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Diabetes Care: The (little )Secret No one told you #MoreThanMyDiabetes

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on November 30, 2020 36

My first experience with diabetes was when I was twelve. One of my aunts was diagnosed with uncontrolled diabetes.

I knew diabetes was serious. But it was also a disease people experimented with. It was those times when people liked alternative concoctions to “cure” diabetes and hypertension. I particularly remember an Arabian magic herb heard of curing “madhumeha,” which my aunt’s friend was raving about. This conversation happened when I was a second-year medical student. My aunt was still looking for the magic cure and only taking insulin when things got bad. Do you get the timeline of experimentation?

Diabetes Care: The little Secret No one Told you

Long story short, my aunt didn’t take insulin regularly until she was diagnosed with multiple complications of diabetes, and the doctor laid it out for her. But old habits die hard. My aunt continued her see-sawing with diabetes treatment. My lovely aunt is no more, and her smiling, happy face is now a memory.

Scenario two, one of my uncles-in-law, was diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus when he fractured his leg. It was a wild blood sugar situation. Until then, he had never even checked his blood sugar. Luckily he listened, diligently got his insulin shots, and his fracture healed without much drama.

Diabetes Care wellness Tips

Diabetes is now a chronic non-infectious pandemic disease. By now, everyone and their pets know what a pandemic is, but it doesn’t get real until you understand numbers. It’s a long-term condition that affects you, your family, and society as a whole.

Estimated reading time: 0 minutes

So the stats for Diabetes are like this:
So what are the different types of insulin?
- According to when the insulin starts to act and duration of action, insulin is usually divided as
How can you take insulin, and how do you choose the best method?
Why is the choice of type and dosage of insulin necessary?
- Takeaway:

So the stats for Diabetes are like this:

Almost half a billion people ( 463 million ) as in 2019 are living with Diabetes.

One in two people doesn’t know they have Diabetes, which makes it a big problem.

I shared these stories because many of my patients, too, show similar confusion about insulin therapy. I have diligently tried to explain to all my patients with diabetes to keep their blood sugar always in order.

My aunt’s problem and need for a natural solution helped me see the situation differently. Insulin is not medicine. It’s something your body already produces. But in people with diabetes , this is either not in the right amount (type 1) or not working (type 2) in the right way. Insulin is a normal hormone secreted by your pancreas. In Diabetes mellitus, insulin for some reason is not enough or doesn’t work, not doing what it should be doing in the body.

While there are genetic causes behind Diabetes Type 1(an autoimmune disease), Type 2 Diabetes is a lifestyle disease. Obesity in adults and children is a massive factor behind this problem of Diabetes.

The good news is that with a customized diet, exercise, medicine, or insulin, you can stop the steamrolling of Diabetes symptoms.

If you want quality of life, always keep blood sugar under reasonable control.

It’s not about one time, but every time the sugar crosses a threshold, it gets trapped inside the tissues and causes trouble. That’s why being aware of the type of insulin you need is essential. It’s also crucial to choose the right way to get this insulin inside your body. It will be multiple times a day and needs to be easy, convenient, and pocket-friendly without risks.

So what are the different types of insulin?

According to when the insulin starts to act and duration of action, insulin is usually divided as

Type of Insulin	Peak Activity	Duration of action
Rapid-acting	15 min	3-5hrs
Short-acting	30-60 min	5 -8 hrs
Intermediate-acting	1-3 hrs	10-16 hrs
Long-acting	1 hour	24 hrs or more
Premixed	15min	10-16 hours or more

Types of insulin according to onset and duration of action

Most insulin-dependent Diabetes needs a balance of short-acting and long-acting insulin for control.

How can you take insulin, and how do you choose the best method?

One of the oldest methods is an insulin syringe. A popular alternative choice is an insulin pen. Other options are an Insulin jet injector and insulin pumps.

Insulin syringe

It is a common method. It is a special syringe with a tiny needle. Cheap to use.The person must adjust the dose of intake manually.

Insulin pen

An insulin pen is less painful than an insulin syringe and much less complicated than a jet injector. It may be disposable, pre-loaded or reusable where cartridge must be loaded. Former is excellent for those with poor eyesight as it stops the problem if manual adjustment is needed. The insulin pen is popular, cost-effective, and user-friendly.

Insulin jet injectors

This helps insulin entry without needles. The cons are high cost, a complicated method with risk of wrong dosing.

