Health Woes when Travelling

In a country where start ups, new ventures, franchisees and multiple branches across the country are common place, it is but obvious that one has to travel a fair amount for work.

A friend who travels very often for work, finds herself in a different city every third week, and invariably after the travel itself, a change in the air (rather the pollution), the water, causes her to fall ill.

Everything from an upset stomach (Delhi Belly is real), to sore throat, fatigue of travel, fever, or worse viral infections.

And since one is travelling for work, taking a day off to recuperate is not really an option.

Recently this friend was off to Bangalore for a month long stint as part of her consulting job. And on day 3, she started feeling a bit under the weather; it was a bad bout of inflamed tonsils.

A visit to the GP closest to his Hotel, and some antibiotics later, she was healed and back to work for a total of 5 days before it came back, and this time with a vengeance, and inflammation was a lot worse, difficulty in swallowing food, even water, stuffed nose, you know the symptoms.

And this time she wasn't ready to go back to the same doctor, because obviously, the doctor didn't do a good job the first time.

And now the question was who and where?

That’s when my friend used a very cool service that exists in Bangalore, called Zywee. 

www.zywee.com

It’s basically a listing service for Doctors, Hospitals, and Healthcare. With reviews, contact details, timings, and prices. 

In a world where reliance on technology is at an all time high, we need more services like Zywee to help us with our very real, non technological, can't troubleshoot to fix, health problems.

Do yourself a favour and stay informed of services like Zywee, in your city or the one you travel to, you never know when you might need it.

The importance of First Aid for Spinal Injuries

10 days ago, my father slipped and fell down the stairs. 

He is 64 years old, weighing 85 kgs and a highly diabetic patient. We found out the next day, when we took him to the hospital that he had suffered a fracture between C5 and C6 vertebrae of his spine. This had compressed the nerve next to it rendering his arms stiff and unmovable. The doctor told us that the best thing we did was give him the right first aid that saved him from paralysis. 

Here are some of the things you can do when a geriatric in your house falls down.

1. Do not move the person unless they are in an emergency such as fire or if they have fallen in an awkward position. If you have to move them, ensure their head is balanced. Do not attempt this single handedly. Have one person near the neck and one near their feet. Call your doctors immediately.

2. Check for their breathing, especially if they are vomiting or have difficulty breathing, roll them to their side. If they have breathing problems, do not attempt CPR, because that can strain the neck, instead attempt chest compression techniques.

3. Make them lie on their back with least stress to the neck. Any extra pressure may severe the nerves, rendering them paralysed (worst case scenario).Add a neck brace if you have one handy.

4. Check for swelling and bruises. Most of them will not appear immediately. Make them move their arms and legs to check for onset of nerve damage.

5. Check their memory with a few simple questions, such as the year, the current president or a few arithmetic problems, to see impact on their speech pattern and brain function.

6. To manage the pain till the doctor arrives, you can give them any pain killer such as Dolo 650, after they have ingested some water and food.

First aid is critical to ensure the patient does not suffer from any severe damage. Since spinal cord bones are non regenerative, to ensure minimum damage, they need to be taken to the hospital within 12 hours. Also any surgery that has been suggested needs to be done within 24-36 hours to minimize the damage.

Currently, my father has undergone surgery, where the doctors have inserted a titanium plate to help healing. A graft from his neck was used to fuse the cervical vertebrae with the titanium. He is healing slowly with the help of physiotherapy, which the most important postoperative care, for any bone & muscle related injuries. 

www.zywee.com

Scary situations like this need expert help, find an expert near you who can help you in your time of need. Zywee can help you locate everything from Doctors to Tests to Hospitals to Medicines that are delivered home.

Diabetes - Prevention is the Best Cure

At the start, let me clarify, I do not have Diabetes, but with two parents who have Type II Diabetes, I stand a high chance of getting it.

I've seen my parents, take care of what they eat, check their blood sugar every Sunday, taking an Insulin Injection, in the stomach. So I've seen what living with Diabetes is like, up close and personal.

