Spine surgery may be safest at hospitals

(Reuters Health) - Patients who get spinal surgery at outpatient centers may be more likely to have serious complications or require repeat operations than their counterparts who get these procedures in a hospital, a U.S. study suggests.  

Not all children refuse school due to sheer laziness

It is no secret that we’ve all pretended to suffer from headaches and stomachaches when we were little, just so we could bunk school. This habit, however, never became a continuous practice. But are you aware that there do exist several children who have such an aversion towards schooling that it is almost as if they have a phobia towards school and what it represents. This is indeed a ver

Why is treating worm infection vital?

Worm infections are extremely common in children and spread easily. These parasitic organisms live and feed off the living host. Apart from the irritation that occurs because of infection, most of them are usually asymptomatic. White worms are usually visible in an infected child’s anal area and the child’s stool.   

Yellow fever: A not so colourful disease

While Dengue plagues the people in the Asian region, yellow fever has become Dengue’s partner in crime, severely affecting the health of those living in the African region. Though it is true that yellow fever is not prevalent in Sri  Lanka, Health Capsule is ever ready to endow you with knowledge. In this week’s edition, Prof. Arjuna De Silva, Faculty of Medicine, Ragama, speaks on yellow fever. 

Psoriasis: A condition causing scaling skin

Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition where there is an abnormal turnover of epidermal cells. Although it doesn’t affect many people, those inflicted by it have to deal with the discomfort of having their skin shedding process accelerated. 

Myth Buster

MYTH: Brown sugar is not healthier than white sugar. They are more or less the same.   

Miscarriage rates triple for women with top radiation exposure

Pregnant women exposed to high radiation levels from sources like cell phones, wireless devices and cell towers miscarried at nearly three times the rate as those exposed to low levels, according to new research.    

Nerve-switch surgery restores function of paralyzed arms

(Reuters Health) Doctors in Shanghai say they have made  paralyzed arms useful again by surgically swapping a nerve coming out of  the spinal cord.   

WALK FOR BETTER HEALTH

Common conditions in our urinary system

Urology is a branch of medicine which studies disease conditions related to the urinary system-kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. In this article, we will be talking about Cystitis and Pyelonephritis - two common disease conditions about which we get to hear often, how they present, their diagnosis and treatment followed by the features which might be helpful in differentiating one from the other.

How to tame your temper

A volcano will soon erupt and those around it are unsure what would happen next. Boom! The volcano erupted burning everything into ashes. Do you know these type of people who erupt like volcanoes?  Well, that’s because they can’t control their temper. Let us talk about anger management with Dr. 

Eating away at your digestive system

Since recent times the stomach bug has plagued many people. Patients experience great discomfort when the stomach bug ‘bites’ them. Although it seems like a simple disease, if not treated properly and immediately there can be dire complications. Speaking to the Health Capsule, Dr. Deepal Perera, Consultant Paediatrician, Apeksha Hospital, Maharagama said, “It’s known as gastroenteritis. It may be acute or be chronic.&rdquo

Changing your diet to one that works

Dietary trends are increasingly becoming popular. More people resort to vegetarian and vegan diets in the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. Nutritionist of the Nutrition Society, Sri Lanka Roshan Delabandara, explained to Health Capsule readers about vegan and vegetarian diets, its benefits and challenges.    Both vegans and vegetarians follow plant based diets, but do not consume animal meat. A plant based diet would include fruits, vege

Know how to manage Asthma

Asthma is a common lung condition causing occasional breathing difficulties. It’s an allergy, a deep-rooted disease, causing respiratory disorders at any age. Asthma is a combination of hereditary as well as environmental factors. It isn’t contagious. Asthma, catarrh, hives, medicine or food allergies are diseases which go together in one person or in a family. Even if asthma is incurable, it’s possible to keep it under control.

Myth Buster

MYTH: High carb diets are unhealthy.   

Getting a new lease of life

Kidney transplantation is the optimum treatment for end-stage kidney failure. Although the preparation and progress to a kidney transplant involves a complex series of events, the end result is a normal functioning kidney and a new lease  of life.   

