India is yaws, maternal/ neonatal tetanus/ Polio / Guinea Worm/ Small Pox free.

India is yaws, maternal/ neonatal tetanus/ Polio / Guinea Worm/ Small Pox free.

Dr K K Aggarwal

This is the strength of Modern Medicine. 1. In May 2016 WHO certified India yaws-free. India is the first country under the 2012 WHO neglected tropical diseases (NTD) roadmap to eliminate yaws, a disease known to affect the most underserved population. It is said ‘where the road ends, yaws begins’. 2. Until a few decades ago the country reported 150 000 to 200 000 neonatal tetanus cases annually. After India’s success in MNTE (maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination), Indonesia was validated for the same on 18 May this year. With this the entire WHO South-East Asia Region has achieved elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus. WHO SEAR is the second WHO region, after European Region, to achieve MNTE. Indonesia and Timor-Leste are now the only remaining countries with yaws transmission in the WHO South-East Asia Region. 3. India is already Polio free 4. Guinea Worm disease free in February 2000 5. Smallpox free

India is yaws, maternal/ neonatal tetanus/ Polio / Guinea Worm/ Small Pox free.

India is yaws, maternal/ neonatal tetanus/ Polio / Guinea Worm/ Small Pox free.

Dr K K Aggarwal

This is the strength of Modern Medicine. 1. In May 2016 WHO certified India yaws-free. India is the first country under the 2012 WHO neglected tropical diseases (NTD) roadmap to eliminate yaws, a disease known to affect the most underserved population. It is said ‘where the road ends, yaws begins’. 2. Until a few decades ago the country reported 150 000 to 200 000 neonatal tetanus cases annually. After India’s success in MNTE (maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination), Indonesia was validated for the same on 18 May this year. With this the entire WHO South-East Asia Region has achieved elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus. WHO SEAR is the second WHO region, after European Region, to achieve MNTE. Indonesia and Timor-Leste are now the only remaining countries with yaws transmission in the WHO South-East Asia Region. 3. India is already Polio free 4. Guinea Worm disease free in February 2000 5. Smallpox free

Too much salt damages blood vessels and cause high BP

Too much salt damages blood vessels and cause high BP New Delhi, July 17, 2016: "Eating a high-salt diet for several years is associated with markers of blood vessel damage like high uric acid and presence of albumin in the urine. People with any of these markers of blood vessel damage, with a high-salt diet are more likely to develop high blood pressure," said Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal – President Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) and Honorary Secretary General IMA.
The study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation analysed the association between sodium consumption and blood levels of uric acid and albumin in the urine — both markers of blood vessel damage — in participants not taking high blood pressure medicine. Higher sodium intake was associated with increasing levels of uric acid and albumin over time. The higher the levels of these markers, the greater the risk of developing hypertension, if dietary salt intake was high.
Compared with participants eating the least amount of sodium (2.2 grams a day), those eating the most (6.2 grams mg/d) were 21% more likely to develop high blood pressure.
Those who had high uric acid levels and ate the most salt were 32% more likely to develop high blood pressure while those with high urine albumin levels and highest salt intake were 86% more likely to develop high blood pressure.
A high-salt diet is believed to be responsible for 20% to 40% of all cases of high blood pressure.

10 risk factors associated with 90% risk of stroke globally

10 risk factors associated with 90% risk of stroke globally

Dr K K Aggarwal Researchers from McMaster University, Canada have found that 10 potentially modifiable risk factors are collectively associated with about 90% of strokes, 91·5% for ischemic stroke, 87·1% for intracerebral hemorrhage, worldwide in each major region of the world, among ethnic groups, in men and women, and in all ages. The following 10 risk factors were found to be significantly associated with 90% of the risk of stroke: 1. High blood pressure 2. Smoking 3. Waist-to-hip ratio (abdominal obesity) 4. Diet 5. Physical activity 6. Lipids 7. Diabetes mellitus 8. Alcohol intake 9. Stress and depression 10. Heart disorders Hypertension was more associated with intracerebral hemorrhage than with ischemic stroke, whereas current smoking, diabetes, apolipoproteins, and cardiac causes were more associated with ischemic stroke. The international case-control INTERSTROKE study investigated global and regional effects of potentially modifiable risk factors associated with acute stroke was conducted in 32 countries in Asia, America, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and Africa. The findings of the study are published online 15 July 2016 in The Lancet.

