Category: Medicine & Health

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Maiden Pharmaceuticals had license to export, not locally sell cough & cold syrup, India says

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 15, 2022
1 Comment on Maiden Pharmaceuticals had license to export, not locally sell cough & cold syrup, India says

Synopsis

India’s health and welfare ministry said Thursday that Maiden Pharmaceuticals had the license to only export four drugs that are now linked to have killed 66 children in Gambia. ”Four drugs, out of 23, named Promethazine Oral Solution BP, Kofexnalin Baby Cough Syrup, MaKoff Baby Cough Syrup and MaGrip n Cold Syrup, are not sold in India,” stated a press release.

India’s health and welfare ministry said Thursday that Maiden Pharmaceuticals had the license to only export four drugs that are now linked to have killed 66 children in Gambia.

“Four drugs, out of 23, named Promethazine Oral Solution BP, Kofexnalin Baby Cough Syrup, MaKoff Baby Cough Syrup and MaGrip n Cold Syrup, are not sold in India,” stated a press release.

It also said that the company has manufactured and exported these products only to Gambia.

WHO had informed DCGI, the National Drug Regulator of India, that it is currently providing technical assistance and adviced to Gambia, where children have died and where a contributing factor, is suspected to be the use of medicines which may have been contaminated with Diethylene glycol or Ethylene glycol (in some of the samples it was claimed to have been confirmed by further analysis conducted by WHO).

CDSCO took up the matter immediately with Haryana State Regulatory Authority, under whose jurisdiction the drug manufacturing unit of M/s Maiden Pharmaceutical Limited, Sonepat is located. Further, a detailed investigation was launched to ascertain the facts/ details in the matter in collaboration with State Drugs Controller, Haryana.

From the preliminary enquiry of CDSCO, it has been made out that Maiden Pharmaceutical is a manufacturer licensed by the State Drug Controller for the products and holds manufacturing permission for these products for export only. The company has manufactured and exported these products only to Gambia.

As per the tentative results received by WHO, out of the 23 samples of the products under reference which were tested, four samples were found to contain Diethylene Glycol/ Ethylene Glycol. It has also been informed by WHO that the certificate of analysis will be made available to WHO in near future and it will share it with the Indian Regulator which is yet to be done. The exact one to one causal relation of death has not yet been provided by WHO to CDSCO.

As a robust National Regulatory Authority, CDSCO has requested WHO to share at the earliest with CDSCO the report on establishment of causal relation to death with the medical products in question etc.

“The samples (controlled samples of the same batch manufactured by M/s. Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited for all the four drugs in question) have been taken and sent for testing to Regional Drug Testing Lab, Chandigarh by CDSCO, the results of which will guide further course of action as well as bring clarity on the inputs received/ to be received from WHO,” the release stated.

India records 2,424 new coronavirus infections, 3 deaths

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 13, 2022
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New Delhi: India saw a single day rise of 2,424 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,46,14,437, while the active cases have declined to 28,079, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

The death toll has climbed to 5,28,814 with 15 fatalities which include 12 deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases comprise 0.06 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.75 per cent, the health ministry said.

A decline of 514 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.65 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 1.27 per cent, according to the health ministry.

The number of people who recuperated from the infection surged to 4,40,57,544, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.

According to the ministry, 218.99 crore doses of COVID vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5, and 50 lakh on September 16.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4, three crore on June 23 2021, and four crore on January 25 this year.

The three new fatalities reported in 24 hours include two from Kerala and one from West Bengal.

Impact of over working out on a healthy heart

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 12, 2022
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We see that there are various unforeseen incidents that are happening daily with fit youngsters and people from other age groups, due to ignorance towards heart health. It could be an impact of over working out on a healthy heart.

While ‘no pain, no gain’ is a very common saying amongst people who workout, this is not necessarily the truth in more scenarios as it can lead to overtraining, which is often a phenomenon that most people fail to realize while it’s happening. We see that there are various unforeseen incidents that are happening daily with fit youngsters and people from other age groups, due to ignorance towards heart health hence, it is of utmost priority and importance to raise concerns about these issues and talk about the right way towards a healthy heart and its health.

