Plant-based diets can pave the way for better health and well-being: HCFI

As per statistics, dominant diets and food production are not nutritionally optimal. At least 820 million people are hungry worldwide, and close to 2 billion people are overweight or obese because they eat the wrong food. Indian diet, which is largely plant-based can show the world how a nutritious and sustainable diet can be provided to the world’s projected population of 10 billion people by 2050 without environmental degradation.

South Asia, including India, is an exception to meat consumption, with the majority eating half of the recommended amount. Countries in the North America, by comparison, eat almost 6.5 times the recommended amount of red meat.

Vegetarian and plant-based diets are associated with a reduced risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer as well as increased longevity. Vegetarian diets are typically lower in fat, particularly saturated fat, and higher in dietary fiber. They are also likely to include more whole grains, legumes, nuts, and soy protein, and together with the absence of red meat, this type of eating plan may provide many benefits for the prevention and treatment of obesity and chronic health problems, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Our ancient rituals and traditions have given us a way out of the conundrum of diet problems. They advocate the principles of ‘variety’ and ‘moderation’ i.e. eat a variety of food and eat in moderation. They also recommend including all seven colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue/purple, white) and six tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent) for a balanced diet.

The brain gets a signal that a person has eaten only after 20 minutes. Thus, it is important to chew every bite at least 15 times. It not only provides enough hormones for enzymes but also sends signals to the brain. Therefore, the time spent per meal should be 20 minutes.

• Eat less and enjoy your food by eating slowly. Fill half your plate with fruit and vegetables.
• Avoid oversized portions which can cause weight gain. At least half of your grains should be whole grains.
• Limit consumption of food high in trans fats and sugar. Choose healthy fats. Use fat–free or low-fat milk and/or dairy products.
• Drink plenty of water. Avoid sugary drinks.
• Avoid foods that have high sodium levels such as snacks, processed foods.
• Above all, balance your food choices with your activity level.

Alert: Encephalitis claims lives of 47 children in Bihars Muzaffarpur

Outlook: More than 47 kids died due to encephalitis in Bihars Muzaffarpur district.

As per the government, the cause is hypoglycemia.

The Health Department has also issued an advisory urging parents to prevent their children from playing under the sun when temperature is hovering between 42 to 43 degree Celsius.

What to look for?

• Typhus encephalitis
• Herpes simplex encephalitis
• Leechi encephalitis is due to hypoglycemia
• First case of Nipah surveillance

(Inputs from Dr Col PK Sethi): Many years back in Nagpur, a large number of children died during summer of so called epidemic of encephalitis. Under ICMR an enquiry was held. Dr Shriramcharya, a Neuropathologist was appointed. Prof Baldev Singh from AIIMS was also involved. I was working with Prof Baldev Singh. Autopsies were done. The results showed that the etiological agent for encephalitis was extreme heat.

Healthcare News Monitor

OGH gasps for emergency drugs

The Times of India- Amrita Didyala

Hyderabad: The state-run Osmania General Hospital (OGH) has been reeling under a severe shortage of emergency medicines for over six months, with many OGH octors alleging that the government has turned a blind to resolving the crisis. Sources said that on any given day, 80 to 90 per cent of the indent book, which has a list of drugs required, is sent back marked in red, adding that the red mark means that the drugs are unavailable at the drug store. The latest indent of drugs at the OGH shows unavailability of six out of nine emergency drugs.These include the drugs Piptaz, Magnex, Augmentin, Pantop and Tramadol that are needed for curing pneumonitis, cellulitis and septic shock. A few of these, such as Augmentin- a multipurpose antibiotic- has been unavailable at the hospital for over six months now, and patients are asked to buy the drugs themselves. “We are fed up of requesting for the drugs. We just compromise and make do with whatever is available at hand, if the patient cannot purchase the drug on their own. In majority of the cases, they are unable to bear the expenses as patients who come here are usually from very poor background,” said a senior official of the emergency department.“We cannot tell patients that the required drug is unavailable as it will scare them. Ultimately, it is the patient who suffers,” said a junior doctor

‘Expedite solution to cases of overcharging for essential medicines’

The Indian Express

The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) and the National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority (NPPA) have been sent back to the drawing board for a solution to the growing burden of court cases initiated by pharmaceutical companies with orders to pay up for allegedly overcharging patients on essential medicines, The Indian Express has learnt. As per people close to the development, Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers Mansukh L Mandaviya during a meeting last week asked DoP and NPPA to narrow down overcharging-related cases that they have been fighting at court for decades and study whether there is a possibility of the government winning them. If not, the departments have been asked to study whether they need interventions like a one-time settlement to the firms involved.