Since Diabetes is a stress related, Life Style Disease, so I've heard, I lead a typical Mumbai Life, too much work, crazy traffic, Active Social Life, love of good food and sweets, and finally not enough exercise.  

So basically I'm Stacking the numbers against me, and if I want to continue enjoying my life without compromising what I eat, what I drink and mind my sugar levels, I need to make very big changes in my life and lifestyle, and I need to make them now in my Mid Thirties.

So here are some small changes one can make to make sure Life Style Diseases like Diabetes are kept at bay.

Get more active, sedentary jobs are a prime cause for life style disease, it all starts with a lack of exercise. We need to clock at least 10,000 steps in a day. Invest in a pedometer and start keeping track of your daily step count. Pick an exercise routine that works for you. Walk for 15-30 mins a day, take the steps, and just get physically fitter. 

Keep your weight in check, a thickening waistline is the first indicator of metabolism slowing down, your body isn't functioning optimally, and now its time to watch the calories, start the exercise, irregular habits of any kind will only send you metabolism spiralling done the "probable future problems" rabbit hole.

Better eating habits, try to balance your intake across the food groups, don't buy into fad diets, your body needs nutrients, watch your portions if you have a tendency to over eat, try super cards or brown rice, unpolished lentils, as healthier options, include veggies & fruits in your diet. Ate at regular times, pushing Lunch hour at work is a terrible way to live, the body needs nourishment at regular times, and all the hard work needs you to be well nourished.

Get enough sleep, sleep deprivation is a cause for bad moods, cranky behaviour, fatigue, low energy, grogginess, which leads to excessive intake of caffeines, sugar, sometimes excessive eating. Try to wake and sleep at the same time everyday, even on weekends, start your day early on weekends and treat yourself with an afternoon nap after a good lunch, our bodies respond well to discipline and regular habits.

Get regular Health Checkups, prevention is the best cure, keep track of your health, ECGs, Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar, Eye Tests, Pap Smears, Mammograms whatever you need, once a year, year and a half. It's like checking your car before a road trip; you don't skimp on the oil, fuel and air check there, do you? 

https://www.zywee.com/

Find out more about health packages from Zywee, book the one best suited to you. Get information about Hospitals and Doctors who can help you  with what you need.

And finally take a break once in a while, your body needs to recharge just like your devices, and lazing once in a while, freeing your head of white noise, and generally worrying about nothing will go a long way in keeping you healthy.

Experiences with Fertility Treatments in India - Part 2

My experiences with Fertility treatment started a year ago, in early 2014 and my doctor suggested to drop a few kilos( I am 5.9” and 80 kgs), reduce stress in my life (due to excessive travelling for work), and start the medication Metformin (insulin resisting drug), Meprate (period regulator), and Folic acid. The treatment plan according to the gynecologists across the world was the same.

I started with Yoga and running to lose a little weight. I was also on the medicines prescribed, I started menstruating regularly. But the insulin resisting drug, had some serious effects on my mood.

At work, I would often get frustrated and angry, and when I ate some food, I could feel the physical effect of my anger draining. When I met my doctor for a regular checkup, she informed me that the side effect was rather extreme. She suggested that I stop Metformin and continue with Meprate and Folic acid. I was getting a regular scan almost 1 a fortnight. My scan showed that while there were many eggs in my uterus, none of them were growing to the required size or fertilizing. This is when my gynecologist recommended that I start taking Gonadotropin injections starting with 75ml every day for 7 days. This cost me Rs.14000.

My eggs were scanned during the week and on the 7^th day and she suggested that I take it

for 3 more days. During this scan, my eggs had grown to a significant size . I was feeling a lot of pain in my uterus. I started bloating and I put on about 3kgs in 10 days. My stomach was the size of football, I started having all the symptoms of (what I thought) was pregnancy, back pain, irregular sleep, mood swings etc.  During the ovulation period, I found it physically difficult to have intercourse. 

I called my gynaecologist and asked to see her and after a scan she confirmed, that I developed ovarian over stimulation.