The body undergoes stress during exercise and while some stress is good, constant and additional stress after a certain point is not. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Spoorthi, Fitness expert at Cult.fit, cautioned, “Not realizing one’s maximum threshold and continuing to workout in such a condition can be fatal. While you exercise, your heart helps to circulate blood throughout the body. It contracts faster and circulation is increased. This means that the muscles receive oxygenated blood much faster. While muscles also help to circulate blood, your heart does most of the work. Working out in moderation helps improve this process and strengthen the muscles of the heart.”

She explained, “When you overtrain, the demand for blood to the muscles is going to increase and the heart will overwork in trying to meet the demands. Your heart rate increases and so does the speed of the contractions along with the force of pumping blood. Tracking your heart rate and heart rate variability is one way to ensure you’re not overworking your heart. High variability in heart rate is something you can look out for. This can also be due to various other factors such as recovery and sleep. To summarize, overtraining can lead to the heart working harder, hence leading to cardiovascular conditions. You can ensure you don’t overtrain by getting optimal rest, eating well to fuel your body enough, and tracking your heart rate so you can modify your workouts.”

Warning about the same, Dr V Vinoth Kumar, Senior Consultant, Interventional Cardiology at CARE Hospitals of HITEC City in Hyderabad, revealed, “People develop heart attacks and other heart-related issues varying from mild to severe during workouts and marathons. One of the main reasons is a structural abnormality. This is often seen in people with narrowed or smaller aortic valves that pump limited blood to the body. Physical activities that demand more blood for the body will be strenuous as the heart cannot provide it. Furthermore, Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), an abnormally thick heart muscle is common in people under 30 years who may suddenly collapse due to heavy physical activities. Alternatively, there may be blockages in the blood vessels of the heart even in the heart of young adults leading to sudden cardiac arrests. Both HCM and blockages are seen in youngsters as it may be genetic in a few cases Parents who have experienced early age heart complications before the age of 50, at times pass it on to their children as well.”

He suggested, “It is important to get a regular cardio check-up of 2D Echo and ECG which reflects the condition of the heart. Blockage of less than 70% goes unnoticed in tests. Perfectly healthy hearts that has 10-20% blockage suddenly results in 100% blockage and cardiac arrests in heavy smokers. It is best to avoid smoking as it directly impacts the heart. People with diabetes, need to control their sugar levels while working out on a regular basis. In conclusion, heart evaluation by a cardiologist and regular monitoring by a professional while working out are very important. Increasing the workout plans gradually is the best route rather than jumping to heavy physical exercises and activities.”

It is well known that exercise is good for us, but at the same time, extreme activity which pushes the healthy limits can be dangerous. Dr Gopi A, Director – Interventional Cardiology at Fortis Hospital in Bangalore, shared, “Chronic extreme exercise training and competing in endurance sports like marathons can lead to both heart damage and heart disorders. This is common in people who have genetic risk factors for such abnormalities. One should not put away their walking shoes as moderate exercise is the best prescription for good physical and mental health. All extreme athletic activities have been linked to certain cardiac complications. When marathon runners are examined, after a marathon or after any chronic endurance sport, by blood foot biomarkers like troponin or CPK and MB, a higher level of biomarkers is found in these patients. Higher levels of biomarkers suggest minimal amount of cardiac damage.”

He elaborated, “When this happens, once in a while, the heart can repair itself and get back to normal but if it happens repeatedly over a short period of time, it can damage and result in some remodelling of the heart. As a result of it, the patients will have thicker heart muscles and there will be areas of scarring in the heart, which can lead to certain complications later on. In addition to this, very high intensity exercises, short bursts can be dangerous for the heart, they can acutely increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death. So many of the celebrities’ mortalities have taken place on the field or on a football ground. Moderate exercises like walking, jogging and swimming are ideal for people facing cardiac concerns. 150 to 300 minutes moderate intensity of exercise per week, is advised. This has got multiple benefits in terms of weight reduction, improvement in blood pressure, controlled diabetes, better sleep and stress management. To sum it up, exercising in moderation is good, but high intensity exercise has got its own risks. It is highly recommended to undergo a proper health check-up before getting into high intensity exercises.”

COVID symptom list has changed; THESE are the common signs of the infection now, experts say

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 8, 2022
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The order of COVID symptoms, from the most prevalent ones to the least, can be said to have changed. Two years into pandemic, health experts have seen a shift in the occurrence of COVID symptoms. The symptoms which are tagged as the ‘common symptoms’ are the red flags and should be dealt with proper preventive measures and, if necessary, medical intervention.

