Contact lenses are becoming popular among younger generation as compared to spectacles. The reason being lenses offer better cosmesis and visual field. But you need extra care in case of lenses than specs. Due to continued innovation, varied types of lenses are available in the market and for varied purpose. They can be divided in various groups according to function, material used, wear time, design etc.

Following are different types of contact lenses in general:

Soft Contact Lenses - They are flexible lenses made of soft plastics and allow easy flow of oxygen to cornear. They are more comfortable to wear and adjust than rigid lenses. New types of soft lenses include silicone hydrogel for more oxygen flow and comfort and that makes them most popular lenses. But they are costlier and have short life span

Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses - Also known as RGPs, they are more durable and offer better vision, are less expensive and last longer as they don’t tear. They might be uncomfortable initially.

Disposable Contact Lenses - As compared to soft contact lenses which can be used repeatedly, disposable contact lenses are to be used once and then discarded. So a new pair is required each day. Useful in case of replacement schedule.

Extended Wear Contact Lenses - They can be worn overnight or for few days continuously ranging from few days to 30 days. Though not very popular.

Colored Contact lenses - Used for cosmetic purposes but they obstruct your vision. Comes in colors like green, blue, brown etc. and often called as non-prescription contact lenses.

I heard about EDTA chelation therapy often. I was not knowing about it previously but then I read about it on internet and found that it is used in the treatment of coronary artery diseases. (CAD)

Now what is EDTA chelation Therapy. EDTA is a short form of Ethyelene Diamine tetra Acetate and is an artificial amino acid. EDTA combines with heavy metals and chelates them so a compound is formed which is harmless and gets removed from the body via urine. It is commonly used for the treatment of heavy metal poisioning like lead and mercury.

Coronary Artery Disease is a chronic condition which occurs due to development of plaque in the walls of arteries supplying blood to heart. This plaque is made of cholesterol, fat, calcium etc. Now it is said that EDTA combines with this calcium and removes them and then the plaque gets dissolved. This therapy is not worldwide prevalant still.

A large clinical trial is being conducted for the effects of EDTA chelation therapy for coronary artery disease by NIH along with Nation center for complementary and alternative medicine (NCCAM) and the Nation Heart, Lung, and blood institute (NHLBI). This study will involve over 2.3k patients and will last for around 5 years. There will be double blind trial using EDTA and placebo. Lets see the results.

So consult with your doctor regarding this.

This is the most common question asked by any Undergraduate MBBS student after completing his graduation. What’s next and which Postgraduate branch to choose ?

The branch depends all on your interest in the particular field. Whether you want to go in surgical or medical side.. Whether you want to go for clinical or non-clinical side..

You will require to do little research and find out which branch has future potential.

Also it depends on where are you going to practice - which speciality is missing in your area - so go for it to create a  monopoly.

Last but not the least, it is not in our hands to choose the dream seat unless you are a top ranker. So atleast we should have to go for any branch which we are getting after continuous effort.  Best of luck

Diabetes and Hypertension are the 2 most common chronic ailments affecting general population of developed or developing countries. Though they are life-time diseases, you can live a healthy life along with them if you take care properly.

Following are some of the useful tips for Diabetec Patients :

1. Take your medicines regularly.
2. Don’t forget to take your meals after taking medicine to avoid hypoglycemia.
3. Avoid foods with direct carbohydrates like sugar, cake, white bread etc.
4. Take food at same time daily and at frequent intervals
5. Exercise regularly
6. Get your blood sugar checked at regular intervals as per doctor’s advise.
7. Maintain a diabetes diary mentioning your medicines, sugar levels, emergency contact numbers, your doctor etc.
8. Wear a Diabetic Wristband or bracelet for rapid identification during emergency
9. Check your feet daily and see that there is no injury. If there is any, take instant treatment.
10. Keep Glucose tablets or candies ready in case of hypoglycemic episodes.

Take diabetes as a challenge, fight against it and don’t get depressed.

There are various non-profit organizations and government programs running to help and support the needy people - those that suffer from deadly diseases like AIDS, Cancer, etc. For the eduction of public, they organize various shows, talks, short movies, advertisement etc. so that as much awareness is created about the particular disease and steps to prevent them.
One of the popular way of creating awareness is through tags and wristbands. These bands are beautiful, cheap and trendy. You will find wristbands with many colors and slogans, each signifying some disease or cause.

Some of the famous wristbands are :

• LiveStrong bands for cancer - yellow color
• LiveFree bands for smoking - Orange color
• Courage bands for AIDS - Red color
• Breast Cancer bands - Pink color

And many more. These bands are created to increase public awareness & support and gather donations too. So wear one if you are not doing still.

We have talked many times previously about different types of weight loss diet. But it is not only weight loss for which a person should be concerned about his diet. There are lot many conditions which require an attention towards what you eat or drink.

Diet means what we eat or drink. For a health living, a person should take balanced diet that includes carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, water etc. in adequate quantities and as per physiological condition. A lactating or pregnant women require more of proteins and calories.

Diabetic Diet - For those who suffer from diabetes. Their diet should contain less carbohydrate & fats and more of fibers, vegetables, beans and pulses. A diebetic should eat in less quantity and more frequently. Take care not to go in hypoglycemic episodes.

Low Sodium Diet - For those suffering from Hypertension (High Blood Pressure). Sodium leads to water retention in the body and so increased blood pressure. So low sodium diet is beneficial for blood pressure control. Infact your doctor will advise you to go for low sodium diet before starting anti-hypertensive medicines. Common salt is the main source of sodium in our diet and so foodstuffs containing less salt is included in low sodium diet.

This is continuation of our previous post on traveller’s immunization.

Immunizations are among the most important and effective ways to prevent travel-related infections. Immunizations for travellers include the “routine” childbirth and adult immunizations that you would receive in Canada. Vaccines like shots against meningococcal meningitis, will also be recommended at childhood, others like typhoid shots or  flu shots are strongly encouraged when there is risk of infection.

For Canadians who travel abroad, there is a very small risk of requiring emergency medical treatment in a foreign country. Very few travelers die of serious preventable illnesses. Infectious diseases account for 1% of travel-related deaths whereas almost 50% die from motor vehicle accidents or drowning.

The most common illness to strike Canadian tourists in developing countries is travel diarrhea (TD), which can, in case of some drinks, even lead to bladder cancer. This is also known as Montezuma’s revenge, turista, or Delhi belly. That’s why it’s very important to check with a health care professional or travel clinic about preventable diseases before travelling in order to obtain a prescription for self-treatment.