Insulin pumps

This is body-worn and has a small catheter attached to a region on the belly. Timely graded doses of insulin are delivered. It helps to drip-feed insulin in a controlled manner and adjusted according to meals and overall lifestyle.

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Why is the choice of type and dosage of insulin necessary?

The type of insulin and dosage is crucial for managing Diabetes mellitus and preventing organ damage. Diet, exercise, stress, infections, other diseases, and medicines can alter the body’s insulin level. You should consult only your doctor for a good plan regarding insulin intake and not have random experiments. The problem of excess insulin and hypoglycaemic coma is life-threatening. Our brain depends on glucose to work, so a wrong high dose of insulin will starve the brain. A low insulin dose and high blood sugar will cause organ damage.

During excessive stress, post meals, or exercise, insulin need may change. Poor infection control causes spikes in blood sugar, and high blood sugar makes infections prolonged. This is the reason behind the vicious cycle of swinging insulin need and uncontrolled blood sugar.

Takeaway:

When you have regular blood sugar and on a good Diabetes mellitus care plan, there is a lower risk of aggressive infections taking hold and less chance of Diabetes-related complications. Diabetes mellitus has the power to affect each cell and system of your body. So never let it grow powerful. If you are someone with diabetes, watch your blood sugar like a hawk. Every step is essential. Talking to your doctor about what type of insulin and which delivery system will work best for you.

Diet, exercise, regular monitoring, and adherence to medication are important factors in diabetes management. Empower yourself to live better with diabetes and take the pledge today to be #MoreThanMyDiabetes.

Disclaimer:

The views expressed in the blog content are independent and unbiased views of solely the blogger. This is a part of the public awareness initiative supported by Sanofi India. Sanofi India bears no responsibility for the content of the blog. One should consult their healthcare provider for any health-related information.

References

International Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas, 8th ed. Brussels, Belgium: International Diabetes Federation; 2017.
https://www.diabetesresearchclinicalpractice.com/article/S0168-8227(19)31230-6/fulltext#back-b0005

Mobile RT PCR Lab :A game changer?

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on November 25, 2020 2

There’s a new player in town when it comes to COVID 19 testing.Its the Mobile RT PCR lab.

Many small towns and villages in India still don’t have access to on demand COVID 19 testing.I am in a small town like that and that keeps me worried.

With the Mobile RT PCR LAB by Spice health (a part of SpiceJet) this may change how India battles COVID 19.

Honourable Home minister Amit shah inaugurated this Mobile RT PCR lab on Monday the 23rd November .The RT PCR tests are going to be much cheaper in these labs.

Normally it takes 24 to 48 hours to do the RTPCR test.In this lab my will take only 6 hours.Upto 1000 tests per day will be done.

This lab is being rolled out first in Delhi then else where.It was given approval by ICMR who is bearing the cost for the tests happening in Delhi.

Why do I feel this is good news?

1)Increased and quicker quality testing helps us diagnose,treat,quarantine effectively.

2)It may help people get self tested if needed,lowering the stress on the healthcare system.

3)Makes it ground breaking in terms of healthcare in India.

4)Over time this model can be used to provide quality care in the remotest corner of India.

5)Being mobile,many of the setup and infrastructural problems are bypassed .

But all this needs to move faster .Maybe Spice health will sell the labs or have some other licensing model in place to make it reach more people quicker.

When we test ,we know and we can fight it.

Want to know what is RT PCR?

Listen to this audio

What is RT PCR:(Hindi ) Dr.Amrita Basu healthwealthbridge.com

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Why Ads need Trust Indicators

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on November 24, 2020 0

Is it okay to have misleading ads?
Is it okay to pretend a doctor is recommending a soap,sanitizer,mask,toothpaste etc etc when it’s a model.The ads may or may night have a Disclaimer.

Is it ethical for celebrities without using or truly experiencing recommend education ,health services ?

It’s okay that they are doing it professionally,but the onus of realistic expectation falls only on the customer?Shouldn’t true depictions with creative liberties be the crucial focus .

This topic I am discussing without naming brands,because a lot of the issues are common across most of them. But more because ,I actively try these platforms for my child .Many times with disappointment.I sincerely hope someone will make a good product.

Indian parents value good education. They know the benefit of quality education. Spending extreme budgets on disruptive FOMO marketing doesn’t make sense.Authority,transparency and authentic stories from real people will be game changers.

