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Basic Life Support Training: Women Doctors Association Malda World Health Day program
On the occasion of World Health Day, the Women Doctors Association Malda together with IMA Malda and AMRI SaltLake organized a CME cum Basic life support training for doctors and healthcare personnel. The event was supported by Dishari Healthcare Limited.
A dedicated team from AMRI Salt Lake arrived and conducted several informative discussions on several important topics.
The Eminent Speakers from AMRI included
Dr.Susruta Bandyopadhyay MD Dip Card
Dr.P.S.Mondal MD Medicine MRCP
Dr.Sima Dutta Roy MD Medicine
Dr.Rajarshi Roy MD Medicine
The Women Doctors Association members and healthcare workers from Malda took part in this day-long informative session.
Necessity of knowing basic life support and the correct way of helping someone suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest is imperative. If you remember I had written about sudden cardiac arrest in a previous post and why constant training and retraining is needed for all healthcare workers and in fact for everyone.
The session was conducted free of charge and certificates were awarded after the session followed by a dinner party at Appayan restaurant in honor of the visiting doctors.
This is my R post. Writing this with the BlogchatterAtoZ friend and the Ultimate Blog Challenge friends.
Did you read about Why Planting Trees Is More Important Than Ever Before: #RestoreOurEarth Quest ?
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World Health Day2023:Good Health for All, is our story too
Health for all is what WHO is talking about this year. A special year when WHO has its 75th birthday. From 1948 to 2023 we have come a long way with member states striving hard to make the health of all possible.
Quality health starts with quality healthcare personnel. So lack of quality or quantity in that respect puts that at risk, Plus while we all wish to be healthy, we need to start building healthy habits right from childhood. Preventive healthcare habits need to be built up, for better health of the population.
Check out the WHO Health Milestones for 75 years
While the Government must do its part, the individual can do theirs by taking care of their own health with healthy choices every day. The food we eat, the daily exercise, sleep, and social, environmental, and mental health all takes their toll. Access to quality treatment needs the cooperation of the person, the healthcare industry with the Governmental machinery supporting it. Take away any one leg of this tripod the health system collapses. Unfortunately, that’s what is happening in NHS in the UK even though they have advanced technology and great healthcare workers. The budget is lowered until the system collapses.
WHO having an altruistic role leads us well but Healthcare economics is like the proverbial who-will-bell-the-cat situation. For a happy and healthy future, we need to work on the present now and every day.
WHO Action Plans for World Health Day 2023 Going forward(source WHO)
Shift from economies driven by profit and pollution to economies driven by fairness and well-being.
Success must be measured by the well-being of people and healthy environments.
Engage and empower individuals, families, and communities for increased social participation and enhanced self-care in health. Ensure informed and active participation, with people at the center of health decisions and outcomes.
Strengthen integrated national health systems using a PHC approach to deliver essential quality services with financial protection, with equity-oriented, gender-sensitive, and rights-based programming to reach and engage those in greatest need and improve the health and well-being of all people at all ages.
Enable non-State actors to participate in government-led planning, progress reviews or implementation towards UHC.
Writing this with the BlogchatterAtoZ friend and the Ultimate Blog Challenge friends
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Carrageenan The Thing You Don’t Need in Your Ice Cream
My daughter loves her ice cream.But fortunately frozen desserts don’t work for her.Any thing with vegetable oil in it (chocolate,ice cream etc) may cause problems for her. This we found out the hard way.
When Summer comes you can’t stop the ice cream cravings.I love ice cream.But it comes with its own share of troubles.Besides the calories,sugar and artificialcolours ,commercial ice cream items has thickener added to it .That thickener causes the ice cream to stay solid even in less than perfect conditions.
But luckily for us Amul India went to court and got the right definition for ice cream and frozen dessert properly explained.
My daughter can gulp down Amul ice cream with no trouble at all.But we strictly ration ice cream trips because even our favorite brand of commercial ice cream contains ingredients which we may not want inside us.Today I am going to talk about one such food additives. It’s a thickener .
What’s the name of this thickener?
It’s called Carrageenan.If you didn’t know it’s a common chemical agent .Carrageenan,is made from red seaweed, is added to make the cold ice cream creamy.It’s mostly used in dairy products but may also be added to sauces ,jellies,jams etc. Stabilizer 407 or E407 is its name.
3 Ingredients Easy Home Made Ice Cream
As I promised ,for the three ingredients home made ice cream you need
1.Amul cream:Doesn’t list Carrageenan as an ingredient.
2.Honey or jaggery
3.Flavour of your choice.I used Almond butter,vanilla extract and chocolate shavings .
Whip them all together using an automatic hand blender or a manual one.I whipped the cream for 20 minutes.Then froze it .