My eggs had grown even larger and fluid was leaking to the other parts of my body. This could also happen while you are pregnant due to the now balanced LSF:FSH. So we had to wait till my next cycle to find out if I was pregnant . As a home remedy, she asked me to drink up to 5 litres of water a day to ensure electrolyte balance, stop exercising and to call her if I felt any shortness of breath or nausea. I was distraught with the fact that my doctor had informed me this was rare and that she was monitoring my dosage closely. 2 days later, I had nausea and she suggested that I check in to emergency services at a hospital close by. Check out Zywee.com to locate a hospital nearest to you.

By the next day, I was given plenty of IV, my blood, weight and urine quantity constantly checked. I was also given an ultrasound to discover any complications  such as the fluid had moving to my lungs or spleen. After 1day at the hospital and Rs.35000 spent , I was discharged and told to wait for 2 weeks for the OHSS to resolve itself. In the next 2 weeks I lost 4 kgs and discovered that alas I was not pregnant. I was asked to stay off all medications for a month.

And for the next month, the treatments ceased, and having a gynaecologist I trust has what's made this journey bearable.

Find a gynaecologist you trust, because the road to having a baby, if one is reproductively challenged is long and arduous.  Log on to Zywee.com and find your trusted doctor.

Health Check-Ups

When was the last time you got a complete Health Check-Up that wasn’t mandated by a job that you were interviewing for?

Job stress, fast food, alcohol, cigarettes, too many cups of coffee, irregular food and sleeping habits, you name it and the urban population is going about it in not their best interest.

People in their 30’s, basically people in the same decade of age as me are now suffering from Lifestyle diseases such as  High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Diabetes, Hyperacidity, Migraines and the worst of them all, Heart Attacks. I recently heard of a 28 year old who suffered a heart attack (unrelated to a genetic defect), thankfully not fatal, but I’m sure an earth shattering wakeup call.

Come January 1^st and most set bright shiny resolutions to get healthier, and quit excessive the chais & ciggys, exercise regularly etc etc.

The first two months are spent with the best of intentions trying really hard, to be the change we want to be.  Alas, the realities of life, the aggressive deadlines, the late nights, socialising all get in the way of our best intentions, and we’re back to sedentary jobs, and too much sitting around, eating unhealthy, pushing ourselves physically and mentally and not enough recharge.

What I consider a great resolution each year is a complete health check up, it’s probably easier than following through than the ones listed above; of course not a license to continue with unhealthy life styles, most definitely need to lead a healthier life.

I reckon keeping track of how your lipids are doing and what level your haemoglobin lies at and how high or low your blood pressure registers, is a good idea from a preventative point of view, or a stitch in time point of view.

Maybe all you need if warned early is a dose of more fibre or some vitamins or more beetroot and greens for an extra measure of iron.  Or maybe something stronger, but wont catching whatever it is early a great thing for your health.

On the flip side a clean bill of health, makes it all the easier to maintain the aforementioned health, and smile your way through the year, resolutions and all.

Do yourself a favour and book yourself a complete Health Check-Up, for peace of mind.

Check out Zywee.com for health packages available at a hospital nearest to you.

Medical Corruption in India: Finding a cure!

On May 27th, 2012; Aamir Khan exposed the cancerous corruption in the Indian Medical Fraternity, in a country where doctors are treated as Gods, but in reality they are far from it.

They are corrupt, money minded and most doctors are far less bothered about treating their patients and mostly just interested in “treating” themselves to goodies from ill gotten riches by sucking their sucker patients. 

The whole profession suffers from multiple ills. 

Medical Schooling:

Crazily long and mostly irrelevant medical schooling leaves most doctors hungry and wanting for more as soon as they are considered “regulator-ily” ready to practise. Their contemporaries, engineering and MBA schoolmates of the same age have already started racking it in.

High Fees and corrupt intake practises:

Like most infrastructure in this country, medical schooling infrastructure has not kept pace with the rest of the country especially the birth rate!

