Dr. Vikram .R. Lotwala

Hello Friends. Today I came across a very neatly written editorial in Indian Express newspaper regarding the present scenario of Organ transplant in our country. It goes as, "A law that disregards common sense, exists to be violated. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, India and China had emerged as the kidney transplant hubs of the world. The resultant Transplantation of Human Organs Act (THOA) of 1994 banned commercial organ transplants, allowing only transplants from brain-dead patients and donations from the immediate family — spouses, parents, children and siblings. This constriction of supply against demand made it almost impossible to find donors. Yet, India has hundreds of thousands of patients needing transplants; and organs in demand are not just kidneys but also hearts, lungs, livers, pancreases, and so on. The law, in fact, led to a booming black market, where desperately ill recipients and desperately poor donors were exploited by middlemen. The Gurgaon o...

Nobodies are the new somebodies. That's the advice from  Guy Kawasaki , who says It's no longer big business and media giants who determine whether or not a new service or product will succeed. It's the unknowns, ordinary folks who have become the key influencers. And companies must remember that when they are trying to win people over to their ideas, products and services. It all boils down to one word: 'enchantment.' "If you can change people's hearts, minds and actions, you can change the world," said Kawasaki, a venture capitalist, a columnist with Entrepreneur Magazine and author of nine books on marketing and entrepreneurship who, as one of the employees behind Apple's marketing of the Macintosh pioneered evangelism back in 1984, turning consumers into avid advocates for the brand. While old-school marketing saw companies seeking to enchant those they figured had to power to influence, social media has made that practice obsolete. ...

The 7 Habits of Highly Innovative People By Steve Tobak | August 27, 2010     Tell the truth: how many times have you read a business or self-help book , said, “Wow, that was cool,” and then, well, nothing changed? Well, you’re not alone. That’s the whole problem with that genre; it’s always someone’s idea of what works for him or what he thinks will work for others. It really doesn’t account for the billions of variations on the theme of human intelligence. Still, Stephen R. Covey’s got millions of fans who swear by his seminal book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People . I’m not one of them, but that’s because I’m different. In fact, most entrepreneurs I know - and I know lots of them - just don’t fit the mold of folks who can actually benefit from a cookie-cutter set of habits. Instead, they tend to carve their own paths through life … and they do it their own way. So, with all due respect to Covey, here’s an adaptation of his s...

1: Nicotine Replacement Therapy Several types of nicotine replacement therapies are available, including nicotine patches, gums, nasal sprays, inhalers and lozenges. The objective in using nicotine replacement therapy is to break the habit of smoking, while gradually overcoming the physical addiction to nicotine. These methods provide a low dosage of nicotine without the harmful tars and other contaminants found in cigarette smoke. Clinical evidence does not prove which replacement therapy is best, since individual preferences vary. Overall, when using a nicotine replacement, consider the following: Not cheating on the first day of nicotine replacement increases the chance of quitting permanently tenfold. Nicotine replacement therapy is temporary and is used to aid in smoking cessation. These therapies should never be used as a long-term substitute for smoking. Counseling, self-help, or group therapy programs can enhance the effectiveness of the nicotine replacement therapy. Smokin...

A paper to be published in The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist (TOG) examines the evidence on pregnancy outcomes following uterine artery embolisation (UAE), a treatment for fibroids .1 The authors underline the potential reproductive risks of UAE, and urge caution in recommending this treatment to women who wish to become pregnant in the future. Uterine artery embolisation is a relatively new method for treating uterine fibroids.2 With the prevalence of fibroids being as high as 20-40% among women of reproductive age, this is a pressing issue as many women in the treatment population may not have completed their families. The authors reviewed retrospective data and two small prospective trials of UAE versus surgical intervention (laparoscopic myomectomy). The results showed an increased risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, caesarean section, malpresentation and postpartum haemorrhage in pregnancies following UAE. Furthermore, the review found significantly higher miscarriage ra...

Hello Friends. This is to inform you rearding a big event in our country on the dates 13-15th October at Bangalore, IFNOS World tour. The International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies is offering a global continuing medical education program featuring the most respected leaders in the field of head & neck surgery and oncology. Leaders in the s pecialty of head and neck oncology have organized this program for each region. The program will provide state-of-the-art knowledge and explore the frontiers of head and neck cancer diagnosis and treatment. Ample opportunity for interactive sessions between the local faculty, attendees and the travelling faculty will be provided. After a very successful World Tour Program in 2008, the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies is again offering a global continuing medical education program featuring the most respected leaders in the field of head & neck surgery and oncology....

