Morning Medtalks with Dr KK 

1. Healthy adults lower their cardiovascular risk by cutting daily sodium intake to at least 2,300 mg, and may lower it further by going as low as 1,500 (4 grams) mg, according to a new National Academies report. Previously, 2,300 mg per day ( 6 grams) was considered the upper limit on intake in the Academies 2005 Dietary Reference Intakes. The update to those recommendations replaces the upper limit with a Chronic Disease Risk Reduction Intake.
2. The quantity of sodium is typically reported as milligrams of sodium, whereas in India the quantity of sodium is reported as grams of salt (sodium chloride) rather than as sodium alone (to convert between units: grams of salt x 393 = milligrams of sodium)
3. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new depression drug, esketamine, for patients who have not responded to other antidepressants. The treatment, a nasal spray related to the party drug ketamine, will be the first fast-acting depression drug on the market.
4. DCGI issues a show-cause notice to J&J for advertising that the baby powder is pure and gentle, based on a govt test report. According to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, advertising such claims based on a govt test report attract a penalty.
5. Science of Mantra Sound by Dr KK Aggarwal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQj2sQAG404&feature=youtu.be
6. The Prime Ministers office has asked the Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) to move amendments to the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1945 that will allow pharmacists to substitute doctors prescription of branded drugs with generic medicines. Following suggestions, the Drug Controller General of India confirmed that in the initial phase, only the Jan Aushadhi Kendras will be implementing the law.

Whereas Rule 65 (11 A) of Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945 states that no person dispensing a prescription containing substances specified in Schedule H, H1, or Schedule X may supply any other preparation whether containing same substances or not in lieu thereof.

7. Daily consumption of pomegranate juice may protect memory in older, physically healthy people. Early results from a randomized trial of more than 200 participants showed that the group receiving pomegranate juice scored higher on the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) over 12 months than their counterparts who received a placebo drink.The findings were presented here at the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) 2019 Annual Meeting.

8. Vaccination against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) does not increase the risk for autism or trigger autism in susceptible children, according to a new cohort study published in the March 5 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

Prevention of fall on the elderly: Home Checklist

1. Handrails in indoor and outdoor staircases
2. Grab bars near showers, bathtubs, and toilets.
3. Improved lighting in hallways, stairways, and outdoor walkways.
4. Nonslip mats and treads in bathroom floors, outside decks, and outside steps.
5. Step and floor repair: crumbling outdoor steps, loose wall-to-wall carpeting, and uneven floorboards can harm
6. Remove floor clutter, such as books, magazines, and electrical cords.
7. Rearrange furniture so that it works well with the flow of traffic and you dont bump into it. Use double-sided tape to secure the edges of large area rugs to the floor, and remove small throw rugs which are a common cause of falls.
8. Replace burned-out lightbulbs and broken lamps to ensure proper lighting in darkened spaces.