Diabetes and obesity linked with high cancer risk

Many cancer cases worldwide may happen at least in part because people are overweight or have diabetes, a new report suggests.  

Is your child fidgeting and impatient?

Do you find your kid highly active and doesn’t concentrate on anything you told or asked him or her to do? Does your kid’s teacher continue to complain that he or she isn’t engaging in school work properly and prefers to run here and there inside the class room, disturbing other kids as well?   

There are means of improving quality of life

Down’s Syndrome, also known as Down syndrome or trisomy 21, is a genetic condition that results in physical and mental abnormalities that causes delays in physical and intellectual development. This genetic difference is present from conception itself affecting the person diagnosed throughout prenatal development, infancy, childhood and their adult life. Individuals with Down’s Syndrome have 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46.&nbs

nutrition zone Let’s sort out this problem with breakfast!

“While all three meals of the day are important, breakfast is even more special. This is because it’s the first meal for the day which is taken after a long fast. This is why this meal must offer protein, vitamins and minerals,” explained Dr. Jayatissa.   

Getting ready for impaired vision at 40

 As you grow older, you are burdened with many worries. Health is one concern. Your fading youth may turn your smile upside down. the appearance of wrinkles in your skin and reduced agility would be your least worries. You will have bigger problems when your eyes slowly lose the ability to see at short distance. This is known as presbyopia, which strikes when people reach their forties. Dr. M. Wijetunge, Retired Consultant Eye Surgeon of the

Commuters often exposed to damaging noise levels

(Reuters Health) - Loud noise exceeding levels that can damage hearing is regularly encountered by commuters using buses, subways and even biking, a Canadian study suggests.

High heels, spasm and back pain

Serious health problems can occur when wearing high heels because they force an individual’s ankles to bend forward. Wearing high heels is similar to a person standing on his or her tips of the toes. Wearing high heels restricts blood circulation in your lower limbs. This can lead to spider veins and it can also shorten the muscles in your calves and stiffen your Achilles tendon, leading to pain and muscle spasms.  

Dealing with Dyslexia Parents and teachers have huge roles to play

Dyslexia is a common cause that creates learning difficulties. This condition in turn causes problems with reading, writing and spelling. Having a child with dyslexia can be an additional hurdle in parenthood. Speaking to the Health Capsule, Dr. Jithangi Wanigasinghe, Senior Lecturer in Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Colombo 

Toxic Tobacco Let’s drop the smoking habit !

Regardless of how well you understand the outcomes of tobacco use, you still see a considerable number of cigarette smokers almost everywhere you go. Earlier this year, the Youth Tobacco report compiled by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), slotted Sri Lanka as the country with the lowest prevalence of

IMMUNOTHERAPY Can it be implemented into your treatment plan ?

Parkway Cancer Centre’s Dr. Patricia Kho discusses improvements in immunotherapy which can increase the rate of survival for several types of cancer. Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that uses certain parts of a person’s immune system to fight cancer. This works in two ways, one of which is to stimulate the immune system to attack the disease at a cellular level.   

Health Capsules

There are several compounds in grapefruit that can interact with statin drugs, possibly increasing their absorption and raising blood levels of the drug. Grapefruit can also interact with other drugs, such as tegretol (anticonvulsant) and anafranil (antidepressant).

Myth Buster

BUSTED: “This is not true. It depends on the physiology of the person. Eggs are high quality proteins and are important in the diet. The white of the egg contains protein whereas the yolk has Vitamin A and contains a high amount of cholesterol. It is important for growing children and healthy adults. A child should have an egg a day. An 

Spondylosis Specialists show how to work around it!

We hear the medical term spondylosis which I believe is a difficult word to pronounce and understand. Many patients talk about having spondylosis although a very few understand its true meaning. I will explain in simple terms what spondylosis is and what the patient could do to avoid problems related to this condition.   

Why Asians prefer to live with sexual disorders

Sex, sexuality and sexual disorders have been seldom discussed topics in Asia. Such stigma has given rise to many people refraining from obtaining medical advice in the subject of sexual medicine. In an attempt to break these mythical and social barriers, the South Asian Society for Sexual Medicine (SASSM) held its third