Freeze for 30 minutes covered.Whip again
Freeze overnight and eat it .I poured it in small disposeable paper cups (ones you use for the office coffee ) and needless to say it was a hit.
Why is Carrageenan bad?
It decreases the cellular integrity of the gut wall and changes the permeability changes of the gut.That can make your gut have many problems .Carrageenan is a class of food additives which is classified as a GRAS or generally recognized as safe for human consumption.But many studies over the years since 1980 s have found them linked to gastrointestinal problems,inflammations and allergies.The problem is,they are hidden under cover of regular ingredient and are hard to spot.
Carrageenan changes the intestinal microflora.This destroys the mucosal barrier causing leaky junctions between cells. They make the gut wall leak large molecules including proteins,triggering immune response.Carrageenan also directly activate our body’s inflammatory cells .This leads to colitis and inflammatory bowel disease
Which food commonly contain Carrageenan?
Since Carrageenan is a GRAS or generally recognized as safe for human consumption,it’s use and presence in food products is never advertised or given prominence. But the ingredient list on the product packaging will mention E407.Be a smart consumer and check the product information label carefully before buying.
- Nut and soy milks,
- protein shakes and powders
- Pre-made packaged chocolate milk,cold coffee
- Frozen yogurt
- Popsicles,
- Frozen pre-cooked prepared meals
- Most ice cream
- infant formula.
- Cottage cheese
- Creamers
- Vegan cheeses
- Nondairy desserts
- Meat products
- Jams,Jellies,Jelly lozenge
- Ready made puddings,custards ,custard powder
- Ready made cakes and cake mixes
- Sauces
- Some pet foods
- Even Toothpaste
This list is not complete and occasional ice cream or Carrageenan containing product will hardly cause trouble.But if you have a sensitive gut and suffer sudden bouts of bowel trouble ,you would definitely want to check what you are eating.Its common practice to talk about gluten sensitivity,lactose intolerance but few check the hidden ingredients.
What is the effect of Carrageenan?
Though Carrageenan is “natural”,it’s effects are not something you would want in your body.These effects include .
- Inflammation
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Unknown food allergies often occurring randomly
- Bloating
- Glucose intolerance
- Colon cancer
In 2016, the American National Organic Standards Board voted to remove carrageenan from their approved list.
Carrageenan is usually categorized in emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners and gelling agents.
Remember that carrageenan-free plant based milks may separate. You just need to shake it well and it should be ,just as good.Carrageenan has no nutritional utility and not having it in your diet is a smart move .Avoiding Carrageenan is as easy as making your own almond milk or skipping products with this additives.I prefer to keep a look out on things which may slip under the radar when it comes to allergies.If it’s not proven safe by people who don’t have a commercial interest, I do the research.After all its a multi million dollar industry and we all know what happens when it’s a question of economics .
Resource list
Food-grade carrageenans and their implications in health and disease
Fang Liu et al. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2021 Jul.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34146449/
Guo J, Shang X, Chen P, Huang X. How does carrageenan cause colitis? A review. Carbohydr Polym. 2023 Feb 15;302:120374. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.120374. Epub 2022 Nov 21. PMID: 36604052.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36604052/
These American foods are banned in other countries
This Blog post is part of Blogchatter AtoZ and the Ultimate Blog Challenge
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Ear Lobe Repair? Don’t do it without reading this!
Ear Lobe Repair? Don’t do it without reading this!
Lobuloplasty or the repair of ear lobule cleft is a common ear surgical procedure. Partial cleft, complete cleft, elongated ear lobule, etc all can be repaired.
What causes Ear lobe cleft? When do you need to repair your ear lobule?
- Wearing heavy earrings.
- Trauma during possible earring snatching or earring being suddenly pulled
Usually, the cleft is made into a complete cleft, and sections of the margin are de-epithelized, and then sutured or ear hole preserving surgery may be done, depending on the case.
Case Report
With a partial lobule cleft, a woman in her mid-thirties stopped wearing earrings because it was not aesthetic in appearance. The COVID pandemic pushed nonessentials out of the horizon. Plus the social head nodding if it looks bad. But why do you need to do it? You are married and already a mom, why do you need cosmetic procedures? Plus aesthetic procedures happen only in calm times.
After routine lab tests for preoperative assessment lobuloplasty was done under local anesthesia.
What is lobuloplasty ?
The lobuloplasty is the ear lobe repair It is an aesthetic surgery procedure and should be done under strict aseptic conditions by a trained surgeon. Adequate precautions if not taken can result in a deformed lobule and poor end results in the hands of an untrained person.
How to prevent ear piercing from becoming deformed or causing partial or total ear lobule cleft?
Avoid wearing heavy earrings which drag at your ear lobules.