Apart from fever, headache, and other cold-related symptoms, the most common symptom seen during the onset of COVID infection these days is sore throat.

Tim Spector, PhD, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and co-founder of the COVID ZOE study app says that two-thirds of people with COVID are seen having sore throats as a symptom.

In a report carried by the Independent, Spector said that fever and loss of smell and taste are hardly seen in people these days.

In a report released on September 1, Spector’s Zoe COVID app had said that loss of appetite still remains one of the typical symptoms of COVID. “Early in the pandemic, loss of appetite was reported by around three in ten adults with COVID, rising to roughly four in ten people over 65,” the report says and adds that it has now fallen slightly with subsequent variants and vaccination, with just over a quarter of people (25-27%) reporting skipping meals with Delta or Omicron after three doses of the vaccine.

The other symptoms of COVID which are also commonly seen in people are runny nose, headache, sneezing, persistent cough, shortness of breath and sometimes fever.

Fatigue continues to persist in people during and after COVID and is currently seen as a big indicator of long COVID condition, in which the symptoms are seen in the individual weeks and months after a COVID infection.

Apart from these diarrhea, chest pain, tinnitus, sleep issues, loss of memory and focus should not be ignored if these persist for a longer time.

The fact that people are not updated with the new COVID symptoms, they live under the impression that they do not have COVID. Fever has always been seen as the primary key symptom of COVID ever since the pandemic happened. However, these days no fever does not mean you do not have COVID. With a sore throat and a mild headache there are chances you might have contracted the viral infection.

Fever and loss of smell are really rare now, so many old people may not think they’ve got COVID. They’d say it’s a cold and not be tested, Spector told the newspaper.

The lack of awareness around symptoms hampers the pace of testing and surveillance. People who are only aware about the outdated symptoms of the infection do not test themselves. As a result of which the infection keeps on spreading.

This also reduces the chance of identifying a newer variant quickly. More testing will lead to more effective tracking of the super-mutating coronavirus.

India recorded less than 2,000 COVID cases in the last 24 hours as per the data shared by the Union Health Ministry. India’s active COVID caseload currently stands at 30,362. The recovery rate stands at 98.75% with 3,908 recoveries in the last 24 hours. While the daily positivity rate stands at 0.94% the weekly positivity rate stands at 1.34%.

With COVID cases dropping and hinting better days, Delhi government is planning to withdraw the COVID restrictions.

Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has announced that the Rs 500 penalty for not wearing masks in public places in Delhi has been withdrawn.

However, wearing masks is advisable if you are in a crowded place or are sick and can not avoid staying indoors.

Transforming patient outcomes with AI in Healthcare

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 7, 2022
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Synopsis

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare can increase the speed, efficiency, and effectiveness of global health systems to help patients and clinicians

The digital transformation has begun. The demand for healthcare across the world is acute and growing. Ageing populations and disruptions due to Covid-19 have accelerated the growth and adoption of digital healthcare technologies.

Groundbreaking technologies have expanded the scope of what’s possible. Through developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, medical devices are advancing disease management by empowering clinicians to personalise medicine like never before. Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool that can increase the speed, efficiency, and effectiveness of global health systems. AI-powered technologies provide real-time data by providing newer insights into the human body to create solutions that help patients and clinicians.

One of the most promising applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare is its integration into diagnostic imaging analysis. One such example is the GI GeniusTM intelligent endoscopy module from Medtronic. As per GLOBOCAN 2020, colorectal cancer is the 7th deadliest cancer in India among men and women.I Colonoscopy is considered the gold standard for colon cancer screening. By using AI to analyse images gathered during a scan, physicians can identify conditions more quickly, promoting early intervention.The module empowers physicians to detect and treat colorectal cancer by using AI to scan every image taken during a colonoscopy in milliseconds and alerts physicians to the presence of lesions — including small, flat polyps that can easily go undetected by the human eye.

Designed to be a powerful new tool in the early detection of colorectal cancer, the system relies on highly effective algorithms to sort through tremendous amounts of data for insight-driven care. These AI solutions are designed to give healthcare professionals the time and tools they need to deliver better care to more people worldwide.

We have a wealth of technology at our fingertips, and we must harness it to address the challenges of today. Medtronic’s vision continues to be informed by its fundamental goal of bringing disruptive innovations in healthcare technology, and advancements in AI can help make healthcare work better for everyone.

