Dr Satyajit Mohanty blogs

The column i am presenting below is not a part of the topics i write on this blog but it is the most important column i have presented science i have started blogging. According to a UN climate report, the Himalayan glaciers that are the principal dry-season water sources of Asia's biggest rivers - Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Yangtze, Mekong, Salween and Yellow - could disappear by 2035 as temperatures rise and human demand rises. Approximately 2.4 billion people live in the drainage basin of the Himalayan rivers. India, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar could experience floods followed by severe droughts in coming decades. In India alone, the Ganges provides water for drinking and farming for more than 500 million people.

Recently i submitted a PG thesis on nutrition in Utkal University, Orissa, India. i analyzed the nutritional compositions of dietary supplements of a USA based nutrition company. i found in the recommended doses many of the dietary supplements are higher than the recommended upper limit (upper limits are taken from recommendations of upper limits in western countries). In countries like India RDA is not known for all the essential nutrients (refer RDA for Indians by ICMR-1988). what i want to convey is that when this is the scenario then RDA for Indians with known prescribed upper limits is out of question. i urge the reader to consult a doctor or a trained or certified nutritionist if you are taking suppliments. i also want to introduce the reader to the following article: This topic is taken from: http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Supplement-users-at-risk-from-ignorance-of-tolerable-upper-limits (19-Jun-2002) Researchers from Canada have discovered that many dietary supplem...

NUTRITIONAL IGNORANCE IN MEDICINE Site from which it is taken: http://universalwisdom.ph/nutrition.html 1. Quote: To be honest, I knew next to nothing about nutrition or nutritional supplements. In medical school I had not received any significant instruction on the subject. I was not alone. Only approximately 6 percent of the graduating physicians in the United States have any training in nutrition. Medical students may take elective courses on the topic, but few actually do. The education of most physicians is disease-oriented with a heavy emphasis on pharmaceuticals – we learn about drugs and why and when to use them. Ray Strand, MD, What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2002, page 5 2. Quote: Why don’t more doctors pay enough attention to nutrition? Because they’re not comfortable with it. They almost certainly never studied it in medical school. Your own physician probably never took a single course in nutrit...

Poverty & nutrition: Are the rich countries spared? According to Rose D hunger rates decline sharply with rising incomes. Surprisingly many USA based studies claim that relationship between poverty-level incomes and hunger does not exist but on contrary in that same country 13.1% of those in poverty experienced hunger and half of those experiencing hunger had incomes above the poverty level. Consuming intakes Impacts of poverty on nutrition- diseases caused by it. A. PEM in Indian subcontinent due to poverty. B. Other nutrition related conditions due to poverty: 1. iron deficiency (anemia) 2. iodine deficiency (goiter) 3. Calcium deficiency (rickets & osteomalacia) References: 1. J Health Econ. 2004 Jul;23(4):839-62. 2. J Nutr. 1999 Feb;129(2S Suppl):521S-524S. 3. J Nutr. 1999 Feb;129(2S Suppl):517S-520S.

Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine and Microsoft to Present Innovations for a Healthy Workforce Media Forum July 13 Rehabilitation medicine and accessible technology will be presented as the major forces for maintaining the productive status of today's worker. NEW YORK -- July 5, 2005 What: Innovations for a Healthy Workforce, a forum presented by the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine and Microsoft Corp., will examine the workplace issues confronted by people with physical and sensory disabilities that are caused by injury, disease or aging. Medical and technology experts will give brief presentations on health issues facing today's work force; medical issues pertaining to pain, weakness and the loss or impairment of vision, mobility or dexterity; and demonstrations of accessible technology products that can help mitigate each of those conditions. In today's economy, computers are essential for many businesses and are a mainstay of personal and professional ...

Article written by : Jurriaan Plesman BA(Psych), Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr Site from which it is taken: http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/depression_disorder.html If you ever wonder why so many people are suffering from ‘treatment resistant’ depression it is because mainstream medicine and psychology can offer only ‘palliative’ remedies. They treat symptoms only and not causes. Drug therapy can only suppress the symptoms of depression, but does nothing to address the underlying biochemical abnormality that is responsible for depression. Once a patient is on the drug band wagon, they usually go on the merry-go-round from one drug to another for maybe the rest of their lives. Several studies have shown that drug therapy and/or psychotherapy may leave about 60 per cent of patients with treatment resistant depression. Similarly, mainstream psychologists believe that talk therapy can alleviate the symptoms of depression. They assume that our irrational thoughts, unpleasant childhood exp...