India has among the lowest per capita doctors 0.7 for every 1000 people, and this is even lower than underdog economies  (Pakistan at 0.8,Vietnam at 1.2) and far from the developed economies (Spain at 4.9, Norway at 4.3 etc)

Moreover India produces 63800 MBBS doctors in a year, while its population grows by a whopping 2.54Cr. 50L students passing out from 12th fighting it out for the 64K seats every year, and isn’t it every parents dream to make their children a physician!

Any service or product, public or private suffers from issues of graft wherever demand far exceeds the supply and prices are fixed.

The only way for most people to acquire the medical seat is through payment of bribery and its hardly surprising that the same crop which comes out continues to behave in a corrupt manner. Not only is corruption an intrinsic “selection criteria”, the student doctors have to recover their investment which they have paid in graft as well.

Lack of regulatory Oversight!

Try this test. Who is the medical regulatory authority in India. Try answering this without asking google baba! If you are able to answer this question, give yourself a pat on your back, you are a rarity! So you try asking other people around you the same question and track how many are able to answer the question. Now ask the same question and replace India with US and don’t be surprised if success rate almost doubles up!

Think about this! More people (educated of course – since you are reading this), are aware about the medical regulatory body in US, who is doing nothing to save your ass. Think how little the Indian regulatory body is helping out then.

Regulators in India give new meaning to public-private-partnership

The biggest question mark for us is what do we do now! 

One solution is to wait for “acche din”, but despite 454 days from being sworn in as a prime minister, there have been no major policy changes and there has been absolutely nothing on the ground. Perhaps it is too early to expect results, or perhaps Modi is also ineffective, perhaps he is also corrupt or perhaps we have reached a stage where no one man can create any difference whatsoever on the ground for a long long time. I don’t which one, if any, of the above is the reason, but it is a fact that nothing on the ground has changed. 

So the only solution which I can think of is to empower yourself! Empower yourself with more data, with more analysis, with more comparison options, with more reading, to help yourself understand the medical jargon, classifications of ailments, their treatments.

Clearly it will be impossible to do so in the same manner as the even the Wikipedia

referring doctors who studied their way through 5 long years of medical study however ineffective it may be.

The other alternative is to use technology. Technology to help you do all of the above, compare treatment options, compare doctors and their track record, understand the symptoms and much more, all in order to empower yourself with the tools required to figure out the best option for yourself. The choice has to be yours. And it has to be an educated one.

I have no solution for the un-educated masses in India and I truly pity them for their lack of ability to leave this banana republic of ours. But for the rest of us, who can read and write perhaps technology can be the answer. 

BuzzPharma & Buzzhospitals are combining Technology and Medicine to bring this exact problem to an end and empower you to be able to make the right choice when you need medical help.

Facts about Generic Drugs

A Generic Drug is "a drug product that is comparable to a brand/reference

listed drug product in dosage form, strength, quality and performance characteristics, and intended use." As defined by Centre for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. FDA.

Generic Drugs are much cheaper than Branded Drugs, this is because the manufacturers of Generic Drugs, do not spend for the Research and Development of the Drug, nor do they spend for the clinical trials which are required to get any Drug approved for public Consumption.

India is the leading Manufacturer of Generic Drugs, due to the Patents Act passed in 1970, which removed Patents on the Composition of Food and Drugs, which allowed reverse – engineering of Branded Drugs to provide the world with low cost Generic Drugs. The Generic Drug industry is currently assessed at $15 Billion.

Indian made generic drugs have reduced the cost of medicines around the world, and major US and European Pharmaceutical Companies, have been lobbying their governments into changing what the Pharmaceutical giants consider attacks on their patents.  India and the EU are currently locked in a trade row over an EU ban, on 700 Indian Generic Drugs.

Globally, programs run by UNICEF, UNITAID, Doctors without Borders, all rely on quality Generic Drugs, which are a fraction of the cost which the Drug Companies that develop the drug charge. Most of these programs depend on the Indian Generic Drug Industry for their medical supplies to treat diseases and Conditions like TB, Malaria, HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases, in some of the poorest countries in world.