Avoid wearing earrings at night even if it’s moderate weight for a prolonged period because gravity catches up.
Avoid wearing earrings that cause earache and inflammation.
Recurrence of cleft lobule is rare.
How to find the best place for Ear lobe repair solution?
Look for ENT surgeons near your area and visit their clinic to know the cost of ear lobe repair under their care. Routine blood tests will be needed before surgery. Your doctor will also check your blood pressure and take a detailed history of your current and past medical conditions. Always visit a registered doctor for your safety.
Preop pictures
Post-op Day 7 :Suture Removal
Disclaimer
The health-wellness information is shared on this website to improve public awareness about lifestyle diseases, and products, that may help or harm us. This is in no wa⁹y a replacement for professional medical advice. Please always consult your doctor for personalized medical advice.
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MR vaccine drive : What you need to know
What is the MR vaccine?
Measles and Rubella vaccine together is called the MR vaccine.
What is the MMR Vaccine?
MMR vaccine has Measles, Mumps, and Rubella.
Updated 14th January 2023
This was not previously included in the Universal Immunization Programme(UIP) in India. Only Measles was included in UIP in the government sector. Now in the Revised National Immunization Programme Measles/MR is being given in a phased manner. This new MR drive aims to have Rubella too. So that eventually, MR, that is, measles and Rubella, will be a part of UIP. The MR vaccine drive aims to immunize 100% of at-risk children.
According to the Indian Association of Pediatrics (IAP), the MMR vaccine should be a part of all kid’s immunization programs after one-to-one discussions with parents.
Doses of MMR :
- Two doses with at least 4 weeks gap.
- As early as 9 months(IAP recommendation)
- The second dose must follow in the 2nd year of life. Can be given at any time, 4-8 weeks after the 1st dose.
- No need to give a stand-alone measles vaccine
- Maternal immunity is said to be there until 9 months.
Benefits of MMR :
Protection against, Measles, Mumps and Rubella.
Measles can cause:
Serious complications and death.
- Encephalitis
- SSPE(Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis) is a very serious long-term sequela
- Pneumonia
- Otitis media
- Diarrhea
Mumps can cause:
- Fever with painful parotid inflammation
- Brain infection(encephalitis)
- Infection of gonads(oophoritis/orchitis) can lead to sterility in pubertal kids.
Other complications of Mumps
- Pancreatitis
- Deafness
- Aseptic meningitis
Rubella can cause:
- Mild infection in adults.
- Most common presentation: Low-grade fever, Lymph node swelling, and malaise.
- Up to 50% infections may be subclinical.
Complications of Rubella infection :
- Encephalitis
- Thrombocytopenic purpura
The danger of Rubella infection :
Teratogenic infection in pregnant women. If infection occurs in unimmunized mothers in the first trimester, it can cause Congenital Rubella syndrome if the mother gets a Rubella infection in early pregnancy. These preconception tests are recommended to check for Rubella antibody levels.
- miscarriage
- stillbirth
- Birth defects include cataracts, hearing loss, mental retardation, and congenital heart defects.
Measles is very infectious. It is mainly transmitted from person to person by a cough and cold. Through large respiratory droplets. Transmission through aerosol for up to 2 hours after a person with measles occupied the area has been documented.
After exposure, 90% or more susceptible people can have measles. The virus is transmitted from 4 days before the rash becomes visible to 4 days after the rash appears.
The measles vaccine is now provided free in India’s Universal Immunisation Programme in all Government Immunization facilities.
About Measles vaccine
- Two doses
- 1st at 9 to 12 months
- Second, at 15 to 18 months
- At least four weeks gap between the two doses.
The second dose is not a booster. 2% and 5% of children don’t develop measles immunity after the first dose. The second dose of the measles vaccine aims to immunize those, not protected by the first dose.
In India, children are given the measles vaccine (MV) after nine months of age. Measles has serious mortality and morbidity stats.
Seroconversion for measles is lower in children receiving the first dose before or at 12 months of age. This is suspected to be due to persisting maternal antibodies. But even then, it is given as early as nine months because of the severe nature of the infection.
The rate of seroconversion with different ages of measles vaccination:
- 87% at nine months,
- 95% at 12 months
- 98% at 15 months
Infants who receive the measles vaccine before 12 months of age, should be given two additional doses of measles antigen-containing vaccine at 12-15 months and 4-6 yr of age(2,3).
Mumps is as infectious as Influenza and Rubella but less than measles or varicella.
2 Doses of mumps vaccine are needed for long-lasting protection(4)
RA27/3 vaccine for rubella is highly seroconverting. Immunity after a single dose is lifelong. But rubella antibodies may fall below detectable levels with time
The MR Vaccine Campaign: Why are they doing it?
