Arthritis beyond the joints

Arthritis as many believe is pain within a joint. But the change that is seen within other organs simultaneously with arthritis is difficult to diagnose or treat. I will briefly explain some of the common conditions occurring hand in hand with arthritis in the following paragraphs. Some of these “Extra articular (Outside the joint)” manifestations are more troublesome than arthritis itself.

Clinical parametres Lack of attention to minor matters can worsen health

Abnormalities in all of our clinical parametres indicate status of our health condition. However, we always worry about one side of variations (low or high) in those clinical parametres since its undefined side is not generally discussed. People lack knowledge in the field of clinical science. Normally, in a healthy person those medical parametres should have normal distribution as ranges defined by World Health Organisation. But that undefined d

Asthma It can be fully controlled

According to the WHO, asthma is a major non-communicable disease characterised by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing. The severity and frequency of the attacks vary from person to person.

Celebrating Reflexology Week

Reflexology is a therapeutic method of relieving pain by stimulating predefined pressure points on the feet and hands. This controlled pressure alleviates the source of the discomfort. In the absence of any particular malady or abnormality, reflexology may be as effective for promoting good health and for preventing illness as it may be for relieving symptoms of stress, injury, and illness.

Healthy habits ensure a hearty life

It is not wrong to say that the heart is life. As long as it keeps beating one is able to enjoy life. The moment the heart stops so does life. Unfortunately, there are many health challenges that pose a threat to the smooth functioning of this very vital organ. Some are preventable, some are not. World Heart Day is just around the corner (September 29) hence it is quite the appropriate time to have a heart to heart on cardiac health. Dr. Duminda

World Alzheimer’s Day Challenging stigma and discrimination

Old age is a stage that we all need to accept in this cycle of life. While in your retirement you could opt to do various activities to keep yourself engaged. But for some, it is not as easy as they think it is. Come old age, you are also burdened with health complications. As the memory span weakens, you are subject to newer challenges. Dementia is one such obstacle. If it’s progressive dementia, chan

Let’s fight Thalassaemia

Blood is like fuel to all humans and animals. It is the fluid that regulates all the functions that occur within the body. Blood delivers all the necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to every cell and also transports the metabolic waste products away from the cell. Blood mainly transports oxygen, w

Paying attention to the Urinary Tract to avoid infection

Antibiotics are used mainly for treatment of infections caused by bacteria. The inappropriate use of antibiotics leads to the problem of antimicrobial resistance. As a result some antibiotics may become ineffective when used for certain bacterial infections. According to studies, resistance rates to antimicrobials like amoxicillin and co-trimoxazole are high worldwide. Overuse or misuse of

End of silence: Endometriosis awareness

Endometriosis is a gynaecological condition prevalent among women of childbearing ages. 5-10% of women are affected by Endometriosis globally. However due to lack of knowledge and awareness concerning this condition, many women remain undiagnosed and suffer in silence. The disease is notoriously under-diagnosed and tends to progress even further in the absence of medical intervention

Dangers of hypertension in pregnancy

Hypertension in pregnancy is one of the commonest health complications encountered by expectant mothers. Awareness about hypertension in pregnancy is important because this condition has the potential to cause serious repercussions on both the mother and the baby. Following are a few excerpts of the interview conducted with Dr. U.D.P Ratnasiri, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Castle Street hospital for women regarding hypertension in p

World First Aid Day Digging deep into safety

With over 83 years of service since its establishment in 1936, Sri Lanka Red Cross Society through its branches in 25 districts all over the island has provided an invaluable service of protecting lives of the people of this country. World First Aid Day falls on September 14 this year which creates an opportunity to focus attention on the promotion of first aid to ensure that everyone would know how to save a lif

Collective effort needed to prevent suicide

For a suicidal person, taking his or her life is the only solution to life’s problems. Every year, suicide is among the top 20 leading causes of death globally for people of all ages. It is responsible for over 800,000 deaths, which equates to one suicide every 40 seconds. Every life lost represents someone’s partner, child, parent, friend or colleague. For each suicide approximately 135 people suffer intense grief or are otherwise affected. This

What a headache !

Headache disorders are one of the most common disorders of the nervous system. A headache is not only painful, but it is also disabling, imposing a burden on sufferers that impairs their quality of life and

Troublesome foot conditions explained

Numerous arthritic conditions affect the foot, but this article will highlight some of the ailments that develop outside the joints. The foot is the terminal structure that bears you from the early age of ten months onwards. Tremendous weight and pressure go through these tiny feet exposing the bones to high risk of damage. Out of a variety of arthritis types we observe osteoarthritis and inflam

Diagnosing dengue fever

After a rainy season, most of the time, a dengue epidemic would start since it allows the increase of mosquito breeding places. Dengue is a mosquito born disease which is caused by flavivirus namely, Aedes mosquito which affects a large number of people. Individuals are mainly affected in tropical and sub-tropical regions in the world causing a significant morbidity and mortality. After this monsoon period we have to protect ourselves from the d

Using cosmetics during pregnancy

Most of the Pregnancies are magical experiences filled with a host of benefits from pregnancy glow and increased body confidence. But for some women, it can mean months of nausea and fatigue, as well as dermatological conditions ranging from acne to hyperpigmentation, hair loss, under eye discolouration, stretched marks and etc. While many of these issues are easily remedied with everyday over-the-counter solutions, there are some other condition

Wake up to a healthy life!

