Hope Healing

HOPE is a wonderful four-letter word. And Singapore is offering it in plenty. Some of it is free while some comes with a price tag attached ...

HOPE is a wonderful four-letter word. And Singapore is offering it in plenty. Some of it is free while some comes with a price tag attached to state-of-the-art medical equipment and world-class doctors. I found out all this on a stopover on the way to a food festival in Australia.

Read on, if you8217;re looking for reliable and authentic cancer counselling and information that is delivered absolutely free on a hotline and website. Ways to prevent cancer, symptoms, screening tests, emotional support and breakthroughs are all available on this multi-channel, non-profit service set up by the Parkway Group.

nbsp;	Here8217;s thanking the busy doctors who find time to answer our queries

		nbsp;	8226; BLUE SPELLS A baby had been referred for an Echo follow-up. Symptoms are an occasional cyanotic tinge to nails and lips and transient limpness. Please advise. This child has a complex congenital cyanotic heart disease called tetralogy of fallot. Such a child is prone to sudden blue spells and sudden limpness. Put the child on iron immediately and beta-blockers propranolol 1mg/kg. During an attack, place the child in a position with legs folded onto abdomen and neck folded downwards. If, in spite of above medications and precautions, episodes of unconsciousness and sudden blueness continue, immediate corrective surgery should be performed. If the episodes are controlled, the child8217;s growth needs to be monitored. If progress is good, surgery can be delayed till the child is about five. However, if there are complications, either total corrective surgery or a smaller temporary surgery can be initially done. Eventually, total corrective surgery will have to be performed. There is no other option. Dr Mukesh Sanklecha MD Pediatrics, DCHDNB Pediatrics 8226; HEART BLOCK What is Ischaemic heart disease, its causes and symptoms? Ischaemic heart disease is reduced blood supply to the heart muscles caused by blockages developing in the arteries. It can lead to a heart attack. Initially, there8217;s chest discomfort, sweating or pain in the arm called angina. A more severe pain would indicate a heart attack. Major risk factors are smoking, high BP, diabetes and high lipid levels. Family history, sedentary lifestyle, obesity and type A personality are other factors. Dr Sanjeev Mehta, Consultant Lilavati Hospital and The Chest Centre	nbsp;

Callers can speak to knowledgeable, caring counsellors who explain medical information in easy-to-understand terms. They take as much time as each caller needs, provide personalised attention and keep all calls confidential.

It8217;s not just about counselling. State-of-the-art machines hum away in the sparklingly clean environment of the hospitals. The latest one, installed a few months ago, is the multi-million dollar Biograph, a diagnostic imaging system. Called PET, it detects cancer at the very early cellular stages.

PET stands for Positron Emission Tomography, which is a scan that produces powerful images of the human body based on subatomic particles emitted from a radioactive substance given to the patient. I visited the Mount Elizabeth Hospital and the clinical Director of Radiology, Dr Shaheed Mahmood, explained the machine8217;s functioning in lay person terms. 8216;8216;All cells need energy to sustain life. One source of energy is sugar,8217;8217; he pointed out, 8216;8216;Diseased cells often require more energy and use more sugar from surrounding healthy tissue. PET exploits this basic principle. We keep patients hungry and then inject them with sugar attached to signal-emitting tracers. The hungry diseased cells gobble up these and the regions of increased glucose concentration stand out, so we can tell the presence of diseased cells at a micro-level.8217;8217;

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The machine also assists in the management of disease, to see how it is responding to treatment and to detect its recurrence, if any. It takes only half an hour to complete the procedure. According to Dr Mahmood, before they installed it, patients had to travel to Hong Kong or Australia.

And the heart-warming aspect of Singapore medicine is the humane one, as Dr Lim Cheok Peng, managing director of Parkway Group, explained, 8216;8216;We recognise that a cancer diagnosis is a fearful, confusing and life-changing event for patients and their loved ones.8217;8217; So their systems are geared accordingly. Particularly commendable is their non-profit website http://www.canHOPE.com.sg.

As I said earlier, hope is a wonderful four-letter word.

Do keep calling and writing. And do keep smiling. For all your health queries, call 022-22161313 or log onto http://www.rashmiudaysingh.com. Write to P. O. Box No 19946, Colaba, Mumbai-5 or e-mail holrashmiudaysingh.com