Polio, Measles, and Rubella are three diseases that occur in humans. So if it’s controlled in humans, we have a great chance of eradication. On 5th February 2017, the Union Health Ministry launched the measles-rubella (MR) vaccination campaign in Bengaluru.
This campaign started in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Goa, and Lakshadweep. That’s about 3.6 crore children. Following the campaign, the measles-rubella vaccine will be introduced in routine universal immunization.
Kerala started the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine drive campaign in October of that year (part of National Immunisation Programme).
MR Vaccine campaign plan :
Children between 9 months and less than 15 years: a single shot of measles-rubella vaccination.
Will they need it even if they have earlier vaccinated against Measles and Rubella?
Yes, irrespective of their previous measles/rubella vaccination status or measles/rubella disease status this vaccine will be given.
How much will this cost?
MR vaccine will be free across the states. At school, health facilities.
Does the extra dose cause problems ?
The vaccine contains attenuated (non-virulent) viruses. If a child is already immune, the body will not respond to the extra dose.So the new MR in already vaccinated children is unnecessary, but harmless.
If a child has received no MMR vaccine previously, they should get the MR vaccine.
If a child has received 2 doses of MMR vaccine, with at least 4 weeks gap in between, then he/she need not take any further dose of MMR /MR. But the government recommends blanket coverage irrespective of earlier immunization status.
MMR was given only in the private healthcare sector. The private sector covers only 25% of children. So it makes administrative sense to try for universal coverage through this special drive.
Also read vaccine and immunity
FAQ:
1)If a child has no previous Measles vaccine, MMR vaccine: Child gets MR vaccine
2)If a child has a previous one dose of the measles vaccine: The child gets MR vaccine
3)If a child has one previous MMR Vaccine:
- The child needs the other dose of MMR vaccine for complete protection against mumps. Since two doses of the mumps vaccine are needed for adequate protection.
- The child gets the MR vaccine. The Government suggests blanket coverage. It will be an extra dose, but experts opine it is harmless.
4)The child is less than 15 years and has received all doses of the measles vaccine or MMR vaccine
- The child gets the MR vaccine. Again the Government suggests blanket coverage.
5.If it’s a girl child and has her periods, can she get the vaccine?
Yes, she can. Having periods is not a contraindication to receiving the MR vaccine.
6. If the Child has a history of a severe allergy to MMR or MR vaccine previously, what will the parents do?
In that case, the MR vaccine may be avoided in case of a history of allergy to previous doses.
7. Who doesn’t get the vaccine now?
Any seriously ill child hospitalized, unconscious, or has seizures will not be given this vaccine at the present time . Consult your doctor about this.
The Government aims to give immunization to schools, hospitals, and health centers. Proper vaccine chain, sterility, and infrastructure for managing any vaccine-related event must be adequately planned (especially in schools) to avoid MR Vaccine side effects and complications. The lack of drive awareness or poor planning should not cripple an otherwise great initiative.
For parents: Don’t forget to talk to your doctor before deciding.
Do you know about the MR vaccine? What’s your child’s immunization status? Comment below to let me know.
Healthwealthbridge Disclaimer health information provided on this blog is for general awareness and doesn’t in any way replace a doctor’s professional medical advice. Kindly consult your doctor in case of any decision regarding your health, and diet.
Related
Baby Vaccination: Everything you need to Know
Vaccines and Immunity
Reader Query :
T K ANUJEE
Dr. Amrita, your article is very informative. I would like to know other than preventing diseases, does vaccination boost the immunity of children? if vaccination is aimed at boosting immunity, by announcing blanket MR, should we infer that the earlier MMR was futile? You have stated the experts opined the extra dose is” harmless”. Is it the same as taking one more roti for company’s sake, on a full stomach?
Our Answer
Vaccination does provide protection and improves the immunity of an adequately vaccinated person. But there are exceptions. Government health policy recommends the best practices. Blanket MR helps to avoid confusion and missed dose. Your pediatrician can help you decide accordingly. In cases like these, an inadvertent miss is more worrying than the extra dose.
Disclaimer:
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All information provided is for awareness and educational purposes. All immunization or health decisions should be taken after consultation.
Reference:
1)http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/feb/05/union-health-ministry-launches-vaccine-for-dual-protection-against-measles-rubella-1567286–1.html0
2)Mason WH. Measles. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Stanton BF, Jenson HB, editors. Nelson textbook of pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. pp. 1331–7.
3)Response to second dose of MMR vaccine in Indian children Sunil Gomber, Shilpa Khanna Arora, Shukla Das, and V. G. Ramachandran Pubmed
4) Antibody response to measles immunization in India J. S. Job, T. J. John, and A. Joseph Pubmed
6)FAQ about MR vaccine campaign