Counterfeit medicine a growing threat: EU study

ET Healthworld-AFP

Counterfeit medicine is a "growing threat" in Europe, causing serious illness or even death and costing the pharmaceutical industry billions every year, according to a study published Wednesday. Criminal networks are producing an "increasingly diverse range of medicines", including drugs to treat serious illnesses such as cancer, the European Unions police agency Europol and its Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) said in a report. Although luxury items such as clothes and jewellery are among the most commonly detected counterfeit goods, professional gangs in Europe are producing an increasing range of goods, including food, pesticides and car parts.

This New Vaccine Offers New Ray of Hope in Fight Against Alzheimers

News18- PTI

A team of researchers led by an Indian-American scientist are working on a vaccine they hope could prevent Alzheimers disease by targeting a specific protein commonly found in the brains of patients affected by the neurodegenerative disorder, according to a media report. Alzheimers disease is a progressive disorder that causes brain cells to degenerate and die. Alzheimers disease is the most common cause of dementia a continuous decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that disrupts a persons ability to function independently. Researchers at the University of New Mexico led by Dr Kiran Bhaskar, associate professor in the varsitys Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, have started to test the vaccine on mice. It has not yet been shown if it works in people, CBS News reported.

Panel: Unsegregated hospital waste leads to 40% recurrent infections

The Times of India-Sumitra Debroy & S Ahmed Ali

Greater Noida: Hospitals and healthcare facilities in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad are responsible for 40% of recurrent infections in patients as they don’t adhere to scientific disposal of biomedical waste through segregation, the UP Solid Waste Management Monitoring Committee has said. Justice (retd) DP Singh, the chairman of the committee who is on a three-day tour of the three cities, told TOI on Thursday that hospitals and healthcare facilities across Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad are literally making a mockery of biomedical waste handling rules by dumping medical waste with municipal garbage. “I have data from international source that says about 35-40% of the recurrent infections occur from hospitals and medical centres due to such negligence of non-segregated waste,” he said. “I have toured a number of healthcare facilities in these cities and found that from the corridors to the operation theatres, trash bins placed were not covered.”

BMC hospitals start fever OPD to tackle monsoon-related illness

Daily News & Analysis

In order to treat cases related to monsoon-related illness, the civic-run hospitals have started a fever Out Patient Department (OPD) in their premises. According to the BMCs public health department, around 1,300 extra beds have been reserved for monsoon-related illness cases. Water-borne diseases increase in large numbers during t he monsoon season, the civic authority starts fever OPD every monsoon season. Speaking at the social platform with the citizen at Together V-CAN, Dr Ashwini Joshi, additional municipal commissioner of MCGM, stated that emergency medical services have been established in municipal hospitals across the city. She said, "As a health measure, free medication for fever at civic hospitals are provided for the citizens. Around three crore rupees medicines have been provided to the municipal hospitals through corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity."

14-Year-Old Girl Complains of Stomach Ache, Doctors Find Over 100 Undigested Bubble Tea Balls

News18

A 14-year-old girl in China was hospitalised last month for severe constipation and stomach aches and a CT scan helped doctors find out the culprit: tapioca pearls from bubble tea. The girl was initially reluctant to reveal what she had eaten but claimed that she had only drank a cup of bubble tea five days before her predicament began, according to an Asia One report. “The girl, who lived in Zhejiang province, complained of being constipated, not being able to eat, and was suffering from stomachaches. According to Chinese media reports, her parents finally sent her to the hospital on May 28,” the report said. Baffled doctors performed a CT scan which revealed “many unusual spherical shadows in her abdomen.” These turned out to be “around a hundred undigested tapioca pearls from bubble tea she had consumed.”