DISH stands for diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis. DISH is known as Forestier’s disease as this condition was described by Forestier and Rotes-Querol over 50 years ago. It was termed was termed senile ankylosing hyperostosis. Epidemiology (discussion of USA stats only): 1. DISH is very common, affecting between six and 12 percent of North Americans. 2. It rarely occurs among people younger than 50. 3. It affects more men than women. DISH is thought to be the second most common form of arthritis after osteoarthritis. It affects between six and 12 percent of North Americans, almost always occurring among people older than 50. Unlike most types of arthritis, DISH occurs more often among men (65%) than women (35 %), and affects 28 percent of men over the age of 80. What signs & symptoms may the patients present with: 1. Back pain and stiffness, especially in the middle area of the back 2. Sharp pain associated with bending or twisting of the back 3. Problems wi...

Introduction: During recent years, coincident with the recommendation to position infants supine ("Back to Sleep") (7).The "Back to Sleep" campaign has dramatically decreased the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome; however, its sequelae of deformational plagiocephaly have today reached epidemic proportions (8). One in 300 new born is suffering this condition. Positional plagiocephaly has become an increasing problem for pediatricians and craniofacial specialists. Diagnosis is commonly based on history and clinical features, but may be difficult in some cases when characteristic features are missing and radiographic studies seem to be necessary (5). What is plagiocephaly? The term plagiocephaly, from the Greek plagios (oblique) and kephalê (head), means distortion of the head, and refers clinically to cranial asymmetry (4). Plagiocephaly is a condition characterized by an asymmetrical distortion (flattening of one side) of the skull. It is a common finding at ...

The primary diagnostic tool for patients with a knee injury is a clinical examination by a physician well trained in knee evaluation (4). With knowledge of the common causes of Heamarthrosis and understanding of the knee examination, a trained examiner can make an accurate diagnosis 80% to 90% of the time and prescribe the appropriate treatment (1). Rapid swelling (swelling within minutes-hours) of the knee following a blow or twisting injury is considered a significant injury. The history of trauma coupled with a thorough examination should provide an accurate diagnosis in most patients (1). Aspiration of the fluid may help to establish diagnosis, reduce pain, and prevent capsular damage by the sustained turgid pressure from within the capsule. However, it should not be performed routinely. Splinting and re-evaluation are recommended as the initial treatment of an acute Heamarthrosis (1). However, according to Iobst CA et al treatment algorithm especially for ACL injury must take in...

Occasionally in the situation of a tense haemarthrosis, the knee can be aspirated under sterile conditions to remove the blood from within the joint, and some local anaesthetic can be injected into the knee to help with pain relief. The aspirated blood should be placed into a container and left to stand. If the injury involves a fracture of the underlying bone, in other words if the damaged fragment that has been knocked off includes cartilage and bone, then usually droplets of fat from the bone marrow are released into the knee and these are visible in the aspirated fluid and will float to the top pf the aspirated blood if left to stand.

Caffeine: Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a psychoactive stimulant drug and a mild diuretic. Caffeine is also part of the chemical mixtures and insoluble complexes guaranine found in guarana, mateine found in mate, and theine found in tea; all of which contain additional alkaloids such as the cardiac stimulants theophylline and theobromine, and often other chemicals such as polyphenols which can form insoluble complexes with caffeine. In humans, caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, having the effect of temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. Beverages containing caffeine, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks enjoy great popularity. Caffeine is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance, but unlike many other psychoactive substances it is legal and unregulated in nearly all jurisdictions. In North America, 90% of adults consume caffeine daily. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ...

This following article is written by Karim Khan (sports medicine specialist), a well known author & researchers in the field of sports medicine in British journal of sports medicine. This article exposes a fraud on COX-2 inhibitors (pain management medicines) http://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2009/03/14/vested-interest-and-fraud-behind-cox-2-recommendation/

Helping hints for meeting the CALCIUM needs: As the 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans states, "Different foods contain different nutrients and other healthful substances. No single food can supply all the nutrients in the amounts you need". For more information about building a healthful diet, refer to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/DietGd.pdf and the US Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/pyramid.html. The following are strategies and tips to help you meet your calcium needs each day: Use low fat or fat free milk instead of water in recipes such as pancakes, mashed potatoes, pudding and instant, hot breakfast cereals. Blend a fruit smoothie made with low fat or fat free yogurt for a great breakfast. Sprinkle grated low fat or fat free cheese on salad, soup or pasta. Choose low fat or fat free milk instead of carbonated soft drinks. Serve raw fruits and vegetables with a low fat or fat free ...