​Does your child really need all the prescribed vaccines?

The biggest association of paediatricians in India is heavily dependent on funding from vaccine manufacturers. The influence allegedly leading to immunisation guidelines being tweaked to include products of the funding companies. Technical committee members deciding the guidelines being on the board of vaccine manufacturers and getting paid by them. Hefty margins on vaccines being given to paediatricians administering the vaccines. These and several others skeletons came tumbling out of the cupboard of the Indian Academy of Paediatricians (IAP) when the convenor of its Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Immunization Practices…

X-mas meal plan for Diabetics

Santa’s here and so is the pin to burst your diabetic balloon! Many of us who suffer from this lifelong problem go through a tough time when Christmas is around. Since this is the best time to have Christmas puddings, cakes, cookies, mulled wine and everything that should get your blood glucose level rolling, here are some ways through which our diabetic friends can enjoy as much as anyone else: Stick to timely meals There are going to be too many meals to welcome Santa. Make a timetable for today.…

Is Soya Bad for Your Health? Here’s Why You Should Have it Sparingly

In recent times soya has been much talked about and touted as the new big thing, especially for vegetarians. However, studies indicate that the health benefits of soya may have been greatly exaggerated, mostly by the soya industry itself. In fact, soya makes its way into almost all processed food because of its versatility. Also, soya is cheap and in abundance. It adds thickness, creaminess and bulk to processed food. Now healthy or not, that is a question I have set out to answer.Doctors agree that eating soya on a…

Tips to ease perimenopause symptoms

For women in their 40s, perimenopause can kick in, causing all kinds of problems. We got this email from a viewer: Dear Dr. Manny, My doctor told me being on the pill can help relieve perimenopause symptoms, but are there any exercises I can do to help? Thanks, Marla Perimenopause is the stage before menopause when a woman’s ovaries stop making as much estrogen as they used to. It can last up to four years and can even start in a woman’s thirties. A blood test can confirm if your…

Only some shoe inserts tied to lower risk of injuries

Contoured orthotics designed to alter the gait while walking and running might help lower the risk of stress fractures, but shock-absorbing insoles probably won’t prevent these injuries, a recent review suggests. Researchers analyzed data from 11 trials of foot orthotics and seven studies of shock-absorbing insoles that, combined, included more than 3,200 people. Overall, foot orthotics were tied to a 28 percent lower risk of injuries and a 41 percent lower risk of stress fractures, the study found. Shock-absorbing insoles, however, were not linked to a statistically meaningful reduction in…

12 potential reasons you’re having heart palpitations

 (champja) If you’ve ever experienced a heart palpitation, you know that the feeling of having a fast, fluttering, or pounding heart is scary, to say the least. But despite the freakiness, experts say heart palpitations happen pretty often—and they’re usually not dangerous or a sign of your impending doom. “They’re very common,” Malissa Wood, M.D., co-director of the Corrigan Women’s Heart Health Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, tells SELF. “Most people will have palpitations at some point in their lives, even if [the palpitations] are short-lived.” Nicole Weinberg, M.D., a…