Burnout syndrome: A Critical Care Societies Collaborative call-to-action statement

Burnout syndrome: A Critical Care Societies Collaborative call-to-action statement Critical care health care professionals have one of the highest rates of burnout syndrome (BOS), compared with other health care professionals, according to a Critical Care Societies Collaborative call-to-action statement published in the July 2016 issue of the journal Chest. The statement has categorized risk factors by personal characteristics, organizational factors, quality of working relationships and exposure to end-of-life issues and calls for healthy ICU work environments that ultimately improve patients’ quality of care. The Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC) comprises four major US professional and scientific societies: the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, the American College of Chest Physicians, the American Thoracic Society, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. The statement reviews the diagnostic criteria, prevalence, causative factors and consequences of BOS along with potential interventions that may be used to prevent and treat BOS. • BOS occurs due to an imbalance of personal characteristics of the employee and work-related issues or other organizational factors. • The outcomes include increased rates of job turnover, reduced patient satisfaction, and decreased quality of care. • BOS also directly affects the mental health and physical well-being of the many critical care physicians, nurses, and other health-care professionals who practice worldwide. • Being self-critical, engaging in unhelpful coping strategies, sleep deprivation and a work-life imbalance have been identified as some of the personal traits associated with BOS. • Other personal risk factors associated with BOS are idealism, perfectionism and overcommitment, qualities that are often found in the best and most productive employees. • Critical care health-care professionals and their friends and family should be able to recognize the features of BOS and each critical care health-care professional should be personally responsible for managing their own BOS symptoms and related consequences • ICU teams should improve their ability to function as a group, respect each other, and reduce triggers of BOS. • ICU leaders should implement programs that identify and manage employees with BOS. • Hospitals should provide assistance programs for employees with (or at risk for) BOS and other psychological disorders such as PTSD. • Hospitals or clinical practices should consider limiting the number of consecutive days that a critical care health-care professional works, while promoting healthy sleep habits and the importance of sleep recovery. • Professional societies should educate and inform their members about BOS and other psychological disorders that impair the mental and physical health of their members, reduce the quality of care of their patients, and may deter trainees from entering their specific field.

Do not take drugs with juices

Do not take drugs with juices New Delhi, July 16, 2016: "Grapefruit juice can reduce the absorption of certain medications. Other common juices, including orange and apple, may limit the body’s absorption of drugs, compromising their effectiveness," said Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal – President Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) and Honorary Secretary General IMA. Quoting Dr David Bailey from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, Dr Aggarwal said that grapefruit juice markedly reduces the amount of drug that gets into the bloodstream. As per the American Academy of Family Physicians, doctors traditionally warn against drinking grapefruit juice if you’re taking certain medications for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart rhythm problems. Research has shown that grapefruit juice, as well as orange and apple juice, can lower the body’s absorption of some drugs like anti-cancer drug Etopophos, beta-blockers like Atenolol, and anti-transplant rejection drug cyclosporine and antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and itraconazole. Healthy volunteers who took the allergy drug fexofenadine with grapefruit juice absorbed only half the amount of the drug, compared with volunteers who took the medicine with water. Substances in the juices affect the absorption of drugs. Some chemicals block a drug uptake transporter, reducing drug absorption; other chemicals block a drug metabolizing enzyme that normally breaks down the drugs. In general, it’s safest to take medication with water. A glass is better than a sip. It helps dissolve the tablet. Cool water is better than hot because your stomach empties cool water faster, sending the medication on its way to the small intestine and finally the blood stream.

Do not take drugs with juices

Do not take drugs with juices New Delhi, July 16, 2016: "Grapefruit juice can reduce the absorption of certain medications. Other common juices, including orange and apple, may limit the body’s absorption of drugs, compromising their effectiveness," said Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal – President Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) and Honorary Secretary General IMA. Quoting Dr David Bailey from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, Dr Aggarwal said that grapefruit juice markedly reduces the amount of drug that gets into the bloodstream. As per the American Academy of Family Physicians, doctors traditionally warn against drinking grapefruit juice if you’re taking certain medications for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart rhythm problems. Research has shown that grapefruit juice, as well as orange and apple juice, can lower the body’s absorption of some drugs like anti-cancer drug Etopophos, beta-blockers like Atenolol, and anti-transplant rejection drug cyclosporine and antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and itraconazole. Healthy volunteers who took the allergy drug fexofenadine with grapefruit juice absorbed only half the amount of the drug, compared with volunteers who took the medicine with water. Substances in the juices affect the absorption of drugs. Some chemicals block a drug uptake transporter, reducing drug absorption; other chemicals block a drug metabolizing enzyme that normally breaks down the drugs. In general, it’s safest to take medication with water. A glass is better than a sip. It helps dissolve the tablet. Cool water is better than hot because your stomach empties cool water faster, sending the medication on its way to the small intestine and finally the blood stream.