Three Fast Ways to Build General Surgery Volume If you look at what brings the most bottom line Contribution Margin (or Profit) into your hospitals, it is probably General Surgery . More that Othro, Neuro, Cardio, or Cancer, good ole’ General Surgery brings in the most profit. But General Surgery is almost never promoted like a service line. It never gets the love like the big sub-specialty procedures. But this Plain Jane is a big bottom line producer. So how do you drive in more of this business? #1 Emergency Department Promotion We will talk about all the ways to promote the right kind of ER traffic in another post. But this much is true, the money you spend on driving the community to the ER when they have abdominal pain or any other hard to explain symptoms pays off in spades. #2 Promoting Minimally Invasive Surgery and Other Technologies Everybody gets it: a scope through a tiny hole in my belly is much better that cutting me wide open . Studies show that people ...

1. Don't Be Happy What are the downsides of happiness? For one thing, happier people are more prone to prejudicial behavior [source: Holt]. One possible explanation is that a contented, lackadaisical or happy attitude allows people to easily turn to stereotypes or other caricatures when making judgments. Happy people also can have excessively high self-regard -- to the point where they think that their thoughts or actions can control events clearly beyond their control. Similarly, concerns have been voiced that happy people may be easier to manipulate, particularly by unscrupulous political leaders. But happier people show higher levels of political involvement. Happy people generally live longer, but one study found that "cheerful and optimistic" U.S. children actually did not live as long as others, so draw your own conclusions [source: Holt]. There are other reasons not to reach for happiness at all costs. A blind pursuit of happiness may neglect some complicated eff...

Written by Millie Barret BSc(Hons), mBANT There are more than 293,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed each year in the UK, and more than 1 in 3 people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime. More than 1 in 3 people – that is a shocking figure. According to Cancer Research UK, approximately half and probably more, of all cancers could be prevented by diet and lifestyle changes. So we do have the power to act and reduce our personal risk of developing cancer – but how?                                                         The following nine recommendations come from the World Cancer Research Fund Global Network (WCRFGN), which is made up of a panel of international experts working in the fields of cancer ...

1: Partially Hydrogenated Oils Partially hydrogenated oils are added to foods to increase shelf life. This good intention is not consistent with good health. These oils provide fats that are very harmful to the cells of our body. Our cells will try to use these incorrect oils anyway, but the consequences are damage to the blood vessels and lack of needed oxygen to our cells. 2: High-fructose Corn Syrup High-fructose corn syrup is a potent sweetener found in a large amount of processed foods. Since it is cheaper to manufacture, it has replaced sugar as the sweetener in soft drinks, jams, jellies and even bread. Unfortunately, it is really too potent for the body and contains mercury from the manufacturing process. Many speculate that the rise in obesity and the rise in the use of high-fructose corn syrup are not a coincidental relationship. 3: Margarine Margarine has been heralded for many years as the safe replacement for butter to better prevent heart disease. Margarine is no safer, d...

Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit—and that can be the most frustrating thing in the world. Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those “senior moments." Whether it's relaxation or adding certain foods to your diet, read on for some techniques worth trying.  1. Chill Out The brain remembers better when it’s relaxed, say researchers at the California Institute of Technology, so take a few minutes each day to breathe deeply or meditate. "The positive of meditation is you have focused concentration and relaxation taking place at the same time," says Elizabeth Edgerly, PhD, spokesperson for the Alzheimer's Association. "Researchers believe those things are good because they're developing new connections for your brain cells."  2. Focus on the Future People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent reduced risk of Alzheimer’s dise...

More Than A Pinprick THE RISK TO INDIA’S NEWBORNS A SLY FUDGING OF FACTS IS PUSHING INDIA INTO BUYING VACCINES BACKED BY THE WHO THAT MAY HAVE KILLED CHILDREN IN OTHER COUNTRIES BY VIJAY SIMHA BABIES, THEY say, are a nice way to start people. They are also, it would appear, a nice way to start profit. If the babies are Indian, there’s added allure to the profit because there are so many of them every year. In the days to come, as the denouement of a series of extraordinary events, the Indian government is expected to make a fresh decision on the number of vaccines Indian infants are to be given soon after birth. Much rests on the decision for Indian families and, oddly, the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has made a bizarre push for new vaccines it wants Indian newborns to be given in the country’s public health p...