Expresso Health Updates Of The Week

Total health expenditure has fallen from 3.9% of the GDP to 3.2% in five years ending in 2018-19, according to the National Health Accounts Estimates 2018-19 released Monday.

An anonymous source said, “Even though the GDP or the size of the country’s economy must have increased in the five years, we would expect the spending on healthcare to either go up or at the very least remain constant. This, however, has not happened. And, the chronic underfunding of the healthcare sector affects the poorest.”””
“A flat foot is a health condition that, if ignored in childhood, can lead to grave health problems in the later stages of life, according to Dr Punit Kumar Jain, Principal Consultant- Orthopaedics, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. Defining it as a condition “where the foot has little or no arches,” the expert explained that when people with flat feet stand the “pad of the foot presses or touches the ground.”

If not treated timely, it can lead to long-term problems like “arthritis, a bone spur, corns, and callosities at the point of deformity, and chronic lower back ache,” the expert told indianexpress.com, adding that flat feet can hamper certain daily activities, too.”
“Meanwhile,

Fenugreek seeds are commonly used in most Indian kitchens to add a unique flavour to dishes. A 2015 study, published in the International Journal For Vitamin and Nutrition Research, found that a daily dose of 10 grams of fenugreek seeds soaked in hot water may help control type-2 diabetes.

Dietitian Garima shared the first and the “easiest” way of consuming fenugreek seeds to manage diabetes on Instagram, and said, “Take a spoon full of these seeds and soak them in water overnight. Next morning, boil and consume this water.” If possible, swallow the seeds, she added. Consuming the seeds this way is beneficial for those with insulin resistance, PCOS, and diabetes.”
“Some people avoid eating pineapple owing to the tingling sensation it causes on the tongue, lips, and throat, but it can be nullified with one simple ingredient.

Dr Lily Choi, a New York-based licensed acupuncturist, said “Ever notice the tingly sensation in your mouth when you eat pineapple? That stems from the bromelain enzyme. It reduces inflammation and swelling. It is used to treat conditions like sinusitis, soreness in muscles, osteoarthritis, digestive support, wound healing, and weight loss. Bromelain is also said to repair blood cells and help stabilise blood pressure.

According to Dr Choi, salt helps inactivate the bromelain enzymes, and even adding a small amount of salt can enhance the fruit’s sweetness making it even more delicious, she said.”
“Menopause, the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle, is a natural process which happens when the ovaries stop producing eggs and releasing hormones. While there’s no set age when menopause should start, a woman usually enters menopause between the mid-40s to mid-50s. If a woman, 55 or older, still hasn’t entered menopause, it is called ‘late-onset menopause.

Dr Savitha Shetty, Senior Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Apollo Hospitals, Sheshadripuram, Bangalore, said, “”The average age for menopause is 51. The age at which women attain menopause is usually between 45 to 55 years. Various factors determine the onset of menopause which include race, ethnicity, education, nutrition, parity, active smoking, use of oral contraceptives, physical activity and body mass index,” ”
“The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday warned women who have breast implants or are considering getting them that certain cancers may develop in scar tissue forming around the implants.

The malignancies seem to be rare, but they have been linked to implants of all types, including those with textured and smooth surfaces, and those filled with saline or silicone.

There are few documented cases. The FDA said it was aware of fewer than 20 cases of carcinoma, and fewer than 30 cases of unexpected lymphomas, in the capsule around the breast implant.

Given the history of implants and their widespread use, however, federal health officials felt concerned was warranted. In some cases, women were diagnosed after years of having breast implants.”
“The latest ongoing study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, by the Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) suggested an increase in protein intake to 20 per cent to manage Type-2 diabetes or even reverse the condition, if freshly diagnosed. As such, can protein help reverse or manage this metabolic condition?

Dr Priyanka Rohatgi, Chief Clinical Dietician, Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore said that increased protein intake is linked to controlled blood glucose levels and lowered HBA1c. This is because protein “increases the insulin response without spiking blood glucose levels”. “Several studies have shown that protein helps to blunt the glycemic index of a meal and therefore prevents post-prandial blood glucose surge,””
“Lastly,

Julie Chin, a television news anchor in Oklahoma, suffered an onset of a stroke during a live telecast recently.

She said, “The past few days are still a little bit of a mystery, but my doctors believe I had the beginnings of a stroke live on the air Saturday morning.””

Calling stroke “a medical emergency”, Dr Aparna Gupta, Senior Consultant, Neurology, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre said, “A stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds or when the blood supply to the brain is cut off. Blood and oxygen cannot reach the brain’s tissues due to the rupture or blockage which can result in long-term brain damage, disability, or even death.””

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