How to survive a heart attack: life-saving tips everyone should know

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 6, 2022
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Getting a heart attack can leave anyone helpless and hapless. However, if you and people around you are already aware of the first aid steps to follow, you may just save a life. Heart attacks can happen suddenly due to a lack of blood to the heart. Quick action will give treatment the best chance of working. Here’s how to survive a heart attack or help someone who is having one.

Dr. Grant Reed, an interventional cardiologist and director of Cleveland Clinic’s STEMI program, says, “The No. 1 indicator of how well you’re going to do after a heart attack is how fast you recognize your symptoms.”

Apart from the classic chest pain/discomfort/pressure symptom, heart attacks can present differently in men and women, and in people with certain pre-existing health conditions, such as diabetes. Some of these include bad indigestion or nausea, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, and feeling generally unwell.

Doctors recommend that if you feel any of the above symptoms, even if you aren’t sure that it’s a heart attack, you should nevertheless call an ambulance immediately.

A lot of patients ignore their symptoms, and so by the time they come to the hospital, their heart muscle has already died, Dr. Grant Reed adds. There’s a strong relationship between when you start to have your heart attack and how fast doctors can open up the blocked coronary artery that’s causing it. The shorter the time, the better the outcomes.

If you’re having heart attack symptoms and have access to aspirin, Dr. Joel Beachey, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin recommends taking a full dose of 325 mg after calling the ambulance. If you have baby aspirin, which comes in an 81 mg dose, take four of those.

Taking aspirin can help break down some of that blood clot which forms inside your arteries, which blocks the blood flow in the artery during a heart attack. Doctors also recommend chewing it instead of swallowing, so that it gets into your system faster

If you think you’re having a heart attack, immediately call an ambulance instead of driving yourself to the hospital. You may lose consciousness and hurt yourself or others on the road, which is why it is best to not take the wheel.

In case someone around you suffers a heart attack, it is better to call an ambulance instead of driving them yourselves as you may not be able to help them if their symptoms worsen on the way. Plus, you could get distracted from driving properly and might risk an accident.

Ambulances are also helpful in the sense that the paramedics in the ambulance can provide the best and fastest care on the way to the hospital, including some treatment.

Begin CPR if the person is unconscious

If the person having a heart attack isn’t breathing or you don’t find a pulse, begin CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to keep the blood flowing. Make sure you call for emergency medical help first and then begin the CPR. The hands-only CPR requires you to push hard and fast on the center of the person’s chest in a fairly rapid rhythm — about 100 to 120 compressions a minute — until the paramedics arrive.

Indonesia approves first home-grown COVID vaccine for emergency use

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 5, 2022
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The Indovac vaccine has been developed by Indonesia’s state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma and the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development at Baylor College of Medicine.

Indonesia has approved its first domestically-produced COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use for people over 18, the chief of the country’s food and drugs agency (BPOM) was quoted by news media as saying on Wednesday. The Indovac vaccine has been developed by Indonesia’s state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma and the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development at Baylor College of Medicine.

Penny Lukito, the head of BPOM, was cited by news portal CNN Indonesia as saying the approval was “given as a primary vaccine for adults. “Penny and a Bio Farma spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bio Farma said this month it would produce 20 million doses of the vaccine in 2022 and 100 million doses by 2024. It has also said it has sought a halal certificate – which would make the vaccine permissible under Islam – from relevant authorities. Indonesia is the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation.

Bio Farma chief Honesti Basyir said earlier this month that the vaccines were intended to “help reduce the nation’s dependency on imported vaccines,” adding 80% of Indovac is locally-sourced.

Indonesia, which reported one of the highest transmission rates of COVID-19 in the world last year, has used vaccines produced by China’s Sinovac Biotech, Pfizer Inc and BioNTech as well as Moderna Inc. Bio Farma has said it has also sought an emergency use approval from the World Health Organization (WHO). Indonesia is also developing another home-grown vaccine called Inavac.

Protein could be used to produce life-saving antifungals: Research

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 4, 2022
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Their findings, published in te journal eLife, not only have implications for drug development, they also provide important insight into the evolution of an ancient growth control pathway found in all multicellular organisms.

Researchers have discovered a protein that is responsible for controlling cell growth in yeasts. Since humans and yeasts have remarkably similar cellular mechanisms, teasing out the differences presents drug developers with new targets for treatments.

