig factory farms before jumping over to farm workers. Originating in Mexico this time, swine flu has caused more than 100 deaths there and moved to the US, where more than a dozen children in New York are found to have caught it after a visit to Mexico. There are reports also coming in from Spain and even as far off as New Zealand now. Unconfirmed or suspected cases The US declared a public health emergency on Sunday as a precautionary measure. A top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, said she feared there would be deaths in the US as the new strain of flu spreads. Mexican health officials have said that the original disea...

Just taking a liberty from the usual topics. This is an extraordinary performance by a unknown person, who is now become a very famous singer and now known world over. This is what a fairy tale is about. This is what is self belief and self confidence. This is what is you were waiting for. This is what can happen to anyone of us who believe that............. yes ..........its possible. No matter what is you age. No matter how you look. No matter which place you belong. What matters is your determination to do something, something that you believe in, something you love doing. Luck favor's the brave. It can happen at any age. So keep trying till you succeed. Sit back and enjoy.

United Airlines may force some obese travellers to buy a second seat when flights are full and other passengers complain about being cramped. The policy brings practices at United in line with those at the other five biggest US carriers.

Finally, in the state of Maharashtra the ordinance has been passed by the Governor. The ordinance says offenders will face up to three years’ imprisonment or a fine up to Rs 50,000. Moreover, the offenders will have to pay twice the sum of the property damaged by them. Now, its the turn of other states to follow. Andra Pradesh was the first state to pass the ordinance has already implemented it. Till then August 24 should be remembered or celebrated as Doctor-Patient Protection day.

This is a article which has appeared in DNA newspaper. I thought i should share with you. The article is very well written by Dr. Usha Bohra Jade Goody, the reality television star who lived and died before the arch lights, can be credited with bringing into focus the threat of cervical cancer in Britain. Goody died of cervical cancer at the age of 27. Following her death, the number of women going for a cervical smear test in Britain shot up considerably. In India, we may know more about Goody than about cervical cancer. This, despite the fact, that cervical cancer is the most common form of cancer found among Indian women. DNA brings you some details about the disease and what you should do to prevent it. What is cervical cancer? Cervical cancer is cancer of the cells in the lining of the cervix. Cervical cancer does not form suddenly. Over time normal cervical cells can change slowly and turn into cancer cells. Where is my cervix? The cervix is found in the lower part or neck of th...

Sugar-sweetened beverages (soda sweetened with sugar, corn syrup, or other caloric sweeteners and other carbonated and uncarbonated drinks, such as sports and energy drinks) may be the single largest driver of the obesity epidemic. A recent meta-analysis found that the intake of sugared beverages is associated with increased body weight, poor nutrition, and displacement of more healthful beverages; increasing consumption increases risk for obesity and diabetes; the strongest effects are seen in studies with the best methods (e.g., longitudinal and interventional vs. correlational studies); and interventional studies show that reduced intake of soft drinks improves health. Studies that do not support a relationship between consumption of sugared beverages and health outcomes tend to be conducted by authors supported by the beverage industry. The raised taxation on Tobacco Industries has helped to some extent. In this way the taxes can work for the Cola drinks and Fried and ...

In what is claimed to be a pioneering kidney surgery, an Indian-origin Surgeon has removed the vital organ of a 30-year-old British patient through an incision in her belly button. Dr Abhay Rane of East Surrey Hospital in Britain used a revolutionary procedure, called Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery, to remove Susie White's kidney in a surgery which has left no visible scars. Doctors made a hole less than one inch wide in her navel through which they inserted up to three specially made surgical tools that are just a fraction of an inch wide – half the size of standard equipment. The kidney, which usually measures up to seven inches long, was then wrapped in a small net bag and broken up while inside her body using a series of tiny blades. The whole bag containing the reduced organ was then removed through the incision. Ms White was able to return to work three weeks later, half the usual recovery time.

This shocking result is conclusion of study, carried by Dr Anoop Misra ( Fortis Hospital) and Dr R M Pandey (AIIMS) . Two of three women in urban India are overweight, found a three-year study of 4,621 women across India. The study, done by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Department of Science and Technology and the Diabetes Foundation of India here on Sunday, studied urban and rural women over 35 years in Kolkata, Kochi, Pondicherry, Jaipur, Ballabgarh (outside Delhi), Gandhigram, Pune, Pondicherry and Jaipur. Risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure, high bad cholesterol and tobacco use were common. Twenty-five per cent urban women had high cholesterol levels as compared to 13 per cent present among the rural population. Ninety-six per cent of urban women and 76 per cent of rural women had at least one cardiovascular risk factor. Sixty-four per cent women in urban areas are overweight. 36 per cent women in rural areas were found to be overweig...

Present classifications of obesity based on body mass index, waist circumference and other anthropometric measures have important limitations when applied to individuals in clinical practice. These mesures fail to provide information on presence or extent of comorbidities or functional limitations that would guide decision making in individuals. Dr. A M Sharma, a canadian Physician who has devised this study says, Basically this is a five stage system that outlines five levels or grades of obesity and which treatments might be pursued at each level. However, the levels are not determined by weight, but by whether or not certain weight-related conditions are present and the severity of those conditions. So I think this system is pretty great and I hope it’s adopted by clinicians everywhere. I love that it focuses on actual health problems and not just on weight. I love that it suggests looking for ‘non-weight related contributors to risk factors’ instead of assuming any problem is cau...