If you feel that you have been purchasing the more expensive Branded Drug, check the Generic Vs. Branded drug lists and prices that are available online. And you could purchase your next medication at a much cheaper cost.

http://www.buzzpharma.in/

Accessibility of Medicine

As a married woman, living with my husband away from my parents, I worry a lot about my parents who now live alone, and are in the age group of 65 above, my brother is settled in another country and I am settled in another city. So worry for my parents is a given.

Given their age, medicine for Thyroid, Diabetes & Blood Pressure is an everyday affair; sometimes the ailments include antibiotics, gastrointestinal medicines, and pretty much everything that comes with growing old.

A new problem my father has developed is joint pain, could eventually turn into arthritis, but for now, it’s just painful for him to walk too much and too far.

My parents living alone was easily fixable, I decided to hire stay at home help for my parents, to take care of the cooking, cleaning and everyday chores. One thing she is unable to do is drive, which unfortunately reduces the things she can do around the house in terms of purchasing things.

So her driving to pick up medicines for my parents is out of the question, and given their age, the consumption of medicines is only going to increase from this point forward.

As a solution what I have done, is signed them up for an app called Buzzpharma, which home delivers all the medicines they need at their doorstep.

The regular medication is delivered as per schedules of when it runs out, but what’s amazing is, in emergency situations, Buzzpharma delivers medicine within 30 minutes and all one has to do is give the prescription to the delivery boy.

Recently my mother had an episode, where her nerves spasmed and froze her leg leading to a lot of pain, and the only way to relieve her pain was to pop a pill called NeuroBion, unfortunately, she had run of and had none at home to help her at the time.

And all my dad did was call for the medicine through the app Buzzpharma, and the medicine was delivered home, my mom popped the medicine and all she needed was 30 minutes of waiting time, and a prescription for the medicine.

I know the ailment wasn't serious and that my parents could have found a way to get around if they really really had to, but the fact that they don’t need to and can get their medicine sent to them whenever the need arises, outs me at ease, even though I live far away, I know this is one thing I don’t have to worry about.

Medicine in the Internet Age

With the e-commerce boom in our country, and the rise of the “I need to have all options available while I shop in my pyjamas” demographic, almost everything you need is available online.  Need food, sure; groceries, check; clothes, of course; cars, shoes, furniture, basically you can order just about anything online.

It was just a matter of time, before the friendly neighbourhood chemist (as we refer to them in India) would move his bag of medicines online. And I use the term online loosely, websites have given way to apps, which reside in our phones, and know our choices, and in general make life easier.

So a friendly neighbourhood pharmacy app which is connected to the pharmacy network of your area, your entire city, and can give you, your medicine fix at the touch of a button. And it is a smart move in fast times like today. In a world where auto immune diseases, lifestyle diseases are on the rise, and mutant strains of drug resistant bacteria and viruses have made their way into our home and hearth, one must have a drug dealer on speed dial, I mean have a chemist available at their finger tips.

A lil digging and I unearthed an app called Buzzpharma, currently in its pilot phase in Bangalore and soon to be launched in Mumbai.

An app which delivers medicines home, is certainly a reason to rejoice, why you ask, currently I’m holed up in my house recovering from a terrible flu, unfortunately for me, an ailment which doesn’t require medication, needs me to take antibiotics for my throat, as prescribed by my on retainer ENT.

I desperately needed my meds and no one was home to get them for me. I made it through about 6 hours of trumpeting into a kerchief and finally mustered the strength to walk the 500 mts to the chemist.

This app would have most definitely helped me in my hour of need, alas I live in Mumbai. Will have to wait until it’s here, and I’m ill again.

It  got me thinking about all the possible reasons a person would use an app like this, and reasons ranging from I’m too sick to go to the chemist, to I’m too embarrassed to make this purchase in person, came to mind;  and it was the latter one that had my spidey senses tingling.

We’re all aware of a certain reality; experimenting with medications to have a good time that exists. And an app in the wrong hands could, have disastrous results. So I had to dig a lil deeper.