If ads bring awareness,then can irritate too.If an ad campaign fails, that’s many times due to disconnect with the target audience.

They are targeting educated parents.There’s going to be a problem if the promise is not met.

It’s great that edutech is growing by leaps and bounds, but quality is crucial.
Talk about how you are teaching.
Let us hear from educationists ,from parents whose kids have actually done well using these platforms and not just paid propaganda.
Tell us about your teachers qualifications on your website.We deserve a right to know as parents,who are going to teach our kids.Don’t we do the same in offline world too?

Anyone can be taught a script but for curious minds a good teacher will not be reading from script .

Can only good students teach well or anybody can?Can someone who has studied by giving capitation fees everywhere,train another for competitive exams based on merit?Can someone who hasn’t really studied the subject teach, by following set training material?

I wouldn’t trust that guy ,would you?Are you okay with experimenting with your child’s future ?Knowing a teachers academic records builds confidence in the platform.

Now if all that is fudged too ,then that’s matter for another debate.
What signals trust to parents?What are the trust indicators marketers should use?Maybe it’s time they think about using the Trust indicators.

Do Ads need Trust indicators ?

Elearning experience of Ashvini a mother (Podcast) in COVID times

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on November 23, 2020 0

Ashvini is a content writer, ghost writer, blogger & recipe curator.

She’s a former corporate trainer with over 6 years of experience in software training. A mother to an effervescent 7 year old daughter, she’s also a fitness enthusiast & an avid follower of politics. Ashvini believes in the power of sustainability & minimalism while inspiring others to adopt a more healthy & simple lifestyle.

I have known her for some time through her work online.Being an educated mommy she shares very holistic ideas about the kind of education she wants for her daughter.Listen to the podcast.

Elearning experience of Ashvini a mother (Podcast) in COVID times

How do you choose online resources for your children?

In my opinion, you can assess your child’s aptitude for a certain subject basis the kind of inclination he/she shows towards it in a given phase of time. Children are innately intuitive of their interests & they’re just like sponges when it comes to learning something they’ve been longing to, irrespective of the medium they’re picking it from. Now that we’re pulling off a completely indoor-based life due to the pandemic and the indispensable dependence on virtual classes by the school, I honestly feel, the share of e-learning material they are dealing with, is sufficient.

When you want to help the child extrapolate his/her knowledge to a much wider spectrum about something, there’s enough free material that’s available on the Internet.

For instance, we can even find Walter Lewin’s lectures on Astrophysics from the MIT, on YouTube.

All it takes is just a bit of time-investment and guidance from us.

What are your must have resources for parents?

The most important resources for parents, according to me, would be a stable Internet connection besides having a gadget (either a laptop/smartphone) that can be reserved for the child’s learning for a stipulated period of daily hours.

More so, the most ideal thing to do here, is to calibrate the gadget in such a way that the screen time doesn’t take a toll on their eyesight or moods. Also, if possible, try to re-invent the space into a mini-workstation. Allocate a certain corner/room for the child to sit in, that’s immune to any distraction or noise from the rest of the house.

What are the problems you faced during 2020 and elearning?

As a parent of a 7 year old, I strongly felt the challenging atmosphere that my daughter had to quickly adapt to. Particularly when kids of this age heavily depend & thrive on the personal connect with the surrounding elements of their school. It became pretty difficult in making her comprehend the little choice we are left with due to the pandemic situation.

Since her full-fledged virtual classes followed after a month of starting her academic curriculum via offline material from her teachers, she had reasonable time to make peace with the slowly changing medium that would probably stay for this year. The most difficult aspect here was replacing her share of co-curricular activities with the kind we would make her engage with now, and the physical absence of her play dates, weekend trips to fun places and schoolmates.

That can affect a child’s learning motivation beyond imagination, especially in kids younger than 8 or 9. Hence, as parents, it’s essential that we take some time out of our schedule to either play with them and have random yet meaningful conversations with them. Free-play is actually a pleasant collateral of this homestay now that children usually develop their own games & take to DIY stuff on their own or learning online.

Do mention a few courses or apps online your children use?

Since I like to keep it optimal to avoid any kind of overwhelm, I prefer to let my daughter learn about trivial topics from YouTube (since I sit along with her then).