Yeast cells and human immune system cells rely on surprisingly similar chemical reactions to know when to grow. University of Arizona scientists have identified subtle differences between the two cell types that could help spur the development of antifungal drugs that are able to attack disease-causing yeasts in the body while sparing the immune system.

Their findings, published in the journal eLife, not only have implications for drug development, they also provide important insight into the evolution of an ancient growth control pathway found in all multicellular organisms.

Protein could be used to produce life-saving antifungals: Research

It is well known in the scientific community that a conglomerate of proteins called TORC1 — short for Target of Rapamycin kinase Complex 1 — controls the growth of cells in everything from humans to yeasts. But researchers have now identified and named the protein that triggers this process in yeasts — a nutrient sensor and TORC1 regulator they named Ait1. When working normally, Ait1 shuts down TORC1 in yeasts when cells are starved for nutrients, blocking cell growth.

“Ait1 is kind oflike a hand holding TORC1 in place, with a finger that reaches over the top and flicks TORC1 on and off depending on how many nutrients a cell has,” said study co-author Andrew Capaldi, an associate professor in the UArizona Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and BIO5 Institute member.

The Capaldi Lab is interested in determining how cells sense stress and starvation and then decide how fast to grow. Understanding how TORC1 is triggered in different organisms is important for developing treatments for a wide variety of diseases.

TORC1 was originally discovered in yeast, but it is also critical for the activation of cells in the human immune system to mount a response. When TORC1 isn’t working as it should, it can trigger the development of cancer, diabetes and various neurological disorders including epilepsy and depression.

“If TORC1 is too active, it can give rise to cancer or epilepsy. If it’s underactive, then it can cause depression,” Capaldi said. “We call this Goldilocks regulation.”

But the fact that human bodies depend on the same TORC1 pathway as yeast presents a problem.

Capaldi said if scientists develop drugs that inhibit the growth of disease-causing yeasts by controlling TORC1, “we are in big trouble since TORC1 also controls the growth of human immune cells and more.”

“As an example, you can block the growth of yeast very easily using rapamycin — a drug that binds directly to and inhibits TORC1 — so that would fight any infection well,” Capaldi said. “However, that very same drug is regularly used in transplant patients to suppress their immune system, so that would be a disaster.”

The researchers found that while the TORC1 pathway is very similar in yeast and humans, humans don’t rely on Ait1 to regulate TORC1. So, drugs that specifically target Ait1 should inhibit the growth of yeast and not human immune cells.

Ait1 has only evolved in the last 200 million years, which is relatively recent in evolutionary terms. About 200 million years ago a TORC1 regulator called Rheb seems to have disappeared from the cells of various organisms exactly when Ait1 evolved.

Government to launch national tele-mental health programme, toll-free helpline number soon

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 3, 2022
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Synopsis

The government is preparing to launch a national tele-mental health programme and a toll-free helpline number soon, reported PTI. This is likely to enable wider access to mental health assistance across the country. The national tele-mental health programme (NTMHP) was first announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2022-23.

The government is preparing to launch a national tele-mental health programme and a toll-free helpline number soon, reported PTI. This is likely to enable wider access to mental health assistance across the country.
The national tele-mental health programme (NTMHP) was first announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2022-23.

“The pandemic has accentuated mental health problems in people of all ages. To better the access to quality mental health counselling and care services, a ‘National Tele-Mental Health Programme’ will be launched,” she had said.

This will include a network of 23 tele-mental health centres of excellence, with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) being the nodal centre and the International Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru (IIITB) providing technological support.

As part of the programme, at least one tele-MANAS (Tele-Mental Health Assistance and Nationally Actionable Plan) cell would be established in each state and union territory and there will be five regional coordinating centres, reported PTI citing official sources.

A toll-free helpline number will also be set up across the country, allowing callers to select the language of choice for availing services. The calls would be routed to tele-MANAS cells in the respective state and union territory, the source stated.

According to a Lancet study published in October last year, the percentage increase in the prevalence of clinically significant depression and anxiety disorders due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was estimated to be approximately 35 per cent in India.

There has been a 10 per cent rise in the number of suicides reported in 2020 in India as compared to 2019, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.
A study published this year by Dr Rajesh Sagar, professor of psychiatry at AIIMS, stated that India has a huge burden due to mental health problems with one in every seven persons estimated to be suffering from a clinically diagnosable mental disorder.