Have you ever considered the fact that with an average of around 8 hours of sleep per day, you have slept through one third of your whole life? But contrary to what you might feel, this time is not in any way ‘wasted’. Sleeping is such an ingrained part of a person’s life that we sometimes tend to forget how important it is. An adequate amount of good quality sleep is essential for a person to remain healthy. Yet, a considerable number of people

How self-care promises a healthy life

Most people have to deal with stress almost on a daily basis. Psychological stress is a leading cause for almost all illnesses faced by man today. While many would resort to having western medicine to find cures for stress, Dr. D.B Nugegoda advises people to also focus on self-care such as getting closer to nature. Having graduated in the field of Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine Peradeniya, Dr. Nugegoda joined the University of Peradeniya,

How serious is a hernia?

While there are many medical maladies that people face in the world, some diseases often make one stop and wonder how it was caused in the first place. Although many causes for diseases are normally understandable, some causes may seem a bit unusual.

Childhood diabetes on the rise

Diabetes is not in any way a novel topic for our country. Currently, around 1 out of every 12 adults in Sri Lanka is suffering from diabetes according to statistics. Most of our readers know about how an unhealthy lifestyle can cause diabetes, which is a lifelong disease. But it is not only adults that can develop diabetes. Children can also develop diabetes for various reasons and the number of children getting diagnosed with diabetes is going u

Why Your child Misbehaves

Behaviour is a form of communication. Remember a time when you receive a gift from your loved one? By giving a gift, what he or she is trying to convey is the love the individual has for you. In the same way every behaviour whether it is good or bad serves a purpose. In other words every behaviour has a function. Children sometimes are unable to convey how they feel and what they think of. They express these thoughts through their behaviour.

Stress triggers Hypothyroidism

industrialization increases stress in most of us every day in our lives. Sometimes our busy life schedules shoot our stress levels way too high. Under this stress, our body releases the cortisol hormone and too much cortisol can interfere with thyroid hormone production while it stimulates the thyroid to work harder to create sufficient amounts of thyroid hormone. Other than that, stress promotes vulnerability in us to autoimmune thyroid conditio

Are you a victim of food allergies?

‘Food’ is what people eat to survive. However, it has now also become a bliss to life and many people enjoy the privilege of being able to consume all types of desired food. ‘Food’ also opens the doorway to receiving nutrition while satisfying the taste buds.

Are you lactose intolerant?

Lactose is a sugar (disaccharide) which consists of monosaccharaides such as galactose and glucose and is the main source of calories of all mammal milk. Intestinal absorption of lactose requires hydrolysis to its component monosaccharaides namely galactose and glucose by the brush-border enzyme lactase. The ability to digest lactose during the period of breast-feeding is essential to the health of the infant.

Taking A Close Look At Endometriosis

Women face many challenges in life, especially when it comes to health. They have a higher risk to many health issues as they are more likely to be diagnosed with certain illnesses than men. There are many conditions that women should be aware of. One such condition that should be given special attention is known as “Endometriosis”.

From yesterday to tomorrow A Brief History Of Cancer

Hippocrates is considered the Father of Modern Medicine, but when looking back, the practice of medicine runs back to the beginning of civilization itself. Almost every tribe had its medicine man, or a shaman, performing healing rituals unique to each community. These rituals varied from applying various poultices for ailments to the offering of tributes to the deities to cure the people of illnesses and plagues.

Gift your child with the best

Some of the best things in life are given free of charge. Breast milk is one such invaluable gift that a mother can give her baby. Not only is it free and given with love, breast milk has many advantages to the mother as well as for the baby. The time that mothers were discouraged from breastfeeding children is long past and the field of healthcare is trying to create a society where breastfeeding is encouraged and all mothers including career wo

What you should know about dementia

Dementia occurs as a result of a disease process. It is a term used to describe different brain disorders that have in common the loss of brain function, which is usually progressive and eventually fatal. Dementia affects memory, thinking, behaviour and emotion.

Be aware of Calcium deficiency!

The chemical element Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body. It is vital for maintaining a good health. Therefore, it is essential for all living organisms to carry out proper bodily functions and avoid the complications that occur due to its deficiency. It is important to provide the body with the necessary amount of calcium that is required to stay healthy and perform daily activities without interruptions.

Things to know about cholesterol

Cholesterol is an essential substance for all living organisms. It is synthesized within the body and a certain amount of it is obtained from food. Lipoproteins carry cholesterol in the blood since fat is not soluble in water.