Besides that, I have been happy about using the Freedom app for her since the past 1.5 years, which is an app that aims at helping young kids sharpen their reading & spelling capabilities and vocabulary while providing them with the best of content. At the cost of sounding old-school, I would always like to emphasize that I prefer more of paper-back books than their e-versions for my kid. I buy books that would intrigue her. Also, I like using free online sources for her like w3schools & SoloLearn.

What do you feel about excessive propaganda advertising when it comes to learning platforms?

Do you think the value of such platforms match the money spent?

I totally condemn the aggressive marketing campaigns that certain learning platforms have adopted in the wake of the pandemic. Unfortunately, from the feedback of my acquaintances, I can fairly deduce that none of them lives up to the tall claims they tout as their USP.

Sadly, there’s a large part of the parents’ population which has fallen for them assuming that it would be a judicious investment for their children’s learning. Statistically, most of the non-technical guardians find it challenging to evaluate the claims of such e-learning firms. Frankly speaking, their advertising strategies seem no less than the systematic frauds we’ve been aware of lately.

For instance, there have been a lot of e-learning organisations that have forayed into teaching coding to students belonging to a large spectrum of age. As careful investors, it would always be recommended that parents/guardians first research if the said courses/material are available for free on the Internet. And then take a call.

From a really personal perspective, otherwise, I would any day prefer looking up to stuff that can be availed from trusted learning programs of Unacademy, Udemy etc.

For a little older children, learning coding the old-school way is actually more fun!

One can always explore app-building & source codes through places like GitHub.

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Now, most of us know that businesses are into digital marketing majorly through retargeting ads on various platforms, which procure a lot of our info through our signed in accounts & surfing behaviour. Hence, it’s first important that irrespective of the age of your children, you should explain to them about how advertising works at aggressively chasing the target audience.

Educate them about Internet crimes to the likes of phishing, hacking & impersonation.

Most of the popular online games come with age-restrictions of 16+ or 18+. And regardless of that, they’re evidently addictive too.

Also comes the malice of forced ads that can be designed to manipulate really young kids into badgering their parents to buy an upgrade to an online game, or even stand the chance to be exposed to adult content.

While some cyber patrolling applications are available today, it’s first important that we, as parents, explain all of this to our kids about consuming relevant content online. Establishing a free-way to communicate doubts and transparency is more advisable than coming across as a spy sometime later.

Moreover, NEVER decline to listening to your child’s description of any online game that he/she has played, disposing it off with statements like, “I’m sorry, but I just don’t understand what the game is all about. Anyway, good if you’re liking it.”

This is a part of #CauseAchatter an initiative by Blogchatter.

10 Tips for Small Parties gatherings: COVID 19 (Corona virus) times

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on November 19, 2020 2

Winters signals weddings,parties,picnics.

But how can you have family events without risking exposure? When we are not able to meet our family and friends, no parties or get-togethers, how do you keep your spirits high?

In Delhi there has been a surge of cases and the Dehi high court wants to know why there are hardly any action being taken?There are rules and laws in place to protect the citizen ,but the citizens need to do their part too!

With Diwali, Kali puja,Bhai phonta we ventured out ,visited a few relatives,but carefully.

I will share the Scare and the care both.

The SCARE !

We went for a trip to a relative’s home in the village.

The drive was pleasant.We were decked up with our N95 firmly in place.

We visited ,chatted,saw a few Pratima ,then had a quick snack of luchi and mangsho(mutton). Now eating cannot be done with a mask,so the mask came off for 10 minutes.But we sat socially distanced.

It was possible because there were only five people in the house at that time .

That was good ,because two days later we were told about five people testing positive for COVID 19, just next door to my relatives home.Scary fact ;one of them visited her off and on.

Luckily no one from the family tested positive nor showed any symptoms.

We however spent twenty one days praying hard.The next visits happened with mask,always in place and getting the food packed to eat at home.

Now the point I am trying to make here is COVID is stressful and the social and mental health parameters are serious for all of us.

Even with the vaccine,we may need to maintain preventive measures for some time.At Least till duration and measure of vaccine efficacy is confirmed for all demographics.

Till then what can we do?

10 Tips to Party Safe in COVID times: Gather with care

1)Check local regulations before planning event .

2) Think small ,cozy but with elements of social distancing and mask.

Whatever you do, keep the groups small ,intimate and cozy.That way you can have several small parties with much less headache.