Further, the COVID-19 pandemic had significant direct and indirect negative effects on the mental health of the entire population, he said in his study titled ‘National Tele-Mental Health Program in India: A step towards mental health care for all?’

The study stated that the vision of tele-MANAS involves linking these new tele-mental health centres with the existing network of locally available mental health resources at nearby centres of excellence, medical colleges, district hospital and other mental health services run by the central and/or state governments.

This will help in providing immediate mental health care to a person in acute psychological distress and facilitate continuity of care by making appropriate referrals to nearby specialised mental health services depending upon the person’s convenience and severity of the mental health problem, it said.

The NTMHP also envisions linking tele-mental health services with other health-related schemes and services provided by the government under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (national digitalisation of health records and services) and the e-Sanjeevani platform (national tele-consultation service).

The effects of COVID-19 on mental health are prevalent. Long-term social distance protocols, fear of illness, death and future unpredictability, loss of educational and employment opportunities, economic downturn, and high work stress environment experienced by frontline healthcare workers have all been raised as concerns regarding the impact on mental health, Dr Sagar said.

“Social media misinformation and excessive screen time have become major issues in a society that is growing. Increasing common mental disorders at an alarming rate is a trend seen today (PTSD, anxiety, depression, suicidality, substance abuse, and post-Covid syndrome).

“Much stress brought on by infection prevention and control because of lockdown, self-isolation, and quarantine has led to a detrimental effect on mental health,” PTI quoted him as saying.

“Although toll-free numbers and telepsychiatry consultations have had a favourable impact on people’s decisions to seek care, prioritising the need of the most vulnerable individuals when allocating resources for mental health care is crucial,” he said.
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Medical Updates Medicine & Health

Follow this five-step guide to good health in 2022

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 1, 2022
No Comments on Follow this five-step guide to good health in 2022

As the pandemic rages on, people are continuing to focus on their health and well-being. A large aspect of a healthy lifestyle depends on the kind of food you eat, how physically active you are and if you follow a good sleeping pattern.

Akshay Modi, the managing director of Modi Naturals Ltd, says people usually end up cutting down on their sugar intake after being diagnosed with diabetes, avoiding fried food because of cholesterol, and exercising and gaining a lot of weight.

“With a bit of caution and care, like consuming sugar and oil in moderation and exercising regularly, they can keep themselves from falling prey to these concerns,” he says.

He lists five simple steps that can help a person take a more proactive approach to lifestyle and health; read on.

Follow this five-step guide to good health in 2022

1. Engaging in a physical activity

Physical activities give flexibility and power to the body to function seamlessly in today’s world, where much time is spent in front of screens. Be it a refreshing morning jog or an intensive workout, there are a number of options to choose from. Sports and dancing are great options, too. Activities like yoga and meditation provide physical as well as mental well-being. Hiking and cycling are some other interesting activities to undertake.

2. Knowing your nutrients and ingredients

It is important to consume different nutrients and vitamins. Making smart swaps for everyday food helps enhance the nutrition values of your meals. Rice can be swapped for quinoa, whole wheat for ragi, sunflower oil for olive oil. It’s also important to know your ingredients, especially edible oil which is used in each and every meal. It’s also important to buy organic products and to eat at home.

3. Sleep schedules

A poorly-rested body can’t function well physically or mentally. A good night’s sleep is crucial for your body to get the much-needed rest and recovery time. Following a sleep schedule and getting enough hours help reduce stress and increase productivity throughout the day. Ideally, an adult should be sleeping for 7-8 hours at a stretch. Too less or too much sleep is not good. Quick power naps during the day can also be considered. The timing is also important. Sleeping at different hours each day is not ideal.

4. Learn stress management techniques

Stress causes severe damage to our heart. Stress management is something that one needs to learn for themselves. To-do lists and priority lists are recommended for people with anxiety. Indulging in fun activities, dedicating time for hobbies, going on trips can help give you a break from your everyday routine. Stress can also heighten emotions which can make one lose control, and hence stress management requires maintaining positive relations with people around you.

5. Break free of bad habits

Smoking and heavy alcohol consumption are known to cause chronic illnesses such as cancer. While an occasional glass of wine may actually promote your health, uncontrolled consumption of alcohol and heavy smoking can lead to many short term and long term health issues.