Turns out Buzzpharma, first requests a scan/ photograph of the prescription and then the medicine is dispatched from the nearest available pharmacy to your address in under 30 minutes. Which is a blessing for whether you have a strep throat and a raging fever or a severe attack of hyperacidity or simply need to pop your daily Blood Pressure Pill?

And the prescription in question is handed over to the delivery boy.

So essentially the misuse of this app is minimised, I’m sure there’s regulations and legalities in place to be able to run an app which provides medicines to your door step.

It would seem that the “I need to have all options available while I shop in my pyjamas” demographic is pretty influential, we don’t like to leave the comfort of our home and if you think about it, in a country abundant with people, where travelling from point A to point B is an enormous strain on the very limited, infinitely reset commodity called time, I’d rather not waste this resource to go out to pick up essentials and necessity items.

I pop my hard earned pill, sit in my pyjamas and go back to the information super highway, and login to purchase my groceries for the month.

  

Health Care, Where?

We live in a world, where heath, healthcare, health problems are one giant Pandora’s Box or so I hear.

Now I’m not an expert of any sort on medicine, the practice, the perils, the facilities or lack thereof, my “expertise” is limited to vague dreams of a child to be a doctor when I grew up. But one trip to the hospital to meet my Dadi, after her 3^rd (I think) heart attack, she had a few of them in her time, cured me of my ailment to try and be a doctor. I saw a man in a neighbouring room, covered in plaster from head to toe, I am sure, hindsight makes me embellish, but there he was groaning in pain, and I burst into tears.  Doctor dream “hashtag” ended.

Back to present day, and my reason for writing this down, my conversations, in recent times, with people regarding their experiences with health problems of any kind, sound more like horror stories from the dark ages.

From prestigious hospitals, misdiagnosing a viral fever and admitting the patient into ICU, to an endoscopy leading to a broken jaw and a punctured lung and yes subsequent death of the patient (RIP Dada).

And as a Human Being, I believe we have the right to fair heath care practices, when one is ill, no matter what sort of illness, the drain, emotional, physical and monetary is a sad truth. The severity is directly proportional to the drain, and why, why but why would health care providers try to add to your woes? Aren’t they there to make them go away?

Not according to the buzz in every society, outside every hospital, every dinner table where, someone’s health problem is discussed, indignant at the horrors faced when getting treated.

We trust a doctor to prescribe the best possible medicine to make it go away as quickly as possible (or the time it takes, sometimes work schedules will have to suffer due to an illness, go figure).

But we don’t expect, to be prescribed with 1728 tests, 265 different medicines and 3 sachets of albumin, for the survival of a patient. We don’t expect to be harmed by the hands of those who are meant to heal. I know it’s called a medical practice; but it’s getting a bit ridiculous, no?

Of course, I have some faith, because not all stories out there are horror stories, some people do manage to escape not just unscathed, but healed and well recovered from the experience of recovering their health.

The burning question though, is who does one trust, where does one go when one is unwell, for general ailments we have our GP, a trusted guy, with a small practice, who is probably walking distance from home (what I’m the only one???), but what about when the going gets tough, and that’s not unheard of, in times where stress is the only thing you live with from the time you get admission into a good school; where 15 minutes of sleep is more important than a good breakfast at home, where fast cars, zip through streets with no consequence of who might be hurt. I could write a thousand and one reasons of why you could need someone more than a GP.

What do you do then?

Where and how do you go about finding which place to go to, where are the reviews of hospitals, I don’t trust a place just because its big and fancy, or made buy an industrialist family or acquired by one. Or conveniently use the one closest to home and fingers crossed, it’ll be a wise decision. 

I don’t want to make any sort of allegations, or slanderous statements, but my experience so far hasn’t endeared me to the idea of dealing with a harrowing hospital, where running from floor to floor to figure out who needs to proceed with the next medieval torture, masquerading as modern day medicine, designed to rob you of your sanity, money and faith in the human race.

The question remains, how you go about finding the best healthcare for what ails you?

For now technology seems like the answer, some sleuthing of the arm chair variety, some time on the Internet and websites like BuzzHospitals and apps like BuzzPharma, help you out to find out pertinent information that can be helpful in you hour of need.