3)Yes, wear a mask even indoors when you meet family and friends .Even when they have recovered from COVID.Reinfection is possible.Even if they tested negative for COVID recently.Until you have a home testing kit(Lucira COVID 19 Test kit) for COVID,like the one FDA recently approved and you test yourself and everyone before they enter your home, you can never be sure about their COVID status.

4) Host daytime outdoor events .It’s definitely better than indoors .If indoor event keep the doors and windows open.Good ventilation is a must.

5) Air conditioning is better skipped .If you have central air conditioning, heating system you need at least 30 air changes per hour to have some standard of safety.

6) Allow your guests to microwave their food platters before they start eating .60 second in the microwave should be safe .

7) While eating, maintain social distance of a minimum of 1m as WHO says.But best is 3 m,that which may be difficult indoors and even talking.So plan accordingly.

8) Encourage guests to bring their own disposable cutlery and school style tiffin boxes,eating and packing away extra is easier.Plus no worries about washing up or the sanitizing headache.

9) If they decide to eat using your cutlery they can opt for washing their own dishes before and after for extra safety.

Friends who do dishwashing together stay together.
Dr.Amrita Basu healthwealthbridge.com

10)You can have takeaways made as goodybags .

Must do Bonus tip:

Have necessary supplies like hand hygiene stations.Hand sanitizer or soap and water.Both work .Have closed-lid bins, distance markers, masks .

When you plan it well ,it gets easier.Don’t let frustration cloud your judgement. If you are staying safe, you’re keeping your family safe.

Many people with COVID 19 remain asymptomatic. But the many effects of the virus seem to have far reaching consequences. Like always prevention is the best policy.Because undoing the damage may be a Herculean task.

The human spirit is powerful. You can do safe and right if you try. It’s not going to be easy. But if you remember your fairy tales, no happily ever after came easily. The fight continues so stay safe, stay healthy. Don’t forget to share this article, you will be helping someone.

Little Book of Talent (Book summary):Unlocked

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on November 17, 2020 0

We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

— ARISTOTLE

Talent or skill?

What comes first ?

Are talented people more successful or successful people more talented?

Can you polish your skill into a talent?

Does talent get rusty?

If you use it,does it get better or worse?

Should you share your talent or hide ?

Why do so many people suffer from burnout?

What’s the secret way to nurture skills and your innate talent?

You will get the answer to all this and more in the book The Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle.

The blurb says it’s a 52 steps to a faster brain and smarter you.You can actually upskill to a level of great talent.It’s a book which is scientifically proven(according to the author) and field tested(there are examples).Will it work for you ?

Depends on how hard you work.As Daniel says ,you keep doing.

As Albert Einstein said, “One must develop an instinct for what one can just barely achieve through one’s greatest efforts.”

It’s a marathon not a sprint.So train right.

It’s a 72 page book with some of the most profound nuggets of wisdom you will find in a book of this size.

You can get it here .

Now let me share why I am passionate about this book .

Being a Doctor ,creative arts was not anywhere in my horizon until one fine day in 2014 October .

Then suddenly the gates opened and I experienced an almost Alice in Wonderlad type feeling,when I started earning as a freelance creative writer.

Then once again in 2020 when my podcast crossed 10k downloads ,I realized sticking with stuff helps.

Then today when I won the Kuku_fm #HappyDiwali contest ,I thought of sharing with you my favorite takeaways from the book.

Kuku_fm :I won first position in Diwali contest

Favorite nuggets from the little book of Talent

Nature and nurture are both important. But nurture can tilt the balance.Practice it till you perfect it.

Learn it right.Then repeat it until you can do it perfectly. Unlearning isn’t something our brain does very well.So getting it right is important.

Have note book.Create a roadmap.Write it down.

Don’t share it before you do it.

Take small steps.Repeat.Do it .Do some more.You have done more than most people.Taking the first step matters .

Mistakes are the magic crumbs which will always teach you.

Start.

Get better

Keep moving.

Thats the formula which helps those who are successful. So what are you waiting for?

Get started now!

Favorite quote from the book

By music-education pioneer Shinichi Suzuki, “Practice on the days that you eat.”

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Diabetes Care: The (little )Secret No one told you #MoreThanMyDiabetes

Table of contents

So the stats for Diabetes are like this:

So what are the different types of insulin?

According to when the insulin starts to act and duration of action, insulin is usually divided as