Dr. Vikram .R. Lotwala

I have already written about the use of Twitter done by Doctors and other Medical workers to send information to patients as to the place they can visit for their dialysis, medication, injections, etc after the Deadly Earthquake. There are other lessons also to be learned from the Japanese. These are 1. THE CALMNESS - Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated. 2. THE DIGNITY - Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture. 3. THE ABILITY - The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn't fall. 4. THE GRACE - People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something. 5. THE ORDER - No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding. 6. THE SACRIFICE - Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid? 7. THE TENDERNESS - Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alo...

Here's how to stay energized and focused when facing the all-too-common afternoon slump If you're like many people, shortly after lunch your head begins buzzing, your concentration plummets, your eyes droop and the top of your desk begins to look as cozy as a feather mattress. There are many plausible theories for the midday dips: the morning surge of hormones has petered out; some degree of “brain tedium” – in other words, boredom – has set in. Or it may have something to do with what you ate; all meals divert blood from your brain to your gut but some foods also bump up levels of the soporific hormone serotonin. Before and during lunch… • Head outside and sit in the daylight for 10 minutes. Better still, have your lunch outside and divide your break between eating and a walk . Here's why: your office probably has about 500 luxes of light, which is equal to about 500 candles. That compares with 10,000 luxes at sunrise and 100,000 at noon on a July...

Dr. Vikram .R. Lotwala: Post Bariatric/ Obesity Surgery Patient Follow-up

4 simple ways to help your overweight kids exercise more. It's not surprising that overweight kids often don't like to exercise. Exercising in public, especially in front of other kids, can be humiliating if your weight makes it more difficult to move around. In fact, just wearing shorts and a T-shirt in front of other kids can be too embarrassing. A 2006 University of Florida study of 100 children found that bullying is a major reason why overweight kids don't exercise. Overweight children are bullied more than other kids, and they tend to avoid situations where they have been picked on before, such as gym classes or sports. But avoiding exercise isn't the answer. Hardening of the arteries can start during childhood in obese and inactive children. Regular exercise can help children reduce – and even reverse -- the risk of developing heart disease. As a parent, there are ways you can help. WebMD asked fitness experts for tips to help overweight kids find activi...

The world is getting fat. In many countries, the proportion of people at an unhealthy weight has more than doubled in the past few decades. 1 Globally, at least 1.3 billion adults and more than 42 million children are overweight or obese. 2 The consequences are considerable. Excess weight increases the risk of a wide range of illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers; an estimated 2.6 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Some epidemiologists believe that excess weight will soon rival tobacco as the world’s leading cause of preventable premature deaths—the obesity pandemic’s health effects may wipe out the gains in life expectancy achieved through decreasing smoking rates. 3 The obesity pandemic also has significant economic consequences. The World Health Organization estimates that in many developed countries, obesity now accounts for 2 percent to 7 percent of all health care spending. 4 Yet medical costs are ...

Severely obese individuals with migraine headache may have fewer and less intense headaches after losing a significant amount of weight through bariatric surgery, according to results of a small prospective, observational study. "A number of population-based studies have shown that obesity is associated with migraine, but to our knowledge this is the first study to actually show that weight loss is associated with improvements in migraine," first study author Dale S. Bond, PhD, of The Miriam Hospital Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center in Providence, Rhode Island, told Medscape Medical News . Although the study can't prove that weight loss is responsible for the easing of migraine, "we think weight loss is definitely playing a role," Dr. Bond said. He noted that a reduction in inflammation, which is hypothesized to be involved in migraine pathophysiology, might also contribute to this phenomenon. "We also know that inflammatory mediators...

Solutions: Improving Methods of Teaching Surgical Skills Dr. R H Bell has suggested seven recommendations to improve surgical education: Insure that the trainee has undergone both cognitive and skills training (simulation) with the procedure before going to the operating room. Have the resident assessed (using validated metrics) before going to the operating room (OR) so the faculty surgeon will know the resident possesses a basal level of ability. Rehearse the operation on a simulator and discuss with the faculty member where major intra-operative decisions need to be made before going to the OR. After the operation, debrief with the faculty member and review areas of accomplishment and parts of the operation that need more work. Grade the trainee's performance and file the report in the resident's portfolio. Have the resident review a video of ...